Between 1 January to 31 October 2024, a period which saw the launch of the highly-anticipated Queen Anne, the iconic British line reported a 49% year-on-year jump in first-time guests.
Cunard president Katie McAlister said the 3,000-passenger Queen Anne ship now serves as “a test bed” for the line which means various of concepts and experiences are trialled onboard before they are rolled out to the rest of the fleet if they’re popular.
She added that the line is “programming” Queen Anne to appeal to “newcomers” with more shorter cruises available on the ship in 2027/28.
McAlister said the 49% spike in new guests had encouraged the line to have three ships – Queen Anne, Queen Victoria and Queen Mary 2 – operating cruises from the UK between April 2027 and January 2028.
This represents a 54% ex-UK capacity hike for the line and is the first time since 2018 that three "Queens" have sailed from Southampton over the same period, McAlister said.
McAlister said: “[This deployment] signals the demand that we’re seeing from new guests. I think some guests do want that ease of being able to sail right from your doorstep.
“We see the opportunity to grow our new-to-cruise market.”
She added: “Queen Anne is a test bed for us. That’s what is really good about her. Queen Anne is very much Cunard in the modern era.
“We can experiment with new concepts on Queen Anne. The things that have been really successful on Queen Anne, like her wellness programme which is quite different to the rest of the fleet, are being rolled out now.”
McAlister said it is a credit to Cunard’s evolution that the brand has been as thrived as it has done for 185 years.
She added: “Queen Anne is the latest version of that evolution.”
Queen Elizabeth completed its three-week refit earlier this year, while Queen Victoria will likely go into dry dock “in the next 18 months” and Queen Mary 2 is expected to follow in early 2027.
“We’ve had some great support from our agent partners which gives us confidence that our programme is going to be very successful,” she continued.
Bookings open for Cunard World Club members on Wednesday (11 June) and for the general public on Thursday (12 June).
The power of partnerships
McAlister revealed Cunard specifically targets new-to-cruise customers with its different brand partnerships.
Cunard offers a mix of event sailings including the Literature Festival at Sea, Dance the Atlantic in partnership with the English National Ballet, the British Film Institute Sailing and Transatlantic Fashion Week among others.
The line – part of Carnival Corporation – has now partnered with Abbey Road Studios to bring “a new exclusive Listening Lounge experience to music loved on board Queen Elizabeth”.
The 60-minute Listening Lounge experience will be hosted in the Commodore Club and will feature the likes of musicians such as Ed Sheeran, Fela Kuti, Gregory Porter and groups including Ezra Collective and The Beatles.
