The world’s largest ocean liner, arguably the most famous ship in the world, Queen Mary 2, drew large crowds of spectators in Cape Town on January 26th as she visited the Mother City on the southward leg of her 118-night World Cruise from Southampton to Southampton.
Queen Mary 2 arrived in Cape Town a fully refurbished ship, having just undergone a R1.6-billion refit at the Blohm + Voss shipyard in Hamburg, Germany. The 25-day refit saw many of her public areas restyled and updated, with the most work having been put into the Queens and Princess Grill suites and restaurants.
All 172 Grills suites have received a comprehensive makeover and have been reconfigured to maximise space for the guests, according to Bob Dixon, Cunard Line’s General Manager for Europe, the Middle East and Africa.
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“The Grills dining experience has been elevated and the two Grill restaurants have been redesigned to offer more table size options and space,” he says. “The King’s Court buffet has been redesigned to create a more open and central buffet area.”
“The Carinthia Lounge – QM2’s Winter Garden – is now unrecognisable as it has been reconfigured into a refined, airy and versatile new venue,” he added.
Todd English restaurant, the previous signature restaurant on board the ship, has now been replaced by The Verandah, exactly 80 years after the first Cunard Verandah Grill went to sea on Queen Mary. The premium dining concept offers contemporary French cuisine.
After her overnight port call in Cape Town, Queen Mary 2 departed bound for Port Elizabeth before crossing the Indian Ocean to Reunion Island. Queen Mary 2 will complete her World Voyage in April 2017, after which she will commence with her Transatlantic and North America programme.
According to Dixon, she was 90% booked for the South African leg of her World Cruise, with a maximum capacity of 3,090 passengers and 1,238 crew.
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