The cruise opportunity of a lifetime will arrive next year when Cunard celebrates its 175th anniversary. Celebrations are set to begin on 3 May 2015, with all three Cunard Queens arriving together in their home port of Southampton. These magnificent ships are Queen Elizabeth, Queen Victoria and Queen Mary 2.
The latest fly-cruise-stay holiday from Worldwide Cruise Centres (worldwidecruisecentres.com.au) is named, appropriately ‘Triple Queen Triumph’. It includes cruises on all three of those ships. The holiday explores Scandinavia and the Baltic, visiting European ports and cities such as Copenhagen, Dublin, St Petersburg and Berlin. It takes in a transatlantic voyage, along with hotel stays in Dubai, London, New York, San Francisco and Southampton.
‘Triple Queen Triumph’ lasts almost six weeks – 40 nights, to be exact – and is filled with great destinations and memorable cruising.
The cruises are:
- A seven-night Lusitania Memorial cruise aboard Queen Victoria from Southampton, visiting France, Ireland and the Channel Isles. The cruise commemorates the centenary of the sinking of Cunard’s Lusitania, torpedoed on 7 May 1915 by a German U-boat, killing 1198 passengers and crew. Queen Victoria will call at Cobh (Cork) in Ireland to commemorate the event. You will be invited to attend ceremonies at the town memorial and cathedral.
- A 16-night Cunard 175th Anniversary cruise round-trip from Southampton to the Baltic aboard Queen Elizabeth, visiting Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Estonia, Scotland, Germany and the Russian masterpiece of St Petersburg.
- A seven-night transatlantic voyage from Southampton to New York aboard Cunard’s flagship Queen Mary 2, a majestic luxury liner in the finest tradition.
The three cruises include all main meals (except speciality restaurants) as well as substantial bonuses in the form of free onboard credit.
‘Triple Queen Triumph’ costs from A$12,399 twin share per person, including flights from Sydney, Melbourne or Brisbane to London, and return flights from San Francisco. Prices are subject to change. The holiday is valid for booking until the end of June 2014.
You’ll receive the following bonuses in free onboard credit aboard the ships (all amounts are payable per twin cabin): Queen Victoria, US$160; Queen Elizabeth, US$270; Queen Mary 2, US$160.
As well as the historic Cunard 175th anniversary meeting of the three Cunard Queens in Southampton on 3 May 2015, and the Lusitania centenary memorial sailing, all three Queens will meet in Cunard’s spiritual home of Liverpool on 25 May 2015 – the first ever three Queens meeting on the river Mersey.
‘Triple Queen Triumph’ begins with a flight from Australia to Dubai on 28 April 2015, where you’ll be transferred by private car to the Riviera hotel, or similar, for three nights, giving plenty of time to check out this fabulous Arabian destination.
Jet on to London for two nights in a four-star hotel in Britain’s capital, arriving in May, late springtime. Then, a transfer to Southampton sees you board Queen Victoria for the Lusitania Memorial cruise, which visits quaint St Peter Port in Guernsey, Le Havre in France and the Irish cities of Cork and Dublin.
A night in the Grand Harbour Hotel, Southampton, gives time to explore this English port city before boarding Queen Elizabeth. The 16-night Cunard 175th Anniversary cruise heads to the Norwegian capital, Oslo, then to wonderful Copenhagen, Stockholm and the Estonian capital of Tallinn, a fairytale city with preserved medieval walls, cobbled squares and towers. You’ll explore St Petersburg, Russia’s great imperial city and repository of art, Berlin, Kirkwall (capital of the Orkney Islands off the coast of mainland Scotland) and sail on to Liverpool (and the meeting of the Queens) before sailing back to Southampton.
On the final cruise, Queen Mary takes you in style across the Atlantic to New York City for two nights at the Wyndham New Yorker hotel in midtown Manhattan (or similar). See the top Big Apple sights and browse SoHo before jetting to San Francisco for two nights accommodation in the Fisherman’s Wharf area of the city.
After all that, your 40-night holiday of a lifetime is about to end with a flight back home to Australia.
To find your local Worldwide Cruise Centres agent go to: www.worldwidecruisecentres.com.au