‘A splendid floating Art Deco palace’: the Queen Elizabeth’s Queens Room

The mile-long ice wall loomed into view, its 200ft face punked up with icy spikes and blue streaks. At its base, sea otters hitched rides on mini ice rafts while mist curling around snowy mountain caps lent the scene an ethereal air. As we watched, an ice slab sheared off with a crack, sending up a foamy salute as it crashed into water speckled with small icebergs.

We were in the heart of Alaska’s Glacier Bay, gazing at Margerie Glacier, next to the sootier snout of the Grand Pacific Glacier. Only two cruise ships a day can enter this frozen national park to sail past the brooding cliffs of Gloomy Knob and weave through a minefield of ice to glaciers wedged up against the American-Canadian border. It’s a cool excursion in more ways than one – a standout stop on our voyage aboard Cunard’s Queen Elizabeth through Alaska’s Inside Passage, where whales breach, bears lumber and the scenery does most of the talking.

Much has changed since Captain George Vancouver sailed here in 1794 aboard the HMS Discovery to note a gigantic glacier spilling into the Icy Strait. It’s long receded, replaced by 50 miles of fjord and a thousand smaller glaciers clinging to the heights. Just as the scenery has shifted, so have the ships. Vancouver’s timbered vessel wouldn’t have been anywhere near as elegant as ours, cutting quite the figure in this winter wonderland.

Only two cruise ships a day can enter Alaska’s Glacier Bay national park - E+

She may be 15 years old, but Queen Elizabeth is gleaming after a multi-million pound makeover. Roughly 3,000 pieces of furniture have been replaced, colours refreshed, marble repolished and stained glass restored in this splendid floating Art Deco palace.

Even the carpets tell a story. In the vast Queens Room, the new floral motifs reminiscent of palace gardens have a discreet bee theme in honour of the Royal family’s environmental ethos. Another carpet outside the Grills restaurants is patterned on Queen Elizabeth II’s aquamarine Boucheron brooch. And should you find yourself lost on this 2,000-passenger ship, you can navigate by carpet: “The subtle arrow pattern in the corridors tells you where the nearest exit is,” Kevin Boag, hotel general manager, told me.

The Queens Room on board the newly refurbished Queen Elizabeth

It’s details such as these that make Queen Elizabeth the most elegant ship I’ve ever sailed on. With gleaming wood veneers, dazzling chandeliers and a two-storey library that has its own swirl of a staircase, she looks straight out of a 1930s cruise poster. Even the theatre comes with West End-style boxes.

All of which makes returning from the wilds particularly appealing. Alaska may have raw beauty in abundance, but it can also be bone-chillingly cold: while Britain sweltered in temperatures in the 30s, my teenage son and I shivered in the single-digits, with added wind chill and rain. Believe me, when you’ve plummeted through freezing fog on the six-abreast zip line at Icy Strait Point (screaming all the way), it’s particularly pleasant to return to the ship’s reupholstered armchairs and refined interiors for a cream tea served on elegant (new) china.

The vessel’s Royal Court Theatre

Not that you need to be particularly active for this cruise. Although adventurous outings include husky-sledding across ice fields or hopping in a helicopter for a stroll on a glacier, you can soak up both wilderness and wildlife without stirring from the ship. As we voyaged north from Seattle, enjoying the surreal sensation of playing croquet and bowls on deck, whales started announcing their presence, theatrically ejecting spouts of water from their blowholes. Most of the 85 humpbacks and 10 orcas spotted from the bridge kept their distance, but a pair of juvenile humpbacks swam right by the ship, one gracefully arching and flipping its tail in salute.

And the refurb is more than skin deep. Less mobile guests will appreciate the upgraded facilities which are now in line with the Americans with Disabilities Act. That means hoists for the pools and hot tubs, lowered tables and counters, and 32 wheelchair-accessible staterooms. Like the other cabins in the ship, they are all finished with the same sleek design (the photographs really don’t do them justice), with bedside USB ports.

The ship has been elegantly refurbished throughout

One particularly scenic trip (suitable for all passengers) was the White Pass Scenic Railway from the Gold Rush town of Skagway. Built in 1898 to haul hopefuls up to the Klondike, the narrow-gauge track winds for over 20 miles through mountains, clinging to sheer rock faces with improbable bends and 3.9 per cent gradients.

Before the railway, fortune-seekers had to lug a ton of supplies on foot up the slopes – and a steep climb was far from the only hazard, as we discovered when the guide announced casually: “There’s a bear on the right of the train.”

The cold and the excitement meant we were frequently ravenous when we returned to the ship – a situation easily dealt with aboard Queen Elizabeth. The pop-up Frontier-themed restaurant served wild elk pie, heaving seafood platters and, yes, baked Alaska; while top theatrical billing went to the Princess Grill, where chefs flambé whole ducks and sizzle crêpes Suzette table-side in a burst of retro glamour. For something lighter, the new Wellness Café by the main pool on deck nine became our go-to for lunch, the fresh, healthy plates served up with more of those magnificent views.

Queen Elizabeth’s Grills Terrace is one of several areas just made for relaxing

The open aft area of this deck, dotted with new shaded seating areas around a second pool and hot tubs, proved an ideal place to soak up the scenery. When Queen Elizabeth heads for the Caribbean this winter, it’ll be a sun-trap. In Alaska, it served a different purpose: shelter as we huddled under blankets like Brits on a windswept beach.

It was here that my son and I rushed after the ship ventured down Endicott Arm, another glacial fjord, flanked by sheer cliffs, that leads to the towering Dawes Glacier. We had stood like explorers at the ship’s bow, following a trail of electric-blue icebergs to the glacier face. But once the ship turned, so did the view – and deck nine was the place to be.

Writer Jane Knight and her son on board Queen Elizabeth

Naturally, we hit the hot tub. From there, gently steaming and staring out over ice, we had the best seat in the house: the glacier behind us, waterfalls tumbling down the cliffs and the ship slicing silently back through teal water. It was just another surreal experience aboard one of the most civilised ships to cruise through Alaska’s wilderness.

Essentials

Cunard has an 11-night cruise on Queen Elizabeth from £1,529pp in a Britannia balcony stateroom, or £4,049pp in a Princess Grill suite – with $240 (£180)/$520 (£380) on-board spending money if booked before September 1. Drinks, tips and excursions cost extra. Departs May 4 2026.

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