Cunard Adds Fashion, NASA and More to Onboard Events

Cunard has announced the lineup for its new programs for 2017 and 2018 aboard its three ships. Voyages will include fashion icons, NASA astronauts, puzzle masters and family historians on the Queen Mary 2, Queen Victoria and Queen Elizabeth.

Cunard’s 2017-2018 Voyage Program will include:

Festival of Flowers (June 8, 2017 | V714): Queen Victoria's June 8-22, 2017 voyage will have shore excursions to the gardens and flower markets of the Canary Islands including stops in Tenerife and Lanzarote to experience the art of César Manrique. Also included is an overnight stay in Madeira with an evening dinner at Madeira's Quinta Jardins do Lago botanical garden hotel, as well as several floral arts workshops.

Arts and Literary Tour (July 1, 2017 | Q723): Queen Elizabeth will sail the UK, July 1-14, 2017, to explore art throughout several ports including Rotterdam, Newhaven, and Liverpool, with programs accompanied by actor Robert Powell and Louise West, trustee of the Charles Dickens Museum and former senior curator of the Jane Austen House. Book club gatherings, Cunard Insights talks and events hosted by Clarendon Fine Art will allow guests to explore the works of authors including Jane Austen, Oscar Wilde, James Joyce, Beatrix Potter and Victor Hugo.

Transatlantic Fashion Week  (August 31, 2017 | M732B): American businesswoman, interior designer, and fashion icon Iris Apfel will be the focus on Cunard's second annual Transatlantic Fashion Week, August 31, 2017. Multiple fashion shows, exhibitions, lectures and hosted dinners will be included on the Queen Mary 2 sailing including guests Julien Macdonald, Colin McDowell and Gail Sackloff, among others. Additionally, Colin McDowell, Hal Rubenstein, Richard Young, Hilary Alexander and Gail Sackloff have been announced for the third annual Transatlantic Fashion Week Crossing in September 2018.

World Space Week (October 6, 2017 | M737): In celebration of the United Nations International World Space Week, Queen Mary 2's October 6, 2017 voyage will include appearances by top space experts such as astronaut, scientist and former shuttle pilot, Dr. Jeffrey Hoffman; Charles Barclay, of the Royal Astronomical Society; Stephen Attenborough, commercial director of Virgin Galactic; and Ken Taggart, NASA historian.

Celebration of the Times Crossword (December 8, 2017 | M745): The New York Times crossword puzzle editors will sail on a Queen Mary 2 transatlantic crossing in celebration of the crossword's 75th anniversary. Activities will include daily game sessions, lectures and crossword-themed events.

The New York Times Insight Series: Cunard has partnered with The New York Times to offer programs led by speakers from the national news source on six eastbound transatlantic crossings on Queen Mary 2 from May through December in 2017. Topics will include national security, climate change, economics, sports and politics.

Voyage du Vin (June 1, 2018 | V819): Queen Victoria will sail June 1-8, 2018 through several of Europe's wine and port destinations such as Oporto, Lisbon and Vigo. Tastings from Cunard's wine list of more than 400 wines from 23 different countries will be include on the voyage, as well as an opportunity for passengers to join the new Cunard Wine Academy and take the Wines and Spirits Education Trust Level 1. Other events will include a series of dinners, tastings and master classes with leading Iberian wine producers and experts.

A Photographic Journey to the Land of the Midnight Sun (July 1, 2018 | Q820): From July 1-13, guests onboard Queen Elizabeth's Norwegian voyage will learn professional tips from experts such as Ross Hoddinott, one of England's leading wildlife and landscape photographers, as well as take a trip to the Arctic Circle to photograph the "midnight sun."

A Journey of Genealogy (November 4, 2018 | M842): Cunard has partnered with Ancestry.com to offer guests the opportunity to trace their family trees on a Queen Mary 2 sailing next year. Ancestry experts will be on board to help guests follow their family's journeys, learn about family history, search through records and explore ethnic origins with AncestryDNA. One in five immigrants came to the U.S. on a Cunard liner so the new collaboration is particularly notable.

Cartoonists at Sea Presented by the New Yorker (June – Nov 2018): Cartoonists will host lectures and workshops aboard five select 2018 Eastbound transatlantic crossings throughout next summer and fall.

Additional special event cruises include:

  • Kiel Week (June 10, 2017 | Q721): Queen Elizabeth will call at Kiel, Germany during the middle of Kiel Week, the largest annual sailing event in the world. Kiel Week celebrates both tall ships and modern racers along with a festival of music, food and other events.
  • Fourth of July (July 1, 2017 | M724): An Independence Day Celebration aboard Queen Mary 2 with calls to the historic ports of Halifax and Boston.
  • Queen Elizabeth and Queen Victoria's "Big Band Ball" (QE: Aug 20-25, 2017 | Q727; QV: Nov 13-18, 2017 | V726): A 13-piece Big Band Orchestra will play several jazz and swing selections for guests who enjoy artists such as Ella Fitzgerald, Duke Ellington, Michael Bublé and Frank Sinatra.
  • Queen Elizabeth celebrating QE2's 50th Anniversary (September 8, 2017 | Q729): A special cruise honoring the 50th anniversary of Cunard's best-loved ship, the iconic QE2.
  • Le Havre 500th Anniversary (September 14, 2017 | M734): Queen Mary 2 will visit Le Havre during its 500th Anniversary as celebrations take place across the city. The voyage will begin in Southampton, then visit Le Havre, before crossing the Atlantic to New York.

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