This small news itemn appeared in the Hamilton Spectator:
The operator of the Queen Mary, the historic ocean liner that is now a tourist attraction, has filed for bankruptcy, blaming Long Beach officials for failed negotiations that sought to resolve the city's demands for $3.4 million US in back rent.
The ship, launched in 1934, was brought to a permanent home in Long Beach's harbour 37 years ago. The operation has struggled to turn a profit, and proposals for developments around the ship, including apartments and a Disney amusement park, never took place.
February 18, 2007
February 12, 2007
'Royal' ocean liners to meet in Sydney
This from the Sydney Morning Herald:
Sydneysiders will be treated to a spectacular sight when the ocean liners Queen Mary 2 and her sister ship Queen Elizabeth 2 dock in the city's harbour on the same day.
If the ships aren't impressive enough on their own, a fireworks display will mark their history-making rendezvous on February 20.
But even better for Sydney, the liners' passengers are expected to spend up big as well.
The dual visit by the iconic liners will generate a $3 million tourism bonanza for Sydney, delivering about 6,500 passengers and crew to the city, the equivalent of 19 jumbo loads of tourists, says a spokesman for Cunard Line.
Sydney is a major turnaround point for both ships, with passengers leaving and joining the liners.
Capable of carrying up to 3,090 passengers, the 151,400-tonne Queen Mary 2 will become the largest ship ever to visit Australia when she sails into Sydney Harbour at about 6.30am on February 20.
She will be half way through her maiden world voyage, dubbed Around the World in 80 days.
The 70,327-tonne QE2 will be visiting Australia during her Silver Jubilee world voyage.
Cunard Line says fireworks will explode over the harbour at 8.40pm, around two hours and 10 minutes after QE2 sails through the Sydney heads.
The two ships will meet off Garden Island naval base at 7.15pm and salute each other with their whistles.
Aboard the Queen Mary 2 will be 2,700 passengers and 1,253 crew members.
The 23-storey-high ship is two metres taller than the road deck of the Sydney Harbour Bridge and is too big to dock at Circular Quay.
The last time two Cunard Queens called at Sydney together was during World War II, when the original Queen Mary and Queen Elizabeth made joint visits as troop carriers in 1941 and 1942.
Thousands of Sydneysiders lined the foreshore on April 9, 1941 during their first dual visit.
But the reason then for the vessels' Australian visit was no cause for celebration.
Painted a dour grey, the 81,237-tonne, 311-metre long Queen Mary and her younger sister, the 83,763-tonne, 314-metre long Queen Elizabeth, came to Sydney as troop ships transporting soldiers.
But the ships' considerable length and draft meant they could not be accommodated in Sydney Harbour at the same time. On their first visit they passed each other at the Sydney Harbour heads.
Known then as the Grey Ghosts, the Queen Mary and Queen Elizabeth transported Allied troops and prisoners of war around the world, carrying up to 16,000 troops at any one time. They even ferried British Prime Minister Winston Churchill across the Atlantic.
But despite the distances travelled and a bounty placed on them by German leader Adolf Hitler, none was threatened or had to fire a shot in anger.
The two ships made several joint calls at Sydney during 1941 and 1942, between them carrying tens of thousands of Australian and New Zealand soldiers.
In all, Queen Mary visited Sydney 13 times as a troop carrier, a role not anticipated when the liner was launched by Queen Elizabeth II's grandmother, Queen Mary, with a bottle of Australian sparkling wine in September 1934.
When she first set sail in May 1936, Queen Mary was hailed by newspapers at the time as a "wonder-ship".
Many regarded the 12-deck ocean liner as a tribute to the art deco era, with features including several swimming pools, a three-level dining room, a modern theatre and the latest in furnishings, from rare woods to linoleum.
With a service speed of up to 29 knots, the Queen Mary quickly made a name for herself on the high seas. In 1938 she set a new trans-Atlantic crossing record of three days, 21 hours and 48 minutes - a title she held for 14 years.
Her younger sister, Queen Elizabeth, also made her mark, holding the mantle of the world's largest liner for 57 years.
While Queen Elizabeth was launched in September 1938, the advent of World War II meant she did not make her maiden voyage as a passenger vessel until 1946.
The reign of both ships continued until the 1960s, when air travel became more popular.
In 1967, Queen Mary was sold to the City of Long Beach in California where she operates as a hotel and museum.
Queen Elizabeth was retired in 1968, and is now said to be at the bottom of the sea.
The new Queen Elizabeth 2 was launched in 1967 and this year celebrates her 40th birthday.
She has seven restaurants, two pools and the first sea-going Harrods boutique.
Her younger sister, Queen Mary 2, boasts 10 restaurants, five pools, the biggest ballroom at sea and the first planetarium at sea.
There are prices to match the luxury.
To do the whole current 81-night cruise aboard the Queen Mary 2 costs from $35,000 to $250,000 per person, depending on whether you prefer an inside cabin with no harbour views or a top suite. For the two-week section from San Francisco to Sydney the cheapest price is $6,600 and the dearest is $50,000. But most passengers take the middle option.
Those lucky enough to be aboard the 151,400 tonne Queen Mary 2 are sailing on one of the largest passenger ships afloat.
The newly-built Freedom of the Seas is larger at 160,000 tonnes, although it is 12 metres shorter than Queen Mary 2.
Sydney will be the only Australian port on this voyage to see the Queen Mary 2.
However the Queen Elizabeth 2 will arrive in Sydney after visits to Hobart (February 17), Melbourne (February 19) and will sail on to Brisbane on February 24 and Cairns on February 26.
The rundown: On Tuesday February 20 Queen Mary 2 will arrive at Sydney Heads at 6.30am and dock at Garden Island on 7.15am.
QE2 will sail through the heads at 6.30pm and pass Queen Mary 2 at Garden Island at 7.15pm.
Queen Mary 2 will depart Sydney at 11pm, while the QE2 will berth at Circular Quay at 8pm for 2 nights.
Sydneysiders will be treated to a spectacular sight when the ocean liners Queen Mary 2 and her sister ship Queen Elizabeth 2 dock in the city's harbour on the same day.
If the ships aren't impressive enough on their own, a fireworks display will mark their history-making rendezvous on February 20.
But even better for Sydney, the liners' passengers are expected to spend up big as well.
The dual visit by the iconic liners will generate a $3 million tourism bonanza for Sydney, delivering about 6,500 passengers and crew to the city, the equivalent of 19 jumbo loads of tourists, says a spokesman for Cunard Line.
Sydney is a major turnaround point for both ships, with passengers leaving and joining the liners.
Capable of carrying up to 3,090 passengers, the 151,400-tonne Queen Mary 2 will become the largest ship ever to visit Australia when she sails into Sydney Harbour at about 6.30am on February 20.
She will be half way through her maiden world voyage, dubbed Around the World in 80 days.
The 70,327-tonne QE2 will be visiting Australia during her Silver Jubilee world voyage.
Cunard Line says fireworks will explode over the harbour at 8.40pm, around two hours and 10 minutes after QE2 sails through the Sydney heads.
The two ships will meet off Garden Island naval base at 7.15pm and salute each other with their whistles.
Aboard the Queen Mary 2 will be 2,700 passengers and 1,253 crew members.
The 23-storey-high ship is two metres taller than the road deck of the Sydney Harbour Bridge and is too big to dock at Circular Quay.
The last time two Cunard Queens called at Sydney together was during World War II, when the original Queen Mary and Queen Elizabeth made joint visits as troop carriers in 1941 and 1942.
Thousands of Sydneysiders lined the foreshore on April 9, 1941 during their first dual visit.
But the reason then for the vessels' Australian visit was no cause for celebration.
Painted a dour grey, the 81,237-tonne, 311-metre long Queen Mary and her younger sister, the 83,763-tonne, 314-metre long Queen Elizabeth, came to Sydney as troop ships transporting soldiers.
But the ships' considerable length and draft meant they could not be accommodated in Sydney Harbour at the same time. On their first visit they passed each other at the Sydney Harbour heads.
Known then as the Grey Ghosts, the Queen Mary and Queen Elizabeth transported Allied troops and prisoners of war around the world, carrying up to 16,000 troops at any one time. They even ferried British Prime Minister Winston Churchill across the Atlantic.
But despite the distances travelled and a bounty placed on them by German leader Adolf Hitler, none was threatened or had to fire a shot in anger.
The two ships made several joint calls at Sydney during 1941 and 1942, between them carrying tens of thousands of Australian and New Zealand soldiers.
In all, Queen Mary visited Sydney 13 times as a troop carrier, a role not anticipated when the liner was launched by Queen Elizabeth II's grandmother, Queen Mary, with a bottle of Australian sparkling wine in September 1934.
When she first set sail in May 1936, Queen Mary was hailed by newspapers at the time as a "wonder-ship".
Many regarded the 12-deck ocean liner as a tribute to the art deco era, with features including several swimming pools, a three-level dining room, a modern theatre and the latest in furnishings, from rare woods to linoleum.
With a service speed of up to 29 knots, the Queen Mary quickly made a name for herself on the high seas. In 1938 she set a new trans-Atlantic crossing record of three days, 21 hours and 48 minutes - a title she held for 14 years.
Her younger sister, Queen Elizabeth, also made her mark, holding the mantle of the world's largest liner for 57 years.
While Queen Elizabeth was launched in September 1938, the advent of World War II meant she did not make her maiden voyage as a passenger vessel until 1946.
The reign of both ships continued until the 1960s, when air travel became more popular.
In 1967, Queen Mary was sold to the City of Long Beach in California where she operates as a hotel and museum.
Queen Elizabeth was retired in 1968, and is now said to be at the bottom of the sea.
The new Queen Elizabeth 2 was launched in 1967 and this year celebrates her 40th birthday.
She has seven restaurants, two pools and the first sea-going Harrods boutique.
Her younger sister, Queen Mary 2, boasts 10 restaurants, five pools, the biggest ballroom at sea and the first planetarium at sea.
There are prices to match the luxury.
To do the whole current 81-night cruise aboard the Queen Mary 2 costs from $35,000 to $250,000 per person, depending on whether you prefer an inside cabin with no harbour views or a top suite. For the two-week section from San Francisco to Sydney the cheapest price is $6,600 and the dearest is $50,000. But most passengers take the middle option.
Those lucky enough to be aboard the 151,400 tonne Queen Mary 2 are sailing on one of the largest passenger ships afloat.
The newly-built Freedom of the Seas is larger at 160,000 tonnes, although it is 12 metres shorter than Queen Mary 2.
Sydney will be the only Australian port on this voyage to see the Queen Mary 2.
However the Queen Elizabeth 2 will arrive in Sydney after visits to Hobart (February 17), Melbourne (February 19) and will sail on to Brisbane on February 24 and Cairns on February 26.
The rundown: On Tuesday February 20 Queen Mary 2 will arrive at Sydney Heads at 6.30am and dock at Garden Island on 7.15am.
QE2 will sail through the heads at 6.30pm and pass Queen Mary 2 at Garden Island at 7.15pm.
Queen Mary 2 will depart Sydney at 11pm, while the QE2 will berth at Circular Quay at 8pm for 2 nights.
February 11, 2007
The day I was doused in spaghetti
This appeared in the "Evening Star" newspaper
EVENING Star reader Mavis Bensley, 71, is having the time of her life aboard the QE2 on a round-the-world trip. She even got covered in spaghetti!
But who else is on board today? This week she met a woman who lives aboard permanently and quotes it as her address. This is her sixth weekly column.
'Blue skies smiling on me - nothing but blue skies do I see' except for Maui that is.
The weather was too bad for the tenders to reach the port, high sea swell, rain and wind, so that's a miss then!
We had four days at sea ahead of us before reaching Tahiti, so let me tell you about some of the passengers I have met. There are 1,587 of them, 646 from the USA, 480 from the UK, 134 Australian, 100 Canadian, plus various other countries, down to one person from Turkey.
Thomas Quinones is the social host who calls everyone 'darling' and rattles off facts like machine gun fire. He has worked for Cunard for over 20 years and manages the activities in the public rooms; balls, parties, dances, bingo, auctions etc.
It is his job to host the rich and famous when on board. Prince Phillip has been on board most times - seven in all. The Queen's next visit is scheduled for September 20, for the 40th anniversary of launching of QE2. Thomas' favourite is the Queen Mother who often came aboard - she was easy to look after. He tells the story of her interrupting lunch one day to get to a phone, as she had a horse running in the 3.30 at Ascot!
At the moment we have on board Prince Victor and Princess Irene Romanov who are regular clients. Looking at the passenger list, Lord and Lady Clophill Stedman of Suffolk are also on board.
I talked to Beatrice Muller who quotes her address as QE2. Apparently, her husband died on board in 1999 and begged her not to leave the ship - presumably he wanted her to complete her cruise (they had already done 13 world cruises). She took him literally, sold all her assets and has lived here ever since.
She said: “All my friends - crew and passengers alike are on board. I have everything done for me. There are doctors on board, there is all the entertainment or activity I want and it works out cheaper than a rest home”.
Worth thinking about folks. Maybe I will look into it when I get home!
There are many people travelling alone - not all of them single, and more women than men. Most are like myself, enjoying the experience. Some passengers are looking for a bit more fun and claim it's easy to “hook up” if that's what you want. Most of the single guys tell me they are looking for either a nurse, a purse or both! I suppose it works the other way too!
One couple have done the world cruise 25 times. 'Why?' I ask myself. Others are so blasé about everything - been there, done that, bought all the t-shirts. It's the ship they love so much. They tell me it's safe, sound, solid, they wouldn't travel any other way.
On January 31 at 10.20am we crossed the equator.
“When the ship's whistle blows we will be at 0*N & 0*S,” announced the captain. “Look out of the windows for the thin red line.”
Sure enough when the whistle blew, some people got up to look out - I can't believe they did that!
The ceremony of crossing the line dates back to the 14th Century. Initiation was dangerous. 'Pollywogs' (those who hadn't crossed before) were coated with bilge oil then dangled over the side of the ship held by the ankles. Today Pollywogs are doused with mango juice, spaghetti, baked beans and sausages. I was one of them. Having first kissed a fish and bowed to King Neptune, I jumped into the swimming pool. The things I do - it was good fun though and I received a “crossing the line” certificate and am now qualified as a “shellback”.
The next port of call was Papeete on the island of Tahiti which is part of French Polynesia where people speak French, Tahitian and Pidgin (mine = blang mifela, yours = blong yufela and we = yu mi tu fela).
Along with four others I hired a mini van for a tour of the island visiting a black volcanic sandy beach with warm clear water and many multicoloured fish, on to the Arahoho Blowholes - a cliff edge where the sea water is forced under the rocks and then comes out of holes either as spray or as in my case a huge wind which nearly blew me away.
We passed thousands of tall swaying palms, lush vegetation because the atmosphere is so humid. The flowers and plants put my M&S pot plants at home in Ipswich to shame.
Captains Bligh and Cook visited the island and there are restaurants and monuments to them both. Two films of Mutiny On The Bounty were made here, Robert Louis Stephenson was also here. I wonder if this was his Treasure Island?
In the evening the crew hosted a big barbecue party on the funnel deck. Terrific food and free drinks. There were Tahitian dancers in splendid costumes and did they wiggle their hips - wow! The men wore very skimpy costumes and their dancing reminded me of the New Zealand Haka. They were very skilled, agile and quite aggressive to say nothing of being suggestive.
The next day we anchored off Moorea - another island of Tahiti. My friend Gay and I had a mission to find a beach. “Maybe round the next corner,” we kept saying, as we slowly melted in the hot, humid atmosphere. We finally found paradise.
Soft, silver sand, tall swaying palm trees, a back drop of high volcanic mountains covered in lush vegetation and shallow, blue warm water again with multicoloured fish which swam up to and around me with curiosity. It was heavenly. There was a dolphinarium where we watched them playing and performing, a sting ray area and even a rehab centre for turtles.
The third “Mutiny On The Bounty” was filmed here with Mel Gibson in 1984.
Tonga and Fiji next.
N
Do you enjoy Mavis's column? Write to Star Letters, The Evening Star, 30 Lower Brook Street, Ipswich, IP4 1AN or e-mail eveningstarletters@eveningstar.co.uk.
EVENING Star reader Mavis Bensley, 71, is having the time of her life aboard the QE2 on a round-the-world trip. She even got covered in spaghetti!
But who else is on board today? This week she met a woman who lives aboard permanently and quotes it as her address. This is her sixth weekly column.
'Blue skies smiling on me - nothing but blue skies do I see' except for Maui that is.
The weather was too bad for the tenders to reach the port, high sea swell, rain and wind, so that's a miss then!
We had four days at sea ahead of us before reaching Tahiti, so let me tell you about some of the passengers I have met. There are 1,587 of them, 646 from the USA, 480 from the UK, 134 Australian, 100 Canadian, plus various other countries, down to one person from Turkey.
Thomas Quinones is the social host who calls everyone 'darling' and rattles off facts like machine gun fire. He has worked for Cunard for over 20 years and manages the activities in the public rooms; balls, parties, dances, bingo, auctions etc.
It is his job to host the rich and famous when on board. Prince Phillip has been on board most times - seven in all. The Queen's next visit is scheduled for September 20, for the 40th anniversary of launching of QE2. Thomas' favourite is the Queen Mother who often came aboard - she was easy to look after. He tells the story of her interrupting lunch one day to get to a phone, as she had a horse running in the 3.30 at Ascot!
At the moment we have on board Prince Victor and Princess Irene Romanov who are regular clients. Looking at the passenger list, Lord and Lady Clophill Stedman of Suffolk are also on board.
I talked to Beatrice Muller who quotes her address as QE2. Apparently, her husband died on board in 1999 and begged her not to leave the ship - presumably he wanted her to complete her cruise (they had already done 13 world cruises). She took him literally, sold all her assets and has lived here ever since.
She said: “All my friends - crew and passengers alike are on board. I have everything done for me. There are doctors on board, there is all the entertainment or activity I want and it works out cheaper than a rest home”.
Worth thinking about folks. Maybe I will look into it when I get home!
There are many people travelling alone - not all of them single, and more women than men. Most are like myself, enjoying the experience. Some passengers are looking for a bit more fun and claim it's easy to “hook up” if that's what you want. Most of the single guys tell me they are looking for either a nurse, a purse or both! I suppose it works the other way too!
One couple have done the world cruise 25 times. 'Why?' I ask myself. Others are so blasé about everything - been there, done that, bought all the t-shirts. It's the ship they love so much. They tell me it's safe, sound, solid, they wouldn't travel any other way.
On January 31 at 10.20am we crossed the equator.
“When the ship's whistle blows we will be at 0*N & 0*S,” announced the captain. “Look out of the windows for the thin red line.”
Sure enough when the whistle blew, some people got up to look out - I can't believe they did that!
The ceremony of crossing the line dates back to the 14th Century. Initiation was dangerous. 'Pollywogs' (those who hadn't crossed before) were coated with bilge oil then dangled over the side of the ship held by the ankles. Today Pollywogs are doused with mango juice, spaghetti, baked beans and sausages. I was one of them. Having first kissed a fish and bowed to King Neptune, I jumped into the swimming pool. The things I do - it was good fun though and I received a “crossing the line” certificate and am now qualified as a “shellback”.
The next port of call was Papeete on the island of Tahiti which is part of French Polynesia where people speak French, Tahitian and Pidgin (mine = blang mifela, yours = blong yufela and we = yu mi tu fela).
Along with four others I hired a mini van for a tour of the island visiting a black volcanic sandy beach with warm clear water and many multicoloured fish, on to the Arahoho Blowholes - a cliff edge where the sea water is forced under the rocks and then comes out of holes either as spray or as in my case a huge wind which nearly blew me away.
We passed thousands of tall swaying palms, lush vegetation because the atmosphere is so humid. The flowers and plants put my M&S pot plants at home in Ipswich to shame.
Captains Bligh and Cook visited the island and there are restaurants and monuments to them both. Two films of Mutiny On The Bounty were made here, Robert Louis Stephenson was also here. I wonder if this was his Treasure Island?
In the evening the crew hosted a big barbecue party on the funnel deck. Terrific food and free drinks. There were Tahitian dancers in splendid costumes and did they wiggle their hips - wow! The men wore very skimpy costumes and their dancing reminded me of the New Zealand Haka. They were very skilled, agile and quite aggressive to say nothing of being suggestive.
The next day we anchored off Moorea - another island of Tahiti. My friend Gay and I had a mission to find a beach. “Maybe round the next corner,” we kept saying, as we slowly melted in the hot, humid atmosphere. We finally found paradise.
Soft, silver sand, tall swaying palm trees, a back drop of high volcanic mountains covered in lush vegetation and shallow, blue warm water again with multicoloured fish which swam up to and around me with curiosity. It was heavenly. There was a dolphinarium where we watched them playing and performing, a sting ray area and even a rehab centre for turtles.
The third “Mutiny On The Bounty” was filmed here with Mel Gibson in 1984.
Tonga and Fiji next.
N
Do you enjoy Mavis's column? Write to Star Letters, The Evening Star, 30 Lower Brook Street, Ipswich, IP4 1AN or e-mail eveningstarletters@eveningstar.co.uk.
Cruises cater to cerebral crowd
I followed a crowd of retirees, most in expensive resortwear, to the stern of the Queen Mary 2. They weren't going to bingo, dancing classes, the casino or a hairy-chest contest by a swimming pool.
They were attending school, and not just any school -- the prestigious Oxford University, which had put together a series of courses just for them. Topics included shipwrecks off the coast of St. Kitts, entomology, creative writing, political science and Coco Chanel's impact on fashion. The classes were a huge hit and were packed every day of the 11-day cruise. Who knew cruisers wanted to contemplate more than a cold margarita and a slot machine?
Of course, the QM2 passengers are a cerebral crowd compared with say, Carnival ships, where hairy chests reign, but more passengers are wanting to expand their minds, as well as their waistlines, on cruises.
Cruise lines are responding with on-board learning programs from language studies to art and theatre that includes Shakespeare. London's Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts gave a wonderful performance of The Importance of Being Earnest on the QM2.
Depending on the cruise line, passengers can study French with a Berlitz instructor or discover undersea wonders with oceanographer Jean-Michel Cousteau. Even Carnival Cruise Lines now has marine biologists and wildlife specialists on its Alaska voyages.
"Guests who choose to learn on a cruise are seeking an entertaining educational experience," said Terry Dale, president of Cruise Line International Association (www. cruising.org).
"Guests give consistently high scores to the cruise lines' innovative enrichment programs."
Here are just a few of the floating educational programs on ships:
American Cruise Lines has "enlighteners" -- naturalists, historians and academics who give informal lectures, open discussions and workshops about local history, nature and culture. They also lead sightseeing excursions, providing guests with insights and behind-the-scenes visits.
Carnival Cruise Lines' Carnival Spirit has marine biologists and wildlife specialists on-board its Alaska cruises to describe the passing scenery and animal life. The third annual Mind/Body cruise on Carnival Glory in December featured comprehensive nutrition, fitness and wellness workshops by leading experts.
Regent Seven Seas Cruises has a "Circles of Interest" program including on-board lectures, workshops and shore excursions with themes including art, design, history, archeology and literature. Jean-Michel Cousteau and his Ocean Futures Society colleagues share their broad knowledge about the sea.
Costa Cruises has scheduled a Holistic Holiday at Sea cruise in March aboard the Costa Magica. The Caribbean itinerary will feature noted practitioners and authors who will present workshops about vegan and macrobiotic cooking and meditation.
Crystal Cruises has a broad spectrum of lecturers for its well-educated and discerning passengers. As part of its Creative Learning Institute, Crystal offers wellness seminars conducted by The Cleveland Clinic and The Tai Chi Cultural Center, Berlitz language immersion, Yamaha keyboard instruction, and destination specific lecturers from the Smithsonian Institution.
Holland America Line presents the Explorations Speaker Series and demonstrations and classes presented by chefs in co-operation with Food and Wine magazine.
Norwegian Coastal Voyages features an expedition team of esteemed lecturers on all sailings to Antarctica under the direction of Tomas Holik, who first visited Antarctica in 1991 as a researcher at the Polish base. He is joined by Dr. John Chardine of the Canadian Wildlife Service, and explorer Alan Parker, among others.
They were attending school, and not just any school -- the prestigious Oxford University, which had put together a series of courses just for them. Topics included shipwrecks off the coast of St. Kitts, entomology, creative writing, political science and Coco Chanel's impact on fashion. The classes were a huge hit and were packed every day of the 11-day cruise. Who knew cruisers wanted to contemplate more than a cold margarita and a slot machine?
Of course, the QM2 passengers are a cerebral crowd compared with say, Carnival ships, where hairy chests reign, but more passengers are wanting to expand their minds, as well as their waistlines, on cruises.
Cruise lines are responding with on-board learning programs from language studies to art and theatre that includes Shakespeare. London's Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts gave a wonderful performance of The Importance of Being Earnest on the QM2.
Depending on the cruise line, passengers can study French with a Berlitz instructor or discover undersea wonders with oceanographer Jean-Michel Cousteau. Even Carnival Cruise Lines now has marine biologists and wildlife specialists on its Alaska voyages.
"Guests who choose to learn on a cruise are seeking an entertaining educational experience," said Terry Dale, president of Cruise Line International Association (www. cruising.org).
"Guests give consistently high scores to the cruise lines' innovative enrichment programs."
Here are just a few of the floating educational programs on ships:
American Cruise Lines has "enlighteners" -- naturalists, historians and academics who give informal lectures, open discussions and workshops about local history, nature and culture. They also lead sightseeing excursions, providing guests with insights and behind-the-scenes visits.
Carnival Cruise Lines' Carnival Spirit has marine biologists and wildlife specialists on-board its Alaska cruises to describe the passing scenery and animal life. The third annual Mind/Body cruise on Carnival Glory in December featured comprehensive nutrition, fitness and wellness workshops by leading experts.
Regent Seven Seas Cruises has a "Circles of Interest" program including on-board lectures, workshops and shore excursions with themes including art, design, history, archeology and literature. Jean-Michel Cousteau and his Ocean Futures Society colleagues share their broad knowledge about the sea.
Costa Cruises has scheduled a Holistic Holiday at Sea cruise in March aboard the Costa Magica. The Caribbean itinerary will feature noted practitioners and authors who will present workshops about vegan and macrobiotic cooking and meditation.
Crystal Cruises has a broad spectrum of lecturers for its well-educated and discerning passengers. As part of its Creative Learning Institute, Crystal offers wellness seminars conducted by The Cleveland Clinic and The Tai Chi Cultural Center, Berlitz language immersion, Yamaha keyboard instruction, and destination specific lecturers from the Smithsonian Institution.
Holland America Line presents the Explorations Speaker Series and demonstrations and classes presented by chefs in co-operation with Food and Wine magazine.
Norwegian Coastal Voyages features an expedition team of esteemed lecturers on all sailings to Antarctica under the direction of Tomas Holik, who first visited Antarctica in 1991 as a researcher at the Polish base. He is joined by Dr. John Chardine of the Canadian Wildlife Service, and explorer Alan Parker, among others.
February 5, 2007
Queen Mary 2 narrowly clears Golden Gate bridge
This story appeared in USATODAY (click on title link) and telsl how difficult it was for the QM2 to get into San Francisco
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — The mammoth Queen Mary 2 cruise liner passed beneath the Golden Gate bridge Sunday, clearing the bottom of the span by 27 feet before the vessel began a nail-bitingly tight trip of San Francisco Bay before docking safely at Pier 27.
The ship was surrounded by scores of sailboats and other sea craft as it crept slowly past hundreds of gawkers on the shore. The vessel pirouetted in the bay and dropped anchor, waiting for the right tide that would allow the 1,131-foot long craft to dock at 8 p.m. at Pier 27, near Telegraph Hill.
The visit is one of the riskiest passages in modern maritime history — and a chance for 2,592 passengers to glimpse the underside of the Golden Gate Bridge before spending the night in San Francisco. It's also a pit stop for the 1,250-person crew to pick up 150 tons of food.
The hulking QM2 is the largest vessel to ever enter San Francisco Bay, said Cindy Adams, a spokeswoman for Cunard Line. It will have traveled 14,145 miles from Fort Lauderdale, around South America's Cape Horn when it docks Sunday night. It will continue Monday to Honolulu, then to the South Pacific, Australia, Asia, Egypt and Europe before returning to Florida April 2.
The vessel displaces 151,000 tons. It's 134.5 feet wide and 1,131 feet long — as long as some skyscrapers are tall.
But here's the rub: The dredged-out San Francisco waterfront is so shallow and muddy in places that the ship's navigational margin for error is less than 70 feet.
San Francisco Bay is home to treacherous currents and tides, which whorl around Alcatraz and churn beneath its iconic, rust-colored bridge. Big container ships only enter and exit the bay during high tide. Some tankers can't dock here; they move upriver on the flood tide to Solano and Contra Costa counties.
Luckily, the docking went off without a hitch. "Everything was smooth sailing, and the tide and weather cooperated," said Adams.
Pier 27 juts into the water like a finger, perpendicular to tidal flow. Docking broadside to a current adds more complexity; a tug boat will be ready in case QM2 needs an emergency tow.
Docking the ship is the challenge of a lifetime for Capt. Tom Miller, 49, a San Francisco bar pilot. Such pilots assume navigational control of a ship from the sea entrance to the harbor to the berth.
"It's a big deal," said Miller, a graduate of the California Maritime Academy in Vallejo, who started his career as a tugboat skipper. "This is a big, heavy ship, but she is a good ship and maneuvers well. She has all the latest technology."
Miller will board the boat from a pilot vessel in the Pacific Ocean, just outside the Golden Gate.
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — The mammoth Queen Mary 2 cruise liner passed beneath the Golden Gate bridge Sunday, clearing the bottom of the span by 27 feet before the vessel began a nail-bitingly tight trip of San Francisco Bay before docking safely at Pier 27.
The ship was surrounded by scores of sailboats and other sea craft as it crept slowly past hundreds of gawkers on the shore. The vessel pirouetted in the bay and dropped anchor, waiting for the right tide that would allow the 1,131-foot long craft to dock at 8 p.m. at Pier 27, near Telegraph Hill.
The visit is one of the riskiest passages in modern maritime history — and a chance for 2,592 passengers to glimpse the underside of the Golden Gate Bridge before spending the night in San Francisco. It's also a pit stop for the 1,250-person crew to pick up 150 tons of food.
The hulking QM2 is the largest vessel to ever enter San Francisco Bay, said Cindy Adams, a spokeswoman for Cunard Line. It will have traveled 14,145 miles from Fort Lauderdale, around South America's Cape Horn when it docks Sunday night. It will continue Monday to Honolulu, then to the South Pacific, Australia, Asia, Egypt and Europe before returning to Florida April 2.
The vessel displaces 151,000 tons. It's 134.5 feet wide and 1,131 feet long — as long as some skyscrapers are tall.
But here's the rub: The dredged-out San Francisco waterfront is so shallow and muddy in places that the ship's navigational margin for error is less than 70 feet.
San Francisco Bay is home to treacherous currents and tides, which whorl around Alcatraz and churn beneath its iconic, rust-colored bridge. Big container ships only enter and exit the bay during high tide. Some tankers can't dock here; they move upriver on the flood tide to Solano and Contra Costa counties.
Luckily, the docking went off without a hitch. "Everything was smooth sailing, and the tide and weather cooperated," said Adams.
Pier 27 juts into the water like a finger, perpendicular to tidal flow. Docking broadside to a current adds more complexity; a tug boat will be ready in case QM2 needs an emergency tow.
Docking the ship is the challenge of a lifetime for Capt. Tom Miller, 49, a San Francisco bar pilot. Such pilots assume navigational control of a ship from the sea entrance to the harbor to the berth.
"It's a big deal," said Miller, a graduate of the California Maritime Academy in Vallejo, who started his career as a tugboat skipper. "This is a big, heavy ship, but she is a good ship and maneuvers well. She has all the latest technology."
Miller will board the boat from a pilot vessel in the Pacific Ocean, just outside the Golden Gate.
Queen Mary 2: An In-Depth History
This article was posted on CBS and can be seen by clicking the link on the headline. The original article has some video of the QM2 arriving in San Francisco..
(Wikipedia) The RMS Queen Mary 2 (QM2) is a Cunard Line ocean liner named after the earlier Cunard liner Queen Mary, which was in turn named after Mary of Teck. At the time of her construction in 2003, the QM2 was the longest, widest and tallest passenger ship ever built, and at 148,528 gross tons, was also the largest. She lost that last distinction to Royal Caribbean International's 154,407 gross ton Freedom of the Seas in April 2006, but QM2 remains the largest ocean liner (as opposed to cruise ship) ever built, and her height, length, and waterline breadth are unsurpassed by any other passenger ship. QM2's luxuries include 15 restaurants and bars, five swimming pools, a casino, a ballroom, a theatre, and a planetarium.
Characteristics
The Queen Mary 2 is the current Cunard flagship and makes regular transatlantic crossings. The ship was constructed to complement the RMS Queen Elizabeth 2 (QE2) — the Cunard flagship from 1969 to 2004 - replacing it on the transatlantic route. The first RMS Queen Mary sailed the Atlantic from 1936 to 1967.
The prefix "RMS" on the QM2 originally stood for "Royal Mail Steamer", but now stands for "Royal Mail Ship". The QM2 is not a steamship like her predecessors, but is powered by gas turbines and diesel engines that produce the power to drive her four electric podded propulsors. Also like her predecessors, she is a transatlantic ocean liner, as opposed to a cruise ship, though she is used for cruising purposes from time to time.
History
The vision of a 21st century ocean liner — bigger than any that had gone before — started as the brainchild of Carnival CEO Micky Arison, who has stated that his company bought Cunard to create Queen Mary 2, not vice versa.
Cunard completed a design for a new class of 84,000-ton, 2,000-passenger liners on June 8, 1998, but immediately revised them upon comparing those specifications with Carnival Cruise Lines' 100,000-ton Destiny-class cruise ships and Royal Caribbean's 137,200-ton Voyager of the Seas.
Six months later, on December 10, Cunard released details of "Project Queen Mary", the project to develop a liner that would complement Queen Elizabeth 2. Harland and Wolff of Northern Ireland, Aker Kværner of Norway, Fincantieri of Italy, Meyer Werft of Germany, and Chantiers de l'Atlantique of France were invited to bid on the project. If construction began immediately, the liner could be in service by 2002. But it was not until 6 November 2000 that a contract was signed with Chantiers de l'Atlantique, a subsidiary of Alstom. This was the same yard that built Cunard's one-time rivals, the SS Normandie and SS France of the Compagnie Générale Transatlantique.
Her keel was laid down on July 4, 2002, in Saint-Nazaire, France. Approximately 3,000 craftsmen spent some 8 million working hours on the ship, and a total of 20,000 people were directly or indirectly involved in her design, construction, and fitting out. In total, 300,000 pieces of steel were assembled into 94 "blocks" off of the drydock, which were then stacked and welded together to complete the hull and superstructure. She is so much larger than those that Chantiers normally build that the shipyard treated her as "1.6 ships."
The QM2 was floated on March 21, 2003. Her sea trials were conducted between September 25-29 and November 7-11, 2003,[3] between Saint-Nazaire and the off-shore islands of Ile d'Yeu and Belle-Ile. The final stages of construction were marred by a fatal accident on November 15, 2003, when a gangway collapsed under a group of shipyard workers and their relatives who had been invited to visit the vessel. About 30 people on the gangway fell over 15 m (50 ft); 22 were injured and 16, including a child, were killed.
Construction was completed on schedule. Due to the size of the ship, the luxury of materials, and the fact that, due to her nature as an ocean liner, she required 40% more steel than a standard cruise ship, the final cost ended up being approximately $300,000 US per berth - nearly double that of ships such as Voyager of the Seas, Grand Princess, or Carnival Conquest.
Cunard took delivery in Southampton, England on December 26, 2003. On January 8, 2004, the liner was named Queen Mary 2 by her namesake's granddaughter, Queen Elizabeth II.
Service History
On January 12, 2004, the Queen Mary 2 set sail on her maiden voyage from Southampton, England to Fort Lauderdale, Florida in the United States, carrying 2,620 passengers under tight security due to terrorist threats.
During the XXVIII Olympics the QM2 sailed to Athens and docked at Piraeus for two weeks for use as a hotel-ship, serving British Prime Minister Tony Blair and his wife Cherie, French President Jacques Chirac, former US president George H. W. Bush, and the US Olympic men's basketball team.
On July 4, 2004, the QM2 sailed into Newport, Rhode Island USA, for Independence Day, where it was docked near the Claiborne Pell Newport Bridge.
One 2005 transatlantic crossing saw the QM2 carrying, in a locked steamer trunk, the first US copy of J. K. Rowling's book Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, autographed by the author. In a promotional press release for the event, Cunard said (though without cited verification) that this marked the first time a book had been transported to its international launch aboard an ocean liner.
The QM2. in January 2006, embarked on a circumnavigation of South America. Upon departure from Fort Lauderdale one of her propeller pods was damaged when it struck a channel wall, forcing the ship to sail at a slower speed, which resulted in Commodore Warwick's decision to skip several calls on its voyage to Rio de Janeiro. Many of her passengers threatened to stage a sit-in protest because of the missed calls, before Cunard offered to refund the voyage costs. The QM2 continued to run on reduced speed, and several itinerary changes were necessary until repairs had been completed after the ship returned to Europe in June, where the QM2 paid a visit to dry dock, and the damaged propeller pod was unseated. In November the QM2 was dry-docked once more at the Blohm + Voss yard in Hamburg for the reinstallation of the repaired propeller pod. At the same time, sprinkler systems were installed in all of the vessel's balconies to comply with new safety regulations which had come into effect since the MV Star Princess fire. Additionally, both bridge wings were extended by 2 metres to improve visibility.
After completing the journey around South America, on February 23, 2006, the QM2 met her namesake, the original RMS Queen Mary, which is permanently docked at Long Beach, California. Escorted by a flotilla of smaller ships, the two Queens exchanged a "whistle salute" which was heard throughout the city of Long Beach.
Famous passengers and/or guests of the QM2 include Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, British Prime Minister Tony Blair, jazz musician Dave Brubeck, former US president George Bush, French President Jacques Chirac, comedian and actor John Cleese, actor Richard Dreyfuss, author and editor Harold Evans, director George Lucas, singer Carly Simon, singer Rod Stewart, CBS Evening News anchor Katie Couric, and financier Donald Trump.
On January 10, 2007, the QM2 started her first world cruise, circling the globe in 81 days. February 20 will see her meet her fleet-mate, the Queen Elizabeth 2, also on her 2007 world cruise, in Sydney harbour. This will be the first time two Cunard Queens have been together in Sydney since the original Queen Mary and Queen Elizabeth served as troop ships in 1941.
A running mate is currently planned, to be known as the MS Queen Victoria and entering service in 2007.
Design: Exterior
The Queen Mary 2's principal architect was Carnival's house designer, Stephen Payne, a self-admitted ocean liner aficionado. While the primary reference point for the vessel's design was undoubtedly that of her running mate Queen Elizabeth 2, her exterior lines also show hints of other vessels. She resembles her predecessor Queen Mary in the curved forward bridge screen, the tower-like ends of which rise to the bridge wings. The forward whaleback is reminiscent of many CGT liners, particularly the Normandie and the France. The two slender after-stacks are a further direct reference to the France.
In common with liners such as SS Rotterdam there is a continuous wrap-around promenade deck on Deck 7. The promenade passes behind the bridge screen and allows passengers to completely circumnavigate the deck while protected from the strong winds generated by the ship at full speed. The flanking promenades are created by the need to step the superstructure in, to allow for space for lifeboats. By SOLAS standards the lifeboats should have been lower on the ship's hull, but for the sake of the QM2's appearance as well as to avoid the danger of large North Atlantic waves damaging the boats in a storm, Payne convinced SOLAS officials to exempt the QM2 from this requirement.
One aspect of the QM2 that has been criticised is the counter of her stern. Payne's intent was to make the ship's stern profile similar to that of the QE2, with a spoon shape, but the mounting of the propeller pods required a flat transom. The compromise was a Constanzi stern – a combination of a more traditional cruiser stern with a contemporary box-like transom stern. The design of the stern has ironically been criticized from two diametrically opposed perspectives by liner buffs. Some feel that nothing but a traditional cruiser stern would be suitable for a true ocean liner, whereas others feel that his choice of stern represents a purely visual conceit that detracts from the quintessentially functional nature of a liner. In fact, Payne has specifically said that he would not resort to adding any non-functional elements to the QM2's design purely to make her appear more "liner-like". It can indeed be argued that the stern satisfies a mixture of functional and aesthetic requirements: A Constanzi stern provides the transom required for azimuthal pod propulsors, yet provides better seaholding characteristics in a following swell than a standard transom stern. The stern design, too, has been seen by some as a homage to earlier (especially Italian-built) liners such as the SS Eugenio C. and the SS Oceanic.
The vessel as completed does exhibit one other subtle element of what some consider to be visual fakery: Three thick black lines that wrap around either edge of her bridge screen. The purpose of these seem to be to recall quite effectively the appearance of the crossovers of the forward decks on the original Queen Mary.
In common with many modern ships, both passenger and cargo, QM2 has a bulbous bow to reduce drag and thereby increase speed, range, and fuel efficiency.
The somewhat squat appearance of the smokestack reflects a fairly late alteration to the vessel's design. Originally the funnel's proportions would approximately have matched those of the stack fitted to the Queen Elizabeth 2 after that vessel's re-engining. However, the original design would not allow the QM2 to fit under the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge in New York City. (Even as eventually built, the QM2's shortened smokestack has barely 3m (9.75ft) clearance under that bridge.) This makes the QM2 the second major British liner to have her design adapted in order to fit under a bridge at her primary foreign port of call: The top section of the radar mast on the SS Canberra could cantilever astern in order to fit under the Sydney Harbour Bridge.
As the QM2 is too large to dock in most ports, passengers are ferried to and from the ship in specially-built tenders. While at sea, these are stored in davits alongside the lifeboats. To transport passengers to shore, the tenders will pull up to one of four loading stations, named Kensington, Chelsea, Knightsbridge and Belgravia, which each have a large hull door that hydraulically opens outwards to form a boarding platform, complete with railings and decking.
Interior
Contrary to the traditional practice on ocean liners, the main public rooms of the Queen Mary 2 are on the lowest public decks of the ship, with the passenger cabins stacked above. This allowed for larger rooms to be contained within the stronger hull, as well as for more passenger cabins to have private balconies - something highly demanded by ocean passengers in the late 20th and early 21st centuries. Payne attempted to create a central axis to the two main public room decks (similar in fashion to the Normandie), but a full vista is broken by various public rooms that span the width of the ship. The dining rooms were placed further aft, though not directly at the stern, as done on some cruise ships like Royal Caribbean's Voyager of the Seas, where vibration from the propellers at full speed would cause discomfort to dining passengers.
Deck 2, the lowest passenger deck, contains the Illuminations theatre and planetarium, Royal Court Theatre, Grand Lobby, Empire Casino, Golden Lion Pub, and lower level of the Britannia Restaurant. Deck 3 holds the upper levels of Illuminations, the Royal Court and Britannia, as well as a shopping arcade, Veuve Cliquot champagne bar, the Chart Room, Sir Samuel's wine bar, the Queen's Room, and the G32 Nightclub. The other main public deck is Deck 7, on which are the Canyon Ranch Spa, Winter Garden, King's Court (a buffet dining area by day which is transformed into four themed restaurants in the evening), the Queen's Grill Lounge, and the Queen's Grill and Princess Grill restaurants for higher-fare passengers. The public rooms on Deck 8 include the à la carte Todd English Restaurant, the largest library at sea (the record was previously held by QE2), a book shop and part of the Canyon Ranch Spa. Also on Deck 8 is a large outdoor pool and terrace at the stern.
It has been argued that the separation of passengers into different restaurants based on the price of the cabin they booked (the Britannia as "standard" for regular cabins, the Princess Grill as "middle" for those in junior suites, and the Queen's Grill as "superior" for deluxe suite occupants) makes the QM2 a ship divided into three classes, despite the fact that all other public rooms are used by all passengers equally. Though this situation is similar on the QE2, it is further enhanced on the QM2 by the fact that "Grill Passengers" (those dining in the Princess Grill or Queen's Grill) also have a private outdoor deck with its own whirlpool on Deck 11.
As the QM2 was the first single-class ocean liner built since the immigrant ships of the early part of the 20th century (unlike her fleet-mate the Queen Elizabeth 2, which was originally built for three classes, and in her early years operated partly as a single-class cruise ship and partly as a "classed" liner), the QM2 could afford to have a clearer arrangement of staircases and passages that does not have to allow for doors and partitions being closed off when the ship is in a "classed" transatlantic mode.
However, due to the arrangement of the public rooms, there are some "kinks" in the design. For instance, as the Britannia Restaurant takes up the full width of the ship on two decks, a 'tween deck, called Deck 3L, was devised to allow passengers to walk from the Grand Lobby to the Queen's Room without traversing the dining room mid-meal. The deck consists of two corridors that run beneath the upper balcony of the Britannia on Deck 3, and above the main dining area on Deck 2. This is why the balcony of the Britannia has tiers that step up towards the hull. This arrangement is illustrated on the hull where there is a stack of three rows of windows in the area where the main restaurant sits - the two upper and lower rows illuminate the dining room, while the centre row serves Deck 3L. There is a similar arrangement through the Royal Court Theatre. As well, the passages that run on either side of Illuminations on Deck 3 ramp upwards to compensate for the change in deck elevation between the entrance to Illuminations and an elevator bank forward of the room.
More than 5000 specially-commissioned works of art are visible in the QM2's public rooms, corridors, staterooms and lobbies, having been created by 128 artists from 16 different countries. Two very notable pieces are Barbara Broekman's two-storey-high tapestry in the Britannia Restaurant - an abstract depiction of an ocean liner, bridge, and New York skyline - and John McKenna's sheet bronze relief mural in the Grand Lobby, inspired by the art deco mural in the main dining room of the original Queen Mary.
Technical: Power plant and propulsion system
The Queen Mary 2's power plant comprises both four 16-cylinder Wärtsilä 16V46C EnviroEngine marine diesel engines generating a combined 67200kW, as well as two General Electric LM2500+ gas turbines which together provide a further 50000kW. Such a combined arrangement, known as CODAG (Combined Diesel And Gas turbine), provides for economical cruising at low speed combined with an ability to sustain much higher speeds when required, and has been common in naval vessels for some time. While QM2 is the first passenger ship to feature CODAG propulsion, she is not the first large passenger vessel to be powered by gas turbines as is sometimes mistakenly reported. That honour falls to the Finnish ferry Finnjet of 1977.
Thrust is provided by four Rolls-Royce Mermaid podded propulsion units, each featuring one forward-facing low-vibration Kamewa propeller with separately bolted blades. (QM2 carries 8 spare blades on the foredeck, immediately forward of the bridge screen.) The forward pair is fixed, but the aft pair can rotate through 360°, obviating the need for a rudder. The QM2 is the first quadruple screw passenger ship completed since the SS France in 1961.
As in most modern cruise ships, QM2's propulsion machinery is electrically decoupled from her propeller shafts and her propulsion arrangement can therefore be more accurately be described as "CODAG-electric" (by analogy with turbo-electric and diesel-electric). The diesel engines and gas turbines drive electrical generators, which provide the power to drive four 21500kW Alstom electrical motors located inside the podded propulsors (and thus entirely outside the vessel's hull).
In a further break with tradition, QM2's gas turbines are not housed along with her diesels in the engine room deep in her hull, but instead reside in a thoroughly soundproofed enclosure directly underneath the funnel. This arrangement allowed the vessel's designers to supply the oxygen-hungry turbines with air intakes without having to run air ducts the entire height of the ship, which would have wasted valuable interior space.
(Wikipedia) The RMS Queen Mary 2 (QM2) is a Cunard Line ocean liner named after the earlier Cunard liner Queen Mary, which was in turn named after Mary of Teck. At the time of her construction in 2003, the QM2 was the longest, widest and tallest passenger ship ever built, and at 148,528 gross tons, was also the largest. She lost that last distinction to Royal Caribbean International's 154,407 gross ton Freedom of the Seas in April 2006, but QM2 remains the largest ocean liner (as opposed to cruise ship) ever built, and her height, length, and waterline breadth are unsurpassed by any other passenger ship. QM2's luxuries include 15 restaurants and bars, five swimming pools, a casino, a ballroom, a theatre, and a planetarium.
Characteristics
The Queen Mary 2 is the current Cunard flagship and makes regular transatlantic crossings. The ship was constructed to complement the RMS Queen Elizabeth 2 (QE2) — the Cunard flagship from 1969 to 2004 - replacing it on the transatlantic route. The first RMS Queen Mary sailed the Atlantic from 1936 to 1967.
The prefix "RMS" on the QM2 originally stood for "Royal Mail Steamer", but now stands for "Royal Mail Ship". The QM2 is not a steamship like her predecessors, but is powered by gas turbines and diesel engines that produce the power to drive her four electric podded propulsors. Also like her predecessors, she is a transatlantic ocean liner, as opposed to a cruise ship, though she is used for cruising purposes from time to time.
History
The vision of a 21st century ocean liner — bigger than any that had gone before — started as the brainchild of Carnival CEO Micky Arison, who has stated that his company bought Cunard to create Queen Mary 2, not vice versa.
Cunard completed a design for a new class of 84,000-ton, 2,000-passenger liners on June 8, 1998, but immediately revised them upon comparing those specifications with Carnival Cruise Lines' 100,000-ton Destiny-class cruise ships and Royal Caribbean's 137,200-ton Voyager of the Seas.
Six months later, on December 10, Cunard released details of "Project Queen Mary", the project to develop a liner that would complement Queen Elizabeth 2. Harland and Wolff of Northern Ireland, Aker Kværner of Norway, Fincantieri of Italy, Meyer Werft of Germany, and Chantiers de l'Atlantique of France were invited to bid on the project. If construction began immediately, the liner could be in service by 2002. But it was not until 6 November 2000 that a contract was signed with Chantiers de l'Atlantique, a subsidiary of Alstom. This was the same yard that built Cunard's one-time rivals, the SS Normandie and SS France of the Compagnie Générale Transatlantique.
Her keel was laid down on July 4, 2002, in Saint-Nazaire, France. Approximately 3,000 craftsmen spent some 8 million working hours on the ship, and a total of 20,000 people were directly or indirectly involved in her design, construction, and fitting out. In total, 300,000 pieces of steel were assembled into 94 "blocks" off of the drydock, which were then stacked and welded together to complete the hull and superstructure. She is so much larger than those that Chantiers normally build that the shipyard treated her as "1.6 ships."
The QM2 was floated on March 21, 2003. Her sea trials were conducted between September 25-29 and November 7-11, 2003,[3] between Saint-Nazaire and the off-shore islands of Ile d'Yeu and Belle-Ile. The final stages of construction were marred by a fatal accident on November 15, 2003, when a gangway collapsed under a group of shipyard workers and their relatives who had been invited to visit the vessel. About 30 people on the gangway fell over 15 m (50 ft); 22 were injured and 16, including a child, were killed.
Construction was completed on schedule. Due to the size of the ship, the luxury of materials, and the fact that, due to her nature as an ocean liner, she required 40% more steel than a standard cruise ship, the final cost ended up being approximately $300,000 US per berth - nearly double that of ships such as Voyager of the Seas, Grand Princess, or Carnival Conquest.
Cunard took delivery in Southampton, England on December 26, 2003. On January 8, 2004, the liner was named Queen Mary 2 by her namesake's granddaughter, Queen Elizabeth II.
Service History
On January 12, 2004, the Queen Mary 2 set sail on her maiden voyage from Southampton, England to Fort Lauderdale, Florida in the United States, carrying 2,620 passengers under tight security due to terrorist threats.
During the XXVIII Olympics the QM2 sailed to Athens and docked at Piraeus for two weeks for use as a hotel-ship, serving British Prime Minister Tony Blair and his wife Cherie, French President Jacques Chirac, former US president George H. W. Bush, and the US Olympic men's basketball team.
On July 4, 2004, the QM2 sailed into Newport, Rhode Island USA, for Independence Day, where it was docked near the Claiborne Pell Newport Bridge.
One 2005 transatlantic crossing saw the QM2 carrying, in a locked steamer trunk, the first US copy of J. K. Rowling's book Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, autographed by the author. In a promotional press release for the event, Cunard said (though without cited verification) that this marked the first time a book had been transported to its international launch aboard an ocean liner.
The QM2. in January 2006, embarked on a circumnavigation of South America. Upon departure from Fort Lauderdale one of her propeller pods was damaged when it struck a channel wall, forcing the ship to sail at a slower speed, which resulted in Commodore Warwick's decision to skip several calls on its voyage to Rio de Janeiro. Many of her passengers threatened to stage a sit-in protest because of the missed calls, before Cunard offered to refund the voyage costs. The QM2 continued to run on reduced speed, and several itinerary changes were necessary until repairs had been completed after the ship returned to Europe in June, where the QM2 paid a visit to dry dock, and the damaged propeller pod was unseated. In November the QM2 was dry-docked once more at the Blohm + Voss yard in Hamburg for the reinstallation of the repaired propeller pod. At the same time, sprinkler systems were installed in all of the vessel's balconies to comply with new safety regulations which had come into effect since the MV Star Princess fire. Additionally, both bridge wings were extended by 2 metres to improve visibility.
After completing the journey around South America, on February 23, 2006, the QM2 met her namesake, the original RMS Queen Mary, which is permanently docked at Long Beach, California. Escorted by a flotilla of smaller ships, the two Queens exchanged a "whistle salute" which was heard throughout the city of Long Beach.
Famous passengers and/or guests of the QM2 include Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, British Prime Minister Tony Blair, jazz musician Dave Brubeck, former US president George Bush, French President Jacques Chirac, comedian and actor John Cleese, actor Richard Dreyfuss, author and editor Harold Evans, director George Lucas, singer Carly Simon, singer Rod Stewart, CBS Evening News anchor Katie Couric, and financier Donald Trump.
On January 10, 2007, the QM2 started her first world cruise, circling the globe in 81 days. February 20 will see her meet her fleet-mate, the Queen Elizabeth 2, also on her 2007 world cruise, in Sydney harbour. This will be the first time two Cunard Queens have been together in Sydney since the original Queen Mary and Queen Elizabeth served as troop ships in 1941.
A running mate is currently planned, to be known as the MS Queen Victoria and entering service in 2007.
Design: Exterior
The Queen Mary 2's principal architect was Carnival's house designer, Stephen Payne, a self-admitted ocean liner aficionado. While the primary reference point for the vessel's design was undoubtedly that of her running mate Queen Elizabeth 2, her exterior lines also show hints of other vessels. She resembles her predecessor Queen Mary in the curved forward bridge screen, the tower-like ends of which rise to the bridge wings. The forward whaleback is reminiscent of many CGT liners, particularly the Normandie and the France. The two slender after-stacks are a further direct reference to the France.
In common with liners such as SS Rotterdam there is a continuous wrap-around promenade deck on Deck 7. The promenade passes behind the bridge screen and allows passengers to completely circumnavigate the deck while protected from the strong winds generated by the ship at full speed. The flanking promenades are created by the need to step the superstructure in, to allow for space for lifeboats. By SOLAS standards the lifeboats should have been lower on the ship's hull, but for the sake of the QM2's appearance as well as to avoid the danger of large North Atlantic waves damaging the boats in a storm, Payne convinced SOLAS officials to exempt the QM2 from this requirement.
One aspect of the QM2 that has been criticised is the counter of her stern. Payne's intent was to make the ship's stern profile similar to that of the QE2, with a spoon shape, but the mounting of the propeller pods required a flat transom. The compromise was a Constanzi stern – a combination of a more traditional cruiser stern with a contemporary box-like transom stern. The design of the stern has ironically been criticized from two diametrically opposed perspectives by liner buffs. Some feel that nothing but a traditional cruiser stern would be suitable for a true ocean liner, whereas others feel that his choice of stern represents a purely visual conceit that detracts from the quintessentially functional nature of a liner. In fact, Payne has specifically said that he would not resort to adding any non-functional elements to the QM2's design purely to make her appear more "liner-like". It can indeed be argued that the stern satisfies a mixture of functional and aesthetic requirements: A Constanzi stern provides the transom required for azimuthal pod propulsors, yet provides better seaholding characteristics in a following swell than a standard transom stern. The stern design, too, has been seen by some as a homage to earlier (especially Italian-built) liners such as the SS Eugenio C. and the SS Oceanic.
The vessel as completed does exhibit one other subtle element of what some consider to be visual fakery: Three thick black lines that wrap around either edge of her bridge screen. The purpose of these seem to be to recall quite effectively the appearance of the crossovers of the forward decks on the original Queen Mary.
In common with many modern ships, both passenger and cargo, QM2 has a bulbous bow to reduce drag and thereby increase speed, range, and fuel efficiency.
The somewhat squat appearance of the smokestack reflects a fairly late alteration to the vessel's design. Originally the funnel's proportions would approximately have matched those of the stack fitted to the Queen Elizabeth 2 after that vessel's re-engining. However, the original design would not allow the QM2 to fit under the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge in New York City. (Even as eventually built, the QM2's shortened smokestack has barely 3m (9.75ft) clearance under that bridge.) This makes the QM2 the second major British liner to have her design adapted in order to fit under a bridge at her primary foreign port of call: The top section of the radar mast on the SS Canberra could cantilever astern in order to fit under the Sydney Harbour Bridge.
As the QM2 is too large to dock in most ports, passengers are ferried to and from the ship in specially-built tenders. While at sea, these are stored in davits alongside the lifeboats. To transport passengers to shore, the tenders will pull up to one of four loading stations, named Kensington, Chelsea, Knightsbridge and Belgravia, which each have a large hull door that hydraulically opens outwards to form a boarding platform, complete with railings and decking.
Interior
Contrary to the traditional practice on ocean liners, the main public rooms of the Queen Mary 2 are on the lowest public decks of the ship, with the passenger cabins stacked above. This allowed for larger rooms to be contained within the stronger hull, as well as for more passenger cabins to have private balconies - something highly demanded by ocean passengers in the late 20th and early 21st centuries. Payne attempted to create a central axis to the two main public room decks (similar in fashion to the Normandie), but a full vista is broken by various public rooms that span the width of the ship. The dining rooms were placed further aft, though not directly at the stern, as done on some cruise ships like Royal Caribbean's Voyager of the Seas, where vibration from the propellers at full speed would cause discomfort to dining passengers.
Deck 2, the lowest passenger deck, contains the Illuminations theatre and planetarium, Royal Court Theatre, Grand Lobby, Empire Casino, Golden Lion Pub, and lower level of the Britannia Restaurant. Deck 3 holds the upper levels of Illuminations, the Royal Court and Britannia, as well as a shopping arcade, Veuve Cliquot champagne bar, the Chart Room, Sir Samuel's wine bar, the Queen's Room, and the G32 Nightclub. The other main public deck is Deck 7, on which are the Canyon Ranch Spa, Winter Garden, King's Court (a buffet dining area by day which is transformed into four themed restaurants in the evening), the Queen's Grill Lounge, and the Queen's Grill and Princess Grill restaurants for higher-fare passengers. The public rooms on Deck 8 include the à la carte Todd English Restaurant, the largest library at sea (the record was previously held by QE2), a book shop and part of the Canyon Ranch Spa. Also on Deck 8 is a large outdoor pool and terrace at the stern.
It has been argued that the separation of passengers into different restaurants based on the price of the cabin they booked (the Britannia as "standard" for regular cabins, the Princess Grill as "middle" for those in junior suites, and the Queen's Grill as "superior" for deluxe suite occupants) makes the QM2 a ship divided into three classes, despite the fact that all other public rooms are used by all passengers equally. Though this situation is similar on the QE2, it is further enhanced on the QM2 by the fact that "Grill Passengers" (those dining in the Princess Grill or Queen's Grill) also have a private outdoor deck with its own whirlpool on Deck 11.
As the QM2 was the first single-class ocean liner built since the immigrant ships of the early part of the 20th century (unlike her fleet-mate the Queen Elizabeth 2, which was originally built for three classes, and in her early years operated partly as a single-class cruise ship and partly as a "classed" liner), the QM2 could afford to have a clearer arrangement of staircases and passages that does not have to allow for doors and partitions being closed off when the ship is in a "classed" transatlantic mode.
However, due to the arrangement of the public rooms, there are some "kinks" in the design. For instance, as the Britannia Restaurant takes up the full width of the ship on two decks, a 'tween deck, called Deck 3L, was devised to allow passengers to walk from the Grand Lobby to the Queen's Room without traversing the dining room mid-meal. The deck consists of two corridors that run beneath the upper balcony of the Britannia on Deck 3, and above the main dining area on Deck 2. This is why the balcony of the Britannia has tiers that step up towards the hull. This arrangement is illustrated on the hull where there is a stack of three rows of windows in the area where the main restaurant sits - the two upper and lower rows illuminate the dining room, while the centre row serves Deck 3L. There is a similar arrangement through the Royal Court Theatre. As well, the passages that run on either side of Illuminations on Deck 3 ramp upwards to compensate for the change in deck elevation between the entrance to Illuminations and an elevator bank forward of the room.
More than 5000 specially-commissioned works of art are visible in the QM2's public rooms, corridors, staterooms and lobbies, having been created by 128 artists from 16 different countries. Two very notable pieces are Barbara Broekman's two-storey-high tapestry in the Britannia Restaurant - an abstract depiction of an ocean liner, bridge, and New York skyline - and John McKenna's sheet bronze relief mural in the Grand Lobby, inspired by the art deco mural in the main dining room of the original Queen Mary.
Technical: Power plant and propulsion system
The Queen Mary 2's power plant comprises both four 16-cylinder Wärtsilä 16V46C EnviroEngine marine diesel engines generating a combined 67200kW, as well as two General Electric LM2500+ gas turbines which together provide a further 50000kW. Such a combined arrangement, known as CODAG (Combined Diesel And Gas turbine), provides for economical cruising at low speed combined with an ability to sustain much higher speeds when required, and has been common in naval vessels for some time. While QM2 is the first passenger ship to feature CODAG propulsion, she is not the first large passenger vessel to be powered by gas turbines as is sometimes mistakenly reported. That honour falls to the Finnish ferry Finnjet of 1977.
Thrust is provided by four Rolls-Royce Mermaid podded propulsion units, each featuring one forward-facing low-vibration Kamewa propeller with separately bolted blades. (QM2 carries 8 spare blades on the foredeck, immediately forward of the bridge screen.) The forward pair is fixed, but the aft pair can rotate through 360°, obviating the need for a rudder. The QM2 is the first quadruple screw passenger ship completed since the SS France in 1961.
As in most modern cruise ships, QM2's propulsion machinery is electrically decoupled from her propeller shafts and her propulsion arrangement can therefore be more accurately be described as "CODAG-electric" (by analogy with turbo-electric and diesel-electric). The diesel engines and gas turbines drive electrical generators, which provide the power to drive four 21500kW Alstom electrical motors located inside the podded propulsors (and thus entirely outside the vessel's hull).
In a further break with tradition, QM2's gas turbines are not housed along with her diesels in the engine room deep in her hull, but instead reside in a thoroughly soundproofed enclosure directly underneath the funnel. This arrangement allowed the vessel's designers to supply the oxygen-hungry turbines with air intakes without having to run air ducts the entire height of the ship, which would have wasted valuable interior space.
February 4, 2007
Queen Mary 2 Set To Dock In S.F. On Sunday
http://cbs5.com/local/local_story_033215453.html
(CBS 5) SAN FRANCISCO Margaret Dolan enjoys her crossword puzzle, on a hazy San Francisco day. She sat next to the water on Friday, and has never been on a cruise.
"Do I get pampered?," Dolan asked. "Then sign me up!"
And would she get pampered on the Queen Mary 2, set to make its first visit ever to San Francisco on Sunday.
It's billed as the largest and grandest ocean liner ever built, and towers 200 feet above water, as tall as a 23-story building.
From the looks, everything is grand.
The Balmoral Suite at 2,250 square feet, is the most luxurious accommodation on board. Your fantasy can come true if you can pay the price. $185,000 for an 81-day, around the world voyage.
On Friday, a crew is hosing down the deck on the SS Jerimiah O'Brien. With surprising speed, all 856 tickets sold, for a short cruise out the gate, to greet the Queen Mary 2 when it arrives Sunday afternoon.
As the two ships get close to each other, guests on the O'Brien will fill their glasses with champagne.
"The captain will make an announcement at the right time, probably blow the whistle and we'll toast the ship," said Phil O'Mara, shipkeeper of the SS Jerimiah O' Brien.
Maneuvering a ship that size will be a first here in the bay, and it will take several hours before the Queen Mary 2 actually docks.
So the host, the Port of San Francisco says locals will get a good long look between 3:30 and 8 P.M., while the liner moves into position, before dropping anchor at Pier 27.
But the city does gain more than gawking from the visit.
"Based on our data, this ship should generate a little over $1.2 million, in direct purchases of goods and services," said Gerry Roybal of the Port of San Francisco.
So for Margaret Dolan, how does the Queen Mary 2 sound?
"I don't think I could afford it quite frankly (laughs,) I think it'd be fun," Dolan said.
(CBS 5) SAN FRANCISCO Margaret Dolan enjoys her crossword puzzle, on a hazy San Francisco day. She sat next to the water on Friday, and has never been on a cruise.
"Do I get pampered?," Dolan asked. "Then sign me up!"
And would she get pampered on the Queen Mary 2, set to make its first visit ever to San Francisco on Sunday.
It's billed as the largest and grandest ocean liner ever built, and towers 200 feet above water, as tall as a 23-story building.
From the looks, everything is grand.
The Balmoral Suite at 2,250 square feet, is the most luxurious accommodation on board. Your fantasy can come true if you can pay the price. $185,000 for an 81-day, around the world voyage.
On Friday, a crew is hosing down the deck on the SS Jerimiah O'Brien. With surprising speed, all 856 tickets sold, for a short cruise out the gate, to greet the Queen Mary 2 when it arrives Sunday afternoon.
As the two ships get close to each other, guests on the O'Brien will fill their glasses with champagne.
"The captain will make an announcement at the right time, probably blow the whistle and we'll toast the ship," said Phil O'Mara, shipkeeper of the SS Jerimiah O' Brien.
Maneuvering a ship that size will be a first here in the bay, and it will take several hours before the Queen Mary 2 actually docks.
So the host, the Port of San Francisco says locals will get a good long look between 3:30 and 8 P.M., while the liner moves into position, before dropping anchor at Pier 27.
But the city does gain more than gawking from the visit.
"Based on our data, this ship should generate a little over $1.2 million, in direct purchases of goods and services," said Gerry Roybal of the Port of San Francisco.
So for Margaret Dolan, how does the Queen Mary 2 sound?
"I don't think I could afford it quite frankly (laughs,) I think it'd be fun," Dolan said.
ABOARD THE QUEEN MARY 2 : Modern marvel with old-fashioned class
http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/02/03/BAGNMNU9CH13.DTL
Christopher Rynd, who has spent 37 years at sea, is at the top of his career. He is a tall man with thinning hair, a small beard and the lean look of a greyhound.
Christopher Rynd, who has spent 37 years at sea, is at the top of his career. He is a tall man with thinning hair, a small beard and the lean look of a greyhound.
He is the master of the Queen Mary 2, a ship he calls "quite the most magnificent ship in the world for style and elegance."
The Queen Mary 2, bound north on the Mexican Coast on Friday and heading for San Francisco on an 81-day around-the-world cruise, is part ocean liner and part living museum. Almost every passenger deck on this 1,131-foot-long ship has a display of ocean liners of the past, as if this huge new vessel, which is 3 years old and 151,000 tons, is an heir to a tradition.
Rynd seems to feel that himself, as he talks about how the Queen Mary 2 is an ocean liner, not a cruise ship.
"See that bow up forward?" he said Friday, looking down from the navigating bridge. "It was built for the North Atlantic for storms and heavy seas.
"This ship," Rynd said, "has to have speed and power to keep a schedule on the Atlantic."
It makes several trips a year from New York to Southampton and spends the rest of the time cruising.
The Queen Mary 2, Rynd said, has a thicker hull and is heavier than comparable ships built only for cruising in warm waters. This, he says, gives the ship a certain style that other new ships lack.
One can see it in the passenger list -- older men and women who like to dress for dinner and who patronize an 8,000-volume ship board library -- and appreciate it when the bands play older tunes.
But if the aura is a bit of another age, the Queen Mary 2 is also one of the most modern ships afloat. For one thing, the navigation bridge is a marvel of electronic displays that shows the ship's heading and speed, of course, plus instant information on every part of the vessel, from the engine room and crew areas to all 14 passenger decks.
"If something goes wrong," Rynd said, "we can see it immediately and take steps to fix it."
The ship's steering wheel is smaller than the steering wheel of a go-kart, and there is also a kind of joystick arrangement that lets officers move the propellers, mounted on pods that are similar to outboard engines on motor boats.
There is no rudder.
"When we go into a harbor, like the Cayman Islands where it is too deep to anchor, we can hold the ship automatically, using the engines to keep her within a few feet," Rynd said.
This is a device called automatic positioning, he said.
The ship has a combination of gas turbine and diesel electric engines that give the Queen Mary 2 a service speed of 25 knots. The vessel averaged 27 knots Friday morning, sailing up the deep blue Pacific off Puerto Vallarta.
It pitched very gently on the long swell, just enough to remind passengers that it is a ship at sea, but not enough to make them uncomfortable. The Sausalito ferry rolls more than this ship.
Rynd is a native of New Zealand. He first went to sea as a cadet on cargo ships. His first passenger ship was the old P&O liner Oronsay. He also had command of cruise ships including the Princess Cruises vessel Diamond Princess, which, at 115,000 tons, held the record for the largest passenger ship to visit San Francisco until the Queen Mary 2.
Rynd is looking forward to arrival in San Francisco on Sunday afternoon at about 3. "We have been planning this for some time," he said. "It should be a magnificent arrival. We have been in touch with the Golden Gate Bridge, and they will sound their foghorn as we go under the bridge.
"And we will sound our main whistle, which should echo off the bridge," he said.
The ship's whistle, mounted on the main funnel, first sounded in 1936 on the original liner, Queen Mary, now retired as a hotel in Long Beach.
QM2's San Francisco itinerary
Sunday, Feb. 4:
The Queen Mary 2 sails under the Golden Gate Bridge at 3 p.m.
Depending on conditions, it will take a long turn around Alcatraz, sail under the Bay Bridge or anchor off Treasure Island.
At 8 p.m., it will be docked at Pier 27.
Monday, Feb. 5:
Local dignitaries will have a tour and lunch aboard the ship.
The Queen Mary 2 sets sail at 5 p.m. for Hawaii.
Best viewing sites:
1 Fort Point
2 Crissy Field
3 The Marina Green
4 Fort Mason
5 Aquatic Park
6 Treasure Island
7 Fort Baker in Sausalito
For the ship's arrival and departure, just about any public area with a vantage of the Golden Gate, including the bridge itself and its vista points on either end.
During its one-day stay, the ship will be docked at Pier 27. Good vantage points include Coit Tower on Telegraph Hill and along the Embarcadero between Broadway and Bay streets, as well as nearby piers.
February 3, 2007
Travelers round the globe on luxury cruises
This story is from USA Today, to read the original story on their site click on the blog header.
By Gene Sloan, USA TODAY
ABOARD THE QUEEN MARY 2 — Barbara Blinn never had the time for exotic travel during her working years, tied down as she was running an all-consuming hotel business. But now she's making up for it. Big time.
Over the next three months, she'll travel everywhere from Rio de Janiero to Honolulu to Sydney to Dubai.
"My kids can't believe I'm doing this," says the 68-year-old divorcee from Hampton, N.H., laughing over a plate of roast duck in the Queen Mary 2's elegant Queens Grill dining room. "But they said to me, 'Do it, Mom, spend the money.' "
What Blinn is doing, along with two friends from New Hampshire, both widows — the Golden Girls, their tablemates have dubbed them — is going all the way around the world on the ship. She's one of nearly 500 of the 2,328 passengers on this much-ballyhooed ocean liner, which set sail Jan. 10 from Fort Lauderdale on its first global circumnavigation, who have signed up for the entire 81-day voyage — in some cases paying $100,000 or more to do it.
PHOTOS: Around the world on the Queen Mary 2
It's just the latest sign of the boom in around-the-world cruising. Over the past decade, the number of vacationers who book months-long, globe-circling voyages has ballooned into the thousands each year, prompting a growing number of lines to offer them. Just last month, luxury line Silversea launched its first world cruise, following rivals Regent Seven Seas and Crystal Cruises, which launched around-the-world cruises in 2001 and 1996, respectively. Cunard, meanwhile, in a rare move, is sending both of its ships around the world this year. (The Queen Elizabeth 2 departed Fort Lauderdale the same day as the Queen Mary 2 on a different route.)
WHERE TO BOOK: Find your dream trip
Like Blinn, many of the people booking the trips are from the latest wave of retirees, including the leading edge of the baby boomers. The generation has more money to spend than any before it and an expectation for global adventures in retirement that would have been unthinkable half a century ago. Nearly everyone on this voyage (roughly 80 days in a nod to Jules Verne) is over 50, and the average age is in the 60s.
"These are people who have what they need materially, and now they're going out and looking for really unique lifetime experiences," says Carol Marlow, president of Cunard, which pioneered around-the-world voyages in 1922 and along with Holland America has long dominated the niche. "They're looking for authenticity."
And a unique experience this is. After departing Fort Lauderdale, the QM2 — the largest passenger ship to make an around-the-world trip — steamed for the east coast of South America, stopping in Brazil and Uruguay before "rounding the Horn" into the Pacific. Over the next two months it'll cross the ocean to New Zealand and Australia before heading to China, India, the Middle East and through the Suez Canal into Europe. Then it's back to Fort Lauderdale.
Like other around-the-world cruises, the trip is almost incomparable to the fast-paced, port-a-day Caribbean voyages that are the bread-and-butter of the industry.
"You have to like days on end at sea," concedes retired lawyer and world-cruise regular Timothy Arnold, 52, of England as the ship speeds along just off St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands. The Queen doesn't even bother to stop at the port or others in the Caribbean — old hat for the been-there-done-that cruise veterans on board.
For many of the older passengers, the voyage is a way to see the most far-flung parts of the world without the risks — and hassles — of land travel.
"I wanted the experience of visiting these places, but I didn't want to be too far away from real medical support," says retiree Donald Maud, 82, of Cornwall, Pa., who recently had heart bypass surgery.
Lounging in the bridge observation room, Maud says he likes knowing that he has a modern, medically equipped home-away-from-home to return to after each day in port, even if he experiences only a small slice of each country the ship visits.
Other passengers couldn't care less about seeing the sights. "To me, the ports are totally irrelevant," says Cornelis van de Graaff, 71, of Toronto, kicking back in a stylish ship-top lounge, the Commodore Club. "It's just fun to be on a ship."
The retired filmmaker and his partner, Terry, are on their fourth around-the-world cruise in seven years, and they've already booked another one for next winter. For them, the three-month voyages are little more than an escape from the cold back home, an alternative to traveling to a winter home.
"What do I like best about it? The total absence of responsibility," says van de Graaff, glancing out the window at the sea. "At home when I drop a towel on the floor after a shower, it's still there at the end of the day. Here it disappears."
Some wealthy retirees even see the endless cruises, which start around $20,000, as an alternative to a retirement home. Van de Graaff chuckles when he recalls the man on Holland America's Rotterdam who was on his 50th voyage. He basically lived on ships as a form of assisted living. Indeed, some world cruise passengers even book second cabins — at $40,000 or more — just to store their clothes.
"When you think about it, it's a way the very elderly can continue to live an active lifestyle instead of going to a retirement home," Graaff says. "They cook all your meals, clean your cabin. You have everything you need on board."
As a vacation measured in months instead of days, a world cruise definitely has a slower pace. As the ship steams south to Rio de Janeiro, many passengers spend days doing little more than lounging topside with a book or pampering themselves in the ship's luxurious Canyon Ranch spa. Others keep busy attending the many onboard lectures and classes. The QM2, built for long ocean crossings, is larded with rooms for such activities.
Still, such daytime diversions are just a prelude to the elegant evenings, an endless series of nostalgia-tinged formal balls, receptions and four-course dinners. At times, it seems the trip is just one long party with the world as a backdrop.
"They'll stay until the band stops playing," says assistant cruise director Amanda Reid, gazing across the crowded dance floor on one of the first formal nights. The room is a blur of sequined gowns and tuxedos — a scene that evokes the grand ocean crossings of the early 20th century. The dancers include 10 indefatigable "gentlemen dance hosts" who partner with the nearly 200 single women on board.
It's a cosmopolitan crowd. Though the majority of the 2,328 passengers are American (39%) and British (31%), more than 30 other nationalities are represented — a sign that the financial boom of the past decade truly has been global.
Even though most passengers are retired, there are exceptions, such as software company founders Pamela and Chris Doggett of Philadelphia, one of the youngest couples on board at ages 35 and 37.
"It's such a better way to see the world than hopping on and off airplanes," says Pamela, for whom the voyage was a lifelong dream.
"Pam made me promise her when we were married that we'd do this before she hit 35, and we just made it," says her husband.
They had better watch out. Van de Graaff, the four-time world cruiser, says once you get hooked on a long cruise, it's hard to go back.
"I can't remember when I last took a one-week cruise," he says, heading off to find his partner, who's somewhere taking a painting class.
"All that aggravation at the airport for a week? It's just too much effort."
E-mail gsloan@usatoday.com
By Gene Sloan, USA TODAY
ABOARD THE QUEEN MARY 2 — Barbara Blinn never had the time for exotic travel during her working years, tied down as she was running an all-consuming hotel business. But now she's making up for it. Big time.
Over the next three months, she'll travel everywhere from Rio de Janiero to Honolulu to Sydney to Dubai.
"My kids can't believe I'm doing this," says the 68-year-old divorcee from Hampton, N.H., laughing over a plate of roast duck in the Queen Mary 2's elegant Queens Grill dining room. "But they said to me, 'Do it, Mom, spend the money.' "
What Blinn is doing, along with two friends from New Hampshire, both widows — the Golden Girls, their tablemates have dubbed them — is going all the way around the world on the ship. She's one of nearly 500 of the 2,328 passengers on this much-ballyhooed ocean liner, which set sail Jan. 10 from Fort Lauderdale on its first global circumnavigation, who have signed up for the entire 81-day voyage — in some cases paying $100,000 or more to do it.
PHOTOS: Around the world on the Queen Mary 2
It's just the latest sign of the boom in around-the-world cruising. Over the past decade, the number of vacationers who book months-long, globe-circling voyages has ballooned into the thousands each year, prompting a growing number of lines to offer them. Just last month, luxury line Silversea launched its first world cruise, following rivals Regent Seven Seas and Crystal Cruises, which launched around-the-world cruises in 2001 and 1996, respectively. Cunard, meanwhile, in a rare move, is sending both of its ships around the world this year. (The Queen Elizabeth 2 departed Fort Lauderdale the same day as the Queen Mary 2 on a different route.)
WHERE TO BOOK: Find your dream trip
Like Blinn, many of the people booking the trips are from the latest wave of retirees, including the leading edge of the baby boomers. The generation has more money to spend than any before it and an expectation for global adventures in retirement that would have been unthinkable half a century ago. Nearly everyone on this voyage (roughly 80 days in a nod to Jules Verne) is over 50, and the average age is in the 60s.
"These are people who have what they need materially, and now they're going out and looking for really unique lifetime experiences," says Carol Marlow, president of Cunard, which pioneered around-the-world voyages in 1922 and along with Holland America has long dominated the niche. "They're looking for authenticity."
And a unique experience this is. After departing Fort Lauderdale, the QM2 — the largest passenger ship to make an around-the-world trip — steamed for the east coast of South America, stopping in Brazil and Uruguay before "rounding the Horn" into the Pacific. Over the next two months it'll cross the ocean to New Zealand and Australia before heading to China, India, the Middle East and through the Suez Canal into Europe. Then it's back to Fort Lauderdale.
Like other around-the-world cruises, the trip is almost incomparable to the fast-paced, port-a-day Caribbean voyages that are the bread-and-butter of the industry.
"You have to like days on end at sea," concedes retired lawyer and world-cruise regular Timothy Arnold, 52, of England as the ship speeds along just off St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands. The Queen doesn't even bother to stop at the port or others in the Caribbean — old hat for the been-there-done-that cruise veterans on board.
For many of the older passengers, the voyage is a way to see the most far-flung parts of the world without the risks — and hassles — of land travel.
"I wanted the experience of visiting these places, but I didn't want to be too far away from real medical support," says retiree Donald Maud, 82, of Cornwall, Pa., who recently had heart bypass surgery.
Lounging in the bridge observation room, Maud says he likes knowing that he has a modern, medically equipped home-away-from-home to return to after each day in port, even if he experiences only a small slice of each country the ship visits.
Other passengers couldn't care less about seeing the sights. "To me, the ports are totally irrelevant," says Cornelis van de Graaff, 71, of Toronto, kicking back in a stylish ship-top lounge, the Commodore Club. "It's just fun to be on a ship."
The retired filmmaker and his partner, Terry, are on their fourth around-the-world cruise in seven years, and they've already booked another one for next winter. For them, the three-month voyages are little more than an escape from the cold back home, an alternative to traveling to a winter home.
"What do I like best about it? The total absence of responsibility," says van de Graaff, glancing out the window at the sea. "At home when I drop a towel on the floor after a shower, it's still there at the end of the day. Here it disappears."
Some wealthy retirees even see the endless cruises, which start around $20,000, as an alternative to a retirement home. Van de Graaff chuckles when he recalls the man on Holland America's Rotterdam who was on his 50th voyage. He basically lived on ships as a form of assisted living. Indeed, some world cruise passengers even book second cabins — at $40,000 or more — just to store their clothes.
"When you think about it, it's a way the very elderly can continue to live an active lifestyle instead of going to a retirement home," Graaff says. "They cook all your meals, clean your cabin. You have everything you need on board."
As a vacation measured in months instead of days, a world cruise definitely has a slower pace. As the ship steams south to Rio de Janeiro, many passengers spend days doing little more than lounging topside with a book or pampering themselves in the ship's luxurious Canyon Ranch spa. Others keep busy attending the many onboard lectures and classes. The QM2, built for long ocean crossings, is larded with rooms for such activities.
Still, such daytime diversions are just a prelude to the elegant evenings, an endless series of nostalgia-tinged formal balls, receptions and four-course dinners. At times, it seems the trip is just one long party with the world as a backdrop.
"They'll stay until the band stops playing," says assistant cruise director Amanda Reid, gazing across the crowded dance floor on one of the first formal nights. The room is a blur of sequined gowns and tuxedos — a scene that evokes the grand ocean crossings of the early 20th century. The dancers include 10 indefatigable "gentlemen dance hosts" who partner with the nearly 200 single women on board.
It's a cosmopolitan crowd. Though the majority of the 2,328 passengers are American (39%) and British (31%), more than 30 other nationalities are represented — a sign that the financial boom of the past decade truly has been global.
Even though most passengers are retired, there are exceptions, such as software company founders Pamela and Chris Doggett of Philadelphia, one of the youngest couples on board at ages 35 and 37.
"It's such a better way to see the world than hopping on and off airplanes," says Pamela, for whom the voyage was a lifelong dream.
"Pam made me promise her when we were married that we'd do this before she hit 35, and we just made it," says her husband.
They had better watch out. Van de Graaff, the four-time world cruiser, says once you get hooked on a long cruise, it's hard to go back.
"I can't remember when I last took a one-week cruise," he says, heading off to find his partner, who's somewhere taking a painting class.
"All that aggravation at the airport for a week? It's just too much effort."
E-mail gsloan@usatoday.com
QM2 To Pass Under Golden Gate Sunday
Feb. 2 - KGO - While a lot of people will be glued to their TV Sunday afternoon for the Super Bowl, a super-sized ship will make its way into San Francisco.
The luxury Queen Mary 2 is one of the longest, tallest, and widest passenger ships ever built. It'll pass under the Golden Gate around 3:00 p.m. Sunday, coming in from Acapulco -- its last stop in a round-the-world cruise.
The QM2 is as tall as a 21-story building, and longer than the Eiffel Tower is tall. It can carry 2,600 passengers.
The ship will leave port Monday afternoon when it sets out for Australia and Hong Kong.
The luxury Queen Mary 2 is one of the longest, tallest, and widest passenger ships ever built. It'll pass under the Golden Gate around 3:00 p.m. Sunday, coming in from Acapulco -- its last stop in a round-the-world cruise.
The QM2 is as tall as a 21-story building, and longer than the Eiffel Tower is tall. It can carry 2,600 passengers.
The ship will leave port Monday afternoon when it sets out for Australia and Hong Kong.
February 1, 2007
Settlement for L.B., QSDI OK'd: Holder of QM lease to pay $4.9M in rent dispute deal.
LOS ANGELES - A bankruptcy judge on Tuesday approved a $4.9-million settlement between the city of Long Beach and the company that operates the Queen Mary.
The settlement, tentatively reached in November, put an end to a long-running rent dispute between the city and Queen's Seaport Development Inc.
The city owns the historic ship, while QSDI - which declared Chapter 11 bankruptcy last year - leases it.
QSDI agreed to pay the city $4.9 million in an effort to resolve its legal disputes before the lease is sold. Under the terms of the settlement, the city could also receive proceeds from the sale, as long as QSDI's other creditors are paid off first.
U.S. Bankruptcy Court Judge Vincent Zurzolo gave final approval to the settlement Tuesday, saying it met all the legal requirements and was in the best interest of the estate.
"It's a very good day," said Howard Ehrenberg, QSDI's bankruptcy trustee and the lead negotiator of the settlement.
- Wendy Thomas Russell
The settlement, tentatively reached in November, put an end to a long-running rent dispute between the city and Queen's Seaport Development Inc.
The city owns the historic ship, while QSDI - which declared Chapter 11 bankruptcy last year - leases it.
QSDI agreed to pay the city $4.9 million in an effort to resolve its legal disputes before the lease is sold. Under the terms of the settlement, the city could also receive proceeds from the sale, as long as QSDI's other creditors are paid off first.
U.S. Bankruptcy Court Judge Vincent Zurzolo gave final approval to the settlement Tuesday, saying it met all the legal requirements and was in the best interest of the estate.
"It's a very good day," said Howard Ehrenberg, QSDI's bankruptcy trustee and the lead negotiator of the settlement.
- Wendy Thomas Russell
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