Queen Elizabeth 3 Takes to The Seas

Details

World

Wednesday, 06 January 2010 00:31

By Sarah Gordon daily mail

The glory days of cruising came a step closer to returning today as Cunard's latest Queen Elizabeth ship was floated out of its dock for the first time.

The magnificent vessel was put together at an Italian shipyard near Trieste before a bottle of prosecco was smashed against her side by guest of honour Florence 'Dennie' Farmer.

Mrs Farmer, 79, the widow Willie Farmer, who served as chief engineer on both the original Queen Elizabeth and QE2, was chosen to be the ship's 'madrina' or - godmother - as part of an Italian tradition.

For extra luck, three coins were welded beneath the mast. They were a half crown dated 1938 - the year the first Queen Elizabeth was launched, a sovereign dated 1967 when the QE2 was launched and a sovereign dated 2010.

Featuring Art Deco designs, a grand ballroom and a bowling green and croquet lawn, the ship aims to provide guests with the feel of a cruise from a bygone era

Formal evenings will require a black tie and country house-style parties will see guests sporting striped blazers - harking back to the heyday of sailing when the first Queen Elizabeths were launched.

Although she is three times larger than the Titanic, Queen Elizabeth 3 will be relatively modest compared to some of the ships launched in recent years.

But, on her with 16 decks, she will still have space for the 2,092 passengers to enjoy a gym, a multitude of restaurants, a cafe and theatre.

After today's ceremony, the ship still needs to be fitted out and will not have her naming ceremony until October 11 in Southampton.

From there she will head off on her maiden voyage around the Mediterranean. Such is the anticipation surrounding the latest Cunard classic, the 13-night voyage sold out within just half an hour of becoming available.

Although Cunard is a traditional British brand, Queen Elizabeth had to be put together in Italy as Britain no longer has a shipyard big enough to build such a big vessel.

The vessel's first world voyage will start from Southampton on January 5, 2011 - a 103-night sailing which includes 38 stops in 23 countries.

Cunard president and managing director Peter Shanks said today: "Of our 170 years of history there has been an 'Elizabeth' in the fleet for over 70 and this ship will take the name far into the 21st century."

 

• < Prev
• Next >