Passengers boarding the Queen Elizabeth cruise ship in Miami first saw the bellhops, standing stiffly and wearing formal English uniforms. At the entrances to the port terminal and aboard the vessel, men and women wore long red jackets tightened by gold buttons and donned black pants with gold stripes. They could have been mistaken for the Royal Guard standing outside Buckingham Palace. Their presence is meant to evoke Cunard’s long history, including an era “when only the rich could travel,” Wade Menard, business development manager for the cruise line, told the Miami Herald Thursday while waiting in Terminal D at PortMiami as travelers arrived. Back in the day, bellhops would greet each guest entering the ship and take their bags to their rooms. Cunard certainly has history — 185 years of it — but in that long span, the company’s ships have never called Miami home. Until now. The Queen Elizabeth arrived at PortMiami around 6 a.m. Oct. 16. It wasn’t there for long, departing that evening for a 12-night voyage to the Caribbean, the vessel’s inaugural trip from the Magic City. Stops include San Juan. Puerto Rico, St. John’s, Antigua and Bridgetown, Barbados. The ship returns to Miami’s port on Oct. 28. 🔗: Read more at the link in our bio ✍️: Vinod Sreeharsha 🎥: @pportalphoto and @jessicaserranotv
A look at the main hallway on the Queen Elizabeth during a tour at PortMiami on Thursday, Oct. 16, 2025. Pedro Portal pportal@miamiherald.com
View of a lobby on the fourth deck of the Queen Elizabeth. Pedro Portal pportal@miamiherald.com
Passengers check out the ship
Passengers Jenny and Robert Beard of Australia on the Queen Elizabeth's pool deck while the ship was docked at PortMiami on Thursday, Oct. 16, 2025. Pedro Portal pportal@miamiherald.com
A view of the Miami skyline from the pool deck of the Queen Elizabeth. Pedro Portal pportal@miamiherald.com
What a penthouse cabin looks like
One of the luxury cabins on the ship Queen Elizabeth. Pedro Portal pportal@miamiherald.com
Here’s what the Queens Grill penthouse cabin looks like on the Cunard cruise ship Queen Elizabeth. Pedro Portal pportal@miamiherald.com
The Golden Lion Pub on the Queen Elizabeth
The Golden Lion Pub's bar on the second deck of the Queen Elizabeth. Pedro Portal pportal@miamiherald.com
The entrance to the Golden Lion Pub aboard the Queen Elizabeth. Pedro Portal pportal@miamiherald.com
British life on board
A clock by the same manufacturer as Big Ben in London, located on a staircase connecting decks inside the Cunard cruise ship Queen Elizabeth. Pedro Portal pportal@miamiherald.com
Hosts welcome guests and passengers aboard the Cunard cruise ship Queen Elizabeth at PortMiami on Thursday, Oct. 16, 2025. Pedro Portal pportal@miamiherald.com
A portrait of Queen Elizabeth by artist Isobel Peachey hanging in the lobby of the Cunard cruise ship Queen Elizabeth. Pedro Portal pportal@miamiherald.com
Dining and dancing on the ship
A dance floor on the Queen Elizabeth. Pedro Portal pportal@miamiherald.com
The entrance to the Golden Lion Pub aboard the Queen Elizabeth. Pedro Portal pportal@miamiherald.com
This story was originally published October 20, 2025 at 7:15 AM.