A new cruise ship just made a stop at the Miami seaport. See what it’s like on board
Cunard’s first new cruise ship in 14 years stopped at PortMiami this week before heading to Aruba. Queen Anne’s visit came in advance of sister ship Queen Elizabeth’s move to South Florida later this year.
While Queen Anne was docked on Jan. 21, travel agents, tourism leaders and media toured the 113,000-ton ship that holds up to 3,000 guests.
The ship started shorter excursions in Europe last year, and is in the early days of its first world cruise. Spanning over 100 nights, the tour began on Jan. 7 at Hamburg and has more than 30 ports of call including stops in Costa Rica and Mexico. Queen Anne will cross the Panama Canal on Jan. 26, stop in San Francisco on Feb. 4 and visit in Honolulu on Feb. 9. It then goes to New Zealand, Indonesia and Sri Lanka. The world tour ends in Southampton, England, on April 10.
Cunard has operated passenger ships on the North Atlantic since 1840. Based in Southampton, the company has been owned by Carnival Corp. since 1998.
Another ship to make Miami home
Queen Anne’s visit came as Cunard is making another change likely to bring in more money to South Florida’s tourism economy. Starting in October, the company’s Queen Elizabeth, another passenger cruise ship, will be based at PortMiami through the end of the winter, Katie McAlister, president of Cunard, said in an interview with the Miami Herald aboard the Queen Anne.
There is “increasing demand from North American guests,” the executive said in explaining the shift. “Last year we had record bookings.”
From Jan. 1 to Oct. 31, 2024, Cunard said it posted a 23% increase in bookings, with North America jumping by 29%.
Once PortMiami is home, Queen Elizabeth will focus on 9-day and 12-day voyages to the eastern and western Caribbean. That season will go from October 2025 through April 2026. Ports of call will include Montego Bay, San Juan and St John’s in Antigua.
But first the ship’s interiors and exteriors must undergo refurbishment.
The Cunard president said the voyages to the Caribbean will be slightly longer than the cruise industry norm, but that will give passengers “more time to enjoy the ship.” She described what she thinks Cunard offers as “slow travel, luxury on a grand scale.”
On board Queen Anne
Queen Anne gives a taste of what travelers can expect on the Queen Elizabeth cruise ship when it’s based in Miami starting in October.
On Queen Anne on Tuesday, passenger Rita Peters, from Ontario, Canada, was fully enjoying the ship. While many passengers disembarked to spend the day in Miami, she splashed around in the ship’s Jacuzzi in the morning and was in no rush to leave.
“I have been to Miami before, many times,” said the 69-year-old nurse who boarded the ship in New York on Jan. 18. “So, I thought this is a day to enjoy all the amenities.”
She cited the ship’s service and food as two of its strengths. She also praised its ballroom dancing, both the venue and the live orchestras.
Peters is a widow and so doesn’t have a partner, but says, “I love to dance.” And the carrier provides a dance partner to her and others who need one. “That is wonderful,” she said.
Peters plans to get off the ship at other ports to take in the sites, including Guatemala, where she’ll mark the anniversary of her husband’s passing.
“And I’m really looking forward to San Francisco,” she said. Peters chose the 17-day cruise option that ends in California.
In Miami, others also stayed on the ship instead of seeing the city. At the bow of the ship, more than a dozen guests sat in a cocktail lounge faced toward the water.
What else is on the ship?
There’s plenty to do aboard Queen Anne, which has 14 decks and up to 1,225 crew members.
The three-story Grand Lobby serves as the ship’s centerpiece. A large vase of flowers includes red anthurium, green hydrangea and light purple chrysanthemum. Carnations and tulips also festoon the bright areas.
Small tables seating two to four people are everywhere. One guest, when made aware the captain was standing near her, asked for a selfie. That would be Captain Inger Klein Thorhauge, Cunard’s first female captain, at the helm.
The ship has 15 restaurants including Aji Wa, featuring creative Japanese cuisine, and Aranya, which serves Indian food.
On board are 4,300 pieces of art. Bright Lights Society is a cabaret-style venue with two nightly shows.
What about emissions?
Queen Anne also has shore power capabilities. That means that while docked, it could use a land-based power grid the port provides. Ships docked at ports usually keep their engines running to stay operational for passengers and crew. Shore power allows ships to shut off their engines and plug into a giant electric outlet while docked, reducing pollution.
On its Jan. 21 visit to South Florida, the Queen Anne didn’t use shore power even though PortMiami unveiled those capabilities in June. The ship used shore power while in New York and plans to use it when it arrives in San Francisco.
Company and PortMiami officials said the ship arrived at Terminal D, Carnival’s oldest terminal, which hasn’t been retrofitted for shore power.
Carnival’s new Terminal F, Royal Caribbean’s Terminal A, NCL’s Terminal B and Virgin Voyages Terminal V are all equipped with shore power capabilities.
Ships have to request, get commissioned and be certified to use shore power at PortMiami, said Suzy Trutie, the port’s communication’s director.
This story was originally published January 22, 2025 at 1:23 PM.