The largest inventory in the fleet, by a distance
Three hundred and twenty-three departure dates appear on this page:
twenty-six in 2026, one hundred and fifty-three in 2027 and one hundred and
forty-four in 2028. That is more than the other three ships combined in some
years, and it calls for an explanation rather than a number left standing
alone.
This line sells the segments of its long voyages as separate cruises. A world
voyage of several months is cut into sectors that can be bought one at a time,
and each sector counts as a date. The ship therefore does not make three hundred
crossings: she makes far fewer, cut into more ways of joining them. Twelve of
those lines appear twice in the listing, which brings the count to three hundred
and twelve distinct dates.
For a buyer the consequence is simple, and it is a good one: it is often
possible to take a portion of a great voyage without giving it the whole
season.
The hull
Delivered in 2010 by Fincantieri at Marghera near Venice. Ninety thousand
nine hundred and one gross tons, two hundred and ninety-four metres, two
thousand and eighty-one guests, twelve decks. She is the younger of the series
opened by the Queen Victoria in 2007.
The class system, and why to know it before booking
This is the line's distinguishing feature and the source of most
disappointment when nobody explains it. The stateroom grade you book
decides which restaurant you eat in for the entire voyage. Four tiers:
Britannia, Britannia Club, Princess Grill, Queens Grill.
Grill guests have their own dining room, their own lounge and their own open
deck, reached by coded keycard. A Britannia guest cannot book a table there,
and it does not change once aboard. In Britannia, dinner is taken at one of two
fixed sittings, or within a window aligned to the first.
This is neither a fault nor a trap: it is a deliberate inheritance, from the
liners where people travelled by class. But a guest used to ships where
everyone eats anywhere needs to know it before choosing a stateroom, because
the difference is lived three times a day for a fortnight.
The number of wheelchair-accessible staterooms is published for
no ship in this fleet. We check it at booking rather than quote a figure.
What the fare covers, and what it does not
The grand liner setting suggests all-inclusive. It is not.
The fare covers the stateroom, meals in the dining rooms and buffets, the shows
and the talks. The rest is charged.
A daily hotel and dining charge is posted automatically to your onboard
account, at a rate that varies with stateroom grade. It can be prepaid before
departure and adjusted at the Purser's Office once aboard, but it does not
vanish on its own. A separate service charge is added to bar purchases and spa
treatments.
Alcoholic drinks are charged or bought as a package. Wi-Fi is charged. Shore
excursions are charged. Some restaurants carry a supplement. None of this is
unusual in this segment, but it is worth allowing for when comparing against a
line where those items are in the fare.
Meanwhile, in the fleet
The Queen Anne, in service since 2024, is the newest
ship in the fleet, and the largest after the
Queen Mary 2.
Booking from Quebec
The contract is with Carnival plc, trading as Cunard Line, and is governed by
the general federal maritime law of the United States despite the English home
port. The competent court changes with the itinerary: Los Angeles County,
California, for any voyage calling at a US port, and the courts of Southampton,
England, for those calling at none. From Montreal, neither is convenient.
This contract requires no arbitration, unlike several of its
competitors: a dispute is litigated before a court. It does impose a
class-action waiver, which obliges each guest to act alone.
The deadlines are tight and the second one especially so. Six months'
written notice and one year to sue, for personal injury, with ninety days to
serve. But fifteen days' notice after the voyage ends for any
other claim, and six months to act. Fifteen days. Damaged luggage, a dropped
call, a service not delivered: note your disembarkation date. Baggage liability
is also capped very low; the cap rises with the line's protection programme,
and valuables are not covered at all.
The carrier reserves the right to cancel the voyage, deviate from scheduled
ports or substitute the ship, without notice. Nothing establishes a Quebec
licence for it. Your protection comes from here: Voyages AquaTerra holds a
licence from the Office de la protection du consommateur, your payments pass
through a trust account, and your departure is covered by the compensation fund
for travel agency customers.