There may have been some, but surely not many, who expected the new Cunarder, Queen Elizabeth, to be a replacement for the retired, venerable QE2. The company's advance literature made no such promises, but still there were those who held out hope. Maybe some of the 175 Japanese guests thought the new Queen would be like the QE2 they had come to love during her four-month-plus stay in Japan in 1990. (Note that Cunard does not have "passengers," only "guests" though I don't know why—we're people on a passage, after all, and, at Cunard prices, we certainly are not "guests.") There were many who boarded the new ship who were veterans of three, and some, of all five, of the other Cunard Queens (the original Mary and Elizabeth, QE2, as well as the two Carnival incarnations of the Queens—Mary 2, and Victoria.).

As all but 125 of the 2,000 guests had sailed previously with Cunard, and over half were Diamond members—the elite of the World Club, the line's "frequent-flier" organization. It took three separate cocktail parties in the massive Queens Room to show "appreciation" to the many repeat customers. Most everyone knew the new ship would be a sister to Queen Victoria (inaugurated 2007), which, itself, is one of many Italian-builtVista-class cruise ships, including five recent Holland American entries, and the likes of Costa Luminosa and Deliziosa.

This ship has a few more staterooms aft than does Victoria (get used to the company's lingo—there are no "cabins" on Cunarders, only "staterooms") which makes her look less like a liner than Victoria and more the floating bread loaf of so many cruise ships. Oh, Cunard does not have "cruise ships," only "ocean liners." This one looks a lot like a cruise ship to me. Cunard also has only "voyages," not "cruises." And please, though calling the retired Queen Elizabeth 2 the "QE2," is acceptable, NEVER use "QV" or "QM2" or "QE" as abbreviations for the ships in the current fleet—the "youngest fleet afloat" as you will be reminded several dozen times during your "voyage." Read more