Long live the Queen

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.