Sponsored by: PDM TRAVEL
We love cruises and are always excited when the big cruise companies launch new ships. Next year, 2008, will mark an especially exciting year on the Cunard calendar. For the first time in history, three Cunard Queens will be in service simultaneously and the newest, Queen Victoria, will embark on 21 captivating voyages that will include dozens of celebratory maiden calls around the world.
New destination
Queen Victoria’s 2008 programme also marks Cunard’s return to Scandinavia and Russia, as well as eight different Mediterranean itineraries, affording guests an in-depth exploration into the renowned cities and ports of the region. The schedule also features visits to Norway, the Canary Islands and the Caribbean on itineraries of 4 to 22 days.
Among the highlights are three, 14-day Russian Rendezvous itineraries circling the Baltic Sea and ,featuring two full days in St. Petersburg, Russia; a full range of Mediterranean ports featuring Egypt and the Greek Isles, the best ports of the Eastern and Western Mediterranean including Monte Carlo, Florence and Istanbul; and, a 22-day Caribbean Holiday voyage. These voyages follow Queen Victoria’s 106-night Maiden World Cruise and are detailed in Cunard’s 2008 Voyages brochure.
“This is an exciting time in our history,” says Carol Marlow, president of Cunard Line. “Even as Queen Victoria is under construction, we have been at work mapping out an incredible itinerary of fascinating places to show off this extraordinary new ship. Whether a guest is sailing with Cunard for the first time, or the 40th time, Queen Victoria will offer an array of once-in-a-lifetime experiences reminiscent of the Golden Age of ocean travel.”
Luxury onboard
An extraordinary shipboard experience awaits Queen Victoria’s first passengers. Long regarded as the trend-setter in glamorous ocean travel, Cunard voyages offer the epitome of luxury and refinement and Queen Victoria is no exception. The ship’s sumptuous surroundings, fine dining and renowned service combine perfectly with the sharply focused itineraries and myriad entertainment and enrichment programs.
The 90,000-ton Queen Victoria will not only be a classic ocean liner, offering the very best of Cunard’s heritage and traditions, along with all modern day luxuries, but will also feature many exciting innovations. These will include the first traditional West End-style private viewing boxes at sea in the Royal Court Theatre and the first two-storey, spiral stair-cased library at sea. The ship will also feature exclusive deck terraces, an al fresco dining option and a grand, colonial-style Winter Garden complete with a retractable glass roof.
Three together
As well as being the second largest ‘Cunarder’ ever built, Queen Victoria’s arrival is particularly noteworthy as it will mark the first time that three Cunard Queens have been in service together in the company’s 168-year history. She joins the world’s grandest ocean liner, Queen Mary 2 and the world’s most famous ship, QE2.
If you’d like to book your place on this fabulous new liner, call PDM today.
Do you have a view on this story? Email: editor@portugalresident.com
