Cunard’s ocean liner, RMS Queen Mary 2, has completed her first passage through the Panama Canal, an operational milestone reached during the liner’s 108-night World Voyage in January 2026. The transit began on Saturday, January 24th, when the vessel entered the canal system and proceeded through the expanded lock complex, marking the first time the world’s only purpose-built ocean liner has navigated this route.
After an overnight pause at the Cocoli Mooring Station, the ship resumed her south-to-north transit on Sunday, January 25th, passing beneath the Bridge of the Americas before clearing the canal. Cunard’s leadership later characterized the passage as a significant moment in the ship’s service history and noted that the canal crossing formed a defining element of the current World Voyage, which also encompasses calls in major ports across the Americas, Africa, Asia and the Pacific before concluding in Southampton.
Following completion of the transit, QM2 was scheduled to make an overnight call at Fuerte Amador in Panama, followed by a call at Manzanillo, Mexico, before arriving in Los Angeles on February 2nd.
Her arrival in Southern California represents a return to the region after an absence of 17 years and coincides with a planned meeting with her namesake, The Queen Mary, marking their first such reunion in two decades.
Cunard has indicated that Panama Canal transits will remain a feature of its deployment plans in the coming years. In September 2026, Queen Elizabeth is scheduled to transit the waterway during a 21-night voyage from Seattle to Miami following her Alaska season. In January 2027, Queen Anne is due to transit the canal as part of a 56-night South America itinerary, while Queen Victoria is expected to make the passage during her World Voyage after departing Southampton and calling in New York and Aruba.
These planned transits underscore Cunar Line’s continued integration of the canal into long-distance itineraries across its fleet.