Top Large Ship Cruise Awards

Travel & Leisure Magazine has posted their annual awards for the best travel in the world 

For the category of "Top Large Cruise Ships", here are the full results . . .

• Crystal Cruises 89.90
• Regent Seven Seas 89.36
• Azamara Club Cruises 87.31
• Oceania Cruises 86.05
• Disney Cruise Line 84.96
• Cunard Line 83.26
• Celebrity Cruises 81.61
• Holland America Line 80.37
• Royal Caribbean 79.40
• Princess Cruises 79.08

The scores are results of reader surveys from the Travel & Leisure Magazine.

Visit the site, and check out the award winners of the Small-Ship Cruise Lines, River Cruises, Domestic Airlines, International Airlines, Car Rental Agencies, Safari/Tour Operators, as well as the top Hotels, Cities, and Islands. 
http://www.travelandleisure.com/worldsbest/2012/air-cruise-more

Cunard Line Will Salute Queen on Diamond Jubilee

Cunard Line will celebrate the queen’s Diamond Jubilee with a “Royal Rendezvous” on June 5, the final day of the celebrations.

Photo courtesy of Cunard 

The queen is the only person to have attended the naming of all three Cunard Elizabeths, beginning in 1938. It will be the first time that the three Cunard ships will arrive and depart together in formation at their homeport of Southampton.

Queen Elizabeth, Queen Victoria and Queen Mary 2 will approach the port soon after first light on June 5, sailing in single file up the Solent River, with a flotilla of small boats expected to welcome them in.

As Queen Elizabeth and Queen Victoria tie up at their berths, Queen Mary 2 will follow on, passing each ship in turn, with crew lining the foredeck of all three vessels, and the ships’ whistles sounding in salute of her majesty’s Jubilee.

Source: TravelPulse

Princess Cruises “Inspired to Cruise” Blog

Princess Cruises new blog, "Inspired to Cruise: A Year of Reasons to Get Away From the Everyday" has chronicled its first five reasons to cruise, offering readers a collection of intriguing passenger stories about what inspired them to vacation at sea.

Each week during 2012 the blog will explore the celebrations, accomplishments, milestones and other inspired reasons to cruise, each told by a different passenger. 

This diverse group of contributors – from long-time cruisers to those who set sail for the first time – will share a total of 52 stories throughout the life of the blog.

Read more: http://www.digitaljournal.com/pr/573208#ixzz1lMZcSb8q

Feel Famous - Sail Cunard

Cunard has launched a new marketing campaign - “Feel Famous. Sail Cunard”

The tagline ties in with new marketing strategy including DVD's, Videos, and updates to all printed brochures to help sell it's three ships - Queen Elizabeth, Queen Mary 2 (shown above), and Queen Victoria.

A set of special cruise fares - Feel Famous Fares - is being offered on all three Cunard liners.

Also a new Cunard landing page at www.feelfamouscunard.com has just launched. Visitors can view a video introduction to the brand, review special fares and sign up for the line’s Feel Famous Sweepstakes to win a transatlantic crossing on the Queen Mary 2.

Cunard's First Female Captain - Inger Klein Olsen

When Inger Klein Olsen assumed command of Cunard Line's Queen Victoria on December 1, she made history by becoming the shipping line's first female captain.
Captain Olsen’s first task at the helm of Queen Victoria was to take the ship, without passengers, to drydock in Hamburg for its planned refit. Next Wednesday, December 15, she will be on the bridge as the ship sets sail with a full complement of guests.

Captain Olsen, 43, was born and raised in the Faroe Islands, which accounts for her maritime abilities. She joined Cunard in 1997 as First Officer on board Caronia. In 2001 she transferred to the Seabourn fleet, which at that time was part of Cunard. She was promoted to the rank of Staff Captain on Seabourn Pride in 2003.

Following some years with other companies within the Carnival Corporation group, Captain Olsen returned to Cunard in August this year as Deputy Captain of Queen Victoria.

Olsen will helm Queen Victoria during the ship's debut Americas season, commencing from New York to Los Angeles on January 13. During the first 17-day voyage, the ship will call on Ft. Lauderdale and Bonaire, transit the Panama Canal, and visit three ports in Mexico — Huatulco, Acapulco and Manzanillo — before arriving into Los Angeles at the end of the month.

Queen Victoria's Americas season continues until March 18 and features several transits through the Panama Canal, four calls to Los Angeles, two roundtrip voyages from Los Angeles to Hawaii, and one Getaway voyage to Mexico.

Source: Travel Agent Central

Royal Wedding Broadcast at Sea by Cunard and P&O

Cunard Guests to Witness Royal Wedding On Board

On April 29, 2011, guests on Cunard's three ships, Queen Mary 2, Queen Victoria and Queen Elizabeth, will be able to watch the Royal Wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton live from the ships' Royal Court Theatres.

On Queen Mary 2, the theater can accommodate 1,000 passengers as they sail between New York and Southampton, on a seven-night cruise from April 26 to May 2. Aboard Queen Elizabeth and Queen Victoria, more 800 passengers will be able to watch the event.

During the nuptials, Queen Elizabeth will be on course to Southampton, while Queen Victoria will be touring the Mediterranean. On all ships, the evening's dinner will feature a commemorative menu and a champagne toast. Visit www.cunard.com

P&O Cruises to Broadcast Royal Wedding at Sea
 
P&O Cruises will broadcast the April 29 wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton on all seven ships.

Up to three couples can share their wedding day with the royals, and be married by the ship’s captain on Aurora as they sail across the Atlantic from the Caribbean.

The P&O Cruises Weddings at Sea program provides wedding certificates that feature the nautical coordinates of their wedding location. For more information, visit www.pocruises.com

Source: Travel Agent Central

Cunard Line Takes Delivery of Queen Elizabeth

Cunard Line has taken delivery of Queen Elizabeth  - the second largest ship ever built in the fleet and the third new liner for the luxury cruise vacation company in six years. 


This is just the first of a number of significant events over the next few weeks - including the ships official naming by Her Majesty the Queen in Southampton on Monday, October 11, 2011.


Queen Elizabeth left the shipyard on September 30 to sail to Southampton, where she will berth at the Ocean Cruise Terminal on October 8.  

Queen Elizabeth will depart on her maiden voyage at 5 p.m. on October 12.

Queen Elizabeth Maiden Worldwide Voyages

In 2011 Cunard world voyages will cover Europe, the Americas, Transatlantic, and the Caribbean.

For the first time Cunard will be sailing with three modern ocean liners and now has the youngest fleet in the world - younger than all other cruise lines.
The newest ship Queen Elizabeth will join sister ships Queen Victoria and Queen Mary 2.

In Cunard's 170 years of history, there has been an ‘Elizabeth’ in the fleet. The new Queen Elizabeth is the second largest for the Cunard line.

The maiden voyage Season will run from October 2010 to January 2011 and include voyages to the Western and Central Mediterranean and the Caribbean.

Queen Elizabeth’s Maiden Voyage departing Tuesday Oct 12, 2010 is SOLD OUT. The 13-night celebration departs from the home port of Southampton (UK), and will call at Vigo, Lisbon, Cadiz, Las Palmas, Santa Cruz de Tenerife (overnight call) and Funchal.

The 23-night Caribbean voyage from Southampton in December will take in 6 Caribbean ports including Barbados, St. Lucia, St. Kitts and St Maarten.
Queen Elizabeth departs Southampton on Jan 5, 2011 on her 103-night epic Maiden World Voyage featuring 35 ports of call - including Cunard’s first call ever at Port Denarau (Fiji).

In total, Queen Elizabeth will call at 38 ports in 23 countries as she makes her way west around the globe, with maiden transits of both the Panama and Suez Canals and calls at Los Angeles, Auckland, Sydney, Hong Kong, Singapore, Dubai and Lisbon.
The 23-night Caribbean voyage from Southampton in December will take in 6 Caribbean ports including Barbados, St. Lucia, St. Kitts and St Maarten.

Queen Mary 2 Circumnavigates Australia in 2012

Cunard's luxury liner Queen Mary 2 is reportedly planning to circumnavigate Australia  in 2012, visiting ports in five states and the Northern Territory.

The Sydney Morning Herald estimates that the tour will boost Australia's economy by $9 million.

The ship is expected to spend 28 sailing around Australia.

The 2012 voyage will reportedly be the longest period Queen Mary 2 has been based in any country outside her northern hemisphere home ports of Southampton and New York.

Cunard president and managing director Peter Shanks said in a statement he expected very strong demand from Australian and international markets when tickets for the Australian tour go on sale in mid-2010.

Cunard Queens Have Rendezvous in Australia

Cunard's two ocean liners Queen Victoria and QE2 will both call at Sydney, Australia, this weekend.

The Royal Rendezvous follows just one year the meeting of QE2 and Queen Mary 2 in the city. Queen Victoria will make its first call at the city on Feb. 23, to be followed by QE2 the next day.

QE2, currently on her farewell World Cruise, will be making her 29th and final call at the port, exactly 30 years after its first call there on Feb. 24, 1978.
The highlight will occur at 6 p.m. local time on Feb. 24 when both ships will leave their berths and head for a historic sail past at approximately 6:30 p.m.

Each will pass on either side of Fort Denison and will greet each other with a whistle salute which will be heard over 10 miles away.

QE2 will then head for Circular Quay where it will remain until the final departure from Sydney on Feb. 25.

For more information, visit www.cunard.com

Cunard's New Queen Victoria Welcomed in Aruba

Aruba tourism officials welcomed Cunard's new Queen Victoria Jan. 19 during its World Cruise voyage.


Aruba's port also welcomed three other ships that day -- the AidaAura, Coral Princess and Holiday Dream.

Aruban officials were welcomed onboard for a plaque ceremony. Kathleen Rojer of Aruba Cruise Tourism welcomed Capt. Paul Wright and her colleague Ernest Giel offered a token of appreciation and a book about Aruba. The Aruba officials then toured the ship.

For more information, visit www.ArubaByCruise.com.

Cunard's Queen Victoria Makes Maiden Call

Cunard's new Queen Victoria made its maiden call to Fort Lauderdale on Jan. 16, three days after departing on its maiden World Cruise.

Queen Victoria has been sailing in tandem with Queen Elizabeth 2 since departing Southampton, England, on Jan. 6. QE2 embarked on its 26th and final World Cruise and will depart the Cunard fleet in November.

For more information, visit www.cunard.com.