Cunard Queen Elizabeth Southern Caribbean Cruise Review – Day 4: October 30, 2026

Day 4 on Queen Elizabeth, and we’re spending the day at sea as we head to our second port of call, Willemstad, Curaçao, where we’ll be spending Halloween. As I mentioned yesterday, Cunard calls this an Eastern Caribbean cruise, but with Grand Turk and the ABC islands on the itinerary, I’m sticking with Southern Caribbean. We’re not doing Aruba, Bonaire, and Curaçao in alphabetical order, either. We’re starting with Curaçao and working backward, so this time it’s a CBA cruise.

I’ve said it a bunch of times, but these are some of the best Caribbean itineraries you can book. I enjoy all three islands, there’s plenty to do on your own, and they’re ports I actually look forward to visiting. ABC cruises aren’t always as easy to find as the usual Eastern and Western runs, so if you have the opportunity to take one, do it. That and a Panama Canal cruise are two I always recommend.

Once I get off Queen Elizabeth, I’ll be heading over to Holland America’s Nieuw Amsterdam for three weeks, starting with a Panama Canal cruise followed by another Southern Caribbean sailing. We won’t be hitting Aruba on that one, but we will have an overnight in Curaçao, giving us two full days there. More on that next week when I board. Today, we’re back to life on the Queen.

Since it’s a sea day, there’s more going on in the daily schedule, and you can check out the full program at the bottom of this post. I started my morning with a walk around to see what was happening by the pools, particularly how many loungers had already been claimed by people who got up at the ass crack of dawn to leave a towel and a pair of flip-flops before disappearing for hours.

Yes, that happens here on Queen Elizabeth too. A quick walk around the Pavilion Pool showed nearly every lounger with a towel on it, but very few people actually sitting in them. The pool was empty, so they weren’t all in the water. Maybe they were in the Lido having breakfast, but I’m not going to pretend I know where chair hogs go once they’ve marked their territory.

Cunard has signs at the towel stands saying that belongings left on unattended chairs for more than 45 minutes will be taken to the Purser’s Office. But as I’ve mentioned time and time again, having a rule and enforcing it are two very different things on a cruise ship.

Crew members are the ones who have to deal with the guest who returns and gets angry because somebody moved their stuff. I can understand why they wouldn’t want that confrontation or a complaint made against them, but it leaves everyone else walking around looking for somewhere to sit while a towel gets the good views.

The WiFi is Killing me, Smalls!

If you’re just joining me, I’ve updated the Day 1 report to include a video tour of my stateroom. So if you want to see more than the pictures, head back to that report or check out the video below. Getting it uploaded was a whole other story.

As I mentioned previously, the Wi-Fi on this ship has been less than stellar. In fact, it’s one of the worst connections I’ve had in a long time. Cunard uses Starlink, which has generally made internet access on ships considerably better, but whatever is happening onboard here feels like we’ve gone back to the days before Starlink.

Web pages are slow to load. Try watching a video and you might get thirty seconds before it starts buffering and never gets going again. Streaming music has been fine, but uploading files, like my stateroom tour, just hasn’t been happening. I’ve left uploads running overnight only to wake up and find they’ve barely moved.

This is also the Premium Wi-Fi that’s supposed to let you stream and share videos, so I’m using it for exactly what Cunard says it’s designed to do. I don’t expect the same speed I get at home, but I do expect a three-minute video to eventually make it off my computer.

As I’m writing this the following day, sitting by the Lido Pool while we’re docked in Curaçao, I switched to my cellular connection and tried uploading the video again. A few minutes later, it was done. After two days of trying through the ship’s internet, that was all it took.

So the room tour is finally up, but the ship’s Wi-Fi doesn’t get any credit for that one.

Lunch & Learn Wine Lunch on Queen Elizabeth

Today I had something on my schedule I’d been looking forward to since the sommelier mentioned it during dinner on the first night: the Lunch & Learn at Steakhouse at The Verandah. It’s a four-course lunch paired with five wines, with the sommelier and onboard wine educator talking you through what you’re drinking along the way.

The price is $100 per person plus gratuity, which is a pretty expensive lunch. But when dinner in the same restaurant costs $70 before drinks, you can see how adding the wines and the educational part might make this worth considering. I’d already booked it, so today was the chance to find out.

Lunch started promptly at noon, and there was a decent turnout. The restaurant wasn’t packed, but I’d say it was about half full, which seemed pretty good for an event asking people to spend another $100 on lunch when there are included options all over the ship.

Things started with the Parker House rolls I mentioned in my steakhouse dinner review. These are sinfully delicious and have a way of disappearing while I’m still telling myself I should probably stop eating bread. By the time I’d gotten through about a quarter of that conversation with myself, the rolls were gone, so that settled that.

The appetizer was a Maryland jumbo lump crab cake, and this was a substantial one. It was loaded with crab and was easily one of the better things I’ve eaten on this cruise so far. This is the kind of dish I’d like to see more of onboard. I won’t even mention the pizza.

For the main course, there was a choice of Dover sole or a six-ounce Aberdeen Black sirloin. My server recommended the sirloin, so that’s what I ordered, asking for it cooked rare.

What arrived was closer to medium, along with spinach and fries. Sorry, chips. We’re on a British ship, and I’m trying to behave.

Unfortunately, the crab cake remained the highlight once I started on the steak. The sirloin was rather thin, fatty, and average at best. Nothing about it made me think the “120-day grain-fed, MSA-graded” description had translated into something particularly special on the plate. Getting it cooked as requested would’ve helped.

Dessert brought things back around with a New York-style baked vanilla cheesecake served with Grand Marnier strawberries. This was delicious, and I had no trouble finishing it. Some white chocolate pistachio fudge was brought around at the end too, but I passed on that. Between the bread, crab cake, steak, and cheesecake, I’d done enough damage this early in the day.

So the two bookends of the meal were the stars: a very good appetizer and an equally enjoyable dessert, with a disappointing steak in between.

I had no complaints about the wines. You can see the selections paired with each course on the menu below, although keep in mind that both the food and wine lineup can change depending on the sailing and what’s available.

As we worked through lunch, the sommelier and wine educator talked about the wines, the vineyards they came from, and the tasting notes we should be looking for. That part was interesting.

The atmosphere, though, was a little stuffy for my liking. Yes, it was a sit-down lunch in the steakhouse, but it felt more like a formal dinner. People were quiet, there wasn’t much conversation around the room, and most of the talking came from the two hosts explaining the wines.

I’ve been to wine events where people get chatting, compare what they’re tasting, and have some fun with it. This one stayed pretty subdued throughout. There was nothing wrong with how it was presented, but I would’ve enjoyed a little more interaction and a little less of everyone sitting quietly waiting for the next explanation. “Stodgy” might be the word I’m looking for.

Was it worth the $100 per person plus gratuity? For me, no. I already felt the regular $70 steakhouse dinner was overpriced for what it delivered, and this lunch didn’t do enough to change my mind. The crab cake and cheesecake were very good, the wines were enjoyable, and the talks added something to the experience. But the main course should’ve been a stronger part of a meal at this price.

Value is subjective, of course. If a quiet steakhouse lunch with wine pairings and some background on what you’re drinking sounds like your kind of afternoon, you may come away feeling differently. For me, having a beverage package also factors into it. If some or all of those wines are available within my package allowance, paying extra for the pairings becomes a harder sell. The food and the event itself have to make up the difference.

Between the steakhouse dinner, La Piazza, and now Lunch & Learn, I’m struggling to find enough value to recommend spending extra on Cunard’s specialty dining. The service continues to be excellent, but the meals haven’t consistently delivered enough to justify the prices.

I still have an even more expensive wine dinner booked here on Sunday at $140 per person. We’ll see how that one goes.

Daytime Entertainment

After all that food and wine, I needed to take a break. Getting old sucks.

One of the big events on today’s schedule was the ship’s production of “Come From Away’ in the Royal Court Theatre. This debuted on Queen Elizabeth during her first Caribbean season last year, and having a full show like this onboard is something worth talking about.

If you aren’t familiar with it, the show tells the true story of what happened in Gander, Newfoundland, after the September 11 attacks shut down U.S. airspace. Thirty-eight planes carrying 6,579 passengers were diverted there, leaving a small town with thousands of unexpected visitors who had no idea when they’d be able to continue their journeys.

The people of Gander and the surrounding communities stepped in to feed them, find places for them to sleep, provide clothing and supplies, and help them contact their families. These were strangers arriving from all over the world, and the locals got on with taking care of them.

You follow both the passengers and the people welcoming them, with all the confusion, fear, friendships, and unexpected humor. Considering the circumstances, you might not expect much to laugh about, but there’s humor sprinkled in.

The play was written by Irene Sankoff and David Hein, who spent time interviewing people connected to the events. It had its professional premiere in 2015 before opening on Broadway in 2017, and went on to become a hit there and in London’s West End.

You may have heard more about it recently with September marking 25 years since 9/11. With productions staged around the country.

Here onboard, this is a long performance by cruise ship standards, running roughly an hour and forty-five minutes with no intermission. Today there were two opportunities to see it, at 4 p.m. and 8 p.m. A sea day makes sense for something this length, since you need to allow people time to sit through the whole show while still working around dinner and everything else happening onboard.

Putting on a production this substantial on a cruise ship is impressive, especially when you consider the length and what’s being asked of the cast.  If you’re sailing on Queen Elizabeth and it’s on your schedule, make time for it.

We also have a familiar guest presenter onboard this cruise: Todd Bridges, who played Willis on “Diff’rent Strokes”. If you grew up watching television in the ’80s, that probably requires very little introduction. He also has a podcast called “DANG!”, so there’s something else to check out if you’re interested in hearing more from him.

Todd happened to be on my Queen Elizabeth cruise this same week last year too. I wanted to attend his talk then, but it conflicted with something else I’d already scheduled. Well, the same thing happened again today.

So I’ve now managed to be on two cruises with Todd Bridges and miss his presentation both times. Last year, there was also a Q&A with him and the entertainment director later in the voyage. If they do that again, I’ll make another attempt to get there.

Dinner in the Britannia Restaurant

No specialty dining tonight, especially after that big lunch, so dinner was going to be in the Britannia Restaurant. Before heading there, I stopped at the Gin & Fizz Midships Bar for a few cocktails and spent a little time in the casino, where luck was not on my side. Between lunch and the slot machines, I’d contributed enough extra money to Cunard for one day.

QE Britannia Restaurant Caribbean Night 4

Caribbean 2026/2027 Season

Available on: Queen Elizabeth

Open all sections

Appetizer4 items

Stout-Braised Beef Arancini

burnt onion purée, beer onion pickle

Ruby Grapefruit

shaved fennel, radish, avocado

Snapper Niçoise Salad

olive tapenade

Shrimp Cocktail

brandy cocktail sauce

Soup2 items

Potato and Cheese Soup

Double Chicken, Vegetables and Green Herb Broth

Salad2 items

Classic Caesar Salad

garlic croutons, anchovies, shaved Parmesan

Mixed Green and Endive Salad

mustard vinaigrette

Entree12 items

Herb Roasted Leg of Lamb

eggplant purée, carrots, roasted shallots, gratin potatoes

Cranberry, Honey and Herb Roasted Whole Chicken

cauliflower cheese gratin, hash potatoes, roast chicken jus

Baked Barramundi

wine-braised artichokes, carrots, fennel, saffron, anchovy broth

Celeriac Steak

Café de Paris butter, pressed Anna potatoes, honey-grilled carrots, broccoli

Rigatoni with Ragu of Beef

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

Dessert5 items

Pear Tarte Tatin

caramel sauce

Southern Red Velvet Cake

cocoa drizzle, berries

Rum-Roasted Pineapple

orange sorbet, crushed pistachio

Ice Cream

strawberry, rum and raisin, raspberry sorbet, with toffee fudge, chocolate or mixed berry coulis sauce

Selection of Cheese and Biscuits

⬇ Download PDFAll Cunard Restaurant MenusAll Cunard Bar Menus

🖼️ Menu Images

---

I arrived at Britannia a little after 8 p.m. and was seated right away. I kept dinner pretty simple, starting with the stout-braised arancini. For anyone unfamiliar, arancini are essentially Italian rice balls, usually with a crisp exterior and a softer center.

These might have given an Italian nonna a reason to shed a tear, but there was some flavor beyond the breading. Unfortunately, they arrived cold. Not hot, not lukewarm, but cold, which made them dense and took away any crispiness they should have had. I think they could’ve been decent if they’d made it to the table at the right temperature, but as served, the texture ruined whatever they had going for them.

For the main course, I followed my server’s recommendation, and I want you to pay attention to the exact wording on the menu: “Cranberry Honey and Herb Roasted Whole Chicken.”

What arrived was a breast and a thigh. Now, I understand they may mean the chicken was roasted whole before being portioned, but that’s not exactly how the description reads. Unless this particular bird had experienced a rather unfortunate incident before reaching the kitchen, we were missing a considerable amount of “whole.”

The bigger problem, though, was once again the temperature. Nothing on the plate was anywhere close to what I’d consider warm. The chicken was room temperature and a little tough, and the sides were cold.

Did I complain? No. If this had been my only meal of the day, I would’ve said something, but after the substantial lunch I’d already had, I ate dinner and left it at that. I didn’t ask for anything to be replaced, so I can’t tell you how the team would’ve handled it.

But four days into this cruise, there’s a recurring theme with the food – it needs improvement. I’ve had some good dishes, but there hasn’t been enough consistency, particularly when you consider what Cunard charges for the meals outside the included dining. And in the main dining room, getting food to the table hot shouldn’t be something you have to request.

The two scoops of ice cream I had for dessert were appropriately cold, so at least that course arrived at the correct temperature.

Once again, the high marks for dinner go to the servers. They did a great job taking care of me, and I continue to appreciate the crew onboard. I’d just like to be able to give the food the same kind of praise without having to add “if only….”

We’re currently sailing towards our next port-of-call, Willemstad, Curaçao, where we’re expected to get the all-clear to go ashore around 8am.  More on that, and the Halloween happenings, tomorrow.  Until then, thanks for following along.

Queen Elizabeth Day 4 Daily Planner

Click here to download the daily planner as a PDF.

Day-By-Day Personal Queen Elizabeth Cruise Review Links