Cunard Queen Elizabeth Southern Caribbean Cruise Review – Day 2: October 28, 2026

Time for the Day 2 report from Queen Elizabeth, and now that I’ve had a little time to settle in, I’m starting to see some differences between this cruise and the one I took this same week last year. The ship is still beautiful, the crew is still outstanding, and this time around, people actually seem interested in staying out after dinner. That last part might not sound like much, but if you followed last year’s reports, you know why I’m bringing it up.

First, though, let’s talk about the ride. Our delayed departure from PortMiami had us scheduled to leave at midnight, and once we got out into the ocean, Mother Nature made sure we knew she was still in charge. There was plenty of pitching and rolling overnight and well into today, which was especially noticeable in the wee hours of the morning. Walking around occasionally resulted in bumping into something, and watching some people negotiate the motion was comical at times.

Things finally settled down around 3 or 4 p.m. as we got farther away from the nasty weather off Florida. After that, it was a much more comfortable ride. The weather above the water was cooperative pretty much all day, with plenty of sunshine, a nice breeze, and one passing shower that lasted about ten minutes. We just had to wait a bit for the ocean to cooperate.

One of my favorite things about Queen Elizabeth is her full wraparound promenade deck, complete with steamer chairs lined up facing the water. If your idea of a good sea day is finding somewhere to sit, stretch out, and watch the ocean go by, this is your spot. Bring a book, bring a drink (servers do not circulate out there to take orders), or bring absolutely nothing and just enjoy the view.

For those who prefer spending the day around a pool, there are two to choose from, although neither is particularly large. The Pavilion Pool is the main one, located toward the middle of the ship, with loungers around it and covered seating along either side. You can burn in the sun or find some shade without having to relocate to another deck.

This is also where you’ll find the hot tubs and the Pavilion Wellness Café, which serves breakfast and lunch with lighter options than what you’ll find at the buffet. Think avocado toast instead of a plate piled with eggs, bacon, sausage, beans, and whatever else you convinced yourself was necessary because you’re on vacation. Smoothies and fresh juices are available too, although those carry an additional charge.

The second pool, the Lido Pool, is all the way aft, where the views of the wake are a big part of the appeal. There are loungers, but there’s also plenty of space given over to tables and covered seating where people can sit together and socialize. When live entertainment is scheduled on the bandstand, you can hang out, listen to some music, and enjoy being outside without needing to claim a pool chair.

As for who’s onboard, this feels like a different crowd from last year. There are still plenty of passengers from the UK, as you’d expect on Cunard, but I’m noticing more Americans this time around.

The age range is pretty much what I remember. If you’ve sailed on Princess or Holland America, you’ll recognize the general demographic, including a good number of passengers who have been enjoying retirement for quite a (long) while. You’re not walking into bars full of twentysomethings, and there aren’t packs of teenagers claiming the stairwells as their personal space.

Queen Elizabeth does have kids’ clubs, but this wouldn’t be my first recommendation for a family whose children need a lot going on. There are no waterslides, splash pads, or big pool-deck attractions to keep them occupied. If your kids think a cruise means spending seven hours a day going down a slide, you’re going to have some explaining to do when they get onboard.

Something that hasn’t changed is how much I like the ship herself. When I first boarded last year, the décor immediately caught my attention, and it’s doing the same thing this time. The sweeping staircases, wood paneling, Art Deco details, and little reminders of Cunard’s history give you plenty to look at as you walk around. Even getting from your room to a bar comes with some scenery.

Queen Elizabeth entered service in 2010, but her interiors take their cues from a much earlier era of ocean travel. There’s a sense of occasion to the public spaces that I enjoy, especially in the evening when everyone is dressed for dinner. You can see why people who love the traditions of Cunard keep coming back. The ship gives them somewhere that feels appropriate for packing the tuxedo.

Then there’s the crew, which was one of the strongest parts of my last cruise and is already standing out again. There are plenty of experienced people working onboard, including longtime Cunard crew members, and that experience shows in how comfortably they handle their jobs and interact with guests.

Cunard calls it White Star Service, and while every cruise line has a name for the service it promises, here you can see what they mean. Your bartender remembers what you ordered. Someone you pass in a hallway says hello and checks whether you need anything. The uniforms, the way crew members carry themselves, and the attention they pay all fit the surroundings.

What I appreciate is that the service can be polished without making every interaction feel like a formal introduction. There’s room for a conversation and a laugh. Once someone remembers you and your drink, going back to a bar feels a little more like visiting your usual place at home, except the view is considerably better and you don’t have to drive afterward.

That matters over the course of a cruise. You can have a beautiful dining room and still walk away disappointed if nobody pays attention to you. You can also have a fairly ordinary evening made better by someone who remembers you, takes care of something before you have to ask, or simply seems happy you’re there. The crew contributes an awful lot to how this ship feels.

Of course, Cunard is still part of Carnival Corporation, and the push to spend more money is here too. There are specialty dining pitches, extra-charge selections on the main dining room menu, and rotating dinner pop-ups in part of the Lido. Those pop-ups provide some variety on a ship that doesn’t have space for a whole collection of dedicated specialty restaurants, but they also come with cover charges.

And then there are the portions. After the literal spoonful of mashed potatoes with last night’s dinner. Call it reducing food waste if you like, but I’d still like enough potatoes to last beyond the first slice of beef.

Those are the things I’ll be looking at as this cruise goes on, particularly when I start working through the dining options. For now, though, the crew remains a big reason I enjoy being here. Whatever decisions are being made about menus, portions, and cover charges, the people taking care of us are doing a terrific job.

The biggest pleasant surprise so far is what happens after dinner. Last year, there were evenings when I felt like I could roll a dozen bowling balls through a lounge without hitting anyone. The bars would empty around dinner, and some never seemed to recover. A late visit to the Commodore Club felt the pianist is being paid to perform exclusively for you, the bartender, and a couple of servers.

In my final report, I compared the atmosphere to the Mary Celeste. Beautiful surroundings, plenty of places to sit, and a fairly good chance you’d have them all to yourself.

This time, people are out. The bars have been busy around dinner, and after 10 p.m., there are still guests sitting together, having drinks, and enjoying the evening. Nobody has turned Queen Elizabeth into a party ship, but it’s nice to walk into a lounge and hear conversations along with the music.

Obviously, that can change from one sailing to the next. The ship can put the same pianist in the same lounge at the same time, but the passengers decide whether they’re going to show up. So far, this group seems much more willing to make an evening of it, and I’m enjoying having a little more company with my cocktail.

Cunard Premium Signature Package

While we have a minute, let’s talk about drink packages and Wi-Fi, because I purchased a package that combines the two, and so far, one part has been working considerably better than the other.  I’m sure you can guess which!

Cunard offers four standalone drink packages, and you can explore those using my Cunard drink package calculator. Put in what you’d normally drink during a day and see whether buying a package makes sense. Remember to include things like bottled water and specialty coffee, because those can add up alongside the cocktails.

The most expensive option is the Premium Beverage Collection at $90 per person, per day. However, Cunard has started rolling out its Signature packages, which bundle drinks, Wi-Fi, and a dining credit together. For this cruise, I purchased the Premium Signature Package for that same $90 a day.

That includes the Premium Beverage Collection, covering eligible drinks priced up to $20 per serving, an $80 specialty dining credit, and Premium Wi-Fi which allows video calls, streaming shows and music, and sharing photos and videos.

Since I was already going to purchase Wi-Fi and spend money in the specialty restaurants, choosing that over the standalone drink package was a no-brainer. Same daily price, more things included, and no need to convince myself that another gin and tonic somehow counts as fiscal responsibility.

There’s also a less expensive Signature Package, which includes the Beverage Collection for eligible drinks priced up to $13.50, a $50 dining credit, and Essential Wi-Fi. That internet plan is for strictly browsing, checking email, reading the news, and staying in touch through messages.

If your usual drinks fall within the lower allowance and you don’t need streaming or video calls, that could be the better fit. These packages may not be available on every voyage, and pricing and dining credits can vary, so check the details attached to your sailing before purchasing.

Now, about that Premium Wi-Fi. The drinks have been arriving just fine. My videos? That’s another story.

For checking email, browsing websites, and scrolling through social media, the connection has been fine. But I’ve been unable to upload my usual stateroom tour and some other videos I want to share. They start uploading, then make little to no progress.

I’m used to uploads taking a while on a cruise. Normally, I start them before bed, leave the computer running, and check them in the morning. Even when the connection is slow, that usually gives everything enough time to finish so I can review it and get it posted.

On this cruise, I’ve tried twice to upload a three-minute stateroom tour, left it going overnight, and woken up to find it sitting at about 2%. I don’t expect home internet speeds in the middle of the ocean, but an entire night should get me a little farther along than that.

The speed test shown below came back at 8.96 Mbps download and 7.16 Mbps upload, with a ping of 133 milliseconds. Those speeds should let me do more than watch an upload sit there overnight, but that quick test clearly isn’t telling the whole story.

I’ve had very good experiences with Starlink internet on ships, so I’m going to assume Cunard is managing certain types of traffic, the connection is dropping during the upload, or there’s some other issue onboard, I can’t say. The speed test alone doesn’t explain it, and I’m not going to pretend I know exactly what’s up with it.

What I can tell you is that everyday browsing has been fine, while uploading videos has been a fail. The package still made sense for what I was going to purchase anyway, but I’d certainly like the Premium Wi-Fi to do a little more. At least my bartender hasn’t handed me a glass with 2% of a cocktail and told me to check back in the morning.

Black & White Gala Evening

Tonight was the first of two Gala Evenings on this cruise, with a Black and White theme, so out came the bow tie. Cunard makes a big deal of these evenings, and the daily planner spells out what guests are expected to wear starting at 5:30 p.m. Dresses, jumpsuits, suits, tuxedos, and ties or bow ties are on the agenda, with everyone encouraged to work the black-and-white theme into their outfit.

If dressing up isn’t your thing, the planner also lists places where you can spend the evening in more casual clothes. Those include the Lido buffet and its dinner pop-ups, Golden Lion, Garden Lounge, Yacht Club, and Royal Court Theatre. So you can skip the formalwear and still have dinner, see a show, and enjoy your night without spending it hiding in your stateroom ordering room service.

On the first night, the dress code was relaxed because of our late embarkation and people still waiting for luggage. Fair enough. Tonight, though, we were back to the usual expectations. At least according to what was printed in the planner.

Once I was dressed, bow tie and all, I took a walk around the ship around 7 p.m. Part of that walk took me along the promenade deck, where you can look through the windows into the Britannia dining room. There were plenty of people eating dinner without jackets or ties, dressed considerably more casually than the evening’s instructions suggested.

Elsewhere around the ship, I saw people in shorts too, although with several venues specifically allowing casual dress, shorts alone don’t tell you whether someone is ignoring the rules. The dining room was what caught my attention. From what I could see, people were being seated and enjoying dinner in clothing that didn’t match the published Gala Evening dress code.

Personally, what someone at another table is wearing doesn’t affect my dinner. I got dressed, I was happy with what I was wearing, and somebody else skipping a tie wasn’t going to send me back to my room in protest. But we all know there are Cunard guests who take this very seriously and would already be clutching their pearls and firing off a Facebook group post before the appetizers arrived.

You can practically hear it now: “Standards have slipped! Nobody respects the traditions! I saw a man’s knees!”

The inconsistency is the part worth pointing out. Cunard promotes these evenings as part of its traditional cruise experience and gives guests specific instructions about what to wear and which venues to use if they prefer to stay casual. If that’s the expectation, enforcing it has to come from the ship’s staff. It shouldn’t turn into passengers policing one another over dinner.

So, despite what the planner said, I didn’t see any enforcement of dress code. Whether that continues through the next Gala Evening, we’ll see. In the meantime, I’d already wrestled myself into the bow tie, so it was staying on.

Britannia Restaurant Dinner Menu & Special Cocktails

For those having dinner in the Britannia Restaurant, whether on fixed seating or anytime dining, here’s a peek at tonight’s menu.

QE Britannia Restaurant Caribbean Night 2 (B&W Gala)

2026/2027 Caribbean Season

Available on: Queen Elizabeth

Open all sections

Appetizer5 items

Hackleback Caviar

$50.00

1oz, triple-cooked chips, crème fraîche, warm herb blinis, egg, shallot, lemon

Seafood Thermidor Tart

sauce bisque

Coppa

pear chutney, sweet mustard, leaves

Smashed Olive, Pumpkin, Orange, and Avocado

burnt orange dressing

Shrimp Cocktail

brandy cocktail sauce

Soup2 items

Oxtail Consommé

dry sherry

Cream of Chicken

asparagus sabayon

Salad2 items

Classic Caesar Salad

garlic croutons, anchovies, shaved Parmesan

Pearl Barley

roasted carrot salad, dill vinaigrette

Entree12 items

Surf and Turf - Carved Beef Fillet

Cajun and herb buttered prawns, lorette potatoes, asparagus, hollandaise sauce

Duck à l'Orange

braised red cabbage, hazelnut croquette, Grand Marnier sauce

Halibut with Peas and Bacon

leek and potato rösti, red wine sauce

Cauliflower, Chickpea and Fruit Tagine

green couscous fritters, Greek yogurt

Ricotta Ravioli

salmon vodka sauce

Grilled Maine Lobster (Half)

$20.00

10-14oz, claw mac'n'cheese, garden salad, garlic and herb butter

Grilled Maine Lobster (Whole)

$35.00

21-28oz, claw mac'n'cheese, garden salad, garlic and herb butter

Prime USDA Filet Mignon

$35.00

8oz, triple-cooked chips, grilled asparagus, béarnaise sauce

Half Grilled Maine Lobster and Prime USDA Filet Mignon

$45.00

10-14oz lobster and 8oz filet, claw mac'n'cheese, garden salad, garlic and herb butter

Grilled Salmon

lemon pepper seasoning, broccoli, fingerling potatoes

Breaded Chicken Cutlet

buttered greens, crushed red skin potato, drawn garlic butter

Slow-Roasted USDA Striploin

whipped potato, string beans, pan gravy

Dessert6 items

Vanilla Lemon Soufflé

limoncello sauce

Marzipan Panna Cotta

raspberries, fruit sorbet, purée

Mississippi Mud Brownie

hazelnut caramel sauce, toasted marshmallow

Vanilla Chia Seed Pudding

honeycomb, blackberry

Ice Cream

chocolate, strawberry, fruit sorbet

Selection of Cheese and Biscuits

⬇ Download PDFAll Cunard Restaurant MenusAll Cunard Bar Menus

🖼️ Menu Images

---

The Black and White theme also made its way to the bars, with two special cocktails available at several locations around the ship. So even if you skipped the bow tie, you could still get into the spirit of the evening with a drink.

Neither was appealing to me, so even for “research purposes,” I stuck with my usual G&Ts.

Dinner at Steakhouse at The Verandah

I skipped Britannia tonight and headed to Steakhouse at The Verandah, Queen Elizabeth’s signature specialty restaurant that’s also available on Queen Victoria and Queen Mary 2. At $70 per person plus gratuity, it’s one of the more expensive cruise ship steakhouses I’ve visited, but there’s a little trick to taking some of the sting out of the bill.

Dine there on the first or second night of the cruise and the offer is 10% off the cover charge, plus a complimentary bottle of Cunard house red or white wine. With our first evening thrown into disarray by the late embarkation, they extended that offer to nights two and three on this sailing. Normally, though, nights one and two are the ones to look at if you want the discount and wine. If you’re planning to eat here anyway, you might as well get something extra out of it.

I visited The Verandah on my previous Queen Elizabeth cruise, and looking back at that dinner, I enjoyed it. I felt the quality justified the expense, although by the end of the cruise, I was less enthusiastic about the overall value of Cunard’s specialty dining.

This time, I had an 8 p.m. reservation, and when I arrived, only a few tables were occupied. I was given my choice of where to sit, settled in, and was greeted by my server and the sommelier before the first serious test of my self-control arrived: the Parker House rolls.

These things were ridiculously good. Served hot, drizzled with honey, and accompanied by smoked butter, they were the kind of bread you tell yourself you’re only going to have one piece and suddenly they’re all gone. Which is exactly what happend, and I’m only slightly embarrassed about it. There was even a finger bowl for cleaning up afterward.

As you can see on the menu below, the cover charge doesn’t put an end to opportunities to spend more money. There are additional upcharge selections, bringing us back to what I mentioned earlier about the extras scattered throughout the dining experience.

Steakhouse at the Verandah

Updated October 2026. $70 per person.

Available on: Queen Elizabeth, Queen Victoria, Queen Mary 2

Open all sections

Appetizer10 items

Hackleback Caviar

$50.00

1oz (30g) tin, triple-cooked chips, crème fraîche, warm herb blinis, egg, shallot, lemon

Steak Tartare

Wagyu beef dripping sourdough toast, gherkin, confit egg yolk

Siberian Sturgeon Caviar

$95.00

1oz (30g) tin, triple-cooked chips, crème fraîche, warm herb blinis, egg, shallot, lemon

Rock Oysters (6)

$12.50

mignonette, Tabasco, lemon, black pepper, accoutrements

Rock Oysters (12)

$25.00

mignonette, Tabasco, lemon, black pepper, accoutrements

Jumbo Lump Crab Cakes

Cajun tartare sauce, lime

Caesar Salad

served tableside, add hot smoked salmon

Boston-Style Clam Chowder

home-smoked bacon saltines

Roasted Marrowbone

roasted garlic, crisp shallot, sourdough toast

Grilled Asparagus

crispy poached hen's egg, smoked hollandaise

Entree12 items

Dry-Aged American Wagyu Signature New York Strip

$5.00

8oz (226g)

House-Smoked American Short Rib

prepared low and slow, spiced coffee and almond crumb, caramelized shallots

Dry-Aged Prime New York Strip

10oz (300g)

Dry-Aged Prime Rib Eye

10oz (300g)

Prime Filet Mignon

8oz (226g)

Signature Bone-In Porterhouse for Two

35oz (1kg), for two to share

Aberdeen Black Queensland 120-Day Grain-Fed MSA Grade Sirloin

10oz (300g)

Dover Sole

à la meunière or simply grilled, lemon, parsley

Jumbo Grilled Tiger Prawns, Gulf Coast

red chilli and mango salsa

Double-Cut Lamb Rack

Cauliflower Steak

chimichurri, home-smoked and spiced almonds

Fruits de Mer Grand Platter for Two

$20.00

served over ice, lobster, langoustine, king crab, jumbo tiger prawn, Maine oysters, crevettes, mignonette, garlic aioli, Bloody Mary dip

Side12 items

Iceberg Wedge

Tenderstem Broccoli

Sautéed Garlic Mushrooms

Beer-Battered Onion Rings

onion salt

Creamed Spinach

roasted shallots

Chargrilled Hispi Cabbage

smoked ranch dressing

House Salad

Green Leaf and Herb Salad

French Fries

add truffle and Parmesan

Red-Skin Potato Gratin

Yukon Gold Mash

Sweet Potato Fries

house-smoked salt

Dessert5 items

New York-Style Baked Vanilla Cheesecake

Selection of Artisan Cheese

crackers, condiments

Dark Chocolate Fondant

Amarena cherry ripple ice cream

Sherry Trifle

'Your' Rum Baba

lime marmalade, Chantilly cream, rum selected and prepared at the table

Add-On5 items

Half Lobster Tail

$15.00

add to any cut

Crab Oscar

$12.50

add to any cut

Fried Hen's Egg

add to any cut

Roasted Bone Marrow

add to any cut

Roasted Garlic

add to any cut

Sauce6 items

Verandah's Steak Butter

Red Wine Bordelaise

Béarnaise

Sauce au Poivre

Argentine Chimichurri

Creamed Horseradish

⬇ Download PDFAll Cunard Restaurant MenusAll Cunard Bar Menus

🖼️ Menu Images

---

I started with the beef tartare. It was good, and I enjoyed it, but it wouldn’t knock Holland America’s Pinnacle Grill out of my top spot for steakhouse tartare. That’s still the one I find myself comparing the others with.

For the main course, I asked my server a simple question: what’s your favorite thing on the menu? Without hesitation, he recommended the short ribs, although he warned me that they were a little on the sweet side.

That sounded worth trying, so I went with his recommendation. They’re described as “American” on the menu, which made me wonder whether they’re part of the offering for Queen Elizabeth’s Alaska and Caribbean seasons or something that will stick around when she heads back across the pond. Either way, they were available tonight, and I was about to find out whether my server had steered me in the right direction.

Along with the short ribs, I ordered beer-battered onion rings, broccolini, and a wedge salad. The salads are listed among the sides, but I still had it in my head that the wedge would arrive before the main course. As it turned out, Cunard meant exactly what it printed on the menu.

After the tartare was cleared, my server brought over a selection of steak knives and walked me through the different handles, including wood and even elk antler. It’s a little bit of tableside presentation that gives you something to talk about while waiting for dinner, although my main course didn’t need a knife at all.  Which is a good thing!

Then everything arrived together: short ribs, onion rings, broccolini, and the salad, sitting there as the side dish it had been advertised as. Apparently, the only person expecting a separate salad course was me.

The short ribs were an excellent recommendation. They were fork-tender, had plenty of flavor, and weren’t nearly as sweet as I’d expected after my server’s warning.

The sides were less impressive. The onion rings were a little undercooked, the broccolini was fine, but the wedge salad was underwhelming for a steakhouse. It was a small portion of iceberg lettuce, without the chunks of blue cheese I was hoping for, and came with sour cream dressing. Nothing about it made me think this was a salad worth ordering again.

For dessert, I chose the cheese plate. This comes with a trolley rolled over to your table, where your server explains the cheeses and lets you choose as many as you’d like. Fruit, dried apricots, and walnuts round out the plate, making it a nice way to finish dinner without going for something sweet. Between the cheese trolley and the knife presentation, there are still some enjoyable touches to the service here.

Where credit should be given is with the service. My server was attentive throughout dinner, the sommelier was involved, and the restaurant manager checked in during and after the meal making me feel well taken care of from the moment I sat down. That has been a consistent strength of this ship.

Now, with a regular $70 cover charge plus gratuity, I don’t feel this dinner delivered enough to justify the price. I’ve had better food overall at Pinnacle Grill on Holland America and, yes, Fahrenheit 555 on Carnival, for around $20 less.

Tomorrow, day 3, I have a $100 per person “Lunch & Learn” wine event here, as well as a $140 per person wine dinner coming up, so stay tuned to see how those two, premium experiences rate.

We’re currently sailing towards our first port of call, Grand Turk, which is one of those manufactured cruise destinations and not one of my favorite places to visit.  The real star destinations of this cruise are yet to come – Aruba, Bonaire, and Curacao.

More tomorrow, and as always, thanks for following along.

Queen Elizabeth Day 2 Daily Planner

Click here to download the daily planner as a PDF.

Day-By-Day Personal Queen Elizabeth Cruise Review Links