Cunard's Queen Elizabeth maiden voyage all sold out

Cunard Cruises maiden voyage on their new Queen Elizabeth ocean liner has become the fastest selling voyage in the cruise lines history.

29 minutes! That is all it took for the 13 night Canary Islands voyage to sell out, beating the record of 36 minutes set in June 2007 for the final sailing of Queen Elizabeth 2. More than half of the remainder of the maiden season cruises were then snapped up within 90 minutes.

Carol Marlow, president and managing director of Cunard, said that bookings had been particularly strong from people in the UK, the US and Germany.

"This is an impressive record set by what will be an impressive ship and speaks volumes for the Cunard brand as well as for the resilience of the cruise sector," she commented.

Cunard Cruises latest ship Queen Elizabeth is set to launch in autumn 2010 and will only further enhance Cunard Cruises illustrious reputation for exquisite ocean travel. Queen Elizabeth will feature many luxurious and elegant public rooms, plus a bowling green, a croquet lawn and even country house parties.

Plans for Queen Elizabeth 2 put on hold

Cunard Cruises epic ship Queen Elizabeth 2

was reportedly sold to Dubai company Nakheel for a sum of £50 million, but it seems the Middle East is not impervious to the recession as plans to transform Cunard Cruises iconic ship have been put on hold.

Britain’s most famous ship offered luxury cruise holidays to passengers for over 40 years and ended its service with Cunard Cruises late last year when the company could not justify the expense it would cost to bring the ageing ship up to the new health and safety standards introduced to the cruise industry.

It was intended that QE2 would undergo a complete refurbishment, included turning the engine room into a large entertainment suite and removing the famous red funnel to be replaced with an enormous glass structure which would house the hotel’s grandest suites and penthouse.

It seems that a few months down the line the ambitious plans have ground to a halt and could even be shelved completely. The Dubai hotel company Nakheel have commitments to other hotel deals in Palm Jumeirah and the construction of Trump Tower, which seem to be priority at the moment.

We’ll keep you posted of any further developments; hopefully plans for Cunard Cruises best known queen will not be cast adrift.

Queen Mary 2 Birthday Celebrations

In celebration of the ships fifth birthday, Cunard Cruises Queen Mary 2 will embark on a voyage around the UK this autumn. Queen Mary 2 entered service in 2004 and was named by HRH Queen Elizabeth in one of the most lavish naming ceremonies ever seen. Since then Queen Mary 2 has crossed the Atlantic 104 times and sailed more than 750,000 nautical miles.

Carol Marlow, president and managing director of Cunard Cruises Line, said the ship had reached an important milestone and that the Cunard Cruises Line was "very proud" of her many achievements.

"In her young life, Queen Mary 2 has attracted thousands of well-wishers in many ports around the world, achieving iconic status," she added.

As part of the ship’s birthday celebrations it will embark on a ‘lap of honour’ around the UK later this year, departing from Southampton on the 15 October 2008. Queen Mary 2 will call in at Rosyth, Greenock, Liverpool, Cork and Cherbourg in France before returning to Southampton. Guests will have the chance to explore Edinburgh and Glasgow on organised shore excursions, as well as the old town of Cherbourg with its ‘Plage Vert’, the town’s grassy beach.

Following the retirement of Cunard Cruises Line Queen Elizabeth 2 ship earlier this year, the line is now preparing to launch a new Queen Elizabeth ship in the autumn of 2010.

QE2's final farewell to Southampton

Cunard Cruises have announced plans for QE2’s final departure from her home port of Southampton on Tuesday 11 November 2008, when she leaves for her new life in Dubai. After an incredible 39 years of service, 806 transatlantic crossings, 25 world cruises, 5.9 million nautical miles travelled and assisting her country during the Falklands Campaign, QE2 will leave her service with Cunard Cruises to become a first class hotel and entertainment centre.

One of the most momentous moments of 11 November will be a farewell visit from His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh. This will be His Royal Highness’s seventh visit and during his visit a two minute silence will take place at 1100 hours prior to meeting crew members who went to the Falklands with QE2.

After a tour of the ship, His Royal Highness will present a painting of QE2, which was unveiled by Her Majesty The Queen during her farewell visit to the ship on 2 June 2008, to the Mayor of Southampton, who will accept it on behalf of the city.

It is expected that people from all over the country will travel to Southampton to make their farewells to QE2. Other highlights include a million poppies to be dropped from a Tiger Moth to commemorate Remembrance Day and QE2’s role in the Falklands and a flypast of a Harrier which will hover and bow to QE2 approximately 500 feet off her stern.

At 1915 hours QE2 will leave her berth and remain for a period at Mayflower Park, where a pre-recorded message from her Captain, Ian McNaught, will be broadcast on a screen in the Park. Immediately afterwards there will be an amazing firework display and then QE2 will proceed downriver with her whistle blasting, down Southampton Water for the start of her journey to Dubai.

Cunard Cruises flagship Queen Mary 2 remains the largest and grandest ocean liner at sea and accompanied by Queen Victoria have revived the ‘Golden Age of Ocean Travel’. Cunard Cruises will not have to wait long for a new ‘Elizabeth’ as Queen Elizabeth will enter service in autumn 2010.

America to bid farewell to QE2

Thursday 16 October is set to be a momentous day as Cunard Cruises Queen Elizabeth 2 (QE2) bids her final farewell to America during a celebratory call befitting of the cruise line’s longest serving ocean liner. This will be the legendary ship’s 706^th and final visit to New York and she will be escorted by FDNY fireboats and a flotilla of pleasure craft, due to depart Westside Terminal at 5pm to meet with her sister ship, Queen Mary 2, for a Cunard Royal Rendezvous at the Stature of Liberty. Following this, both ships will embark on a tandem voyage to Southampton, England, marking QE2’s 806^th and final Transatlantic crossing.

"It is most fitting that QE2's farewell to America be celebrated in New York, the city Cunard has called our North America homeport since 1847. She will always be remembered as the best loved ship in the world and we are delighted that she will be cherished by future generations of travelers at her new home in Dubai," said Carol Marlow, president of Cunard Line. "Her mantle as flagship of the British merchant fleet has proudly been bestowed upon Queen Mary 2, a ship recognised as the grandest ocean liner ever built and surely destined to continue Cunard's legacy," Marlow added.

Recognised at the most famous ship in the world, QE2 has an illustrious history since her naming by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II in 1967. QE2 has logged more than 5.9 million nautical miles – the equivalent of traveling to the moon and back 13 times – carried more than 2.5 million passengers and was even requisitioned for military service in the Falklands in 1982.

Throughout her arrival in New York in the early morning of 16 October, QE2 will fly a traditional Paying-Off Pennant, a maritime flag signifying the ship's length of service to the fleet. The pennant will be presented as a commemorative gift to a local dignitary during a reception onboard the ship.

To celebrate this historic occasion, a pipe and drum corps will perform in Battery Park as a fitting salute and final "Bon Voyage" to Queen Elizabeth 2.

QE2 completes service to Cunard in November after sailing a final voyage to Dubai where she will be refurbished and become a luxury hotel, entertainment destination and maritime museum.

Cunard Order New Queen

Cunard Cruises are well known for their comfort, style and tradition of elegance and grandeur. This is gracefully blended with every conceivable modern luxury you have to come to expect from modern day liners.

A new ship has been commissioned to be built by Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri. The 92,000 ton liner is to be named ‘Queen Elizabeth’, quite fitting with Queen Elizabeth 2 currently on her farewell season this year. The cost of building the new Queen Elizabeth is estimated to be in the region of $500 million and will be the second largest Cunard ship ever built after the Queen Mary 2.

The new ship will be typically Cunard styled, with her black hull, gleaming white superstructure and distinctive red funnel and will ultimately echo the classic features of the company’s individual liner heritage. The new 2092 passenger liner is scheduled to enter service in the autumn of 2010.

ART GETS A NEW DIMENSION ONBOARD QUEEN VICTORIA

A new self-guided art tour is set to introduce a new generation of aesthetically-minded cruisers to the collection on Cunard Cruises' Queen Victoria.

The collection's contemporary feel is appropriate for a liner named after one of the most forward-looking leaders in Britain's history, Cunard Cruises states.

Now, a museum-style self-guided tour will complement the range of artworks displayed on the vessel, with the help of Apple's iPod Touch, available to borrow onboard.

An 80-minute audio overview takes captivated cruisers on a tour of 25 of the most important pieces onboard Queen Victoria, while video interviews with artists give a new dimension to the works displayed.

"Through this extraordinarily well-researched collection, we convey the ambiance that guests expect on a liner named Queen Victoria - a sense of history and grandeur coupled with a more contemporary appreciation of modern art by modern artists and artisans," said Carol Marlow, President of Cunard Cruises.

The line recently announced that it has ordered a new ship, to be christened Queen Elizabeth.

BERLITZ PLACES CUNARD AT THE TOP OF THE LIST OF MAJOR CRUISE LINES

Cunard Line has been named Number 1 among the top ten largest cruise lines in the new 2008 Berlitz Guide to Ocean Cruising & Cruise Ships. The Line also received top honors for Best Overall Food and Best Overall Service in the independent guide, which was written by renowned cruise authority Douglas Ward, whose expertise spans 960 sailings and over 5,400 days at sea on virtually every cruise line in the world.

Carol Marlow, Cunard’s President and Managing Director, says:

“It is especially gratifying to receive this recognition for our flagship Queen Mary 2 and much-loved QE2 as we prepare to launch our newest ship, Queen Victoria in December of this year. It is a very exciting time for Cunard, particularly with our recent announcement to build the new 2092-passenger Queen Elizabeth, which will debut in 2010.”

Douglas Ward, the world’s top authority on cruising and cruise ships, is President of the Maritime Evaluations Group, an independent international agency that rates cruise ships worldwide. With over 40 years of experience, he spends more than 250 days a year aboard cruise ships, inspecting and evaluating their facilities.

CUNARD ORDERS NEW SHIP TO BE NAMED QUEEN ELIZABETH

Cunard Line has ordered a new 92,000-ton liner to be named Queen Elizabeth.

It is scheduled to enter service in autumn 2010, two years after the QE2 will leave the fleet to become a floating luxury hotel in Dubai.

"We are delighted that Her Majesty The Queen has given her blessing to our calling this new Cunarder 'Queen Elizabeth', after our first vessel of that name," said president and managing director Carol Marlow.

"The decision to order another ship for Cunard Line has been taken as a result of the strong booking response to the new Queen Victoria, and we are extremely pleased that Cunard will once again become a three-ship fleet so soon after the departure of the much-celebrated QE2 in November next year."

Cunard has signed an agreement with Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri for the construction of the new 2092–passenger ocean liner at an all-in cost of approximately €500 million.

The vessel will be the second largest Cunarder ever built.

Queen Elizabeth will fly the Red Ensign with her home-port Southampton, like the other ships in the Cunard fleet.

The agreement is subject to approval by the board of directors of Carnival Corporation.

Design details and initial itineraries will be announced in due course.

Courtesy of Travelmole.com