A royal dame dances on - but can this elegant ship charm the uninitiated?

It's elegant all right, but how much can a republican bear?

My travelling companion has not done his homework before boarding the Queen Elizabeth. "Why is it named after a 16th-century Tudor monarch?" he grumbles in the autumn sunshine at Sydney's Circular Quay. He's an avowed republican who would eagerly vote to cut ties with the British monarchy, given another chance. "I think you've got the wrong queen," I tell him, as the vaguely worrying question pops into my head as to how much a modern Australian republican can enjoy this 12-deck, 90,000-tonne paean to the royal family and a long-gone era.

We're on a five-night cruise from Sydney to Burnie via Melbourne and back again on Cunard's Queen Elizabeth. During the 10-hour port stop in Melbourne, we'll hop on the complimentary shuttle into the city, where we make our own way to the Victoria Market and then Lygon Street for lunch. And in Burnie the next day, we'll catch up with family over lunch at the beachfront Bayviews Restaurant.

But the ship calls us back both times, long before her scheduled departure. This cruise for me is all about the ship, and not just her restaurants and bars, activity-packed daily schedule and live entertainment in the Royal Theatre and across half-a-dozen other venues. I'm into her classic interiors and her rich heritage which together deliver the nostalgia of the golden age of the ocean liner, before jets took over the business of moving people between continents en masse.

For anyone who loves art deco, the Queen Elizabeth - from her glossy wood panelling and stained glass windows, to fluted columns and sweeping staircases that curve their way down two decks into the Grand Lobby - is a visual feast. Artworks everywhere hark back to that golden age, and the history of the Southampton-based Cunard - established in 1840 - is celebrated, too.

The first Elizabeth was deployed as a troop carrier during World War II, which I learn while on the ship. Once I've finally discovered them on our third night, I return like a moth to the museum-style cabinets on Deck 2, full of photographs and newspaper clippings and other Cunard memorabilia, which clear up for the republican which queen we're talking about. The original Queen Elizabeth ocean liner - then the largest ever built - was christened in 1938 by its namesake, the queen consort of King George VI and queen mother of Elizabeth II, who was in tow that day, a 13-year-old princess in a smart coat and hat, head down and fidgeting as her mother addressed a crowd of 300,000 people on the River Clyde; they cheered and cheered even as the dark clouds of war hung over Europe. Since then there have been two more Queen Elizabeths - the QE2, which retired in 2008 and is now a hotel in Dubai, and the one we are on now, launched by Elizabeth II herself in 2010.

Of course, the republican couldn't care less about any of that. But he loves the sailaway celebration as we make our departure from Sydney, flanked by the twin icons of bridge and Opera House with the horizon aflame in sunset colours. The Equators Duo belt out upbeat house tunes, cocktails are drunk, and the collective weight of the world lifts off every shoulder on the pool deck. It's not the only thing he loves. During a ship exploration we come across the Yacht Club on Deck 10; it's empty but there's a dance floor bathed in disco lights inspiring him to strike a John Travolta pose. Two nights later, we head back there for the 10pm Request Express, which starts slowly but gathers momentum as people sidle onto the dance floor, unable to resist the likes of Queen, Blondie and Kylie, and we all end up dancing in a circle. It's not stuffy at all, and we are very amused.

Disco dags aside, this feels to me like a ship for grown-ups (who are regardless most welcome to bring their families, with kids' and teens' clubs on board). Especially those grown-ups who like to dress up, and to dance; in the Queens Room each night, elegantly dressed couples take to the dance floor and glide gracefully around it to music performed by accomplished musicians.

Gala night is next level again in the sartorial stakes. We're in the Commodore Club on Deck 10 just after 5pm on our second night on board, listening to superb live jazz, when men in black tie and women in high heels and lovely dresses, many of them floor length, begin to appear for a pre-dinner drink. We're still in our day wear, although we've become acquainted with the ship's dress code and will make sure we're in compliance for dinner. The previous night we were turned away at the entry to the main dining room Britannia because the republican had shorts on. It was quickly remedied by a dash to our Deck 6 Balcony Stateroom and by 6pm, our appetisers were set before us: risotto of wild mushrooms for me, crab and shrimp skagen for him. Delicious.

On Gala night, we dine at Coriander, a specialty eatery with a $US25 cover charge that takes over a section of the casual all-day Lido buffet restaurant on Deck 9 - a resourceful play to introduce more dining options in an industry where on-board restaurants are multiplying iike rabbits. It's a feast of Indian flavours, and the butter chicken and prawn madras are a hit. The next night, hey presto! The Lido is now home to Bamboo, an East Asian eatery, where we share tasty pan-seared Japanese-style black cod, and Mandarin crispy chilli beef.

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Afterwards, we head for Deck 2. It mills with people enjoying themselves and we promenade with the crowd past the Golden Lion Pub and the Queens Room, each pumping with their own live music and energy, and on by the Cafe Corinthia where the sounds of a string trio carry from the Grand Lobby below. By now, we've come to know the Queen Elizabeth, just a little. She seems a very classy lady who knows how to have fun. Even the republican agrees.

THE SHIP: Cunard's Queen Elizabeth.

THE SIZE: 294 metres long, 1055 cabins, 2081 passengers, 980 crew.

GOOD TO KNOW: Elizabeth is one of four Queens in Cunard's legendary fleet, the others being Queen Mary 2, Queen Victoria and, as of her maiden voyage in May this year, Queen Anne.

The writer was a guest of Cunard.