We’re fairly used to older cruise ships moving between brands. But a cruise line giving up one of its newest ships after only around five years of service? That’s considerably more unusual. In one of the biggest cruise fleet announcements of the year, Cunard’s Queen Anne will leave Cunard and join P&O Cruises in 2029.
And yes, it really is happening.
Queen Anne only entered service in 2024, but after completing her final Cunard World Voyage she’ll undergo an extensive transformation, receive a new name and begin sailing for P&O Cruises.
For UK cruisers, this is huge.
Queen Anne is leaving Cunard
Queen Anne joined Cunard in 2024 as the line’s first new ship in more than a decade.
Her arrival gave Cunard four ships for the first time since 1999, joining Queen Mary 2, Queen Victoria and Queen Elizabeth. But that four-ship fleet won’t last.
Following her 2028/29 World Voyage, Queen Anne will leave Cunard and undergo what Carnival UK is describing as an extensive “reimagining” before joining P&O Cruises in May 2029.
Perhaps most interestingly, she won’t continue sailing as Queen Anne.
The ship will be renamed before entering P&O Cruises service.
Now there’s a naming competition we’d quite like to see…
What is Queen Anne like?
Queen Anne is a very different proposition from the ship she is effectively replacing in the P&O fleet.
She accommodates around 3,000 guests, with Cunard currently listing capacity at 2,956 guests and 1,225 crew.
At roughly 113,000 gross tonnes and more than 320 metres long, she’s significantly larger and newer than Arcadia.
She also has an interesting family connection elsewhere within Carnival Corporation.
Queen Anne’s hull is based on the same Pinnacle Class platform used for Holland America ships, including Koningsdam, Nieuw Statendam and Rotterdam.
That shared Carnival Corporation DNA might help explain why the company sees such potential in moving ships between its brands.
Queen Anne will look very different as a P&O Cruises ship
This won’t simply involve swapping the Cunard logo for P&O Cruises branding. Carnival Corporation says Queen Anne will receive extensive design changes to align her with the P&O Cruises fleet.
Exactly what that means hasn’t yet been revealed.
But there are some obvious questions.
What happens to the Queens Room?
Will the Britannia Restaurant survive in anything like its current form?
What happens to the Grills restaurants and accommodation?
Will existing bars and restaurants be renamed?
Could P&O introduce venues similar to those aboard Iona and Arvia?
And perhaps the biggest question of all: what will the ship be called?
We don’t have those answers yet.
But given that Queen Anne has been designed around Cunard’s distinctive style and traditions, converting her into a P&O Cruises ship is going to require considerably more than changing a few signs.
Why is Queen Anne moving to P&O Cruises?
Carnival UK says the decision forms part of its longer-term planning for both brands.
Paul Ludlow, president of Carnival UK, P&O Cruises and Cunard, said Queen Anne’s modern design, range of dining and entertainment venues and flexible public spaces give the ship a “natural affinity” with the modern P&O Cruises holiday experience.
And when you look at P&O’s more recent ships, you can see the logic.
Ships such as Iona and Arvia have pushed P&O Cruises towards a more contemporary style with lots of dining, entertainment and flexible spaces.
Queen Anne could sit somewhere between those enormous Excel Class ships and P&O’s older vessels.
In fact, Carnival says the ship will introduce an entirely new class of ship to P&O Cruises.
That could make her one of the most interesting ships in the fleet.
What happens to Cunard?
For Cunard fans, this is perhaps the more controversial part.
Queen Anne was supposed to represent the newest generation of Cunard, so watching her move to another cruise line after only a few years is bound to disappoint some passengers.
Once she leaves, Cunard will return to a three-ship fleet consisting of Queen Mary 2, Queen Victoria and Queen Elizabeth.
Carnival UK insists the decision doesn’t represent a lack of commitment to Cunard.
Queen Mary 2 is also due to receive a major upgrade, while the company says it will continue investing in Cunard’s ships, itineraries and onboard experience.
Still, seeing the newest Queen disappear from the fleet is going to take some getting used to.
There’s still plenty of Cunard sailing left for Queen Anne
Thankfully for anyone hoping to sail aboard Queen Anne while she’s still a Cunard ship, you’ve got time.
She’ll continue operating her planned Cunard programme over the next few years.
That includes taking part in Cunard’s Four Queens celebration in Liverpool in May 2028, before embarking on her final World Voyage as a Cunard ship in January 2029.
After that voyage she’ll begin her transformation into a P&O Cruises ship.
Queen Anne and Arcadia are effectively swapping places
The wider picture makes this story even more interesting.
At around the same time as Queen Anne moves across to P&O Cruises, Arcadia will leave P&O and transfer to Holland America Line.
So Carnival Corporation is essentially reshuffling its ships between three sister brands:
Arcadia: P&O Cruises → Holland America Line
Queen Anne: Cunard → P&O Cruises
It’s a fascinating bit of fleet planning.
P&O loses one of its oldest and most traditional ships but gains one of Carnival Corporation’s newest.
Holland America gains a Vista Class ship that already closely matches several ships in its existing fleet.
And Cunard becomes a smaller, more closely aligned three-ship fleet centred around Queen Mary 2, Queen Victoria and Queen Elizabeth.
Could Queen Anne become a brilliant P&O Cruises ship?
Potentially, yes.
There’ll understandably be disappointment among Cunard passengers who love Queen Anne, particularly considering how new she is.
But from a P&O Cruises perspective, this could be incredibly exciting.
A relatively new 3,000-passenger ship offers something P&O doesn’t really have at the moment.
She’ll be substantially newer than ships such as Aurora and Ventura but noticeably smaller than Iona and Arvia.
If P&O gets the refurbishment right, she could fill a very interesting middle ground within the fleet.
Much will depend on exactly how much of Queen Anne’s current character survives the transformation.
And, of course, what they decide to call her.
One thing is certain.
Cruise fans are going to have LOTS of opinions about this one.
Are you excited to see Queen Anne join P&O Cruises, or do you think she belongs in the Cunard fleet?