Cunard postpones Queen Anne, Celebrity Beyond named & more – latest cruise news

Cruise news this week is from Cunard, Celebrity Cruises and Aurora Expeditions as the lines reveal updates about their new cruise ships.

Aurora has also unveiled new itineraries while Princess Cruises has announced an exciting new experience available to guests. We’ve rounded up the latest goings up.

Cunard announced yesterday that the launch of new cruise ship Queen Anne is to be delayed. The maiden voyage – a seven-night cruise from Southampton to Lisbon – was due to take place on January 4, 2024.

However, Queen Anne (above) will now set sail from Southampton on May 3, 2024, visit La Coruna on May 5, 2024, Lisbon on May 7, 2024, and then return to Southampton on May 10, 2024.

A Cunard spokesperson sail of the delay: “Due in part to unforeseen events that have occurred in recent years, the shipbuilding industry, like other industries, has faced numerous challenges including energy shortages and global supply chain constraints. As a result, our new ship Queen Anne will be arriving slightly later than expected.”

Queen Anne’s new maiden season voyages will include cruises from Southampton to the Mediterranean, Scandinavia, the Canary Islands and the Norwegian Fjords.

The voyages will go on sale on December 6, 2022, for Cunard World Club members and on general sale on December 7, 2022.

Celebrity Cruises ship Celebrity Beyond (above, left) has been officially named by Godmother Simone Biles, a 19-time World Champion, seven-time Olympic Medallist and most decorated American gymnast in history.

The ship’s official naming ceremony took place onboard, led by Biles (above, right) and featured a live performance from award-winning singer and songwriter, Leona Lewis.

The vessel set sail from Fort Lauderdale, Florida on November 4 kicking off its inaugural Caribbean season. Celebrity Beyond will offer rotating Western and Eastern Caribbean itineraries visiting the beaches of Grand Cayman, the views of Puerta Plata and beyond.

Celebrity Beyond is helmed by Captain Kate McCue, the first and still only woman to be named captain of a “Mega” cruise ship.

Princess Cruises has revealed ships Discovery Princess and soon Enchanted Princess will feature a fully-immersive 360: An Extraordinary Experience – the cruise line’s most epic experience ever offered.

The new, invitation-only experience from Princess Cruises will transport guests nightly to the Mediterranean – no matter where they’re actually sailing – engaging all of their senses with the tastes, sights, sounds, touches and fragrances of the spectacular hilltops of Santorini, Amalfi Coast, Barcelona and Provence.

With two seatings nightly, the cloaked venue accommodates 20 guests surrounded by LED walls in a circular format that places guests into featured destinations using stunning 4K cinematography (above).

Through synchronised authentic storytelling, imagery, music, scents, cuisine and visual film, guests are introduced to local ingredients, artisans, passionate purveyors, and culinary methods simultaneously mirrored with a seven-course gourmet experience including wines that emerge from the story of each destination.

The 360 experience is currently available exclusively for guests booked in suite accommodations on Discovery Princess and Enchanted Princess or for guests sailing on the Discovery Princess or Enchanted Princess that book a future cruise with suite accommodations on any Princess ship including Princess Premier at non-cancelable rates.

Invitation access may also be gained from participation in specific “VIP” casino gaming and retail event sailings.

Expedition travel company Aurora Expeditions has today launched its second purpose-built small ship, Sylvia Earle. The vessel will embark on its inaugural voyage from Ushuaia, Argentina to Antarctica on December 10, 2022.

The new Sylvia Earle (above) is designed to accommodate an average 132 passengers per voyage. Featuring an inverted bow designed for smoother and faster ocean crossings which helps to reduce fuel consumption, the ship offers stylish and comfortable staterooms and suites, most with private balconies.

Public spaces include multiple restaurants and bars, social relaxation and wellness areas, an outdoor heated swimming pool and Jacuzzis, a gym, spa and sauna, a library lounge, a lecture theatre, and expansive decks offering panoramic views of wilderness and wildlife, making it the ideal ‘base camp’ for exploring.

Zodiac docks, a changing room and mudroom prepare passengers for off-ship and on-shore activities, while a dedicated Science Centre is the hub for a variety of participative and educational Citizen Science programs.

A highly experienced Expedition Team guides passengers in small groups on myriad excursions by water and land, with exciting activities ranging from Zodiac cruises to walks and hikes, sea kayaking, scuba diving, snorkelling, paddling, skiing, photography and birdwatching, among others.

Earlier this week Aurora Expeditions released its latest Arctic & Beyond 2024 program featuring multi-destination voyages and experiences in some of the most remote and remarkable places on the planet.

New, enhanced and reintroduced itineraries include a 15-day Patagonia and Chilean Fjords expedition; 11-day circumnavigation of Iceland; 15-day sailing in Costa Rica and the Panama Canal; 12-day Wild Scotland adventure, and a 17-day Greenland Odyssey.

Polar expeditions in 2024 will travel across the Arctic Circle to Svalbard, Spitsbergen and the Northern Lights, and voyages into the Northwest Passage, along with Aurora’s immersive expeditions in Antarctica.

A more unusual update from Virgin Voyages – the line set the Guinness World Record for the largest gathering of people dressed as merpeople.

The event took place at Virgin Voyages Beach Club in Bimini (above) and saw 457 Sailors gathered in a kaleidoscope of vibrant mermaid tails. This broke the previous record, a gathering of 378 merpeople set in the UK in June of 2022.

The attempt included lively music, epic makeup, shelfies, a few stadium-style waves and Champagne showers once the adjudicator announced that the record was officially beaten.

From now through April 2023, Valiant Lady will offer a mix of six- and eight-night voyages to some of the Caribbean and Mexico’s most interesting locales. November also marks the brand’s first-ever Eat & Drink Month in which every cabin will receive a $300 Bar Tab.

Sailors can also take advantage of the Dreamy Getaway offer and snag 25 percent off and a Bar Tab Bonus on 2022 and 2023 sailings.