Cunard’s QM2 celebrates 200th Atlantic crossing

This week, Cunard’s Queen Mary 2 celebrated her 200th crossing of the Atlantic.

The ship left New York on Saturday July 6th, set sail across the Atlantic Ocean and arrived in Southampton today, July 13th 2013.

The vessel sailed past the Statue of Liberty specially, while onboard keynote speakers gave talks about the design of the ship. A special Big Band performance and celebratory Gala Dinner were held earlier this week too, on the 11th of July.

Queen Mary 2 is the longest, tallest, widest and most expensive liner ever built. Cunard say she’s the only true ocean liner in service, and the fastest passenger ship in the world.

Cunard estimate that in the course of the QM2’s 200 Atlantic sailings, half a million passengers have consumed:

• 8.4 million cups of tea
• 980,000 scones
• 481,000 bottles of champagne
• 644,000 eggs, and
• 960,000 litres of milk

Additionally,

• 22.5 million meals have been served!
• Over 1,000 dogs have been pampered in the kennel facilities  (the company own the only kennels at sea!)

Speaking about the historic occasion, Cunard President and Managing Director Peter Shanks said:

“As each year in service passes Queen Mary 2 becomes even more special and we will continue to celebrate and cherish her milestones and history,”

“Looking at Cunard’s earlier Queens, Queen Mary crossed the Atlantic 1001 times, Queen Elizabeth crossed 896 times and QE2 crossed 812 times. Queen Mary 2 will achieve the milestone of 200 in this, her ninth season since entering service in 2004. And she has many seasons and crossings still ahead.”

Queen Mary 2 Hotel Manager Robert Howie added his perspective too:

”The beauty of transatlantic crossings is the elegance of our guests, the fact that you seem transported back in time, and even the unpredictability of the weather.”

“Having sailed with many guests across the Atlantic, they all marvel at how the ship handles the varying weather and this is when Queen Mary 2 comes into her own, performing at her best – it is what she was designed for.”

About Queen Mary 2:

QM2 is Cunard’s flagship transatlantic ocean liner.  She cost UK £460 million (US $900 million) to build.  She weighs 148,528 gross tonnes and has 13 passenger decks.

The ship entered service in 2004, after she was christened by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.

Queen Mary 2 is currently the only transatlantic ocean liner in service, sailing between Southampton, UK and New York, USA.

Onboard QM2, guests can enjoy up to 15 different restaurants and bars, 5 swimming pools, a casino, a ballroom, a theatre and a planetarium!  The ship can also host on-board weddings!