The arrival of Queen Elizabeth will allow Cunard to offer its biggest range of cruises during 2011. The 2,092-passenger ship will join Queen Victoria and Queen Mary 2 in October, and will operate its full season next year.

Queen Elizabeth will be based in Southampton during summer 2011 offering 22 voyages ranging from five to 24 nights, including a maiden voyage round the British Isles in September 2011.

Cunard Line managing director and president Peter Shanks said that having three ships in 2011 enabled them to offer a wider variety of cruises and destinations.

“For the last couple of years – with only two ships - we have had to concentrate on our core deployment out of Southampton but we can now offer a wider choice of cruising destinations.”

Shanks said the Cunard fleet was now the youngest in the world with all of its vessels having been built in the last six years. Cunard’s legendary Queen Elizabeth left the fleet in 2008.

Other initiatives for the 2011 programme, which is released today, include fly-cruises to the Med on Queen Victoria and Queen Mary 2’s first round-trip Christmas journey to the Caribbean.

“We can now cover the world, apart from Alaska. We have fly-cruises to the Med, voyages out of Hawaii and a strong programme to the Caribbean and Panama Canal.”

Shanks said that the excitement was already growing for the launch of Queen Elizabeth in October and its cruises have sold well through to early 2011.

“We’re confident demand is out there for the Cunard brand,” he said. “Having the youngest fleet in the world and all our history gives us a competitive advantage.”

For full details of Cunard's 2011 programme, along with P&O's and Princess's, see Friday's TTG.