Looking to the Past

The beautiful Britannia Dining Room aboard Queen Elizabeth.

Photo-illustration courtesy of Cunard Line

When Cunard's Queen Elizabeth launches this fall, the line plans to make sure its newest vessel honors the past in both name and design - and it will do so with the multitude of eateries available onboard.

Whether you're after the iconic British tea service or simply looking for an excellent meal, you're likely to find both on this classic ship, starting with The Verandah on Deck 2.  On RMS Queen Mary and Queen Elizabeth, the Verandah Grills were the most exclusive eateries onboard, and were only available to first-class passengers.  On the new Queen Elizabeth, however, all passengers will have the opportunity to indulge in fine French cuisine at either lunch or dinner, for a small surcharge.

The Britannia Restaurant is next on the list, and spans Decks 2 and 3 at the stern.  This functions as the main dining room for those guests occupying Britannia-class staterooms - in other words, most passengers.  If the first renderings are any indication, this room will come off better on Queen Elizabeth than her predecessor, Queen Victoria.  Compared with the sprawling dining room onboard QM2, Queen Victoria's dining room came off feeling cramped and slightly underwhelming.  The latest renderings suggest this has been remedied on Queen Elizabeth, allowing passengers to enjoy their meals in the ultimate comfort.  The dining room will have the usual Early or Late sitting, and boasts a private, open-seating section for those guests in Britannia Club class.

The Lido Restaurant will offer casual breakfast, lunch and dinner, with a twist: each evening, one of three regional cuisines are offered as part of dinner service.  These include Asado, focusing on South American cuisine and grilled meats of all sorts.  Then there's Aztec, featuring Mexican cuisine, and Jasmine, which highlights the best pan-Asian cuisine.

Of course, what would any Cunard ship be without traditional Afternoon Tea?  Held in the magnificent Queens Room ballroom, this traditional English tea service offers all the trimmings, including finger sandwiches along with scones with jam or cream.  Of course, this is in addition to the tea itself, served by white-gloved waiters whilst live musicians perform quietly in the background.

The ironic part in all of this is that while Cunard may be one of the world's oldest lines, it boasts one of the youngest fleets.  In fact, the oldest ship in the fleet, Queen Mary 2, embarked on her maiden voyage in 2004 - a mere six years ago. 

To learn more about the many dining amenities aboard Queen Elizabeth when she launches this fall, be sure to visit Cunard's Website.