| QM2's reputation as the world's longest, largest, tallest | | | | spells service! |
| and most expensive passenger ship ever built didn't | | | | There are 1310 staterooms and suites (they're not |
| stand long. Launched in 2003, she was eclipsed in | | | | called cabins any more!) and three quarters of these |
| 2006 by the Royal Caribbean International's "Freedom | | | | have private balconies ... no more getting lost in a |
| of the Seas" which has the world's first on-board | | | | labyrinth of undersea cabins for the QM2's |
| surfing pool, called "Flow Rider", a skating rink and a | | | | passengers. |
| rock-climbing wall, and will carry up to 4,375 | | | | Activities Aboard Queen Mary 2 |
| passengers, but only on Caribbean cruises. | | | | And if being bored is sometimes a worry on long |
| However, QM2 isn't just another over-large cruise chip; | | | | ocean voyages, the QM2 has that sorted, too. With |
| she's been designed as an ocean liner and is equipped | | | | five swimming pools, a casino, a ballroom, a theatre |
| to weather the fierce Atlantic Ocean in comfort. Her | | | | and a planetarium, as well as the normal shops, gyms, |
| slender bow will slice through the waves that pound | | | | sports decks, lounges, bars and an 8,000-book library, |
| the blunt bow of other cruise ships and lead to | | | | there's no shortage of things to do. |
| reduced speeds and passenger discomfort. To further | | | | Dining Aboard Queen Mary 2 |
| prepare the ship for her Atlantic endurance runs, the | | | | Then there's the food ... |
| QM2's steel hull is 50 percent thicker than for a ship | | | | Twelve passenger restaurants operate 24 hours a |
| cruising in gentler waters. | | | | day, every day. If you miss dinner (which is always |
| Queen Mary 2 Statistics | | | | available till midnight at one of the restaurants) you can |
| Her statistics are impressive: | | | | visit the nightly buffet that stays open for all the |
| Tonnage: 148,528 gross tons | | | | night-owls. And if you want to dance the night away |
| Displacement: 76,000 tonnes (approx) | | | | or be entertained at one of the night clubs, you can get |
| Length: 345 m (1,132 ft) | | | | an early-bird breakfast from 4 am. (There are also |
| Beam: 41 m (135 ft) waterline, 45 m (147.5 ft) extreme | | | | three restaurants for the crew.) |
| (bridge wings) | | | | Does that sound like a lot of meals? Pity the ship's |
| Draft: 10 m (32 ft 10 in) | | | | chefs who prepare and serve 14,000 meals a day. |
| Height: 72 m (236.2 ft) keel to funnel (includes 17 | | | | These consist of three meals a day, plus afternoon |
| passenger decks) | | | | snacks and a buffet. |
| Power: 117 MW (157,000 horsepower) | | | | On a typical day this will involve 5,000 to 6,000 eggs, |
| Propulsion: Four 21.5 MW electric propulsor pods: 2 | | | | 120 pizzas a day, 700 English scones during afternoon |
| fixed and 2 azimuthing | | | | tea, 9,500 canapes during the captain's cocktail parties. |
| Speed: approximately 30 knots (56 km/h) | | | | Every six days, the chefs use 50 tons of fresh fruit |
| Complement: 2,620 passengers, 1,253 officers and | | | | and vegetables, 8 tons of poultry, 13 tons of fish and |
| crew | | | | other seafood and 20 kilograms of Russian caviar. |
| Cost: UK £460 million (approx EUR700 million, | | | | And if you think the chefs have a tough time, just |
| US $900 million | | | | imagine being on clean-up duty ... 87,000 pieces of |
| She can accommodate between 2,620 and 3,090 | | | | china and glassware are used daily, so the ship has 85 |
| passengers, and with a crew of 1,254, there's a | | | | dishwashers, pot washers and galley cleaners, |
| passenger crew ratio of around 2.1 / 2.5, and that | | | | supervised by two sanitation officers! |