Cunard has unveiled its expert speaker lineup for its Alaska cruises in partnership with the Royal Canadian Geographical Society. It will showcase an RCGS speaker on every Alaska cruise starting June 21. Cunard’s Alaska cruises are on Queen Elizabeth offering the Insights onboard enrichment program and an array of shore excursions. Experts from the Royal Canadian Geographical Society will be featured on 2024 voyages from June to September. RCGS speakers range from accomplished explorers, naturalists, geographical experts, astronauts, and indigenous advocates. They include: Brian and Dee Keating have been leading wilderness adventures for nearly four decades. They are naturalists and wilderness adventurers who make wildlife films to tell stories about the value and importance of nature; June 21-July 1 Andrew Fuestel: Professional astronaut who served 23 years with NASA. He has flown to space three times, including two flights on the Space Shuttle and one on the Russian Soyuz rocket; July 1-11 Patricia Sims, RCGS Fellow: Award-winning documentary filmmaker, naturalist, and founder of World Elephant Day; July 11-22 Russell Potter, RCGS Fellow: Author and historian who is most known for his books and lectures about the lost Franklin Arctic expedition of 1845; July 22-August 1 George Kourounis, RCGS Explorer in Residence: Worldwide explorer and adventurer who contributes his expertise to the Discovery Channel and the Weather Network; August 1-10 Lynn Moorman, RCGS Fellow: Geographer and educator who speaks about the glaciers, fjords, and geographic technologies that guests encounter along the British Columbia Coast and Alaska; August 10-20 Jill Heinerth, RCGS Explorer in Residence: Underwater diver, explorer, author, and educator with a focus on coastal environments; August 20-30 David Gray, RCGS Fellow: Naturalist, photographer, and avid adventurer who is best known for his daily morning program "The Calgary Eyeopener," which was one of Canada's top-rated local radio shows for over a decade; August 30-September 9 "After launching the partnership with RCGS in Alaska last year, we received phenomenal feedback from our guests," said Katie McAlister, president of Cunard. "Cunard is committed to inspiring educational experiences for guests during the time they spend with us.” In addition to RCGS speakers, Cunard has assembled notable experts to enhance the guest experience in Alaska including Alex Debogorski from History Channel's hit reality TV show "Ice Road Truckers;" and Preet Chandi, MBE, known as ‘Polar Preet.’ Adventurer Kenton Cool, who has climbed Mount Everest 17 times will also be aboard as will Caroline Hamilton, part of the first all-woman team to ski to the North and South Pole; and British TV actor Ross Kemp, who filmed the documentary ‘Alive In Alaska.’ Also, Native Cultural Heritage Guides from Alaska Native Voices will be on all voyages as well. 

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UK based Carnival Corp brand Cunard has put its 2025 Alaska cruise season on sale. Sailing roundtrip from Seattle, the cruise line will deploy Queen Elizabeth on 11 voyages to Alaska, ranging from 7 to 11 nights, starting from 12 June until 25 September. Voyages are now available to book exclusively for Cunard World Club Members, with bookings on general sale from 13 December. Cunard presents Alaska Native Voices onboard, including a Cultural Heritage Guide, plus a Naturalist on every sailing. They will provide expert deck commentary showcasing Alaskan nature and local culture. With 24 late evening departures, Cunard guests will have plenty of time to explore port cities such as Ketchikan and Sitka. Cunard’s Alaska cruises take in the must-see Hubbard Glacier and at Icy Strait Point, guests can join a whale-watching expedition or ride the world's largest zipline. UNESCO-listed Glacier Bay National Park is on Alaska cruise itineraries as a key highlight. Other ship calls include Juneau, Skagway, Tracy Arm Fjord and Endicott Arm. Each Alaska cruise has an educational element with talks by legendary mountaineer Kenton Cool, polar skier Preet Chandi, and acclaimed wildlife filmmaker Doug Allen. Katie McAlister, President of Cunard said: "Due to strong demand, Cunard is offering a full summer season in Alaska to delve into the region's wildlife with extended time in port."

Cunard has given an exclusive sneak peek of Queen Anne's new Indian-themed restaurant, Aranya. The dining experience was held in The Verandah onboard Queen Victoria in Southampton, giving VIP guests a sampling of the Aranya concept. The three-course meal was delivered by highly acclaimed Indian chef Surjan Singh who has helped develop the Aranya menu. He held senior positions at the Taj Palace New Delhi, the Goa Marriott Resort, the JW Marriott Mumbai, and London Marriott West India Quay Hotel. He also had stints on MasterChef India and MasterChef Junior, India. Aranya is a new culinary concept for Cunard. The aim is to showcase flavours of the Indian subcontinent. It will present playful interpretations of classic Indian cuisine, with something new each evening. Aranya is one of four additional dining experiences that will be available on Queen Anne – alongside Aji Wa, Sir Samuels, and Tramonto. The evening-only dining venue will be available to guests as a supplement, complementing the inclusive options offered for lunch or dinner on the ship. Katie McAlister, President of Cunard, said: "We were absolutely thrilled to share what's to come with Aranya, which will be one of the most exciting dining venues aboard our newest ship.” “We're delighted to be introducing more venues that reflect the vibrancy and varied cultural tastes of our guests." Surjan Singh Aranya Development Chef, added: "Aranya is not just a restaurant, it is a multi-sensory culinary experience with authenticity and quality at its heart."

Cunard is marking the five-year anniversary of Shine Rewards Club this month. To celebrate, the cruise line is giving agents a bonus shuffle – potentially worth up to 100 Shine points. To access their bonus shuffle, agents simply need to log in to the Shine Rewards Club website. The celebratory offer runs until Friday 22 December. Shine Rewards Club is an important element of Cunard's travel agent engagement strategy. It offers agents tools designed to educate, and incentivize agents. In five years, Cunard has given away more than 4.5 million Shine points. A whopping 2.8 million have been awarded for bookings made and over one million earned through training – including online quizzes and webinars. Almost 300,000 have been given out by the Cunard sales team at events including fam trips, ship visits and conferences. More than two million of these points have been redeemed against retail vouchers. Over 1.7 million Shine points have been awarded in 2023 alone, which is a 98% increase versus points earned in 2022. The cruise line plans to issue even more in 2024. Cunard's Shine Rewards Club is a points-based loyalty scheme that offers UK travel agents Shine points for the bookings they make and training completed. It also provides the latest news and information about Cunard – including updates on new ship Queen Anne and is a hub of training support and other resources. Since 2018, Cunard has built a varied catalogue of over 100 retailers for agents to spend their Shine points with. These range from luxury spa retailers to supermarkets and experiences. The most popular retailers that agents spend their Shine points on are Argos, John Lewis, and Marks & Spencer.

  Embark on an extraordinary adventure next year thanks to luxury cruise line Cunard’s new programme, which features Queen Elizabeth’s highly anticipated Alaska 2024 season, Queen Anne’s maiden world voyage and a South American adventure aboard Queen Victoria sailing in early 2025.   Voyages will be available to book from 1pm GMT on 15 March exclusively for Cunard World Club Members. General sale begins at 1pm on 16 March. The programme includes over 130 voyages to 159 destinations across Cunard’s four Queens, including 30 maiden calls for Queen Anne and five fleet maiden calls for Queen Elizabeth.   All four Queens   Embark on an extraordinary 38-night adventure in June 2024, starting with a trip around the Mediterranean on board Queen Victoria, then embarking on Queen Anne for a voyage from Rome to Southampton before travelling across the Atlantic on Queen Mary 2 and then flying to Vancouver to meet Queen Elizabeth for the final leg in Alaska.   Queen Elizabeth   Departing from Vancouver on a series of nine and 11-night roundtrip voyages between May and September 2024, Queen Elizabeth invites guests to immerse themselves in a world of skyscraper-tall glaciers and mirror-like waters. Captivating itineraries offer a mixture of scenic cruising with iconic ports of call, including Ketchikan and Sitka, where guests can discover the vibrant cultures and local traditions of Alaska. Eight voyages will visit the jewel in Alaska’s crown, the Glacier Bay National Park, whilst four voyages will visit another stunning highlight, the Hubbard Glacier.   From early October, Queen Elizabeth will sail a mixture of short and long voyages in Australian waters before heading to Japan, where highlights include a nine-night Golden Week voyage and a 19-night Grand Voyage to Nagasaki, Yokohama – the gateway to neon-lit Tokyo, and Osaka.   Queen Anne   Cunard’s latest programme will also include a number of firsts for its newest ship Queen Anne. In January 2025, she’ll embark on her maiden Transatlantic Crossing, going westbound from Southampton to New York, before heading off on her first-ever World Voyage. Guests can experience the trip of a lifetime, spending 111 nights on board, visiting more than 30 ports in five continents. Nine overnight calls are also included, in ports such as San Francisco, Honolulu and Singapore, offering guests further opportunities to explore these destinations.   Queen Mary 2 and Queen Victoria   Between January and May 2025, the fleet’s flagship Queen Mary 2 will combine her unique Transatlantic crossings with visits to multiple sun-kissed destinations across Europe and the Americas, while Queen Victoria embarks on an incredible 78-night South American adventure from Southampton to the warm shores of Brazil, Chile, and Ecuador.   Sture Myrmell, President, Carnival UK, said: “We’re so excited to share our newest programme featuring some fantastic itineraries and – with over 130 to choose from – you’ll certainly be spoiled for choice. Whether you want to wander Europe’s historic streets on a short break, channel your adventurous side trying street food across Asia, or savour the sunsets in Hawaii, Cunard has a voyage for you.   “Better still, when you’re not off exploring a new destination, you can relax in luxury on board, enjoy fascinating Insight talks, innovative theatre and a variety of fine dining options. However you choose to spend your time, you can savour every destination both from aboard and spending time exploring ashore.”   For more information about Cunard, or to book a voyage, visit www.cunard.com.   Agents can visit www.ShineRewardsClub.com for the latest Cunard news and information, as well as to earn Shine points for bookings and training. To celebrate Cunard's 2024 Alaska and 2025 voyages going on sale, agents will earn double Shine points for every booking made by 31 March on these new voyages.

Cunard unveiled its April 2024 summer cruise schedule which goes on sale next week. Cunard World Club members can book the new itineraries from 6 December at 1pm The programme is on general sale on 7 December. It features 190 new voyages across 90 destinations worldwide. It includes several late evenings and overnight stays, in Reykjavik, Tromso, Rotterdam and Quebec. Cunard’s newest ship, Queen Anne, will set sail on 3 May for her seven-night maiden voyage to La Coruna and Lisbon. She will then depart to the Canary Islands before travelling around the British Isles. Queen Anne will then sail from Southampton on itineraries to the Mediterranean, Scandinavia, and the Canary Islands. Queen Mary 2 undertakes 20 crossings between Southampton and New York. Queen Victoria will spend summer in the Mediterranean, offering over 75 fly-cruise itineraries. Sture Myrmell, President, Carnival UK, said: “Summer 2024 is a particularly exciting time for Cunard as our new ship Queen Anne joins the fleet.”

Cunard’s news ship Queen Anne will call at more than 32 ports around the world during her maiden season. The maiden voyage is to Lisbon. Sailing roundtrip from Southampton on January 4, 2024, it embarks on  a seven-night voyage with an overnight port call in Lisbon On her return to Southampton, the newest Queen will be joined by sister ships Queen Mary 2 and Queen Victoria. Following her maiden voyage it will sail in the Mediterranean, Caribbean and Northern Europe as well as an Eastbound Transatlantic Crossing. Queen Anne offers a 35-night Caribbean voyage calling at Barbados and St Lucia amongst others, departing Southampton on January 27, 2024. In late March Queen Anne sails a 16-night Western Mediterranean voyage including calls at Lisbon, Cadiz and Rome. “Our new voyages bring opportunities to explore all corners of the world in luxurious surroundings,” said Matt Gleaves, Vice President, Commercial, North America. Queen Anne's maiden sailings are available to book from May 17, 2022. The ship launches in early 2024.

  Travel agents can be in with the chance to win their very own Fly Med voyage this March, as Cunard launches a host of incentives through its travel agent loyalty programme, Shine Rewards Club.   In 2022 Queen Elizabeth will visit a host of sought-after locations including Barcelona, Florence, Naples and Rome as part of its Fly Med season. With demand high, travel agents registered to Cunard’s loyalty programme, Shine Rewards Club, could win the chance to escape the everyday and experience a Cunard voyage first-hand. With even more reason to book a Fly Med cruise with Cunard, agents will be in with a chance to win an all 2022 and 2023 Fly Med bookings made from now until the end of March.   Director of UK Sales, Tom Mahoney, said: “It’s been fantastic to see this very popular itinerary return to Cunard’s extensive roster of voyages. These added incentives are only available for a short period, but it’s our way of rewarding agents for their hard work, while our guests get to enjoy the beauty of the Mediterranean with Cunard.”   Shine Rewards Club operates on a points-based system, giving agents the chance to gain Shine points in a variety of ways, which range from simply making a Cunard Fare booking to completing training modules. Throughout March agents can also earn Shine points on Early Saver Fare bookings for Fly Med voyages.   Shine points can be exchanged for a range of rewards, from voucher codes for a wide variety of retailers through to paying towards 25%, 50% or 100% of a Cunard voyage.   The training and incentives available for agents this March, include:   A quiz for agents to complete at Shine Rewards Club. Agents answering four out of five questions correctly will earn 10 Shine points.   A webinar recording available covering the highlights of Fly-Med with Cunard and an overview of Queen Elizabeth.   Between 16 February and 31 March, agents can now earn Shine points on Early Saver fare bookings on 2022 and 2023 Fly-Med voyages, as well as with Cunard Fare bookings.   Cunard is giving away three balcony staterooms for an agent to take a guest of their choice on a 2022 Fly Med voyage. Agents are able to choose from a selection of voyages and the prize includes flights to Barcelona from a nominated UK airport, ship transfers and on board gratuities.   All agents need to do to enter is submit their details at https://www.shinerewardsclub.com (T&Cs included) to confirm that they’d like all their 2022 and 2023 Fly-Med Cunard Fare and Early Saver bookings, made and played on Shine Rewards Club between 9am 16 February and midnight on 31 March 2022, to go towards entry into this competition.   Window cards and supporting marketing tools are available at Shine Rewards Club.

  Cunard Line is delaying the return to service of ship Queen Victoria. The ship was originally scheduled to return in April sailing from Southampton. Queen Victoria will now return to service on June 5, 2022 due to spending longer in the Caribbean than originally planned before entering dry-dock. Five voyages have been cancelled. Guests booked on those cruises can choose to apply for a full refund, or take a Future Cruise Credit of 110% of the value. The FCC is valid on any Cunard sailing in 2022 and 2023.

  Cunard - pioneers of luxury ocean travel, is delighted to announce the name of the new ship joining a world-renowned fleet, Queen Anne. Queen Anne will be Cunard’s 249^th ship and will make up a remarkable quartet of Queen Mary 2, Queen Victoria and Queen Elizabeth. This will mark the first time since 1999 that Cunard will have four ships at sea.   The name ‘Queen Anne’ celebrates Cunard’s rich heritage, royal history and refined status - joining a luxury contemporary fleet now honoring the names of each Queen Regnant over the last millennium.   The Cunard team explored multiple naming options and inspired by Queen Anne’s reign, engaged with British historian, author and television presenter, Kate Williams, to assist in the detailed research. Kate says, ‘It is so exciting that the fourth ship of the fleet will be named after Queen Anne. She has a fascinating tale to tell – one of queenship, unity of developing constitutional monarchy, a golden age of the arts. She was an inspiring woman, wildly popular with her people. She should be celebrated. This new ship in the Cunard fleet is the perfect way to do it!’   Queen Anne will feature reimagined Cunard signature spaces as well as the introduction of new guest experiences within dining, culture and entertainment, for an unparalleled cruise experience underpinned by outstanding White Star Service. Bridging tradition and contemporary luxury, Queen Anne celebrates the influential design styles of both past and present and introduces an updated Cunard livery. World renowned designers have joined forces to create an extraordinary and thoughtful standard-setting design - inspiring a new way to travel on sea. The décor will reveal bold color tones and showcase a striking aesthetic, while in keeping with the renowned timeless Cunard sophistication.   Carnival UK President, Sture Myrmell comments, ‘I am absolutely delighted to welcome Queen Anne, the fourth ship to Cunard’s fleet. This marks a very special moment in Cunard’s 182-year history and showcases Cunard’s exciting global plans for the future, allowing even more guests around the world to set sail with Cunard. With design inspired by the past and set for the future, Queen Anne is the perfect way for our guests to rediscover the joy of exploration and travel again. We look forward to sharing more details in the coming weeks and months.’   Queen Anne’s maiden season program will go on sale in May, with the ship’s first sailings in early 2024. More in-depth details are to be shared shortly.

Cunard has appointed Tom Mahoney as new Director of UK Sales. Mahoney is currently Cunard's Director of Strategic Planning and takes up his new role on 31 January 2021. He will be responsible for the UK distribution strategy covering all channels, including all aspects of UK travel agent and on board sales Mahoney reports to Cunard Vice President of Sales and Marketing, Angus Struthers. "Tom has built a highly successful track record as an integral part of Cunard's senior commercial team and is warmly welcomed into the Director of UK Sales role. Tom will lead the Sales team at a crucial and exciting time, as the brand significantly grows," Struthers said.  

Cunard's Queen Mary 2 ship will drop a planned port call at New York during its New Year sailing. Instead it will stay in Barbados until early January to bring on more crew members. The ship is on a 28-night voyage which left Southampton on 13 December and is due back in the UK on 10 January 2022. Cunard will arrange flights out of Barbados for guests who were due to disembark in New York. "As a precautionary measure Queen Mary 2 will take on additional manning in essential roles in Barbados prior to the sail back to the UK. Given the current international travel situation the ship will remain in Barbados until January 2," the cruise line said. "It means that unfortunately the ship will be unable to call in New York."