Luxury cruise brand Cunard celebrated a construction milestone last week with the float out of Queen Anne at the Fincantieri Marghera shipyard in Venice, Italy. The 249th ship to sail under the Cunard flag, Queen Anne officially touched water for the first time exactly 365 days before she will set sail on her maiden voyage to Lisbon on May 3, 2024.

Steeped in tradition, the float out was marked by a special ceremony where a ‘Madrina’ is named to offer blessings and best wishes for the ship, celebrating the flow of water into the ship’s dry dock.

Carnival UK President Sture Myrmell said: “We are delighted to celebrate this important milestone in the construction of Queen Anne. The float out ceremony marks the ship’s transition from her building dock to where she truly belongs – in the water.”

The float out completes the first comprehensive phase of construction for Queen Anne, which now transitions to focus on building the luxury ship’s interiors.

Queen Anne

The 113,000-ton, 3,000-guest Queen Anne, which spans 14 decks, is the newest ship in the Cunard’s 180-year history. Entering service in May, 2024, Queen Anne will join Queen Mary 2, Queen Victoria, and Queen Elizabeth. It will be the first time since 1999 that Cunard will have four ships in simultaneous service.

The float out ceremony follows September’s keel laying, in which a coin was embedded into the ship’s keel by Captain Inger Thorhauge, alongside an original coin from the ship’s namesake’s reign, to mark the formal start of her construction.