The new January to May 2019 programme, Oceans of Discovery, will include multiple new ports-of-call and a voyage to Alaska for the first time in more than 20 years for Cunard.

Flagship Queen Mary 2 and sister ships Queen Elizabeth and Queen Victoria will call at 49 different countries and 109 destinations. Of these, 21 will be maiden calls with destinations including Jeju Island in South Korea; Akita in Japan; and Goa in India.

First, two of the ships will be overhauled however.

Queen Victoria will go in for a refit on May 5 before sailing into Southampton on June 4 of this year. It will see 43 Britannia Club balcony staterooms added, bringing it in line with the rest of the Cunard fleet.

Cunard told TTG that towards the end of 2018 Queen Elizabeth will also go in for a refit, “further demonstrating Cunard’s commitment to meeting the ever-evolving needs from our guests in luxury and luxury travel”.

For the 2019 programme Queen Victoria will operate Cunard’s only full circumnavigation of the world. The World Voyage by Cunard is one of three new distinct categories for the line.  

Grand Voyages by Cunard and various “regions” by Cunard will also feature.

“We wanted to simplify the message for the trade,” said Alex White, vice-president sales, Cunard.

He added that as well as a dedicated section in the online training portal there will be a competition to coincide with the Oceans of Discovery launch.

For the world cruise, Queen Victoria will follow the classic western circumnavigation via the Panama Canal.

Guests can choose to undertake just parts of the route through to the full 107-night experience, returning to Southampton.

Meanwhile Cunard will have 34 Grand Voyages available, ranging from 11 to 108 nights in length.

In 2019 Queen Elizabeth will cross the North Pacific and Gulf of Alaska en route to Vancouver.

Other destinations available will include Australasia and Japan (including a nine-night voyage to the cherry blossom).

Cunard will also be reintroducing a series of ten “old favourite” destinations that haven’t been included in recent years including Beijing in China; Picton in New Zealand; Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates; and Chennai in India.

White added: “It’s an exciting time for Cunard, with a 2019 programme that offers more choice, more variety and more destinations for our guests than ever before.