Cunard’s Queen Anne makes inaugural Gibraltar call

The Queen Anne, Cunard’s newest and most modern cruise ship, made her inaugural call to Gibraltar on Thursday morning with over 2,900 passengers onboard.

Andressa Ricci Williams, loyalty and voyage sales manager, greeted members of the press, travel agents, and the Chamber of Commerce aboard for a tour of Cunard’s first new ship in 14 years, marking the 249th vessel in the fleet’s history.

Also onboard was the CEO of the Gibraltar Tourist Board, Kevin Bossino, and his colleague, former mayor Kaiane Aldorino Lopez.

The Queen Anne is captained by Inger Klein Thorhauge, Cunard’s first ever female captain.

The vessel can accommodate 2,996 guests, 1,225 crew members and is 322 meters long.

The Queen Anne first set sail in May this year and marked the first time Cunard have four ships sailing since 1999, namely the Queen Mary 2, Queen Victoria, Queen Elizabeth, and of course the Queen Anne.

She has 14 decks and a combination of Cunard's traditional amenities with expanded dining and entertainment options, as well as modern additions such as screens providing information and a night club.

The centrepiece is the Grand Lobby, a three-deck space featuring a contemporary sculpted mural that changes throughout the day with integrated lighting effects that celebrates ocean travel.

There are six accommodation standards, Britannia Inside, Britannia Oceanview, Britannia Balcony, Britannia Club Balcony, Princess Grill Suites, and Queens Grill Suites, and were designed by Paris-based Sybille de Margerie, known for prestigious projects like the Mandarin Paris and Atlantis The Royal Residences in Dubai.

The Queens Room has a new design with a round instead of traditional square dance floor, Afternoon Tea is hosted in this area and at night it hosts gala evenings, classical recitals, and ballroom dancing.

Two Gibraltarians feature on the Queen Anne cruise.

The Royal Court Theatre with 835 seats has two shows a night and, in September, local dancer Jonathan Lutwyche will be onboard. He is currently in rehearsals for these performances.

Also onboard, and available to buy, are prints of works from local acclaimed artist Christian Hook, all for sale within the Clarendon Gallery onboard.

There is also a casino, library, and cigar room.

The ship also has the Mareel Wellness and Beauty spa with the widest range of fitness, beauty, thermal, and spa facilities on any Cunard ship, including treatment rooms, a private spa suite, and a top-deck wellness studio.

Some of the unique features of the Queen Anne is the retractable glass dome over the Art Deco style pavilion that aims to take passengers back to a 1920s lido in Venice. A large screen TV is also in this area and the ship has partnered with the British Film Institute to show movies in this area in the evenings.

She left Gibraltar early afternoon to set sail for Southampton, which is two days at sea for the passengers and crew onboard.