Cunard has announced it will stop homeporting the Queen Elizabeth in Australia from 2026 onwards.
The ship will only visit the southern hemisphere on world cruise segments.
In a statement from Matt Gleaves, Commercial Vice President of North America & Australasia, he said, “We know that many guests in Australia and Japan love to sail with Cunard and Queen Elizabeth is already on her way to Australia to begin her 2023/2024 homeport season starting 27 November.
“The ship will also return for her scheduled 2024/2025 season and whilst this news means that from 2026 there will be no locally based program, Australia and Asia will remain important destinations on our round-the-world voyages and we look forward to welcoming guests from these regions wherever they chose to sail with us.”
The ship will instead, operate year-round from North America, spending the season sailing in and around Alaska and in the winter, in the Caribbean.
The line next year will launch the new Queen Anne, the first ship from the line in 12 years.
She first entered the Cunard fleet on October 4, 2010, and sailed on her maiden voyage from Southampton.
The cruise line announced that the line would start homeporting the Queen Elizabeth in Australia in 2019. Cunard has outlined she would sail from the Port of Melbourne.
She was due to sail on six roundtrip cruises as well as three roundtrip voyages from Sydney.
But the pandemic halted her sailings, with the cruise line resuming services in the 2022/23 season.
Earlier this year, Australian pop sensation Delta Goodrem welcomed back the Queen Elizabeth back into Australia, singing a rendition of ‘Waltzing Matilda’.
On March 1, 2014, Queen Elizabeth sailed into Sydney Harbour displaying a 126-metre long Rainbow ‘Happy Mardi Gras’ banner from her top decks in tribute to the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras.
Cruise Passenger is awaiting a statement from Cunard on the reason for redeployment.
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We love to dress up, and Cunard allows us that opportunity, that said we get the feeling that the crew are not happy serving Australians, not sure why, but the general feeling is they are just not a happy crew.
We have sailed many times both on QM and QE, and found staff to be both abrupt and even rude at times, you don’t get that on most ships leaving Australia, so not sure why that should be the case on Cunard.
We are back on board next year so hopefully things might be better now they know they are soon to be leaving our waters… just saying ♀️
We are an elderly couple in Queensland and love putting effort into dressing up the few times we have on cunard cruises out of Sydney, this is devastating news to us,too many people in this day and age,just have not got what it takes to occasionally dress up ,most have forgotten how to do it,please cunard keep one of your ships home ported in Australia, thank for no future in sailing on cunard regularly. [email protected]
Trouble is….Carnival Cruise Lines ships that sail to Australia use USD$ for on-board purchases as do Disney, Celebrity, NCL etc.
Their fares are higher to start with and everything purchased on board is virtually double Australian prices (currency exchange rates) and then they add up to 18% gratuity USD$ which is on top of up to USD$18.00 pp per day to supplement crew wages.
There are of course incentive packages for beverages, spa treatment, shore excursions, specialty dining etc but add those up for two people in a cabin and all of a sudden a cruise becomes a luxury item. Fine for some but getting out of hand for the average Aussie (who form the bulk of passengers in this part of the world) and you have to think twice.
Cunard basically tried to saturate the Australian cruise market with posh rather strict dress codes (for the average Aussie) and obviously realised their mistake (reduced fare offers everywhere on-line) which still didn’t work so they are pulling the plug. It wasn’t hard to see it coming.
I sailed Auckland/Sydney on Queen Elizabeth 2 a while ago and was appalled at the dress requirement for evening and being chastised constantly (for not wearing a jacket) after 6pm even trying to get too and from the buffet restaurant. I sat down in an virtually empty lounge one day (in dress shorts and a polo shirt) and was rather abruptly moved along because that large and very empty lounge was reserved for certain passengers. Never again Cunard. Colonial days are long over.
Toot toot, back above the equator you go and good luck to you.
Which Cunard ship will be based in Australia if Queen Elizabeth is leaving our shores
If their decision was based on lack of bookings then they have only themselves to blame — owing to their absolute draconian and unsubstantiated policies of NOT accepting bookings from UNVACCINATED customers —— which I believe the company have rescinded this decision and now accept bookings from us cleanskins.
Is Queens Elizabeth sailed from Sydney next year? Is tickets for sell now?
Don’t care, a ship that operates in Australian waters but insists on having $US as on-board currency (speculate on that) is of no use to Australians.
Australia has supported the Cunard line for many years.
We have recently completed the 3 queens 46 day voyage.
The cruise was definitely not up to the Cunard standands of yester year.
As a loyal passenger just 10 nights away from Diamond class, and have booked the 12 day cruise to New Zealand in late January 2024.
Has my loyalty with cunard been rewarded or has Cunard standards been downgraded to just another cruise line.