Cunard Line

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Cunard Line Fleet (3)

Cunard Line comprises three ships: the 148,528-ton, 2,691-passenger Queen Mary 2, the flagship of the fleet; the 90,000-ton, 1,988-passenger Queen Victoria, which launched in late 2007; and QV's slightly larger sister, the 90,900-ton, 2,068-passenger Queen Elizabeth, which debuted in October 2010. As Queen Mary 2's smaller running mates, Queen Victoria and Queen Elizabeth are not intended to cross the Atlantic year-round, but they still have many of the amenities of their larger sister.

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About Cunard Line


Throughout the 19th century, Cunard Line produced larger, faster and more luxurious ships. Its ships never pushed technological boundaries -- when a new technology was proved by other lines, Cunard adopted it. The line also could boast never having lost a life at sea due to failure of ship or seamanship.

At the beginning of the 20th century, Cunard applied for and received a subsidy from the British government to build a pair of ships that would not only be the largest in the world, but also the fastest. The government agreed to the subsidy to keep the Cunard Line British at a time when J. P. Morgan, the American financier, was acquiring steamship companies in an attempt to form a trust. In return for the subsidy, Cunard Line agreed to permit its ships to be used as armed merchantmen in time of war. The two new liners, Mauretania and Lusitania, were one-third larger than any existing ship and powered by turbine steam engines, a new technology. Mauretania was the slightly faster sister and quickly took the North Atlantic speed record (and held it for a record 22 years). It had a long, profitable career. Lusitania, on the other hand, was less fortunate. Continuing to carry passengers and cargo during World War I, it was sunk by a German U-boat off the coast of Ireland.





After the war, Cunard resumed trans-Atlantic service with its Queens and a large fleet of smaller ships, including the notable Caronia, Cunard's first purpose-built cruise ship. With the arrival of the jet airplane, however, the profitability of line voyages between ports, of ship travel as transportation, declined. Cunard's ships began to lose money, and, one by one, they were withdrawn from service. Queen Mary was withdrawn in 1967 and sold to the City of Long Beach, California, to become a hotel and conference center. It remains there to this day, having been a shoreside attraction longer than it sailed the seas. Queen Elizabeth was withdrawn in 1968. It later burned in Hong Kong harbor, as it was fitting out to become a floating university.


In 1967, Queen Elizabeth II launched Queen Elizabeth 2, named for the earlier ship, Queen Elizabeth. QE2, as it became known, made its maiden voyage in 1969, as a two-class ship for crossings and a one-class ship for cruises. To replace inefficient steamships, Cunard acquired two ships already being built, launched in 1971 and 1972 as Cunard Adventurer and Cunard Ambassador.

From the 1970s until the 1990s, Cunard Line passed through a series of owners that tried to build or buy running mates for QE2. The first was Trafalgar House, a properties investment company that acquired Cunard in 1971. It commissioned two new ships for the line, Cunard Countess and Cunard Princess (Cunard Ambassador was gutted by fire, and Cunard Adventurer was sold).

In 1982, the British government requisitioned QE2 to serve as a troopship in the Falklands campaign. Upon its return it was refurbished and returned to cruising.

In 1984, Cunard acquired Norwegian American Cruises and its highly regarded ships, Sagafjord and Vistafjord. In 1986, the line acquired Sea Goddess I and Sea Goddess II from Norske Cruises.

In 1987, QE2 was re-engined. Its trouble-prone, bulk oil guzzling steam turbines were removed and replaced with diesels. The improvements in fuel efficiency and reliability ensured the ship's survival.


In 1998, Cunard was acquired by Carnival, which merged the management of Cunard with Seabourn, its other luxury brand. By that time, Cunard was down to two ships, QE2 and Vistafjord (later renamed Caronia). Carnival's chairman, Micky Arison, had big plans for Cunard. With the deep pockets of Carnival Cruises behind it, Cunard commissioned a new liner, one that would be superlative in every way.

The year 2004 was a momentous year in Cunard's history. In January, Queen Mary 2 -- the largest, longest, highest and most expensive ship ever built -- was christened by Queen Elizabeth II and made its maiden voyage attended by worldwide media coverage. In May, Queen Mary 2 took over the North Atlantic liner service between Southampton and New York and became the flagship of Cunard Line. In that month QE2 was repositioned to make cruises out of Southampton for the British market. In November, QE2 became the longest serving ship in Cunard's history, and Caronia was sold.

And 2004 was momentous for another reason. As one of the Carnival family fleet of cruise lines, Cunard was later in the year moved under the Princess/P&O Cruises umbrella, where its operations were overseen by an almost entirely new staff (both onboard and on shore).



Under Carnival Corp. ownership, Cunard has adopted a much tighter focus. It only operates large ships that are British in feel and that fly the British flag. In design, Queen Mary 2, Queen Victoria and Queen Elizabeth capitalize on the long history of the company. Gone are the days of the 1980s and 1990s, when the Cunard name was blurred by sub-brands -- such as Cunard Sea Goddess, Cunard NAC and Cunard Crown -- that operated a mixed bag of ships in terms of size, age and ambiance.


Queen Mary 2 was built to carry on Cunard's tradition of offering liner voyages year-round between Southampton and New York. It has thick steel plating, a strengthened and lengthened bow, and powerful engines. It has 1,360 cabins, most of which are outside, and most of them have balconies. There are eye-popping suites that top out at 2,250 square feet.

QM2 maintains the custom of assigning restaurants based on cabin accommodations. Passengers booked in the largest suites dine in the Queens Grill. Passengers booked in junior suites dine in the Princess Grill. Both grills offer single-seating service with table-side preparation. All other passengers dine in the three-story Britannia Restaurant, which offers two sittings for dinner and open sitting for breakfast and lunch, or the Britannia Club restaurant, which offers open dining for breakfast, lunch and dinner. In addition, there are seven other dining venues, including the new Verandah restaurant, which replaced Todd English restaurant, open to all passengers by reservation for lunch and dinner. The recently transformed Kings Court Buffet restaurant serves breakfast, lunch, dinner and late-night snacks. It also offers an intimate alternative dining option in the evening -- Kings Court Specialty A La Carte -- serving delicious pan-Asian, Indian, Mexican, Italian and American fare, plus the galley section for made-to-order pizza.

QM2 has the first planetarium at sea, carries Oxford dons for classroom learning and offers workshops with students from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts (RADA).

This ship offers something for everyone. Tea is served by white-gloved stewards in several venues. There is a British pub, a champagne bar, stylish (and expensive) shops and a heritage trail that relates Cunard's history. The stunning two-story spa is run by Canyon Ranch. The ship is wired for Wi-Fi, and there is a computer learning center. Perhaps most unique of all, however, is the ship's kennels, making QM2 the only ship at sea to carry cats and dogs.




Other dining options include the Lido buffet, which serves breakfast and lunch, and The Verandah, an additional for-fee venues for lunch and dinner.



Fellow Passengers


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