Cunard Line is a comparatively small cruise firm with simply three ships, however that does not imply it has a small footprint in the case of locations its ships go.
The storied passenger ship firm — one of many oldest on the earth with a historical past that dates again to 1840 — affords cruises to nearly each nook of the globe.
The road’s three vessels — Queen Mary 2, Queen Elizabeth and Queen Victoria — are nearly all the time on the transfer. (A fourth, Queen Anne, will be a part of the globe-trotting fleet in spring 2024.) They function numerous itineraries on a number of continents, together with Europe, North America and Asia.
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In addition they typically journey all over the world on epic voyages that may final three months or extra. For 2024, for example, two of Cunard’s three vessels will function full circumnavigations of the globe lasting many months (extra on these beneath).
Amongst its many itinerary choices, Cunard has a very giant footprint in Europe, with all three of its vessels spending a minimum of a while every year within the area. Asia is one other huge vacation spot for Cunard, with all its ships heading there most years for a minimum of a number of sailings, too.
The road additionally often affords sailings in North America, together with within the Caribbean, New England and Canada, and Alaska. Australia and New Zealand seem typically on Cunard’s itinerary schedule as effectively.
Cunard ships sail every part from super-short, two-night voyages between Southampton, England, and Hamburg, Germany, that do not embrace a single port name to 123-night globe-circling journeys that soak up dozens of ports.
Listed here are our picks for the 5 greatest Cunard cruise locations.
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The Atlantic
If Cunard has an iconic itinerary, it’s the common transatlantic voyages that its flagship, the two,691-passenger Queen Mary 2, operates between New York Metropolis and Southampton, England, all year long.
Generally, these journeys lack even a single port cease. They’re one-way sailings designed to get you throughout the Atlantic in relative pace and luxury — identical to the road provided within the nineteenth century. However in contrast to again then, they don’t seem to be voyages individuals take out of necessity.
Each leisure and enterprise vacationers can now journey between North America and Europe in a matter of hours on speedy jets, so there isn’t any longer a urgent want for such transatlantic crossings on a sensible degree. However Cunard has been capable of maintain the custom alive for a subset of vacationers who get pleasure from transferring between the continents in a extra leisurely approach.
For many individuals who take Queen Mary 2 throughout the Atlantic, the ship itself and the expertise of the crossing on it’s the vacation spot. It is not unusual for passengers to take Queen Mary 2 a technique throughout the Atlantic simply to expertise a crossing earlier than flying fly again residence.
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Queen Mary 2 was particularly constructed for such crossings, with a extra streamlined form and extra highly effective engines than conventional cruise ships. It may well minimize via the generally tough waves of the Atlantic at larger speeds and with extra consolation for passengers.
Aficionados say Queen Mary 2 is a real ocean liner — a ship designed to sail a direct course throughout oceans between two far-apart locations — not a cruise ship. It’s thus one thing really totally different on the earth of cruises.
Having sailed throughout the Atlantic on Queen Mary 2 3 times through the years, together with on its maiden voyage in 2004, I could not agree extra. There’s nothing fairly like zooming throughout the ocean on the vessel, which is constructed with a grand ballroom, elegant eating places and different formal areas that evoke the famed ocean liners of a century in the past. It is a throwback to an earlier time.
In a typical 12 months, Queen Mary 2 operates about 20 Atlantic crossings. Generally, it makes the crossing in seven nights with none stops, nevertheless it generally does quicker six-night crossings. It sometimes provides a cease in a vacation spot alongside the way in which — Boston, for example, or the Azores.
The world
Along with transatlantic crossings, Cunard has lengthy been identified for epic around-the-world voyages, stopping at dozens of locations on 4, 5 and even six continents.
Cunard normally will ship one and generally even two of its three ships on monthslong jaunts all over the world yearly, one thing it has carried out for a lot of many years.
In a typical 12 months, the road would possibly start one around-the-world crusing in New York or Florida, permitting Individuals to journey throughout the globe with out ever getting on a flight longer than a number of hours. It will additionally typically supply a further around-the-world crusing out of a European port comparable to Southampton.
That is the case for 2024, when Queen Mary 2 will sail a 123-night world voyage out of New York Metropolis, and the two,061-passenger Queen Victoria will sail a 111-night world voyage out of Hamburg, Germany (the latter voyage additionally might be boarded in Southampton).
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As is typically the case with such journeys, the crusing on Queen Mary 2 will not be a full circumnavigation of the globe. The ship will journey eastward from New York to Europe after which Africa, Australia and Asia earlier than returning westward to the Center East and Europe (via the Suez Canal) on its approach again to New York. It is a crusing that can hit giant parts of the world however not full the circle.
The Queen Victoria crusing might be a real circumnavigation, with the ship circling the world westward. The voyage will take the ship to Bermuda, Florida, the Panama Canal and the West Coast earlier than a Pacific crossing to Hawaii, Samoa, Fiji, New Zealand and Australia. From there, Queen Victoria will make a number of stops throughout Asia earlier than cruising westward to the southern tip of Africa after which again to Europe up the west coast of Africa.
Europe
Partially on account of the truth that it is based mostly in Southampton and has a robust following amongst British vacationers, Cunard has lengthy had a selected deal with sailings in Europe. As of the publishing of this information, 171 of the 451 departures on Cunard’s schedule had been dedicated to Northern Europe, Western Europe or the Mediterranean. For those who add in transatlantic departures between Europe and North America, that quantity jumps to 227 — nearly precisely half of all departures on Cunard’s schedule.
All three of Cunard’s vessels spend a minimum of a part of the 12 months crusing in Europe, with the most important portion of sailings within the Mediterranean.
These Europe routings fluctuate significantly in size and locations. In contrast to a lot of its opponents working in Europe, Cunard affords a lot of quick sailings, generally as quick as two or three nights, that provide an opportunity for a fast journey between, say, Hamburg and Southampton. Typically, these quick sailings are a technique, on Queen Mary 2 and timed to guide straight right into a transatlantic crossing.
Somebody in Europe might board Queen Mary 2 in Hamburg for a two-night crusing to Southampton after which keep aboard for a subsequent seven-night crusing to New York Metropolis.
Cunard additionally typically affords many round-trip “quick break” getaways lasting three or 4 nights out of Southampton to locations like Bruges, Belgium; Amsterdam; and Le Havre, France. These journeys are largely geared toward an area British crowd.
Moreover, Cunard operates many longer Europe itineraries, generally so long as 30 nights, which soak up a dozen or extra main locations. A very good instance of the latter is the road’s 28-night Mediterranean Highlights itinerary from Civitavecchia, Italy (the port for Rome) to Barcelona, a one-way journey that takes in a variety of ports throughout Italy, Croatia, Montenegro, Greece, Malta, Spain and Turkey.
Within the Mediterranean, the road’s foremost hubs are Piraeus, Greece (the port for Athens); Istanbul; Trieste, Italy; Barcelona; and Civitavecchia.
In Northern Europe, Cunard’s huge hub is Southampton, nevertheless it additionally affords voyages out of Hamburg and Kiel in Germany.
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Alaska
Cunard is considered one of a handful of Europe-based cruise traces devoting a ship to the Alaska marketplace for the approaching summer time of 2024, deploying its 2,081-passenger Queen Elizabeth to the vacation spot.
From June to September 2024, Queen Elizabeth will function practically a dozen round-trip sailings to Alaska out of Vancouver, British Columbia.
These Alaska voyages will largely be 10 nights in size, which is longer than the standard Alaska crusing out of Vancouver. A handful of the sailings might be 9 or 11 nights in size.
Cunard’s typical 10-night Alaska crusing consists of calls at Sitka, Ketchikan, Skagway and both Juneau or Icy Strait Level. The ship will even go to Glacier Bay Nationwide Park & Protect and Misty Fjords Nationwide Monument.
The 11-night sailings add stops on the smaller Alaska cities of Wrangell and Haines and a go to to Hubbard Glacier (along with Glacier Bay Nationwide Park & Protect and Misty Fjords Nationwide Monument). They skip the stops at Skagway and Sitka.
Asia, Australia and New Zealand
Cunard normally sends a minimum of considered one of its three ships to Asia, Australia and New Zealand each winter for sailings out of such main hubs as Tokyo (the place ships sail from close by Yokohama) and Sydney.
The road additionally usually sends one or two ships on around-the-world cruises each winter that embrace segments in Asia, Australia and New Zealand, leading to all three of the road’s vessels, in some circumstances, crusing within the areas in the course of the winter. (See extra on the road’s world cruises above.)
Cunard ships usually supply a comparatively vast mixture of itineraries within the areas, by no means staying in the identical a part of Asia, Australia and New Zealand for too many voyages in a row.
That stated, for 2024, Cunard’s Queen Elizabeth might be based mostly out of Tokyo for practically two months for a number of sailings round Japan. These sailings usually additionally embrace a cease in both South Korea or Taiwan.
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Among the many Australia itineraries that Cunard has on its schedule for the subsequent two years is a 14-night crusing to New Zealand out of Melbourne, Australia, with stops at New Zealand’s Fiordland Nationwide Park, Wellington, New Plymouth, Bay of Island and Auckland (for an in a single day go to).
Shorter sailings out of Australian ports embrace a five-night voyage from Sydney to Melbourne and Burnie — the latter vacation spot within the Australian island state of Tasmania.
Backside line
Regardless of its small dimension, Cunard affords a various array of itineraries in cruise locations all over the world, from North America to Asia. It is also well-known for its transatlantic sailings between New York Metropolis and Southampton, plus its epic around-the-world cruises.
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