Cunard Reveals Australian Firsts in 2016 World Voyage Program

Cunard has unveiled some exciting Australian highlights in its 2016 world voyage program, including maiden visits to Kangaroo Island, Adelaide and Newcastle and Queen Victoria’s first roundtrip cruise from Sydney.

On sale from 5pm on September 10, the program will see the three Cunard Queens make history by departing Southampton on the same day – January 10, 2016 – then returning together on May 10, 2016, after completing their world voyages.

Between them, the ships will visit 92 ports across 49 countries and make 35 maiden ship calls as flagship Queen Mary 2 and Queen Victoria complete world circumnavigations and their younger sister Queen Elizabeth sails on an exotic East-West world voyage. 

With all three ships set to visit Australia, Queen Victoria’s world voyage will also include an eight-night roundtrip cruise from Sydney, visiting Hobart and Melbourne and making the cruise line’s maiden call to South Australia’s stunning Kangaroo Island, often referred to as Australia’s Galapagos. Fares for the voyage, departing Sydney on February 29, 2016, start from $3129* per person double occupancy in a balcony stateroom.

Meanwhile, Queen Elizabeth is set to cause a stir in the New South Wales’ city of Newcastle when she makes her maiden call on February 22, 2016, less than a week after her inaugural call to Adelaide on February 16.  

Other highlights of her East-West voyage include a 20-night roundtrip cruise from Hong Kong throughout Asia. Departing March 10, 2016, the cruise will visit 10 exotic destinations including Shanghai, South Korea and Taiwan as well as six ports in Japan during the nation’s Cherry Blossom season.  Fares start from $7999* per person double occupancy in a balcony stateroom.

The ship’s world voyage will also offer inaugural visits in South Africa and the Philippines as well as a late April transit of the Dardanelles, sailing past the site of the WW1 Gallipoli campaign.

Meanwhile Queen Mary 2 will make history on her world voyage with her first visits to 11 ports including calls to tropical Papeete and Moorea in Tahiti and mystical Halong Bay in Vietnam. 

All three ships will visit Sydney and Brisbane as they head north to Hong Kong with holidaymakers able to choose from three different routes from Australia to the Chinese city: via Papua New Guinea and the Philippines with Queen Elizabeth, taking in Malaysia and Shanghai with Queen Mary 2 and via Bali, Brunei and Vietnam with Queen Victoria. Fares start from $4829* per person double occupancy for a balcony stateroom on Queen Mary 2’s 18-night voyage departing Sydney on March 11, 2016.

Between them the three Queens will make a total of 18 calls to Australian ports from Fremantle in the west to Hobart in the south and Cairns and Darwin in the north, with Sydney enjoying overnight visits from the trio. (See overleaf for Australian port calls and dates.)  

Cunard World Club Members can book from 7pm on September 9. For more details on Cunard visit www.cunard.com, phone 132 441 or see a licensed travel agent. *subject to availability, conditions apply

Cunard 2016 World Voyages

Australian ports of call 

Feb 12 Fremantle Queen Elizabeth

Feb 16 Adelaide Queen Elizabeth

Feb 18 Melbourne Queen Elizabeth

Feb 20-21 Sydney Queen Elizabeth

Feb 22 Newcastle Queen Elizabeth

Feb 24 Brisbane Queen Elizabeth

Feb 27 Cairns (Yorkeys Knob) Queen Elizabeth

Feb 29 Sydney Queen Victoria

March 2 Hobart Queen Victoria

March 4 Kangaroo Island Queen Victoria

March 6 Melbourne Queen Victoria

March 8-9 Sydney Queen Victoria

March 10-11 Sydney Queen Mary 2

March 11 Brisbane Queen Victoria

March 13 Whitsunday Islands Queen Victoria

March 13 Brisbane Queen Mary 2

March 16 Cairns (Yorkeys Knob) Queen Mary 2 

March 17 Darwin Queen Victoria

Information supplied by: Cunard Line.

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