Cunard history News and events Event Voyages

185th Anniversary voyages

We're so excited to be celebrating 185 years of Cunard in 2025, with all kinds of special events both on board and ashore.

4 min 28 Jan 2025

185th Anniversary Event voyage on Queen Mary 2

Special events on Queen Anne

Special events on Queen Victoria

Special events on Queen Elizabeth

Sea of Glamour

Bailey the Bellhop bear

Starting in our spiritual home of Liverpool, in May 2025, Queen Anne will return to the Mersey one year on from her unforgettable naming ceremony, for another sparkling evening and Sailaway Party.

Events will unfold across the fleet, with anniversary Gala dinners and Sailaway celebration on board, and a curated selection of historical speakers, including Eric Flounders and Chris Frame, set to captivate with maritime tales. The Event Voyage on Queen Mary 2 will also feature the brilliant Charlie and Stan Entertainment Residency, a roaring performance sure to delight. Each 185th Anniversary Voyage will also feature an on board exhibition to celebrate Cunard's heritage.

Guests in the Chart Room on board Queen Anne

Queen Mary 2 - 24 June - 1 July 2025

185th anniversary Event Voyage

Join us as we celebrate a remarkable 185 years of Cunard and be a part of history on this very exciting voyage. Enjoy your time at sea on this iconic Transatlantic route - a route sailed by Cunard ships for almost two centuries - and be treated to a host of unique events on Queen Mary 2. This special Transatlantic Crossing will feature fascinating Cunard Insight talks courtesy of historians, including maritime expert Mensun Bound, a Gala dinner, and a Sailaway Party to remember. The renowned Charlie and Stan show will also be on board, bringing comedy stylings set to delight.

To book your place on this special voyage, please click here.

Charlie and Stan

In 1910, the unknown Charlie Chaplin and Stan Laurel set sail on a Transatlantic Voyage from Southampton as part of Fred Karno's famous music hall troupe. On this journey, Charlie and Stan shared a stateroom and then spent two years together touring North America, with Stan as Charlie's understudy. They both went on to change the world of comedy forever.

Stan Laurel, however, is not mentioned in Charlie Chaplin's autobiography once. So, what happened?

Two showings of Charlie and Stan will be performed in the Royal Court Theatre during the voyage, and guests have the opportunity to attend two daytime workshops on different theatre topics in the Queens Room.

Queen Anne - 18 May - 1 June 2025

Join Queen Anne for a unique voyage around the British Isles, during which she'll return to Liverpool one year on from her unforgettable naming ceremony, to help celebrate 185 years of Cunard. On board, enjoy anecdotes told by maritime expert Eric Flounders, a special Anniversary Gala Dinner, and a Sailaway Party to remember.

Guests will also be transported back to the 40s at the Big Band Night in the Queens Room. Here, the Queens Room musicians and Royal Court Orchestra come together for a night of swing and Big Band favourites, featuring the music of Frank Sinatra and Ella Fitzgerald, and their modern-day counterparts, Michael Bublé and Jamie Cullum.

To book your place on this voyage, please click here.

Queen Victoria - 30 June - 7 July 2025

Join us to celebrate 185 years of Cunard on Queen Victoria, as she sails the shimmering waters of the Mediterranean. On board, listen to the fascinating stories from maritime historian Roy Paul and toast to the occasion at an Anniversary Gala Dinner. In the evening, embrace the sparkle at a special 185th anniversary Big Band Night in the Queens Room and look forward to the sunkissed adventures that await the next day.

To book your place on this voyage, please click here.

Queen Elizabeth - 9 - 18 December 2025

Big birthday celebrations are set to add a little pizzazz to Queen Elizabeth’s nine-night sailing in the Caribbean in December. With talks from maritime historian Bill Miller, and a special Gala Dinner, you’re invited to help celebrate 185 years of Cunard. There’ll also be a glittering Sailaway Party too, at which you can mix, mingle, and dance with fellow guests and look forward to the adventures ahead.

To book your place on this voyage, please click here.

Sea of Glamour photography exhibition

On Monday 26 May 2025, Queen Anne returns to Liverpool for an overnight call - a year on since her maiden call and historic naming ceremony which provides an ideal opportunity to celebrate Cunard's 185th anniversary.

In 2024, Liverpool became the first city to serve as godmother to a Cunard Queen and, true to its legacy, Liverpool did not disappoint. So, where better to kick start Cunard's 185th anniversary than in the place where it all began?

We will host a brand-new exhibition the Liver Building with an official opening and several special visitors. The exhibition will be opened on Tuesday 27 May with Mary McCartney and special guests with a celebration. The official portrait of Queen Anne at the naming ceremony will also be unveiled during the event.

To find out more about this special exhibition, and how your memories can become part of it, please visit our Sea of Glamour page.

Bailey the Bellhop bear

Since Cunard’s founding in 1840, bell boys, known today as bellhops, have been an integral part of life on board. Duties were wide ranging; from operating lifts and opening doors, to assisting with guests’ luggage and announcing arrival into ports in the days pre-tannoy, when they’d walk around the deck banging a gong and announcing, “all visitors ashore”.

Over the course of our 185-year history, our bellhops have worn only six iterations of the iconic uniform. Reflecting a time of style, elegance, and service, they have remained consistently recognisable with white gloves, military inspired buttons, and the iconic circular hat that is originally based on a 19th-century military drummer boy’s cap.

In 2024, with the launch of our 249th ship, Queen Anne, we have updated our bellhop uniform once again. With our latest uniform we celebrate the best of British craftsmanship, working with experts in tailoring and fabric mills to create a uniform that is at once instantly recognisable as a Cunard bellhop; taking inspiration from uniforms of the past but created for today.

To celebrate our 185th anniversary in 2025, Bailey the Bellhop is the latest in our collectable range of teddy bears to wear the illustrious uniform and makes a treasured memento to keep for yourself or gift to friends or family. A very special bear to honour a Cunard icon.

Bailey the Bellhop will be available on board Queen Anne and Queen Victoria from 9 January 2025, on board Queen Mary 2 from 11 January 2025, and on board Queen Elizabeth from 25 February 2025.