Cunard Line's fair Queens fares released for 2011
By: Louise Goldsbury and Bruce Piper, Cruise Weekly

Cunard has announced the fares for its 2011 World Voyage program, which includes several historic cruising events in Australia.

Ships passing in the day and night, maiden calls and 103-night world odysseys are highlights of Cunard's history-making season in 2011.

The World Voyages program features a city traffic-jamming "royal rendezvous" between the cruise line's flagship Queen Mary 2 and the newest ocean liner, Queen Elizabeth, in Sydney Harbour on 22 February.

The Sydney visit is the first of Queen Elizabeth's three maiden port calls in Australia, to be followed by Melbourne (25 February 2011) and Fremantle (01 March) as part of her epic cruise from the UK, which includes 32 other maiden calls around the world.

Meanwhile, Queen Mary 2 will visit Australia for a fourth time in 2011, with calls to Fremantle (17 February) and Adelaide (20 February) before the Sydney rendezvous with her little sister.

The ships will also meet in New York with their sister Queen Victoria on 13 January – the first time that all three Cunard Queens have crossed paths.

The program introduces a new way to see the world, with the opportunity to sail on three ocean liners in one full world voyage.

Passengers can board Queen Victoria in Southampton, England, to sail to New York, then transfer to Queen Elizabeth to sail from New York to Sydney before joining Queen Mary in Sydney for the return trip to the UK.

Voyages on offer include a 24-night cruise from LA to Sydney on 29 January 2011, with fares starting at $6139 per person twinshare; a 41-night cruise departing New York to Sydney on 13 January 2011, priced from $12,309 per person twin-share; and the world voyage on Queen Elizabeth departing Southampton on 05 January 2011, priced from $25,529 per person twin-share.

Ann Sherry, CEO of Carnival Australia, said the program was historic and exciting.

"We're thrilled to be welcoming Cunard's newest liner Queen Elizabeth to our waters for the first time, along with the magnificent Queen Mary 2 and look forward to another memorable royal rendezvous in Sydney."

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