Cunard’s Queen Mary 2 Embarks on 100th Transatlantic Crossing

September 18, 2008 – As Queen Mary 2 prepares to sail her 100th Transatlantic Crossing, Cunard Line reveals the captivating statistics that illustrate the Line’s singular hold on the bygone glamour that defines their Transatlantic travel experience. The only company offering regularly scheduled Transatlantic service via flagship Queen Mary 2, Cunard Line continues a tradition that began 168 years ago. The iconic ocean liner will depart on her 100th Transatlantic voyage on September 21 from Southampton, England arriving in New York on September 27. On arrival, she will have logged 711,288 nautical miles since her debut with 316,729 nautical miles on Transatlantic voyages alone.

“Perhaps more than any other voyage, a Transatlantic Crossing captures the imagination of the most intrepid travelers,” said Carol Marlow, president of Cunard Line. “A Transatlantic voyage recalls a bygone era of glamour and sophistication. For many, it is on par with the world’s most storied travel experiences.”

Queen Mary 2’s regularly scheduled Transatlantic service forms the cornerstone of her annual itineraries, which also includes her second World Cruise in 2009 and forays into the Caribbean, Mediterranean and Norway.

Since the ship entered service in 2004, Queen Mary 2 has made dozens of  maiden calls around the world, including San Francisco - where thousands lined the shores of the City by the Bay to witness her sail beneath the Golden Gate Bridge and her overnight visit caused gridlock traffic on the Embarcadero; along with great port cities such as Boston and Ft. Lauderdale. She has provided a glamorous backdrop for a myriad of high-profile events, including The Britannia Ball (a charity gala benefitting the New York City Opera and Brooklyn Academy of Music) in 2007; the PBS TV Concert Special: Carly Simon: A Moonlight Serenade on the Queen Mary 2; an onboard event honouring George Lucas at the 2005 Cannes Film Festival; as well as several Cunard Royal Rendezvous events in New York, Ft. Lauderdale, Long Beach, California and Sydney, Australia with her sister ships, QE2 and Queen Victoria. Queen Mary 2 even played a role in literary history, transporting the first author-signed copy of the highly anticipated Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince to its U.S. debut.

In addition to logging nearly three-quarters of a million miles, Queen Mary 2 will mark other milestones on her 100th Transatlantic voyage, including:

• More than 229,000 guests crossing the North Atlantic

• 450 pets crossing the North Atlantic

• 97,000 pounds of lobster served

• 2,700 pounds of caviar served

• 206,200 bottles of Champagne served

• Enough tea to fill nearly five Olympic-sized swimming pools

Queen Mary 2 has welcomed many notable guests, including Barbara Walters, Katie Couric, Uma Thurman, John Cleese, Richard Dreyfuss, Carly Simon, Rod Stewart, Tina Brown and Harold Evans, Terrance Howard, Donald Trump, and Dame Shirley Bassey. Her eminent visitors have included HRH
Queen Elizabeth II, HRH The Duke of Edinburgh, Queen Noor, Former President George Bush, New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Senator Hillary Clinton.

In 2009, Queen Mary 2 marks her fifth year of service with an extended Transatlantic season of 6-, 8- and 9-day Crossings. In total, she will sail 25 Transatlantic Crossings, including classic six-day voyages
between Southampton and New York, two eight-day voyages between Hamburg and New York, one eight-day voyage from Boston via New York to Southampton and one nine-day Crossing from Southampton via New York to Halifax and Boston.