Brand's three ships will all be back in service by spring 2022 and collectively sail 40 new voyages
By
Rebecca Gibson |
Luxury British cruise line Cunard is to return to international sailing in late 2021 after scheduling more than 40 new ‘Overseas Escapes’ voyages for the remainder of this year and 2022. The new itineraries will range from two to 40 nights and will see Queen Mary 2, Queen Victoria and Queen Elizabeth taking guests to more than 40 destinations.
Following a summer season of cruises to destinations along Britain’s coast, Queen Elizabeth will begin sailing from Southampton, UK to Western Europe followed by the Iberian Coast and the Atlantic Islands. The vessel will make overnight calls in destinations such as Lisbon and Funchal in Portugal, as well as late departures from Malaga, Spain.
In late February 2022, Queen Elizabeth will reposition to Asia, sailing through the Suez Canal to Dubai, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong and Japan, where she will resume her scheduled programme in April.
Meanwhile, Queen Mary 2 will restart her transatlantic crossings this November and then offer new short cruises in Western Europe followed by three winter sailings to the Caribbean. Guests can choose from several ports of embarkation for the Caribbean voyages, inlcuding Southampton, Hamburg in Germany and Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Notable itinerary highlights will include overnights in Bridgetown and Barbados, as well as visits to St. Maarten, Dominica, St. Lucia and St. Kitts.
Queen Victoria will resume service in April 2022, offering three roundtrips from Southampton to destinations in 11 countries, such as Denmark, Estonia, Finland and Poland. Highlights of the voyages will include overnight calls in Amsterdam, Netherlands; Lisbon, Portugal; and St Petersburg, Russia.
“We are delighted to announce these new voyages which will mark the full fleet’s return to sailing,” said Simon Palethorpe, president of Cunard. “Our guests have patiently waited to sail on their favourite Cunard Queen and our 2021 and 2022 itineraries offer a variety of exciting holidays to suit all combined with the impeccable white star service onboard that makes a Cunard voyage so memorable. And for an additional reason to book, guests can take advantage of complimentary upgrade to a balcony stateroom when they book an inside or outside stateroom on selected voyages.”