Cunard Cancels 4 Cruises, Delays Return Of The Queen Mary 2

Cunard Line canceled the first four scheduled trips of the Queen Mary 2 in more than a year, saying Thursday that after the long layoff during the pandemic it wants the ship’s next cruises “to be closer to home.”

The four canceled sailings had been scheduled between Nov. 14 and Dec. 10. They included a trip from Cunard’s base in Southampton, England, to New York, and a transatlantic return voyage.

Instead, the ship’s return will be delayed until Nov. 28, and its first two sailings will be short round trips from Southampton.

Cunard said the ship will arrive in New York on Dec. 20 and make its first sailing from U.S. waters two days later, going to the Caribbean. The two-day break is to allow for inspections under “the latest regulatory requirements,” said Cunard, which is owned by Miami-based Carnival Corp.

The cancellations are the latest in a series of fits and starts for the cruise industry, which has been devastated by the pandemic and struggled to meet health conditions set by the U.S. health authorities.