Drawings for the ship aren't complete, the vessel hasn't been put out for
construction bids and the line hasn't even decided on a name for it. But that hasn't
stopped cruise aficionados from bubbling about the new transatlantic liner Cunard plans to
build.
``We expect this liner to be the most famous ship in the world, even before it
starts sailing,'' said Ernie Beyl, the spokesman for Cunard Line. ``Everywhere we go --
here, London, Australia -- we're asked questions about it.''
The ship, code-named the Queen Mary Project, will be the first transatlantic liner
built since the 1960s. Cunard wants to put it in service in late 2002.
``We like to think that we're bringing back the glory days of sea travel,'' said Beyl.
``We believe there's a major market for people who want to experience a liner crossing.''
Note that Beyl calls the ship a liner, not a cruise ship. The difference? A cruise ship
is made for leisurely vacation sailing. A liner takes people from point A to point B -- in
this case, across the Atlantic from America to Europe.
Of course, today's liners have many of the same features as cruise ships, but because
of the longer distances involved and the waters they traverse, they are built differently.
They move at higher speeds than cruise ships -- the Cunard liner will cruise around 27-29
knots compared to 18-21 knots of most cruise ships. They are shaped differently as well --
liners are longer, lower and narrower than cruise ships and have deeper drafts, all the
better to cut through the sometimes turbulent North Atlantic waters.
At 110,000 tons, the new Cunard liner will be a third larger than the line's Queen
Elizabeth 2, the last remaining liner in transatlantic service, and too wide to fit
through the Panama Canal. It will also be more than hundred feet longer than the longest
passenger ship in service, Norwegian Cruise Line's 1,035-foot Norway, which itself was a
transatlantic liner in its former incarnation as the SS France.
But Beyl emphasizes that the new ship is not a replacement for the QE2, which he says
still has a good 10 to 15 more years of service in it. ``In fact, we are spending $18
million this year in refurbishing the QE2.''
What will the new ship look like?
Sources close to Cunard say it will have a single stack, like the QE2. But Beyl said
the line ``has not decided on its profile yet.'' However, Cunard is well into discussions
about some of the features it will offer.
``We're talking about the possibility of not only having a British pub, but also a
microbrewery and selling our own beer,'' he said. ``And because of the long days at sea,
we're also talking about a learning center where guests would be able to take cooking and
wine courses, ballroom dancing, photography and computer classes.''
Also aboard, he said, will be state-of-the-art museum exhibits ``that will tell the
story of the old days of liner crossings, and the story of the Cunard company. Cunard was
the first to offer regular transatlantic travel, you know, on the Brittania.''
One similarity to the QE2, Beyl said, was that the new vessel also will have a
``quasi-class structure'' -- that is, dining room assignments keyed to the class of cabin
purchased.
Like the QE2, the new ship will make transatlantic voyages between New York and
Southampton, and to various other European ports as well. Some will come to Miami. When
not on the transatlantic runs, Beyl said, the ship will make other cruises as the QE2
does, including an around-the-world cruise.
``We like the concept of a liner because the QE2 does exceedingly well. We believe a
lot of people will find it of interest.''
As for a name, Beyl said the line hopes to have selected one when it submits its
blueprints to shipyards this summer. No word yet, but Cunard has already announced that
its Vistafjord will be renamed the Caronia at the end of the year. The Caronia was one of
Cunard's most famous transatlantic liners in their heyday.
Will the new ship also be named for a liner of the past?
``Absolutely,'' he said. ``That's a given.''
Suggestions, anyone?
