Cunard cruise liners Queen Victoria and Queen Elizabeth have cancelled their calls in Bermuda because of bad weather in the North Atlantic.

The two ships were due to arrive in Dockyard on Sunday and signal the beginning of the island’s 2018 cruise season.

However the Bermuda Maritime Operations Centre reported today that both vessels had cancelled their Bermuda calls “due to weather encountered on crossing”.

Heavy weather in the Atlantic has forced Queen Victoria and Queen Elizabeth to head straight to their next ports of Port Everglades and New York respectively.

It would have been the inaugural visit for the Bermuda-registered Queen Elizabeth. The luxury liner, which carries 1,900 passengers and 980 crew, is Cunard’s newest cruise ship.

The ship left Southampton in England on its 122-night world tour at the weekend and is scheduled to visit to 39 ports in 25 countries.

A press release from the Bermuda Government said today: “The ships’ captains have determined the best course of action is to bypass Bermuda and proceed directly to their next ports of call in the United States.”

It said both ships were originally scheduled to be at the West End for a 7½-hour call on Sunday.