queen elizabeth cruise ship history

Cruising The Past Cruise News

Coulter’s steamlined modern department store miracle mile los angeles, an historical look at cunard line’s rms queen elizabeth… the first in a line of qe liners..

Posted by: Michael Grace October 23, 2010

Sailing on the RMS QUEEN ELIZABETH in the 1950s… when “Getting There Was Half The Fun”!

At the time of construction in the mid-1930s by John Brown and Company in Clydebank, Scotland, the RMS Queen Elizabeth was known as Hull 552, but she was later named in honor of Queen Elizabeth, Queen Consort at the time of her launch on 27 September 1938, and in 1952 became the Queen Mother. Queen Elizabeth was a slightly larger ship with an improved design over her running mate, Queen Mary, making her the largest passenger liner ever built at that time, which was a record that would not be exceeded for fifty-six years.

She first entered service in February 1940 as a troopship in the Second World War, and it was not until October 1946 that she served in her intended role as an ocean liner. Together with Queen Mary, Queen Elizabeth maintained a two ship weekly transatlantic service from Southampton to New York for over twenty years. With the decline in the popularity of these routes, both ships were replaced by RMS Queen Elizabeth 2 in 1969.

The Captain’s Table – 1950s…

She was retired from service in November 1968, and was sold to a succession of buyers, most of whom had adventurous and unsuccessful plans for her. Finally she was sold to a Hong Kong businessmen who intended to convert her into a floating University cruise ship. In 1972 whilst undergoing renovations in Hong Kong harbor, she set on fire and capsized. In 1973, her wreck was deemed an obstruction, and she was scrapped where she lay.

(Left: The Duke and Duchess of Windsor aboard the RMS Queen Elizabeth – waving and being interviewed.)

On the day RMS Queen Mary set sail on her maiden voyage, Cunard’s chairman, Sir Percy Bates, informed his ship designers that it was time to start designing the planned second ship, which unlike Queen Mary, whose name was kept secret, was to be called Queen Elizabeth. The official contract between Cunard and government financiers was signed on 6 October 1936.

The new ship was to be an improved design of Queen Mary, with sufficient changes including a reduction in the number of boilers to twelve boilers instead of Mary’s twenty-four, which in turn meant that the designers could discard one funnel which would increase deck, cargo and passenger space. The two funnels would also be braced internally to give her a cleaner looking appearance than her sister, at the same time the forward well deck was omitted and a sharper raked bow was added for a third bow anchor point, which also gave the new vessel an extra ten feet in length over her sister. The ship also boasted a more refined hull shape. Queen Elizabeth, growing on the stocks.

(Rex Harrison, Peggy Cummins and Mrs. David Niven aboard the RMS Queen Elizabeth…)

Queen Elizabeth was built on Slipway Four at John Brown & Company in Clydebank, Scotland. During her construction she was more commonly known by her shipyard number, Hull 552. Cunard’s plan was for the ship to be launched in September 1938, with fitting out intended to be complete for the ship to enter service in the spring of 1940. The Queen herself for whom the ship was named, performed the christening ceremony on 27 September 1938, with the ship sent for fitting out. It was announced that on 23 August 1939 the King and Queen were to visit the ship and tour the engine room and 24 April 1940 was to be the proposed date of her maiden voyage. Due to the outbreak of the Second World War, these two dates were postponed.

(The Captain inspects the RMS Queen Elizabeth…)

Queen Elizabeth sat at the fitting out dock at the shipyard in her Cunard colors until 2 November 1939, when the Ministry of Shipping issued special licenses to make her seaworthy. On 29 December her engines were tested for the first time, when they were run from 0900 to 1600 with the propellers disconnected to monitor her oil and steam operating temperatures and pressures. Two months later Cunard received a letter from Winston Churchill, then First Lord of the Admiralty, ordering the ship to leave Clydeside as soon as possible and “to keep away from the British Isles as long as the order was in force”.

(Series of Photos… Joseph Cotten, Rosalind Russell, Gregory Peck, Elizabeth Taylor, Vivien Leigh and Lawrence Olivier aboard the RMS Queen Elizabeth…)

At the start of World War II, it was decided that as Queen Elizabeth was so vital to the war effort that she could not have her movements tracked by German spies operating in the Clydebank area. Therefore, an elaborate ruse was fabricated involving her sailing to Southampton to complete her fitting out. Another factor prompting Queen Elizabeth’s departure was the necessity to clear the fitting out berth at the shipyard for the battleship HMS Duke of York,[6] which was in need of its final fitting-out. Only the berth at John Brown could accommodate the King George V-class battleship’s needs.

One major factor that limited the ship’s secret departure date was that there were only two spring tides that year that would see the water level high enough for Queen Elizabeth to leave the Clydebank shipyard, and German intelligence were aware of this fact. A minimal crew of four hundred were assigned for the trip; most were signed up for a short voyage to Southampton from Aquitania. Parts were shipped to Southampton, and preparations were made to drydock the new liner when she arrived. The names of Brown’s shipyard employees were booked to local hotels in Southampton to give a false trail of information and Captain John Townley was appointed as her first captain. Townley had previously commanded Aquitania on one voyage, and several of Cunard’s smaller vessels before that. Townley and his hastily signed-on crew of four hundred Cunard personnel were told by a Cunard representative before they left to pack for a voyage where they could be away from home for up to six months.

Captain Townley discovered that he was to take the untested vessel directly to New York without stopping, without dropping off the Southampton harbor pilot who had embarked on Queen Elizabeth from Clydebank and to maintain strict radio silence. Later that day at the time when she was due to arrive at Southampton, the city was bombed by the Luftwaffe. After a crossing taking six days, Queen Elizabeth had zigzagged her way across the Atlantic at an average speed of 26 knots avoiding Germany’s U-boats, where she arrived safely at New York and found herself moored alongside both Queen Mary and the French Line’s Normandie. This would be the only time all three of the world’s largest liners would be berthed together.

Captain Townley received two telegrams on his arrival in New York, one from his wife congratulating him and the other was from the ship’s namesake – Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth, who thanked him for safe delivery of the ship that was named for her. The ship was then moored for the first time along side Queen Mary and she was then secured so that no one could board her without prior permission. This included port officials. Cunard later issued a statement that it had been decided that due to the global circumstances, it was best that the new liner was moved to a neutral location and that during that voyage the ship had carried no passengers or cargo.

As a troopship, Queen Elizabeth left Singapore on February 11th and initially she carried Australian troops to operating theatres in Asia and Africa. After 1942, the two Queens were relocated to the North Atlantic for the transportation of American troops to Europe.

Queen Elizabeth and Queen Mary were used as troop transports during the war. Their high speeds allowed them to outrun hazards, fore-mostly German U-boats, allowing them to typically travel without a convoy. During her war service as a troopship Queen Elizabeth carried more than 750,000 troops and also sailed some 500,000 miles.[3] Her captains during this period were the aforementioned John Townley, Ernest Fall, Cyril Gordon Illinsworth, Charles Ford, and James Bisset.

(The Wheelhouse – during the 1950s…)

Following the end of the second world war, her running mate Queen Mary, remained in her wartime role and grey appearance; except for her funnels that were repainted in the company’s colours. For another year she did military service, returning troops and G.I brides to the United States. Queen Elizabeth, meanwhile, was refitted and furnished as an ocean liner at the Firth of Clyde Drydock in Greenock by the John Brown Shipyard. Six years of war service had never permitted the formal sea trials to take place, and these were now finally undertaken. Under the command of Commodore Sir James Bisset the ship travelled to the Isle of Arran and her trials were carried out. Onboard was the ship’s namesake Queen Elizabeth and her two daughters, the princesses Elizabeth and Margaret.

During the trials, her majesty Queen Elizabeth took the wheel for a brief time and the two young princesses recorded the two measured runs with stopwatches that they had been given for the occasion. Bisset was under strict instructions from Sir Percy Bates, who was also aboard the trials, that all that was required from the ship was two measured runs of no more than thirty knots and that she was not permitted to attempt to attain a higher speed record than Queen Mary. After her trials Queen Elizabeth finally entered Cunard White Star’s two ship weekly service to New York. Despite similar specifications to her older sister Queen Mary, Elizabeth never held the Blue Riband, as Cunard White Star chairman Sir Percy Bates requested that the two ships not try to compete against one another.

(A turbulent crossings…)

The ship ran aground on a sandbank off Southampton on 14th April 1947, and was re-floated the following day.

Together with Queen Mary, and in competition with SS United States, Queen Elizabeth dominated the transatlantic passenger trade until their fortunes began to decline with the advent of the faster and more economical jet airliner in the late 1950s;[7] Queens were becoming uneconomic to operate with rising fuel and labour costs. It was documented that on one transatlantic crossing the ship crew compliments of 1,200 outweighed the 200 passengers the ship was carrying. For a short time, Queen Elizabeth (now under the command of Commodore Geoffrey Trippleton Marr) attempted a new dual role to make the aging liner more profitable; when not plying her usual transatlantic route, which she now alternated in her sailings with the French Line’s SS France, the ship cruised between New York and Nassau.

(Left: The Captain gets a haircut in the barber shop.)

For this new tropical purpose, the ship received a major refit, with a new lido deck added to her aft section, enhanced air conditioning, and an outdoor swimming pool. However, this did not prove successful due to her high fuel operating costs, deep draught (which had prevented her from entering various island ports) and being too wide to use the Panama Canal.

Cunard retired both ships by 1969 and replaced them with a new, single, smaller ship, the more economical RMS Queen Elizabeth 2.

In 1968, Queen Elizabeth was sold to a group of Philadelphia businessmen from a company called The Queen Corporation (which was 85% owned by Cunard and 15% by them), at the same time the ships name was also altered as Cunard removed the word “Queen” from the bows and stern. The new company intended to operate the ship as a hotel and tourist attraction in Port Everglades, Florida, similar to the use of Queen Mary in Long Beach, California. Losing money and forced to close after being declared a fire hazard, the ship was sold at auction in 1970 to Hong Kong tycoon C.Y. Tung.

(Sad end for a great liner.)

Tung, head of the Orient Overseas Line, intended to convert the vessel into a university for the World Campus Afloat program (later reformed and renamed as Semester at Sea). Following the tradition of the Orient Overseas Line, the ship was renamed Seawise University, as a play on Tung’s initials. 1972: The wreck of Seawise University, the former Queen Elizabeth.

Near the completion of the £5 million conversion, the vessel was destroyed by a massive fire on January 9, 1972.[3] There is some suspicion that the fires were set deliberately, as several blazes broke out simultaneously throughout the ship. The fact that C.Y. Tung had acquired the vessel for $3.5 million,and had insured it for $8 million, led some to speculate that the inferno was part of a fraud to collect on the insurance claim. Others speculated that the fires were the result of a conflict between Tung, a Chinese Nationalist, and Communist-dominated ship construction unions.

The ship capsized in shallow water in Hong Kong Victoria Harbor on 9 January 1972.

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The fascinating stories behind the cruise ships launched by Queen Elizabeth II

We chart the Queen's important role in maritime industry

As Princess Elizabeth, the future Queen got her first impression of what christening a new ship involved on September 27 1938. At the age of 12, she and her sister, Princess Margaret, accompanied their mother to the John Brown Shipyard in Clydebank. From the rostrum she watched as the biggest ship in the world at the time – Cunard’s mighty Queen Elizabeth – was launched. As the towering ship slipped stern-first down an inclined slipway and splashed into the sea for the first time, the cheers of hundreds of thousands of people lining the banks of the River Clyde undoubtedly impressed the young Princess.

From there, she made her own maritime history. Queen Elizabeth II christened 21 ships during her lifetime, more than anyone else in the nation’s history. She officiated for five Cunard ocean liners, two of P&O Cruises’ ships, and a mini-armada of Royal Navy craft, not to mention her own Royal Yacht.

On November 30 1944, Princess Elizabeth launched her first ship – HMS Vanguard – Britain’s biggest and fastest battleship; three years later, for her last public engagement before her wedding to Lieutenant Mountbatten, she returned to Clydebank to launch Cunard’s Caronia. As Queen, the ships she launched include some of the most celebrated in recent maritime history.

The Queen’s Fleet

Caronia, 1947.

Built specifically for transatlantic crossings and leisurely warm-weather cruising, Cunard’s Caronia, would be affectionately nicknamed the “Green Goddess” due to her distinctive livery of four shades of green, similar to Liverpool's trams. At the launch on October 30 1947 in Clydebank, the Princess and her future husband, Lieutenant Mountbatten, were greeted by a crowd of 30,000 spectators in “wild fashion” according to a local newspaper. 

The Princess’s association would remain throughout the luxurious vessel's career; her portrait – depicting the Prince and Princess in a pastoral setting on their honeymoon at Broadlands – occupied pride of place in the main lounge. Sadly, the fate of Caronia was an ignominious one. Under tow to ship-breakers in Taiwan; she foundered off the coast of Guam.

Britannia, 1953

Her Majesty’s Yacht Britannia was launched by Queen Elizabeth from the John Brown & Company Shipyard on April 16 1953. Over more than 44 years the Royal Yacht travelled over a million nautical miles and became one of the most famous vessels in the world. Britannia provided the perfect Royal residence for glittering state visits, official receptions, Royal honeymoons, and relaxing family holidays. Following a decommissioning ceremony in 1997 where Queen Elizabeth was visibly upset, Britannia became a visitor attraction and exclusive venue in Leith, the port of Edinburgh.

Queen Elizabeth 2, 1967

Cunard’s second Queen Elizabeth was also built at John Brown’s Shipyard in Clydebank, and launched by the Queen on September 20 1967. She cut the ribbon using the same gold scissors that her mother had used to launch Queen Elizabeth back in 1938. This released the bottle of Empire wine that smashed onto the side of the mighty liner. She then pressed the button that electrically released the launching trigger, but the ship didn’t move.  

The Queen looked baffled; the smile faded from Prince Philip’s face. Workers high up on the ship’s deck shouted “Give us a shove” and shipyard director George Parker joined in the spirit of the request: bowler-hatted, he sprang to the bows and pushed. He jubilantly waved his bowler when, by coincidence, she began to slide smoothly into the Clyde, approximately two minutes after the Queen had named her.

The name itself aroused some controversy. Her Majesty had said: “I name this ship Queen Elizabeth the Second. May God Bless her…May God Bless her and all who sail in her.” And so began a maritime conundrum. Did the name refer to Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth the Second, or was the name meant to imply the second Queen Elizabeth liner?  A Cunard spokesman said, “The ship is named as the second liner of that name. The Queen Elizabeth will be out of service next October; the Queen Elizabeth 2 will be in service shortly afterwards. It’s as simple as that”. 

In fact, no one found it simple. In 1969, Assistant Purser, Harry Smith received a letter addressed to ‘The QE II’. He promptly marked it “try Buckingham Palace” and returned the letter to the Post Office. The ship was given the Arabic “2” rather than the Roman “II” and became known globally as QE2.

In July 1990, The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh took the Royal Review of QE2 and assembled Royal Navy ships at Spithead from the aft deck of the Royal Yacht Britannia. The Queen and Duke were later transferred to the Cunarder by Royal Barge for a celebratory lunch. That day, The Queen became the first reigning monarch to sail on a commercial liner with passengers aboard.

On June 2 2008, she returned to QE2 for a final time to bid farewell to this illustrious ship. Between 1969 and 2008, the QE2 sailed 5.8 million miles and carried 2.5 million passengers in style and luxury. The storied ship is now a floating hotel in Port Rashid, Dubai.

Oriana, 1995

On April 6 1995, Queen Elizabeth christened Oriana, the first cruise ship especially designed for the British cruise market. This was the first time a reigning monarch had officiated at the naming ceremony of a P&O Cruises ship. Just before the ceremony began, the Band of HM Royal Marines and the Choir of Westminster Abbey performed “Fair Oriana, Beauty’s Queen”. In August 2019, Oriana was sold to a newly formed Chinese cruise line and renamed, incongruously, Piano Land.

Queen Mary 2, 2004

Thirty seven years after launching QE2, Her Majesty travelled to Southampton on January 8 2004 to name Queen Mary 2 – the largest, longest, tallest and widest ocean liner ever built. That ceremony is still regarded as the most spectacular ever staged and featured performances by the Band of Her Majesty’s Royal Marines (Portsmouth), the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, and soprano Lesley Garrett. 

A heart-stopping moment was provided when Heather Small performed a specially extended version of her anthem ”Proud”. As the orchestra, choir and soloist came to a rousing crescendo, the entire stage backdrop disappeared to reveal the Cunarder’s towering forecastle and colossal superstructure. There was an audible gasp from the assembled throng. 

Queen Elizabeth, 2010

A new Queen Elizabeth joined the Cunard fleet on October 11 2010. A full 72 years after attending her first Cunard event, the Queen travelled to Southampton to name Cunard’s third Elizabeth and thus claim the accolade that she was the only person to have attended the launches of all three Cunard “Elizabeths”. 

The Queen told those in the Royal Party about the time when she and her sister accompanied their mother on a return trip to the first Queen Elizabeth on October 8 1946, as the ship’s reconversion after her war service neared completion. Back then, the Royal Party was escorted to the Bridge, where both Princesses were given a stopwatch to time the Cunarder’s speed over a measured mile. On her third trial, the liner achieved exactly 30 knots. While on board the new Queen Elizabeth, she disclosed that – back in those days of rationing – this was when she saw white bread for the first time.

Britannia, 2015

Looking radiant in a petal peach coat, the then 88-year-old monarch took her place on the dais constructed in front of P&O Cruises’s Britannia, whose hull was painted with a 308ft-long Union Flag. The patriotic christening ceremony on March 10 2015 at Southampton’s Ocean Terminal was one of the last public occasions when Prince Philip accompanied Her Majesty. His sense of humour remained trenchant. Watching his wife sign an empty picture mount – in which a glossy portrait of the Monarch was later placed, the Prince remarked pithily: “It’s not a very good likeness, is it?”

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Transportation History

Finding the unexpected in the everyday.

1938: A Record-Setting Ocean Liner is Launched in Scotland

September 27, 1938

The steam-powered ocean liner RMS Queen Elizabeth, constructed by the shipbuilding firm John Brown & Company for Cunard-White Star Line (renamed Cunard Line in 1949), was launched at a shipyard in Clydebank, Scotland. This ocean liner was named for the wife of England’s King George VI and queen consort of the United Kingdom and the Dominions. She was also the mother of Queen Elizabeth II, England’s current reigning monarch. (After Elizabeth II succeeded George VI to the throne following his death in 1952, her mother became known instead as Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother; she retained this title until her death in 2002 at the age of 101.)

The queen consort, accompanied by her daughters Elizabeth and Margaret, attended the Tuesday afternoon ceremony to help launch the ship named in her honor. “The launching was a spectacle to be remembered,” reported the Guardian newspaper. A major foul-up occurred before Queen Elizabeth even had the opportunity to christen the vessel. While several of the ship’s builders were describing the mechanism for sending the ocean liner down a slipway and into the River Clyde, someone accidentally pressed a button that caused the vessel to start sliding into those waters ahead of schedule.

The Guardian recounted, “The ship had moved a yard or two before the Queen could use the scissors that were to send the bottle of wine crashing against her bows, and her gathering momentum caused many to fear that she might go to the water a pagan ‘unchristened.’ But that ill fate was not to be, and the broken bottle tinkled in time as the ship made way.”

Notwithstanding that unplanned part of the ceremony, the launch of the Queen Elizabeth was seen to some extent as a nationwide respite from the ever-escalating tensions between England and Germany that would erupt into World War II the following year. The Guardian asserted, “This ceremony, to which a listening country lent its ears and which something like a quarter of a million people saw with their own eyes, a ceremony enacted on a grey day in a darkening world, was instinct with a symbolism that none present will ever forget.”

Queen Elizabeth took time during the ceremony to address those ongoing anxieties about the international climate. “This ceremony, to which many thousands have looked forward to eagerly, must now take place in circumstances far different from those for which they had hoped,” she said. “I have, however, a message for you from the King. He bids the people of this country to be of good cheer, in spite of the dark clouds hanging over them and indeed over the whole world.”

The Queen Elizabeth was the largest passenger steamship ever built. She also held the record for the largest passenger ship of any kind until the debut of the Carnival Destiny in 1996. The Queen Elizabeth, because of her size and high speed, was refitted for naval service during World War II. Following that global conflict, the Queen Elizabeth was finally put to the use for which she was built. The ship became a key player in the transatlantic passenger business, regularly bringing travelers from Europe to New York City. The Queen Elizabeth was also used as a cruise ship, sailing between New York City and the Bahamas.

The advent of jet airliners in the 1950s, however, considerably reduced the popularity of the Queen Elizabeth and her fellow transatlantic passenger ships. Three decades after being launched, the ocean liner’s service with Cunard Line came to an end.

For more information on the RMS Queen Elizabeth, please check out  https://ssmaritime.com/RMS-Queen-Elizabeth.htm  and  https://www.chriscunard.com/queen-elizabeth/queen-elizabeth-history/

A video of the ship’s launch is available at  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tl8tpZMM2Xs

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Queen Elizabeth

Cruise line Cunard

• Sydney (NSW Australia)
• Miami (Florida)
• Seattle (Washington)
• Vancouver (BC Canada)
• Yokohama (Tokyo, Japan Kanagawa)

Queen Elizabeth current position

Queen Elizabeth current location is at East Asia (coordinates 41.33021 N / 141.65049 E) cruising at speed of 19.2 kn (36 km/h | 22 mph) en route to AOMORI. The AIS position was reported 3 minutes ago.

Current itinerary of Queen Elizabeth

Queen Elizabeth current cruise is 9 days, round-trip Japan Circumnavigation . Prices start from USD 1099 (double occupancy rates). The itinerary starts on 26 Apr, 2024 and ends on 05 May, 2024 .

Specifications of Queen Elizabeth

•   Itineraries
•   Review
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Queen Elizabeth Itineraries

Queen elizabeth review, review of queen elizabeth.

The 2010-built MS Queen Elizabeth cruise ship is same-designed as MS Queen Victoria (2007) and has as fleetmates the Cunard liners RMS Queen Mary 2 (2004) and the fleet's newest boat (2024-built) Queen Anne .

The vessel (IMO number 9477438) is currently Bermuda- flagged (MMSI 310625000) and registered in Hamilton . The flag state/registry was changed from Southampton (UK) to Bermuda in order to be able to host onboard weddings.

On the 10th of October 2007, Cunard announced the ship's name. Cunard's last traditional-design Atlantic Ocean liner RMS Queen Elizabeth 2 (1969-built, IMO 6725418) retired in 2008 (on Nov 27th).

The cruise ship was named after and christened by HM Queen Elizabeth II (1926-2022). The namesake is the Royal Navy battleship HMS Queen Elizabeth aircraft carrier (2014-built).

History - construction and ownership

Cunard Line is a British-American cruise brand, operated by Carnival UK and owned by Carnival Corporation (shipowner). Cunard is headquartered in Southampton (England UK) and is among the world's oldest passenger shipping companies . In 2015, Cunard Line celebrated its 175th anniversary.

The 2300-passenger liner Queen Elizabeth is a luxurious ocean liner. QE appeared in October 2010 when she was named in a grandiose ceremony by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth. Reminding the rich inheritance of the first Cunarder to bear the name, her stylishness both echoes that legendary age and improves her luxury modern charm. QE- the running mate to Queen Mary 2 and Queen Victoria has a modified design and is slightly larger than Queen Victoria, having more vertical stern.

With her black hull, white structure and red funnel signals, externally Cunard Queen Elizabeth has the charm of the company's British heritage, following Cunard's tradition. Modern luxury and the best of Cunard's values are what guests can expect onboard.

The ship is identical in design to MS Queen Victoria, although the max passenger capacity is slightly higher because of the steeper stern. This difference is the reason why the largest suites (at the stern) have smaller balconies. The games deck is covered by a roof at the end of deck 11, which is not similar to the sports deck on Queen Victoria with her not continuous canvas covering. RMS Queen Elizabeth's original whistle was used to make a copy of it for the new ship.

Unlike previous Cunard ships, this is not a true liner, as it doesn't have a heavy plating (throughout the hull). The bow is constructed with heavier plating in order to cope with Transatlantic crossings. Also, the ship has a high freeboard.

The ship's decor is different from Queen Victoria's, although with identical interior arrangements. As a tribute to the previous Elizabeths (the original one and the QE2), this cruiser evokes the 1930s, when Cunard's first QE was launched. A feature on Queen Mary 2 (not available on Queen Victoria) is the Britannia Club section of the restaurant, featured on Queen Elizabeth. This way passengers in Britannia staterooms are allowed to use single-seating dining arrangements, not having to upgrade to the more expensive Grill cabin grades.

Decks and Cabins

Cunard Queen Elizabeth staterooms (1043 total) include 127 Suites, 611 Balcony, 146 Oceanview and 162 Inside cabins, in all 9 types and 34 categories. The ship has 20 wheelchair-accessible and 9 studios (single-occupancy cabins). The largest are the Grand Suites (1495 ft2 / 139 m2 plus 970 ft2 / 90 m2 terrace).

Cabin types include Queens Grill, Princess Grill, Britannia, Suites (Grand, Master, Penthouse, Queen, Princess), Standard Balcony staterooms, Outside and Interior (windowless). Most cabins (Britannia Balcony) are sized 190-420 ft2 / 18-39 m2, with cabin balconies sized 70 ft2 / 7 m2.

The boat has 12 decks (all passenger-accessible) of which 7 are with cabins. Of all staterooms, ~85% are outside, with 71% of them with step-out balconies.

The Princess and Queens Grill suites are situated around the ship, with excellent views, or in the midships, where balconies are deeper. Most of the top suites are on Deck 7, in addition to Queens Grill penthouses, two Master and two Grand Suites which include huge balconies, separate dining areas, and whirlpool baths. These are named after the knighted Cunard Commodores. The Master Suites have a bath with a sea view, and the top category- the Grand Suites offer outdoor dining and a wraparound balcony. Queens and Princess Grill offer personalized stationery and marble bathrooms. The intimate Grill restaurants offer exceptional menus (with sophisticated creams and browns that glitter crystal and gold) and exciting sea views- located on Deck 11. The doors open to the Courtyard, and steps will lead you to the upper Grills Terrace, providing more exclusivity than the lower one, available for all guests.

Theoretically, MS Queen Elizabeth is a classless ship, but passengers are actually separated (like on all Cunard liners) as their onboard dining locations are according to their cabin's category/cruise fares paid. Britannia Restaurant is for regular cabins, Princess Grill - for junior suites, and the Queen's Grill is for deluxe suites. All the other public rooms are free to be used by all passengers.

Shipboard dining options - Food and Drinks

Four main dining rooms and the Verandah- an alternative restaurant, the Lido- a buffet and a changing specialty option, are Queen Elizabeth suggestions. The Britannia Restaurant is the main dining room on board the ship, where everyone dines except the Grills and Britannia Club cabins. You may choose between two seating- 6,00p.m. and 8,30p.m. Britannia is open for full served breakfast on sea days from 8,00a.m. to 9,30a.m., on port days from 7,30a.m. to 9,00a.m.; lunch is from 12,30p.m. to 2,00p.m., open seating at both. A wide choice is on the dinner menu- five appetizers, six entrees (two of which vegetarian choices), two salads, six desserts, including cheese.

A step up from Britannia is the Britannia Club, which is a separate room for inhabitants of top-grade Britannia cabins. The menu is as, in Britannia, the atmosphere- more exclusive, dinner is from 6,30p.m. to 9,00p.m., open seating, breakfast and lunch served also there. The two Grill restaurants are on Deck 10, accessible with special keycards, sharing the outdoor terrace with a splashing fountain, sheltered by high walls. The Princess Grill's menu is similar to Britannia, but with more items and a la carte menu. Queens Grill's menu is with bigger a la carte menu and you can have what you want.

The Verandah Restaurant on Deck 2 offers really outstanding food and is available to all passengers. It is open from 6,30p.m. to 9,00p.m., for lunch from 12,00p.m. to 1,30p.m. If you dine there you will enjoy a real luxury cruise. The Lido is a 24-hour casual dining venue on Deck 9. Breakfast is served from 4,00a.m. to 11,30a.m., and is followed by lunch until 3,00p.m., afternoon tea is at 6,00p.m., dinner- from 6,00p.m. to 11,00p.m., snacks available through the night. Other dining venues are Cafe Carinthia on Deck 3, which is open from 7,00a.m. and serves breakfast- pastries, lunch- quiches and salads, and afternoon tea. The Lido and the Queens Room offer afternoon tea and sandwiches, burgers, pasta and other, as well as the menu from dining rooms.

The Britannia Club, which is one of the four basic QE dining rooms, replaced the Chart Room bar which is available on Cunard's Queen Victoria, while the Todd English specialty restaurant, featured on both QM2 and QV, became The Verandah. This restaurant, managed by Cunard's executive chef, is remindful of the glory days of the first Queen Elizabeth and Queen Mary, on which The Verandah Grill was regarded as the finest restaurant at sea. The Midships Bar, which is another much-loved Cunard's feature, is back, as is the Yacht Club nightspot, which is a lounge fondly remembered by fans of QE2 for its late-night dancing. Despite that Cunard is American owned cruise company, there's no lack of British icons such as a Fortnum & Mason hamper ordering service, Harris Tweed for sale and a sunlit Garden Lounge that's spiritual by the glass houses of Kew Gardens.

When you book you may request a sitting. The Britannia restaurant has two for dinner - at 6 p.m. and at 8.30 p.m. Princess Grill and Queens Grill do not have sittings - when they are open, you can dine any time you choose. A note for confirmation sitting and table number will be left in your stateroom when you board. Lunch and breakfast do not require allocated tables or sittings.

During the day, passengers definitely tend towards country club casual dress code. At night, even when it isn't a formal-designated evening, people dress anyway. There are three dress codes in the main restaurants after 6 p.m. each evening - which one applies each night you will be told in pre-voyage documentation and daily program in your stateroom: Formal (men - dinner jacket with a black tie or dark business suit; women- evening dress); Semi-formal (men- jacket and a tie; women - cocktail dress/trouser suit); Elegant casual (men - a jacket, tie is optional; women - skirt, dress or trousers). Shorts and T-shirts or shorts are not permitted!

Follows the complete list of Queen Elizabeth restaurants and food bars.

• Verandah Restaurant (French specialty restaurant at a surcharge)
• Britannia Restaurant (1351-seat, 2-level Dining Room; serves open-seating Breakfast and Lunch. Dinners are waiter-served, with 2 assigned sittings at 6 or 8:30 p.m. Inside is the Britannia Club which is a private dining room for Britannia Club Balcony guests)
• Britannia Club Restaurant (single-seating, complimentary dining venue for AA-Balcony Room guests only)
• Lido Restaurant (450-seat buffet-style restaurant for Breakfast and Lunch; In two of its sections are offered itinerary-inspired dishes for dinner)
• Winter Garden Lounge (supper club/formal dining venue; features gourmet food and Afternoon Champagne Tea)
• Queens Grill Restaurant (142-seat, for Queens Grill Suite guests; with regular and an a-la-carte-priced menu)
• Princess Grill Restaurant (132-seat, Princess Grill Suite guests only; open-sitting, with the same menu as at the Queens Grill)
• The Courtyard Restaurant (40-seat; serves Grills staterooms guests only).

Shipboard entertainment options - Fun and Sport

Queen Elizabeth cruise liner is quite similar in many aspects to her sibling, Queen Victoria, in most of the design, cabins and enrichment programs. The decor indefinably feels lighter; chic, geometric Art Deco-inspired interiors unlike to the heavier Victoriana. There is beautiful artwork, rich Italian marble, polished wood and soft light everywhere, diffused by glittering chandeliers. The rippling sounds of a harp, soft piano or gentle jazz trio throughout the public places emphasize the whole feeling of old-fashioned glamour. There isn't neon or glitz on this vessel, and there are some gimmicks. Instead of capturing the public's imagination with water slides and high-tech discos, Cunard cruise company cashes in on its awesome inheritance, a sense of cause and old-fashioned pursuits like ballroom dancing, lawn bowls or afternoon tea in the Garden Lounge.

Live music is played all over the ship. If you enjoy evening drinks in Midships bar or Cafe Carinthia, listen to the pianist and the harpist in the Grand Lobby. The Golden Lion pub presents a singing pianist, quizzes, karaoke. Every day dancing, morning, noon and night on Queen Elizabeth- most in the Queens Room built for the purpose, gold and blue. A large dance floor and stage for band complete the picture. Single ladies are accompanied by gentleman hosts. Jazz concerts and piano recitals are also held there. Every few nights Royal Balls are organized in the Queens Room. Other evening events are shows in the theatre, with 20 V.I.P. boxes. Forward is the Empire Casino and the Golden Lion pub. The pub is cozy and modeled as a British pub, is cozy enough. Roulette, Texas Hold'em, BlackJack and numerous slots are available in the casino- a nonsmoking area. The only smokers places are on balconies, the starboard side on Decks 3 and 10, in Churchill's Lounge on Deck 10. The Midships Bar has seating around a marble bar and comfortable armchairs. In Queens Room, where a lot of people gather each evening drinks are also served. Bigger lounges and bars are on Decks 9 and 10.

Family-oriented in terms of facilities, Queen Elizabeth has the look of a "grown-up" ship. For that reason, families might feel better on P&O or Princess lines. The Zone on Deck 10 is a teenagers' room for computer games, air hockey, Xbox, and for the smaller ones QE suggests a colorful children's playroom full with toys. Outdoor deck space is featured, as well. These operate on port days only, but you better book in advance.

Cunard cruise ship weddings, ceremonies, and parties could be held in some of the QE's lounges. There is no chapel on board the QE ship.

Follows the complete list of Queen Elizabeth lounges, clubs and other entertainment venues for kids, teens, and adults.

• Royal Court Theatre (832-seat, 3-deck, with a giant movie screen; hosts high-tech visual programs, grand musical productions, and shows, as well as theatrical spectacles, performances by the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art)
• iStudy (Cunard ConneXions; separate meeting rooms featuring Internet computers); Internet Centre
• Grand Lobby Atrium (with a grand piano, grand sweeping staircase, interior glass-wall lifts)
• Golden Lion Pub (116-seat traditional British pub bar; features a large selection of the UK and international beers, large-size TVs, live entertainment, small dance floor)
• Empire Casino (222-seat, 6000 ft2 / 610 m2; with 115 slots and 11 gambling tables, served by Casino Bar)
• Queens Arcade (quiet area for relaxation with panoramic views)
• Cunard Place (nautically themed museum); Clarendon Fine Art gallery; Images Gallery (photo gallery)
• Cunard ConneXions (a complex of 3 rooms which host onboard events)
• Chart Room (cocktail bar with live jazz)
• Queens Room (2-level formal dancing ballroom; hosts evening dancing parties and daily dance lessons)
• Veuve Cliquot (Champagne Bar); Cafe Carinthia (patisserie, specialty teas and coffees bar); Midships Bar & Lounge
• Royal Arcade (boutique shops, top name brands); Fortnum and Mason Shop
• The Alcove (a quiet room with a big jigsaw puzzle); Card Room
• Royal Spa & Fitness Centre (size 20000 ft2 / 1860 m2, 2-level; with a Spa, Thalassotherapy Pool, Thermal Suite, Finnish and Herbal Saunas, Treatment Rooms, Relaxation Lounge, Aromatic Steam Room, Beauty Salon)
• Fitness Centre (Gym Room and Weights area; with exercise bikes, Elliptical machines, treadmills, steppers, rowing machines, yoga mats; has Aerobics Room for classes)
• The Library (with a large book selection - over 6000 volumes)
• Pavilion Pool (with 2 Whirlpools and poolside Bar); Lido Pool (with 2 Whirlpools, Bar and Grill)
• Commodore Club (indoor observation lounge with panoramic windows and live piano music)
• Admiral's Lounge (premium liquors)
• Churchill's Cigar Lounge (smokers room with a selection of fine liquors and cigars)
• The Yacht Club Lounge & Disco (nautically themed, glass-domed)
• The PlayZone (indoor/outdoor kids area for children 7+ yo); The Zone (for children 8 to 12 yo); Teen Zone (teenagers club area)
• Games Deck (glass-domed; with tennis court, shuffleboard, croquet, quoits, giant chess, golf simulators, first time at sea complimentary fencing lessons)
• The Terrace (private outdoor area, Grill passengers only); The Grills Lounge (Grill Suites guests only).

Itineraries

Queen Elizabeth itinerary program each year has a World Cruise leaving roundtrip from Southampton UK , with several one-way itinerary segments. The liner also sails in Europe (Canaries, Mediterranean and UK mini cruises), leaving from Southampton.

In February 2018, Cunard announced that for season 2019-2020, the cruise liner will be deployed in Australia to serve a 101-day program. During this season (December 2019 through March 2020), the ship had scheduled 6 roundtrips from Melbourne and 2 roundtrips from Sydney NSW on itineraries to Tasmania, New Zealand, South Australia, Papua New Guinea (14-day from Sydney, with maiden port calls to Conflict Islands and Kiriwina / Trobriand Islands).

For season 2019 (February-March), the ship had a 54-day long Australian season with homeporting in Sydney NSW and Melbourne. In 2019 and 2020, the liner offered a unique for Cunard Alaskan program based on roundtrips from Vancouver BC Canada (read more in the Wiki section).

In summer 2021 (July through October), Cunard scheduled for Queen Elizabeth an ex-UK season with 10 "British Isles Voyages" and 3 "Sun Voyages" (3- to 12-nights itineraries). "British Isles Voyages" offered scenic coastal cruising including Jurassic Coast (Dorset England), Land's End (Cornwall England), Scotland's Isle of Arran , Kintyre Peninsula, Sound of Mull. Four ex-UK voyages visited Belfast Ireland , Greenock , Invergordon , Liverpool , Newcastle , Holyhead Wales (first-time for Cunard). Balcony cabin prices per person (with double occupancy) started from GBP 600/EUR 700/USD 830 (4-night British Isles Voyages), GBP 900/EUR 1050/USD 1240 (7-night Sun Voyages), GBP 1300/EUR 1520/USD 1790 (10-night British Isles Voyage). Bookings were opened only for UK residents.

In late-October 2021, Cunard canceled Queen Elizabeth's Asia 2022 program (a total of 19 itineraries planned between Feb 20 - May 17) which was based on homeporting in Yokohama Japan . The revised 2022 schedule included roundtrips from homeport Southampton to Norway, Spain's Canary Islands, and Western Mediterranean ports, ending with a Grand Voyage (westbound Transatlantic crossing and Panama Canal transit) ending in Vancouver (BC Canada) .

Queen Elizabeth - user reviews and comments

Photos of queen elizabeth.

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Other Cunard cruise ships

• Queen Mary 2
• Queen Victoria

Queen Elizabeth Wiki

The Fincantieri Monfalcone -built Queen Elizabeth as vessel design is similar to P&O UK's Arcadia , Princess' Coral and Island , and Costa's Luminosa and Deliziosa . HM Queen Elizabeth II is the ship's Godmother. The naming ceremony was on October 11, 2010. The British monarch also christened Cunard's RMS Queen Mary 2 (2004), and in 1967 - Queen Elizabeth II (QE2 ship ceased operations in 2008).

The inaugural cruise/maiden voyage started on October 12, 2010, leaving from homeport Southampton to Canaries (Spanish autonomy territory). The itinerary visited Lisbon , Cadiz , Tenerife , Santa Cruz de la Palma and also Funchal (Madeira Island, Portugal) . For its first year of service, Queen Elizabeth did around 142,000 mi (230,000 km) of cruising to 100+ different destinations. Among the many celebrities who participated in the onboard show programs were Ruth Scott, Lord Jeffrey Archer, Brian Hoey.

The ship's first birthday was celebrated in Malta (Port Valletta) on October 12, 2011.

On January 13, 2011, the 3 Cunard liners met in the USA ( New York City ) on a second "Royal Rendezvous" to commemorate the second year after the first Royal Rendezvous. On this occasion, Elizabeth and Victoria crossed together the Atlantic Ocean. All Cunard ships gathered again in Southampton on June 5, 2012, to celebrate HM's diamond jubilee. A month later (on July 15), for the first time ever, Queen Elizabeth and QM2 docked together in Hamburg (Germany) .

In October 2011, the vessel changed its registry/flagstate  from the UK to Bermuda, which allows cruise wedding ceremonies to be held on the ship. The word “Southampton” on the stern was replaced with “Hamilton”.

On March 12, 2013, the liner passed by RMS Queen Mary - an earlier Cunard fleet member. QM is now permanently docked at Long Beach CA (Los Angeles) , serving as a ship hotel. On March 13, 2017, the ship departed on its ever first cruise leaving roundtrip from Japan ( Kobe-Osaka ). The 7-day itinerary (March 13-20) came after the local municipal government asked Cunard to schedule a Kobe-based cruise as in 2017 Port Kobe celebrated its 150th anniversary. The voyage included the Japanese ports Kagoshima , Busan , Hiroshima  and Kochi . This "surprise cruise" became part of the 2017 world voyage. CLIA's "2017 Summit at Sea" conference (May 9-17, 2017) was held onboard the ship. The itinerary (May 8-12) was roundtrip from Southampton to Hamburg .

In 2019, Cunard repositioned the liner for a 2-month long season in Australia (February-March), with departures from homeports Melbourne and Sydney on 7 cruises to NZ, South Australia, and Tasmania. For the liner's Australian deployment, Cunard partnered with 4 local brands (R.M.Williams / fashion, Akubra Hats, Starward Whisky/distillery, and Australian Dance Theatre). Under the Starward distillery partnership, the ship carried "The Seafarer" (a 225-litre barrel of the boutique whisky). It was loaded in Sydney NSW and positioned on the top deck to spend 12 months around the world, and will be opened in February 2019 at the Australian season's start. The partnership with Australian Dance Theatre will result in live performances, along with onboard dance classes and workshops.

Operated regularly and starting in January each year, Queen Elizabeth offers Cunard World Cruise deals with affordable pricing, popular destinations, and big-city ports to visit around the world.

Cunard cruises Alaska 2019-2020

In 2019, MS Queen Elizabeth had scheduled Cunard's first-ever Alaskan cruise season in over 20 years. The 27-day Pacific Ocean crossing itinerary (Asia-Alaska repositioning, May 5-31, 2019, Yokohama to Vancouver ) included as call ports Aomori , Tomakomai-Sapporo , Kodiak , Juneau , Anchorage , Skagway , Sitka , Ketchikan , Icy Strait Point . Cunard's 2019 Alaskan program included all four 10-night long roundtrips out of Vancouver to Tracy Arm Fjord and Hubbard Glacier .

On Queen Elizabeth, Cunard offers culturally-rich shipboard programming for all 2019 cruises to Alaska. The program includes four 10-day roundtrips (themed ‘The Last Frontier") with departures from Vancouver BC (2019 departure dates - May 21 and 31, June 10 and 20), with call ports Icy Strait Point , Juneau , Ketchikan , Sitka , Victoria BC , Skagway . Highlights include scenic cruising through Inside Passage , Hubbard Glacier , Tracy Arm Fjord . Cunard’s 2019 Alaskan program includes the following special onboard amenities:

• Lectures by Dr. Rachel Cartwright - a naturalist with 20+ years of experience in Alaska
• Live performances by Alaska Native Voices and members of Huna Tinglet tribe
• Presentations by LaDonna Rose Gundersen - cookbook author and commercial fisherwoman
• Dedicated in-cabin TV entertainment, including the documentary series “The Ketchikan Story”
• Complimentary hot cocoa and blankets provided on Sun Deck
• Live Navigation Bridge commentaries

On Queen Elizabeth, Cunard also planned a full 2020 Alaskan season (June through September). Due to high demand, the Alaskan 2020 program was doubled (in comparison to 2019) with 10 roundtrips from Vancouver (ranging 9 to 12 days) plus one roundtrip to San Francisco (overnight on Independence Day).

Each Alaskan voyage offers popular destinations along the coast of British Columbia (Canada) and Alaska (USA), and longer port times in Juneau , Ketchikan , Skagway , Sitka . In addition, these voyages offer scenic cruising in Inside Passage , Hubbard Glacier and along Sawyer Glacier ( Endicott Arm and Tracy Arm ). Cunard customers also can combine these itineraries into B2Bs (back-to-back cruises) . Cunard's 2020 Alaskan cruises include:

• 10-day "Alaska Voyage" roundtrip from Vancouver (June 2-12, 2019), fares start from USD 1600 pp.
• 3-day "Independence Day Celebration" from Vancouver to San Francisco (July 2-5), fares start from USD 600 pp.
• 16-day repositioning from San Francisco to Vancouver (July 5-21), fares start from USD 2660 pp.
• 29-day repositioning from Vancouver to Tokyo (August 29-September 28), fares start from USD 4460 pp.

Cunard Line offers for booking over 140 shore tours in Alaska, including "Whale Watching and Wildlife Quest", "Sea Otter and Wildlife Quest", "Taku Lodge Feast and Five-Glacier Seaplane Discovery", "Dogsled Adventure by Helicopter", "Wilderness Sea Kayaking Adventure", "Cooking in Alaska's Wildest Kitchen", "Bering Sea Crab Fishermen's Tour", "Scenic Mountain Ascent and World's Largest ZipRider".

Other Alaskan shore excursions are themed as ATV Expedition, Wilderness Cruise and Silverking Lodge Seafood Feast, White Pass Scenic Railway (Luxury Class), Great Alaskan Lumberjack Show and Crab Feast, Misty Fjords Seaplane Exploration, Ghosts, and Goodtime Girls Walking Tour, Exclusive Burro Creek Waterfall Lodge and Crab Feast.

Cunard also offers pre- and post-cruise rail tours, that include 3- or 5-day hotel plus 2 full days on the train. Rocky Mountaineer train travels through scenic destinations, such as the glacier and snow-capped peaks of the Canadian Rockies, mountain passes, tunnels, and river canyons.

MS Queen Elizabeth refurbishments review

The ship's last drydocking was in 2023 (March 16 thru April 3) in Singapore , conducted at Sembawang shipyard (owned by Sembcorp Marine Ltd). The project was for regularly scheduled maintenance works, including hotel upkeep, technical overhauls, steel works, minor machinery updates.

The ship's 12-day drydock refurbishment in 2018 (November 15-27, at Damen Shiprepair Brest in Brest France ) resulted in the following changes:

• All staterooms (cabins and suites) were upgraded.
• (deck 3) Royal Arcade was redesigned.
• (deck 1) Royal Court Theatre (main show lounge) was completely overhauled (its audio and video equipment was upgraded).
• (Lido deck 9) open-deck spaces on Sun Deck were upgraded with new furniture, shaded seating areas were expanded.
• (deck 9) ship's wellness complex "Mareel Wellness & Beauty" (Spa, Beauty Salon) was extensively refurbished, and its treatments menu was upgraded via partnership with Canyon Ranch.

Maintenance works included stabilizers, ABB Azipods (azimuth thrusters), water-ballast tanks, EGCS (scrubbers/exhaust gas cleaning system), piping and ducting, safety equipment (lifeboats, liferafts), tender boats, renovations of hallways and corridors, cleaning and repainting the hull. All works were conducted at Damen Shiprepair Brest shipyard.

The boat's drydock 2014 was conducted by Blohm+Voss (in Hamburg Germany ) and resulted in the following changes:

• hull works (cleaning and repainting) and routine maintenance
• technology enhancements: filter system upgrade, scrubbers (new eco-friendly technology to lower exhaust gasses and bettering the fuel efficiency), Azipod (Azimuth thruster) propulsion modifications
• onboard enhancements: new carpeting in all public spaces, passenger cabins (new mattresses and flat TVs), restaurant renovations (plus new coffee-tea makers), new jewelry shops (on Promenade Deck 3), restyling of the Lido buffet area (Deck 9), Photo Studio upgrade (new touch screen photo processing system), new sun-awning systems (on open decks 9 and 12)
• 9 new single cabins were added on Deck 2 (8 Oceanview, 1 Standard Inside) taking some of the Casino space.

Queen Elizabeth Review

Queen Elizabeth captures the glamour of yesteryear when steamer trunks, formal dining and ballroom galas were all the rage at sea. At the same time, it provides the expected conveniences of modern times like computer lounges and plenty of shopping opportunities.

But while it's a modern ship, Queen Elizabeth relies on its chic, geometric Art Deco-inspired interiors to set the tone. There's no neon or glitz, and there are few gimmicks. Instead of capturing the public's imagination with water slides and high-tech nightclubs, Cunard cashes in on its nostalgic heritage with ballroom dancing, lawn bowls and afternoon tea in the Garden Lounge.

If the onboard aura and sentimental pursuits call up the past, so, too does Cunard's cabin category system in which the cabin you're staying in dictates lounge and dining room access. While this might add to the exclusivity of the ship, it isn't exactly a luxury experience. While the main dining food (and even room service) are high quality, there's some of the same nickel-and-diming that you'd find on any other big ship (charging for water in cabins and on shore excursions, for example) -- just in a more polished setting.

Sadly, with so much going for it, our biggest disappointment onboard came from the service -- a far cry from the touted standard of White Star Service we were expecting. Aside from a select few crew members who were exceptionally helpful or friendly, service onboard was surprisingly lacking. Cabin attendants seemed disinterested or downright depressed, staff bickered in the spa, bar managers reprimanded waiters loudly in front of passengers and servers seemed annoyed by simple requests. Crew either went above and beyond or couldn't be bothered at all.

Apart from a few high-trafficked areas, like the buffet or close to the theater after a show, you'll never feel crowded on Queen Elizabeth; there are plenty of nooks and crannies to settle into and enjoy the quiet that comes with this style of cruising. If you've been feeling like you need a break from the rat race, a cruise on Queen Elizabeth offers you the chance to just sit and watch the world go by.

For more details about cabins, dining and things to do, see the separate sections of this review.

Bottom Line

Fellow passengers.

Cunard draws a lot of loyal cruisers, but a more specific breakdown of who sails on Queen Elizabeth depends on where the ship is going. Typically, expect a mix of Brits and Americans with groups of German, Australian and Japanese passengers, as well. Transatlantic and more exotic sailings draw an older demographic, while Alaska attracts a few families and a healthy number of first-time cruisers. Sailings round trip from Southampton inevitably bring more Brits onboard -- a handful of short cruises each year give new cruisers the chance to sample the ship. World cruises attract a mix of older passengers from all over the globe -- and the well-traveled variety at that.

Cunard Queen Elizabeth Dress Code

Daytime: During the day, stylish casual wear, including jeans and shorts, is fine onboard. The Britannia Restaurant requires a casual wear dress code for breakfast and lunch.

Evening: The evening dress code comes into play at 6 p.m. On informal nights, which are still more formal than on most cruise lines, smart attire is required; men should wear a jacket (ties are not required) and ladies may opt for a dress, skirt or trousers. No jeans or shorts are allowed.

There is no limit to the glamor on formal nights, called gala evenings -- typically three on a 10-night sailing (two on Alaska voyages). People make a big effort to dress up, with lots of long gowns. Many gala evenings are also themed -- masquerade or Roaring Twenties -- so be sure to check out the schedule before packing to include any costume elements.

For passengers who don't want to dress up on formal nights, the nightly dinner buffet in The Lido -- along with the Golden Lion Pub, the Carinthia Lounge, the casino, the Garden Lounge and the Yacht Club -- has a casual and relaxed dress code (still no shorts). You'll have to be dressed up to visit anywhere else onboard, including the theater.

There is a relaxed dress code in the Britannia Restaurant on the first night of every cruise, which does not require a jacket.

Not permitted: Swimsuits, sarongs and gym wear are allowed poolside, on deck and in the spa and fitness center, but passengers must be covered up in any other areas of the ship.

Shorts, torn or tattered clothing, sandals or sleeveless T-shirts are not permitted in any part of the ship after 6 p.m.

Cunard Queen Elizabeth Inclusions

Included in Cruise Fare

The Britannia Restaurant (or appropriate suite-level dining venue), the Lido Buffet, meals in the Golden Lion Pub and room service

Daily afternoon tea in the Queens Room

All shows in the Royal Court Theatre and live music throughout the ship

Enrichment lectures

Use of the Games Deck

Use of the fitness facility, but not all classes

Most daily activities, including fencing lessons, unless otherwise noted

Not Included in Cruise Fare

Gratuities ($11.50 per person, per day, for Britannia-grade cabins and $13.50 per person, per day, for Grills suites)

Automatic 15 percent service charge on all drinks; 12.5 percent on spa treatments

Alternative dining dinner in the Lido Buffet and Steakhouse at The Verandah

All drinks beyond water, tea, coffee and select juices in the buffet

Spa treatments and use of the thermal suite

Theater box seats for select shows

Shore excursions

Photos and artwork

Find a Queen Elizabeth Cruise from $499

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Absolutely stunning ship, wonderful cruise...but not perfect

many 10+ Cruises

Fantastic value and good quality.

Second cruise on Cunard Queen Elizabeth Barcelona to Melbourne

few 6-10 Cruises

LA to Ft. Lauderdale via the Panama Canal

couple 2-5 Cruises

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MS Queen Elizabeth

Cruise ship / from wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, dear wikiwand ai, let's keep it short by simply answering these key questions:.

Can you list the top facts and stats about MS Queen Elizabeth?

Summarize this article for a 10 year old

MS Queen Elizabeth ( QE [2] ) is a cruise ship of the Vista class operated by the Cunard Line . The design is modified compared to earlier ships of the same class, and slightly larger than Queen Victoria , at 92,000   GT . This is due to a more vertical stern, and additional cabins for single travelers. The bow of Queen Elizabeth and Queen Victoria are both reinforced having thicker than the standard for hull plating, to handle North Atlantic weather. [1] The ship is able to carry up to 2,092 passengers. [1]

The ship's name was announced by Cunard on 10 October 2007. Since the retirement of Queen Elizabeth 2 in 2008 the company has operated three vessels. [3] The naming of the ship as Queen Elizabeth brings about a situation similar to that between 1940 and 1948, when Cunard's original Queen Elizabeth was in service at the same time as the Royal Navy battleship HMS   Queen Elizabeth .

A Journey Through Time

On 20 September 1967 at John Brown’s shipyard on Clydebank in Scotland, Queen Elizabeth the second named the QE2 in the company of Prince Phillip and 30,000 spectators.

“I name this ship Queen Elizabeth the Second. May God bless her and all who sail in her,” she proclaimed.

Then, with the ceremonial shattering of a bottle of Australian wine against the huge bow, the ship began her first journey into the water.

On May 2 1969, thousands of well-wishers gathered in Southampton to watch the QE2 set sail on her maiden voyage to New York.

Four days, 16 hours and 35 minutes later, the QE2 arrived at Ambrose Light and thousands turned out to welcome the new Queen in New York on 7 May.

Mayor John Lindsay boarded the ship from a coastguard cutter outside the Verrazano Bridge along with other civic dignitaries and officially proclaimed it ‘QE2 Day’ in New York.

On 4 January 1975, the QE2 set sail from Southampton on her first World Cruise, a journey of 38,000 miles. She visited 23 Ports in 92 days and it was the first of 25 world cruises during her career.

In March 1975, the QE2 made its first transit of Panama Canal, making it the biggest ship ever to travel through the canal. There was less than a foot to spare as the ship made its way through the canal locks.

In May 1982, the QE2 was requisitioned for the Falklands War as a troop transport, a decision which reportedly gave the then Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher a sleepless night.

The ship sailed for South Georgia with 3,000 troops aboard, arriving back in Southampton on 11 June 1982.

The QE2 engines were converted from steam to diesel in Germany, in a move that was expected to save Cunard £12 million a year in fuel and ensured the QE2 remained reliable for the remainder of her career.

The plant came with two new propulsion motors and new variable pitch propellers, while parts of the passenger accommodation was also modernised.

To allow for the work, the QE2 was out of service from November 1986 to April 1987. The Cunarder’s Sagafjord and Vistafjord were used to cover QE2’s transatlantic schedule as well as world cruises.

Sydney was a popular port of call during the QE2 world cruises, and in 1988, she stayed there for three days. During this time, the Australian TV channel ‘X10’ hosted their daily program ‘Good Morning Australia’ aboard the ship while docked in the ever-popular, Sydney Harbor.

Thanks to the renowned photographer, Arthur Gibson this amazing picture was captured and subsequently regarded as “The Photo of the Century”.

In July 1990, The Queen became the first reigning monarch to go on a voyage on a commercial liner with passengers.

The Los Angeles Times reported: “The Queen will attend a luncheon on board the QE2. An aerial display and fly-over by the Royal Air Force has been scheduled, and the same evening, passengers on the QE2 will attend a star-studded variety show and a laser-light and fireworks display.”

Until this date, the QE2 was owned and operated by the Cunard Line, a British/American cruise line based at Carnival House at Southampton, but in 1996 the Cunard Line ownerships was transferred to Norwegian construction company Kvaerner.

During this year she was also treated to a further $18 million refit. Works were undertaken in Southampton’s King George V dry dock – the final time QE2 would use the facility before its closure.

The refit concentrated on completing work outstanding from the 1994 refurbishment, as well as general touch ups.

To raise funds for the Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund, Nelson Mandela and Graca Machel travelled aboard the QE2 between Durban and Cape Town in March of 1998. Whilst staying in the Midships Suite on Two Deck, President Mandela met with passengers and crew alike. He unveiled a Plaque, took part in a Q&A, attended a fund-raising dinner and was interviewed by Sir David Frost in the Captain’s Cabin. In the Visitors Book, Mandela wrote: “Travelling on QE2 was an unforgettable honor and a pleasure.”

On 29 August 2002, at approximately 21.50 hours ship’s time, the QE2 completed five million miles – a world record and a world first.

Other ‘in numbers’ facts about the QE2 include: Withstanding a 30-metre high wave breaking across her bow during a hurricane, having the largest library on the seas, with over 6,000 titles on board and her Passengers consuming almost 20 tons of lobster and 1 ton of caviar each year.

After nearly four decades as the world’s most celebrated ocean-going liner, it was announced that the QE2 was to become a floating hotel off the coast of Dubai.

She was bought by Istithmar, the Dubai Government’s investment arm, in a £50.5 million deal that demonstrated the Gulf emirate’s continued commitment to investment in its tourist industry.

The QE2 began her farewell voyage around the UK. So great was the demand from customers wanting to experience the iconic ship, that her last sailing, from Southampton to Dubai on 11 November sold out in just 36 minutes.

Managing director of cruise agency Sovereign Cruise Club, Stefan Shillito said: “It’s like the Concorde effect. That was a travel icon and the QE2 is the same ilk and people want to experience it.”

More than 60 naval vessels and private boats met the 70,000 ton ship in the Persian Gulf as she arrived in her new home.

Following an extensive refurbishment, the iconic QE2 once again opened her doors to welcome guests on board as a luxury destination.

Now a one-of-a-kind floating hotel, her guests have the opportunity to share in her 50 years of history and heritage with guided tours to the Captain’s Bridge, Boat Deck and the Traveler’s Cove Museum, whilst simultaneously enjoying the grandeur of years gone by.

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Queen Elizabeth – Cunard Cruise Ship

The sixth Cunard ship to carry the name Queen, and the third Cunard Elizabeth; Queen Elizabeth joined the fleet in October 2010. Queen Elizabeth was named by HM. The Queen after the legendary ocean liner RMS Queen Elizabeth of 1938. Along with RMS Queen Mary , the original Queens were icons of international travel for nearly three decades.

A Vista-Class cruise ship, Queen Elizabeth’s design was modified to allow her to complete direct transatlantic crossings. The ship is a near sister to Queen Victoria , and wears the traditional Cunard livery on her hull and funnel.

Since entering service, Queen Elizabeth has become a much loved member of the Cunard family. The ship boasts an elegant art deco inspired interior and three distinct classes of travel – Grills, Britannia Club and Britannia.

Queen Elizabeth is a popular cruise ship, operating annual world voyages as well as occasional transatlantic crossings. For the last few years, the ship has enjoyed extended long duration cruises in Australia, Japan and Alaska.

More about Queen Elizabeth

Chris Frame Official

Love Exploring

The Beautiful History Of Cruises Over Time

Posted: January 7, 2024 | Last updated: January 7, 2024

Sailing through time

1830s: the very beginnings

1840s: the first pleasure cruises

1840s: a landmark in cruise-line history

1850–60s: early developments

Passenger cruising continued to develop through the mid-19th century, with luxuries like on-board lounges and simple entertainment emerging. Shown here, in 1856, is Cunard's RMS Persia, one of the largest ships of her time and an early Blue Riband winner (an award given for high-speed Atlantic crossings).

1870s: the New World

1880s: lighting up the ocean

1890s: “floating palaces”

1900s: entering cruising’s golden age

At the turn of the century, there was still a frisson around cruising and large, buzzy crowds would often gather to see off the ships. This nostalgic photograph was snapped between 1900 and 1915, and shows large steam boats leaving from the White Star Line dock in Detroit, Michigan. Well-dressed passengers fill the ships' upper and lower decks too.

1900s: the first purpose-built cruise ship

1910s: onboard entertainment

1910s: the Titanic disaster

One of the most famous and devastating events in cruise history occurred in this decade. Dubbed "unsinkable" by the White Star Line's vice-president, the Titanic set out from Southampton on her maiden voyage on 10 April 1912 to much applause. But just four days later, she collided with an iceberg in the North Atlantic: the compartments in her hull filled with water and she tragically sank. The disaster claimed the lives of more than 1,500 people.

1910s: First World War

1920s: cruising’s golden age continued

1920s: setting the bar high

1920s: a festive feast

1920s: the first round-the-world cruise

Another major milestone came in the 1920s: the very first round-the-world cruise. The Cunard Line's RMS Laconia (pictured here leaving Liverpool circa 1920) sailed around the globe in 1922, calling at 22 ports along the way, and taking 450 lucky passengers with her.

1930s: all games on deck

1930s: making a splash

1940s: post-war cruising

1950s: the post-war decades

Come the 1950s, cruise ships had another phenomenon to compete with: jet planes. Commercial air travel boomed in this decade, with comfier aircraft and improved routes enticing travelers into the skies. Many cruise liners underwent swish post-war refits in an attempt to stay afloat: this 1950s photo shows the opulent dining room of French liner SS Île de France after a dramatic post-war makeover.

1950s: going Down Under

1950s: the Blue Riband record breaker

Though formalized in the 1930s, the Blue Riband – the award for the passenger cruise liner with the fastest Atlantic-crossing time – has its roots right back in the 19th century. The record is still held by SS United States of United States Lines, which first sped across the Atlantic in 1952. She's pictured here on 9 July 1952, docking in Southampton.

1960s: the Jet Age

1970s: The Love Boat

As flying became more commonplace, the popularity of cruising looked set to dwindle. However, one particular TV series is often credited with keeping travelers' passion for cruising alive. The Love Boat – aired from the 1970s – was a comedy series that followed the crew and passengers of luxury liner SS Pacific Princess. Such was its popularity, some say it brought cruising back into the mainstream once more. This shot shows Cunard Line's Queen Elizabeth 2 in 1975. 

1970s: cruising opens up to the masses

1980s: the cruise to nowhere

The 1980s is thought to be the decade that pioneered the "cruise to nowhere," where the ship really was the destination. The SS Norway (pictured) – a lavish mega ship with room for thousands of passengers and amenities like a casino – embarked on a no-docking cruise in this decade.

1990s: Disney takes to the water

2000s: making waves in the modern world

The 2000s saw larger-than-life, no-expense-spared, mega cruise ships sail onto the scene. This sunset snap shows Cunard Line's Queen Mary II as she completes her first trans-Atlantic voyage in January 2004. At this time, she was the largest and most expensive cruise ship ever constructed with room for 2,200-plus passengers, a theater and even a planetarium, setting the bar for the ships of posterity. 

2010s: bigger, better and healthier

2020s: off to a rocky start

The 2020s got off to an eventful start. The COVID-19 pandemic halted almost all cruises, with some passengers and crew marooned onboard while testing and entry protocols were debated. In 2021 rife cancellations, last-minute border changes and variant outbreaks persisted. However, the years since have indicated a return to pre-pandemic popularity, with 300 cruise ships departing in April 2022 – pretty impressive compared to just 22 departing in April 2021. Cruise lines have incorporated more health and safety protocols, such as advising passengers to control their TV, light and temperature via an app instead of touchpoints. 

If this has floated your boat, here's where to see the world's most famous ships

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'Secrets of the Lost Liners': Stephen Payne on designing the Queen Mary 2

'my aim was to produce a ship that would invoke the spirit of the ships of state but be for everybody' stephen payne tells sky history..

Secrets of the Lost Liners dives deep into the history of ocean liners, tracing their design, service, and – in these cases - demise. Beyond exploring the intricacies of liner design and complexity, this exclusive UK series uncovers dramatic onboard events: hijackings, political intrigue, and negligence. Featuring exclusive footage, expert insights, and emotional survivor testimonies, the new series provides a minute-by-minute analysis of each catastrophe, shedding light not only on the greatness and flaws of these ships, but also on the human stories behind their construction, voyages, and tragedies.

The series covers Achille Lauro , Titanic , Empress Of Britain , Oceanos , Costa Concordia and Île de France. To find out more about the series, Sky HISTORY spoke with series contributor, Stephen Payne OBE who was the lead designer of the Queen Mary 2, the only serving ocean liner still in existence.

Secrets of The Lost Liners

Series 2 starts Monday, 29 April

How did it feel being the lead designer for the Queen Mary 2 ?

It was a big responsibility. By a strange coincidence, I was sailing on board QE2 when the announcement was made that Cunard had been sold to Carnival Corporation. It was during that trip I was told that there would be a study to evaluate the possibility of building a new transatlantic liner [ Queen Mary 2 ] and as soon as I got back to Southampton, that I was to lead that study. I was only 38.

It was awesome; it was something I had in mind from an early age. So, to be the right person, at the right time was incredible. For a naval architect interested in passenger ships, there couldn't be a bigger assignment to be given

Read more about British History

Titanic's sisters: The luxurious Olympic-class ocean liners

What challenges are there with designing an ocean liner vs a cruise ship.

There is a huge difference. The liner is designed to go from A to B on a set schedule. Whatever the weather, the ship is designed to maintain that schedule.

On a cruise ship if the weather is bad, you can miss a port of call or go somewhere else. With the transatlantic liner, you've potentially got the worst weather in the world on the North Atlantic, even in summer, but you still have to maintain the schedule.

To achieve that, the ship needs to be built much more like an arrow, very fine at the front. Structurally it must be a lot stronger than a cruise ship. It needs more power to maintain the speed in rough weather.

Read more about Disasters

The Titanic's biggest heroes and worst villains

Invariably there's also a lot of fog in the North Atlantic , so you've got to have numerous public rooms inside the ship to keep everybody amused. And all the extra power, strength, public rooms and shape add up to about a 40% increase in the price of building the ship and the cost of operating it.

Getting around this double whammy of the 40% extra in the price of the ship and the operating cost. That was the big challenge.

The Queen Mary 1 is now retired and used as a hotel in California. Did you base elements of the Queen Mary 2 off the original ship or previous fleets from Cunard?

I've been on Queen Mary twice in California and stayed on the ship for a few nights on each occasion. I must admit there wasn't much from the design of the ship that could be carried over to Queen Mary 2. The only part is the shape of the front of the superstructure, which is stepped down.

I tried to recreate that on the Queen Mary 2 , the forward face of the superstructure below the bridge. The black lines at the front of the Queen Mary 2 represent the walkways that were on the original Queen Mary.

I made a big point during the design and building of the Queen Mary 2 that I didn't want anything false on the ship, like fake funnels and things like that. But I did include those black lines and they're the only sort of faux part just to break up that whole white front.

How would you like people to feel after sailing on the Queen Mary 2 ?

The whole ethos of Queen Mary 2 was that she's a transatlantic liner. I was trying to emulate what we call the ships of state of the 1930s like the Normandie , the first Queen Mary and Nieuw Amsterdam which were grand glamorous ships.

But people look at them with rose-tinted glasses because the people who experienced all that grandeur were just the first-class passengers. First class was invariably only a small proportion of the complete passenger load

The Normandie , for instance, had this fabulous first-class area, whereas the third class was so poor that very few third-class passengers would go on the ship. That's why the Queen Mary was so successful because her third class was a lot better.

My aim was to produce a ship that would invoke the spirit of the ships of state but be for everybody. That's why if you buy the cheapest cabin on board, you get to eat in the Britannia restaurant. I defy anybody to say that isn't one of the most elegant places to eat.

I want people to leave the ship obviously to have had a marvellous experience and to feel “that's the way it used to be” and that we're reliving history. Rewriting history is a phrase I use a lot. Especially to encourage young people to have and realise ambition. The team I worked with effectively rewrote history because everybody said the transatlantic liners would finish when the Queen Elizabeth 2 was retired. With QM2, this is not now the case.

Britain’s history, both royally and politically, is heavily tied with maritime success and adventure. Do you think that highlighting maritime prowess is important to Britain?

Read more about Women's history

Unsinkable Violet Jessop: Survivor of the Titanic and two other ship disasters

Very much so. We're an island nation and there's such a lot of our history that centres around the maritime part. The only reason we weren't invaded in the Second World War is because there's a moat all around us. The old Queen Elizabeth and Queen Mary ships helped shorten the war by a year by being able to transport so many troops to Europe.

Which of the liners covered in season two interested you most and why?

The Empress of Britain . She is a largely forgotten Canadian Pacific ship. She used to sail from Southampton across to Canada. She was a large ship, the size of the Canberra and the Titanic . Sadly, she was lost in the war after only nine years of service. But she had this double life where she was a transatlantic liner and an off-season cruise ship.

In the winter months when transatlantic demand was extremely low, they took two propellers off and sailed the ship as a twin-screw ship on a world cruise.

That's an amazing concept to put the ship into dry dock and take two propellers off. The reason being that by operating it with only half the power you’re obviously not spending so much on fuel and it's much more economical.

It’s sad that she’s not more well-known because she had some spectacular interiors, a full-size tennis court on the upper deck and the like.

Read more about Mysteries

Exploring the Depths: The making of 'The Secrets of the Lost Liners'

The titanic still captures the public’s imagination 102 years on. why do you think that is.

At the time in 1912 when she left Southampton, there was no real interest because she was the second of the three Olympic class ocean-liners: the Olympic , the Titanic and the Britannic . It was only when she sank a couple of days later that suddenly there was extra interest.

You’ve got to imagine here that she’s the largest passenger ship and the largest moving object made by man, sinking on her very first trip. Then you’ve got all the social story of all the multimillionaires with Bruce Ismay, the owner, jumping into a lifeboat. You’ve got all the makings of a tremendous story there.

There are big discoveries all the time. Since the wreck was discovered, we’re finding out new things about how the ship sank.

Titanic is crucial to everything we do today at sea, because all the maritime regulations, which we call SOLAS 'the safety of life at sea' , stem directly from the Titanic disaster. Immediately after the ship sank, the maritime nations of the world got together to form this maritime convention of rules.

Watch Stephen share his expert knowledge of these wonders of the sea in Secrets of the Lost Liners . Brand new and exclusive on Mondays from 29th April at 10pm.

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Queen Elizabeth cruises 2024

Queen elizabeth alaska cruises 2024.

Begin an unforgettable journey to Alaska to see the gigantic Hubbard Glacier's blue hues, travel through the Inside Passage, and make a stop at Glacier Bay National Park, where you'll find some of the most spectacular waterways in the world before concluding in Vancouver.

Queen Elizabeth Asia cruises 2024

A trip to Asia offers an opportunity to see many cultures in one journey. Take in everything from brilliant colors, ancient history, and modern wonders, to alluring fragrances and tastes.

Queen Elizabeth South Pacific cruises 2024

Take a South Pacific trip with Cunard and experience paradise. Bear witness to an abundance of wildlife in Samoa, crystal clear waters crashing over sun-kissed beaches of New Caledonia, and much more.

Queen Elizabeth cruises from San Francisco 2024

A cruise from San Francisco has so much to offer, even before your ship departs. The Golden Gate Bridge. Alcatraz. Pier 39. It's a city well worth exploring. It's also the cruising gateway to vibrant regions like South America and the South Pacific - perfect if you're in search of an adventure, or just a beautiful beach or two.

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News Release

Cunard officially welcomes new ship queen anne with ceremony at fincantieri shipyard.

Queen Anne officially joined the luxury cruise line's iconic fleet during a historic handover ceremony in Italy .

Cunard took ownership of their stunning 3,000-guest ship during a traditional handover ceremony at the Fincantieri Marghera shipyard in Venice – where master shipbuilders have been constructing the luxurious vessel.

Luca Ciriani .

Marco Lunardi , Fincantieri Shipyard Director, were also present.

Queen Anne , the 249th ship to sail under the Cunard flag – and the third built by Fincantieri – will now set sail for Southampton ahead of her seven-night maiden voyage to Lisbon on May 3 .

Queen Anne's design concepts have been founded on heritage, craftsmanship, style, storytelling, and innovation, and the 114,000-ton ship, which spans 14 decks, will offer travelers several breath-taking experiences, and more choices of entertainment, dining, and bars than ever before.

Michel Roux , wellness packages curated by Harper's Bazaar UK's beauty experts, and exclusive British Film Institute screenings in The Pavilion.

She will also boast the widest selection of fitness, beauty, thermal, and spa facilities so far seen on a Cunard ship, with her reimagined Mareel Wellness & Beauty proposition heralding a new era of wellbeing at sea.

Queen Victoria – marking the first time since 1999 that Cunard will have four ships in simultaneous service. We are now fully focused on readying her to welcome guests for her maiden voyage on May 3 before she embarks on a historic British Isles Festival Voyage, including a momentous Naming Ceremony in Cunard's spiritual home of Liverpool on June 3 ."

Queen Elizabeth , the other two ships we built for Cunard, proudly bear Fincantieri's signature, embodying our enduring expertise, reliability, and craftsmanship in shipbuilding. Constructing a liner for such a distinguished shipowner not only reconnects us to our origins but propels us towards the future with a determination to blend tradition and innovation. Fincantieri thus confirms its leadership in the cruise shipbuilding sector, a fundamental pillar of the company's business project, as both the Group's Business Plan and the vitality of the post-pandemic cruise sector clearly show."

For more information about Cunard or to book a voyage, contact your Travel Advisor, call Cunard at 1-800-728-6273, or visit www.cunard.com .

For Travel Advisors interested in further information, please contact your Business Development Manager, visit  OneSourceCruises.com , or call Cunard at 1-800-528-6273.

About Cunard  Cunard is a luxury British cruise line, renowned for creating unforgettable experiences around the world. Cunard has been a leading operator of passenger ships on the North Atlantic, since 1840, celebrating an incredible 183 years of operation. A pioneer in transatlantic journeys for generations, Cunard is world class. The Cunard experience is built on fine dining, hand-selected entertainment and outstanding service. From five-star restaurants and in-suite dining to inspiring guest speakers, the library and film screenings, every detail has been meticulously crafted to make the experience unforgettable. Destinations include Europe , the Caribbean , the Far East, Alaska and Australia .

Queen Anne , will enter service in 2024. This investment is part of the company's ambitious plans for the future of Cunard globally and will be the first time since 1999 that Cunard will have four ships in simultaneous service. Cunard is based at Carnival House in Southampton and has been owned since 1998 by Carnival Corporation & plc.  www.cunard.com  (NYSE/LSE: CCL; NYSE:CUK).

Social Media Facebook:  www.facebook.com/cunard Twitter:  www.twitter.com/cunardline YouTube:  www.youtube.com/wearecunard Instagram:  www.instagram.com/cunardline

Jackie Chase , Cunard,  [email protected] Cindy Adams,  [email protected]

About Fincantieri Fincantieri is one of the world's largest shipbuilding groups, the only one active in all high-tech marine industry sectors. It is leader in the construction and transformation of cruise, naval and oil & gas and wind offshore vessels, as well as in the production of systems and component equipment, after-sales services and marine interiors solutions. Thanks to the expertise developed in the management of complex projects, the Group boasts first-class references in infrastructures, and is a reference player in digital technologies and cybersecurity, electronics and advanced systems. With over 230 years of history and more than 7,000 ships built, Fincantieri maintains its know-how, expertise and management centres in Italy , here employing 10,000 workers and creating around 90,000 jobs, which double worldwide thanks to a production network of 18 shipyards operating in four continents and with almost 21,000 employees. www.fincantieri.com

For additional information about Fincantieri, contact: Press Office, Tel. +39 040 3192473 [email protected] Investor Relations, Tel. +39 040 3192279 [email protected]

SOURCE Cunard

AIDA Cruises is the market leader in the German-speaking cruise market. Home of the smile, AIDA Cruises is the epitome of a premium-quality, relaxing cruise and operates one of the world’s most state-of-the-art fleets. Visit: www.aida.de

Carnival Cruise Line, also known as America’s Cruise Line, is a leader in contemporary cruising and operates a fleet of ships designed to provide fun and memorable vacation experiences at a great value. Visit: www.carnival.com

Costa Cruises delivers Italy’s finest at sea, bringing modern Italian lifestyle to its ships to provide guests with a true European experience that embodies a unique passion for life through warm hospitality, entertainment and gastronomy. Visit: www.costacruise.com

Cunard is the epitome of British refinement for travelers who relish the line’s impeccable White Star Service, gourmet dining, world-class entertainment, and the legacy of historic voyages and transatlantic travel. Visit: www.cunard.com

Holland America Line's premium fleet of spacious, elegant mid-sized ships feature sophisticated five-star dining, extensive entertainment and activities, innovative culinary enrichment programs and compelling worldwide itineraries. Visit: www.hollandamerica.com

P&O Cruises (UK) is Britain’s favorite cruise line with a fleet of ships combining genuine service and a sense of occasion and attention to detail, ensuring passengers have the holiday of a lifetime, every time. Visit: www.pocruises.co.uk

P&O Cruises (Australia) provides a quintessential holiday experience for Australians and New Zealanders, taking them to some of the world's most idyllic and hard-to-reach places across Asia and the South Pacific. Visit: www.pocruises.co.au

Princess is the world’s leading international cruise line and tour company operating a fleet of modern cruise ships, renowned for the innovative design and wide array of choices in dining, entertainment and amenities. Visit: www.princess.com

Seabourn provides ultraluxury cruising vacations in a unique, small-ship style that focuses on genuine, intuitive service, all-suite accommodations, superb cuisine and unique experiences in destinations worldwide. Visit: www.seabourn.com