Speaking to TTG, the line’s director of UK sales, Thomas Mahoney, said the company has seen a "very, very strong" start to 2023.

"This is the first year when almost ’normal’ service has resumed, so what we are seeing is our ships sailing full again, which is brilliant as our guests are happy and enjoying the Cunard experience," Mahoney said. 

This positive momentum throughout the start of the year has helped facilitate an increase in the line’s forward booking levels, with customers rebooking Cunard itineraries further out.

The addition of its fourth vessel, Queen Anne, to its fleet next May will represent an increase of more than 40% capacity for Cunard to fill – and despite Mahoney praising the line’s repeat customers for their loyalty over the years, he’s acutely aware of the importance of reaching new customers.

"We’re seeing a really, really strong boost to new-to-cruise customers," he said. "Whilst our past and current passengers are absolutely pivotal to our success, we are seeing an influx of new people to Cunard and Queen Anne’s been quite important to that."

A key part of attracting new-to-cruise customers lies in new additions to Queen Anne, Mahoney explained, including the line’s partnership with chef Michel Roux, who will work alongside the brand’s culinary development team to create an exclusive gala menu for the vessel’s Grill Restaurant and a new menu for its Golden Lion pub. 

"Queen Anne for us is that evolution towards modern luxury," Mahoney explained. "We always pride ourselves on being a luxury British heritage brand, and we’re not losing that – we’re advancing that with the new vessel and new culinary offerings, which, over time, will be rolled out across the fleet."

Mahoney said Queen Anne’s maiden season has launched "superbly" well, exceeding the line’s expectations after it sold out "extremely" quickly. 

"You have that launch spike, but what we are seeing now is just a continuous and consistent uplift in demand for Queen Anne," he added. Cunard’s average selling price has also gone up year-on-year, Mahoney said, driven by the extra capacity on offer for 2024.

A key part of the line’s ongoing success, Mahoney explained, is its trade partners reshaping misconceptions some consumers may have when it comes to a Cunard sailing, and discussing the line’s popular event-based itineraries with clients.

Mahoney praised agents for continuing to be an "absolutely pivotal" part of the brand’s performance and growth. "And that has always been the case and will continue to be the case.

"The appetite from our travel agent partners to have that conversation around new-to-cruise with us and to discuss with our business managers has helped our business grow massively, and when they speak to customers about the misconceptions of cruise and our event programme, we see an immediate uplift," Mahoney added.

Having reintroduced a regional sales team for the first time since 2020 and hired two field-based sales managers to boost support for agents earlier this year, Mahoney will now look to consolidate his sales team and bring in more recruits as the line expands its portfolio of agent partners.