Queen Anne, one of the world's largest cruise liners makes maiden call at Penang

ONE of the world's largest cruise liners - Queen Anne, which is operated by the Britis -based Cunard Line make its maiden call at Penang today.

With the capacity to ferry up to 3,000 passengers, Queen Anne, named after a British Royal, docked to much fanfare by Tourism Malaysia.

The ship was undertaking its maiden grand voyage around the world, where it will visit 30 destinations across over 20 countries, including Penang, Malaysia.

As passengers disembarked from the Penang Port Sdn Bhd's Swettenham Pier Cruise Terminal, they were greeted by tourism officials and accorded the warmth of the Malaysian hospitality.

“The maiden call represents a unique opportunity to showcase Malaysia to a global audience. This is a gateway to highlighting Malaysia’s cultural heritage, stunning landscapes, and warm hospitality, encouraging visitors to return and explore further during our Visit Malaysia 2026 (VM2026) campaign,” said Datuk Yeoh Soon Hin chairman of Penang Port Commission and Tourism Malaysia deputy chairman.

Queen Anne had previously made a stopover in Singapore before continuing its 107-night world cruise, across 20 countries.

Upcoming ports of call include Mauritius, South Africa, Namibia, Senegal, and the Canary Islands, before concluding in Southampton on April 27, 2025.

Yeoh said that the ship's arrival demonstrates Penang's standing as a preferred cruise stopover.

The passengers also visited tourism attractions in George Town for the day.

The cruise industry has been experiencing steady growth in Penang, welcoming renowned cruise liners such as Azamara Pursuit, MS Blue Dream Melody, AIDAStella, and Norwegian Sky.

In 2024, the terminal handled over 1 million passengers, including 650,518 international transit passengers and 4,840 homeport passengers.

Efforts to bring back the cruise business here, were helmed by Penang Port Sdn Bhd chief executive officer Datuk Sasedharan Vasudevan.

The executive has been busy lobbying cruise liners the world over to make Penang a port of call.

Queen Anne boosts of world class facilities such as its Britannia Restaurant, which provides for exquisite fine dining, the Royal Court Theatre – a grand two-deck performance venue and the Grand Atrium – a three-deck which represents the hub of the giant ship. - March 27, 2025.