QE2 Home Page

Table Of Content

• Cunard unveils Alaska 2025 season (MS Queen Elizabeth ship)
• By the 1970s, many of the modernist, space-age-inspired furnishings of '60s were replaced with simpler styles.
• Alternative dining
• Fellow Passengers
• Cunard unveils 2025-2027 voyages, new Caribbean routes, simultaneous World Cruises
• QE2 history websites
• Heritage Staycation in Dubai

RMS Queen Elizabeth's original whistle was used to make a copy of it for the new ship. While yet another vessel bearing the same name, the Cunard ship Queen Elizabeth is a Vista-class cruise ship that entered service in October 2010, again christened by Queen Elizabeth II. 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.

Cunard unveils Alaska 2025 season (MS Queen Elizabeth ship)

Packages were available to allow guests to travel on the Orient-Express train to Southampton, sail over to America, stay a night or two at the Waldorf Astoria in New York, then fly a chartered Concorde plane back to London. “That means of traveling the world—you’re going in the lap of luxury on all three” modes of transport, Dinsdale says. Queen Elizabeth 2 retired from active Cunard service on 27 November 2008. The ship was now under Hong Kong ownership, and she sailed to Hong Kong on 10 February 1971.[6] This proved to be problematic, for the ship's engines and boilers were in poor condition after several years of neglect. The now retired Commodore Marr and a former chief engineer of the ship were hired by Tung as advisors for the journey to Hong Kong.

By the 1970s, many of the modernist, space-age-inspired furnishings of '60s were replaced with simpler styles.

This too was unconventional in that it designated a grander two-storey space for tourist class passengers, while first-class passengers gathered in the standard height Queen's Room. The configuration for segregated Atlantic crossings gave first-class passengers the theatre balcony on Boat Deck, while tourist class used the orchestra level on Upper Deck. A cruise from San Francisco has so much to offer, even before your ship departs.

Alternative dining

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. In the QE2’s heyday, world cruises were still somewhat of a novelty—so much so that locals would crowd into ports to see the ocean liner coming in. Queen Elizabeth II christened another Cunard vessel, Queen Mary 2, in January 2004. The largest ocean liner in the world when she debuted, the “QM2” was also designed for transatlantic crossings, and today remains the only true ocean liner still sailing anywhere in the world. The nostalgia for the QE2 is evident, carved out of her long history, penchant for carrying notable guests, and white glove service. "It reminded people of a bygone era which sadly none of us will ever experience again,” Montgomery, who has since sailed on 13 more cruises, says of the fanfare over the liner. “She evoked a lot of real love in passengers and crew,” says Jeffery.

Fellow Passengers

This room was lost in QE2's 1972 refit, becoming galley space with the forward-facing windows plated over. Queen Elizabeth 2's interior configuration was laid out in a horizontal fashion, similar to France, where the spaces dedicated to the two classes were spread horizontally on specific decks, in contrast to the vertical class divisions of older liners. Where QE2 differed from France was that the first-class deck (Quarter Deck) was below the deck dedicated to tourist class (Upper Deck). Originally there were to be main lounges serving three classes, layered one atop the other, but when Cunard decided to make the ship a two-class vessel, only two main lounges were needed.

In tandem with Queen Mary both ships provided a weekly luxury liner service between Southampton in the United Kingdom and New York City in the United States, via Cherbourg in France. 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).

Review: Cunard Queen Elizabeth cruise ship - Executive Traveller

Review: Cunard Queen Elizabeth cruise ship.

Posted: Tue, 05 Dec 2023 08:00:00 GMT [source]

"In its original condition, which only lasted for three years, it was one of the great unsung masterpieces of the post-war era," Bruce Peter, a professor of design history at the Glasgow School of Art, told The RIBA Journal in 2018. Audrey Hepburn, Carrie Fisher, Jane Seymour, and Meryl Streep are just a few other notable celebrities who have sailed on the QE2, according to Cunard. Roughly 30,000 spectators attended the ceremony and a bottle of Australian wine was smashed against the ship's bow.

We’ve included a variety of Cunard sailings to suit all preferences and are delighted to feature itineraries in the Mediterranean, Asia and Australia. Now based in Dubai, Queen Elizabeth 2 has been reborn as an elegant hotel. The period furniture and original portholes have been maintained, while modifications to the ship’s suites and restaurants mean that she sits effortlessly among the world’s most desirable hotels. 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 no limit to the glamor on formal nights, called gala evenings -- typically three on a 10-night sailing (two on Alaska voyages).

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. Britannia is open for full served breakfast on sea days from 8,00a.m. A wide choice is on the dinner menu- five appetizers, six entrees (two of which vegetarian choices), two salads, six desserts, including cheese. 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.

The ship's first birthday was celebrated in Malta (Port Valletta) on October 12, 2011. Follows the complete list of Queen Elizabeth restaurants and food bars. In winter, the ship repositions to Barbados to offer Caribbean sailings. Named for Mary of Teck, consort to King George V, the Queen Mary 2 is the second liner in Cunard’s history to bear the royal name. After the sad passing of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, we look back at her connection with the cruise industry as godmother to several vessels. Following an extensive refurbishment, the iconic QE2 once again opened her doors to welcome guests on board as a luxury destination.

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. 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.

Cunard retired Queen Mary in 1967 and Queen Elizabeth completed her final Atlantic crossing to New York on 5 November 1968.[6] The two liners were replaced with the new, more economical Queen Elizabeth 2. Discover the rich history of the hotel featuring 447 distinctive rooms and suites, suitable for business travellers and couples, and designed to meet all your needs. 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. On Queen Elizabeth, Cunard also planned a full 2020 Alaskan season (June through September).

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. 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. Then, with the ceremonial shattering of a bottle of Australian wine against the huge bow, the ship began her first journey into the water. The ship also will feature shops run by Dubai Duty Free, the government-run conglomerate that had $1.93 billion of sales in 2017, with 9.7 million cans of beer and 7.4 million bottles of liquor and wine sold. Three years ago, the Dubai government’s Ports, Customs and Free Zone Corp. took over the project.

In 2010, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II travelled again to Southampton to launch Queen Elizabeth. As the most discerning, up-to-the-minute voice in all things travel, Condé Nast Traveler is the global citizen’s bible and muse, offering both inspiration and vital intel. We understand that time is the greatest luxury, which is why Condé Nast Traveler mines its network of experts and influencers so that you never waste a meal, a drink, or a hotel stay wherever you are in the world. Guests on the QE2 dined according to the tier of room they paid for. Still, though, the food in any dining room was considered five-star. “From top to bottom—even if you're in the Columbia Dining Room, which was for those in the lower cabins, the food and the experience were still magic,” Davey says.