Queen Elizabeth will be spearheading Cunard’s biggest ever Australian summer season in 2020-21 when she returns for an unprecedented 118 days.
Flagship Queen Mary 2 and sister ship Queen Victoria will also be visiting during their world voyages, spending a record 49 days in Australian ports between them.
Queen Elizabeth’s four-month season will begin in November 2020 and will include more than 60 itinerary options sailing from Melbourne and Sydney.
Voyages will range from two-night cruises between Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne and Adelaide to longer journeys around Australia and New Zealand.
It will be Queen Elizabeth’s third consecutive year in Australia
New 12 and 13-night itineraries between Sydney and Auckland will call at a range of stunning ports along the New Zealand coastline, as well as calls to Tasmania and Victoria. The cruises can also be combined to create a destination-rich 25-night journey featuring an impressive nine New Zealand ports.
Other highlights include a Royal Rendezvous with Queen Victoria in Sydney on 1 March, 2021, marking their first meeting in Australia, as well as a special overnight call in Auckland on 31 December, enabling Cunard guests to be among the first in the world to celebrate the New Year.
Cunard president Simon Palethorpe said: “The decision to increase our Australian presence further reflects the continuing growth in popularity of Cunard cruises among Australian travellers.
“Our new 2020-21 season in Australia is not only our biggest, it will be the third consecutive summer deployment for Queen Elizabeth, which is winning a strong following among local cruisers.”
The new program will also feature overnight calls in Hobart, Wellington and Auckland as well as Queen Elizabeth’s maiden call to Lyttelton and Cunard’s inaugural call to New Plymouth in New Zealand.