Cunard Announces 'Treat Yourself, On Us' Wave Season Offer On A Variety Of 2023-2024 Sailings

Luxury cruise line Cunard launches the "Treat Yourself, On Us" wave season offer, kicking off the new year with savings. Available on 2023 and 2024 voyages across Cunard's fleet – flagship Queen Mary 2, Queen Victoria, Queen Elizabeth and the line's newest ship Queen Anne.

From January 3 through March 28, 2023, the promotional offer includes onboard credit up to $2,000 per stateroom and discounts of up to 30% for all fares. Onboard credit may be used for shopping, shore excursions, spa, restaurants and other services. The drinks package and hotel & dining service charge are included when booking any Princess or Queens Grills Suite.

The "Treat Yourself, On Us" offer is available on select voyages seven nights or longer between May 16, 2023 and January 3, 2025. Itineraries include:

2023 Alaska, Asia, Australia, Canada, Caribbean, Europe, Mediterranean, Panama Canal, and Transatlantic Crossing 2024 Asia, Australia, Europe, Mediterranean, Panama Canal, Transatlantic Crossing, and World.

Guests can enjoy some of Cunard's signature sailings including:

The line's newest vessel Queen Anne will sail the Western Mediterranean on a variety of eight to 16-night voyages featuring a mix of days at sea and time in port, offering guests the chance to discover the fascinating histories of Lisbon, Cadiz and Rome.

Summer in Alaska on Queen Elizabeth: In 2023 Cunard will offer seven to 12-night voyages roundtrip out of Vancouver. Itineraries include scenic cruising through the Inside Passage, Glacier Bay National Park, Hubbard Glacier, Tracy Arm Fjord, as well as full days in several ports including Juneau, Ketchikan, Skagway, Sitka and Icy Strait Point. New in 2023 is a partnership with the Royal Canadian Geographical Society featuring experts from the Society on select voyages.

East and Westbound Transatlantic Crossings on flagship Queen Mary 2. This iconic voyage sails New York to Southampton, England with seven nights at sea to luxuriate across the North Atlantic providing time away to disconnect and revitalize. Queen Mary 2 will also make Crossings between New York and Hamburg, Germany in 2023 and 2024.

The Norwegian Fjords on Queen Victoria: roundtrip out of Southampton, June 25 - July 2, 2023, will feature mesmerizing blue fjords and unbelievable waterfalls, with calls at Kristiansand, Bergen, Geiranger, and Haugesund.

For more information about Cunard, or to book a voyage, contact your Travel Consultant, call Cunard Line at 1-800-728-6273 or visit www.cunard.com.

Cunard’s Queen Mary 2 Named Best Luxury Cruise Ship

Cunard’s Queen Mary 2 was named “Best Luxury Cruise Ship” in the 2016 Travel Weekly’s Readers Choice Awards. Winners are selected from two rounds of voting during which all readers are invited to choose the suppliers who have lead the way in products and service during the year.

“We are deeply grateful to the readers of Travel Weekly for awarding Cunard’s Queen Mary 2 as ‘best luxury ship’,” said Josh Leibowitz, senior vice president, Cunard North America. “Cunard takes pride in our luxury experience on board and we are grateful to be consistently acknowledged by one of the industry’s most respected publications.”

The winners of the 14th annual Travel Weekly Readers Choice Awards were honored Tuesday, December 15, 2016 at a gala awards dinner and ceremony at the Conrad New York. Winners were selected in 78 categories including airline, car, hospitality, rail, GDS, agent education, tour, cruise, destination and theme park sectors.

Last summer Queen Mary 2 underwent an extensive refit, costing approximately $132 million, and it was one of the most remarkable renovations undertaken by Cunard. The remastered ship includes the redesigned Princess Grill and Queens Grill Restaurants, Kings Court, Carinthia Lounge and the addition of The Verandah, a specialty restaurant offering contemporary French cuisine. New accommodations onboard include 15 Britannia single staterooms, 30 Britannia Club staterooms and five Britannia inside staterooms.

Cunard Launches The 2017 Voyage Program

Cunard announced its largest launch ever – the 2017 Voyages and 2018 World & Exotic Voyages Programme - featuring a greater number of voyages and more destinations than ever before. 

From classic Transatlantic Crossings, epic World Cruises and exotic voyages, to Mediterranean explorations and convenient New York roundtrip itineraries, Cunard has a wide selection of voyages to choose from to make sailing a truly memorable experience.

2017 Voyage Programme 

Cunard's distinction lies not only with its fleet – Queen Mary 2, Queen Elizabeth and Queen Victoria – but also with its deployment. In 2017, the Cunard fleet will travel over 207,000 nautical miles, visit 93 destinations in 32 different countries, and will include four maiden calls for the current fleet. These maiden calls will include: Souda Bay, Greece; Sibenik, Croatia; Brindisi, Italy; and Praia da Vitoria, Portugal.

Highlights include:

• Overnight calls in 8 cities including St. Petersburg, Venice and Barcelona
• 18 evenings in port including Dublin, Monte Carlo and Boston
• 14 roundtrip New York sailings
• 2 World Voyages - one on Queen Mary 2 and one on Queen Elizabeth
• South America exploration with 22 ports around the continent on Queen Victoria

As the only cruise company to offer regularly scheduled Transatlantic Crossings, Cunard expertly bridges the gap between the old and new worlds in the most luxurious of ways. Queen Mary 2 will enter 2017 with every stateroom on board refurbished as part of the ship's dramatic remastering taking place this year, and she will cross the Atlantic 24 times, from May to December, in seven-to-eight night voyages between New York and either Southampton or Le Harve.

Queen Mary 2 will also offer roundtrip New York and Southampton cruises to New England & Canada, the Caribbean, and Europe.

Cunard's truly flexible Mediterranean cruise season on the refurbished Queen Victoria will allow guests the opportunity to embark from one of four ports on voyages lasting from seven to 21 nights:

• Embarking in Rome, Venice, Athens and Barcelona, Queen Victoria will visit 29 different ports in the Mediterranean from July to November. Overnight stays will include Venice, Istanbul and Barcelona, with late evening departures in Cephalonia, Barcelona, Dubrovnik and Monte Carlo. Queen Victoria will also offer select voyages from Southampton both to European destinations and to the Caribbean.
• Queen Victoria will be fresh from her refit for the 2017 Mediterranean season and will offer Britannia Club dining and accommodations for the first time.

Queen Elizabeth will operate regular roundtrip Southampton voyages that visit locations such as The Baltic, Norwegian Fjords, Iceland, British Isles, Canary Islands and Iberia. New this year for Queen Elizabeth are 4 roundtrip voyages sailing from Rotterdam, to the Baltic, Norwegian Fjords, Iceland and the British Isles.

2017 Special Event Cruises

Cunard is pleased to announce new theme cruises that will feature landmark celebrations and cultural experiences around the world, from the oldest open-air opera festival in the world at the Arena di Verona, to a celebration marking the city of Le Havre's 500th Anniversary in France, to Kiel Week, the largest annual sailing event in the world.

Cunard's award-winning Insights programme will bring together renowned thought leaders from a wide variety of industries to curate in-depth discussions on topics ranging from fashion to astronomy.  

Highlights to look forward to in 2017 are:

• Queen Mary 2's World Space Week (M737), a Transatlantic Crossing to celebrate the United Nations International World Space Week, featuring top space experts: Astronaut, Scientist and former Shuttle Pilot, Dr. Jeffrey Hoffman; Charles Barclay, of the Royal Astronomical Society; Stephen Attenborough, Commercial Director of Virgin Galactic; and Ken Taggart, NASA historian.
• Queen Elizabeth's Arts and Literary Tour of the British Isles (Q723), an exploration of the artistic side to the British Isles in the company of actor Robert Powell, and Louise West, Trustee of the Charles Dickens Museum and Former Senior Curator of the Jane Austen House.
• Queen Elizabeth celebrating QE2's 50th Anniversary (Q729), a special cruise honouring the 50th anniversary of Cunard's best-loved ship, the iconic QE, which will feature a commemorative dinner and Insight speakers QE2 expert and historian, Chris Frame, former Captain of QE2.
• Queen Victoria's Festival of Flowers (V714), an itinerary that includes an overnight stay in the floral paradise of Madeira, excursions to many beautiful gardens and flower markets of the Canary Islands, and an evening dinner at Madeira's botanical garden hotel, Quinta Jardins do Lago.

Cunard will also be hosting the spectacular "Big Band Ball" on board Queen Elizabeth (Q727) and Queen Victoria (V726), a magnificent 13 piece Big Band Orchestra, for guests who like to dance and sing to the sounds of Ella Fitzgerald, Duke Ellington, Michael Bublé and Frank Sinatra.

2018 World & Exotic Voyages Highlights

Ever since inaugurating the first world cruise in 1922, Cunard has undertaken more world voyages and taken more passengers around the globe than any other cruise line and is the undisputable world voyage expert. In 2018, Cunard will continue this grand tradition and will visit 93 unique ports in 46 countries, have 17 ship maiden calls and visit nine new ports for the current fleet.

Queen Elizabeth will operate a full 122 night world circumnavigation calling on 39 ports in 25 countries and featuring overnight stays in New York, San Francisco, Sydney, Hong Kong and Cape Town. Her voyage will offer guests the chance to experience the classic world voyage, a westbound circumnavigation of the globe featuring a transit of the iconic Panama Canal. Queen Elizabeth will have six maiden calls: Hamilton, Bermuda; Ocho Rios, Jamaica; Puerto Quetzal, Guatemala; Mo'orea, French Polynesia; Kochi, Japan; and Malacca, Malaysia.

• 112-night round trip Southampton, fares from $19,999
• 72-night New York to Hong Kong, fares from $11,799
• 22-night San Francisco to Sydney, fares from $3,799
• 16-night Fort Lauderdale to San Francisco, fares from $2,399

Queen Mary 2's 120-night East-West voyage will call on 46 ports in 24 countries and will feature two maiden calls in New Zealand, as well as overnight stays in Cape Town, Hong Kong and Dubai. Her 2018 World Voyage will allow for full immersion in destinations in Australia and New Zealand, with experiences featuring the Margaret River, Kangaroo Island and New Zealand's South Island. On departure from Australia Queen Mary 2 will visit Malaysia, Hong Kong, Vietnam and Thailand, providing access to a wide array of exotic Asian cultures. On her return leg, Queen Mary 2 will call on Aqaba for the ancient site of Petra before transiting the Suez Canal and calling at the classic Mediterranean destinations of Rome and Barcelona.

• 134-night round trip New York, fares from $22,399
• 120-night round trip Southampton, fares from $19,999
• 13-night round trip Sydney, fares from $2,299

For the first time ever, Cunard will offer a 2-3 month exotic mid-duration voyage on Queen Victoria for guests seeking a winter escape round trip experience that offers an in depth exploration of South America. This voyage will offer more immersive destinations and scenic cruising in the Magellan Straits, Chilean Fjords and Cape Horn. Her voyage will also feature nine maiden calls, ports in the Caribbean, a transit of the Panama Canal, and overnight stays in Rio de Janeiro and Buenos Aires.

• 50-night round trip Fort Lauderdale, fares from $7,999
• 34-night Fort Lauderdale to Valparaiso, fares from $5,499
• 15-night Fort Lauderdale to Rio de Janeiro, fares from $2,299

"We are proud to announce a robust 2017 Voyages and 2018 World & Exotic Cruise Programme," comments Richard Meadows, president, Cunard North America. "With the remastering of our flagship Queen Mary 2 this year, and Queen Victoria's planned refit in 2017 – which includes the significant addition of Britannia Club accommodations - Cunard's iconic vessels will be more luxurious than ever offering new and richer experiences for our guests."

Early Booking Benefits

2018 Full World Voyage - Queen Mary 2 and Queen Elizabeth
Cunard offers guests on Full World Voyages (89 nights or longer) on Queen Mary 2 and Queen Elizabeth a number of benefits for bookings made by December 31, 2016: these include: Reduced Deposit, Free Gratuities, Gala World Voyage Special Event, Commemorative Gifts, an exclusive invitation to the World Voyage Cocktail Party, an Onboard Credit of up to $3,000 per stateroom, and a host of other amenities based on category.

Early Booking Onboard Credit on Exotic Voyages (25 to 88 Nights)
Guests booked on exotic voyages between 25 and 88 nights on any of our three ships will receive Onboard Credit up to $1,500 per stateroom. Offer applies to bookings made by December 31, 2016 for the first and second guests only.

World Club Member Savings

For 2017 Programme, members of the Cunard World Club will benefit from an additional 5% discount off launch fares effective at programme launch. This 5% Cunard World Club discount is applicable on all cruises, for past guests only, until August 31, 2016. Not applicable to third and fourth berth guests.

For 2018 World and Exotic voyages, Cunard World Club members receive discounts up to $4,000 per stateroom on bookings made by December 31, 2016.  Discounts apply to 1st and 2nd berth guests only.

Source: www.cruisediscuss.com

Cruises 2016: Big New Ships, Submarine Trips, 'Voluntourism'

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This undated rendering provided by Carnival Cruise Line shows SkyRide..

NEW YORK (AP) — Underwater sightseeing in a glass submarine, shopping with a chef for dinner ingredients and volunteering with locals: These are some of the new options this season for cruise passengers.

Also in 2016 from the cruise industry, Royal Caribbean launches the world's largest ship, and a new ship from Carnival features a biking track suspended high above the water. And for cruisers with deep pockets, luxuries range from round-the-clock personal assistants to long-term leases for residences at sea.

Here are some details and other cruise news.

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THE SUBMARINE, VOLUNTOURISM AND MORE

Crystal Cruises has just launched Crystal Esprit, a 62-guest yacht that offers among its excursions a ride in a submersible vessel. The underwater excursions take place near the Seychelles islands in winter and on the Adriatic Coast in spring and summer. The glass capsule holds two people and a captain. Thirty-minute rides are $599 per person.

Later this year, Crystal launches a yacht for river cruising in Europe, Crystal Mozart, with four more river yachts in 2017. Crystal is also getting into the airplane business with charter flights on four jets connecting to trips by ship and on land. And later this year Crystal launches residences at sea, with long-term leases for staterooms on three new ocean vessels, prices to be determined.

Fathom, a new brand from Carnival Corp., offers "voluntourism" trips to the Dominican Republic in April and to Cuba in May. Carnival is still negotiating details on the Cuba trips with the Cuban government but tickets are on sale. Passengers will work with locals on everything from learning English to reforestation, while immersing themselves in the culture.

New from Celebrity Cruises: Passengers on certain sailings in the Caribbean and Europe are participating in the Chef Market Discoveries program, in which they shop with chefs in local markets for ingredients used in the meals they'll eat onboard that night.

New from Princess Cruises: Chocolate Journeys with chocolate-infused menus and other treats designed by chocolatier Norman Love, plus menus by celebrity chef Curtis Stone, on-deck stargazing in a partnership with Discovery Channel, and a magic show and musical revue, "Magic to Do," with music by Broadway composer Stephen Schwartz of "Wicked" and "Godspell" fame.

Disney Cruise Line features a "Star Wars" day on each of eight Disney Fantasy ship sailings in the Western Caribbean beginning this month, with "Star Wars" characters, activities and themed celebrations. In June, the Disney Magic ship will sail its first British Isles itinerary, to Scotland, England and Ireland.

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BIKING IN THE SKY, DOGS ONBOARD AND BIG NEW SHIPS

In June, Royal Caribbean launches what will be the world's largest ship, Harmony of the Seas, with a capacity of 5,479 passengers. Harmony will feature the "neighborhood" areas already found on other Royal Caribbean ships, including Central Park and Boardwalk. Harmony will also have robot bartenders, a mini-golf course, surfing on a FlowRider machine, waterslides, a zip line and, for guests who need their every whim catered to, round-the-clock personal assistants called Royal Genies.

Another new Royal Caribbean ship, Ovation of the Seas, debuts in April, designed primarily for service in China.

Carnival Cruise Line launches its largest ship in May, Carnival Vista, which can carry 3,954 people based on two per cabin. Vista's showcase attraction, SkyRide, lets guests cycle on bikes suspended from an 800-foot long track, 20 feet above the top deck and 150 feet above the water. Vista will also have an onboard brewery and a 455-foot-long tube slide.

Holland America Line debuts the Koningsdam in April, with staterooms for families and for singles; a theater with two-story-high, 270-degree LED screens, and music options ranging from B.B. King's Blues Club to nightly chamber music. HAL is also collaborating with a travel planning service called Utrip so guests can go online and create customized shore itineraries.

Norwegian Cruise Line's newest ship, Escape, debuted in the fall of 2015 with an urban craft beer hall, Mondavi wine bar, a Margaritaville and a tapas bar. Norwegian is also introducing a new "Free at Sea" promotion inviting guests to pick a free amenity from four options: a beverage package, specialty dining package, excursion credits or WiFi package.

Regent Seven Seas Explorer launches in July with the $10,000-a-night super-luxurious Regent Suite, complete with private spa and grand piano. Despite the price tag, the suite is already sold out for its entire first season.

Viking, once known just for river cruises, is launching the second of its ocean-going ships, Viking Sea, in April, a sister ship to Viking Star, launched last year.

Seabourn expects its first new ship in five years, Seabourn Encore, to be delivered in December for a January 2017 launch. The ship will have all-suite staterooms and a Thomas Keller restaurant.

And Cunard is renovating the Queen Mary 2, adding staterooms for solo travelers and expanding the number of onboard kennels where guests are permitted to keep their dogs. The QM2 will be out of service for the redo from May 27 to June 21. Looking ahead to 2017, the Queen Victoria will become the largest ship to ever navigate the Amazon, on Cunard's first voyage to that part of the world.

By BETH J. HARPAZ

Latest Epic Cruise: New York To Australia And back

Cunard's Queen Mary 2 arrives in New York on July 14, 2015. (Photo: Diane Bondareff, AP Images for Cunard)

Want to travel from New York to Australia and back without ever getting on an airplane? It'll be doable in 2017 for those willing to hop on a Cunard ocean liner.

The storied line plans to send its flagship Queen Mary 2 on an epic, 132-day voyage from the Big Apple to Australia that also includes stops in Africa, Asia and Europe.

The unusual itinerary will kick off Jan. 3, 2017 with a trans-Atlantic crossing to Southampton, England followed by a trip down the west coast of Africa to Namibia and South Africa. From there, the ship will head east across the Indian Ocean to Australia for an extensive stay that includes 14 port calls.

The Queen Mary 2 will return from Australia via Asia, where it'll stop in Vietnam, China, South Korea, Japan, Thailand, Hong Kong, Singapore and Malaysia before turning back west to Sri Lanka and then Dubai. The ship then will pass through the Gulf of Aden to the Red Sea for stops in Egypt and Jordan before transiting the Suez Canal to the Mediterranean. Stops in Italy and Portugal will be followed by a return to Southampton before a final leg back to New York.

USA TODAY

Epic cruise: Cunard ship to circle globe in 120 days

The Queen Mary 2 will travel over 37,000 nautical miles in all during the voyage and visit 33UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

The sailing will include nine maiden calls for the 11-year-old Queen Mary 2 including Le Port, Réunion; Kangaroo Island, Australia; Hobart, Australia; Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei;Keelung, Taiwan; Jeju Island, South Korea; Busan, South Korea; and Busselton and Port Arthur, Australia. The latter two are firsts for the entire Cunard fleet.

Fares for the sailing start at $22,399 per person. Shorter segments of the sailing will be available at a lower price.

Cunard this year is celebrating its 175th anniversary with a series of events involving the Queen Mary 2 including a historic meet-up with its two sister vessels, Queen Victoria and Queen Elizabeth, in Liverpool, England. Scroll through the carousel below for a look at the three vessels together:

By Gene Sloan, USA TODAY

Cunard's three 'queens' -- Queen Mary 2, Queen Victoria and Queen Elizabeth -- sailed together into Liverpool, England for the first time on May 25, 2015.  James D. Morgan

Cunard Launches Epic 120-day Round-The-World Cruise For $20,000

The 120-day cruise launches in Jan. 2017. (Cunard Line)

For travelers who can’t decide on just one destination, Cunard Cruise Line is launching an epic cruise around the world that stops in 25 countries over 120-days.

Kicking off Jan. 7, 2017, the journey aboard the 2,068-passenger Queen Elizabeth will start in Southampton, England and conclude at the same port on May 8, reports USA Today.

The ship will traverse a westerly route around the world, starting with a trans-Atlantic trip to New York, down to Fort Lauderdale, then through the Panama Canal to the Pacific Ocean. Along the way, travelers will dock at 39 ports in several countries including the shores of Mexico, Hawaii, Samoa, Tonga, New Zealand, Australia, Japan, China, Vietnam, Singapore and Malaysia, as well as Sri Lanka, and the Seychelles. 

The final leg of the trip will take cruisers through several African ports including South Africa, Namibia, Cape Verde, and more before returning to England.

The voyage will also include a first for the Cunard fleet—a visit to Alotau, Papua New Guinea.

Booking for the adventurous cruise opens Sept. 10 with fares for the full 120-days starting at $19,999 per person. Passengers boarding in New York will receive a slight discount at $18,499 per person.

The luxury cruise line is celebrating is 175th anniversary this year