Cruising News Magazine Cruising News February 2019 | Page 4
Cunard Announces Record 2020-21 Summer Down Under
Cunard has announced that its
popular Queen Elizabeth will return to
Australia for an
unparalleled 118 days over the 2020-21
summer, headlining the luxury cruise
line’s biggest ever Australian season.
The season will also feature visits from
Cunard flagship Queen Mary 2 and
sister ship Queen Victoria during their
world voyages, with the royal trio
spending a record 49 days in Australian
ports between them.
Queen Elizabeth’s four-month season
will begin in November 2020 and will
include more than 60 itinerary options
as she sails from her homeports of
Melbourne and Sydney. Voyages will
range from two-night sojourns between
Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne and
Adelaide to longer journeys around
Australia and New Zealand.
New offerings include 12 and 13-night
cruises between Sydney and Auckland
calling at a range of stunning ports
along the New Zealand coastline, as
well as calls to Tasmania and Victoria.
The cruises can also be combined
to create a destination-rich 25-night
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journey featuring an impressive nine
New Zealand ports.
Other highlights include a Royal
Rendezvous with Queen Victoria in
Sydney on 1 March 2021 – marking
the first time the two ships have met
in Australia – as well as a special
overnight call in Auckland on 31
December 2020, enabling Cunard
guests to be among the first in the
world to celebrate the New Year.
Cunard President Simon Palethorpe
said the cruise line’s decision to boost
its Australian presence even further
reflected the continuing growth in
popularity of Cunard cruises among
Australian travellers. “Our new 2020-
21 season is not only our biggest, it
will be the third consecutive summer
deployment Down Under for Queen
Elizabeth, which is winning a strong
following among local cruisers who
enjoy her stylish features and her
voyage offerings,” Mr Palethorpe said.
“Basing Queen Elizabeth in Australia for
a record 118 days enables us to create
a range of
new itinerary options, such as our
longer New Zealand journeys, which
we think will appeal to both existing
and new Cunard guests and boost the
popularity of Queen Elizabeth even
further.”
The new program will also feature
overnight calls in Hobart, Wellington
and Auckland as well as Queen
Elizabeth’s maiden call to Lyttelton
and Cunard’s inaugural call to New
Plymouth in New Zealand.
At 90,900 tonnes, the 2081-guest
Queen Elizabeth is the second largest
ship ever to sail in Cunard’s fleet.
Launched in 2010, she is also the
youngest in the cruise line’s current
trio of Queens with features including
more than 10 restaurants and cafes; a
Games Deck featuring paddle tennis,
croquet and bowls; a two-storey
library; a ballroom; and the three-deck
Royal Court Theatre, seating 800 guests
and offering private boxes.
Full details of the 2021 World Voyage
season and Queen Elizabeth’s 2020-21
Australian program will be released
in early March 2019 with the program
scheduled to go on sale on 12 March
2019.