Cruising Talk - View Single Post - Cunard charts more crossings, new ports in ’09

**Ally** · 04-11-2008, 05:13 AM

Quote:

New ports, new itineraries and more Atlantic crossings, with options to embark in Boston, are highlights of Cunard Line’s 2009 schedule.

Following simultaneous world cruises early in the year, Queen Mary 2 and Queen Victoria will embark on more than 60 departures calling at over 75 ports in 34 countries. The schedule includes additional Queen Mary 2 trans-Atlantics and 11 new Queen Victoria itineraries with 18 maiden calls.

A record number of New York sailings as well as an extended trans-Atlantic season are planned. Queen Mary 2 will operate 25 crossings, including six-day sailings between Southampton and New York, two eight-day voyages between Hamburg and New York, one eight-day voyage from Boston via New York to Southampton and one nine-day crossing from Southampton via New York to Halifax and Boston.

‘Grand Voyages’ of 20 to 24 days round-trip to Europe from New York are available.

An eight-day ‘Around the British Isles’ itinerary will include first calls to Liverpool, Glasgow and Cork. QM2’s extended Europe schedule will offer such itineraries as a week-long ‘Voyage of the Vikings’ from Southampton to Norway, a ‘Northern Splendours’ eight-day voyage from Hamburg to Norway, and 11- and 12-day round-trips from Southampton to diverse Mediterranean ports.

In the autumn, QM2 returns to the Americas for New England/Canada cruises followed by a Caribbean season of 10- to 15-day voyages from New York.

Queen Victoria’s second year in service begins with a wide range of sailings from Southampton. Maiden calls are planned at such destinations as Kristiansand, Norway; Gothenburg, Sweden; Alghero on the island of Sardinia and Cephalonia, Greece.

Eight 12- to 16-day cruises will visit the Mediterranean, and Queen Victoria will sail to the Canaries and the Atlantic Coast on three itineraries, including a 16-day holiday season voyage. In July, the ship makes a maiden cruise to Iceland.

Queen Victoria’s schedule also offers Norway and Baltic sailings, and a 10-day ‘Winter Wonderland’ voyage round-trip from Southampton on Dec. 9 with overnights in Hamburg and Copenhagen and calls at Stavanger, Oslo and Brussels/Bruges (Zeebrugge).

www.cruise-community.comsecurityunauthorized.asp