Cunard is honoring the 50th anniversary of its longest serving ocean liner, Queen Elizabeth 2, with a special voyage aboard Queen Elizabeth.
The anniversary of the much-loved vessel will be remembered, as Queen Elizabeth sets sail from Southampton on September 8 for a 17-night cruise. Guests will enjoy Venice’s beautiful canals, mythical Mount Etna in Sicily, and Corfu’s leafy vistas.
VP of Cunard Angus Struthers said, “This mediterranean cruise is perfectly timed to pay tribute to QE2’s launch and naming by HM Queen Elizabeth II 50 years ago. When QE2 came into service in the 1960s, many critics said she wouldn’t last a decade in the age of the jet but her unique design as a dual-purpose ship meant that she was versatile enough to operate both as a transatlantic liner and a cruise ship. Given how famous and loved she was, we felt this was a great opportunity to pay tribute to this Cunarder’s remarkable life onboard our newest ship, Queen Elizabeth; herself designed to offer a perfect luxury cruise holiday”
Celebrations will focus on five themed days, each of which will be accompanied by QE2 inspired menus, talks from special guests, historical facts in the daily program, past-guest gatherings, and quizzes.
The themes are:
- Moving in Royal Circles which looks back at the special bond between QE2 and the Royal Family
- The Falklands which acknowledges the ship’s service as a troop ship in the 1982 conflict
- Triumph of a Great Tradition examining the QE2’s remarkable career achievements and the long history of Cunard ‘firsts’
- World Flagship which is a tribute to QE2’s 26 world cruises that made her an icon in cities around the globe
- QE2 Day will be on September 20, exactly 50 years since the ship was launched by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. Events will include a ball and a historical retrospective of the ship’s service life to be hosted in Queen Elizabeth‘s 850-seat Royal Court Theatre.
A number of special guests connected to Queen Elizabeth 2 will also be sailing onboard. One of which is Captain Ian McNaught, QE2’s last Master. Other guests include Commodore R. W. Warwick who served as the ship’s Captain for 13 years, QE2 social hostess Maureen Ryan who served onboard the original Cunard Queens as well as Queen Mary 2, and maritime historian Chris Frame, author of a series of books aboard QE2 and Cunard.
The voyage departs on September 8, 2017 and returns September 25. Visit cunard.com for more information.
