Epic cruise: Cunard ship to circle globe in 120 days

Cunard is planning another epic around-the-world cruise that will include stops in 39 ports in 25 countries.

The 120-day voyage on the 2,068-passenger Queen Elizabeth will kick off in Jan. 7, 2017 in Southampton, England and end in the same port on May 8, 2017.

The Queen Elizabeth will follow a westerly route around the globe that starts with a trans-Atlantic sailing to New York and Fort Lauderdale before a transit through the Panama Canal to the Pacific Ocean. From there, the ship will sail along the West Coast of Mexico to San Francisco and then cross the Pacific to Hawaii, Samoa, Tonga, New Zealand and Australia.

Additional calls will explore parts of Asia including Japan, China, Vietnam, Singapore and Malaysia as well as Sri Lanka and the Seychelles. Following visits to South Africa and Namibia, the ship will head north to Cape Verde, the Canary Islands and Madeira before returning to Southampton.

The voyage will include a visit to Alotau, Papua New Guinea – a first for the Cunard fleet. Overnight stays are planned for New York, San Francisco, Sydney and Cape Town.

The trip will open for bookings on Sept. 10, with fares for the full voyage starting at $19,999 per person, based on double occupancy. Fares for passengers who board in New York will start at $18,499.

Cunard this year is celebrating its 175th anniversary. Scroll through the carousel below for photos of a historic anniversary meet-up in May between the Queen Elizabeth and its two sister vessels, Queen Victoria and Queen Mary 2.