Cunard Line’s Queen Mary 2:
A Luxury Ocean Liner for the 21st Century

unard’s Queen Mary 2 is the defining luxury ocean liner for the 21st century in every possible aspect. Having entered service in January 2004, she combines over 165 years of tradition with modern innovations hardly dreamed of only a few years ago. As the grandest liner ever built, QM2, as she is affectionately called, carries 2,620 guests in degrees of comfort and style ranging from pampered elegance to almost unimaginable luxury.

What other ship in the history of ocean travel has offered the option of a 9,000-square foot duplex living space with private elevators, butlers and staff? What other ship, since the heyday of the French Line a half century or more ago, has offered the creative genius of one of the world’s best-known chefs and a bar devoted to the finest Champagne? Or the intellectual stimulation of one of the world’s top universities and the excitement of Britain’s most famous theatre school? And a planetarium with virtual reality rides through the galaxies, not to mention the exquisite pleasures of America’s best-known spa?

Since 1840, when Cunard Line introduced the first regularly scheduled transatlantic liner service, the company has launched nearly 180 ships. Queen Mary 2 joins the illustrious company of Cunard’s Laconia, the first ship to offer a world cruise; Servia, the first to be lit by electricity; Mauretania, which held the Blue Riband for speed for 22 years, and, of course, the legendary Queen Elizabeth and her hugely popular successor, QE2, and the original Queen Mary. Queen Mary 2 continues Cunard's transatlantic heritage as the only ocean liner offering regularly scheduled transatlantic voyages between New York and Southampton.

With this incomparable pedigree, it is no wonder that QM2 is graced with grand spaces, including the largest ballroom at sea, domed salons, sweeping staircases and majestic promenades, or that there is one attentive staff member to serve every two passengers.

Yet the ship is as daringly modern as it is appreciative of tradition, particularly in its functionality. Taking advantage of the very latest in technology and engineering, QM2 offers possibly the smoothest ride of any ship, with noise and vibration levels minimal even at her extraordinary speed. She is so versatile that she can dock with ease without the use of tugboats.

QM2’s 14 passenger decks are packed with comforts, luxuries and a dazzling variety of things to do, entertainment to be enjoyed, luxury boutiques to shop in and places to eat in exceptional style. Staterooms include five duplex apartments – each with its own exercise area, balcony, marble bathrooms, private library and other impressive features – which can be combined together to form a grand, 9,000-square foot suite unrivalled by any other ship afloat. There are also four Forward Suites, which also can be combined to create a 4,000-square foot living space – 75 junior suites and a choice of stateroom configurations and sizes.

All suites feature high fidelity televisions and entertainment systems, walk-in closets, selected spirits, wines and soft drinks, plush terrycloth robes and slippers, personalized stationery, a Bon Voyage bottle of champagne and daily fresh fruit and pre-dinner canapés. All suites and staterooms are equipped with interactive TV with multi-language film and music channels, direct-dial phones, individual thermostat control, hair dryers, full baths with tubs and/or showers and feature nightly turn-down service. Nearly three-quarters of the ship’s accommodations include a spacious, eight-foot balcony.

QM2 also embraces Cunard’s lengthy tradition of serving the finest of shipboard cuisine and carries it significantly further. The “hot” celebrity chef Todd English, has created his own 156-seat shipboard restaurant on the newest Queen featuring his Mediterranean cuisine.

In addition to the two Grills and the elegant Britannia Restaurant, which can effortlessly seat 1,351 passengers, guests on QM2 may choose to dine at a choice of four venues in the innovative Kings Court or, for more casual fare, the Golden Lion Pub and Boardwalk Grill, and, for afternoon tea, the Queens Grill.

Complementing QM2’s restaurants is an inspiring selection of bars and lounges. The Queens Room, with its crystal chandeliers, is the largest ballroom at sea. The Royal Court Theatre hosts musicals and revues worthy of London’s West End and Broadway. The Empire Casino and G32 nightclub offer equally exciting entertainment options. Jazz sets the tone for the Commodore Club, with its wrap-around panorama of ocean and moonlit sky while fine wines are the featured attraction at Sir Samuels. For the ultimate in sophistication and refinement, the Veuve Clicquot Champagne Bar is a must. Fine Waterford Crystal and Wedgwood china add a further element of elegance to the ship’s dining and entertainment experience.

QM2’s offering of activities is as impressive as its options for accommodations, restaurants, bars and lounges. These include:

  • Canyon Ranch SpaClub, QM2’s 20,000-square foot health club, offering a full range of famous Canyon Ranch services, treatments and products. Considered the number one spa company in North America, this shipboard Canyon Ranch, a first for the company, features a thalassotherapy pool, gym, weight room, juice bar, saunas and whirlpools and services ranging from aromatherapy to therapeutic body cocoons.
  • Illuminations, a full-sized, shipboard planetarium offering a variety of constellation shows and virtual reality rides through the heavens, which also serves as the ship’s movie theatre and lecture hall.
  • Oxford Discovery, an ambitious program of educational lectures, discussions, seminars and presentations by some of the world’s best-known scholars, organized by the fêted University of Oxford in England.
  • Workshops, lessons and presentations by the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA), enabling passengers to not only watch the stars of tomorrow in person, but actually study the skills of acting with them.
  • Cunard ConneXions™, a complex of seven classrooms used for enrichment programmes and the latest cyber-era equipment.
  • The Mayfair Shops, an on-board collection of fine boutiques and famous brand names, including Hermes, Chopard, Dunhill and Harrod’s.

Cunard has an illustrious history of hosting royalty, society luminaries and famed entertainers with peerless cachet, and Queen Mary 2 is continuing this rich tradition. In the same way that Rita Hayworth, Cary Grant, Clark Gable, Marlene Dietrich and Bing Crosby traveled Cunard during the golden days of transatlantic travel, a new generation of bold-faced names is discovering the Line’s singular style. Like their prominent predecessors, today’s high-profile celebrities – representing the worlds of entertainment, finance, publishing and politics – are finding that a voyage on Queen Mary 2 is still the ultimate way to travel.

Since Queen Mary 2’s launch in January 2004, she has played host to such notable guests as Barbara Walters, George Lucas, John Cleese, Katie Couric, Rod Stewart, Carly Simon, Donald Trump, and Dame Shirley Bassey, while eminent visitors have included Her Majesty The Queen, His Royal Highness The Duke of Edinburgh, Her Royal Highness Princess Michael of Kent, Former President George Bush, New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Senator Hillary Clinton. Even fictional wizard Harry Potter has made a transatlantic journey aboard Queen Mary 2.

The line’s current crop of celebrity fans choose Cunard for myriad reasons. During the 58th Cannes Film Festival, George Lucas was honored for his film career with the celebrated “Trophy of the Festival” onboard Queen Mary 2 to an audience of hundreds of Cannes attendees.

For more information, please visit: www.cunard.com.

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