Cunard Set To Mark QE2’s 50th
Cunard is honouring the 50th anniversary of its longest serving ocean liner, QE2, with a special voyage onboard the luxury liner Queen Elizabeth.
The 50th anniversary of this much-loved ship will be remembered as Queen Elizabeth sets sail from Southampton on Sept. 8 for a 17-night voyage. The itinerary includes Venice, Sicily and Corfu.
Angus Struthers, vice-president, Cunard, commented, “This Mediterranean cruise is perfectly timed to pay tribute to QE2’s launch and naming by HM Queen Elizabeth II 50 years ago. When QE2 came into service in the 1960s, many critics said she wouldn’t last a decade in the age of the jet, but her unique design as a dual-purpose ship meant that she was versatile enough to operate both as a transatlantic liner and a cruise ship.
“Given how famous and loved she was, we felt this was a great opportunity to pay tribute to this Cunarder’s remarkable life onboard our newest ship, Queen Elizabeth; herself designed to offer a perfect luxury cruise holiday.”
Celebrations focus on five special theme days, each of which will be accompanied by QE2 inspired menus, talks from special guests, historical snippets in the daily program, past-passenger gatherings and QE2 quizzes.
Celebrations culminate on QE2 Day – Sept. 20, 2017 – exactly 50 years since the ship was launched by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. Events will include a QE2 ball and a historical retrospective of the ship’s service life to be hosted in Queen Elizabeth’s 850 seat Royal Court Theatre.
(Photo credits/Chris Frame and Rachelle Cross)
