SOUTHAMPTON, England,
Aug. 25, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- In
an acknowledgement of the UK Foreign & Commonwealth Office
(FCO) guidance and the complexity of operating world voyages,
luxury cruise line Cunard will be extending its pause in operations
from November 2020 until March 25, 2021 for its ship Queen Elizabeth; until April 18, 2021 for Queen
Mary 2 and until May 16, 2021
for Queen Victoria.
Cunard president Simon Palethorpe
said:
"We are so sorry to all those guests who were due to sail on any
of the cancelled voyages and for the disappointment this news will
cause. After very careful consideration and reviewing the
latest guidance, we simply do not feel it would be sensible to
start sailing again with our current schedule so we have reviewed
future itineraries.
"Queen Elizabeth has returned to
the UK and with ongoing uncertainty over the re-opening of many
ports and countries, it is sadly not practical to continue her
planned itineraries for 2021.
"Therefore, in addition to the pause in operations, all of
Queen Elizabeth's sailings due to
depart between March 26, 2021 and
December 13, 2021, in and around
Australia, Japan and Alaska, will be cancelled.
"These voyages will be replaced with a programme of shorter
duration European holidays ranging from three to 14 nights,
departing from Southampton. These will start at the end of
March 2021, with a series of scenic
voyages around the coast of Cornwall, the west coast of Ireland and the Scottish Isles. There will
also be short breaks to Amsterdam
which will include an overnight in the city, as well as voyages to
northern and southern European destinations including Norway and the Iberian coast, with several of
these itineraries featuring overnight city stays.
"Queen Elizabeth's new programme
will be completed with a series of seven and 14 night voyages in
the Mediterranean, sailing from Barcelona. It is an exciting
new programme which I am sure will have great appeal."
All new itineraries on board Queen
Elizabeth will be available to book from September 29, 2020.
Palethorpe continued "Additionally, recognising the immense
disappointment of those on board Queen
Mary 2's curtailed World Voyage this year, and the
cancellation of her World Voyage in 2021, we are delighted that
Queen Mary 2 will sail a classic
World Voyage in 2022. This will replace her scheduled
sailings departing January 3, 2022 to
April 3, 2022, including the voyage
to South America."
The new 118 night adventure will depart roundtrip from
New York on January 3, 2022 and include calls to Greece, Dubai, Sri
Lanka, Singapore,
Vietnam, Hong Kong, Australia and Bali before returning to Southampton via Abu
Dhabi, Oman, Italy and Portugal. The ship will sail through the Suez
Canal both on the outbound journey and on return. It will be
bookable, either as a full world voyage or as one of six sectors,
from September 8, 2020.
"Given the current uncertainty, the complexity of our scheduled
World Voyage with our international mix of guests visiting many
countries and continents, each with its own evolving travel
regulations was a very real factor in our decision making."
Cunard will be contacting guests and travel agents who are
impacted and, once again, all guests who have had their voyage
cancelled will automatically receive an enhanced 125% Future Cruise
Credit or alternatively can fill in the website form for a 100%
refund.
Full details of the changes to operations and options available
to guests due to travel on cancelled voyages, as well as the latest
updates, can be found at www.cunard.com.
About Cunard
Cunard is a luxury British cruise line, renowned for creating
unforgettable experiences around the world. Cunard has been a
leading operator of passenger ships on the North Atlantic, since
1840, celebrating an incredible 180 years of operation. A pioneer
in transatlantic journeys for generations, Cunard is world class.
The Cunard experience is built on fine dining, hand-selected
entertainment and outstanding service. From five-star restaurants
and in-suite dining to inspiring guest speakers, the library and
film screenings, every detail has been meticulously crafted to make
the experience unforgettable. There are currently three Cunard
ships, Queen Mary 2, Queen Elizabeth and Queen Victoria with destinations including
Europe, the Caribbean, the Far East and Australia. In 2017, Cunard announced plans to
add a fourth ship to its fleet to be launched in 2022. This
investment is part of the company's ambitious plans for the future
of Cunard globally and will be the first time since 1998 that
Cunard will have four ships in simultaneous service. Cunard is
based at Carnival House in Southampton and has been owned since 1998 by
Carnival Corporation & plc (NYSE/LSE: CCL; NYSE:
CUK).
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SOURCE Cunard