This was published 7 years ago
Cunard's Queen Mary 2 impresses with $177m remaster
Confetti helps celebrate the launch of Cunard's Queen Mary 2 after a $177 million refit.Credit: Christopher Ison
Cunard's perennially popular flagship, Queen Mary 2, recently emerged from its £90 million ($177 million) makeover in Hamburg's Blohm + Voss shipyard. The cruise line coined the phrase "QM2 remastered" to describe the most extensive upgrade the ship has received since it set sail in 2004 – and by all accounts, the results are impressive.
QM2 now has single cabins for the first time (15 of them); 30 new Britannia Club Balcony cabins; a spectacular new look for the Grand Lobby; and some big changes in its restaurants. The old Kings Court Buffet has been redesigned and rebuilt, the Winter Garden has been replaced by the Carinthia Lounge (for light meals and afternoon tea), specialty restaurant Todd English is now The Verandah (serving French cuisine) and the exclusive Queens and Princess Grills have both undergone an elegant makeover.
The "remastering" has achieved a stylish combination of contemporary decor with plenty of Art Deco references to the ship's stately predecessor, Queen Mary, which launched in 1936 and ruled the waves until it was retired in 1967. QM2 will visit local waters in February 2017 on its world voyage and there will be a royal rendezvous with sister ship Queen Elizabeth in Sydney on February 25.
Ships have to go into dry dock every few years for a routine service and brush-up, but major refurbs are becoming more common as the cruise industry continues to evolve and advance at a rapid pace. Ships also move from fleet to fleet and are updated or redesigned for their new owners – P&O Cruises' Pacific Aria and Pacific Eden are a classic example of a highly successful re-purposing. The line is expanding again, as Dawn Princess moved to P&O in May and the 2000-passenger ship will undergo a multimillion-dollar transformation and sets sail as Pacific Explorer on June 22.
Announcing details of the refurbishment, P&O Cruises president Sture Myrmell said Pacific Explorer's decor would "reflect modern Australia, combining elegance with relaxed comfort to create the striking contemporary look that has become a trademark of the P&O fleet". The ship will have a waterpark with two waterslides, an Edge Adventure Park complete with a flying fox, plus a barefoot bowling green.
New dining choices to be introduced on Pacific Explorer include The Black Circus, a supper club venue where dinner is served with a side of cabaret-style entertainment; a gourmet pizza restaurant; a poolside Lobster & Burger bar; and Nic and Toni's, a Mediterranean-style addition to The Pantry.
Coming up soon – an update on how much the other big cruise lines are spending on major makeovers.
MEET THE CREW
NAME Sjaak van der Weide, from The Netherlands
POSITION Captain, APT's just-launched AmaStella
MY JOB As the ship's captain, I am ultimately responsible for everything onboard. The safety of my guests and crew are my main priority, that and ensuring everyone is having the most fantastic holiday.
A TYPICAL DAY I'm up at 4am to take over from my colleague. I sail for between eight to 10 hours a day, punctuated by team meetings to discuss timings, special requests, and arranging maintenance and sailing plans. My goal is to ensure my ship sails smoothly and looks pristine at all times.
FAVOURITE CRUISE MOMENT Springtime in Holland, taking in the colours of the tulips and sailing the incredible lakes. It's home sweet home.
FAVOURITE CRUISE PORT Vienna. Even if you visit a hundred times, there is always something new to see.
INSIDER TIP Don't be tempted to wait around onboard on the first day of your cruise for your room to be ready. Your start cities are stunning, especially on an Amsterdam to Budapest cruise. Get off, explore and enjoy – go to the Spa in Budapest or take a bus tour of Amsterdam. You might not get a second chance.
TIP
Sea to Summit's see-through See Pouches are handy for carry-on liquids, make-up, camera equipment and whatever else you can think of. They are super-light, strong and water resistant and designed to stand up when full or flat-packed when empty. Available in three sizes, see travelgear.com.au.
NEWS
Celebrity Xplores the Galapagos
Celebrity Cruises' two newly refurbished ships, the 16-passenger Celebrity Xploration and 48-passenger Celebrity Xperience, will start sailing in the Galapagos in March 2017. They will join the 100-passenger Celebrity Xpedition, which has been based there for 12 years, and together the three ships will offer six different itineraries, 15 islands, more than 30 ports of call and multiple packages to choose from. The new, 13-night Xperiential Travel itinerary extends the cruise with time ashore in Quito and three nights in Puerto Ayora on Santa Cruz Island, where passengers will get together with the locals to go fishing, visit a farm to gather ingredients for dinner cooked by a professional chef, and visit a private beach to snorkel and swim. See celebritycruises.com/galapagos-experience
Affordable Antarctica
A voyage to the White Continent is the adventure of a lifetime, right up there on every serious traveller's wish list – but because of its extreme location, it is also a seriously expensive trip. However, Chimu Adventures has just launched its 10-day "Images of Antarctica" cruise, which is a lot more affordable than many others; fares start from $5590 (when booked by July 30). The 88-passenger MV Ushuaia (pictured) departs from Ushuaia, Argentina, on November 1, 2017 and tours the Beagle Channel, the Drake Passage, the South Shetland Islands and the Antarctic Peninsula. Expect to see an incredible array of wildlife, such as penguins, seabirds, Weddell, crabeater and leopard seals as well as Minke, killer and humpback whales. See chimuadventures.com
Classical FM music cruise
Renaissance Tours is an Australian operator of expert-led special interest and cultural tours and cruises. Its seven-night cruise from Budapest to the Black Sea on Amadeus Royal, departing on October 13 this year, will be hosted by Christopher Lawrence, the popular presenter of ABC Classic FM's "Mornings" program. The itinerary will focus on the art, music and culture of Eastern Europe, in less-visited cities such as Pecs in Hungary and the ancient Bulgarian capital of Veliko Tarnovo. Highlights include five musical performances including opera and ballet (Budapest) and concerts by the Franz Liszt Chamber Orchestra (Budapest), the Belgrade Philharmonic Orchestra, the Belgrade Philharmonic String Quartet and the George Enescu Philharmonic Orchestra (Bucharest). See renaissancetours.com.au.
DEAL OF THE WEEK
Cruise Traveller's 39-night fly/cruise package from Portsmouth to Athens on Voyages of Discovery's boutique, 540-passenger MV Voyager is on sale from $8895 for a twin ocean-view cabin. The ship will visit ports in Spain, Portugal, Gibraltar, Monaco, Italy, Croatia and Greece and leaves Portsmouth on July 23, 2017. Offer valid until August 31, 2016 or until sold out. Phone 1800 507 777, see cruisetraveller.com.au.
MORE DEALS
CRUISE EXPRESS is offering earlybird savings of $1000 per couple or $500 for solos on its new cherry-blossom Springtime in Japan package, if you book before August 1. The 17-night escorted fly/stay/cruise tour departs Australia on April 13, 2017 and includes a six-night overland tour from Tokyo, Bullet Train trip to Kyoto and a nine-night round-trip cruise on Diamond Princess from Yokohama. From $8490 or $11,990 for solo travellers; phone 1300 764 509, see cruiseexpress.com.au.
UNIWORLD Cruise as a family and save 50 per cent on fares for children age four to 17 on the eight-day Castles along the Rhine cruise from Basel to Amsterdam, departing July 12, 2017. Included on the River Empress' cruise are unlimited beverages onboard, excursions and Wi-Fi. From $14,999 for a family of four; phone 1300 780 231, see uniworld.com.
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