By Vinod Sreeharsha, Miami Herald
It’s a pioneer and one of the world’s oldest shipping companies, but in its 185-year history, Cunard has never called Miami home.
That’s about to change.
The Queen Elizabeth will arrive at PortMiami on Oct. 16 and sail out of the Magic City until April 14, 2026, adding history, variety and perhaps a bit of British restraint to the world’s cruise capital.
“We are thrilled to welcome Cunard’s Queen Elizabeth to PortMiami,” Hydi Webb, PortMiami Director and CEO, said in a statement emailed to the Miami Herald. With the new arrival, “passengers will be able to sail aboard ships with a legacy of elegance and comfort.”
The Miami visit follows another almost-completed debut.
From June 12 until late September, the Queen Elizabeth home-ported in Seattle for the first time. From there, it sailed on a series of voyages to Alaska.
Why so many firsts for Cunard?
There is “increasing demand from North American guests,” Katie McAlister, president of Cunard, said in an interview with the Miami Herald earlier this year at PortMiami aboard the Queen Anne. “Last year we had record bookings.”
When it arrives in Miami. Queen Elizabeth’s focus will be trips to the Caribbean, another first.
“This season marks the first time Cunard will dedicate a ship to a full season in the Caribbean,” the company said.
The ship will take trips ranging from 9 to 28 nights and visit places including St. Lucia, Jamaica, Honduras, Mexico, St. Lucia, Montego Bay, St. Thomas, Barbados and Puerto Rico.
What’s on the Queen Elizabeth?
The luxury ship has nine types of guest accommodations. More than two-thirds of the 1,045 staterooms have private balconies.
The Queen Elizabeth also features at least 10 restaurants and cafes. Among the most elegant is the two-level Britannia Restaurant — “At dinner, you can arrive with a flourish via the grand staircase,” according to the cruise company’s promotions.
To give some idea of why that can be challenging and what takes place on board, 327 bottles of champagne, 297 bottles of red wine and 327 bottles of white wine are consumed on the Queen Elizabeth, every day, the company said. Meanwhile, 2,668 pounds of smoked salmon are devoured each year.
You can work off your extra calories or buzz in the fitness center, pools or on the Games Deck, where you can play paddle tennis or croquet. And Cunard says the Queen Elizabeth has one of the world’s largest dance floors on the high seas, in the Queens Room.
If you prefer cleaner living, there’s a luxurious spa and a wellness suite with smoothies. The offerings include seaweed bathing and a large thalassotherapy pool. That’s where you can get “therapeutic use of controlled exposure to marine environments and their natural elements for health promotion,” the National Institutes of Health says on its website.
There’s also a two-story library with about 6,000 books.
A cruise company taken by Dickens and Chaplin
Cunard, based in Southampton, England, has operated passenger ships on the North Atlantic since 1840 — that’s more than 50 years before Miami was founded. Hollywood icons Cary Grant, Elizabeth Taylor and Charlie Chaplin were passengers. The original Queen Elizabeth ship was retired in 1968.
The company’s founder, Samuel Cunard, was urged by the British government to develop a faster way to transport mail from Britain to the U.S. On one of its first voyages, from Liverpool to Boston, author Charles Dickens joined him, according to the site Cruise Critic. That ship was called Britannia, the name of the ship’s signature restaurant today.
An assist from the 305
Since 1998, Doral-based Carnival Corp. has owned Cunard. Around the time of the acquisition, Cunard had only two ships and was struggling. But Carnival’s then chairman and CEO, Micky Arison, ordered a new $850 million vessel. He was bullish on Cunard’s future.
Dubbed Queen Mary 2, it would be the largest and most costly ship of the day. It took off on its first voyage in 2004 and became “the flagship of Cunard Line,” Cruise Critic said.
“Micky Arison saved Cunard,” Stewart Chiron, a frequent cruiser who writes The Cruise Guy, told the Miami Herald. “It would have been shuttered decades ago” were it not for the moves made by Arison, also the longtime owner of the Miami Heat.
Queen Elizabeth’s arrival in Miami will come about nine months after Cunard’s sister ship Queen Anne docked at PortMiami for the first time, giving South Florida a taste of what to expect.
Local travel agents, influencers and media then went on board the 249th ship to sail under the Cunard flag. They saw its ballroom dancing venue and live cabaret, and sampled its sushi and sweets.
The Queen Anne, which debuted in 2024, is a bit longer and heavier than the Queen Elizabeth — by 126 feet in length and about 22,000 tons in weight. It’s also more crowded, with a maximum of 3,000 guests and 1,225 crew members.
Queen Elizabeth, which holds up to 2,081 guests, was built at Fincantieri shipyard in Monfalcone, Italy, and named by Queen Elizabeth II in Southampton in October 2010. Cunard said the vessel recently underwent improvements, including upgraded interiors and the addition of Michelin-starred chef Michel Roux. He’s cooking up a three-course Gala Evening menu for Grill Suite guests.
Additionally, “guests will enjoy performances in an enhanced Royal Court Theatre” and “dancing in a redesigned Queens Room perfect for Gala Evenings,” the company said. That includes Tony Award-winning “Come From Away,” which will make its debut on a cruise ship. A “listening lounge” has also been added in partnership with Abbey Road Studios.
Tourism in South Florida also stands to gain. Having Queen Elizabeth in Miami is an opportunity to boost the number of British tourists or travelers, still not a fully tapped market. In 2024, the United Kingdom was sixth in passenger volume at Miami International Airport among top international markets.
While overall passenger volume, domestic and international, at Miami International Airport decreased in the first half of 2025, arrivals from the United Kingdom slightly increased. And for the first time, that figure surpassed the first half of 2019, the last year before COVID-19 arrived.
Queen Elizabeth’s arrival in Miami will mark the first of two winter seasons it’s based in PortMiami. The ship will be back from October 2026 to April 2027.
Final plans and PortMiami debut
On its inaugural trip from Miami, Queen Elizabeth will depart PortMiami on Oct. 16 for a 12-night Caribbean voyage. The trip includes visits to Bridgetown’s UNESCO-listed Garrison and the bustling markets of Castries, St. Lucia.
If you can’t wait until then and want to follow the Queen Elizabeth’s arrival, it’s about to embark on a final round-trip from Seattle. The ship will leave Sept. 18 to Alaska for seven days.
Then, on Sept. 25, it will depart Seattle for Miami, a 21-night journey with stops in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Mexico, Costa Rica, the Panama Canal and Aruba.
Sample of shore excursions promised on Caribbean voyages
A private catamaran trip: Around Antigua’s pristine coastline with sushi and barbecue bites prepared by a Michelin-starred chef
An off-road 4×4 adventure in Barbados: Culminating in a cheese and wine picnic in the island’s scenic wilderness
A private tour of Puerto Rico: Sites include Old San Juan and El Yunque National Rainforest
The ultimate Dominican Coffee Experience: Hands-on in the creative process
Barbuda Belle Luxury Beach Escape: Helicopter tour in Antigua, for adventure seekers
Luxury Day Pass at Scrub Island Resort: In Tortola, relax in style.
Want to travel?
For more information or to book a cruise with Cunard, you can contact Cunard at 800-728-6273, or visit the carrier’s website.
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