We were truly honoured when Her Majesty The Queen launched Queen Elizabeth in October 2010, and have been delighted by the tremendous positive response that this splendid new ship has received from our guests. Following her highly successful maiden world voyage she has proved a worthy addition to the Most Famous Ocean Liners in The World.
On Thursday 13 January 2011 there was another very memorable occasion, when all of the Cunard Queens met for a ‘Royal Rendezvous’ in New York. The visit culminated in all three ships, our flagship Queen Mary 2, Queen Victoria and the new Queen Elizabeth (on her maiden call to the United States) sailing out of the harbour in procession under a spectacular umbrella of fireworks. The city of New York has played an important part in Cunard’s history and we were delighted to celebrate this momentous event in The Big Apple – even the Empire State Building being turned Cunard red to mark the occasion!
There was another historic meeting on Tuesday 22 February 2011, when Queen Mary 2 and Queen Elizabeth arrived in Sydney Harbour together. Recalling an earlier meeting of the original Queen Mary and Queen Elizabeth on 9 April 1941, when both were World War II troop ships, it was with immense pride that all of those involved witnessed this special event and reflects the warm welcome that Cunard liners have received globally for over 170 years.
Looking forward, Cunard will continue to provide memorable voyages and outstanding service to all of our guests. In 2012 we are delighted to offer an especially wide range of voyages, with 84 departures visiting 129 ports and 48 countries around the world.
• After her 108-night World Voyage in early 2012, Queen Elizabeth will spend early summer sailing roundtrip from Southampton before her maiden Mediterranean fly-voyage season departing from Venice, Civitavecchia (Rome) and Athens on a series of 12-night voyages. In early 2013 she will embark on an exciting new voyage exploring the Caribbean, Central America, the Pacific Islands and New Zealand.
• Queen Victoria will sail roundtrip from Southampton to Northern Europe, the Atlantic Islands and Mediterranean shores. Visiting the Black Sea for the first time she will also stay overnight in popular ports such as St Petersburg, Istanbul, Venice and Madeira to give guests more time to explore ashore.
• Queen Mary 2 will embark on her 2012 World Voyage in January then continue with her legendary Transatlantic voyages, with a choice of 20 crossings plus an enticing selection of voyages to Northern Europe, Canada and New England.
We also look forward to celebrating The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee, and Her Majesty’s long association with Cunard, with another ‘Royal Rendezvous’ of all three Cunard ships in Southampton on 5 June 2012. The latest news from all three ships can be found on our blog, http://wearecunard.com. Our regular blogger Alastair Greener has now moved on to pastures new, but we would like to thank him for his fantastic contributions to the blog over the years. Alastair is a hard act to follow, but I am delighted to be taking over the blog and look forward to giving regular updates from each ship and continue to give an insight into life on board with our guests and crew.
I hope you enjoy exploring the rest of our website and find all of the information you need to book your next Cunard voyage, wherever it may take you. Whether you are a regular Cunard guest or someone who has yet to experience our world famous White Star Service, I do hope you are able to sail with us soon.
Peter Shanks
President & Managing Director, Cunard Line
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Blog: http://www.WeAreCunard.com