For the
first time in its 185-year history, Cunard is homeporting a ship in Miami for
an entire Caribbean season.
The
refreshed Queen Elizabeth set sail from PortMiami on Oct. 16 for her first voyage
of the season, which offers nine-, 12- and 21-night Eastern and Western
Caribbean itineraries through April 2026.
Entertainment
Headliner: Come From Away
At a launch
event celebrating the new season, guests were treated to a preview of the first
at-sea production of Come From Away, the Tony Award-winning musical. On
board for the inaugural sailing was Kevin Tuerff—the inspiration for the
character “Kevin T.”—who spoke on a panel with the actor playing him in the
production, Joe Hillard.
Come
From Away will be
performed in Queen Elizabeth’s sumptuous Royal Court Theatre twice during each
Caribbean voyage. Specially crafted for an at-sea production, the one-hour,
40-minute show features an ensemble of 12 performers.
As part of
Cunard’s Artists in Residence program, guest stars will appear on select
sailings. For example, two-time Tony Award winner Sutton Foster will perform on
the Feb. 4, 2026, departure.
More
Ways to Be Entertained
Queen
Elizabeth’s new program of onboard entertainment also includes:
- The
Abbey Road Listening Lounge in the Commodore Club is a 60-minute experience
that takes listeners on a themed journey via Bowers & Wilkins headphones. The
playlists feature iconic recordings made at the famed London studio, including
songs by The Beatles and Ed Sheeran, as well as some of the world’s most famous
film scores. Guests can choose to pair their experience with a curated menu of
Cunard cocktails.
- A
roster of Insight Speakers hosting guest lectures, from Olympic medalists to
astronauts and actors. Notably, actor Hugh Bonneville, famed for his role as
Lord Grantham in Downton Abbey, will join Queen Elizabeth as part of her
12-night round-trip Eastern Caribbean voyage that departs Miami on Nov. 27.
The ship’s triple-height atrium features a stunning marquetry panel depicting the original RMS Queen Elizabeth. (Photo Credit: Sara Perez Webber)
Fresh
From a Three-Week Makeover
The
2,000-guest Queen Elizabeth—which was christened by Queen Elizabeth II herself in
2010—pays homage to Cunard’s original RMS Queen Elizabeth, with an elegant, Art
Deco-inspired design. The ship emerged from a three-week makeover at Seatrium’s
Admiralty Yard in Singapore in March. The
refresh includes:
- A revitalization
of Queen Elizabeth’s signature spaces, including the Commodore Club, Queens
Room, Garden Lounge and The Pavilion. The Queens Room—which boasts an authentic
ballroom dance floor and hosts Roaring ’20s parties and masquerade gala
nights—features new stained-glass windows and a carpet pattern inspired by the
lush garden shrubbery at Buckingham Palace.
- Revamped outdoor
decks with more sunshades.
- Enhanced
interiors in the Grills suites—the most luxurious cabin category—with refreshed
furnishings and detailing, as well as new furniture on the Grills Terrace.
- The new Pavilion
Wellness Café, a wellness-focused venue serving breakfast, lunch and daytime
dining, with a menu that celebrates plant-based cuisine and sustainably sourced
meat, fish and dairy. Queen Elizabeth also now offers the Harper’s Bazaar
Wellness at Sea program, with three-day wellness packages tailored to
relaxation, energy restoration or recovery.
Other new features include the Karibe
dining concept, which celebrates Caribbean coastal cuisine; The Whispering Hour, a lively happy hour experience featuring
Whispering Angel wines; and special celebrations on the Lido Deck offering
locally inspired street food and tropical cocktails.
Come From Away will be performed in Queen Elizabeth’s sumptuous Royal Court Theatre twice during each Caribbean voyage. (Photo Credit: Cunard Media)
A Ship Steeped in
Heritage
While guests on board will
appreciate Queen Elizabeth’s new features, fans of the line’s rich history will
delight in the ship’s nods to tradition and legacy.
Past the portrait of Queen Elizabeth
II outside the Queens Room, for example, glass cases display mementos and
photos from guests who sailed on Cunard in decades past. Many highlight the
line’s ties to the British royal family.
Harking back to the Golden Age of
travel, the triple-height atrium features a stunning marquetry panel depicting
the original RMS Queen Elizabeth. An elegant spiral staircase connects the two
floors of the ship’s library, outfitted in rich wood paneling and offering
thousands of books to borrow. At the entrance to the casino stands a grandfather
clock crafted by the same London-based manufacturer as Big Ben.
Meanwhile, guests can get a literal
taste of England at the Golden Lion pub, from fish and chips to a ploughman’s
lunch to sticky toffee pudding—perhaps washed down with a signature Cunard ale.
And the Queens Room serves as an ideal setting for Afternoon Tea. It’s one
reason more than 2,615 tea bags are used daily on board Queen Elizabeth, as the
ship’s annual tea consumption would almost fill an Olympic-sized swimming pool.
For more information, travel
advisors should visit OneSourceCruises.com.
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