Pear Carr Posted December 6, 2023 #26 Share Posted December 6, 2023 Very excited for QM2 world cruise - just asked on board and advised likely not on sale until March. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Host Hattie Posted December 6, 2023 #27 Share Posted December 6, 2023 1 minute ago, Pear Carr said: Very excited for QM2 world cruise - just asked on board and advised likely not on sale until March. Did they confirm the Panama Canal transit? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare foodsvcmgr Posted December 6, 2023 #28 Share Posted December 6, 2023 John - what do you think is Cunard’s thought process for leaking these schedules to the travel agency and not simply putting them on direct sale now that they have been completed? I would think Cunard would want to maximize their selling opportunities as far in advance as possible. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Winifred 22 Posted December 6, 2023 #29 Share Posted December 6, 2023 Oh March that gives me a long time to weigh up my options Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluemarble Posted December 6, 2023 Author #30 Share Posted December 6, 2023 10 minutes ago, foodsvcmgr said: John - what do you think is Cunard’s thought process for leaking these schedules to the travel agency and not simply putting them on direct sale now that they have been completed? I would think Cunard would want to maximize their selling opportunities as far in advance as possible. It is somewhat unusual to find these 2026 itineraries so far in advance of a March "on sale" date which is a typical for the world and exotic voyages. In the past, I've usually found them one or two months before they are released for sale. Naturally they want to give their travel agents some time to prepare their systems to accept bookings for the new itineraries, but three months ahead of the release date does seem excessive. I'm not sure what their thinking is. It is extremely odd that I've found the 2026 itineraries into December for QM2 and QA and into October for QV this early. It's unprecedented for this to happen during the time I've been monitoring the Cunard itineraries and their official announcement/release dates. This would seem to imply they might be announcing the more complete 2026 itineraries in March, not just the world/exotic schedules through Spring 2026 which has been the standard practice in the past. Assuming what I've found is real (which is still an assumption at this point), it certainly makes no sense for Cunard to release their full 2026 itineraries to travel agents for them to hold onto until the typical September timeframe for the announcement/release of their Summer/Autumn itineraries. I guess we shall see what happens in March. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluemarble Posted December 6, 2023 Author #31 Share Posted December 6, 2023 I'll repost the QM2 2026 itineraries since I am now able to see the embarkation ports and dates for the various segments rather than having to guess at them. Those are the dates I've indicated in red. This version also includes the alternative dates for the start of the world voyage through Los Angeles I mentioned earlier. The website where I've found the 2026 itineraries lists two different sets of dates for the port calls at the beginning of the world voyage. This is the version (with two days in New York and one in Los Angeles) listed within the itinerary for the full world voyage from Southampton. The other set of dates (with one day in New York and two days in Los Angeles) is listed within the itinerary for the full world voyage from New York. I guess time will tell which (if either) is correct. Queen Mary 2 2026 Itineraries 11-Jan-26 Southampton 18-Jan-26 New York 19-Jan-26 New York 24-Jan-26 Willemstad 27-Jan-26 Panama Canal Transit 31-Jan-26 Manzanillo 3-Feb-26 Los Angeles 5-Feb-26 San Francisco 6-Feb-26 San Francisco 11-Feb-26 Honolulu 12-Feb-26 Kona 18-Feb-26 Papeete 19-Feb-26 Moorea 26-Feb-26 Bay of Islands 27-Feb-26 Auckland 28-Feb-26 Tauranga 4-Mar-26 Sydney 5-Mar-26 Sydney 7-Mar-26 Brisbane 10-Mar-26 Yorkeys Knob 14-Mar-26 Darwin 17-Mar-26 Bitung 21-Mar-26 Hong Kong 22-Mar-26 Hong Kong 24-Mar-26 Chan May 27-Mar-26 Singapore 28-Mar-26 Singapore 29-Mar-26 Port Kelang 2-Apr-26 Colombo 8-Apr-26 Abu Dhabi 9-Apr-26 Dubai 10-Apr-26 Dubai 12-Apr-26 Muscat 18-Apr-26 Safaga 19-Apr-26 Safaga 21-Apr-26 Suez Canal Transit 23-Apr-26 Piraeus 27-Apr-26 Cadiz 30-Apr-26 Southampton 1-May-26 Le Havre 8-May-26 New York 15-May-26 Southampton 16-May-26 (Refit) 23-Jun-26 (Refit) 24-Jun-26 Southampton 25-Jun-26 Jurassic Coast Scenic Cruising 26-Jun-26 Southampton 3-Jul-26 New York 4-Jul-26 New York 5-Jul-26 Newport 7-Jul-26 Halifax 8-Jul-26 Halifax 10-Jul-26 New York 17-Jul-26 Southampton 19-Jul-26 Hamburg 21-Jul-26 Southampton 28-Jul-26 New York 4-Aug-26 Southampton 5-Aug-26 Zeebrugge 7-Aug-26 Olden 8-Aug-26 Skjolden 11-Aug-26 Isafjordur 12-Aug-26 Reykjavik 13-Aug-26 Reykjavik 18-Aug-26 New York 25-Aug-26 Southampton 27-Aug-26 Hamburg 29-Aug-26 Bergen 30-Aug-26 Olden 31-Aug-26 Alesund 2-Sep-26 Hamburg 4-Sep-26 Zeebrugge 5-Sep-26 Le Havre 6-Sep-26 Southampton 13-Sep-26 New York 20-Sep-26 Southampton 27-Sep-26 New York 28-Sep-26 Boston 29-Sep-26 Boston 1-Oct-26 Sydney 3-Oct-26 Quebec 4-Oct-26 Quebec 5-Oct-26 Quebec 6-Oct-26 Saguenay 7-Oct-26 Sept-Iles 9-Oct-26 Halifax 11-Oct-26 New York 18-Oct-26 Southampton 20-Oct-26 Hamburg 22-Oct-26 Zeebrugge 23-Oct-26 Southampton 30-Oct-26 New York 6-Nov-26 Southampton 7-Nov-26 Rotterdam 8-Nov-26 Rotterdam 10-Nov-26 Southampton 17-Nov-26 New York 21-Nov-26 St Thomas 22-Nov-26 Basseterre 23-Nov-26 English Harbour 24-Nov-26 Philipsburg 25-Nov-26 Road Town 29-Nov-26 New York 6-Dec-26 Southampton 7-Dec-26 Le Havre 9-Dec-26 Rotterdam 10-Dec-26 Rotterdam 11-Dec-26 Zeebrugge 13-Dec-26 Southampton 20-Dec-26 New York 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BklynBoy8 Posted December 6, 2023 #32 Share Posted December 6, 2023 (edited) A bit disappointed of the QM2 2026 voyage list compared to 2025. Glad we booked our sailing in 2025. Maybe, but Maybe that will be the year we would do our first BtoB on her for a special occasion that year of 2026. Edited December 6, 2023 by BklynBoy8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pear Carr Posted December 6, 2023 #33 Share Posted December 6, 2023 2 hours ago, Host Hattie said: Did they confirm the Panama Canal transit? No details shared on itinerary unfortunately! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sogne Posted December 6, 2023 #34 Share Posted December 6, 2023 QA calls at Gibraltar align with Gib PA. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sfred Posted December 6, 2023 #35 Share Posted December 6, 2023 (edited) 21 hours ago, bluemarble said: Queen Mary 2 2026 Itineraries The first thing that stands out for me is the "Panama Canal Transit" on the 2026 World Voyage itinerary. We know QM2 can fit through the new Panama Canal locks but it's a tight fit for QM2 to get under the Bridge of the Americas. It will be a very close fit. The Bridge of the Americas clearance at high tide is 61.3 meters. QM2 from keel to funnel is 72.0 meters. At a typical draft of approximately 10.3 meters, that leaves an air draft of approximately 61.7 meters. I guess they are planning to go through at a lower tide. And maybe tell everyone out on deck to crouch down. It felt close even for QE during our August transit earlier this year. If it occurs, the Bridge of the Americas would replace the Askoy Bridge in Bergen Norway as the lowest bridge in the world that QM2 passes under. Askoy has a clearance of 62 meters. Edited December 6, 2023 by sfred 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare WantedOnVoyage Posted December 6, 2023 #36 Share Posted December 6, 2023 Delighted to see QUEEN VICTORIA's doing the classic Southampton-West Indies long cruise in Jan 2026... done it on QM2 in Jan 2022, booked on QM2 for Jan 2024 and will certainly do so for 2026. But sorry she's still exiled on "fly cruises" for another season. I guess we'll get by without our summer ex-Southampton r/t cruise for yet more years. Her annual longer autumn one was always a sell out but I guess that doesn't impress Cunard's schedule planners. The good thing is that is always "something" and in the good sense of the word. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluemarble Posted December 6, 2023 Author #37 Share Posted December 6, 2023 21 minutes ago, sfred said: It will be a very close fit. The Bridge of the Americas clearance at high tide is 61.3 meters. QM2 from keel to funnel is 72.0 meters. At a typical draft of approximately 10.3 meters, that leaves an air draft of approximately 61.7 meters. I guess they are planning to go through at a lower tide. I found this in a Vessel Requirements document on the Canal de Panamá website (pancanal.com). I believe we've discussed these (or similar) details in the past when the subject has come up about whether QM2 is able to transit the Panama Canal. "Maximum Height The allowable height for any vessel transiting the Canal or entering the Port of Balboa at any state of the tide is 57.91 meters (190 feet) measured from the waterline to its highest point. With prior permission from the Transit Operations Division Executive Manager, height may be permitted to 62.5 meters (205 feet) on a case-by-case basis, with passage at low water (MLWS) at Balboa." 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Underwatr Posted December 6, 2023 #38 Share Posted December 6, 2023 23 hours ago, bluemarble said: The first thing that stands out for me is the "Panama Canal Transit" on the 2026 World Voyage itinerary. We know QM2 can fit through the new Panama Canal locks but it's a tight fit for QM2 to get under the Bridge of the Americas. Ooh, I'd do that trip. I've always maintained that it could do a transit with coordination with the canal authority. From the Vessel Requirements document: "The allowable height for any vessel transiting the Canal or entering the Port of Balboa at any state of the tide is 57.91 meters (190 feet) measured from the waterline to its highest point. With prior permission from the Transit Operations Division Executive Manager, height may be permitted to 62.5 meters (205 feet) on a case-by-case basis, with passage at low water (MLWS) at Balboa. Maximum Height Restrictions are due to the tide and the unpredictable upward movement of water from swells, surges, waves, etc., and maintenance equipment suspended beneath the bridge at Balboa." 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Underwatr Posted December 6, 2023 #39 Share Posted December 6, 2023 Sorry, I got excited and didn't see BlueMarble's citation of the same document I referred to Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare WantedOnVoyage Posted December 6, 2023 #40 Share Posted December 6, 2023 Or, they will just have QM2 join another famous Cunarder, Tyrrhenia, which en route to Montreal in July 1922 snagged the high tension electric cables across the St. Lawrence and brought down four of the six as her masts were too high. Needless to say, she never return to the St. Lawrence, at least below Quebec. I did enjoy standing beside Stephen Payne outbound from Lisboa in Jan 2022 going under the Salazar Bridge and asked if it doesn't make it, does he just quietly return to his cabin. But I think there must be feet if not yards clearance. Or something. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tag1000 Posted December 7, 2023 #41 Share Posted December 7, 2023 There does not seem to be a lot of transatlantic crossings in 2026 (from my very quick analysis) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare david,Mississauga Posted December 7, 2023 #42 Share Posted December 7, 2023 1 hour ago, tag1000 said: There does not seem to be a lot of transatlantic crossings in 2026 (from my very quick analysis) I haven't counted them, but I hope there are more than usual. I have found it difficult to book a round-trip that suits us. I don't mean Back to Back voyages. Sadly, I see no crossings that include Halifax. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare WantedOnVoyage Posted December 7, 2023 #43 Share Posted December 7, 2023 It appears that the Zeebruge Chamber of Commerce has been sending free pizza to Cunard for months now.... But no... the trans-Atlantic crossings seem a bit lost in this. Was there some British travel show in the last oh five years that suddenly resulted in this positive mania for sailing off to Norway in November and March with two days (!) in Tromso and three (!) in Narvik (I think that was more than the British Army stayed there in 1940)? It's uncanny how this "northern lights" thing has become a feature of Cunard and other UK based lines in the last few years. I visited Tromso once aboard QE2 and found it as dull and dreary a place as any I have visited in 50 years of ocean travel. "The Paris of the North" they called it. Sure, why not.... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluemarble Posted December 7, 2023 Author #44 Share Posted December 7, 2023 1 hour ago, tag1000 said: There does not seem to be a lot of transatlantic crossings in 2026 (from my very quick analysis) I count 19 transatlantic crossings scheduled for QM2 during 2026. That includes the 14-night westbound crossing via Iceland in August and the January 3rd eastbound crossing I didn't include on this thread because that has already been announced. That's a reduction from next year's count of 20 scheduled crossings and the 24 crossings scheduled for 2025. But that's an increase from this year where 18 crossings were scheduled (there will be only 16 crossings this year because of the two crossings that were canceled in April). When we factor in the 38-day gap in QM2's 2026 schedule during May/June for what is presumably going to be a drydock, that count of 19 crossings for 2026 compares reasonably well with previous years. Right on cue, I'll post my updated list of QM2 crossing counts per year on this thread pending confirmation of the 2026 schedule from Cunard. QM2 Crossings Per Year 2004 = 15 2005 = 26 2006 = 20 2007 = 23 2008 = 24 2009 = 23 2010 = 21 2011 = 21 2012 = 20 2013 = 18 2014 = 18 2015 = 22 2016 = 21 2017 = 24 2018 = 24 2019 = 24 2020 = 1 2021 = 1 2022 = 25 2023 = 16 2024 = 20 2025 = 24 2026 = 19 Total QM2 crossings through 2026 = 450. 2 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gustavus65 Posted December 7, 2023 #45 Share Posted December 7, 2023 How does the OP have access to this information? I'd quite like access to! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare D&N Posted December 7, 2023 #46 Share Posted December 7, 2023 (edited) 11 minutes ago, Gustavus65 said: How does the OP have access to this information? I'd quite like access to! I suspect you may need to spend half your life trawling through travel agents and port authority websites around the globe looking for information that is briefly posted on web pages by mistake! I personally think it would be quite rude to ask them to divulge their sources after all the time they've taken to gather the information (I know you didn't actually ask them to) and it would be against forum rules for them to mention travel agents by name. Edited December 7, 2023 by D&N 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BklynBoy8 Posted December 7, 2023 #47 Share Posted December 7, 2023 (edited) 41 minutes ago, Gustavus65 said: How does the OP have access to this information? I'd quite like access to! I believe we should be thankful to have bluemarble (John) as a valuable asset to this board with his talent and resources and make them, information, available to us. We too also have access to information we share too on these boards. John (bluemarble) Thank you as always! Edited December 7, 2023 by BklynBoy8 8 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluemarble Posted December 7, 2023 Author #48 Share Posted December 7, 2023 (edited) 6 hours ago, Gustavus65 said: How does the OP have access to this information? I'd quite like access to! I'm happy to mention various port authority websites that list their 2026 schedules. The cruise ship schedules on those websites are meant to be accessible to the public. I've had the help of other members of this forum who have mentioned some of these sites, especially @sogne and @LittleFish1976. Port Authority of New South Wales ("portauthoritynsw.com.au") for Sydney, Australia Victorian Ports Corporation ("vicports.vic.gov.au") for Melbourne, Australia Darwin Port ("darwinport.com.au") for Darwin, Australia Fremantle Ports ("fremantleports.com.au") for Fremantle, Australia APRAM - Portos Da Madeira ("portosdamadeira.com") for Funchal, Madeira Gibraltar Port Authority ("gibraltarport.com") for Gibraltar Sites such as these help us get a head start on discerning Cunard's future intentions even if they might only indicate port reservations rather than confirmed itineraries. An example illustrating that point was a statement I made on another thread indicating it looked like QE was going to be doing a 2025/26 Australia season after finding entries for QE on the Sydney cruise ship schedule from late 2025 into early 2026. But as we now know, Cunard recently announced QE won't be returning for a 2025/26 Australia season. Those dates for QE from late 2025 onwards have since been removed from Sydney's cruise ship schedule. Sorry, I can't share specific travel agent names on this forum. But even if I could, it wouldn't be appropriate to mention sites that have probably made mistakes by posting itineraries before Cunard's official announcement dates. Edited December 7, 2023 by bluemarble 5 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
addo Posted December 9, 2023 #49 Share Posted December 9, 2023 Thank you for the information on QM2 and QA. I await the itineraries for QE in 2025/6. Does anyone have any information when these will be available please. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
watsonbeau Posted December 10, 2023 #50 Share Posted December 10, 2023 For the QM2 call at Los Angeles - is that likely to be Long Beach ? Or San Pedro ? Thank you Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Please sign in to comment
You will be able to leave a comment after signing in
Sign In Now