In a surprise fleet shake-up, Cunard’s newest ship Queen Anne will leave the cruise line in 2029, just five years after entering service, to join sister brand P&O Cruises.
The relatively early departure is notable for a ship that only entered service in May 2024 and currently represents the newest addition to the Cunard fleet. Queen Anne will continue sailing for Cunard until the completion of her 2028-29 world cruise before undergoing an extensive transformation, receiving a new name and beginning service with P&O Cruises in May 2029.
The move forms part of a wider reshuffle within Carnival Corporation. Arcadia will complete a farewell season with P&O Cruises ending on 21st August 2029 before transferring to Holland America Line, where she will continue operating within the Carnival Corporation family.
All currently published Queen Anne and Arcadia cruises scheduled before their respective transfers will operate as planned, the company confirmed. Further details about Queen Anne’s new name, refurbishment, onboard offering and first P&O Cruises programme will be announced later, while details of Arcadia’s farewell season are expected shortly.
Queen Anne To Leave Cunard After Five Years
Queen Anne’s transfer will bring an unusually short chapter with Cunard to a close. The ship entered service in 2024 as the line’s first new vessel in more than a decade, but by 2029 Cunard will once again operate a three-ship fleet comprising Queen Mary 2, Queen Victoria and Queen Elizabeth.
Before her departure, Queen Anne will remain a prominent part of Cunard’s programme. She is due to play a central role in the Four Queens celebration in Liverpool in May 2028 before beginning her final world voyage as a Cunard ship in January 2029.
Carnival UK, P&O Cruises and Cunard president Paul Ludlow said: “These decisions reflect a careful, long-term view of our portfolio and where the individual strengths of each ship can best support guest demand and the future direction of our two cruise lines.
“Queen Anne was created as a bold and contemporary expression of Cunard, combining the brand’s hallmark service and sense of occasion with modern design, an extensive choice of dining and entertainment, and highly flexible public spaces.
“Those qualities give her a natural affinity with the modern P&O Cruises holiday experience. Following her reimagining, she will introduce a new class of ship to the P&O Cruises fleet and broaden the choice available to guests through a different scale, style of onboard experience and range of itineraries. This choice will complement the existing fleet and make her a defining addition to the next chapter of P&O Cruises,” Ludlow continued.
Details of Queen Anne’s new name and the full extent of the work planned before she joins P&O Cruises have yet to be announced.
Her departure will leave Cunard centred on its three longer-established ships. Acc
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