Darwin will host a Queen on Monday (March 4) when Cunard’s elegant ocean liner Queen Victoria arrives in the city for the first time.
The 90,000-tonne ocean liner will berth in Darwin about 8am, and will spend the day there before departing around 6pm for Bali.
Carrying approximately 2000 guests, Queen Victoria’s call comes during her 105-night world voyage which has already seen her visit Sydney, Brisbane and the Whitsundays as she travels the globe in a westerly direction.
While this is Queen Victoria’s fourth visit to Australia, it is the first time she has made a call to the Northern Territory.
Ann Sherry, CEO of Carnival Australia, which represents Cunard, said the liner’s visit would inject hundreds of thousands of dollars into the local economy through passenger and crew spending and port charges.
“Cruising is the fastest growing sector of the travel industry and cities all over Australia are benefitting as a result,” Ms Sherry said. “It’s wonderful to see a magnificent liner such as Queen Victoria including the city on her world voyage.”
Launched in 2007, Queen Victoria was designed to reflect the very best of Cunard’s heritage and traditions and has created a new golden age of ocean travel. Her luxurious décor includes opulent crystal chandeliers, rich wood panelling, intricate mosaics, and an art collection valued at more than $2 million – complete with original etchings by Queen Victoria and her husband, Prince Albert.
The liner also features a three-storey grand lobby, a stunning ballroom, her own museum of maritime memorabilia and artefacts and a wide choice of restaurants including the two-storey Art Deco-style Britannia Restaurant, where guests dine to the sounds of a harpist or quartet every evening.
Queen Victoria also offers a range of innovations including private West End-style viewing boxes at sea in her 830-seat, three-deck theatre, and a two-storey library, complete with spiral staircase.
Over the course of a year, Queen Victoria’s passengers will drink more than 950,000 cups of tea and enjoy almost 120,000 bottles of champagne.
For more details on Cunard Line visit www.cunardline.com.au
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