Cunard’s Queen Mary 2 will spend more than a month in local Australia and Nez Zealand waters in 2018, with her cruise offerings including a 13-night circumnavigation of New Zealand as well as a four-night cruise to South Australia’s Kangaroo Island.

Announcing details of its new 2018 World Voyages program, which goes on sale on April 13, Cunard said  demand for Queen Mary 2’s shorter cruises from local ports in 2017 had prompted it to schedule more roundtrip cruises from Australia in 2018 as part of the liner’s world cruise itinerary.  

In all, Australian ports will enjoy 14 calls from Queen Mary 2 and her younger sister Queen Elizabeth during the ships’ 2018 world voyages.  

Busselton in Western Australia and Kangaroo Island are set to welcome their second visits from Queen Mary 2, following the liner’s scheduled maiden calls to both ports next year, while Queen Elizabeth will make an encore visit to Newcastle on March 1, 2018 following her successful maiden visit there earlier this year.

Queen Mary 2’s New Zealand circumnavigation will also see her making her maiden calls to Dunedin on the South Island and Tauranga on the North Island as part of a 13-night round trip cruise from Sydney. 

During her extended season in Australian waters, Queen Mary 2 will also call at Fremantle (February 12), Busselton (February 13), Adelaide (February 16), Brisbane (March 11), the Whitsundays (March 13) and Darwin (March 17) before heading north through Asia.

Queen Elizabeth will also visit Australia and New Zealand as part of a classic western circumnavigation of the globe featuring a Panama Canal transit and visits to 39 ports in 25 countries. During her voyage Queen Elizabeth will make eight maiden calls including her first visits to Moorea in French Polynesia, Ocho Rios in Jamaica and Puerto Quetzal in Guatemala.