Queen Mary 2, braving storm, sets off on maiden Atlantic crossing

Thousands of people watch fireworks displayed over 
British cruise liner the Queen Mary 2 as it leaves 
England for America 12 January 2004 in Southampton. 
AFP/Photo Carl de Souza

Tuesday, January 13, 2004

SOUTHAMPTON, England (AFP): The world's newest and biggest cruise liner, Queen Mary 2, set off Monday on its first transatlantic voyage, braving a nasty North Atlantic winter storm en route to sunny Florida.

The voyage, via the Canary Islands and the Bahamas, will be the first serious test of Queen Mary 2's seaworthiness since it was constructed and launched last year at Saint Nazaire, on the French Atlantic coast.

The black-hulled 1,139-foot flagship of Cunard, the upmarket British unit of US cruise line group Carnival, departed at around 6:30 pm (1830 GMT) for a 14-day journey to Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

It set sail more than an hour late, after it first had to complete the loading of what Cunard spokeswoman Penny Guy called "an unusual amount of luggage".

Once out of the relatively calm waters of the Solent, which separates the Isle of Wight from England's south coast, the Queen Mary 2 was expected to be tested by the storm moving up the English Channel.

Torrential rain and winds of up to 160 kilometers (100 miles) per hour were forecast and the sea was expected to be extremely choppy for the 2,620 passengers and 1,253 crew.

A Cunard spokesman said the ship -- formally named by Queen Elizabeth II at a ceremony in Southampton, its home port, last Thursday -- should take the foul weather in stride.

"She is built to go through the worst Atlantic storms," he said. "If she was a normal cruise ship there may be an impact, but the QM2 is constructed for this."

The early days of the Queen Mary 2 were marked by tragedy -- 15 people were killed and 28 injured in an gangway accident at Saint Nazaire in November during an open day for the families of the workers who built it.

Cunard says the ship, which will replace the Queen Elizabeth 2 on the summer transatlantic run, cost 800 million dollars (625 million euros).

As the ship departed, its passengers could begin to fully enjoy the unrivalled luxury it offers, including 14 bars and restaurants, four swimming pools, a cinema and a theater with over 1,000 seats.

Ticket prices reflect the comfort available and the passenger list is made up of well-off, mainly North American, travellers.

The most expensive Grand Duplex cabins, equivalent to suites in a five-star hotel, cost 22,429 pounds (32,394 euros, 41,525 dollars) per person.

For this price, Cunard provides a private butler to serve the suite's guests, binoculars to observe the horizon and, for a finishing touch, a portraits of Queen Elizabeth linking arms with husband Prince Philip.

For those unable to afford Grand Duplex, the Royal Suite with private balcony or the Balmoral Suite with state-of-the-art entertainment system and gym machine, there is still top class service on offer.

Some cabins are admittedly smaller and some are not fitted with a porthole. But even their occupants can enjoy a game of golf, smoke a cigar in the Churchill bar or relax in one of the many jacuzzis.

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