The New Queen Elizabeth
Video Playing Now: Cruise News HD
Steve gets an exclusive interview with Carol Marlow, President of the Cunard Line, about the new Queen Elizabeth.
March 18th 2009
By Steve Read
BOARDING the new QUEEN ELIZABETH cruise liner will be like stepping back in time, to the golden age of ocean travel.
There will even be a new dress code - optional, thankfully - of striped jackets, baggy flannel trousers and straw boaters.
Cunard's president and managing director Carol Marlow, revealing details of the 2,100-passenger ship, said: "We are looking to evoke the feelings of that most civilised era, the 1930s and 40s, when the original Queen Elizabeth was built."
That means tea dances, jitterbug lessons and big bands in the ballroom, country house-style parties by the pool and a bowling green and croquet lawn on the Games Deck.
The Games Deck
Er, a lawn? Does that mean real grass? "No," said Carol.
The ship, whose maiden voyage will be in October 2010, is costing £365 million. The original, launched in 1938 by Queen Elizabeth - later The Queen Mother - cost a mere £5 millon.
She will feature memorabilia from Cunard's 170-year history, including a couple of items from the QUEEN ELIZABETH 2 which were removed - with permission - before she was sold to become a floating hotel in Dubai.
The 90,400-ton ship will be the second-largest ever built by Cunard, after the 151,000-ton flagship QUEEN MARY 2.
"She will be a sister ship to QUEEN VICTORIA but she will have her own distinct personality," said Carol.
The Midships Bar, commemorating one on the original Queen Elizabeth, is just off the three-storey Grand Lobby and will have a piano - nothing unusual there, except that it is hoped passengers will re-create musical soirees in the style of Ivor Novello.
The Midships Bar
A huge marquetry and mother-of-pearl mural will be at the top of the Grand Lobby's staircase - details of the design will be revealed later, says Carol.
The Yacht Club will have windows three quarters of the way around, overlooking the Pavilion Pool. Its name comes from a bar on the QE2, and the room will be a tribute to that ship.
The Royal Court Theatre will have private boxes, like on the Queen Victoria, and seats 832 passengers. As well as shows, including some by students of RADA, it will serve as a lecture theatre and cinema.
The Royal Court Theatre
The ship will have an extra-cost restaurant, but Carol isn't saying much about it. On the Queen Victoria and Queen Mary 2 they are run by American celebrity chef Todd English.
It will be just along from the Golden Lion pub, another Cunard tradition.
The Queen's Room with a 1,000 sq ft dance floor will be decorated with pictures and murals showing views from royal palaces and a collection of photographs of royal naming ceremonies and visits to the ships.
It will also have on display the original Royal Standard, flown over the first Queen Elizabeth when she was named.
The Queen's Room
A globe in the two-deck-high Library will show countries as they were in the 1930s, many of them coloured red to illustrate the Empire on which the sun never set.
Cunard was the first line to put a library on a ship, back in 1874 on the BOTHNIA. The Queen Elizabeth's will contain more than 6,000 books.
Of the 1,046 cabins, only 154 will be inside. None of the 892 others will have an obstructed view, and 738 will have balconies.
Her maiden voyage sails on October 12, 2010, a 14-night round trip from Southampton to the Canaries. Fares are from £1,489 for an inside cabin, up to £15,999 for one of the top grand suites. Sales open at 1pm on April 2. Call Sky Travel on 0800 093 3910.
→ Learn more about and find deals for Cunard cruises
→ Watch Steve Read's Dairy Cruise News video diary
- Page 1 of 1
Recommended Offers
 |
FREE Disney gift card worth up to $1000 Book a 14 night Disney holiday with Disney's Ultimate Tickets on selected dates and receive a gift card with a value of up to $1000! |
|
|
Low deposits on Summer 2010 Holidays Book your holiday for next summer and only pay a small deposit - from just £50pp! Then you only have to pay the balance 8 weeks before you travel. |
|
|
Top TV Offers Deals of the week including Cyprus, the Maldives, Rhodes, USA and Northern Europe Cruises. |
|
Beach holiday bargains Deals from your local airport Sky Travel cruise offers Tailor-made holidays City breaks and hotels |
|
Subscribe to Sky Travel's Newsletter
Sign up for our weekly email newsletter, packed with exclusive holiday deals, competitions, quizzes and travel ideas.
