Not surprisingly, one would imagine, partly due to the confusion and indecision in cruising created by Australia’s Federal and State and Territory Governments in relation to cruising, UK based Cunard Line has announced that it is has cancelled its Queen Elizabeth sailing from the UK to Australia and also her local season in Australia from 18 October 2021 to 9 March 2022.
The reason cited is “ongoing complexities of navigating global travel”, which is also not surprising, which has also resulted in the suspension of the World Voyages on Queen Mary 2, with Cunard saying that Queen Victoria’s voyages have also been cancelled until 29 Apr 2022, with the exception of five journeys, which will be operated on Queen Elizabeth.
Cunard President Simon Palethorpe said Cunard was eagerly anticipating next month’s restart and the United Kingdom season, adding, “Sadly, the path for a return to sailing across international waters is less clear and we are extremely sorry for the huge disappointment cancellations will cause for all guests who have been affected.”
He added, “Unfortunately there are simply too many international ports of call impacted by the ongoing complexities of COVID-19, which has sadly led to this decision including the need to reluctantly cancel Queen Elizabeth’s much anticipated Australian season.”
In the meantime in some good news, but not for Australians, Cunard is resuming UK based operations in just over a month’s time, with Queen Elizabeth welcoming guests on board for a series of United Kingdom voyages from Southampton on 19 July and Queen Elizabeth will sail internationally from 13 October, with some new voyages including to the Canary Islands and Iberian Peninsula, plus departing the UK in mid-February 2022 to resume her scheduled season in Japan from 13 April 2022.
Palethorpe also said, “While we are seeing positive signs that cruising is on its way back, its resumption is still very much influenced by operational challenges due to the pandemic:, stressing, “The interruption to our close relationship with Australasia is only temporary, and Queen Elizabeth is still scheduled to return in Nov 2022”.
A report by John Alwyn-Jones, Cruise Editor
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