Cunard reports Queen Victoria will be handed over to them tomorrow at Fincantieri's yard in Marghera. The ship won't sail for Southampton until November 30, however.
While in most ships' cases, the actual handover is a low-key business transaction, much like closing on a house, Cunard is planning to make the handover into a major event that will include the Italian Prime Minister, the British Under Secretary of State, and the band of the Scots Guards, flown in for the occasion.
The ship will arrive in Southampton at 9:30am on December 7. It will be named there on December 10 and depart on its maiden voyage at 5pm on December 11.
