The future of QE

[Austcruiser84]

With the Queen Anne coming into service for 2022, Cunard will have four ships to its name. But where will they be positioned? 

 

The QE in particular is worth watching. She has spent 50 nights in Australian waters the previous year and over 100 this coming summer season. Once Anne begins service, I'd say it's a near guarantee that Cunard will permanently position QE in Australian and Asia-Pacific waters, sailing out of Melbourne and possibly Sydney between October and April each year, moving north into Asia for April and May, before moving across to Alaska for June to August, before returning to Asia and the back to Australia. This is based on how Cunard has been increasingly deploying her. I also anticipate a more intensive SE Asian intinerary at some point. 

 

As the newest ship, the Queen Anne will probably be put on the UK, Canaries and the Mediterranean for the European summer and there will be greater flexibility in how Queen Victoria is utilised, perhaps doing more Baltic, Icelandic, and longer exotic itineraries like repeats of South America. QM2 will obviously maintain her Transatlantic schedule, with additional North American, Caribbean and Norwegian voyages. Little will change there I suspect. 

 

I do expect that we will see a rendezvous of the queens in Sydney Harbour in either 2022 or 2023. Given the constraints due to poor port planning there, it's likely to be a maximum of three of the four ships. I don't expect Cunard to operate four world cruises each year anyway. 

[Bigmike911]

5 hours ago, Austcruiser84 said:

With the Queen Anne coming into service for 2022, Cunard will have four ships to its name. But where will they be positioned? 

 

The QE in particular is worth watching. She has spent 50 nights in Australian waters the previous year and over 100 this coming summer season. Once Anne begins service, I'd say it's a near guarantee that Cunard will permanently position QE in Australian and Asia-Pacific waters, sailing out of Melbourne and possibly Sydney between October and April each year, moving north into Asia for April and May, before moving across to Alaska for June to August, before returning to Asia and the back to Australia. This is based on how Cunard has been increasingly deploying her. I also anticipate a more intensive SE Asian intinerary at some point. 

 

As the newest ship, the Queen Anne will probably be put on the UK, Canaries and the Mediterranean for the European summer and there will be greater flexibility in how Queen Victoria is utilised, perhaps doing more Baltic, Icelandic, and longer exotic itineraries like repeats of South America. QM2 will obviously maintain her Transatlantic schedule, with additional North American, Caribbean and Norwegian voyages. Little will change there I suspect. 

 

I do expect that we will see a rendezvous of the queens in Sydney Harbour in either 2022 or 2023. Given the constraints due to poor port planning there, it's likely to be a maximum of three of the four ships. I don't expect Cunard to operate four world cruises each year anyway. 

Don't be surprised if they do a rendezvous in Southampton and or NYC. I can imagine a QE westbound, through the canal to the US West coast to the south Pacific and then to Australia, With QM2 doing a Transatlantic, and QV and QA doing the Caribbean Via NYC. Given the opportunity Cunard will mass their Queens for publicity shots. NYC harbor has the space for all four at once.

[Underwatr]

Queen Victoria used to do Panama Canal and Pacific Ocean voyages during world cruise season (I was onboard for Los Angeles to Fort Lauderdale in 2011 and LA to Hawaii and back in 2012). I miss those itineraries and would like to see more of them.

[Jack E Dawson]

Underwater,

We are booked on the QV for January 2021 from Ft Lauderdale to San Francisco via he Panama Canal, 17 nights. 

 

Jack

[princeton123211]

10 hours ago, Austcruiser84 said:

She has spent 50 nights in Australian waters the previous year and over 100 this coming summer season. Once Anne begins service, I'd say it's a near guarantee that Cunard will permanently position QE in Australian and Asia-Pacific waters, sailing out of Melbourne and possibly Sydney between October and April each year, moving north into Asia for April and May, before moving across to Alaska for June to August, before returning to Asia and the back to Australia.

I would argue the reverse-- deploy the new ship (refuse to call her Queen Anne until they actually name it-- holding out for an -ia) to Australia/Asia/Pacific where she can make use of her greater capacity where Cunard have obviously identified increased demand. The flaw in this logic is that she might have too much capacity for the Alaska trips where I heard demand was a little lighter than anticipated, but who knows-- that might not be an every year thing down the line. 

[Austcruiser84]

5 hours ago, Bigmike911 said:

Don't be surprised if they do a rendezvous in Southampton and or NYC. I can imagine a QE westbound, through the canal to the US West coast to the south Pacific and then to Australia, With QM2 doing a Transatlantic, and QV and QA doing the Caribbean Via NYC. Given the opportunity Cunard will mass their Queens for publicity shots. NYC harbor has the space for all four at once.

 

Southampton is a given as the line's home port. They do they every year. But the big money in cruising is now shifting towards the Asia Pacific market in terms of most profitable passengers and in terms of industry growth. While the logistics of Sydney are a little messy at the moment, I would not be surprised to see a rendezvous by 2023. 

 

Quite a few posters dismissed my post more than a few years ago now when I predicted a Cunard shifting one of the vista class ships to Australia and it has happened as predicted. Knowing where the market is at and where it is likely projecting should give a clearer view of what Cunard is likely to do. 

 

I don't see both QV and QA doing Caribbean together. That market is saturated with big ships from RCL, Carnival, etc. QA will be given a European season for at least the first year or two, replacing QV and giving Cunard flexibility to deploy her as I suggested originally. 

 

At the the end of the day, it is all about making money. 

[Austcruiser84]

42 minutes ago, princeton123211 said:

I would argue the reverse-- deploy the new ship (refuse to call her Queen Anne until they actually name it-- holding out for an -ia) to Australia/Asia/Pacific where she can make use of her greater capacity where Cunard have obviously identified increased demand. The flaw in this logic is that she might have too much capacity for the Alaska trips where I heard demand was a little lighter than anticipated, but who knows-- that might not be an every year thing down the line. 

 

All evidence at the moment points to Queen Anne, but Cunard could conceivably be a little cheeky and name her Queen Mauretania or Queen Aquitainia. But she will be a Queen something because that is how Cunard ships are known today. That is integral to their brand. 

 

QE has been very popular with the Australian and New Zealand passenger market the past two seasons. She is easy to fill with 2,000 berths compared to the 3,100 berths of the new build. As you say, that will also be true of the Alaskan itineraries. I've no doubt the QA will eventually visit Australia, but given Cunard's history with the QV and QE, I'd say the new ship will end up in the Med, Canaries, and UK circumnavigation(s) for at least a year. Having the newest ship in a competitive market like that makes sense and it means they can build loyalty amongst UK and European cruisers. After all, that - plus the US - is Cunard's largest (for now) clientele base. 

[LittleFish1976]

Anyone else finding the name Queen Anne both jarring and bland at the same time? Not an easy feat!

[princeton123211]

23 minutes ago, LittleFish1976 said:

Anyone else finding the name Queen Anne both jarring and bland at the same time? Not an easy feat!

Not to mention historically unglamorous when compared to the namesakes if the other ships-- ill, overweight, and mentally depressed most of her life and dead before 50, Anne isn't nearly the stately image of Victoria or Elizabeth. 

 

All that aside, regardless of what it's named, it will be by far the ugliest ship Cunard has ever owned and I'm not just including Cunard Ambassador, but even their container ships like Atlantic Conveyor. 

[BlueRiband]

4 hours ago, LittleFish1976 said:

Anyone else finding the name Queen Anne both jarring and bland at the same time? Not an easy feat!

Not to worry: "Queen Anne" has appeared in one industry publication but Cunard has made no announcement.  There is plenty of speculative chatter on what Cunard will do.  In general ships can be referred to by their yard number or project name, as "G32" or "Project Queen Mary" was used before the name "Queen Mary 2" became official.   Cunard cutely calls the ship "CUN4RD" on a social media page and others here have heard crew members refer to the new ship as "Project Halifax".

 

Here is what is known so far: Fincantieri 6274

Edited October 26, 2019 by BlueRiband

[LittleFish1976]

4 hours ago, BlueRiband said:

Not to worry: "Queen Anne" has appeared in one industry publication but Cunard has made no announcement.  There is plenty of speculative chatter on what Cunard will do.  In general ships can be referred to by their yard number or project name, as "G32" or "Project Queen Mary" was used before the name "Queen Mary 2" became official.   Cunard cutely calls the ship "CUN4RD" on a social media page and others here have heard crew members refer to the new ship as "Project Halifax".

 

Here is what is known so far: Fincantieri 6274

Correct. I've been following the progress of the speculation.

[Burgee]

On 10/25/2019 at 9:22 AM, Austcruiser84 said:

With the Queen Anne coming into service for 2022, Cunard will have four ships to its name. But where will they be positioned? 

 

The QE in particular is worth watching. She has spent 50 nights in Australian waters the previous year and over 100 this coming summer season. Once Anne begins service, I'd say it's a near guarantee that Cunard will permanently position QE in Australian and Asia-Pacific waters, sailing out of Melbourne and possibly Sydney between October and April each year, moving north into Asia for April and May, before moving across to Alaska for June to August, before returning to Asia and the back to Australia. This is based on how Cunard has been increasingly deploying her. I also anticipate a more intensive SE Asian intinerary at some point. 

 

As the newest ship, the Queen Anne will probably be put on the UK, Canaries and the Mediterranean for the European summer and there will be greater flexibility in how Queen Victoria is utilised, perhaps doing more Baltic, Icelandic, and longer exotic itineraries like repeats of South America. QM2 will obviously maintain her Transatlantic schedule, with additional North American, Caribbean and Norwegian voyages. Little will change there I suspect. 

 

I do expect that we will see a rendezvous of the queens in Sydney Harbour in either 2022 or 2023. Given the constraints due to poor port planning there, it's likely to be a maximum of three of the four ships. I don't expect Cunard to operate four world cruises each year anyway. 

 

The information I've found on line doesn't show a Sydney rendezvous in 2022 but that currently the QE will return for another  Australian summer season in 2022.

 

[ClipperinSFO]

On 10/25/2019 at 8:07 PM, princeton123211 said:

(refuse to call her Queen Anne until they actually name it-- holding out for an -ia) 

 

Amen.  What a boring name with little historical resonance/imagery>  *Brittania* rules the waves, not Queen Anne!

[Neuhoftraveler]

If my shallow acquaintance with British history doesn't mislead me, naming the ship "Queen Anne" does not portend well for Cunard's future.  Wasn't Queen Anne the last of her line, thus requiring importation of Germans from Hanover to succeed her?

[ace2542]

On 10/26/2019 at 1:56 AM, Austcruiser84 said:

 

All evidence at the moment points to Queen Anne, but Cunard could conceivably be a little cheeky and name her Queen Mauretania or Queen Aquitainia. But she will be a Queen something because that is how Cunard ships are known today. That is integral to their brand. 

 

QE has been very popular with the Australian and New Zealand passenger market the past two seasons. She is easy to fill with 2,000 berths compared to the 3,100 berths of the new build. As you say, that will also be true of the Alaskan itineraries. I've no doubt the QA will eventually visit Australia, but given Cunard's history with the QV and QE, I'd say the new ship will end up in the Med, Canaries, and UK circumnavigation(s) for at least a year. Having the newest ship in a competitive market like that makes sense and it means they can build loyalty amongst UK and European cruisers. After all, that - plus the US - is Cunard's largest (for now) clientele base. 

The new ship will also probably do the occasional new york/southampton during the 3 months when the other cunard ships are away on world cruises. There might be a market for that.

[MarkBearSF]

6 hours ago, ace2542 said:

The new ship will also probably do the occasional new york/southampton during the 3 months when the other cunard ships are away on world cruises. There might be a market for that.

 

I'm not so sure about that. A North Atlantic crossing in the Winter can be a dicey proposition in a cruise ship like QE. (I know she often does so as part of the World Cruise, but not back and forth)

[ew101]

On 10/26/2019 at 8:02 PM, BlueRiband said:

 

Here is what is known so far: Fincantieri 6274

The 6274 link had one helpful clue.  The new ship looks to be 75 feet or so longer than the HAL version.  So this could include a ballroom.  I was hoping for LNG propulsion - Disney has gone that way also.  

[Bedruthen]

Have just got off QE. I spoke with the tours office about the lack of a Caribbean cruise other than QM2 and the absence of QE.  She said that CUNARD would be waiting for the new ship and then QV would go back on the Caribbean and S America circuits. Seems Queen Elizabeth is shortly departing for Asia and Australia and is not scheduled back into the UK over the next two years. I suspect that other posters are correct in that her future lies outside the U.K. market

[Wjm989]

Slightly related....a good friend of mine is director of hotel ops for P&O at Carnival House and when I grilled him the other week all he would tell me is that "Cunard have registered five new ship names at the registry port (presumably Hamilton but he couldn't confirm) and it will be one of them". Unfortunately, I have thus far had zero luck in finding an up to date list of vessels registered at Hamilton or for that matter Southampton or London that includes and potential new Cunarders.

[LittleFish1976]

11 minutes ago, Wjm989 said:

Slightly related....a good friend of mine is director of hotel ops for P&O at Carnival House and when I grilled him the other week all he would tell me is that "Cunard have registered five new ship names at the registry port (presumably Hamilton but he couldn't confirm) and it will be one of them". Unfortunately, I have thus far had zero luck in finding an up to date list of vessels registered at Hamilton or for that matter Southampton or London that includes and potential new Cunarders.

Someone posted a link to a list of recently registered names on one of the Cunard board conversations recently. If someone can link it here, sounds like to would be even more interesting on second viewing! Queen Anne was there, from memory but there were also more palatable names also  (which escape me now).

[Ray66]

https://trademarks.ipo.gov.uk/ipo-tmowner/page/search?id=426401&domain=1&page=2

 

Queen Anne, Queen Isabella, Mauretania, Aquitania,

[Underwatr]

You forgot King James!

 

All registered on August 20, 2019.

[Austcruiser84]

4 hours ago, Wjm989 said:

Slightly related....a good friend of mine is director of hotel ops for P&O at Carnival House and when I grilled him the other week all he would tell me is that "Cunard have registered five new ship names at the registry port (presumably Hamilton but he couldn't confirm) and it will be one of them". Unfortunately, I have thus far had zero luck in finding an up to date list of vessels registered at Hamilton or for that matter Southampton or London that includes and potential new Cunarders.

 

If Cunard plans for a fifth ship (sister to the newbuild), then Mauretania and Aquitania would be a great pairing. Both incredible namesakes. 

[rog747]

2 hours ago, Austcruiser84 said:

 

If Cunard plans for a fifth ship (sister to the newbuild), then Mauretania and Aquitania would be a great pairing. Both incredible namesakes. 

😍🍸 yup drink to that old chap

[Wjm989]

I suppose it is all down to where the bosses see Cunard. If they do not see growing the brand beyond this 4th ship then sticking to a 'Queen' makes perfect sense (Queen Isabella????where the hell has that come from) but if they see scope to continue a slow growth beyond this ship then absolutely builds the case for going back to other Cunard names, given that they've pretty much already run out of Queen names. 

Surprised Caronia is not there, to be honest. KJ and QI are bizarre...