Queen Anne joins P&O Cruises in 2029: strategic reorganization for Carnival Group fleets

Important news ahead for the Carnival Group’s fleets: Queen Anne will leave Cunard in May 2029 to join the P&O Cruises fleet. Before the handover, the ship will regularly complete its scheduled programme with Cunard, which includes the celebratory ‘Four Queens’ event in Liverpool in May 2028 and its final World Cruise in early 2029. Subsequently, it will enter a shipyard for significant renovation work and a name change, before officially debuting with the new company.

The fleet reorganisation also includes the transfer of another historic unit: Arcadia, a flagship vessel for P&O Cruises for over twenty years, will conclude its service with the company in August 2029 before moving to the Holland America Line fleet. Paul Ludlow, President of Carnival UK, explained that these decisions stem from a long-term vision designed to enhance the strengths of each ship and better respond to evolving customer demand.

With the transfer of Queen Anne to P&O Cruises, the company will introduce a new class of ships designed to offer even more choice in terms of style, spaces, and itineraries. For its part, Cunard will focus its brand identity on the three historic queens: Queen Mary 2, Queen Victoria, and Queen Elizabeth. The group also confirmed that next year, the flagship Queen Mary 2, the only true ocean liner still in regular service on the Atlantic route, will undergo significant modernisation works to ensure standards of excellence for decades to come.