cunard cruises in 2025

Cunard Cruises 2025

Review: Queen Anne

What is the line? Cunard

Name of ship? Queen Anne

Passenger occupancy? 2,996 passengers

Itinerary? Roundtrip from Southampton to Norway fjords (with stops in Haugesund, Nordfjordeid, Geiranger, Bergen)

Start out with the big picture—what is this cruise line known for?

Cunard is best known for its elegant transatlantic crossings that once transported movie stars and fashionable travelers aboard the Queen Elizabeth 2 throughout the 1980s. Today, the line’s fleet of four cruise ships continues to embody the sophistication of this bygone era, with afternoon tea, ballroom dancing, and formal gala evenings.

Tell us about the ship in general .

Queen Anne is the first new Cunard cruise ship since 2010, representing the line’s ambitions to attract the next generation of passengers. As a result, the ship’s design leans more modern than its beloved predecessors ‎ *Queen Mary 2 , Queen Victoria,* and Queen Elizabeth. As a first-time cruiser several decades younger than the average passenger, I thought many of the spaces were beautifully done; however, some Cunard loyalists prefer the traditional feel of the classic ocean liner. Time will tell if that preference remains.

Who is onboard?

Most passengers are British or American, with a few Aussies on board. It appeared the majority of people on my sailing were in the 60+ age range, however Queen Anne definitely skews younger than Cunard’s other ships—there were a fair number of younger couples in their thirties and forties. This was a popular sailing for multi-generational groups of grandparents, parents, and grandchildren.

Describe the cabins .

My cabin was in the Princess Grill Suite category. With a king-size bed and a separate seating area with a loveseat, desk, and TV, it was larger than many luxury hotel rooms. The bathroom and closet space was spacious for a ship. My room was located in the middle of the ship on deck nine and I barely felt the rough water during the overnight North Sea crossing.

The main reason to splurge on a Princess Grill Suite is to access the Grill restaurant, lounge, and deck (with private hot tubs). The zone was never overly crowded and felt like its own ship-within-a-ship with more personalized service. The Queens Grill, a category above, offers even more space and a more exclusive dining experience.

The Britannia staterooms are the ship’s smallest cabins, but they are still well-configured and nicely designed. Book a balcony or oceanview room if you want a lounge area with seating. If you stay in this suite category, you will eat most of your meals at the Britannia restaurant—which is larger and hosts many more passengers than the Grills—but in my opinion, it's one of the prettiest dining rooms on the ship.

Regardless of which suite category you stay in, Cunard’s mattresses and bedding are exceptionally comfortable.

Tell us about the crew.

The dining staff in the Princess Grill was top-tier, but at restaurants and bars elsewhere on the ship, the service varied from place to place and occasionally felt understaffed. As it is a brand-new ship, I imagine this will improve with time.

My cabin steward was lovely, making the bed and tidying up the room twice a day, including folding any loose clothing. I had an incredible masseuse who tackled deep knots and tense muscles with ease. Working on a cruise ship is a tough job. I spoke with crew members who were on the ship working 9-month contracts away from their spouses and children, sending their paychecks back home for a better life. If possible, please tip them generously.

What food and drink options are available on board?

As previously mentioned, the main dining rooms are organized by your cabin category. I dined in the Princess Grill most nights and the rotating menu of creative steak, chicken, fish, and vegetarian dishes offered a nice variety of options throughout the week. Treat yourself with one of their yummy desserts, like the flaming cherries jubilee, prepared table front. The Princess Grill room service menu is surprisingly delightful; the green curry dish was so good I had it three times. The colorful exotic fruit bowl (listed in the desert section) was my go-to snack.

For breakfast and light bites, I enjoyed my morning cappuccino at the peaceful Carinthia Lounge and nibbled on the poached egg and salmon toast as well as various pastries (pro tip: try the banana bread). In the afternoon, I’d return here for a small trout sandwich and an artisan charcuterie board. Another solid option for lunch is the Wellness Café, located above the panorama pool. The menu includes healthy bowls, chia cups, fresh juices, and more. If you’re still hungry, the buffet-style Artisan Food Hall serving pizza, pasta, salads, and the like is open most hours of the day.

The specialty restaurants (read: not included in your fare and require advance reservations for an extra fee) varied in quality and service. I very much enjoyed the sushi and Japanese restaurant Aji Wa. The Italian restaurant Tramonto was nothing worth writing home about.

Now, onto the bars. With some of the best views on the ship, The Commodore Club turns into one big party during sailaways—arrive early to grab a seat by the windows. With a grand piano at the center and a drink menu specializing in martinis, it has a jazzy, sophisticated vibe. The Chart Room was another personal favorite; the creative cocktail menu organized by zodiac sign was a cute conversation starter and quite tasty. People also enjoyed the negroni bar at the casino. If you’re looking for more casual drinks (no dress-code required), the Golden Lion pub has a fun ambience and solid beer menu to accompany nightly live music, karaoke, and trivia.

Is there a spa on board and is it worth visiting?

The spa was a highlight of my voyage. The vast space has two saunas (Himalayan salt and Finnish), a steam room, cold room, and more “immersive shower” options than I ever knew existed. At the center, an aqua therapy pool allows you to gently sway in small waves. When I went on the first sea day, I basically had the whole place to myself. On the last sea day when I returned for a massage, word had spread and it was busier. In order to use all the spa’s facilities, you need to purchase a day pass or an unlimited pass for use during the whole voyage. If you book a treatment, you’re only able to access a relaxation lounge and one communal steam room.

What about activities and entertainment?

You won’t find water parks or roller coasters on this ship. Instead, expect a daily itinerary filled with educational and sports programming. On the upper decks, there is a pickleball court, archery lessons, and of course, shuffleboard. Passengers spoke highly of the guest lecturers, who spoke on topics ranging from Norwegian geography and history to the comedic differences between American and British humor.

I took a few fitness classes at The Wellness Pavilion, a large, bright space overlooking the pool that hosts beginner mat pilates, stretching, and slow-flow yoga classes. I wish the space was better utilized when classes were not available; the gym staff kindly agreed to lend me a mat to bring up if I wanted to work out here on my own.

Come night time, the real entertainment highlight is the Queen’s Room dance floor. With the formal attire and feel-good cover bands, every night feels like a wedding bash (and on one night, it actually was—two former crew members were married onboard and had their first dance here in front of guests). Reserve a seat at The Bright Lights society for interactive theatrical performances Noir and Fizz, or walk into the auditorium for one of the plays. If you’re feeling lucky, there’s a small casino too.

When in need of peace and quiet, the library was one of my favorite nooks on the ship, offering some of the best window views of the sea without the noise or crowds. Funnily enough, the pickle ball court is located directly on top of the library, a design-flaw that means readers may be subjected to loud thumping above their heads during matches.

My sailing began and ended with a black and white and masquerade gala night. I was excited to see passengers take the dress code very seriously—bow ties, white gloves, and all. Nowadays, truly dressing to the occasion is rare.

How was the experience for families?

This ship is perfect for multi-generational trips that older relatives will appreciate while still offering a selection of nightlife activities and entertainment for grandkids and adult children. Surprisingly, I spotted a few infants on board too. Children 8 to 12 can sign up for supervised activities in The Kids Zone (included in the fare), but there are no theme-park-esque activities onboard this sailing.

Where did it sail and how were the excursions? Did anything stand out?

The “Hiking Westeras” excursion in Geiranger was my favorite excursion of the trip, with knowledgeable guides and incredible views of the fjord. The lighthouse walk in Haugesund was a close second.

In Nordfjordeid, I went kayaking from the local beach and explored the small town right off the gangway. Most people will check out the Viking museum here, but walk a few blocks further for delicious cinnamon rolls from local bakery Minibakeriet and treasures from the nearby antique and vintage shops.

In Bergen, I opted for independent exploration. It’s a great little city (Norway’s second-largest after Oslo) and is easily walkable and navigable on your own. If you choose to book a shore excursion, fellow passengers highly recommended the local farm visit here as well.

When visiting the smaller villages in the Norwegian fjords, hiking is never a bad idea (though the weather won’t always cooperate, pack a rain jacket). I recommend speaking with the shore excursions desk on board to get a better idea of what each excursion entails, as the online descriptions can be vague.

Are there any stand out sustainability or green initiatives about this cruise?

Like most newer ships, Queen Anne is equipped with shore power capability. This allows the ship to plug into the local grid where facilities are available, and switch off the engines, reducing air emissions and noise in ports. Onboard, food waste biodigesters and an advanced wastewater treatment system (AWWTS) help reduce waste, with Queen Anne producing the majority of water that will be used on board. Energy efficiency technologies including Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (HVAC) systems with the latest energy-savings features and

LED lighting systems will help the ship be more than 20 percent more efficient per guest, from a greenhouse gas emissions perspective.

Finally, give a sentence or two on why the cruise is worth booking.

The Queen Anne is a beautiful new ship combining modern luxury with the traditional elegance Cunard is best known for.

All listings featured on Condé Nast Traveler are independently selected by our editors. If you book something through our links, we may earn an affiliate commission.

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Cunard Announces New Event Voyages For 2025 Cruise Calendar

Announcing brand new Cunard Event Voyages for their 2025 Cruise calendar!

Award-winning authors. Master composers. celebrated choreographers. Cunard’s Event Voyages invite you to sail with some of the greatest talents in the arts, gastronomy, wine, and entertainment. Curated in partnership with well-known names like Cheltenham Festivals, English National Ballet, and Corney & Barrow, these one-of-a-kind voyages blend live demonstrations and performances with Q&As and hands-on workshops, to truly immerse you in the things you love most.

Be a part of history on Cunard’s 185th Anniversary voyage. Celebrate the spoken word with likeminded literature lovers or share your passion for music, dance, or film. When you’re not watching the professionals on stage, why not join them for an interactive workshop, a thought-provoking panel discussion, or an informal meet and greet? You’ll find plenty of opportunities to mix and mingle with these special guests. Some Cunard Event voyages even offer you the chance to sit in on rehearsals, giving you a rare glimpse at what goes on behind the scenes.

Film Festival At Sea

8 March 2025 • Queen Mary 2

Guests are invited to discover the world of film on this special Event Voyage in partnership with the British Film Institute . A thoughtfully curated schedule of activities and events will include screenings, conversations with industry icons, quizzes, and Q&A sessions. Guests will be treated to a look behind the scenes of the British film industry and the London Film Festival.

On board programme highlights:

• A curated selection of films from the BFI to be screened on board
• Q&As and in-depth talks from industry icons and experts who’ll take guests behind the scenes of movie making
• Quizzes and other celebratory events on board, commemorating the history and prestige of the British film industry

185th Anniversary Event Voyage

24 June 2025 • Queen Mary 2

Celebrate 185 years of Cunard, and delight in all that Queen Mary 2 has to offer, plus enjoy a variety of experiences that will commemorate this special occasion. On this iconic Transatlantic route that’s been sailed by Cunard ships for decades, guests can relish days at sea being treated to the unique tales of maritime historians.

• Guests can hear fascinating insights from maritime historians joining the voyage
• Commemorative dinner to celebrate Cunard’s distinguished history
• A themed quiz to test our guests’ knowledge

Dance The Atlantic

8 August 2025 • Queen Mary 2

This unique Transatlantic Crossing celebrates the world of dance with English National Ballet. Dance the Atlantic will feature stunning performances and a spectacular programme packed full of Insights talks, workshops, access to rehearsals and classes, and a chance for guests to meet six leading dancers from English National Ballet.

• Six leading dancers from English National Ballet join guests on board
• Performances with extracts from classic and contemporary ballets in the Royal Court Theatre
• Classes and rehearsals, Insights talks, and dance workshops hosted by English National ballet choreographers
• A fascinating look behind the scenes at what it takes to dance for English National Ballet

Anthony Inglis and the National Symphony Orchestra

3 September 2025 • Queen Mary 2

On this spectacular Event Voyage guests will be immersed in the exquisite world of classical music, brought on board Queen Mary 2 by eminent maestro Anthony Inglis, conducting the UK’s National Symphony Orchestra. Two superb performances will celebrate classical music from both sides of the pond, and at Q&A sessions Inglis will share stories about his distinguished career. Guests will even have the chance to rehearse with the choir and join the group performance during the evening show .

• Anthony Inglis will conduct on this special crossing as well as offering Insights talks and a Q&A
• Anthony Inglis and the NSO will perform two classical concerts in the Royal Court Theatre
• Guests can rehearse with the choir and join the group performance during the evening show

Literature Festival At Sea

8 December 2025 • Queen Mary 2

Guests will be absorbed in a true literary haven, surrounded by fellow book lovers, on the Literature Festival at Sea. This event, curated by the programming team of The Times and The Sunday Times Cheltenham Literature Festival , sees authors, journalists, critics, and historians unite, bringing the spirit of the Festival this extraordinary voyage.

• In partnership with Cheltenham Literature Festival, the world’s oldest literary festival
• A seven-day programme of inspiring literary events
• Join up to 20best-loved authors, thinkers and journalists for a range of unique workshops and experiences
• Hear literary greats in conversation about their life and work and get the chance to meet them at intimate author signings

Great Australian Culinary Voyage

6 February 2025 • Queen Elizabeth

In February 2025, Cunard’s much loved Great Australian Culinary Voyage sets sail for the third time, bringing an odyssey of culinary exploration to the high seas. It’s the perfect opportunity to sample delicious cuisine as you sail for the shores of Tasmania.

• A chance to listen and learn as some of Australia’s most-loved chefs, producers,and food critics shine a spotlight on the wonders of Australian cuisine
• Award-winning chef MattMoran will create an exclusive menu for The Verandah and special three-course dinner for the Britannia and Grills Restaurants
• Bespoke culinary shore experience in Hobart

Voyage du Vin

13 October 2025 • Queen Victoria

Take a closer look at the wonderful world of wine on this unique Event Voyage on Queen Victoria, in partnership with Corney & Barrow, one of the UK’s oldest independent wine merchants.

This 11-night Mediterranean sailing promises not only to transport you, physically, to some of the world’s leading wine producing countries, but you’ll also be treated to a whole host of events and experiences designed to delight oenophiles of all kinds.

• Insightful talks from connoisseurs and leading industry experts
• Tastings guided by renowned personalities

All this is on top of the signature Cunard experiences you can always look forward to. Find everything you need to create your perfect holiday both on and off the ship. Explore at your own pace or book a Cunard Shore Experience. You could push yourself at the gym by morning and glam up for a sparkling Gala Evening by night, maybe with a signature Cunard cocktail in between. An Event Voyage on a Cunard Queen is certainly a holiday like no other.

Ready to book your 2025 cruise holiday on a Cunard voyage? Call our cruise specialists on 02380 658 386 or start your search here .

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Cunard Queen Anne cruise review: A lovely new ship that's still coming into its own

Editor's Note

Are you thinking of a cruise on Cunard 's new Queen Anne ? Be warned: It's not like any Cunard ship you've seen before.

The storied cruise brand's first new vessel in 14 years is notably more contemporary in its look and feel than the line's three other ships, including the iconic Queen Mary 2 .

It also offers venues that embrace the latest trends of travel and cruising in a way that Cunard ships haven't done in the past.

As I've seen on two visits to Queen Anne since it debuted four months ago, including a weeklong stay in September as it sailed the Norwegian coast, the $600 million vessel offers more choice in dining and entertainment, more wellness options, and more of a focus on onboard celebrations than we've ever seen on a Cunard ship.

That's no small thing, given that Cunard has fielded 149 ships in its 184-year history.

Still, even as Queen Anne ushers in a new era for Cunard, it's a vessel that holds true to the traditional values at the core of the line — particularly a formality and elegance that harks back to the grand old days of ocean liner travel.

Overview of Queen Anne

Queen Anne is the new belle of the ball when it comes to Cunard ships. Unveiled in May, it's far younger and more up to date than the three other ships in the Cunard fleet, which range from 14 to 20 years in age. It also has a smorgasbord of new-for-the-line dining and entertainment venues that tap into the latest trends in hospitality.

Unlike other Cunard vessels, for instance, Queen Anne features a wide array of extra-charge eateries, ranging from a Mediterranean cuisine venue where the dishes are sprinkled with African and Arabic influences to one of the first contemporary Indian restaurants on a cruise ship.

That's on top of the four relatively formal main restaurants that have long been at the core of the Cunard dining experience (one each for each class of onboard cabins — if you're in a Britannia-class cabin, your main eatery is the Britannia Restaurant; if you're in a Princess Grill suite, your main eatery is the Princess Grill).

Queen Anne also has a broader array of entertainment options than past Cunard ships, including an all-new cabaret venue that is home to a murder mystery theater show for part of every cruise.

Like all Cunard ships, it's a vessel that maintains longtime ocean liner traditions such as gala evenings where passengers wear black tie and ballgowns and nightly dancing in a grand ballroom (something you no longer find on most ships).

But alone for now in the Cunard fleet, Queen Anne aims to bridge the gap between such traditions and a more contemporary sort of cruising — not just in the venues it offers on board but in its overall look and feel.

It's been a change that hasn't been without controversy. Some Cunard regulars have mercilessly (and sometimes hilariously) panned the ship at online review sites, citing both the new look and what they say are obvious design flaws.

Queen Anne also clearly has suffered from teething pains in its first four months at sea, with Cunard fans reporting listless service, mediocre food in some eateries and uninspired entertainment. These are all things that I saw, too — so much so that I'm hesitant to recommend that passengers book this ship just yet. While lovely, it's not quite ready for prime time.

That said, if Cunard can work out the kinks over the coming months, particularly in the areas of service and specialty dining, Queen Anne has the potential to be a wonderful cruise ship.

What I loved about Queen Anne

The new look.

Put me down as firmly in the camp that loves the new look. Make no mistake, I have long enjoyed the ocean liners-of-old design of Cunard vessels. Sailing on the Atlantic-crossing Queen Mary 2, in particular, is like stepping onto the movie set for "Titanic," which definitely has an appeal. Combined with Cunard's focus on old-style tradition and elegance, it has given Cunard something unique in the world of cruising. But that doesn't mean the brand has to be forever stuck in the past.

In my view, which admittedly isn't shared by some Cunard fans, Cunard has artfully updated its design and onboard offerings for modern-day cruisers in a way that doesn't lose the tradition and elegance for which its ships have long been known.

Related: This movie will give you a sense of a transatlantic Cunard voyage

The British feel

Like all ships operated by United Kingdom-based Cunard, Queen Anne has a particularly British feel. It's a vessel where mushy peas and fish-and-chips (along with other British culinary favorites) are on the lunch buffet not just once a sailing but every day , and afternoon tea is a major event. It's also a ship where one of the busiest drinking spots is the (very traditionally English) pub.

But beyond such Britishness in food and drink, it offers a uniquely British style of prim and properness that is perhaps Queen Anne's most distinctive feature. It is a ship, for instance, where even on nights when the dress code is a relaxed "smart" casual, most passengers arrive for dinner in a jacket, some in full coat-and-tie. It's a vessel where you generally don't see people being loud or garish or otherwise inappropriate.

For American cruisers increasingly aghast at the way some passengers behave (and dress) on mass-market American vessels, where anything-goes American values rule the day, it can be wonderfully refreshing — a throwback to what cruising was across the board not all that long ago. Of course, for some Americans, it might come off as just plain stuffy.

What I didn't love about Queen Anne

The hard-to-navigate top deck.

Getting around the top deck of Queen Anne is easy — if you're staying in a top suite. Otherwise, it's like navigating a maze. That's because a significant chunk of the middle of the top deck is devoted to a private sunning area for the swells in top suites. If you're not booked in such a suite (and thus do not have the secret keycode to enter and cross this elites-only zone), you can't easily get from the sunning and sports deck areas at the front of the ship to the pool area at the back. The only way to do it is to descend into the interior of the vessel and walk across its already congested buffet restaurant (called the Artisans' Foodhall).

This, in turn, adds to the congestion of the buffet, which itself has design flaws (most notably, its self-serve drinks stations are inexplicably located along the crowded walkways through the eatery, such that you'll smack right into people pouring hot coffees and teas as you work your way across the space).

Queen Anne is more packed with people than Cunard's three other vessels, in a way that affects the experience. Seats are hard to come by for some shows, and the crew seems more harried than usual. The cabin experience is also diminished in some cases.

The numbers tell the story: At 113,000 gross tons, Queen Anne is 24% bigger than Cunard's last new vessel, the 14-year-old Queen Elizabeth. But Cunard has jammed 44% more cabins (and thus 44% more people) onto the vessel. Queen Anne holds 2,996 passengers at double occupancy (two passengers per cabin), up from Queen Elizabeth's capacity of 2,081 passengers at double occupancy. Notably, this drops the ship's "space ratio" of space (measured in hundreds of cubic feet) to passengers to just 37.8, which isn't a great number. By comparison, Queen Elizabeth has a space ratio closer to 44. The line's flagship Queen Mary 2 has a space ratio around 56.

The spotty service

I truly was excited to sail on Queen Anne, as I've long loved the elegance and refinement of Cunard vessels. I figured Cunard's first new ship in 14 years would set a new benchmark for the brand. Alas, what I experienced on board was a vessel that wasn't quite functioning right, mostly in the area of service.

I've sailed on more than 200 ships in 30 years of writing about cruising, including lots of just-out-of-the-shipyard vessels, and I've rarely encountered one where the crew members seemed as untrained and indifferent as they seemed on Queen Anne. It wasn't in every space. The servers in the exclusive restaurant for Princess Grill passengers were fabulous, catering to my every need. The bartenders at the casino bar (Room 1840) were a delight. But in many other venues, I regularly encountered crew who didn't seem to know what they were supposed to do or how to interact with passengers. Some venues also just didn't have enough staff to function properly.

Queen Anne cabins and suites

Queen Anne has 28 cabin and suite categories — a large number. But finding the right cabin category for you isn't as complicated as that number might make it seem. As is often the case on cruise ships, many cabin categories on Queen Anne are essentially the same, with the exception of where the rooms are located.

For instance, there are nine categories of balcony cabins, all basically the same in size and decor. The only differences among most of them are whether they are located at the front, middle or back of the ship and whether they have a clear or obstructed view.

Similarly, there are five categories of ocean-view cabins (those with a window but no balcony) and six categories of windowless inside cabins. The only difference between them is location.

There are eight categories of suites, some of which also are essentially the same except for their locations.

All that said, when booking accommodations on Queen Anne, it's important to know that the type of cabin you book will have a significant impact on your cruise experience beyond what you'll experience in your room.

Unlike most lines, Cunard still operates with an old-school class system, where passengers dine and lounge on ships in different places depending on their cabin category.

Most of Queen Anne's 1,498 cabins — including all inside and ocean-view cabins and most balcony cabins — are what's known as Britannia cabins. When you book passage in one, you'll dine in the ship's cavernous Britannia Restaurant at night (when not at an extra-charge specialty restaurant) and only have access to the non-elite lounge areas of the ship.

For those wanting something more exclusive (and willing to pay for it), there are three higher tiers of accommodations with ever-greater levels of pampering and perks:

• Britannia Club cabins . These 162 balcony cabins are similar to standard balcony cabins but come with access to a more intimate private restaurant for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
• Princess Grill suites . A big step up from Britannia Club cabins, these 127 rooms — all suites — come with concierge service and access to an exclusive lounge area (the Grills Lounge) and a restaurant (the Princess Grill) for breakfast, lunch and dinner. In addition, you'll get access to a spacious private outdoor sun deck called the Grills Terrace.
• Queens Grill suites . These 65 suites are the ship's finest accommodations. Measuring 484 to 1,440 square feet, they come with butler service, concierge service, upscale touches such as fresh flowers, and access to an elegant private restaurant (the Queens Grill) for all meals. In addition, you get access to the same Grills Lounge and Grills Terrace as those staying in the Princess Grill suites.

My room was a Princess Grill suite, and the exclusive private areas that came with it really were wonderful. I particularly loved my special access to the Grills Lounge, a stylish bar and lounge space. Filled with curvy chairs upholstered in luscious peacock blue fabric, with a striking circular chartreuse seating area as a focal point, it served as a quiet escape from the ship's bustling public areas.

One deck up, the private Grills Terrace was a similarly serene and uncrowded oasis for decktop lounging that felt a world away from the busier public areas atop the ship.

Like all Princess Grill suites, my room measured about 300 square feet, including its balcony area. That's quite large for a cruise ship cabin, and it was room enough to contain everything I could want in a cabin for a week at sea: a king bed that could be split into two single beds, a built-in desk area, a separate built-in cabinet hiding a miniature refrigerator, a seating area with a sofa and chair, built-in closets, and a bathroom.

For the most part, I was happy with my Princess Grill suite on Queen Anne. While it wasn't inordinately high-end in its finishings, it had a clean-lined, contemporary look that felt modern and up to date. A recurring circular motif in its carpeting, lighting and mirror gave it a whiff of an art deco feel, one that was augmented by the room's red and gold accents (a nod to Cunard history, as they are two of Cunard's signature colors).

While surprisingly small in relationship to the overall size of the room, the bathroom in my Princess Grill suite was modern and bright, with a well-thought-out layout that made the most of its limited space. I particularly liked the relatively large walk-in shower and ample shelving space for toiletries — a sign that its designers understood what matters most to cruisers (unlike the designers of the poorly laid-out bathrooms on the new Seabourn ship that I just tested a few weeks ago ).

If my Princess Grill suite had a flaw, it was in the lack of adequate storage in the room. Given the formality of Cunard ships, which requires that passengers pack elegant eveningwear (think ballgowns and tuxedos) in addition to everyday clothing, the storage needs for Cunard passengers are higher than for passengers on some other lines. Cunard ships (and Queen Anne in particular) also often make longer sailings that require more clothes.

While there was enough storage in my room to pack away everything my companion and I brought for a weeklong sailing, it would have been tight if we had been on one of the ship's longer two-week sailings. I can't imagine how it'll work for passengers on the monthslong around-the-world sailings that are planned for the vessel starting in January.

One detail of the room I truly loved was the placement of large nightstands with large drawers on each side of the bed where I could hide away all my electronics and their cords, books, papers, glasses and the like. Bedside storage at this level is increasingly rare on ships. What's more, each of the nightstands was topped with a U.S.-style 110-volt outlet, a British-style 220-volt outlet, and both USB-A and fast-charging USB-C ports. Bravo, Cunard, for knowing how to keep us charged.

Other Queen Anne cabin tidbits:

• Every cabin has a small hair dryer that works with the ship's specific current. Leave yours at home.
• Rooms have nicely wide personal safes that can hold even a big laptop.
• There are Cunard-red "Do Not Disturb" magnets to stick to your door when you don't want to be disturbed. Flip them over, and a steward will make up your room. It's not a sophisticated system, but it works.
• Cabin televisions offer a wide range of movies on demand at no extra charge, a nice touch (some of Cunard's competitors charge as much as $11.99 to watch a movie).

The Princess Grill suites seem like a sweet spot to me when it comes to the higher-end accommodations on Queen Anne. They get you the same exclusive access to private indoor and outdoor lounge areas as the higher-priced Queens Grill suites and access to a private restaurant, too, but at a significantly lower price point.

That said, if you're looking for the ultimate in Queen Anne swankiness, you'll find it in the Queens Grill suites.

The best suites on Queen Anne

The two largest Queens Grill suites, called Grand suites, measure an astounding 1,440 square feet — nearly five times the size of my Princess Grill suite. They boast a bedroom, a master bathroom with a separate bath and shower, a large living room, a dining room, a powder room, a private balcony, and a walk-in closet.

Also impressive are the ship's four Queens Grill Master suites, which measure 896 square feet. They also feature a bedroom, a master bathroom with a separate bath and shower, a living room, a dining room, a powder room, a private balcony, and a walk-in closet.

The remainder of the Queens Grill suites are split between Queens Grill Penthouse suites, which measure 501 to 527 square feet, and slightly smaller Queens Grill suites, which measure 484 to 500 square feet. Each has a bedroom, a bathroom with a separate bath and shower, a living area, and a private balcony.

In addition to fresh flowers, Queens Grill suites come with personalized stationery, fresh fruit daily, predinner canapes and a complimentary minibar, including alcoholic drinks and soft drinks.

As noted above, Queen Anne's designers have packed a lot more cabins on Queen Anne than on earlier Cunard ships, and they did it in part by shrinking the size of some cabins. While standard balcony cabins on Queen Anne are just a tad smaller than balcony cabins on the line's past two new ships (236 square feet versus 239 square feet), the differential with Princess Grill suites is more noticeable.

Princess Grill suites measure 335 square feet on Queen Elizabeth and Queen Victoria — about 10% more space than my Princess Grill suite on Queen Anne. Princess Grill suites on the line's flagship, Queen Mary 2, measure a far more generous 381 square feet.

At the Queens Grill level, there are notably no two-deck-high duplexes measuring more than 2,000 square feet on Queen Anne, as you'll find on the Queen Mary 2, which remains Cunard's reigning monarch for over-the-top accommodations.

Related: Cunard cabins and suites guide: Everything you want to know

Queen Anne restaurants and bars

Cunard has never been known for having ships that offered lots of dining options, but that changed notably with the debut of Queen Anne. It boasts 15 different places where you can grab a bite — more than double the number on the line's other ships. It also offers quite a few bar options, including several new-for-the-brand venues.

Restaurants

As on all Cunard ships, the dining scene on Queen Anne revolves around four main restaurants: Britannia, Britannia Club, Princess Grill and Queens Grill — only one of which you will experience during any given cruise.

In keeping with Cunard's old-fashioned class system of dining, you'll be assigned a table in one of the four eateries for the duration of your cruise based on the type of cabin you book.

The vast majority of passengers — those in the least expensive windowless inside cabins, ocean-view cabins and most balcony cabins — are assigned to the least intimate of the four eateries: the expansive, two-level Britannia Restaurant. It's packed with close-together tables that can hold 596 people at a time — a banquet hall sort of number.

Dinners on the lower level of the Britannia Restaurant take place during two fixed seatings each night, while the second level is reserved for diners on an open-seating plan (arrange this in advance). Breakfast and lunch have open seating.

Passengers who pay up for one of 162 premium balcony cabins will be assigned a table in the more intimate Britannia Club restaurant. It's designed to hold up to 339 passengers and doesn't turn over tables for multiple seatings. If you book this class, you have a specific table in the eatery that is available whenever you want to dine during breakfast, lunch and dinner hours.

Even more intimate and upscale are the Princess Grill and Queens Grill restaurants, which are assigned to passengers staying in suites. The Princess Grill is for passengers booked in the ship's 127 smaller suites, known as Princess Grill suites. The Queens Grill is for passengers in the ship's 65 biggest suites.

In the Princess Grill and Queens Grill, as with the Britannia Club restaurant, you'll have a specific table that is available to you whenever you want it during dining hours.

Among the four main eateries, I only was able to experience the Princess Grill, as I was staying in a Princess Grill suite. Serving mostly classic Continental cuisine, it offered a refined dining experience with top-notch service, as you'd expect from an eatery reserved for passengers in top suites. Elaborate dishes such as chateaubriand and Dover sole meuniere (the latter expertly deboned and plated tableside) were available every night, as were such showy desserts as bananas Foster and cherries jubilee that were flamed tableside — a throwback to first-class travel during ocean liner days.

In addition to the four eateries above, Queen Anne also has a wide range of alternative dining options — something that isn't the case with other Cunard ships.

These include four new-for-the-line extra-charge dining concepts: Aranya, an Indian eatery; Tramonto, serving Mediterranean dishes; Aji Wa, a Japanese restaurant; and Sir Samuel's, a steakhouse.

I tried nearly all these new restaurants while on board and, alas, was disappointed with them all for varying reasons.

Both Aranya and Tramonto, which came with upcharges of $35 and $20, respectively, seemed like eateries added to the ship as afterthoughts. Both were in carved-out corners of the buffet area, and they had the ambience you might expect from such a location. From my table at Aranya, I looked out over a sad landscape of empty tables and a trolley cart with glasses in the buffet. Tramonto's ambience was better, thanks to the addition of a built-in wine cabinet blocking the buffet view. But it still suffered from being aside one of the main thoroughfares into the buffet.

Foodwise, the 38-seat Aranya was the biggest disappointment. The "carefully crafted spice-led journey" that it promised was almost devoid of spice across much of its (very limited) menu. A turbot wrapped in banana leaf came out dry. The one choice of naan that was available (plain) had the consistency of cardboard. It was nothing like the fabulous Indian eateries you'll find all over the ship's home country (for a similar cost, my companion and I feasted on truly wonderful Indian cuisine in London just the night before boarding).

Aranya also was plagued by servers who seemed only half awake (one server tried to fill our water glasses with tap water twice in five minutes, even though we clearly told her the first time we were drinking sparkling water).

The cuisine at the 38-seat Tramonto wasn't quite the disaster it was at Aranya, but too many dishes at this venue arrived cold, tasteless or otherwise underwhelming, and the servers were inattentive, even absent at times.

Both Aranya and Tramonto suffered, I suspect, from not having their own kitchens on-site. It appeared that waiters at both outlets were walking out of the eateries periodically to head to the buffet kitchen to grab dishes. They also apparently had to travel long distances to get drinks, as the eateries had no bars of their own. Our charge for sparkling water at Aranya posted as coming from the Panorama Pool Club bar, suggesting that our server had to walk to the back of the ship to get it.

Aji Wa, the Japanese eatery, had a much better atmosphere and served lovely sushi and other Japanese dishes. Its main flaw was disorganized service. During one of two visits, we sat at the sushi bar, ordering small sushi plates directly from the chef (as instructed) a couple at a time. Alas, nobody cleared these dishes away as we finished them, such that dirty dishes were piling up all around us by the end of the evening. We then sat for 20 minutes waiting for someone to notice we were done and bring us a bill. We finally got one, but just for our drinks. We had to wait again for a second bill for the food portion of the meal — a separation of charges that surely makes sense to someone in the accounting department at Cunard's U.K. headquarters but, of course, is nonsensical to the customer.

Sadly, I wasn't able to try Sir Samuel's, Cunard's new signature steakhouse. The eatery was unavailable for the entire week I was on board due to a private event that was being held in the space.

Other places to dine on Queen Anne include the Golden Lion pub, a mainstay of Cunard ships. On Queen Anne, it features a tasty new pub menu designed by chef Michel Roux Jr., who owned London's Le Gavroche restaurant, the first U.K. restaurant to receive three Michelin stars. (He also created an exclusive gala menu for the Queens Grill restaurant.) I particularly loved the steak-and-ale pie. It looked underwhelming on the plate but was fabulously rich and yummy.

You'll pay up to $11 a plate for lunch at the Golden Lion, but it's a worth-it upcharge. Some items, such as the quintessentially British Scotch eggs, are available at no extra cost.

In addition, Queen Anne passengers can eat in casual comfort at the Artisans' Foodhall, the ship's buffet. It features active food stations instead of traditional self-serve buffet lines, with a chef standing by at each station to make a dish just for you — a nice upgrade. There also are preplated dishes available to grab and go. The array of dishes is more limited than on some mass-market ships, but I never had trouble finding something to suit my taste.

That said, for something fast and casual, my favorite outlet, hands down, was the new-for-Cunard Wellness Cafe on the second level of the ship's Pavilion pool area. Part of Cunard's expanded focus on wellness, it offered no-extra-charge, built-to-order healthy food bowls that were not just tasty but beautifully plated. You could pick from a long list of healthful items such as edamame, kale, quinoa, roasted broccoli and charred cauliflower and top it all with grilled salmon and other proteins, as well as fresh dressings such as miso, lime and ginger. It was the one new eatery on Queen Anne that was a clear home run.

Eat there, and then blow your calorie count at the nearby Pavilion Gelateria, which serves massive extra-charge gelatos starting at a very reasonable $2.50 for one flavor. The Pavilion is also home to a grill for no-extra-charge burgers and hot dogs.

You'll also find small bites available from morning to night at the Carinthia Lounge. Located off the Grand Lobby, it's a European-style coffee bar by day with lovely handmade pastries and other elevated breakfast bites at no extra charge. At night, it morphs into a wine bar that serves artisanal cheese and charcuterie sourced from small producers for an extra fee (on my sailing, $6.50 for a selection of three cheeses or meats).

The Carinthia Lounge also serves oysters on the half shell at night ($6.50 for three oysters) and a few other small snacks that pair well with wines.

Room service is available day and night with several solid options including the same Michel Roux-designed burger you can get in the Golden Lion pub. That said, many of the better items come with an upcharge, which isn't always the case with room service menus on ships. The burger will set you back $11, while the room service steak — from the ship's Sir Samuel's steakhouse — will cost you $25 to $29, depending on whether you order a sirloin or filet. With an added lobster tail, the plate cost jumps to $40 to $44.

If you're heading out for a drink in the evening on Queen Anne, you're probably heading to one of two places: the Commodore Club or the Chart Room.

Located at the top of the ship overlooking the bow, as it is on all Cunard ships, the Commodore Club is the hot spot for drinks in the evenings, and for good reason. It's an elegant and inviting space with an impressive martini menu, friendly bartenders and lively entertainment (on my sailings, a pianist who took requests and played to the crowd).

The Commodore Club is such a popular venue on Cunard ships that the line has made it bigger than ever on Queen Anne, even bigger than its counterpart on Queen Mary 2, which is a far bigger ship.

Just off the Grand Lobby, the Chart Room is the main bar and lounge for the ship's lower-deck interior areas. It has a creative list of specialty cocktails themed around the signs of the zodiac (I loved the Leo-themed Natural Leader cocktail, made with pisco, lemon juice, raspberries and elderflower syrup) and the stylish art deco-inspired decor.

A third major drinking spot in the interior of the ship is the Golden Lion pub, which is just down the hall from the Chart Room past the Queens Room — the ship's ballroom. It's definitely the place to go for a pint of beer and a chat or a full-blown pub meal. Just be warned that it sometimes morphs into a karaoke club at night and is often taken over by trivia and bingo sessions, which sort of wrecks the cozy British pub ambience. In my view, it's a space that suffers from mission creep, though people who love karaoke, trivia and bingo with a side of John Smith's bitter ale surely will disagree.

Another option for a drink in the afternoon or evening is the Carinthia Lounge. As mentioned in the dining section above, it's a coffee bar by day but morphs into a wine bar as the day goes on. It has a wonderfully diverse wine list that includes things like Hungarian furmint, a wine you don't normally find at cruise ship bars.

Alas, as an evening drinking spot, the Carinthia Lounge suffers a bit from a ho-hum setting along a sometimes busy corridor through a shopping area — the reason, I suspect, for why it wasn't drawing much of a crowd at night when I was on board. It also closes down early. It's much more popular during the day when it functions as a coffee bar.

Note that the Carinthia Lounge is one of the venues on Queen Anne where the servers seem particularly out to lunch. You apparently get to order just one coffee here, after which your server will disappear, never to be seen again.

Yet one more bar option, one that is something of an unexpected gem, is the bar attached to the ship's casino, Room 1840. Most casino bars on ships are dreary places you don't want to visit unless you're in the casino to gamble. But the Room 1840 bar is both striking in its design and home to a fabulous cocktail menu focused on Negronis (in addition to a classic gin Negroni, you'll find creative variations on the Campari-infused elixir made with everything from double-oaked whiskey to tequila).

The Room 1840 bar is also one of the few bars on the ship where you'll find proper oversize ice cubes for cocktails such as Negronis — something that is standard at any semidecent cocktail bar on land but sorely missing from most Queen Anne bars (to be fair, this is a flaw not just with Queen Anne bars but bars on most cruise ships).

And, no, Room 1840 isn't smoky. Unlike on most ships, you can't smoke in the casino on Queen Anne.

In addition to the above, there are small interior bars attached to the Queens Room, the Bright Lights Society cabaret theater, the Artisans' Foodhall and the Sir Samuel's steakhouse. But none of them are venues you'd necessarily visit specifically for drinking. They are more bases for the waiters serving these various areas.

On the outside decks of the ship, you'll find bars at all the main sunning and pool areas, including at the front-of-the-ship sports deck (known as the Observation Deck) and at the back-of-the-ship Panorama Pool Club. One of the outdoor venues, Cabana, is a new-for-the-line rum-focused venue touting 50 different brands of the drink.

Queen Anne activities

As is typical for Cunard ships, the top decks of Queen Anne are mostly devoted to relaxing pool and sunning areas. This isn't a ship where you'll find lots of family-friendly decktop amusements such as waterslides and kiddie splash zones.

This is in keeping with the clientele of the brand, which is mostly older adults. Cunard has never been known as a family line.

Queen Anne is also one of the relatively few cruise ships with a top deck designed specifically for operating in a wide range of climate zones.

At the heart of Queen Anne's top deck is The Pavilion, an enormous central pool area that — unlike the main pool areas on the last two new Cunard ships — is topped with a retractable glass roof designed to keep poolgoers warm and dry on cold and rainy days.

It's a retractable glass roof that is not only functional but beautiful — a showpiece for the ship. Soaring higher and feeling airier than the typical magrodome (as such retractable glass roofs on ships are called), the giant structure above the pool was created by Martin Francis, the U.K.-based design wizard who figured out how to make the glass pyramid at the Louvre Museum stay up.

The Pavilion, moreover, is much more than just a covered pool area. Underneath the dome — in addition to a pool, three whirlpools and lounge chairs — is a bar, a grill for poolside food, a gelateria and a stage for entertainment.

Just forward of The Pavilion is an open-air sun deck that is the closest thing the ship has to an amusement zone. Called the Observation Deck, it has a paddle tennis court that doubles as a pickleball court, a putting green, a golf net for practicing your drives, a table tennis table (or, as most Americans would call it, a pingpong table) and — this being a British ship — deck quoits. If you're an American, you'll have to Google that last one.

There's also shuffleboard, here and elsewhere along the outdoor decks. It's that sort of deck-top vibe.

One other top-deck amusement, located toward the middle of the ship, is an archery range — something you won't find on most cruise ships. Indeed, while Royal Caribbean has offered a watered-down version of archery on its ships with toylike bows and arrows, Queen Anne is the first ship where you can shoot real (and very sharp) arrows with a real bow. You do it during formal reservations-only sessions with an instructor, and you have to sign your life away with a waiver form before you start.

In addition to the public areas above, there is an open-air deck area toward the middle of the ship that is exclusive to the swanky set staying in the ship's Princess Grill and Queens Grill suites. The center-of-the-ship placement of this exclusive area, alas, blocks regular passengers from moving across the top of the ship — a major design flaw.

The top of the ship is also home to a new-for-the-line, glass-enclosed Wellness Studio. Just past The Pavilion Pool (under the same glorious glass dome that covers that venue), it offers yoga, Pilates, Zumba and line-dancing classes during the day for an extra charge.

The Wellness Studio is part of the major expansion of wellness offerings at Cunard mentioned above. It was added to the ship in part to get all the fitness classes that the line normally offers in interior fitness areas up to the top deck, where participants can enjoy natural light and views of the sea all around.

That said, Queen Anne still has a good-size fitness center and a spa with a thermal pool complex in a lower part of the vessel. The latter venue is a wow with heated loungers, experiential showers, a reflexology footpath with textured stones, a cold room (a first for Cunard), a large steam room, a Himalayan salt sauna, and a traditional sauna. There's also a relaxation room and a wellness suite.

Two-hour passes to the thermal complex are available for $59 per person.

If you're looking for activities in the interior of the ship, there are two main places to go: the Queens Room and the Golden Lion pub.

The Queens Room — a staple of Cunard ships — is the ship's grand ballroom and the place to dance the night away to big-band music. But it's also the spot for afternoon tea at times — a big thing for the ship's heavily British crowd — and occasionally other activities such as low-impact chair yoga.

The Golden Lion pub is home to frequent trivia contests (often several times a day), darts competitions, bingo and karaoke nights — so many such activities, in fact, that passengers looking for a traditional pub experience may be disappointed.

Other activity areas in the ship's interior include the small casino area called Room 1840 mentioned above. It's just forward of the Queens Room. There's also a small Games Room for card playing just off the Grand Lobby.

At the very top of the ship, off the Commodore Club, is a library with one of the best views of any library at sea. Just beyond it is a very small children's area called The Zone (as noted, Cunard isn't a line that draws many children).

Other interior areas include dedicated space for weddings and wedding receptions, part of a bigger focus on celebrations at Cunard, and a large number of shops.

Queen Anne shows

Cunard has beefed up its entertainment offerings with the debut of Queen Anne.

In addition to an 835-seat main theater (the Royal Court Theater) offering Broadway-style shows, it's home to a new-for-the-brand, 132-seat cabaret-style theater called the Bright Lights Society.

The former is home to a wide variety of entertainment during any given cruise, from full-blown musicals to comedy shows and vocalist performances. (It's also used for lectures by a rotating list of guest speakers and occasional screenings of feature-length films.) The latter offers a murder mystery theater-type experience on some days and a lively cabaret-style musical show on others.

On my sailing, the two big main theater productions were a smoke-, strobe light- and laser-infused musical production called "Imagination" and a shortened version of the West End musical "Pride and Prejudice (sort of)" — the latter a comedic retelling of the Jane Austen love story. Both were entertaining, if not the sort of wow productions you'll find on the ships of cruise entertainment leaders Royal Caribbean and Norwegian Cruise Line .

The Bright Lights Society (the name is an oblique reference to the fact that Cunard was the first ocean liner operator to use electric lights on its ships) was a fun and lively venue — when I was able to get into it. Alas, all six performances of what some passengers said was the best show in the venue, the interactive murder mystery "Noir," booked up seemingly instantly on the first day of my cruise, so I never was able to get a reservation to see it.

With Queen Anne's passenger count significantly higher than Cunard's other vessels, there just isn't room in the Brights Light Society venue to accommodate the demand for its shows.

The "Noir" show was the only show in the venue for three of the first four nights of the cruise. For the last three nights of the sailing, the space was home to "Fizz," a cabaret-style show with musical and burlesque elements and a loose storyline of romance for which I did manage to snag a reservation. It was energetic and amusing, with the cast of five pulling in the audience to become part of the show.

Additional entertainment, including the occasional comedy show, vocalists and silent discos, takes place in the Queens Room, the ship's ballroom. On Queen Anne, it's a space that has gotten a makeover compared to the ballrooms on other Cunard ships to make it more multipurpose, and it often hosts some of the same acts that play on different nights in the Royal Court Theater.

With clusters of modern ball lamps hanging from its ceiling, evoking planets floating in the sky, and a stunning, multicolored marquetry wood floor as a counterpoint, the Queens Room has a dreamy, make-believe quality unlike anything seen before on a Cunard ship.

A large digital screen behind its semicircular stage and high-tech lighting add to its more modern feel.

The Queens Room is also rounder in its design and more open to its surroundings. Its top level, in particular, is open to an area of boutique stores and the passing traffic of passengers moving between the front and back of the ship.

Queen Anne itineraries and pricing

Of Cunard's four ships, Queen Anne is the one that spends the most time sailing out of Southampton, England — Cunard's traditional home. Nearly all its sailings during the year begin and end in the port.

Still, that doesn't mean Queen Anne only sails in the vicinity of the British Isles.

For all but the first few months of the year, Queen Anne operates an unusually wide array of Europe itineraries out of Southampton that can get you to just about every corner of the continent, from the far reaches of the Baltic Sea to the full expanse of the Mediterranean.

Some of Queen Anne's Europe sailings out of Southampton go all the way to the Canary Islands off the west coast of Africa.

Queen Anne's trips from Southampton are diverse not only in where they go but in length, as the ship operates everything from quickie two-nighters to Hamburg, Germany (a good way to test the vessel to see if you like it), and seven-night sailings to Northern Europe to far lengthier voyages of 14 to 19 nights to the Mediterranean and Canary Islands.

During the first few months of every year, Queen Anne sets off from Southampton on an even more ambitious voyage around the world. Since the ship's debut in early 2024, it has become one of Cunard's main ships for such lengthy voyages.

The around-the-world voyages (two of which currently are on Queen Anne's schedule for 2025 and 2026) typically last nearly four months and include stops in North America, Australia, Asia, Africa and Europe. In addition to selling passage for the entire cruise, Cunard also sells shorter segments of the voyage that focus on particular regions along the way.

Prices for Queen Anne sailings start around $400 per person, based on double occupancy, for a two-night sailing from Southampton to Hamburg. More typical seven-night sailings out of Southampton start at $1,159 per person, based on double occupancy. The ship's first world cruise, a 107-night trip kicking off in January 2025, starts at $17,536 per person.

The above rates include all taxes and fees.

Note that you'll pay a significant premium to stay in Queen Anne's Britannia Club, Princess Grill and Queens Grill accommodations as compared to standard Britannia cabins. A voyage where a balcony cabin in Britannia class starts around $3,000 per person might cost closer to $5,000 per person if you book the same balcony cabin in Britannia Club class or $7,000 per person if you book a Princess Grill suite. A Queens Grill room on the same voyage might set you back more than $9,000 per person.

What to know before you go

Required documents.

A passport is required for all itineraries, and passports must be valid for at least six months. The name on your reservation must match that on your passport. Double-check if you've recently gotten married or use a different version of your name.

Queen Anne guests will find an automatic service charge of $16 to $18 per person, per day, depending on cabin category, added to their onboard account and final bill. You are allowed to adjust this amount at the Purser's Office desk before disembarking.

In addition, a 15% gratuity is added to bar bills. You should not feel pressured to add an additional tip.

Related: Everything you need to know about tipping on cruise ships

In recent years, Cunard has upgraded the Wi-Fi service on its ships and now offers a relatively fast connection through Starlink satellites. As is often the case with cruise ships, the service isn't free, nor is it inexpensive. Passengers can choose an Essential plan that allows web browsing and access to emails and social media sites for $18 per day if bought for the entire voyage (24-hour access is available for $24). A Premium plan allowing for streaming costs $24 per day if bought for the entire voyage (24-hour access is available for $36) is also available.

The above rates allow you to log in on a single device. Multidevice plans are also available. They'll cost you more in absolute terms but are a much better value if you are buying Wi-Fi for several people. On my voyage, a multidevice plan for four devices was the same cost as buying two single-device plans.

Note that top-tier members of the line's Cunard World Club loyalty program get credit toward buying internet plans.

Carry-on drinks policy

Cunard allows every passenger of drinking age to bring one bottle of wine or Champagne onto ships at boarding. The line charges a corkage fee if you bring the wine or Champagne to an onboard restaurant or other public areas to drink.

Smoking policy

Smoking (including e-cigarette smoking) is allowed only in designated outdoor areas. It's forbidden in cabins, on cabin balconies and — with one exception — in all other indoor areas of the ship. The exception is that passengers can smoke cigars and pipes only (no cigarettes) in Churchill's Cigar Lounge, the ship's dedicated space for cigar smokers.

Unlike on some cruise ships, smoking is not allowed in Queen Anne's casino.

Queen Anne has self-serve launderettes on cabin decks where passengers will find washers, dryers and ironing boards for use at no extra charge. Even the detergent is free. The ship also offers extra-charge laundry, pressing and dry cleaning services.

Related: Everything you need to know about cruise ship laundry services

Electrical outlets

You'll find North American-style 110-volt outlets and European-style 220-volt outlets in cabins, along with USB ports.

The onboard currency is the U.S. dollar. But you won't need cash while on board. Queen Anne operates on a "cashless system," with any onboard purchases you make posting automatically to your onboard account. You'll receive a keycard that you can use to make charges, and Cunard will charge your credit card at the end of the sailing to settle the balance.

While on board, you can check your balance at the Purser's Office or via your in-cabin television.

Drinking age

You must be 18 to consume alcohol on Queen Anne in most parts of the world. When the ship is sailing in U.S. waters, Cunard enforces the U.S. drinking age limit of 21.

During the day, there is no specific dress code, and people dress casually. If it's a sea day, and you're bound for the pool deck, that means looking like you're going to the beach — T-shirts, shorts and bathing suits are just fine. Just note that swimwear is not permitted in indoor dining areas, so you'll want to change from that bathing suit before heading to lunch inside the vessel.

During the evenings, there is an official dress code, and it's more formal than at many lines. Cunard has always been known as a line where passengers dress up — and its dress code reflects that (though it's not nearly as formal as it was just a few years ago).

On most nights, the Queen Anne dress code is "smart" attire, which Cunard defines as a dress shirt and trousers, skirt and a top, or a cocktail dress. Jackets are optional, but many men do wear them. Some men even wear coats and ties on casual nights. This is a ship where passengers get very dressed up, and you might feel out of place if you don't.

Unlike on some lines, jeans are not allowed in restaurants in the evening, and the line is strict about it. You will likely be turned away if you show up in them, and you'll definitely get dirty looks from Cunard's formality-loving regulars.

Every few nights, the dress level on the ship becomes much more formal as the ship holds "gala evenings." These are shipwide events where passengers are encouraged to dress to the nines, and they generally do.

There are typically two gala evenings on every seven-night cruise and more on longer sailings. Cunard asks men to wear black tie or dark suits. For women, Cunard suggests floor-length dresses, ballgowns or off-the-shoulder cocktail dresses.

Cunard typically designates a theme for each gala evening, set in advance so you can plan your wardrobe. Examples include Black and White Gala Evening, when passengers are encouraged to wear black and white, and Red and Gold Gala Evening, when red and gold are the go-to colors. Some sailings also have a Masquerade Ball, where the line suggests passengers spice up their attire with masks.

Note that if you really, really hate the idea of getting all dolled up for a gala evening, you'll find that there are a few designated places on the ship (such as the pub) where you still can drink and dine without the formality. That said, the dress-up nights are a big part of the Cunard formula. If it doesn't sound appealing to you, maybe you're picking the wrong ship.

Related: What to pack for your first cruise

Bottom line

Queen Anne is a lovely ship that, alas, isn't yet running like it should. The design of the vessel, which is more contemporary in its look and feel than what we've seen from Cunard in recent years, is meant to usher in a new era for the brand, and it does. In my opinion, it's the most beautiful new Cunard ship to debut since Queen Mary 2 arrived more than 20 years ago.

But four months after opening, some of Queen Anne's venues still are struggling to deliver the sort of friendly and intuitive service that they should, given Queen Anne's positioning as a "premium" product that is a step above mass-market cruising (in some of its messaging to consumers, the line even refers to itself as offering a "luxury" experience).

In addition, several new-for-the-line dining concepts on the ship are struggling to hit their stride and may need rethinking.

Cunard, no doubt, will tweak all the above and eventually get it right, maybe by the time you are on board. And there's a lot already to love about Queen Anne — particularly the higher-end experience available in the ship's already smoothly-running Princess Grill and Queens Grill areas. If Cunard can work out the kinks with the rest of the ship, particularly in the areas of service and specialty dining, Queen Anne has the potential to be a wonderful cruise ship.

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Cunard’s 2024-25 Schedule, Includes New Ship Queen Anne

Sarah Bretz, Contributor

• November 29, 2022

Cunard has announced its April 2024 to January 2025 itineraries, offering over 190 new voyages across the fleet — including Queen Anne ‘s maiden season.

Cunard’s new vessel Queen Anne will sail her maiden season in the Norwegian fjords, Scandinavia, the British Isles, and the Mediterranean. Voyages will range from two to 19 nights, and the season will include 62 maiden port calls with six overnight visits and 14 late evening departures.

Highlights of Queen Anne’s maiden season include:

• 14-night western Mediterranean: Roundtrip from Southampton on July 28th, this voyage displays the rich history and culture of the Mediterranean. Cadiz offers unmatched Andalusian cuisine, stunning beaches, and a beautiful cathedral. Guests can discover the UNESCO World Heritage Site of the Sagrada Familia and other architectural wonders in Barcelona before exploring the 3,000-year history of Cartagena. In Gibraltar, the Rock of Gibraltar includes wild monkeys running amok amidst the visitors.
• 7-night Norwegian fjords: Guests can retrace the footsteps of the Vikings on this September 1st voyage from Southampton. Queen Anne will visit Haugesund to see majestic fjords and rock formations; Nordfjordeid with vast green meadows; and Geirangerfjord, home to the Seven Sisters waterfalls. Time ashore allows passengers to explore the old quays, a World Heritage Site, and the medieval wooden houses on the waterfront.

Queen Mary 2

QM2 will sail 22 of the line’s signature transatlantic crossings during the season, offering uninterrupted sea days to unplug and recharge. The ship’s voyages range from two to 30 nights and depart from New York, Hamburg, Québec, Le Havre, and Southampton. Queen Mary 2 will offer seven-night Canada/New England voyages with an overnight in Boston on the Fourth of July, plus sailings in the Norwegian fjords and northwestern Europe. During Christmas and New Year’s, the ship will sail in the Caribbean.

MORE: The Rundown on Carnival Cruise Line’s Onboard Christmas Events This Year

Queen Victoria

Queen Victoria will spend an extended season in the Mediterranean from May through October 2024. During her time there, guests will have the chance to explore cities including Bruges, Barcelona, and Trieste, along with historic destinations such as Rome and Athens. The ship’s voyages will range from a short five-night sailing to Rotterdam and Bruges to a 29-night Mediterranean Highlights voyage with includes a rare overnight in Istanbul, Turkey.

Three Queens

For adventurous guests who want a longer getaway, a 29-night voyage is available to sample the three ships mentioned above. It begins with an eastbound Transatlantic Crossing on Queen Mary 2, where upon arriving in Southampton, Queen Anne will continue the journey with a 14-night voyage in the UK and Iceland. After a quick flight to Italy, guests will embark Queen Victoria to visit Zadar, Croatia; Valletta, Malta; and other destinations.

Cunard’s spring 2024 to early 2025 voyages will open to the general public for booking on December 6th at 8 am eastern time. World Club members can book starting at 8 am eastern time on December 7th.

As far as Cunard’s fourth ship, Queen Elizabeth, I reached out to Cunard and they said they are not announcing that ship’s schedule yet but will do so soon.

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Cunard Unveils 2025 South America Excursions

• September 25, 2024

Cunard has announced its return to South America in 2025, offering shore excursions of up to five days, according to a press release.

The line will resume operations in the region for the first time since 2020 with Queen Victoria’s 78-night South America Discovery voyage. The roundtrip sailing departs from Southampton on January 9, 2025.

Tom Mahoney, director of UK sales at Cunard, said: “Our South America shore experiences allow guests to immerse themselves in the region’s rich history, vibrant culture and breathtaking landscapes. Each itinerary has been thoughtfully curated to offer a blend of iconic landmarks and lesser-known hidden gems ensuring our guests can truly experience the unique beauty of South America.”

The upcoming 78-night South America voyage aboard Queen Victoria will feature stops at destinations such as Buenos Aires, Rio de Janeiro, Patagonia, the Chilean fjords, Callao and Salvador.

Guests will have the option to embark on various excursions, including:

• Four-Day Overland to Machu Picchu: A journey through Peru’s mountains to visit Machu Picchu, featuring a stop in an Andean village to meet Quechua-speaking locals and visits to Sacsayhuaman fortress and the sacred site of Koricancha.
• Five-Day Overland to the Galapagos: A wildlife adventure in the Galapagos Islands, including a two-day boat tour with options to explore Bartolome, Seymour, Plazas, Santa Fe, Floreana, or Isabela islands, culminating with a visit to the Twin Craters on Santa Cruz Island.
• Four-Day Iguassu Falls: A scenic adventure featuring a panoramic tour of Salvador, rafting, helicopter rides, jungle treks, and visits to the Argentinian and Brazilian sides of Iguassu Falls.
• Snapshot of Salvador: A city tour showcasing key landmarks such as Carlos Gomes Avenue, Campo Grande Square and Sete de Setembro Avenue.
• Grand Tour of Lima: A tour of Lima’s historic Plaza Mayor and Santo Domingo Convent, along with visits to the modern districts of San Isidro and Miraflores.
• Off the Beaten Track to Codpa Village: A desert drive to visit Codpa Village in the Atacama, with stops at the Presencias Tutelares sculptures and a tasting of Pintatani wine.
• Best of Rio: A guided tour of Rio de Janeiro, including Sugar Loaf Mountain via cable car, scenic drives along Copacabana, Ipanema and Leblon beaches, and a visit to the Christ the Redeemer statue.
• Copacabana Beach: A five-hour beach visit to Copacabana.
• Sunset Schooner Cruise: A three-hour cruise along Rio’s coastline, offering views of Flamengo, Botafogo, Urca, Sugar Loaf Mountain, and the Niterói beaches.
• Highlights of Montecristi and Manta: A guided tour from Manta to Montecristi, including a weaving demonstration of the traditional Toquilla hat.
• Sights of Buenos Aires and Dinner & Tango Show: A city tour of Buenos Aires, followed by an authentic dinner and tango performance.

The voyage will also feature a World Voyage cocktail party, a shoreside gala event, a commemorative gift and a dedicated World Voyage concierge.

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• Cunard unveils extended shore excursions for South America 2025...

Cunard unveils extended shore excursions for South America 2025 voyages

Cunard Line has announced an array of extended shore excursions as part of its return to South America in 2025, marking its first operation in the region since 2020.

The luxury cruise liner Queen Victoria will embark on a 78-night "South America Discovery itinerary roundtrip from Southampton England UK on January 9th, 2025.

The voyage will visit popular destinations including Buenos Aires , Rio de Janeiro , Patagonia/Chilean Fjords , Callao-Lima , and Salvador de Bahia .

Guests will have the opportunity to join multi-day shore excursions, including:

• 4-day Overland to Machu Picchu : A journey into the Peruvian Andes to explore the ancient Inca citadel of Machu Picchu, featuring stops at an Andean village for an encounter with local Quechua-speaking residents. The tour also includes visits to the fortress of Sacsayhuaman and the sacred site of Koricancha.
• 5-day Overland to the Galapagos: A unique chance to explore the wildlife-rich Galapagos Islands . The itinerary includes full-day boat tours of various islands such as Bartolome , Seymour , Santa Fe , and Isabela , along with a visit to the highland Twin Craters on Santa Cruz Island .
• 4-day Iguazu Falls Adventure: This tour offers panoramic views of Salvador, jungle treks, and helicopter flights over Iguazu Gorge, along with visits to both the Argentine and Brazilian sides of the waterfalls.

Additional land tours include:

• Snapshot of Salvador: A tour of the city's historic landmarks.
• Grand Tour of Lima: A drive through Lima's Plaza Mayor and colonial-era convents.
• Off the Beaten Track to Codpa Village: An exploration of Codpa Village in the Atacama Desert, complete with a tasting of local Pintatani wine.
• Best of Rio de Janeiro: A guided journey through Rio, featuring Sugarloaf Mountain and Christ the Redeemer.
• Relaxation on Copacabana Beach: Guests can unwind with five hours of leisure time on the iconic Copacabana Beach.
• Sunset Schooner Cruise in Rio: A 3-hour sail along Rio’s coastline, with views of famous landmarks.
• Highlights of Montecristi and Manta: A tour showcasing the craft of Panama hat weaving in Ecuador.
• Sights of Buenos Aires, Tango & Dinner Show: A tour of Argentina's vibrant capital followed by an evening of tango and dining.

In addition to these excursions, world cruise passengers will enjoy special events such as a World Voyage cocktail party, a shoreside gala, and a commemorative gift.

Cunard's South America 2025 voyage is also offered in several smaller segments/shorter itineraries:

• 2025 Jan 9th - 12 days from Southampton to Fort Lauderdale Florida USA
• 2025 Jan 9th - 28 days from Southampton to Rio de Janeiro
• 2025 Jan 21st - 52 days roundtrip from Fort Lauderdale
• 2025 Feb 25th - 17 days from San Antonio Chile to Fort Lauderdale
• 2025 Feb 25th - 31 days from San Antonio to Southampton
• 2025 Mar 14th - 14 days from Fort Lauderdale to Southampton
• 2025 Mar 14th - 16 days from Fort Lauderdale to Hamburg Germany

Alternatively, passengers can embark the ship in Hamburg for an 85-night roundtrip voyage leaving on January 4th. Shorter ex-Hamburg segments include:

2025 Jan 4th - 5 days from Hamburg to Southampton

2025 Jan 4th - 17 days from Hamburg to Fort Lauderdale

2025 Jan 4th - 33 days from Hamburg to Rio de Janeiro

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These 7 Cruising Trends Are Predicted to Dominate Luxury Travel in 2025

"Hearst Magazines and Yahoo may earn commission or revenue on some items through these links."

Whether it’s the flapping flags of semaphore, the urgent dots and dashes of Morse code, or even a postcard sent mail-bagged to shore from the middle of the Atlantic, it’s always a thrill to hear from life at sea. And today’s most beautiful ships are bringing news that have us dreaming of setting sail: designer interiors, bespoke excursions, and extraordinary culinary immersion are just a handful of exciting shifts that are dominating luxury cruise lines in the coming year.

From the new Arctic Empire to Aston Martin racing to a chief aurora chaser guiding your voyage, top-tier ships tell us these are biggest luxury cruising trends for 2025 and beyond.

Lingering Is the New Luxury

Come sunset, it’s never easy to wave goodbye to a most-loved port of call as the ship pulls anchor, and some cruise lines are slowing the pace for as many as three port overnights on a single journey. Favorites for 2025–2026: Paul Gauguin Cruises’ dreamy trifecta of Bora-Bora, Moorea, and Tahiti on some of its itineraries and a constellation of must-sleepover cities including Rio de Janeiro, Buenos Aires, Mumbai, and Kyoto on Oceania Cruises’ 2025–2026 Tropics & Exotics voyage season.

Cruise Destinations and Excursions Are Getting Way More Adventurous

The stickers on your steamer trunk next year will be electrifying: Japan, Papua New Guinea, Colombia, India, Australia. Ships are stirring renewed wanderlust with added destinations ideal for exploring by water. Azamara Cruises’ Japan Intensive itineraries offer two weeks threading the island nation, including high-profile cities (Tokyo, Kyoto), historic sites like Hiroshima, and quieter ports on the Seto Inland Sea.

Adventurers wanting to go beyond Indonesia are queuing up for some of Ponant Expeditions’ itineraries aboard the Le Jacques-Cartier that introduce additional stops in Papua New Guinea. And river cruisers will delight in Ama­ Waterways’ two brand-new journeys on Colombia’s Magdalena River between Cartagena and Barranquilla and Uniworld Boutique River Cruises’ soulful pilgrimage up India’s holy Ganges River into a nearly nontouristed West Bengal.

Finally the hottest “new” destination is Australia’s remote Kimberley coast, with its searingly beautiful red rock landscapes. At least eight cruising companies are working together to blend itineraries so as not to over-tourist the destination (brilliant!), but two stand out: Seabourn for its work with the Wunambal Gaambera people—the traditional owners of a region in the Kimberley—to produce sustainable arts and crafts, and Scenic Luxury Cruises & Tours’ two helicopters for remote excursions to pearl farms and pools above waterfalls.

The North Pole Is "Hotter" Than Ever

No disrespect to Antarctica, but cruisers are heading north and the aurora borealis has never been a hotter (or colder?) amenity: Hurtigruten , the estimable Norwegian line, has named astronomer Tom Kerss the world’s first chief aurora chaser on board for an expanded northern lights season, while HX’s alluring new Ultimate Norway expedition for January 2026—peak aurora season—features seven nights above the Arctic Circle. And Arctic completists should gear up in droves for Regent Seven Seas Cruises’ 83-night Grand Arctic Adventure, which departs New York in July 2025 to ply icy waters from New England to Iceland and Norway.

The grandest of seafaring gestures—the world cruise—is enjoying unprecedented popularity. The most expansive might be from Crystal Cruises , which returns its 740-passenger Crystal Serenity to the seven seas for its 2026 World Cruise: 135 nights calling on 72 destinations in 27 countries, with a price tag starting at $168,000 per cabin for two people. See you in Tonga. And Hong Kong, Abu Dhabi, and Sardinia.

Five-Star Hotels Are Setting Sail

Why build another luxury hotel when you could launch a yacht? First into the water: The Ritz-Carlton , followed soon by Four Seasons in 2026 and Aman in 2027. For now all eyes are on The Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection’s new season, particularly the 2025 arrival of Luminara. The third superyacht in the fleet, its 226 suites with private terraces (not to mention a wine vault on board) will bring a Talented Mr. Ripley feel to the Med in the summer and Asia for the winter and spring.

Itineraries for Epicureans Are Next Level

It’s one thing to lure oenophiles with upscale wine pours on board, but Uniworld doubles down (literally) with its new Wine Roads of France & Portugal that reconnoiters not one but two great wine regions—Bordeaux and the Douro River Valley—with vintner visits, biking among the vines, and select tastes like Médoc oysters (ideal with Bordeaux’s whites).

Indeed it’s a cruiseable feast these days. Windstar Cruises celebrates its 10th year as the official cruise line of the James Beard Foundation in 2025 with five chef-hosted journeys, each leaning into onboard cooking classes, shoreside market tours, and chef-hosted dinners in sweet spots including Portugal and Spain, Copenhagen and Stockholm, and Venice and Athens. More enticing culinary cruising on the horizon: Atlas Ocean Voyages’ Epicurean Expeditions focus on classic Mediterranean destinations including Greece, Italy, and Turkey and involve competitions on board for aspiring cooks.

But perhaps the grandest of the lot is Silversea’s 2027 world cruise, The Three Oceans, at sea from January 8 to June 7. Leveraging its bespoke S.A.L.T. culinary program, this journey promises more than 350 regionally inspired dishes, 50 local menus, 25 experiences on shore, 20 talks, and 50 classes. Best of all? Fifty local cocktails.

Staterooms Are Bringing Major Design Cred

At Milan Design Week 2024, Explora Journeys revealed a glimpse of the deck of its new Explora II luxury ship furnished with bespoke sofas from interior designer Matteo Nunziati for Italy’s Unopiù. This style-forward approach makes Explora the cool kid on the cruising block, with expansive suites and residences that feel like modernist villas at sea, whether it’s the Med, Red, or Caribbean.

In 2025 Oceania Cruises launches Allura , a new entrant that exemplifies what a thoughtfully designed smaller ship can look like, with emphasis on light, space, and restraint. Of course, there’s no opulence like royal opulence, and 2025’s maiden world voyage of Cunard’s Queen Anne unveils classic, nautically crisp interiors with fresh colorways and fabrics that make her the cunning younger sister to her storied forebears.

Excursions Are Becoming Much More Exclusive and Fun

The arms race to offer exclusive entry has never been more fun to parse, from the Formula 1 scene in Monte Carlo ( Regent in partnership with Aston Martin) to sharing a pint at Britain’s most remote mainland pub only reachable by sea ( Silversea’s British Isles survey that also includes the subtropical Abbey Garden in the Isles of Scilly and Sir David Attenborough’s favorite bird-watching spot).

Top of the list? Two river journeys. One is down the Rhône in France’s less touristed Camargue region on Pivoine , a Belmond ship, that includes glimpses of pink flamingo nesting grounds and a visit with Stella McCartney’s horse whisperer (who wrangled the iconic white ponies for her winter 2023 campaign). The second is along Vietnam’s Mekong River with Heritage Line —for this, founder John Tue Nguyen leverages his relationships in the region for shore excursions to artisans and religious sites (look for a refurbished ship heading north to even less touristed areas in Laos beginning in January 2025).

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Russia’s Military Restructuring and Expansion Hindered by the Ukraine War

Special Edition Campaign Assessment: Russia’s Military Restructuring and Expansion Hindered by the Ukraine War

By Karolina Hird

November 12, 2023

The Russian Ministry of Defense (MoD) is pursuing three simultaneous and overlapping force generation efforts as it seeks to manage short- to medium-term requirements in Ukraine while also pursuing long-term restructuring to prepare for a potential future large-scale conventional war against NATO . Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and Chief of the General Staff Army General Valery Gerasimov have explicitly framed Russia’s announced long-term force restructuring as increasing conventional capabilities against NATO.[1] The Russian MoD is also creating new formations intended as reinforcements for Russia’s war in Ukraine separate from the peacetime Russian force structure, specifically the several new formations reportedly forming entirely in occupied areas of Ukraine and under the command and control of operationalized “groupings of forces” in Ukraine rather than under existing Russian military districts. The MoD appears to be undermining its long-term restructuring effort, however, by rushing some new formations - which were likely intended to form a strategic reserve or be the basis of long-term force restructuring – as rapid reinforcements to Russian forces in Ukraine.  The Russian MoD’s use of ongoing force structure changes to rush newly created and understrength formations to Ukraine will likely impede the accomplishment of the parallel objective of restructuring Russian ground forces to orient on conventional warfare with NATO as the main adversary.

Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu first proposed a series of force structure changes and intended military reforms in December 2022, and Russian President Vladimir Putin approved select changes in January 2023.[2] These changes include re-dividing the Western Military District into the Moscow and Leningrad Military Districts; the creation of "self-sufficient groupings of troops" in occupied Ukraine; the formation of a new army corps, three new motorized rifle divisions, and two new air assault divisions; and the reorganization of seven existing separate motorized rifle brigades into motorized rifle divisions.[3] The Russian military is already in the process of implementing these changes at the military district level, is standing up several of these new formations from the army to brigade level, and has already deployed several of these formations to Ukraine.

This special edition will focus on the implications of force structure changes ordered in 2023 (and changes that are reportedly under consideration but have not yet been confirmed to have begun) on Russian operations in Ukraine into 2024. ISW will assess the likely ramifications of the MoD’s mid-to-long-term force restructuring on the Russian military threat to both Ukraine and NATO in a report forthcoming in 2024.

Shoigu   first presented the proposed force structure changes at the Russian MoD collegium on December 21, 2022 .[4] At the next Russian MoD collegium on January 17, 2023, Shoigu announced Putin’s directive to implement a slightly altered form of the December 2022 proposal for large-scale military reforms between 2023 and 2026.[5] Shoigu and other Russian military officials have discussed further specifics on the force restructuring since the initial January 17 presentation, which are assessed below.

The MoD is in the process of splitting the Western Military District (WMD) and eliminating the Northern Fleet as an independent military district-level command to restore the Moscow and Leningrad Military Districts (MMD and LMD), reversing the 2010 formation of the WMD.  Shoigu announced the creation of two “new interservice strategic territorial administrations,” the LMD and MMD, on January 17 and reported that both military districts were undergoing recruitment, formation, and staffing as of July 3.[6] The Russian MoD merged the LMD and MMD into the WMD in 2010, with part of the WMD further splitting to form the Northern Fleet Joint Strategic Command in 2014.[7] The 2010 Military District restructuring was part of wider reforms intended to modernize the Russian armed forces and create a more consolidated command and control (C2) system but has since been decried by Russian military analysts as the “thoughtless reduction of military units” or “completely ill-conceived and voluntaristic,” and particularly ineffective when applied to Russia’s 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine.[8]

The restoration of the MMD and LMD is likely intended to create the streamlined C2 structures necessary to concentrate on and manage operations in the northwestern and western directions due to the war in Ukraine. The WMD is currently oriented on the northeastern part of the Ukrainian border; Belarus; and the Russian border with NATO through the Baltic states. The WMD’s strategic focus is therefore stretched between supporting Russian operations in Ukraine and posturing against NATO. Finland's recent NATO accession (and Sweden’s likely accession) has exacerbated this challenge. The Russian MoD additionally announced the elimination of the Northern Fleet, which borders Finland and the Arctic, as a formation equal to a military district on October 8 and is in the process of transferring its ground, aviation, and air defense forces to the LMD and its naval assets to the Russian Navy by December 1.[9] If the Russian MoD restores the pre-2010 boundaries of these districts, the LMD will border Finland, Sweden, and the Arctic; and the MMD will border northeastern Ukraine and Poland. The WMD will cease to exist in its current form. This military district restructuring will in theory split the command burden of Russian forces postured against NATO between two full-fledged districts (rather than the WMD and the last-among-equals Northern Fleet headquarters), strengthen Russian power projection capabilities along the Finnish border, and likely enable the MMD to prioritize operations in Ukraine on the Russian-Ukrainian border as well as through Belarus. It is unclear when the recreation of the MMD and LMD will be fully complete, however, and ISW will assess the implications of these district-level changes further in a forthcoming 2024 report.

The Russian MoD is additionally formalizing several  ad hoc  headquarters and force structures of Russian units operating in Ukraine as part of ongoing force restructuring.  Shoigu announced on January 17 that the MoD would create “self-sufficient groups of forces” in occupied areas of Ukraine.[10] This change may in part be intended to further Russia's rhetorical claim to have annexed these occupied territories, as well as to solidify current C2 structures and set conditions for protracted deployments in Ukraine. These ”self-sufficient” troop groupings may be entirely based in and commanded out of occupied Ukraine as opposed to having to route C2 into existing headquarters in Russia. The specifics of this new structure remain unclear, considering that the two groupings of forces already based in occupied Ukraine — the 1st Donetsk People's Republic (DNR) Army Corps and 2nd Luhansk People's Republic (LNR) Army Corps — are technically already subordinate to the 8th Combined Arms Army of the Southern Military District (SMD), which is headquartered in Rostov-on-Don, Russia. Shoigu may have been signaling his intent for occupied Kherson and Zaporizhia oblasts to stand up their own groupings of forces that will be commanded entirely out of occupied Ukraine.

Shoigu and other senior Russian military officials have discussed further details of force structure changes below the district level since January 2023:

• Shoigu announced on January 17 that Russia will form three new motorized rifle divisions (MRDs) and will reorganize seven existing separate motorized rifle brigades (MRBs) of the current Western, Central, and Eastern military districts and Northern Fleet into MRDs.[11]
• Chief of the Russian General Staff and overall theater commander of Russian troops in Ukraine Army General Valery Gerasimov noted on January 24 that three of these MRDs will be formed in combined arms armies (CAAs) operating in occupied Kherson and Zaporizhia oblasts.[12]
• Main Organizational and Mobilization Directorate of the General Staff Head Colonel General Yevgeny Burdinsky claimed on June 2 that “it is necessary to provide timely organizational and staffing support for the formation of combined arms and air armies, an army corps, the Azov naval region, 5 divisions and 26 brigades, [and] the creation of the Moscow and Leningrad military districts.”[13] It is unclear if Burdinsky was suggesting that Russia should establish 26 new independent brigades in addition to the conversion of seven existing brigades into divisions and the creation of new corps and combined arms armies, or that the brigades mentioned are units already organic to or existing under newly forming armies and army corps. The Russian military is extremely unlikely to be able to stand up 26 new brigades to their doctrinal end strengths rapidly alongside the other announced changes, so these mentioned brigades are most likely subordinate to existing or new formations.
• Burdinsky's statements about the Azov naval district, likely a subordinate naval headquarters similar to the existing Caspian Flotilla, suggests that Russia may seek to alleviate some of the command responsibilities of the Black Sea Fleet (BSF), particularly as Russia seeks to base the Azov naval region out of occupied ports in Berdyansk and Mariupol.[14]
• During the January 17 collegium, Shoigu reported that Russia is forming an army corps (AC) in Karelia, on the Finnish border.[15] Head of the Republic of Karelia Artur Parfenchikov confirmed the formation of this AC in July.[16]
• Russian state media outlet  TASS  reported on November 1 that its internal sources claimed that the Northern, Pacific, Baltic, and Black Sea fleets and Caspian Flotilla are all returning to the direct control of the Russian Navy rather than reporting to military districts.[17]  TASS  also reported that the ground, aviation, and air defense forces of the Northern Fleet will transfer to the control of the newly-reforming Leningrad Military District.[18] These initial reports indicate that the army corps reporting to Russia’s fleets will transition into combined arms armies under the direct control of Russia's military districts.

Russia’s Airborne Forces (VDV) are additionally undergoing several force structure changes and expansions:

• Shoigu reported that Russia will create two new air assault divisions.[19] VDV Commander Colonel General Mikhail Teplinsky confirmed on August 2 that the VDV is converting the existing 31st Air Assault Brigade into the 104th Air Assault Division, making it the fifth VDV Division.[20] Shoigu claimed that the 104th Air Assault Division was completing its formation as of September 26.[21]
• Teplinsky also stated that the VDV will form two new regiments by the end of 2023, likely referring to the currently forming 299th and 119th Parachute Regiments – which will be subordinated to the 98th and 106th Airborne Divisions, respectively, increasing the complements of these divisions from two to three regiments to match the structure of the 76th Air Assault Division.[22]
• Shoigu and Teplinsky both alluded to the formation of a new VDV artillery brigade, which would be the first ever VDV artillery  brigade .[23] All existing VDV divisions have a subordinate artillery  regiment .[24] Russian and other open sources have suggested that this unit may be the 52nd VDV Artillery Brigade, which has reportedly already deployed to Ukraine.[25]
• Limited Russian sources have additionally speculated about the creation of the second of the two new VDV divisions mentioned by Shoigu — likely the 44th Air Assault Division, which is being formed on the basis of the existing 387th MRR and 111th MRR of the 1st DNR AC.[26] Information about the 44th Air Assault Division is generally of lower confidence than information about the 104th Air Assault Division and remains unconfirmed. The 44th Air Assault Division will be a VDV division in name only and not in function, however, if it is formed out of DNR motorized rifle regiments (the implications of this erosion of the specific designation of units as “airborne” are considered).

New Russian formations that ISW has confirmed to have deployed to Ukraine:

25th Combined Arms Army (25th CAA): Russian sources and Western open-source analysts noted that the 25th CAA began forming in the Russian Far East in mid-May 2023.[27] The exact composition of the 25th CAA remains unclear. At least two of the 25th CAA's confirmed constituent elements, the 67th Motorized Rifle Division (MRD) and 164th Motorized Rifle Brigade (MRB), deployed to the Kharkiv-Luhansk Oblast border area as of early September and are currently supporting Russian offensive operations along the Svatove-Kreminna line.[28] Ukrainian Deputy Chief of the Main Operational Department of the Ukrainian General Staff General Oleksii Hromov noted on July 5 that the 25th CAA would have one MRD (confirmed to be the 67th MRD), 2 MRBs (confirmed to be the 164th MRB and one unidentified MRB), and a tank battalion.[29] Some Western analysts have suggested that the 25th CAA will be comprised of the 67th MRD (reportedly comprised of four constituent elements: the 19th Tank Regiment (TR), and 31st, 36th, and 37th MRRs); the 164th MRB; the 11th Tank Brigade; the 73rd Artillery Brigade, and various support elements.[30] ISW has not yet observed visual evidence of the constituent entities of the 25th CAA in combat beyond the 67th MRD and 164th MRB but has no reason to doubt that these other units exist within the 25th CAA's structure. Several Russian sources reported that the 25th CAA will report to the Eastern Military District (EMD), as it largely formed in the Russian Far East.[31] Some sources claim that the 25th CAA is part of the Central Military District (CMD), however.[32] The Russian MoD may have formally transferred the 25th CAA between districts, or these sources may have conflated the Central Grouping of Forces, which commands the Kharkiv-Luhansk Oblast axis where the 25th CAA is currently committed, with the CMD in discussing the 25th CAA.

• 19th Tank Regiment [Unconfirmed]
• 31st Motorized Rifle Regiment [Unconfirmed]
• 36th Motorized Rifle Regiment [Unconfirmed]
• 37th Motorized Rifle Regiment [Unconfirmed]
• 164th Motorized Rifle Brigade [Confirmed, Kharkiv-Luhansk Oblast axis] [35]
• 11th Tank Battalion [Unconfirmed]
• 73rd Artillery Brigade [Unconfirmed]
• Various support battalions

18th Combined Arms Army (18th CAA): Russia has already formed the 18th CAA in occupied Crimea as part of the Southern Military District (SMD) and deployed some of its elements to critical areas of the frontline in southern Ukraine.[36] Russian 58th CAA reserve officer Oleg Marzoev claimed on August 18 that Russia formed the 18th CAA "on the basis" of the 22nd Army Corps (AC) (formally of the Black Sea Fleet), likely meaning that Russian MoD has eliminated the 22nd AC and transferred its assets to the new, army-level headquarters, which will report directly to the SMD rather than to the Black Sea Fleet.[37] Other Russian sources have additionally suggested that the 22nd AC and its constituent elements are now subordinate to the 18th CAA.[38] This change tracks with other reports that the Russian military is currently stripping its four fleets – which are in fact combined arms headquarters commanding land and air assets – of their non-naval assets while returning their naval assets to the direct control of the Russian Navy, as ISW has previously reported.[39] Oleg Marzoev claimed that the 18th CAA is “one of the largest military formations” within the Russian armed forces and noted that elements of the 18th CAA deployed to the Kherson direction in the spring and summer of 2023.[40] Oleg Marzoev also named Lieutenant General Arkady Marzoev (no apparent relation to Oleg Marzoev) as the new commander of the 18th CAA as of August 2023.[41] The UK Ministry of Defense (UK MoD) confirmed the creation of the 18th CAA on August 21, 2023, and reported that the 18th CAA deployed to the Kherson direction to free up other more experienced units, such as VDV forces, to redeploy to the western Zaporizhia Oblast sector to defend against Ukrainian counteroffensive operations.[42] One Russian milblogger suggested that at least one MRD of the 18th CAA, likely the 70th MRD and its constituent 28th MRR, have been involved in the defense of Kozachi Laheri and other frontline settlements on the left bank of the Dnipro River.[43] These units are likely currently engaged in defending against larger-than-usual Ukrainian operations on the left bank of the Dnipro River.[44]

• 28th Motorized Rifle Regiment [Confirmed, Kherson Oblast] [47]
• 22th Army Corps [Likely newly subordinated to the 18th Combined Arms Army, but still unconfirmed in formal composition] [48]
• 144th Motorized Rifle Brigade [Confirmed, southern Ukraine] [50]
• 47th Motorized Rifle Division [Confirmed, southern Ukraine] [51]

40th Army Corps (40th AC): Russian military officials have confirmed the formation of the 40th Army Corps (AC) under the SMD in the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic.[52] A Rostov Oblast media outlet stated on May 12 that volunteers began entering contracts with a motorized rifle battalion of the 144th MRB of the 40th AC, confirming the existence of at least one constituent brigade of the 40th AC.[53] A Russian source also indicated that the 47th MRD is also under formation as part of the 40th AC, and Crimea occupation head Sergei Aksyonov claimed that the 47th MRD deployed to southern Ukraine as early as September 2022.[54] Some Russian reporting on the 40th AC suggests that it is actually subordinate to the 18th CAA (established in Crimea on the basis of the 22nd AC), akin to how the 1st and 2nd Acs are both subordinate to the 8th CAA. Regardless of whether the 40th AC is officially part of the 18th CAA or reports directly to the SMD, it has likely been committed to the same area and is fighting alongside elements of the 18th CAA as part of the “Dnepr” Grouping of Forces in Kherson Oblast.

• 144th Motorized Rifle Brigade [Confirmed] [56]
• 47th Motorized Rifle Division [Confirmed, southern Ukraine] [57]

3rd Army Corps (3rd AC): The 3rd AC formed in late summer 2022 out of volunteer units but has undergone significant changes over the course of 2023, and the MoD appears to be formalizing it as a permanent unit, rather than a headquarters to command  ad hoc  volunteer battalions. Russian sources claimed that while the 3rd AC initially formed as part of the WMD in August of 2022, it transferred to the command of the Central Grouping of Forces and the CMD in the summer of 2023.[58] According to Russian sources, the 3rd AC is comprised of the 6th MRD (comprised of the 57th MRR and two other unnamed MRRs, the 27th Artillery Regiment, 52nd Anti-Aircraft Missile Division, and 10th Tank Regiment); the 72nd MRB (comprised of several volunteer battalions); the 17th Artillery Brigade; and several support elements.[59] ISW observed elements of the 72nd MRB operating in the Bakhmut area as of September 2023, although Ukrainian military officials stated that Ukrainian counteroffensive operations south of Bakhmut have essentially rendered the 72nd MRB combat ineffective.[60] Russian sources noted that elements of the 3rd AC likely deployed to the Kharkiv-Luhansk Oblast area as of late summer 2023, which may be why some sources suggest that the 3rd AC is transferring to the command of the Central Grouping of Forces, which has responsibility over this axis.[61] It is unclear if the 3rd AC remains administratively subordinate to the WMD while operating under the auspices of the Central Grouping of Forces, or if it has been entirely and formally shifted to the CMD.

• 3 unidentified motorized rifle regiments
• 27th Artillery Regiment
• 52nd Separate Anti-Aircraft Missile Artillery Brigade
• 10th Tank Regiment
• Bashkir “Shaimuratova” volunteer battalion
• Chuvash “Atal” volunteer battalion
• Tatar “Alga” volunteer battalion [Confirmed, Bakhmut area][65]
• Orenburg Oblast “Yaik” volunteer battalion
• 17th Rocket Artillery Brigade
• Various support regiments and battalions

52nd VDV Artillery Brigade: ISW has confirmed the formation of the 52nd VDV Artillery Brigade in Krasnodar Krai and its likely deployment to Ukraine. The Russian Paratroopers Union announced that it collected and distributed aid for the 52nd VDV Artillery Brigade in Raevka village, Anapa, Krasnodar Krai, and claimed that the 52nd VDV Artillery Brigade is fighting in the Kherson direction.[66] The Moscow State Pedagogical University additionally confirmed the existence and deployment of the 52nd VDV Artillery Brigade and reported that students of its “NeFormat” program provided humanitarian assistance to the brigade, earning the thanks of its commander, Colonel Alexander Kalish.[67] It is unclear how the 52nd VDV Artillery Brigade functions in relation to other VDV elements – if it is a centralized reserve of artillery intended to support specifically VDV regiments and brigades in combat; or if it is a VDV unit in name only and is functionally a regular artillery brigade.

387th Motorized Rifle Regiment (387th MRR): Various Russian sources have offered different discussions of the formation of the 387th MRR. Some sources have speculated the 44th VDV Division is currently being formed with the 387th MRR and the 111th MRR as its main constituent elements. Other Russian sources, however, claimed that the 387th MRR formed in October 2022 from mobilized servicemembers from central Russia, including Tula Oblast, and has already been active in Ukraine.[68] ISW has observed elements of the 387th MRR fighting in western Zaporizhia Oblast alongside VDV units as recently as late October 2023.[69] Kherson Oblast occupation senator Andrey Alekseenko also mentioned a 387th Regiment (unspecified if motorized rifle or airborne) in July 2023, claiming that it was fighting as part of the 7th VDV Division in Kherson Oblast.[70] It is likely that the 387th MRR is fighting alongside VDV elements and at least nominally subordinated to VDV command on the frontline, though it is unlikely to be trained and equipped as a VDV unit.

New Russian formations that ISW has confirmed are currently forming, but have not yet been observed in Ukraine:

104th VDV Division: Teplinsky confirmed on August 2 that the 104th VDV Division is in the process of forming, and Shoigu stated on September 26 that its formation is "being completed."[71] Russian media initially reported plans to revive the 104th VDV Division (which was reformed into the 31 st  Guards Air Assault Brigade in 1998) with a three-regiment structure in April 2022.[72] Several Russian sources noted that the 31st Separate Guards Air Assault Brigade will form the basis of the revived 104th Division in Ulyanovsk, Ulyanovsk Oblast.[73] The 104th VDV Division will likely follow the structure of other VDV divisions and consist of between two and three airborne and air assault regiments, a reconnaissance battalion, artillery regiment, anti-aircraft missile regiment, and tank battalion – and will likely be closer to a true VDV formation in terms of training and equipment than the previously discussed 44th VDV Division, as it is being formed out of a VDV brigade and not DNR motorized rifle regiments.

299th Guards Parachute Regiment: Local Yaroslavl Oblast media began reporting on August 1 that the 299th Parachute Regiment is currently forming as part of the 98th VDV Division.[74] Shoigu additionally alluded to the formation of the 299th Parachute Regiment on September 26, confirming that a parachute regiment is currently forming as part of the "Ivanovo formation" (the 98th VDV Division is based in Ivanovo Oblast).[75] Former Russian soldier and current author and military commentator Aleksei Sunonkin noted that Yaroslavl Oblast recruitment ads suggest that the 98th VDV Division will be expanding from its previous two regiment structure to include the 299th Parachute Regiment as its third regiment.[76] Sunonkin also speculated that the new parachute regiment would be formed as a motorized rifle or infantry regiment without VDV-specific equipment.

119th Parachute Regiment: Russian and Ukrainian sources suggested that the 106th VDV Division is forming the 119th Parachute Regiment.[77] Sunonkin claimed that as is the case with the 299th Parachute Regiment, the 119th Parachute Regiment may be formed either as a motorized rifle or infantry regiment without proper VDV equipment.[78]

Russian formations which Russian sources have mentioned but whose existence ISW cannot confirm:

14th Combined Arms Army (14th Army Corps): Russia may be reorganizing the 14th Army Corps (Northern Fleet) into a combined arms army, potentially as part of a wider effort to disaggregate the ground formations of fleets into combined arms armies while transferring their naval forces to the direct control of the Russian Navy.[79] Russian outlet  Izvestia  reported on July 3, 2023, that the Russian MoD is currently forming a new combined arms army in the Northern Fleet out of an existing army corps, and the 14th Army Corps is the only corps in the Northern Fleet.[80] A Russian military commentator noted that the Baltic Fleet's 11th Army Corps may also undergo a similar transition, but we have not observed any confirmation of this speculation.[81] The purported transformation of the army corps of two of Russia's fleets into combined arms armies further confirms that Russia appears to be moving its ground forces to the control of military districts while transferring naval assets back to the Russian Navy.[82]

55th Naval Infantry Division: An obituary posted to a  VKontakte  page on August 17 claims that a soldier of the 55th Naval Infantry Division of the Pacific Fleet died fighting in Ukraine.[83] A Russian source amplified the obituary and claimed that it is evidence that Russia is reforming the 55th Naval Infantry Division (disbanded in 2009) on the basis of the Pacific Fleet's existing 155th Naval Infantry Brigade.[84] ISW has not observed any confirmation of the 55th Naval Infantry Division beyond this single obituary and Russian source speculation, however.

245th Guards Motorized Rifle Regiment (MRR): Russian outlet  Izvestia  announced on April 26, 2023, that the Russian MoD is reforming the 245th MRR as part of the 47th Tank Division (1st Guards Tank Army, Western Military District).[85] ISW has not observed any mention of the reformation of the 245th Motorized Rifle Regiment by other Russian sources, however.

Ongoing Russian military restructuring highlights several Russian military priorities in the immediate and mid-term, which should shape the overall analysis and forecasts of conventional Russian capabilities in Ukraine:

The immediate commitment of several new and understrength formations to the frontline in Ukraine suggests the Russian MoD is electing to replace losses in Ukraine in part by creating new formations, rather than rebuilding and restoring existing formations and recommitting the rebuilt versions . This phenomenon could cause an over-estimation of Russian capabilities and military strength, as destroyed and highly degraded Russian units and formations remain active on paper, even if they lack any significant combat power. Combining the essentially defunct formations with new formations, which are very unlikely to be staffed to doctrinal end strength, will generate an artificially inflated count of Russian formations active in Ukraine.

The Russian MoD’s focus on rapidly deploying these new formations to Ukraine is obfuscating the difference in chains of command to operationalized “group of forces” headquarters in Ukraine versus permanent administrative military district designations.  Russian media has reported, for example, that the 25th CAA formed in the Russian Far East is part of the EMD. Subsequent Russian reporting on the army suggests that it has either been fully subordinated to the CMD or that it will be operating in Ukraine under the operational control of the Center Grouping of Forces, which is responsible for the Kharkiv-Luhansk Oblast border area. The fact that the actual command and subordination of the 25th CAA remains so unclear even as the army has been largely committed to operations in Ukraine suggests that Russia is prioritizing the deployment of these new formations to Ukraine over solidifying or clarifying permanent C2 structures. This phenomenon could have tactical and operational impacts on the areas of the front where such formations are deploying, as the C2 lines between new formations, the regionally based grouping of forces that they are operating under, and the wider military district that they are part of, increasingly blur and overlap. This confusion could also simply be an artifact of the opacity of Russian officials reporting on chains of command. It is unlikely that units in the field are confused about which higher headquarters control them.

The Russian MoD appears committed, at least nominally, to retaining doctrinal distinctions between Russian regiments and brigades, despite the fact that these distinctions ultimately blur on the battlefield.  Shoigu notably telegraphed Russia's intent to convert several motorized rifle brigades into motorized rifle divisions, while still simultaneously standing up new brigades.[86] Despite the division/brigade split on paper, however, it is unlikely that these distinctions will actually survive deployment to the frontline in Ukraine. For much of the invasion of Ukraine, Russian formations have deployed individual units  ad hoc  to the frontline and operated as company or battalion level units, and elements of several different formations often operate in the same discrete geographic area. The Russian military has long debated the need for division structures suited for protracted and large-scale conventional maneuver warfare versus smaller and more mobile brigades. The Russian military's dedication to building out mechanized divisions while still maintaining (and even adding to) the existing brigade structure suggests that the Russian military envisions the need for both such formations for future large-scale conventional operations in Ukraine or elsewhere.

The formal distinctions between the size and structure of Russian units and formations at different echelons and of different types are eroding on the battlefield, and most frontline and currently forming units are essentially understrength and low-quality motorized rifle units – though these units remain dangerous and should not be underestimated.  Ukrainian military observer Konstantyn Mashovets provided an example of this phenomenon in relation to Russian deployments to the Kharkiv-Luhansk Oblast border area, remarking that Russian command is choosing to "strengthen" groupings of forces with understaffed motorized rifle formations that are comprised of around 75 percent of their intended complement of personnel, armored combat vehicles, and artillery systems.[87] Similarly, the formation of the 44th “VDV” Division out of former DNR motorized rifle formations suggests that understrength motorized rifle formations are now being classified as higher-echelon and more well trained and equipped formations.[88]

None of these changes appear to take account of the way Russian forces are actually fighting in Ukraine, moreover, as Russian milbloggers have recently hinted.  Russian units have repeatedly shown themselves unable to operate effectively as coherent mechanized structures. Renewed attempts to conduct mechanized maneuver war around Avdiivka generated massive losses in armored vehicles, causing the Russian command to return to a combination of small-unit attacks and massed infantry assaults.[89] The retention of pre-war doctrinal structures in Shoigu’s reform scheme suggests that the Russian military has either not learned the lessons of combat in Ukraine or else is for some reason confident that the tactical problems that have led to the current positional war will not recur in future wars.

[1] https://aif dot ru/politics/world/gerasimov_rasskazal_o_razrabotke_plana_stroitelstva_i_razvitiya_vs_rossii; https://isw.pub/UkrWar012423; https://aif dot ru/society/army/glava_genshtaba_takogo_urovnya_voennyh_deystviy_sovremennaya_rossiya_ne_znala; https://telegra dot ph/Vstupitelnoe-slovo-Ministra-oborony-RF-na-zasedanii-Kollegii-Minoborony-Rossii-08-09

[2] https://tass dot ru/armiya-i-opk/16655079 ; https://www.understandingwar.org/backgrounder/russian-offensive-campaign-assessment-january-17-2023; https://t.me/mod_russia/23498

[3] https://www.understandingwar.org/backgrounder/russian-offensive-campaign-assessment-january-17-2023.

[4] https://tass dot ru/armiya-i-opk/16655079.

[5] https://www.understandingwar.org/backgrounder/russian-offensive-campaign-assessment-january-17-2023; https://t.me/mod_russia/23498.

[6] https://www.understandingwar.org/backgrounder/russian-offensive-campaign-assessment-january-17-2023; https://t.me/mod_russia/23498; https://telegra dot ph/Vstupitelnoe-slovo-Ministra-oborony-Rossijskoj-Federacii-na-tematicheskom-selektornom-soveshchanii-07-03.

[7] https://web.archive.org/web/20210627202519/https://encyclopedia.mil.ru/encyclopedia/dictionary/details_rvsn.htm?id=8340@morfDictionary; https://web.archive.org/web/20220119080137/https://encyclopedia.mil.ru/encyclopedia/dictionary/details.htm?id=6085@morfDictionary; https://www.fontanka dot ru/2010/09/01/142/; https://www.rbc dot ru/spb_sz/21/09/2010/559298c79a794719538c0143; https://www.rbc dot ru/spb_sz/09/09/2010/559298bd9a794719538c004f?from=materials_on_subject.

[8] https://vz dot ru/society/2023/6/5/1214849.html; https://vm dot ru/news/1056841-voennyj-ekspert-shurygin-obuyasnil-zachem-v-rossii-formiruyut-dva-novyh-voennyh-okruga.

[9] https://tass dot ru/armiya-i-opk/19160889; https://www.rbc dot ru/politics/08/10/2023/652296d99a79476b050c179f; https://tass dot ru/armiya-i-opk/18943037 ; https://regulation.dot gov.ru/Regulation/Npa/PublicView?npaID=142508

[10] https://t.me/mod_russia/23498

[11] https://t.me/mod_russia/23498

[12] https://aif dot ru/society/army/glava_genshtaba_takogo_urovnya_voennyh_deystviy_sovremennaya_rossiya_ne_znala; https://aif dot ru/politics/world/gerasimov_rasskazal_o_razrabotke_plana_stroitelstva_i_razvitiya_vs_rossii; https://isw.pub/UkrWar012423;

[13] https://tass dot ru/armiya-i-opk/17909891; https://isw.pub/UkrWar060223; https://aif dot ru/society/army/srabotal_plan_shoygu_moskve_vernuli_voennyy_okrug; https://www.kommersant dot ru/doc/6015748

[14] https://twitter.com/DefenceHQ/status/1677204319672627200; https://vz dot ru/society/2023/6/5/1214849.html

[15] https://t.me/mod_russia/23498.

[16] https://gov.karelia dot ru/news/18-01-2023-artur-parfenchikov-armeyskiy-korpus-budet-sozdan-na-baze-zakonservirovannoy-infrastruktury-6-y-armii/; https://www.vedomosti dot ru/strana/northwestern/articles/2023/07/31/987839-glava-karelii-predlozhil-sozdat-goskomissiyu

[17] https://tass dot ru/armiya-i-opk/19160889

[18] https://tass dot ru/armiya-i-opk/19160889

[19] https://t.me/mod_russia/23498

[20] https://telegra dot ph/Vstupitelnoe-slovo-Ministra-oborony-RF-generala-armii-Sergeya-SHojgu-na-zasedanii-Kollegii-Minoborony-Rossii-26-sentyabrya-2023--09-26 ; https://t.me/mod_russia/30824 ; https://t.me/mod_russia/30829 ; https://isw.pub/UkrWar080223

[21] https://telegra dot ph/Vstupitelnoe-slovo-Ministra-oborony-RF-generala-armii-Sergeya-SHojgu-na-zasedanii-Kollegii-Minoborony-Rossii-26-sentyabrya-2023--09-26 ; https://t.me/mod_russia/30824 ; https://t.me/mod_russia/30829 ; https://isw.pub/UkrWar080223

[22] https://76 dot ru/text/gorod/2023/07/27/72537380/; https://76 dot ru/text/gorod/2017/01/11/61790871/; https://t.me/A_S_Sukonkin/4831; https://t.me/A_S_Sukonkin/4832

[23] https://twitter.com/Rhaescuporis/status/1691596261311303853; https://bmpd dot livejournal.com/4745541.html; https://t.co/lF45tmNKLN;

http://sdrvdv dot ru/news/ocherednaya-gumanitarnaya-pomoshh-dosta/

[24] https://www.understandingwar.org/sites/default/files/October%2012%2C%202023%20Russian%20Orbat_Final.pdf

[25] https://twitter.com/Rhaescuporis/status/1691596261311303853; https://bmpd dot livejournal.com/4745541.html; https://t.co/lF45tmNKLN;

[26] https://iz dot ru/1558640/2023-08-14/istochnik-raskryl-sroki-vossozdaniia-104-i-gvardeiskoi-divizii-v-vdv; https://isw.pub/UkrWar080223; https://isw.pub/UkrWar092623; https://www.dropbox.com/paper/ep/redirect/external-link?url=https%3A%2F%2Ftass.ru%2Farmiya-i-opk%2F18503997&hmac=K3%2FT5OshR5UUF6u33G9RjjcFzsK25EhScA1JhfUWsqw%3D; https://bmpd.livejournal dot com/4752894.html

[27] https://www.understandingwar.org/backgrounder/russian-offensive-campaign-assessment-june-15-2023; https://twitter.com/ChrisO_wiki/status/1659528766928855041?t=klwo7ELLHZkTBatS7XCFUQ&s=19; https://thelookoutn.substack.com/p/new-russian-formations-update-004?sd=pf

[28] https://twitter.com/DefenceHQ/status/1706903544190689630

[29] https://www.ukrinform dot ua/rubric-ato/3731271-oleksij-gromov-zastupnik-nacalnika-golovnogo-operativnogo-upravlinna-genstabu-zsu.html; https://www.understandingwar.org/sites/default/files/July%205%20Russian%20Offensive%20Campaign%20Assessment%20PDF.pdf

[30] https://opk.com dot ua/%D0%BD%D0%BE%D0%B2%D1%8B%D0%B5-%D1%84%D0%BE%D1%80%D0%BC%D0%B8%D1%80%D0%BE%D0%B2%D0%B0%D0%BD%D0%B8%D1%8F-%D0%B2%D0%BE%D0%BE%D1%80%D1%83%D0%B6%D0%B5%D0%BD%D0%BD%D1%8B%D1%85-%D1%81%D0%B8%D0%BB-%D1%80-2/; https://twitter.com/ChrisO_wiki/status/1659528766928855041?t=klwo7ELLHZkTBatS7XCFUQ&s=19; https://thelookoutn.substack.com/p/new-russian-formations-update-004?sd=pf; https://isw.pub/UkrWar061523; https://twitter.com/DefenceHQ/status/1686617177497944065; https://www.understandingwar.org/sites/default/files/July%205%20Russian%20Offensive%20Campaign%20Assessment%20PDF.pdf; https://defence-ua dot com/army_and_war/scho_tse_za_25_ta_armija_i_jak_boji_za_bahmut_mozhut_zavaditi_rf_rozgornuti_novu_desantnu_diviziju-12887.html; https://defence24 dot pl/sily-zbrojne/armia-na-wojne-rosja-rozbudowuje-sily-zbrojne-analiza

[31] https://amalantra dot ru/25-armiya-rossii/; https://vk.com/wall-186603332_4321; https://twitter.com/ChrisO_wiki/status/1659528766928855041?t=klwo7ELLHZkTBatS7XCFUQ&s=19; https://bmpd dot livejournal.com/4742046.html;

[32][32] https://opk.com dot ua/%D0%BD%D0%BE%D0%B2%D1%8B%D0%B5-%D1%84%D0%BE%D1%80%D0%BC%D0%B8%D1%80%D0%BE%D0%B2%D0%B0%D0%BD%D0%B8%D1%8F-%D0%B2%D0%BE%D0%BE%D1%80%D1%83%D0%B6%D0%B5%D0%BD%D0%BD%D1%8B%D1%85-%D1%81%D0%B8%D0%BB-%D1%80/

[33] https://twitter.com/DefenceHQ/status/1706903544190689630

[34] https://twitter.com/DefenceHQ/status/1706903544190689630

[35] https://twitter.com/DefenceHQ/status/1706903544190689630

[36] https://bmpd dot livejournal.com/4742046.html; https://t.me/marzoev_oleg/4711; https://amalantra dot ru/18-armiya-rossii/

[37] https://t.me/marzoev_oleg/4711

[38] https://amalantra dot ru/18-armiya-rossii/

[39] https://www.understandingwar.org/backgrounder/russian-offensive-campaign-assessment-november-1-2023-0

[40] https://t.me/marzoev_oleg/4711

[41] https://t.me/marzoev_oleg/4709

[42] https://twitter.com/DefenceHQ/status/1693498113212699085

[43] https://t.me/talipovonline/14235

[44] https://isw.pub/UkrWar110723; https://isw.pub/UkrWar102023

[45] https://bmpd dot livejournal.com/4742046.html; https://t.me/marzoev_oleg/4711; https://amalantra dot ru/18-armiya-rossii/

[46] https://t.me/talipovonline/14235

[47] https://t.me/talipovonline/14235

[48] https://t.me/marzoev_oleg/4711; https://amalantra dot ru/18-armiya-rossii/

[49] https://amalantra.ru/18-armiya-rossii/; https://kbrria dot ru/obshchestvo/VoennyykomissarKBRvstretilsyaszhurnalistami11234556; https://www.understandingwar.org/sites/default/files/July%205%20Russian%20Offensive%20Campaign%20Assessment%20PDF.pdf

[50] https://don24 dot ru/rubric/obschestvo/dobrovolcam-rostovskogo-motostrelkovogo-batalona-vyplatyat-premii-po-rasporyazheniyu-gubernatora.html

[51] https://amalantra dot ru/18-armiya-rossii/

https://vesti92 dot ru/2022/09/27/sevastopolcev-i-krymchan-provodili-na-sluzhbu-v-47-j-motostrelkovoj-divizii.html; https://t.me/akutin_dpr_ru/26737; https://t.me/Aksenov82/1516

[52] https://kbrria dot ru/obshchestvo/VoennyykomissarKBRvstretilsyaszhurnalistami11234556; https://www.understandingwar.org/sites/default/files/July%205%20Russian%20Offensive%20Campaign%20Assessment%20PDF.pdf

[53] https://don24 dot ru/rubric/obschestvo/dobrovolcam-rostovskogo-motostrelkovogo-batalona-vyplatyat-premii-po-rasporyazheniyu-gubernatora.html

[54] https://t.me/akutin_dpr_ru/26737; https://t.me/Aksenov82/1516; https://vesti92 dot ru/2022/09/27/sevastopolcev-i-krymchan-provodili-na-sluzhbu-v-47-j-motostrelkovoj-divizii.html

[55] https://amalantra.ru/18-armiya-rossii/; https://kbrria dot ru/obshchestvo/VoennyykomissarKBRvstretilsyaszhurnalistami11234556; https://www.understandingwar.org/sites/default/files/July%205%20Russian%20Offensive%20Campaign%20Assessment%20PDF.pdf

[56] https://don24 dot ru/rubric/obschestvo/dobrovolcam-rostovskogo-motostrelkovogo-batalona-vyplatyat-premii-po-rasporyazheniyu-gubernatora.html

[57] https://amalantra dot ru/18-armiya-rossii/

[58] https://amalantra dot ru/3-armeyskiy-korpus-rossii/

[59] https://amalantra dot ru/3-armeyskiy-korpus-rossii/

[60] https://isw.pub/UkrWar091923; https://t.me/militarymediacenter/3185

[61] https://amalantra dot ru/3-armeyskiy-korpus-rossii/; https://bmpd dot livejournal.com/4745541.html

[62] https://amalantra dot ru/3-armeyskiy-korpus-rossii/

[63] https://t.me/boris_rozhin/100696; https://t.me/verumreactor/6622; https://twitter.com/foosint/status/1712868546701881562?s=20

[64] https://t.me/kommunist/18666; https://t.me/voin_dv/5544

[65] https://twitter.com/666_mancer/status/1711787036833611860; https://t.me/ab3army/3235; https://t.me/idelrealii/30839

[66] http://sdrvdv dot ru/news/ocherednaya-gumanitarnaya-pomoshh-dosta/

[67] https://archive.ph/j6tEm

[68] https://dzen dot ru/a/ZSo-Ok0Y7Caqz-ia; https://vk dot com/wall-218502533_5572; https://1tulatv dot ru/novosti-reportazhi/186051-mobilizovannye-tulyaki-podarili-alekseyu-dyuminu-kopiyu-znameni-187-ogo/; https://podolyaka dot ru/yuriy-podolyaka-dorozhnye-zarisovki-prizvanie-zampolit/

[69] https://t.me/rusich_army/11549; https://t.me/rusich_army/11471; https://t.me/rusich_army/11430; https://t.me/zvizdecmanhustu/1234; https://twitter.com/GirkinGirkin/status/1701656312403112357; https://twitter.com/DefMon3/status/1699187912200405243?s=20; https://t.me/komissar_77/242; https://twitter.com/giK1893/status/1699192039001276421?s=20

[70] https://t.me/aakherson/485

[71] https://isw.pub/UkrWar080223; https://telegra dot ph/Vstupitelnoe-slovo-Ministra-oborony-RF-generala-armii-Sergeya-SHojgu-na-zasedanii-Kollegii-Minoborony-Rossii-26-sentyabrya-2023--09-26 ; https://t.me/mod_russia/30824 ; https://t.me/mod_russia/30829

[72] https://tass dot ru/armiya-i-opk/14387377

[73] https://iz dot ru/1558640/2023-08-14/istochnik-raskryl-sroki-vossozdaniia-104-i-gvardeiskoi-divizii-v-vdv

[74] https://76 dot ru/text/gorod/2023/07/27/72537380/; https://76 dot ru/text/gorod/2017/01/11/61790871/

[75] https://telegra dot ph/Vstupitelnoe-slovo-Ministra-oborony-RF-generala-armii-Sergeya-SHojgu-na-zasedanii-Kollegii-Minoborony-Rossii-26-sentyabrya-2023--09-26 ; https://t.me/mod_russia/30824 ; https://t.me/mod_russia/30829

[76] https://t.me/A_S_Sukonkin/4831

[77] https://t.me/A_S_Sukonkin/4832; https://opk.com.ua/%D0%BD%D0%BE%D0%B2%D1%8B%D0%B5-%D1%84%D0%BE%D1%80%D0%BC%D0%B8%D1%80%D0%BE%D0%B2%D0%B0%D0%BD%D0%B8%D1%8F-%D0%B2%D0%BE%D0%BE%D1%80%D1%83%D0%B6%D0%B5%D0%BD%D0%BD%D1%8B%D1%85-%D1%81%D0%B8%D0%BB-%D1%80-2/

[78] https://t.me/A_S_Sukonkin/4832; https://vk dot com/wall-106160452_492323

[79] https://isw.pub/UkrWar110123

[80] https://bmpd dot livejournal.com/4742046.html

[81] https://bmpd dot livejournal.com/4742046.html

[82] https://www.understandingwar.org/backgrounder/russian-offensive-campaign-assessment-november-1-2023-0

[83] https://vk dot com/wall335538107_1924

[84] https://bmpd dot livejournal.com/4742046.html

[85] https://iz dot ru/1504102/roman-kretcul-aleksei-ramm/polk-pribyl-v-zvo-vozrodili-samoe-voiuiushchee-podrazdelenie

[86][86] https://t.me/mod_russia/23498

[87] https://t.me/zvizdecmanhustu/1386

[88] https://iz dot ru/1558640/2023-08-14/istochnik-raskryl-sroki-vossozdaniia-104-i-gvardeiskoi-divizii-v-vdv; https://isw.pub/UkrWar080223; https://isw.pub/UkrWar092623; https://www.dropbox.com/paper/ep/redirect/external-link?url=https%3A%2F%2Ftass.ru%2Farmiya-i-opk%2F18503997&hmac=K3%2FT5OshR5UUF6u33G9RjjcFzsK25EhScA1JhfUWsqw%3D; https://bmpd.livejournal dot com/4752894.html

[89] https://isw.pub/UkrWar103023; https://isw.pub/UkrWar111123; https://isw.pub/UkrWar110123; https://isw.pub/UkrWar102623

Agalatovo is a rural locality in Vsevolozhsk District of Leningrad Oblast, Russia. It is the garrison of the 6th Combined Arms Army.

More information and contact

Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agalatovo

Coordinates 60°13'7.297" N 30°17'35.263" E

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