Same boring itineraries for 2025

[Hoveto]

We’ve had the same itineraries for at least the past three years. Even the world cruises are same old, same old. If other lines can produce interesting and varied itineraries why can’t Cunard? I’m having to look elsewhere all of the time. I like the Cunard product but want new itineraries.

[ballroom-cruisers]

Very limited choice of itineraries going SOU-SOU in 2025 (so far) - with lots of fly-cruise holidays - we are not impressed! Fly-cruise is fine for those who like spending time in airports, and with limited luggage allowances, and happy with the risk of cancellation of flights - but we prefer departing and arriving back on home soil in Southampton.    There are nice ports in the Med that the ships could go to - but Cunard seems to be avoiding them. Maybe it is to keep costs down!

[foodsvcmgr]

If I recall the story had been that having only three ships limited the options.

Now with the addition of a fourth, still seems little has changed.

QE remains the unknown presently but unless Alaska revenues have been below budget don’t expect anything new for ‘25.

Being a two hour drive from Brooklyn I’d love to see a few more Caribbean sailings.

[D&N]

We're more than happy for QM2's itineraries to stay the same.

A Southampton->Brooklyn->Southampton in early June for rest of it's service life will suit us nicely.

It's a Fly-Cruise for us anyway.

 

Med port calls are going out for a walk, or if we're really adventurous maybe get a bus or train. 🙂

[exlondoner]

15 minutes ago, D&N said:

We're more than happy for QM2's itineraries to stay the same.

A Southampton->Brooklyn->Southampton in early June for rest of it's service life will suit us nicely.

It's a Fly-Cruise for us anyway.

 

Med port calls are going out for a walk, or if we're really adventurous maybe get a bus or train. 🙂

But it must be said, to judge by this board, that a microscopic proportion of Cunard’s potential passengers live within throwing distance of the Med. And those of us who don’t might enjoy a little more variety.

[D&N]

@exlondoner We just want two weeks of dancing per year. That being the only thing we miss about Scotland. 💃

[Hoveto]

I’m not interested in fly cruises, just Southampton round trip. To think in the good old days used to ta me a 25 day cruise to Rio and back on Canberra, Med cruises to Haifa, Istanbul, Alexandria in 16 days. Now, what used to take 14 to 16 days now takes 19. I took. Many QE2 cruises. 14 day round trip including a day in Bermuda. Those were the days. Loved that ship.

 

 

 

[Victoria2]

We couldn't care less where the ship goes. Won't fly at the moment so any S'ton-S'ton itinerary is fine. I just wish it could be a QV itinerary.

[foodsvcmgr]

Agreed hoveto - we took QM2 New York to the Caribbean for 10 days in 2009, then again for 11 days in 2010.

Now the same itinerary is 13 days and they don’t even venture down to Grenada.

Much as I enjoy faster sailing I’d be happy just to see more than two of these a year!

[WantedOnVoyage]

Yep... QUEEN ANNE and an endless succession of totally boring itineraries has had me trolling the Fred. Olsen website two times in a week now.... they have two longish roundtrips from Liverpool or Southampton that already appeal way more than Cunard's offerings, including a wonderful St. Lawrence one and to Greenland/Iceland/Newfoundland etc.. Valuewise, Cunard is frankly better especially in the better categories and grills but I am tempted to give them a miss later into 2025 and beyond. 

 

Who is responsible for Cunard's itineraries? They must be either bored to death too or just lazy.  Civitavecchia, Valencia or bust.... I think I'll try bust. Carnival cross pollinates P&O, Princess and Cunard port calls and I think that adds to these tired evergreens. 

 

I don't want anything to do with "fly cruises" within Europe and they are forcing those of us who prefer roundtrip from Southampton onto QUEEN ANNE. No way. No thanks.  

[Solent Richard]

On 9/19/2023 at 2:11 PM, Hoveto said:

We’ve had the same itineraries for at least the past three years. Even the world cruises are same old, same old. If other lines can produce interesting and varied itineraries why can’t Cunard? I’m having to look elsewhere all of the time. I like the Cunard product but want new itineraries.

Tell me about it. Two world cruises and there was only the one port we'd not landed at.

 

If it wasn't for trying out Queen Anne I doubt we would be sailing Cunard for a while. Hence Azamara next as a newby: 7 ports 4 New to us.

 

Isn't it what cruising is all about? 

Edited September 20, 2023 by Solent Richard

[Solent Richard]

23 hours ago, Hoveto said:

I’m not interested in fly cruises, just Southampton round trip. To think in the good old days used to ta me a 25 day cruise to Rio and back on Canberra, Med cruises to Haifa, Istanbul, Alexandria in 16 days. Now, what used to take 14 to 16 days now takes 19. I took. Many QE2 cruises. 14 day round trip including a day in Bermuda. Those were the days. Loved that ship.

 

 

 

Or those who can remember the QE2's South African 'Line Voyages, 37 nights 

 

Funchal - Cape Town, Durban, -Mauritius(Port Louis) - Cape Town -

Walvis Bay - St Helena - Santa Cruz de Tenerife - Vigo - Southampton

 

The ship even arrived in daylight...

 

[david,Mississauga]

I would like to have seen more Atlantic crossings on the QM2.  It is difficult getting a suitable round trip from NY, and I don't mean returning the same day or a month later.  If Cunard won't increase the crossings I wish they would re-instate the occasional calls at Halifax. We managed to do that only once and disembarking in Halifax was the easiest arrival we have ever had on a crossing. There was no queue for immigration (actually we didn't even speak with an officer, the purser's staff did that) and the railway station and former railway hotel are just across from the pier. There was no need to fly anywhere.

 

One thing I like is the QE will remain on the Alaska cruises - not the Queen Anne as Cunard had said would be taking over those. We have taken the Alaska cruise on each of the three years since the QE has been doing those. We will skip next year but will probably do it in 2025. I know the itineraries have not been announced yet (they are always later for Alaska) but it is obvious the QE will be doing them.

[Wonky]

Not wanting to rock the boat but, perhaps you need to consider that you (and I to a lesser extent) are in a very privileged position in having been to those ports many times. Most people that are fortunate enough to be able to embark on a world cruise or for that matter any cruise with Cunard would actually want to go to the “standard” regular ports as it is likely a once in a lifetime trip. Just my two penneth.

[fourmile.ranch]

Being US based, it's nice to see Fjords included in a 21 day NY-NY round trip. Also the 14 day Canadian NY-NY in October looks awesome. Both new itineraries to us if not to Cunard.

[Victoria2]

20 minutes ago, Wonky said:

Not wanting to rock the boat but, perhaps you need to consider that you (and I to a lesser extent) are in a very privileged position in having been to those ports many times. Most people that are fortunate enough to be able to embark on a world cruise or for that matter any cruise with Cunard would actually want to go to the “standard” regular ports as it is likely a once in a lifetime trip. Just my two penneth.

 

I agree.

There is no right or wrong to a cruise holiday. It takes all categories of passengers to make the whole and for some of us the ship becomes our floating hotel, the destination if you like, with ports as a change of scenery should we want to explore.

Cunard caters for that, beautifully. 🙂

 

[Classiccruiser777]

19 minutes ago, fourmile.ranch said:

Being US based, it's nice to see Fjords included in a 21 day NY-NY round trip. Also the 14 day Canadian NY-NY in October looks awesome. Both new itineraries to us if not to Cunard.

 

These cruises are staples of Cunard. We're about to go RT NY - Quebec next week and have done several RTs from NY Norway, the UK and the Med. Beats flying by a mile.

 

[WantedOnVoyage]

I am pleased that Cunard have put QM2 on the same idyllic Southampton-West Indies r/t (and no New York!!!) in Jan 2025 that we did in Jan 2022. We booked it aboard QV in May.  And better still, it's now 35 nights with a more meaningful circuit of the Caribbean.  I suspect we won't have the luxury of sharing it with only 1,300 others next time, though...

 

I'd like to see Le Havre or Cherbourg on every single crossing for starters as it used to be for... well since the early 1920s.  And yes, more crossings in season.  Not wasting QM2 on piddling shorter cruises.  Maybe one or two proper 14-16 day cruises ex Southampton that can be combined with a r/t crossing from NY.  And a big yes to Halifax added, too.... a short call adds little time or distance.  

 

And put QUEEN VICTORIA back where she belongs.... out of Southampton April-December on traditional longer cruises with one "event" cruise to Canada/Newfoundland/Greenland or similar and another long one to the Mediterranean.  There are zillions of "fly-cruises" already... why do we need Cunard doing them?

Edited September 20, 2023 by WantedOnVoyage

[Hoveto]

I was only thinking about that QE2 37 night South Africa round trip yesterday. Just wish Cunard would offer the same again. But guess no chance.

[Germancruiser]

Well I never have trouble to find something interessting- I must also admit though, for me one of the Queens is the destination- I almost don´t care where the ship stopps- Transatlantic´s beeing my favorite!

[exlondoner]

15 hours ago, Wonky said:

Not wanting to rock the boat but, perhaps you need to consider that you (and I to a lesser extent) are in a very privileged position in having been to those ports many times. Most people that are fortunate enough to be able to embark on a world cruise or for that matter any cruise with Cunard would actually want to go to the “standard” regular ports as it is likely a once in a lifetime trip. Just my two penneth.

I’m sure many world cruises are indeed once in a life time. But Cunard do have an awful lot of repeat passengers, so it would be nice if on shorter cruises they could come up with a few new ports. QE has just been in Naples, but how often does that appear on a cruise starting at Southampton, for instance?

[3rdGenCunarder]

20 hours ago, david,Mississauga said:

I would like to have seen more Atlantic crossings on the QM2.  It is difficult getting a suitable round trip from NY, and I don't mean returning the same day or a month later.  If Cunard won't increase the crossings I wish they would re-instate the occasional calls at Halifax. We managed to do that only once and disembarking in Halifax was the easiest arrival we have ever had on a crossing. There was no queue for immigration (actually we didn't even speak with an officer, the purser's staff did that) and the railway station and former railway hotel are just across from the pier. There was no need to fly anywhere.

 

One thing I like is the QE will remain on the Alaska cruises - not the Queen Anne as Cunard had said would be taking over those. We have taken the Alaska cruise on each of the three years since the QE has been doing those. We will skip next year but will probably do it in 2025. I know the itineraries have not been announced yet (they are always later for Alaska) but it is obvious the QE will be doing them.

 

I've done Alaska on QE two of the three years. I'm not going next year, but maybe I'll see you there in 2025. I love that ship, and Alaska is the closest cruise for me. I like HAL's Vistas, too. I will be on QV next month, so I hope I'll feel as at home on her as I do on QE. 

 

[shippmates]

I love sailing on Queen Mary 2 out of NYC but I need some new places to visit.  As much as I hated to do it but I looked at Holland America for 2024, found a very interesting 42 day to the Med and Atlantic.  I have to bite the bullet and fly to FLL instead of driving to NYC.  Sure hope I am not disappointed but I will make the best as I have not been to any of the ports on that cruise.

[Solent Richard]

21 hours ago, Hoveto said:

I was only thinking about that QE2 37 night South Africa round trip yesterday. Just wish Cunard would offer the same again. But guess no chance.

And I'm just so pleased we experienced it when it was available. Not only for the itinerary either: though that was excellent.

 

It certainly gave one the impression that traditional Cunarders were in the majority and one never heard of  any passengers pushing the boundaries of dress standards.

 

We even managed a helicopter flight over the Cape...

 

 

...with a  pilot who, having accepted who we were sailing with, obligingly provided the perfect photo opportunity...

 

 

******

 

 

 

 

[david,Mississauga]

That looks like the RMS St. Helena beside the QE2.  I regret not taking a line voyage on that ship when it was possible to do Southampton - Cape Town or vv.