After years of Cunard’s careful planning and hard work, Queen Anne is well and truly on her way. On the 3rd of May Cunard celebrated it being exactly one year until the arrival of Queen Anne where she will set sail on her inaugural voyage to Lisbon on the 3rd of May 2024.
The countdown until Queen Anne sets sail began on an important day in the progression of her build, the float out. This is when the whole ship officially touched water for the very first time.
Read more about Cunard’s newest ship in our ‘Introducing Queen Anne‘ blog here!
What happened at Queen Anne’s Float Out?
At this traditional ceremony, Queen Anne received blessings and best wishes as they celebrated the flow of water into the ship’s dry dock.
During the ceremony, the shipbuilders were praised by Carnival UK’s President Sture Myrmell and Fincantieri General Manager Merchant Ships Division Luigi Matarazzo and they communicated their confidence in the ship’s success. Queen Anne is planned to set sail on her maiden voyage in May 2024.
The two speeches made at the ceremony captured the enthusiasm and eagerness of the two companies working on the Queen Anne project. Matarazzo emphasised the ship’s dedication to excellence, while Myrmell focused on the ship’s transition from the dry dock to the water. Both comments expressed confidence in the ship’s success.
The float-out completes the first comprehensive stage of construction for Queen Anne, the next stage of construction will now take place which involves the building of the ship’s interiors. The event comes after the famous keel laying in September when Captain Inger Thorhauge inserted a coin into the ship’s keel beside an original coin from the ship’s namesake’s reign to signify the official start of her construction.
The Design Concept
Cunard’s design ideas for their newest ship were inspired by tradition, skill, elegance, narrative, and innovation. Queen Anne can accommodate 3,000 passengers, has 14 decks, and is 113,000 tons. The ship will provide guests with a number of breathtaking experiences, including a Planetarium where you can set off on an adventure through the stars or find yourself in awe of the biggest collection of carefully curated art at sea.
Celebratory Queen Anne Offer
To celebrate this milestone, Cunard is offering you additional onboard spending money of up to $350 per person to spend on selected 2023 and 2024 Cunard voyages, plus flights from £99 on selected 2024 Queen Victoria Mediterranean Fly-Cruises, valid for cruises of 14 nights or more when you book by 31st of July 2023.