Cunard Announces 50 Exclusive Shore Experiences for New Ship

Cunard Line has revealed the 50 shore excursions across 60 ports for the maiden season of its newest ship, Queen Anne.

Scheduled to set sail on May 3, 2024, Queen Anne will be the fourth Cunard Line ship joining Queen Mary 2, Queen Elizabeth, and Queen Victoria and will begin itineraries in Europe and the Mediterranean.  

Queen Anne Shore Excursions Include Behind-The-Scenes Tours

The shore excursions announced on December 18 for Queen Anne offer a variety of opportunities to experience local culture, history, and natural wonders around Britain, Northern Europe and the Mediterranean. All told, more than 700 experiences will be offered for the 115 calls that Queen Anne will make in 2024.

Queen Anne will visit more than 60 destinations in 16 countries during her maiden season. Among the excursions offered as an exclusive orchestral performance in Barcelona, a behind-the-scenes tour of St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican City, wine tasting in the UNESCO World Heritage Site of the Enchanted Forest of Madeira, and a fjord safari to a goat cheese farm in Norway.

“We are all incredibly excited to welcome Queen Anne to the Cunard fleet in May and it is only right that her maiden season is complemented with a truly captivating shore experience program,” said Katie McAlister, president of Cunard Line.

New Ship Offers Luxurious Suites, Global Menus

Queen Anne is currently under construction at the Fincantieri Shipyard in Marghera, Italy. She’s the first new Cunard Line ship since the launch of Queen Elizabeth in 2010. Inger Klein Thorhauge, who became Cunard Line’s first female captain in 2010, will serve as master for Queen Anne, it was previously announced.

The 113,000-gross-ton Queen Anne was designed to pay homage to Cunard Line’s nautical history while reimagining and updating some spaces for the future. New features include suites with individual dining rooms, walk-in closets and marble-finished bathrooms. The ship’s Grand Lobby sports a lighted metal mural that will change through the day to create unique ambient atmospheres.

Guests can dine at 15 restaurants featuring global menus. A new wellness and beauty concept – Mareel Wellness & Beauty – is planned to offer fitness, beauty, thermal, and spa suite facilities. Features in the works include steam and sauna rooms, an icy cold room, and thermal loungers.

Queen Anne is planned to have an occupancy capacity of 3,000 guests, which would make it the largest among Cunard Line’s active ships.

Cunard Line Itineraries Include Circumnavigation Voyage

When she sets sail in May 2024, the maiden, 7-night voyage from Southampton will include stops in La Coruna, Spain, and Lisbon, Portugal. Itineraries from Southampton to the Mediterranean, Scandinavia, the Canary Islands, and the Norwegian Fjords – ultimately more than 60 ports of call in 16 countries – will follow. 

“Our teams have worked meticulously to curate these 50 signature experiences to ensure that our guests encounter the essence of every port they explore,” McAlister said. “From ancient ruins and culinary escapades to helicopter rides and private snorkeling sessions, we’re delighted to be able to offer such exciting new shore experiences to Queen Anne’s guests.”

Read Also: Cunard Line Announces 110 Sailings, Queen Anne Maiden Itineraries

In addition to the inaugural season for Queen Anne, the other three Cunard Line ships will offer voyages ranging from shorter, two-night city breaks to a 108-night world voyage. That circumnavigation voyage will be on Queen Victoria and departs Southampton on January 11. Guests will visit North America, the Panama Canal, Australia, Asia, South Africa, and Europe – ultimately enjoying 32 destinations. 

Britain’s Cunard Line has been a leading operator of cruise ships since 1840 and has made a reputation for its meticulously crafted at-sea experiences and transatlantic journeys. In addition to journeys through Europe, the Caribbean, the Far East, and Australia, Cunard Line recently added Alaska to its itineraries.