On Site: New Queen on the Horizon

Well, she’s not quite ready to kick up her heels across the seven seas just yet, but Cunard Line’s new 92,000-ton Queen Elizabeth looks elegant and regal just the same.

Travel Agent magazine was among a handful of media organizations given a sneak peak at the latest Cunarder in Fincantieri’s Monfalcone shipyard outside Trieste, Italy on Friday. 

Led by Peter Shanks, the line’s president and managing director, we stepped onboard for a first-hand glimpse of the new queen during a three-hour hardhat tour. The new 2,062-passenger Queen Elizabeth is inspired by the original Queen Elizabeth liner, which launched in 1940.

Agents will also recall the Queen Elizabeth 2, which retired from Cunard service a few years back. The newest Cunard vessel, not as large as Queen Mary 2 and essentially a sister ship to the QueenVictoria , will be ready to greet her subjects -- loyal Cunard guests and new cruisers as well -- by October.

photos by Susan J. Young

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