Cunard QE2 and QM2 Set Sail On World Cruises Simultaneously

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A Royal Rendezvous In Ft. Lauderdale

Queen Mary 2 and Queen Elizabeth 2

Set Sail For Simultaneous

World Cruises On January 10

Queen Mary 2 and Queen Elizabeth 2

Photo Courtesy of Cunard Line

On January 10, 2007, maritime and Cunard ocean liner enthusiasts will have a rare opportunity to see the line's legendary liners - Queen Mary 2 and Queen Elizabeth 2 - set sail on simultaneous, but different, World Cruises. A Royal Rendezvous of the world's most famous ocean liners, the two iconic ships will depart Port Everglades, Florida on southward journeys; Queen Mary 2 on her first-ever World Cruise - an 81-day circumnavigation of the globe - and Queen Elizabeth 2 on her Silver Jubilee World Cruise - an exotic 108-day voyage marking her 25th around the world.

Views of the historic event are available from several vantage points, including the 17th Street Causeway Bridge. At 5 p.m., viewers can also watch the ships sail together from Fort Lauderdale Beach, at either the pier or beach at John U. Lloyd Beach State Park.

"The start of any Cunard World Cruise is cause for celebration so we are doubly excited about this first-ever simultaneous departure from Ft. Lauderdale," said Carol Marlow, president and managing director of Cunard Line. "Watching these celebrated ships as they set sail on such extraordinary journeys is a thrilling experience, even for a veteran cruiser."

The World Cruises are just a part of the ships' compelling 2007 itineraries. In the coming year, the flagship Queen Mary 2 will offer an expanded season of transatlantic travel, as well as introduce a series of 10-day Connoisseur's Caribbean voyages and series of four-day Getaway sailings. Out of her homeport of Southampton, Queen Elizabeth 2 will depart for a range of magical European voyages, with the highlight being her 40th Anniversary Celebration Voyage, visiting Newcastle, Edinburgh, Liverpool and Greenock, where she was named by Her Majesty the Queen, 40 years ago to the day. The year concludes with the highly anticipated maiden voyages of the new Queen Victoria, which will mark the first time in Cunard's 167-year history that three Cunard Queens will be in service simultaneously.

Cunard Line, operator of the luxury ocean liners Queen Mary 2 and QE2, has long been synonymous with the quest for new discoveries and the epitome of British finesse since the company's first paddle-wheeled steamer, the Britannia, crossed the Atlantic in 1840. Cunard voyages bring together like-minded travelers who relish the Cunard hallmarks of impeccable White Star Service^SM, fine dining, sophisticated adventure and the legacy of historic voyages and transatlantic travel.

For additional information on Cunard Line, please visit their website at Cunard.com