Cunard Line’s youngest ship, Queen Victoria, will be making her maiden call to San Francisco on 27 January 2010, marking her only U.S. inaugural call in the next year. Queen Victoria will stop in the City by the Bay as part of the first segment of her 2010 World Voyage, before continuing across the Pacific Ocean to Hawaii.
“We were elated by the welcome our flagship Queen Mary 2 received from San Franciscans in 2007, and have been eagerly anticipating Queen Victoria’s arrival to this illustrious city since the ship entered service,” said Peter Shanks, president of Cunard Line. “We look forward to a warm welcome during this historic port of call.”
Many well-wishers and maritime enthusiasts are expected to view Queen Victoria when she arrives at the famous Embarcadero at approximately 6:30 a.m. at pier P35 South, and upon her departure later that evening at 6:00pm. The ship’s arrival can be seen from several excellent viewing locations including: the Golden Gate Bridge – vista points on both north and south sides of the bridge, Pier 45 and Pier 39, Fort Mason, Aquatic Park and Crissy Field.
2010 will mark Queen Victoria’s third full year in service with a traditional 99-day westbound circumnavigation of the globe from New York to Southampton, featuring three convenient U.S. embarkation points. The ship sails from New York on 12 January, embarking guests in Ft. Lauderdale on 15 January and in San Francisco on 27 January. Highlights of Queen Victoria’s third World Voyage include three overnight calls in Sydney, Hong Kong and Dubai, as well as 10 additional maiden calls. The ship will traverse the Panama and Suez Canals, visiting 41 ports including Acapulco, Melbourne, Shanghai, San Francisco, Cartagena, Phuket and Sharm El Sheikh. Guests have the option of adding a seven-day Transatlantic extension from Southampton to New York aboard Queen Mary 2 for a full 106-day circumnavigation.
Designed in grand Cunard tradition, Queen Victoria is the second largest Cunarder ever built, weighing in at 90,000 tons. Having debuted in December 2007, she captured the world stage in a way few ships ever do – becoming one of the most fêted ships to be introduced in recent years and quickly establishing herself in the Cunard fleet. Every inch of the 2,000 passenger liner is infused with a sense of luxury and tradition, from the Royal Court Theatre, which includes the first private viewing boxes at sea, to the signature two-storey library with a spiral staircase and nearly 6,000 volumes.
Queen Victoria features double- and triple-height public rooms that evoke the rich and well-recorded history of ocean liner and Victorian era design. Most distinctive of all, of course, is the line’s legendary White Star Service™ for which Cunard is renowned. Onboard, guests revel in the luxury of time, experiencing such Cunard hallmarks as traditional afternoon tea served by white-gloved waiters, an engaging variety of intellectual and stimulating pursuits – including fencing – and extraordinary dining rivaling the finest restaurants in the world.
