QUEEN ELIZABETH
June 24, 2022 | Alaska Cruise – Day 1: Vancouver, British Columbia
Day 1 of our Alaska cruise aboard Queen Elizabeth (Cunard Line) began at Vancouver's Canada Place on June 24, 2022. These photographs were taken while the ship was docked and we were preparing to board for our seven-night roundtrip voyage to Alaska, beginning a journey that would include Glacier Bay, Icy Strait Point, Sitka, and Ketchikan before returning to Vancouver on July 1.
Our seven-night Alaska cruise aboard Queen Elizabeth began at Vancouver's Canada Place on June 24, 2022. Day 1 was embarkation day, and these photographs document the ship alongside in Vancouver while we prepared to board for our voyage north to Alaska. The itinerary would take us from British Columbia to Glacier Bay, Icy Strait Point, Sitka, and Ketchikan before returning to Vancouver on July 1.
The 2010-built Queen Elizabeth was already an established member of the Cunard fleet by the time of our voyage. Built by Fincantieri in Monfalcone, Italy, she carries the traditional black hull, white superstructure, and red-and-black funnel closely associated with Cunard while operating as a modern cruise ship. Boarding in Vancouver began our first voyage aboard the third Cunard passenger ship to carry the Queen Elizabeth name and started a series of galleries documenting each stage of our Alaska cruise.
Information List
Name: Queen Elizabeth
Operator: Cunard Line
Ship Type: Cruise ship
Builder: Fincantieri, Monfalcone, Italy
Keel Laid: July 2, 2009
Float Out: January 5, 2010
Delivered: September 29, 2010
Named: October 11, 2010
Godmother: Queen Elizabeth II
Maiden Voyage: October 12, 2010
Class: Vista Class
Length: Approximately 964 feet / 294 meters
Beam: Approximately 106 feet / 32.3 meters
Gross Tonnage: Approximately 90,900 GT
Passenger Capacity: Approximately 2,081
Passenger Cabins: 1,046
Passenger Decks: 12
Service Speed: Approximately 21.7 knots
Maximum Speed: Approximately 23.7 knots
Registry During This Voyage: Bermuda
Port of Registry: Hamilton
IMO Number: 9477438
Voyage: Q220
Cruise: Seven-night roundtrip Alaska cruise from Vancouver
Cruise Day: Day 1
Visit Shown: June 24, 2022
Location: Vancouver, British Columbia
Terminal: Canada Place
Personal Voyage: Traveled aboard Queen Elizabeth
History and Features
Construction and Entry Into Service:
Queen Elizabeth was ordered from Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri as a new addition to Cunard's modern fleet.
Construction took place at Fincantieri's Monfalcone shipyard in Italy.
Her keel was laid on July 2, 2009.
Three coins representing important periods in Cunard history were incorporated during the traditional coin ceremony.
The ship was floated out on January 5, 2010, before fitting-out work continued through the remainder of the year.
Fincantieri delivered Queen Elizabeth to Cunard on September 29, 2010.
Queen Elizabeth II officially named the ship at Southampton on October 11, 2010.
The ship departed on her maiden voyage the following day.
The Queen Elizabeth Name:
The present Queen Elizabeth is the third major Cunard passenger ship associated with the Queen Elizabeth name.
The original Queen Elizabeth entered service in 1940 and became one of the defining express ocean liners of the twentieth century.
Queen Elizabeth 2, usually known as QE2, entered service in 1969 and remained with Cunard for nearly four decades.
The 2010-built Queen Elizabeth continues the historic name in modern cruise service rather than operating as a traditional express ocean liner.
Her exterior colors, artwork, public rooms, and passenger-service traditions deliberately connect the modern ship with earlier generations of Cunard vessels.
Design and Style:
Queen Elizabeth is based on the Vista-class cruise-ship platform and is closely related to Queen Victoria.
Cunard and Fincantieri adapted the design to reflect the company's traditional visual identity.
The ship carries a black hull, white superstructure, and red funnel with black bands.
Interior spaces incorporate Art Deco influences and references to Cunard's earlier ships.
Public rooms include the Grand Lobby, Queens Room, Royal Court Theatre, Commodore Club, Golden Lion pub, library, restaurants, and extensive open decks.
Britannia, Princess Grill, and Queens Grill accommodations continue Cunard's long-established passenger-service traditions.
Our 2022 Alaska Cruise:
We boarded Queen Elizabeth at Vancouver on June 24, 2022, for Cunard Voyage Q220.
The voyage was a seven-night roundtrip Alaska cruise from Vancouver.
Day 1 was embarkation day at Canada Place.
Day 2 would be spent at sea as the ship sailed north from Vancouver toward Alaska.
The voyage would continue through Glacier Bay, Icy Strait Point, Sitka, and Ketchikan.
After another day at sea, Queen Elizabeth would return to Vancouver on July 1.
This Day 1 gallery begins the individual voyage series that complements the master Alaska cruise overview page.
Day 1 – Vancouver:
June 24 marked the beginning of our Alaska voyage aboard Queen Elizabeth.
These photographs were taken while the ship was alongside at Canada Place before and during the boarding process.
Embarkation day provided our first opportunity to see the ship at close range before beginning the voyage.
Vancouver's downtown cruise terminal placed Queen Elizabeth directly against the city's waterfront and skyline.
Once embarkation was complete, the ship prepared to depart British Columbia and begin the northbound journey toward Alaska.
Canada Place:
Canada Place is located on Vancouver's downtown waterfront and serves as the city's principal cruise terminal.
Its distinctive white sail-like roof has become one of the most recognizable features of Vancouver Harbour.
The terminal's location provides direct access to downtown Vancouver while allowing cruise ships to begin voyages toward Alaska from the city's sheltered harbor.
Canada Place has become one of the major embarkation points for Alaska cruising on the Pacific coast.
Boarding Queen Elizabeth there connected our voyage with Vancouver's long role as a gateway to Alaska.
Vancouver and Alaska Cruising:
Vancouver's geographic position makes it particularly well suited for cruises traveling north toward Southeast Alaska.
Ships departing Vancouver travel through coastal waterways bordered by British Columbia's islands and mountainous coastline.
The protected route north provides a very different maritime setting from open-ocean cruising.
Vancouver has served as a major Alaska cruise homeport for decades and hosts ships from many international cruise lines during the summer season.
For our voyage, Vancouver served as both the beginning and ending point of the seven-night itinerary.
Complete Cruise Itinerary:
Day 1 – June 24: Vancouver, British Columbia – Embarkation and departure
Day 2 – June 25: At Sea
Day 3 – June 26: Glacier Bay, Alaska – Scenic cruising
Day 4 – June 27: Icy Strait Point, Alaska
Day 5 – June 28: Sitka, Alaska
Day 6 – June 29: Ketchikan, Alaska
Day 7 – June 30: At Sea
Day 8 – July 1: Vancouver, British Columbia – Arrival and disembarkation
Continuing the Voyage:
After leaving Vancouver, Queen Elizabeth sailed north toward Alaska.
June 25 was our first full day aboard and was spent at sea.
That sea day provided time to explore and photograph the ship before reaching Glacier Bay the following day.
The individual Day 2 gallery continues the chronological Ocean Liner Photography record of this voyage.
Cunard in Alaska:
Alaska cruising represents a very different form of passenger travel from the transatlantic liner service historically associated with Cunard.
Queen Elizabeth was designed as a cruise ship capable of operating destination-focused itineraries around the world.
Her Alaska deployment combined Cunard traditions such as formal evenings, afternoon tea, ballroom dancing, and enrichment programs with scenic and port-focused cruising.
Vancouver provided the starting point for exploring Southeast Alaska while retaining the distinctly Cunard shipboard experience.
Ocean Liner Photography Voyage Series:
This gallery documents Day 1 of our June 2022 Alaska cruise aboard Queen Elizabeth.
The master Alaska cruise page provides the overview of the complete June 24–July 1 voyage.
Individual galleries document specific cruise days and destinations in greater detail.
The Vancouver gallery begins the series with embarkation at Canada Place.
Day 2 continues with our first full day at sea as Queen Elizabeth sailed north toward Alaska.
Legacy:
Queen Elizabeth carries one of the most significant names in Cunard history while serving in a distinctly modern cruise role.
Her Alaska deployment demonstrates how the company's historic identity has been adapted to destination-based cruising.
Boarding the ship in Vancouver on June 24 began our own connection with the third Cunard passenger ship to carry the Queen Elizabeth name.
Together with the master voyage page and the individual Alaska day galleries, these photographs preserve the beginning of our seven-night voyage through Southeast Alaska.
OLP Social: Embarkation day at Canada Place marked the beginning of a seven-night Alaska voyage through the Inside Passage, with Glacier Bay, Icy Strait Point, Sitka and Ketchikan ahead.
