A New Queen Reigns The 7 Seas – Queen Mary 2

A New Queen Reigns The 7 Seas – Queen Mary 2

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Since 1840 Cunard Line has been sailing the seven seas, and for the past six decades there has been a Queen amongst its fleet plying the open ocean.

A New Queen Is About To Be Crowned.

The Cunard fleet has a classic British heritage and includes Queen Elizabeth 2 and Caronia. In December 2003 the line welcomes Queen Mary 2, destined to recapture the glamour of the original Queen Mary, currently a hotel and attraction in Long Beach, California. Another new, as of yet unnamed, ship is expected to come online for Cunard in 2005.

The keel for the new Queen Mary 2 was laid in Saint Nazaire, France on July 4, 2002, a commemorative day celebrating the 162nd anniversary of the maiden voyage of the first Cunard ship - Britannia, sailing from Liverpool to Halifax and Boston.

The new $800-million Cunard flagship is expected to enter service in January 2004 and she will be the largest, longest, and tallest and most expensive passenger ship ever built.

Stylistically, QM2 will recall the grand ocean liners, with sweeping staircases, towering domed public rooms, five swimming pools, a grand ballroom and a 360-degree promenade deck. Yet she will be technologically advanced, with a four-pod propulsion system, sophisticated multi-media, conference and classroom facilities, and even the world's first shipboard planetarium.

The first liner to be built since the line's Queen Elizabeth 2 entered service in 1969, QM2 is the first ship for Cunard by the renowned French shipyard Alstom Chantiers de l'Atlantique, one of world's most technically advanced shipbuilders who have built such famous luxury liners as Normandie, France, and Ile de France.

Cunard officials marked the keel-laying occasion by the placing of coins under the first section of the keel. A commemorative £5 Queen's Golden Jubilee coin symbolizing Great Britain and a silver French Franc was chosen to represent France, the country of her birth. The ceremonial gesture, believed to have originated in ancient Greece, is said to bring good luck to a ship.

In the spirit of her predecessors, QM2 will be resplendent with grandeur and elegance, while at the same time featuring contemporary style amenities and the latest technological innovations. She will feature classic Cunard hallmarks such as sweeping staircases, expansive promenades, stylish restaurants and public rooms of an imposing scale. The sheer size of the vessel, 150,000 tonnes, has enabled the line to create a space ratio per passenger of 57.25, making her among the grandest of the world's larger passenger ships.

In A Royal League Of Her Own!

The 2,620-passenger QM2 is a prototype of unique design: the multi-million-dollar project employs teams of naval architects, engineers and maritime experts, including the marine interior design firms of SMC-Tillberg and "designteam", both based in London.

The liner's handsome, traditional exterior lines are complemented by stylish interiors that carry the grace and elegance of a bygone era into the future. Facilities include 1,310 fully equipped staterooms and suites, nearly three quarters of which will have a private balcony, and a variety of passenger spaces, from a majestic, three-story dining room to intimate bars and lounges to the first sea-going planetarium.

On the technical side, the QM2 powerplant includes two gas turbines and four diesel engines. More than two-thirds of this energy will be used to power a state-of-the-art Mermaid Pod Propulsion System, comprised of two fixed and two azimuthing pod units. The first four-pod installation to date, the powerful new system provides a speed of nearly 30 knots with low noise and vibration levels and maximum maneuverability.

World Class Itineraries

Four Inaugural Voyages & A Tandem QE2 Sail

The itineraries for the QM2 will include the traditional six-day transatlantic crossing, Caribbean voyages from New York, Rio de Janeiro sailings at Carnival time, as well as Europe and the Americas.

It is only fitting that the maiden voyage of QM2 be a transatlantic crossing, for which she was designed. Inaugural festivities to be held in Southampton, her U.K. homeport, promise to be fit for a Queen complete with pomp and circumstance befitting the launch of the first new ocean liner in more than 30 years. On January 12, 2004, Cunard's new flagship will set out for North America calling at Madeira, Tenerife, and Las Palmas in the Canary Islands, Barbados, and St. Thomas USVI, en route to Fort Lauderdale, Florida for her inaugural voyage from the U.S.

QM2 will use both Fort Lauderdale and New York as her U.S. bases for a series of warm-weather sailings to some of the most desirable islands in the Caribbean. Due to her capability of cruising at a speed of nearly 30 knots, QM2 is able to sail a deep Caribbean route out of New York, unlike most other ships. Itineraries from eight to 14 days - offered in March, November and December - will visit San Juan, St. Kitts, Martinique, Barbados, St. Lucia, Dominica, Aruba, St. Thomas, and St. Maarten.

Come February, travelers on two voyages will have the opportunity to celebrate Carnival in Rio with QM2 as their five-star floating hotel. The southbound cruise leaves Fort Lauderdale February 11, calling at St. Thomas and Salvador de Bahia, Brazil, before arriving in Rio for an overnight aboard ship. Northbound guests overnight on board February 23 before sailing to Fort Lauderdale via Barbados, Martinique, St. Maarten and St. Thomas.

Commemorative Crossings - New York & Southampton

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Kriss Hammond, Jetsetters Magazine Correspondent – Read Jetsetters Magazine at www.jetsettersmagazine.com To book travel visit Jetstreams.com at www.jetstreams.com and for Beach Resorts visit Beach Booker at www.beachbooker.com

About the Author

Kriss Hammond, Jetsetters Magazine Correspondent. Join the Travel Writers Network in the logo at www.jetsettersmagazine.com Leave your email next to the logo for FREE e travel newsletter.