Queen Mary 2 Completes Historic First Panama Canal Transit
The cruise world is celebrating a major nautical milestone today as Cunard’s flagship, the Queen Mary 2, successfully completed its first-ever transit of the Panama Canal.
As the world’s only remaining true ocean liner, the ship’s massive dimensions previously made such a crossing impossible until the completion of the canal’s new "Neopanamax" locks.
Over the weekend, the vessel passed through the Cocoli Locks and under the Bridge of the Americas, marking a centerpiece event of its ambitious 108-night 2026 World Voyage.
For the 2,600 guests on board, the transit provided a rare front-row seat to one of the world’s greatest engineering marvels. Cunard President Katie McAlister noted that the maiden transit is an "extraordinary milestone" that highlights the ship's unique role in modern maritime history.
The Queen Mary 2 is now en route to Los Angeles, where it is scheduled to arrive on February 2, marking its first return to Southern California in 17 years. The stop in L.A. will also feature a historic "meeting of the Queens" as the liner reunites with its predecessor, the legendary 1936 Queen Mary, now a hotel in Long Beach.
The logistics of moving a 150,000-ton ocean liner through the canal required months of planning and precision pilotage. This successful transit signal a new era for the ship, allowing it to diversify its global itineraries beyond the traditional transatlantic and European routes.
For the cruise industry, the QM2’s crossing is seen as a "bucket-list" event that has driven record-high demand for its 2026 and 2027 world segments, proving that classic ocean travel still holds immense allure for the modern luxury traveler.
Following its stay in Los Angeles, the ship will continue its journey across the Pacific toward Sydney and Hong Kong. Travel advisors are already reporting a spike in "segment bookings" for the remainder of the world tour, as travelers scramble to be part of this historic year. For the 2026 traveler, the Queen Mary 2’s Panama transit serves as a reminder that even in an age of high-speed flight, there is still no experience quite like the slow, majestic movement of a grand ocean liner crossing between the seas.
