I cruised on Queen Elizabeth’s Australian farewell tour

Cunard will no longer homeport in Australia for the summer and will visit only on world cruises in years to come.

The bookends of my 2024 cruising life could not have been further apart. In Miami in January, I attended the naming ceremony of Royal Caribbean’s Icon of the Seas, the world’s biggest cruise ship. This gargantuan theme park was designed for 7000-plus travellers to max out their dopamine and adrenaline levels. Thrilling water rides, acrobatic aquatic shows, theatre productions, and 24/7 drinking and dining options dialled the trip up to 11.

Come December, I set sail for a decidedly more sedate experience on another royal, Queen Elizabeth. The ship is on her farewell season of Australia – Cunard has pulled out of homeporting Down Under for the summer and will visit only on world cruises in years to come. The ship is also being refurbished at the end of February, so there’s a sentimental note in the air for Cunarders on board for their last waltz in the Queens Room.

I join the ship in Hobart for three nights of a longer itinerary to Sydney and am just in time for afternoon tea. The food is the classic assortment of finger sandwiches, petit fours, and scones with jam and clotted cream so rich and dense I mistake it for butter.

All is served on white-clothed tables by staff in Cunard’s traditional black and white livery with regal touches of red and gold. Each time I compliment the service, the recipient points to the White Star Line pin above their name tag to acknowledge the heritage of the training they undergo. One whispers “Titanic” and explains after its icy demise, Cunard bought the company that owned the storied ship and continued many of its traditions. With a lot of help from James, Celine, Leo and Kate, the early 20th-century-ship aesthetic and old-school service has also been romanticised by travellers, who now prefer Cunard’s queens to futuristic vessels like Icon.

There’s a sentimental note in the air for Cunarders on board for their last waltz in the Queens Room. Picture:Justin Mackintosh/Cunard.

A stroll on the deck and a look at the daily program offer more signs to the tempo of the cruise. Shuffleboard, croquet and watercolour painting in the morning; darts, cards, puzzles and board games in the evening. Music is jazz, classical string and piano, and entertainment is a Beatles tribute show and a best of British pop with songs by Queen (naturally), Adele, Ed Sheeran, and Dusty Springfield.

Britannia also rules on the menus at breakfast. In the main dining room, among the avo toast, pancakes and eggs, are Scottish kippers and smoked haddock, along with the requisite fry-up. The table service and elegant Art Deco backdrop make for a civilised start to the day. Lunch at The Verandah, one of two restaurants with a surcharge, is just as genteel, the volume low with quiet conversation and the gentle chimes of cutlery and glassware.

Lunch at The Verandah, one of two restaurants with a surcharge, is genteel. Picture: Supplied.

The pace is even more languid because I’m solo and free to create my own daily schedule, but soon I find I’m not alone. People chat to me at dinner, invite me on their trivia team, and tell me their stories.

A recurring conversation is about the dress code. Where other cruise lines have moved to more casual standards, Cunard encourages guests to “make an effort”. This means “smart attire… a dress shirt and trousers, skirt and a top, or a cocktail dress”. Interpretations of this vary – some people float around in sequins and silk, others prefer a more restrained version of dressing up.

The ship is being refurbished at the end of February. Picture: Supplied.

The exception is the evening of the masquerade party, when the sparkle goes up a notch. I’m not talking ballgowns and white tie, but the old-fashioned sense of occasion one would expect from a queen.

The writer was a guest of Cunard. Queen Elizabeth’s final Australian-based cruise, a round-trip from Sydney for Hobart, departs Feb 5.

Originally published as I cruised on Queen Elizabeth’s Australian farewell tour