Cunard has announced it will be extending its suspension period, until July for the Queen Mary 2 and the Queen Victoria, and until September for the Queen Elizabeth.

For the Queen Mary 2 and the Queen Victoria, the line announced it will be cancelling all sailings that were due to depart before and up to, 31 July.

For the Queen Elizabeth, she  was due to sail in Alaska for the summer wave season. Sister brands Princess Cruises and Holland America Line have also announced they will curtail their season, beginning only in July.

The Queen Elizabeth will not set sail until after 8 September 2020.

Simon Palethorpe, President, Cunard said: “These are extraordinary times and this global outbreak continues to challenge Cunard and the travel industry as a whole. We would love nothing more than to bring our fleet back in to service, and give our guests the holidays they deserve and long for, but with the lockdowns and travel restrictions in place around the world, this is simply not possible at this time.”

He added: “We have been sailing for 180 years and we look forward to many more. We will get through these tough times together and look forward to welcoming our guests back on board again when the time is right.”

Cunard will be communicating with all guests, and their travel agents, who are booked on affected voyages.

As Cunard has done previously during this pause period, guests who are booked on cancelled voyages will automatically be given a 125% Future Cruise Credit. This may be used on any sailing before the end of March 2022.  This covers all departures currently on sale.

Guests may now also use their Future Cruise Credit for a second cabin to bring friends or family or to upgrade an existing booking. Full details of the changes to operations and options available to guests due to travel on cancelled voyages can be found at www.cunard.com.

Cunard will continue to monitor government guidelines and travel restrictions around the world, and this may mean further changes to the timing of when each of the ships returns to service.