The newest Cunard Line luxury cruise ship, Queen Anne, has departed Liverpool after a day of celebrations that took place on Merseyside, marking the company's strong links with the city’s maritime heritage.

The City of Liverpool was announced as the godparent of Queen Anne in recognition of the long-lasting bond with their spiritual home of the English north-west city-port.

As the Echo reported, the momentous occasion of the naming ceremony involved a 12-litre bottle of champagne smashed against the hull of the 113,000-ton cruise ship, which was watched by large crowds along the famous waterfront.

Queen Anne, which cost £600 million, arrived in Liverpool's Pier Head yesterday morning ahead of the official naming ceremony in the afternoon, which took place close to the English north-west city’s iconic Three Graces, referring to historic buildings lining along the waterfront. Among these impressive buildings is the former Cunard Line office, which forms the central building.

During the ceremony, a sea of confetti rained down on spectators as the new-build Queen Anne was officially named, with the traditional smashing of the champagne bottle at the black-painted bow.

As part of the day of celebrations, several star performances took to the stage, especially erected beside the waterfront, where legendary Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli moved some members of the audience to tears with his ‘Time to Say Goodbye’.

The naming ceremony was hosted by former Busted musician Matt Willis and his wife Emma. Whereas proceedings in the evening saw entertainment, including a DJ set from Craig Charles, the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, and the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts.

Crowds waited until 10.15 p.m. to see the 3,000-capacity Queen Anne depart from Liverpool against a spectacular backdrop of fireworks set up from the former Cunard building overlooking the waterfront.

To mark the occasion, Cunard Line, on behalf of Liverpool, selected five 'icons' to represent the city and officially name Queen Anne. The cruise ship’s five naming sponsors are Spice Girl Melanie C, broadcaster and community leader Ngunan Adamu, restaurant entrepreneur Natalie Haywood, Liverpool music and cultural legend Jayne Casey, and British Olympic heptathlete Katarina Johnson-Thomson.

Cunard hosted the event on the banks of the Mersey because of the company’s historic transatlantic service and passenger shipping, which, in 1840, was established in Liverpool. In that timeframe, the company’s liners and cruise ships have attracted more than a million spectators to the region, first for the maiden call in 1990 of the iconic liner Queen Elizabeth II, but best known as the ‘QE2’.

More than a decade late in 2015, the company’s Three Queens (the liner Queen Mary 2 and cruise twins Queen Elizabeth and Queen Victoria) carried out a ‘royal rendezvous’ in front of the Cunard Building. This spectacle celebrated the 175th anniversary of the luxury cruise line.

More on the story here on Queen Anne, as the first cruise voyage since officially naming sees the ship underway today and bound for Cobh, with its 'Irish' debut tomorrow (5 June).

Cunard Line's newest cruise ship to its fleet, Queen Anne, is set to make quite an impression when the 113,000-ton newbuild makes its maiden 'Irish' call in Cobh, Cork Harbour, next month.

The latest ship from Cunard continues the strong connection between the UK operator and the Irish port town, which has welcomed members of the fleet, among them flagship ‘liner’ Queen Mary 2.

As Afloat previously reported earlier this month, the new cruise ship made its maiden voyage from its homeport of Southampton, Hampshire, on a seven-night voyage to Lisbon, Portugal.

With a 3,000 guest capacity, Queen Anne is to call at the historic Irish port’s dedicated cruise berth at the Deepwater Quay on June 5 as part of a celebratory ‘lap of honour’ circumnavigation of the British Isles.

Cruise-goers on the 14 deck ‘Cunarder’ will equally be making the same number of nights during their British Isles Festival voyage. This particular cruise sees those embarking at Southampton Cruise Terminal on May 24 with the newbuild making several inaugural calls to Belfast, Greenock on the Clyde and Liverpool as part of a programme of exciting on board experiences.

Among the calls aside mainland ports will include Kirkwall, the Orkney Islands and the Isle of Skye.

The introduction of Queen Anne represents the 249th ship to fly under the Cunard flag, and the newbuild’s arrival in the picturesque town is expected to attract significant interest.

Likewise of other cruise callers this season, Queen Anne is due to arrive early in the morning and is scheduled to depart again that evening.

When Queen Anne casts off mooring ropes at the southern port, this stage of the cruise will be the final leg, with the new ship sailing back to Southampton.

For more on the Cunarder call, the Irish Examiner has the details.

Cunard Line’s Queen Anne, the newest cruise ship addition to their prestigious fleet, arrived in the UK at the Port of Southampton.

This historic moment took place on the last day of April, and the occasion marks the first time in 23 years that Cunard will have four ships in simultaneous service, a testament to the thriving cruise industry in Southampton.

Queen Anne, the 249th ship in Cunard's 184-year history, stretching 300 metres in length, she stands as one of the largest in the fleet and has a capacity to host 3000 guests. The newbuild was in the port for three days before departing on a seven-night voyage to Lisbon, Portugal.

A traditional Plaque and Key ceremony took place on Friday, May 3, before the ship set off on its maiden voyage to Lisbon. The Plaque and Key ceremony is a long-standing maritime tradition for a new ship to be blessed, with the belief that it will bring good fortune to the vessel and all who sail on her.

Thea George, Senior Cruise Manager, said: “We are thrilled to welcome Queen Anne on her inaugural visit to the Port of Southampton. Cunard’s iconic ships offer a different class of luxury travel for our Cruise passengers, ranging from transatlantic crossings to Mediterranean and Northern European cruises. Each of the ‘Queens’ are popular and belong to a very traditional brand in Southampton. We are looking forward to welcoming passengers to the port to board Cunard’s latest ship.”

The Port of Southampton is Europe's leading cruise turnaround port, and last year, it welcomed 2.75 million passengers to the port, generating more than £1 billion for the local and regional economy. The sector supports over 15,000 jobs with a wide range of local businesses benefitting, from those closely aligned to the sector in hospitality, stevedore operations and fuel bunkering services to the wider Hampshire visitor economy and other local Southampton businesses.

Design details of Cunard Line's newest cruiseship, Queen Anne have been revealed with the newbuild set to join the cruise company's fleet in 2024.

Creative director Adam D. Tihany will collaborate with David Collins Studio, Richmond International and Sybille de Margerie for the interior design of the new ship. It is the first time that David Collins Studio and Sybille de Margerie have worked onboard a ship following extensive land-based work.

The concept of the design will be based on five ideals: heritage, craftmanship, storytelling, style and innovation. The design teams explored the Cunard archives at the University of Liverpool in the UK to find historical documents that detailed layouts, materials and patterns from past Cunard ships, including its early art deco-inspired vessels.

“Just the way a world-renowned orchestra delivers a feeling, or takes you to a moment or an era, Queen Anne’s aesthetic will do the same in hearkening back to Cunard’s gilded age, but through the bold, onward lens of modernity,” said Tihany.

The ship’s Queen Grill Grand Suites have been designed by David Collins Studio, with a specific finish curated for each separate room. Each will have a dedicated dining room and adjacent butler’s pantry, walk-in wardrobes, marble-finished bathrooms with sea views, and the largest balconies onboard. 

Cruise & Ferry further reports on the cruiseship newbuild.