Fourth ship in the Cunard fleet, the Queen Anne embarked on its inaugural voyage on May 3rd from Southampton, UK. For this first official sea outing, the ship and its crew set course for the Portuguese capital of Lisbon.
This marks the culmination of months of work and testing. On Friday, May 3rd, the new and 249th ship in the Cunard fleet, the Queen Anne, departed from the port of Southampton amidst fireworks to begin its inaugural journey to Lisbon.
Following a traditional handover ceremony on April 19th at the Fincantieri Marghera shipyard in Venice, Cunard took delivery of its new cruise ship. The Queen Anne then sailed to Southampton, UK, the starting point for its inaugural voyage on May 3rd.
Before the ship left the port, an official ceremony of blessing and plaque exchange took place at the Mayflower Terminal dock, witnessed by thousands of well-wishers bidding farewell to the ship and its passengers.
First ship to join Cunard in 14 years, the Queen Anne is a luxurious cruise ship that embodies the heritage and expertise of the British maritime company. With its sleek dark hull, the vessel features 1,397 cabins and suites, with a maximum capacity of 3,353 passengers and 1,225 crew members.
For its first official voyage at sea, the cruise ship treats its passengers to a seven-night journey leading to the Portuguese capital, passing through La Coruña. The Queen Anne will then embark on a fourteen-night voyage to the Canary Islands.
A Fincantieri-designed vessel
Founded in 1840, the cruise company Cunard has distinguished itself since its inception with its prestigious fleet of ships. In addition to the Queen Anne, this subsidiary of the Carnival Group since 1998, a specialist in tourism and cruises, currently owns three other ocean liners: the Queen Mary 2 (345 meters, 148,000 gross tonnage, 1,310 cabins), the Queen Victoria (293 meters, 90,050 gross tonnage, 1,037 cabins), and the Queen Elizabeth (293 meters, 90,900 gross tonnage, 1,043 cabins).
Like two of its sisters, the Queen Anne was built by the Italian shipyards Fincantieri. “The Queen Anne, along with the Queen Victoria and the Queen Elizabeth, the other two ships we have built for Cunard, proudly bears the Fincantieri signature, embodying our expertise, reliability, and know-how in shipbuilding. Building a liner for such a prestigious shipowner not only allows us to reconnect with our origins but also propels us towards the future, with the desire to combine tradition and innovation,” said Pierroberto Folgiero, CEO and managing director of the shipbuilding group.
Cruising with Fun
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Featured Image: © Cunard
