Cunard to Unite Four-Ship Fleet in Liverpool in 2028
More than a fleet showcase, the Mersey gathering reinforces Liverpool’s role in Cunard’s identity as the city prepares a major year of cultural and sporting events.
Cunard will bring Queen Mary 2, Queen Elizabeth, Queen Victoria and Queen Anne together in Liverpool on May 16, 2028, the first time the line’s four-ship fleet has assembled in one place. The ships are scheduled to meet on the River Mersey as part of a Four Queens event in the city where Cunard was founded in 1840.
The gathering expands on Cunard’s 2015 Mersey event, when three ships met in Liverpool for the company’s 175th anniversary and drew more than one million spectators. The 2028 call will also coincide with celebrations of 20 years since Liverpool was named European Capital of Culture.
Cunard ties full-fleet call to Liverpool anniversary year
“Bringing our four Queens together on the Mersey for the first time will be a rare and incredibly special moment for Cunard,” Katie McAlister, president of Cunard, said. “Liverpool is where our story began, and returning with the full fleet is a powerful celebration of that bond.”
Cunard’s Liverpool connection dates to Samuel Cunard’s British and North American Royal Mail Steam-Packet Company, which began in 1840 with a mail and passenger service linking Liverpool with Halifax and Boston. The 2028 event brings the current fleet back to that origin point, including Queen Anne, which joined the line in 2024.
Liam Robinson, leader of Liverpool City Council, said welcoming all four ships at once would be “an extraordinary occasion” for the city, residents and visitors. “We are incredibly proud of our rich maritime heritage, and this promises to be a really special moment here in Liverpool,” Robinson said.
Liverpool officials are planning a year-long schedule of cultural and sporting events in 2028. The city is also scheduled to host matches during the UEFA Euro 2028 football tournament.
Four ships will reach the Mersey through linked 2028 sailings
Cunard plans to align several 2028 itineraries so each vessel arrives in Liverpool for the fleet gathering. Queen Mary 2 will sail from New York to Liverpool with up to 2,691 guests, in what Cunard says will be the ship’s first direct transatlantic crossing on that route.
The crossing will also be Cunard’s first eastbound New York-to-Liverpool transatlantic arrival in more than six decades. The last such arrival was on Nov. 18, 1966. RMS Sylvania berthed at Princes Landing Stage that day.
Queen Anne, Cunard’s newest ship, will begin its 2028 season in Scandinavia and Northern Europe and include an overnight call in Liverpool. Queen Elizabeth will sail from Southampton to Le Havre before heading to the Mersey, while Queen Victoria will arrive after a British Isles itinerary calling in Scotland, Ireland, Northern Ireland and Wales.
Wider 2028 program includes 190 voyages
The Liverpool gathering is part of Cunard’s 2028 program, which runs from April 2028 to January 2029 and includes 190 voyages in 36 countries. The fleet is scheduled to visit 125 ports, with 19 overnight stays and 37 late-evening departures.
McAlister said the new voyage collection includes “the historic moment all four Queens meet in Liverpool” alongside a broader destination program. She said Cunard has planned the sailings to give guests more time in port.
Queen Mary 2’s 2028 schedule includes transatlantic crossings, Mediterranean and Northern Europe voyages, Canada and New England sailings, and Caribbean itineraries. Queen Victoria will sail roundtrip from Southampton to Scandinavia, Northern Europe, the Arctic region and the Mediterranean, while Queen Elizabeth will spend summer 2028 in the Mediterranean. Queen Anne will operate from Southampton with Norway, Northern Europe, France, Spain, Portugal, Arctic and Canary Islands itineraries.
Cunard will also offer back-to-back “Queen-to-Queen” options across two, three or four ships, including a 40-night four-ship voyage from Southampton to Civitavecchia from April 16 to May 26, 2028, that includes the Liverpool gathering.
Additional details on the Four Queens-linked itineraries are still to be released. Cunard World Club members will receive early access to Four Queens Celebration voyages from 2 p.m. on May 18, 2026, and to all new voyages from 2 p.m. on May 19; bookings open to all guests at 2 p.m. on May 20, 2026.
