The World's only Transatlantic Ocean Liner Gets a $130 million Reno.
What does $130 million of retrofitting an ocean liner look like? Well, it's a million hours of work, around the clock, for 25 days. 10 football fields of new carpet. 4000 new framed pictures. And 3900 gallons of paint – just on the hull!
Diane Bondareff/AP Images for Cunard
This flagship of the British luxury cruise line Cunard set sail in 2004. The Queen Mary 2 was built in homage to the venerable British ocean liner the Queen Mary, which launched in 1936. The original Queen Mary's Art Deco-era design inspired her contemporary counterpart.
And the Queen Mary 2's remastering, with new contemporary interior designs and guest experiences, still evokes that era. Every detail, from the carpets to the curtains, recalls the iconic vessel that became a symbol of British elegance of the Golden Age of Ocean travel.
Diane Bondareff/AP Images for Cunard
New Specialty Restaurant and More Kennels on the Only Pet-Friendly Cruise Ship
The remastering features:
- Redesign of key public spaces and restaurants, including the transformation of the former Winter Garden into the Carinthia Lounge, the introduction of The Verandah as the ship’s new specialty restaurant, and the complete refresh and restructuring of the Kings Court, the ship’s popular buffet area
- 10 additional kennels in the world’s only transatlantic kennel service, adding an owner’s lounge, new pet playground, and a larger outdoor area with an historic English lamppost and American fire hydrant so canines from both sides of the pond will feel at home
- Redesign and refurbishment of the Queens Grill and Princess Grill suites and restaurants, as well as Britannia staterooms
- The addition of 30 further Britannia Club staterooms, 15 Britannia single staterooms and five Britannia inside staterooms
- And as befitting the flagship of the Cunard fleet, a complete repaint of the ship exterior and significant technical enhancements and structural changes
Steve Dunlop Steve@SteveDunlop.com
'Downton Abbey at Sea'
The updated Queen Mary 2 honors the Art Deco era of the first Queen Mary, as well as the cruise line's uniquely British style and service standards. All staff graduate from the line's own White Star Service Academy, from personal butlers to dog walkers. Seven of the Cunard Line's Commodores have been knighted. The Queen Mary 2 boasts the world's finest wine cellar at sea with a unique collection of nearly 500 fine wines and ports dating back to 1840. Think of it as 'Downton Abbey at Sea'.
The line's history dates back over 175 years to its launch as a passenger shipping line that became – and the Queen Mary 2 remains – the gold standard of the Transatlantic Crossing from Southampton (for London passengers) to New York and the New World. Today's passengers join a who's who of generations of politicians, royalty, and movie stars, in continuing a tradition of a very British experience of glamour, sophistication and luxury at sea.
Her remastering entrenches the Queen Mary 2 as an icon of cruise experience, and she continues to capture the imagination of those who experience her classic ocean liner voyages. Pack your dinner jacket and polish your sparkling conversation!
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