Cunard is the grande dame of cruise lines, operating the Queen Mary 2 and the Queen Victoria (and who just retired the Queen Elizabeth II or QE2 as she was better known). Once known mainly for its transatlantic crossings, Cunard is offering more and more impressive routes. In fact, the 2009 schedule lists 75 ports in a total of 34 countries, 18 brand-new ports (called "maiden ports" in the lingo) and the usual stately transatlantic voyages.

The Queen Mary 2 will sail on a maiden tour of the British Islands (Liverpool, Glasgow,Cork) and offer some European voyages with ports that include Iceland, Monte Carlo, and Gibralter. She will also embark on her well-known autumn color tours of New England and Canada in the fall, and then she'll dip down to the Caribbean for the winter.

While the Queen Mary 2 has been in service for five years (well, 2009 will be five years), the Queen Victoria is entering only her second year in 2009. Lots of Mediterranean voyages are on schedule with ports that include Rome, Sardinia, Mallorca, Lisbon, Corfu, and Venice (pictured above). Holiday seasons passengers can sail on the Queen Mary 2 to the Canary Islands.

A complete list of voyages can be found on the website of Cunard Lines (http://www.cunard.com).

The signature transatlantic cruises are also available and can sometimes be arranged as an add-on to the other cruise options.

Most cruise lines encourage (and reward) early booking, so if you've ever wanted to sail Cunard, this could be the time to nab a deal.