Luxury cruise line Cunard has announced that Queen Elizabeth will return to Australia for an unparalleled 118 days over the 2020-21 summer, headlining Cunard’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 cruises 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 journey featuring an impressive nine New Zealand ports.
Other highlights include a Royal Rendezvous with Queen Victoria in Sydney on March 1, 2021 – marking the first time the two ships have met in Australia – as well as a special overnight call in Auckland on December 31, 2020, enabling Cunard guests to be among the first in the world to celebrate the New Year.
Simon Palethorpe, President, Cunard said: “The decision to increase our Australian presence further reflects the continuing growth in popularity of Cunard cruises among Australian travellers.
“Our new 2020-21 season in Australia is not only our biggest, it will be the third consecutive summer deployment for Queen Elizabeth, which is winning a strong following among local cruisers who enjoy her stylish features and her voyage offerings.”
“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.
At the end of last year Queen Elizabeth underwent a refurbishment including the introduction of a brand new holistic spa concept, Mareel Wellness & Beauty.
Full details of the 2021 World Voyage season and Queen Elizabeth’s 2020-21 Australian programme will be released on March 4, 2019 with holidays scheduled to go on sale on March 12, 2019.
