A Royal RendezvousTM in Ft. Lauderdale: Queen Mary 2 and Queen Elizabeth 2 Set Sail for Simultaneous World Cruises on January 10

VALENCIA, CA - December 19, 2006 - On January 10, 2007, maritime and Cunard ocean liner enthusiasts will have a rare opportunity to see the line's legendary liners - Queen Mary 2 and Queen Elizabeth 2 - set sail on simultaneous, but different, World Cruises.

A Royal Rendezvous of the world's most famous ocean liners, the two iconic ships will depart Port Everglades, Florida on southward journeys; Queen Mary 2 on her first-ever World Cruise - an 81-day circumnavigation of the globe - and Queen Elizabeth 2 on her Silver Jubilee World Cruise - an exotic 108-day voyage marking her 25th around the world.

Views of the historic event are available from several vantage points, including the 17th Street Causeway Bridge. At 5 p.m., viewers can also watch the ships sail together from Fort Lauderdale Beach, at either the pier or beach at John U. Lloyd Beach State Park.

"The start of any Cunard World Cruise is cause for celebration so we are doubly excited about this first-ever simultaneous departure from Ft. Lauderdale," said Carol Marlow, president and managing director of Cunard Line. "Watching these celebrated ships as they set sail on such extraordinary journeys is a thrilling experience, even for a veteran cruiser."

The World Cruises are just a part of the ships' compelling 2007 itineraries. In the coming year, the flagship Queen Mary 2 will offer an expanded season of transatlantic travel, as well as introduce a series of 10-day Connoisseur's Caribbean voyages and series of four-day Getaway sailings. Out of her homeport of Southampton, Queen Elizabeth 2 will depart for a range of magical European voyages, with the highlight being her 40th Anniversary Celebration Voyage, visiting Newcastle, Edinburgh, Liverpool and Greenock, where she was named by Her Majesty the Queen, 40 years ago to the day. The year concludes with the highly anticipated maiden voyages of the new Queen Victoria, which will mark the first time in Cunard's 167-year history that three Cunard Queens will be in service simultaneously.