That's hardly enough storage for a weekend cruise, much less the 105-night world cruise the ship is now embarked upon, even if you stow pillows and life jackets under the beds.

''Women need more room on a world cruise because of formals. There's no casual dress code [on the QV]. There's a disconnect here,'' said William Gladstone, a passenger from Boston.

Another passenger, Bernard Fowler from Bath, England, complained that power outlets were awkwardly placed, making it difficult to connect chargers for electronic devices.

Some passengers, though, were taking it in stride. Judy Duvall, from Hawaii, said the drawer issue didn't worry her. ``We're going to buy plastic boxes at Wal-Mart when we get to Los Angeles.''

Help is on the way also from the cruise line. Cunard spokesperson Jackie Chase said the line plans to add more drawers in the night tables. (While they're at it, I'd suggest they add a soap dish and shelves on each side of the small sinks in the small bathrooms -- another topic of passenger heat.)

On the plus side, stateroom balconies are deeper than most on similar cabins on other ships.

ONBOARD ACTIVITIES

Aside from the drawer brouhaha, most passengers on this sold-out world cruise seemed to be enjoying themselves. They listened intently to such lecturers as Bill Miller, who has written 65 books on cruising, and to forensic expert Jerry Labriola, M.D., as he discussed evidence in the O.J. Simpson, JonBenet Ramsey and other murder cases. Watercolor classes, dance lessons, flower arranging seminars, the computer center, shuffleboard and paddle tennis were all hits. So many played duplicate bridge that an extra room was required for every session.

Nightly Royal Court Theater shows tended to focus on single performers, among them singers Petrina Johnson and Earl Turner. (Both got standing ovations.) Live orchestras played every night in the Queens Room, whose floor was always crowded with ballroom dancers. Live bands and DJs made the scene in Hemispheres, the late-night venue. Solo pianists played in lounges and a talented string quartet performed in the Grand Lobby and for afternoon tea.

For quiet days at sea, passengers retreated to the library, which has 6,000 books and a unique spiral staircase connecting its two levels.

DINING AROUND

We dined in the main dining room, the two-deck Brittania, where the food and presentation fit the upscale tone of the ship. My wife particularly enjoyed the lamb and venison, and the chocoholics at our table scored well at dessert time.

One evening we decided to skip the more formal dining room meals and enjoyed a casual (and happily not drawn-out) buffet dinner in the Lido restaurant, where one can get a minute steak, lamb or pork chop cooked to order. And on another day, we had a bangers-and-mash lunch washed down with beer in the Golden Lion pub and felt very British. As one should on a British ship.

But the best dining without question was in the Todd English alternative restaurant, where waiters hovered over the table and my two-inch-high tenderloin came to me cooked perfectly as ordered -- the mark of an expert kitchen. To top it off, my wife declared that her creme brulee was the best she'd ever had. Reservations are required at Todd English, where a charge of $20 per person is made for lunch and $30 for dinner.

After her current world cruise, the QV will make a variety of European cruises, mostly in the Mediterranean.

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