She’s the next in a fine line for Cunard, and on 19th April 2024, Queen Anne officially joined the luxury cruise line’s iconic fleet during a historic handover ceremony in Italy.
Cunard took ownership of its stunning 3,000-guest ship during a traditional handover ceremony at the Fincantieri Marghera shipyard in Venice, where master shipbuilders have been constructing it.
The Italian Minister of Enterprises and Made in Italy, Adolfo Urso, and the Italian Minister for Relations with Parliament, Luca Cipriani, attended the event.
Katie McAlister, President of Cunard; Paul Ludlow, President of Carnival UK; Pierroberto Folgiero, CEO and Managing Director of Fincantieri; Luigi Matarazzo, General Manager of the Fincantieri Merchant Ships Division; and Marco Lunardi, Fincantieri Shipyard Director, were also present.
Queen Anne, the 249th ship to sail under the Cunard flag – and the third built by Fincantieri – will now set sail for Southampton ahead of her seven-night maiden voyage to Lisbon on May 3.
As the newest addition to the Cunard fleet, Queen Anne’s design concepts are founded on heritage, craftsmanship, style, storytelling, and innovation. The 114,000-ton ship, which spans 14 decks, will offer travellers several breath-taking experiences and more choices of entertainment, dining, and bars than ever before.
Cunard has previously announced a series of partnerships for Queen Anne, including Le Gavroche at Sea residencies hosted by two Michelin-starred chef Michel Roux, wellness packages curated by Harper’s Bazaar UK’s beauty experts, and exclusive British Film Institute screenings in The Pavilion.
She will also boast the widest selection of fitness, beauty, thermal, and spa facilities seen on a Cunard ship, with her reimagined Mareel Wellness & Beauty proposition heralding a new era of wellbeing at sea.
Katie McAlister, President of Cunard, said:
“We are so excited to welcome Queen Anne to our fleet as she completes a remarkable quartet alongside Queen Mary 2, Queen Elizabeth, and Queen Victoria – marking the first time since 1999 that Cunard will have four ships in simultaneous service. We are fully focused on readying her to welcome guests for her maiden voyage on May 3 before embarking on a historic British Isles Festival Voyage, including a momentous Naming Ceremony in Cunard’s spiritual home of Liverpool on 3rd June 2024.”
Pierroberto Folgiero, CEO and Managing Director of Fincantieri, added:
“We are very pleased and eager to deliver Queen Anne to Cunard, a pioneering figure in luxury sea travel, renowned for setting new standards in oceanic voyages for over 180 years. This beautiful and iconic ship testifies the longstanding partnership between our two companies, underscoring our shared commitment to excellence and tradition in the maritime industry. Queen Anne, as Queen Victoria and Queen Elizabeth, the other two ships we built for Cunard, proudly bear Fincantieri’s signature, embodying our enduring expertise, reliability, and craftsmanship in shipbuilding. Constructing a liner for such a distinguished shipowner not only reconnects us to our origins but propels us towards the future with a determination to blend tradition and innovation. Fincantieri thus confirms its leadership in the cruise shipbuilding sector, a fundamental pillar of the company’s business project, as both the Group’s Business Plan and the vitality of the post-pandemic cruise sector clearly show.”