Cunard

What sailing with Cunard is really like

Cunard is not simply a cruise line — it is a living tradition. From the moment you step aboard, the atmosphere is unmistakably different: wide promenade decks designed for a proper walk at sea, grand staircases, white-gloved service and a daily rhythm shaped around dressing for dinner. Gala evenings bring the whole ship together in a way that feels genuinely celebratory rather than obligatory, and afternoon tea — poured in the Queen’s Room with fine porcelain and freshly baked scones — has been a Cunard ritual for generations. If the idea of a floating grand hotel, with all the theatre that implies, appeals to you, this is where you belong.

On board: dining, bars and what’s included

Dining on Cunard works on a tiered system that rewards every level of investment. Every guest has a place in the Britannia Restaurant, the sweeping main dining room where classic and international menus are served with care each evening. Guests in a Britannia Club Balcony suite graduate to the more intimate Britannia Club Restaurant, with flexible seatings between 18:30 and 21:00 and a daily-changing à-la-carte menu. Suite guests in the Grills enjoy the highest tier: the Princess Grill Restaurant and the exclusive Queens Grill Restaurant, where menus are saisonal and the ocean frames every course through floor-to-ceiling windows.

Beyond the main restaurants, the Kings Court buffet runs from early breakfast through late evening with everything from a full English to handmade sushi, while the Steakhouse at The Verandah offers premium Black Angus and Wagyu cuts alongside Alaskan crab and Maine lobster on sea days (surcharge applies). The Golden Lion brings a proper British pub on board — beer-battered cod, pie specials and real ales — and afternoon tea in the Queen’s Room is included in every fare and not to be missed.

For drinks, the Commodore Club offers panoramic sea views and seven signature cocktails at sunset, the Laurent Perrier Champagne Bar is there for a celebratory glass any time, and the Chart Room — Art Deco in style — serves zodiac-inspired cocktails from 6 pm. Night owls have G32, the onboard nightclub, to keep them going until the early hours.

Wellness, enrichment and things to do at sea

Sea days on Cunard are genuinely fulfilling. The Mareel Wellness & Beauty spa and Aqua Therapy Centre offer a full range of treatments, and the Fitness Centre and wellness seminars and workshops round out the wellness programme. The Library is one of the finest at sea, and the Cunard Insights guest speaker programme — scholars, explorers and authors — makes long ocean passages fly by. Behind-the-scenes ship tours let curious guests explore the machinery and navigation centres that keep these great ships running.

Who Cunard suits best

Cunard rewards those who enjoy a certain formality and ceremony without it ever feeling stiff. Couples celebrating a milestone, solo travellers who relish structured evenings and good conversation, and anyone who has ever wanted to cross the Atlantic the proper way will feel completely at home. The line also suits multigenerational groups: the onboard programme has enough variety — from classes and sport to the casino and live music in the Queen’s Room — that different ages can pursue completely different days and meet for dinner. Voyages range from short cruises of four nights up to grand world voyages of more than 100 nights, so there is a Cunard sailing for almost every calendar.

Where Cunard sails

The backbone of the Cunard network is Southampton, England, from which the fleet fans out across the Atlantic, into Norway and the fjords, through the Western Mediterranean, down to the Canary Islands, across to the Caribbean and into the East Coast of America. New York is the other great Cunard hub, the natural terminus for the classic transatlantic crossing. Mediterranean sailings also depart from Rome (Civitavecchia), Barcelona, Trieste and Hamburg.

For Australian travellers the fleet calls at Sydney, and Cunard sails both to and around Australia, with departures also from Singapore and Hong Kong that make regional embarkation straightforward. Those with a longer horizon can browse round-the-world voyages departing Australia, or look at world cruises departing Sydney specifically. Transpacific itineraries connect the Asia-Pacific region with the Americas, while sailings touching the Arctic, North Africa, Central America and the Transpacific show just how far Cunard’s ambitions stretch.

The ships and where to find out more

The fleet is four ships strong, each with its own character. Queen Mary 2 is the true ocean liner of the group — purpose-built for the transatlantic crossing and the largest and most powerful of the four; explore her cabins and deck plans if you are considering the crossing. Queen Anne is the newest addition to the fleet and carries the line’s most contemporary interiors; her cabin grades and deck layouts are worth a close look for Mediterranean and Norway voyages. Queen Elizabeth brings a classically styled interior and broad itinerary range including Australian ports; her cabin and deck plan page is the place to compare grades. Queen Victoria rounds out the fleet with a rich art collection and elegant public spaces — check her cabins and deck plans before you choose.

Australian guests looking specifically at Cunard sailings in the region can browse Cunard Australia cruises, or start from Sydney departures across all lines to compare options. If you are considering joining in Asia, the Singapore departure page and Hong Kong cruises page show what is available from those ports. Singapore to Australia sailings are a particularly elegant way to reposition home after time in Asia.

Booking with Cruise1st

Most Cunard sailings depart from the United Kingdom, the United States, Italy or Spain, which means the cruise sits in the middle of a longer trip. At Cruise1st, we put the whole holiday — the international flights, the hotel nights either side and the transfers to and from the ship — on a single Cruise1st Package, so nothing falls through the cracks. For the small number of sailings that depart from Sydney, guests local to the port need no flight at all; those travelling from another Australian state face a short domestic hop rather than a long-haul journey, which is still the easiest way to reach the ship.

Whichever itinerary catches your eye, our Australian cruise experts, seven days a week can walk you through the Grills upgrade, the cabin grade differences and the fare inclusions before you commit — call us or use the enquiry form on this page. Every booking comes with our Best Price Guarantee, so you can be confident you are getting the best available fare.

Sailings from A$439pp* are available now — use the offers grid above to find dates that suit, or contact our team to start planning your Cunard voyage.