Cunard’s first new cruise ship in 14 years, Queen Anne has started its maiden season with a 7-night voyage to Lisbon. Setting off from the company’s homeport of Southampton on 3 May, Queen Anne is set for more than a maiden voyage, with an entire maiden season packed with festivities prepared.
Cunard took ownership of the 3,000-guest ship on 19 April, during a traditional handover ceremony at the Fincantieri Marghera shipyard in Venice, where master shipbuilders had been constructing the vessel. The 249th ship to sail under the Cunard flag, and the third built by Fincantieri, Queen Anne’s design concepts have been founded on heritage, craftmanship, style, storytelling and innovation, the company said.
The 113,000-ton ship, which spans 14 decks, will offer travellers several breath-taking experiences and various choices of entertainment, dining and bars. Throughout her maiden season, Queen Anne will sail on itineraries to the Mediterranean, Scandinavia, the Canary Islands and the Norwegian Fjords, visiting over 60 destinations in 16 countries.
We are so excited to welcome Queen Anne to our fleet as she completes a remarkable quartet alongside Queen Mary 2, Queen Elizabeth and Queen Victoria.
Katie McAlister, President of Cunard
The most anticipated journey in the season will be a 14-night British Isles Festival Voyage during which the official naming of the ship will take place at the company’s “spiritual home” of Liverpool, where it was founded before moving to Southampton in 1967. Cunard ships are iconically named by central members of the Royal Family, however, the exact Royal who will be naming Queen Anne will only be revealed 10 days before the ceremony.
The British Isles voyage will depart Southampton on 24 May with maiden calls to Edinburgh (South Queensferry), Invergordon, Greenock, Belfast and Liverpool before a late evening departure bound for Cobh followed by her return to Southampton. Guests on the voyage will have an exclusive chance to be part of the celebrations at Liverpool’s world-famous Pier Head, with the original iconic Cunard Building at its heart.
The event in Liverpool, which will be live broadcasted globally, is expected to draw tens of thousands of spectators to vantage points alongside the river at Pier Head. Cunard has promised an “impressive line-up of eminent entertainers will give unforgettable live performances surrounding the official naming as Queen Anne makes her maiden call into Cunard’s spiritual home.”
Cunard ships have previously attracted more than a million spectators to the banks of the Mersey, first for the maiden call of the renowned QE2, named by Queen Elizabeth II in July 1990. The UK’s longest reigning monarch also named Queen Mary 2 in 2004 and Queen Elizabeth in 2010, while present Queen Camilla named Queen Victoria in 2007. Big crowds also gathered in 2015 for the Three Queens “royal rendezvous” in front of the Cunard Building to celebrate the company’s 175th anniversary.
