I have a hankering to take this ship. It reminds
me of the days when we did not have jet lag in
crossing the Atlantic.

Earl

****




Queen names luxury ocean liner

Thursday, January 8, 2004 Posted: 1:27 PM EST (1827 GMT)


SOUTHAMPTON, England (CNN) -- Britain's Queen Elizabeth has named a new $800
million cruise ship, the Queen Mary 2 -- billed by its owner Cunard as the
largest passenger ship of its type ever built.

"I name this ship Queen Mary 2. May God bless her and all who sail in her,"
the British monarch declared in time-honored manner, before a jeroboam of
Veuve Cliquot champagne smashed against the spotlit starboard side of its
black bow.

Ship's horns blew in celebration, and the 2,000 invited guests broke into a
triple chorus of "hip, hip, hurrah!"

The ship is French-built and American-owned but will sail under a British
flag.

Built in France for Cunard, the historic British shipping line now owned by
Carnival Corporation of the United States, the Queen Mary 2 is the first
trans-Atlantic liner to be built in over 30 years.

After the naming, she was being prepared for her 14-day maiden voyage to
Fort Lauderdale in the United States which Cunard say has been fully booked
for weeks.

Thursday's celebrations were partly overshadowed by the deaths of 15 people
in November when a gangway to the QM2 collapsed in the French port of St.
Nazaire, where the ship was built. Most of the dead were ship workers'
relatives invited to visit the vessel, and members of a cleaning crew.

The ship arrived at Southampton, the departure point for the Mayflower and
the Titanic, on December 26. Two women were evacuated from the liner on New
Year's Day after falling and breaking bones during a short cruise off the
south coast of England.

The QM2 will take over the trans-Atlantic duties of the Queen Elizabeth 2
(QE2) ocean liner, which was launched in 1967.

Spectators watch as the Queen Mary 2 arrives at its new home port of
Southampton, England.

Security for Thursday's naming ceremony was tight. Divers examined the
ship's keel for anything suspicious, and police inspected parkland and
buildings near Southampton docks ahead of the royal visit.

The ship is named after the original Queen Mary, a famously luxurious
trans-Atlantic liner that came into service in 1936 and is now retired.

Fares for the fully booked maiden voyage from Southampton to Fort
Lauderdale, starting January 12, begin at 2,449 pounds ($4,408) per person
for 14 nights and rise to 26,839 pounds (U$48,310).

There are 1,310 cabins, including four royal suites and six penthouses. The
standard cabins are 58 square meters (194 square feet), and 955 of the
cabins have balconies.

The QM2 boasts swimming pools, bars and restaurants, as well as an art
gallery, a casino and a cinema that can convert into a planetarium.

The ship is 342 meters (1,138 feet) long and 71 meters (238 feet) high -- as
tall as a 21-story building -- and can accommodate 2,600 passengers.

Though the ship's title as the world's biggest ocean liner is expected to be
short-lived.

Cruise operator Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. recently confirmed an order
with Finland's Kvaerner Masa-Yards for the Ultra Voyager, which will
accommodate 3,600 passengers and be bigger than the QM2. The Ultra Voyager
is expected to enter service in 2006.

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