The Queen Elizabeth arrived in Vancouver today to start its summer program in Alaska. Returning to the region for the second consecutive year, the Cunard ship is set to offer a series of seven- to 13-night itineraries.
The first cruise of the season, for instance, sails for 12 nights and includes visits to nine destinations in Alaska and Canada.
Among them is Haines, a less visited cruise port in Southeast Alaska, and Victoria, a popular port of call in the British Columbia.
Before returning to Vancouver, the Queen Elizabeth is also scheduled to offer scenic cruising at three different sites: the Glacier Bay National Park, the Tracy Arm Fjord and the Hubbard Glacier.
Other ports being visited by the ship during the season include Ketchikan, Juneau, Sitka and Icy Strait Point.
After offering additional cruises in the region, the Cunard vessel concludes its 2023 Alaska program in mid-August with a repositioning voyage to Los Angeles.
The cruise will be followed by a 14-night Panama Canal cruise that sail between California and Florida. In addition to a full transit of the maritime channel, the itinerary also features visits to ports in Mexico, Costa Rica and Aruba.
Set to kick off a fall program in the Mediterranean a month later, the 2010-built ship also a transatlantic cruise in early September.
Following seasons in Australia and Japan, the QE is poised to return to Alaska in 2024 for a third consecutive summer program.
Stretching between early June and mid-September, the season will feature more departures, in addition to different itineraries.
Built by the Fincantieri shipyard in Italy, the Queen Elizabeth is currently the newest ship in Cunard’s fleet.
Earlier this year, the ship underwent a drydock and refit in Singapore. During the shipyard stay, the 90,400-ton vessel saw class work, as well as hotel upkeep, technical overhauls and other minor upgrades.