Jan. 13, 2003 – The Queen Mary 2's maiden voyage began Jan. 12 in Southampton, where Queen Elizabeth christened the ship. The first Atlantic crossing takes the ship first to Madeira, Tenerife and Las Palmas in the Canaries, and then on to Barbados and St. Thomas, before arrival at Fort Lauderdale, Fla. on Jan. 26, where there will be five days of inaugural festivities.
Residents will have to wait until Jan. 24 to see the Cunard Line's ship in the St. Thomas outer harbor.
The new Queen will visit St. Thomas again in February and twice in March. In the inaugural season, the Queen Mary 2 will sail 13 crossings between Europe and North America, according to the Cunard Web site.
The Cunard Web site promises: "10 dining venues … The liner also has the only Canyon Ranch SpaClub at sea, the world’s first planetarium at sea, the largest ballroom at sea, the largest library at sea, and the largest wine collection at sea, as well as a Veuve Clicquot champagne bar, a two-story theatre, a casino, five indoor and outdoor swimming pools, hot tubs, boutiques and children’s facilities complete with British nannies."
Passengers can choose among accommodations described as queen, princess, and gracious, suites at $37,000 per person, penthouses, and more. Standard amenities include interactive TV with multi-language film and music channels, data port outlet, refrigerator, hair dryer, bathrobe and slippers, a safe and 110/220-volt outlets.
The ship is said to be the largest, longest (a quarter mile), tallest ship. A crew of 1,300 undoubtedly will offer superlative service to the 2,600 passengers.
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