Cunard local sailings off

CARNIVAL Corporation’s Cunard Line overnight announced it would not resume cruising until the northern spring, meaning the 2020/21 deployment of Queen Elizabeth in Australasian waters will not proceed (CW breaking news).

According to Cunard President Simon Palethorpe, “Queen Elizabeth has returned to the UK and with ongoing uncertainty over the re-opening of many ports and countries it is sadly not practical to continue her planned itineraries for 2021”.

In addition to the pause in operations, all the ship’s currently planned sailings between 26 Mar 2021 and 13 Dec 2021 in Australia, Alaska and Japan will be cancelled, he said.

“These voyages will be replaced with a program of shorter duration European holidays ranging from three to 14 nights departing from Southampton.

“These will start at the end of Mar 2021, with a series of scenic voyages around the coast of Cornwall, the west coast of Ireland and the Scottish Isles,” Palethorpe said, with voyages also including short breaks to Amsterdam and voyages to the Iberian coast and Norway.

Operations for Queen Mary

2 will pause until 18 Apr 2021, and through to 16 May 2021 for Queen Victoria, Palethorpe added.

The Cunard chief also announced that Queen Mary 2 would sail a “classic World Voyage” in 2022, replacing currently scheduled sailings between 03 Jan and 03 Apr 2022, including her voyage to South America.

The switch is in response to the “immense disappointment” of those aboard Queen Mary 2’s curtailed world cruise this year, and the cancellation of her World Voyage in 2021.