Cunard's Queen Elizabeth's Maiden Call to New York (with Video)
Yesterday, New York was host to all three of Cunard Line's magnificent ships including the recently commissioned Queen Elizabeth, Queen Victoria and Queen Mary 2. In honor of the historic occasion, the day was proclaimed "Cunard Royal Rendezvous Day" by Mayor Michael Bloomberg. The highlight of the historic event was a grand fireworks display, produced by Grucci, as the trio sailed past the Statue of Liberty as they began their respective journeys around the world (see video below).
Cunard has a long history with New York. "The great city of New York and Cunard Line have a history that is interwoven," says Peter Shanks, president of Cunard Line. "Our ships have called at New York more than any other port---with the first call being made by Cunard's Hibernia in 1845. Today marks another historic day, as our newest ship, Queen Elizabeth, marks her maiden call into New York, and we continue the legacy we have built with this city."
The ship's captain, Julian Burgess, has more than 30 years of experience at sea and nearly seven years of experience as captain. Burgess was most recently a captain with Princess Cruises. "This is my first Cunard ship and I am honored to be captain of Queen Elizabeth," Burgess told Luxist. "So many people have wonderful memories of the QE2 and there is such an interest in coming on the new Queen. She is very elegant and a great successor."
Luxist had the opportunity to tour the grand ship and found it to be beautiful, much like that of its slightly older sisters, Queen Mary 2 (winner of Luxist's Readers' Choice Award for Best Caribbean Cruise) and Queen Victoria. Remarkably, although Cunard is one of the oldest names in shipping, it operates the youngest fleet in the industry. Queen Elizabeth is the third new ocean liner to be introduced by Cunard in six years and it is the second largest Cunard ship ever built.
Much of the ship's decor is art deco-inspired and it is filled with beautiful artwork, including a spectacular 18 1/2 foot marquetry wood art installation created by David Linley, son of Princess Margaret and nephew to Queen Elizabeth, that was specially commissioned for the ship (see gallery for photos of the ship). Reminiscent of her sister ships, Queen Elizabeth has rich wood paneling, intricate mosaics, gleaming chandeliers and cool marbles. All three ships define a new golden age of ocean liner travel and all three offer elegant public rooms that combine both grand spaces and intimate public areas.
Queen Elizabeth is impressive the moment you walk on board and enter the ship's triple height Grand Lobby. The lobby not only showcases her grandeur but it also links her with ocean liners of the past. With its finishes of light mahogany and marble, stunning art deco chandelier from the era of the first Queen Elizabeth, cantilevered balconies and magnificent over two-deck high original artwork piece on the grand staircase, the Grand Lobby is the social focal point of the ship. Plaques detailing the Captains who have served on the two previous Cunard "Elizabeths" celebrate the continuation of the "Elizabeth" name.
The ship offers 1046 staterooms, of which 892 are outside staterooms with the majority featuring balconies. There are 127 spacious Queens Grill and Princess Grill Suites. As on Queen Mary 2 and Queen Victoria, each category of stateroom is paired with a sea-view restaurant. The restaurants follow a similar pattern to Queen Mary 2 and Queen Victoria, with Queens Grill and Princess Grill Restaurants for guests staying in Grills suites, and the Britannia Restaurant for the deluxe stateroom accommodations. In addition, the ship offers several alternative dining venues including the elegant restaurant, The Verandah. This formal alternative dining venue is features contemporary French cuisine that uses ingredients sourced in France along with an ambiance that recalls the legendary Verandah Grill aboard the original Queen Elizabeth.
The ship also features a magnificent three-deck Royal Court Theatre, with tiered seating for 832 guests, which is the location for the main entertainment of the evening with full-scale, West End-style productions featuring world-class entertainers. Queen Elizabeth's two-deck Queen's Room Ballroom, another Cunard signature feature, is designed for dancing, cocktail parties and traditional English afternoon teas complete with finger sandwiches and freshly baked scones with jam and cream.
Queen Elizabeth's impressive aft outdoor space on 9 Deck will feature garden parties reminiscent of those held at British country houses. The forward Games Deck, named after the same deck on the original Queen Elizabeth, offers paddle tennis and introduces croquet and bowls under a canopy to shield players from the sun. The ship has a full-service spa that includes an enormous hydro-pool. There are also two large outdoor, heated swimming pools on Deck 9.
The ship also includes the Yacht Club which is named after the very popular entertainment space that was located aft on QE2. The Yacht Club offers dancing at night, with views from its 270 degrees of windows.
Following her maiden call to New York, Queen Elizabeth embarked on her Maiden World Voyage (103 days), while the flagship Queen Mary 2 began her fifth World Voyage (103 days) and Queen Victoria began her debut Americas Season, traversing between the east and west coasts of North America through the Panama Canal.
