THE LAUNCH of Cunard’s £550 million flagship Queen
Mary 2 heralds a new era for the UK cruise market, according to senior
vice-president Peter Shanks.
The world’s largest, longest, tallest and most
expensive passenger liner – which today set sail on its first transatlantic
voyage – has “captivated the imagination” of the trade, Shanks claimed.
“There has not been a comparable event in the industry
which has attracted this level of publicity,” he said. “In a market which is
fairly in the doldrums, Queen Mary 2 stands out as a great piece of product.”
The ship – which boasts 1,310 cabins – will sail 13
transatlantic crossings a year and aims to draw its passengers equally from
both the UK and US markets. Facilities include four restaurants, 13 bars and
nightclubs, five swimming pools and a 473-seater planetarium.
Shanks claimed the ship had opened up the cruise
market to new passengers – research shows about 60% of passengers booked to
travel on QM2 are new to the Cunard brand. The target age range of guests is
55-65.
More than 150 travel agents and trade members attended
a special gala dinner on January 6 ahead of the Queen formally naming the ship
on January 8. A further 3,000 agents have visited the ship since it arrived in
Southampton on Boxing Day and Shanks said he aimed for 100-150 agents to visit
the ship during its Southampton ports of call this year. Cabin prices start at
£999.