Cunard Reveals Queen Anne’s Wellness Offering

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Cunard has revealed a glimpse of the wellness offering onboard its upcoming ship, the Queen Anne.

Cunard invited a group of travel agent partners for an exclusive, behind-the-scenes tour of the ship which is currently under construction at the Fincantieri Marghera shipyard in Venice. The tour was hosted by Captain Inger Thorhauge, who will be at the helm for Queen Anne’s inaugural sailing from Southampton to Lisbon on May 3, 2024.

The Queen Anne will introduce a selection of fitness, beauty, thermal and spa facilities with its reimagined Mareel Wellness & Beauty concept. From cryotherapy treatments to a Himalayan salt sauna and cold room, guests will be able to enjoy a range of crafted experiences designed for the body and soul.

The ship’s wellness spaces include The Pavilion, located on the top deck with a glass dome roof that retracts in warmer areas. The multi-purpose space will encompass the top deck Wellness Studio, which will be open from sunrise to sunset, as well as the Wellness Café, where guests can enjoy seasonal dishes.

The Queen Anne’s Wellness Club will also boast a tailormade program for solo travellers, where, on embarkation night, they can relax and unwind together at a meet-and-greet.

Katie McAlister, president of Cunard, said: “For more than 180 years, Cunard has constantly refined the definitive experience of luxury ocean travel and I am incredibly excited that we are now just six months away from beginning the next chapter of our remarkable story. It is both incredible and inspiring to see the progress that has been made by the craftsman, engineers, and workforce here at Fincantieri shipyard and as we start to see Queen Anne’s interiors take shape, we can all see what a truly magnificent Queen she will become. I know that guests around the world are looking forward to sailing with our new Queen and we are counting down the days until we can welcome them aboard.”

Celebrity Ascent Completes Sea Trials

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The Celebrity Ascent has successfully completed its sea trials, according to a statement from the company.

The ship’s captains, brothers Demetrios and Tasos Kafetzis oversaw the tests conducted in the Bay of Biscay near the Chantiers de l’Atlantique shipyard in St. Nazaire, France, where the Celebrity Ascent has been under construction.

Sailing from Ft. Lauderdale’s Port Everglades, the Celebrity Ascent is offering a four-night Western Caribbean preview voyage on November 22, 2023, followed by a three-night Bahamas preview getaway on November 26, 2023.

A seven-night Eastern Caribbean maiden voyage will depart the South Florida port on December 3, 2023, kicking off the ship’s inaugural Caribbean season, featuring seven-night itineraries rotating between popular Eastern and Western Caribbean destinations such as the Bahamas, Mexico and Grand Cayman; and San Juan, Tortola and St. Kitts, respectively.

Then, the Celebrity Ascent will head to the Mediterranean for a 2024 summer season of sailings, including a nine-night Italian Riviera and France itinerary; and the 12-night Best of Greece and Italy itinerary.

Weinstein: ‘Costa On The Rebound’

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Costa Favolosa entering the port of Liverpool, photo credit Spacejunkie2 (Flickr Account)

“Costa is one of those brands that’s really on the rebound,” said Josh Weinstein, president and CEO of Carnival Corporation, speaking on the company’s third-quarter earnings call.

Weinstein credits Costa President Mario Zanetti with leading the turnaround of the Italian brand, which is launching a new marketing campaign.

“Their research based on their market and the segment that they’re trying to hit in their market was all about experiences and leaning into particular messaging in particular ways to convey it because the product for Costa is already fantastic,” Weinstein said.

He continued that Costa and AIDA posted solid numbers for August, with occupancy coming in at 119 per cent, above the 109 per cent average number Carnival reported for its nine brands.

“In fact, in Q3, AIDA and Costa delivered higher yields than 2019,” he said, noting they did this with the absence of Saint Petersburg in what would have been high-yielding Baltic itineraries.