Your Cruise Your Way Cruise Blog

Cunard Line continues its reputation of the elegant and spectacular as they brought the two most glamorous ocean liners in the world to Sydney Harbour, the newest Cunard Line’s Queen Victoria and the most famous, QE2 as they met during their respective World Cruises. The historic Royal Rendezvous, as Cunard refers to it, marked the only time that the two ocean liners will ever meet in Sydney as this is QE2’s 29th and final visit to the city, arriving 30 years to the day since her 1978 maiden visit to Sydney. Throngs of residents and visitors from and around Sydney turned out to view the much-anticipated, historic meeting as QE2’s call to Sydney. This is part of her final world voyage, while Queen Victoria is making her first visit as part of her maiden world voyage. A changing of the Royal Guard if you will.

QE2 sailed past Queen Victoria in a history-making Royal Rendezvous off Fort Denison. The passing of the two ships occurred in the early evening - Sydney time - with the ships sounding their whistles as they sailed by each other off Fort Denison. Queen Victoria then headed to Brisbane, while QE2 berthed at Circular Quay.
The longest serving Cunard liner in history, QE2 will leave the Cunard fleet in November this year to become a first-class tourist destination in Dubai.

Visiting Sydney for the Rendezvous, Cunard President and Managing Director Carol Marlow described QE2 as one of the icons of the 20th century. “She’s an amazing liner that has captured the world’s imagination and truly symbolized the romance and glamour of ocean travel for more than four decades,” Ms Marlow said.

“Sydney has been her most frequent port of call in Australia over the years so we’re thrilled that it’s the setting for this magnificent Royal Rendezvous on her final visit today. It’s a fantastic way to celebrate three great milestones - Queen Victoria’s maiden world voyage and maiden call to Sydney and QE2’s final world voyage - and to pay tribute to one of the most wonderful ways to travel,” added Marlow.

Only two months old, the luxurious 90,000-ton Queen Victoria debuted in Sydney yesterday, with her guests enjoying an overnight stay in preparation for the evening spectacular. The new Cunard Queen was named in Southampton on December 10, 2007 by Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Cornwall in the Presence of His Royal Highness Prince Charles, The Prince of Wales.

The Royal Rendezvous of the two Queens comes almost a year to the day since QE2 met her sister Queen Mary 2 in Sydney Harbour in an event that drew tens of thousands of spectators to the foreshore.

Next year, Sydney will be visited by Queen Victoria (Feb 19-20, 2009) and her magnificent sister, Cunard’s flagship Queen Mary 2 (Feb 26, 2009), both sailing on their second world voyages.