Cunard Unveils Details of New Ship

Cruises on the Queen Elizabeth, Cunard’s new ship slated to debut in October 2010, will go on sale on April 2.

Cunard has scheduled six sailings during a “maiden voyage season,” including an inaugural two-week cruise of Spain, Portugal and Atlantic islands. The cruise will depart Southampton, England, on Oct. 12, 2010, and call at Lisbon; Vigo and Seville, Spain; Gran Canaria, Tenerife and La Palma in the Canary Islands; and Madeira.

The Queen Elizabeth will then embark on five “celebratory inaugural voyages” from Southampton, said Cunard. They are a 14-day Mediterranean cruise (departs Oct. 25); an 18-day Aegean sailing (Nov. 8); a five-day cruise visiting Rotterdam, Brussels and Cherbourg (Nov. 26); a 13-day Iberia/Atlantic islands voyage (Dec. 1); and a 22-day Caribbean cruise (Dec. 14).

The Queen Elizabeth will offer activities inspired by the era of the first Queen Elizabeth, such as country house parties, piano evenings and dancing from that period -- including the jitterbug and jive.

Like the QE2, the Queen Elizabeth will feature the Yacht Club, a place for activities and gatherings during the day and cocktails and dancing at night.

Cunard calls the Queens Room “a new take on the traditional Cunard ballroom, with artwork depicting views from royal palaces and photography of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and the royal family.”