Should any human have required a $132 million makeover, we would have been taken aback – and then we would have written about it too. Given that the Queen Mary 2 is a 148,000 tonne cruise ship, the price tag comes as no surprise. The world’s only ocean, transatlantic liner, also known as the QM2, set sail today from South Hampton, England for New York.
The epic journey is a chance for passengers to enjoy the revamped staterooms (just 50 in total) and restaurants such as the Carinthia Lounge, The Verandah and Kings Court. Having hosted the likes of Audrey Hepburn, Clark Gable, Winston Churchill and Tilda Swinton in the past, the liner is one that is full of history, which is no surprise, considering that it is 80 years old.
The atrium of Queen Mary 2.
Over the span of 25 days, one million man-hours went into the refurbishment, which includes approximately 594,000 square feet of new carpeting — the equivalent of 10 football fields. For the extra special touch, the ship was also given a fresh coat of paint…3,900 gallons of paint later and the ship was finally ready.
QM2 is in that very special category of ships, using 40% more steel than regular cruise ships. Although Royal Caribbean’s mammoth liners dwarf the QM2, she is till the largest ocean liner ever built – and the first ship to feature a planetarium.
The QM2, by Cunard, isn’t the only luxury liner to undergo a makeover. Regent Seven Seas Cruises began work this spring on a two-year, $125 million refurbishment project that will renovate the public spaces and redesign some of their suites aboard the Seven Seas Navigator.
And earlier this year, Crystal Cruises announced plans to take over the S.S. United States — a historic ship that holds the title of the world’s fastest luxury liner— and turn it into a modern luxury ship. The S.S. United States has carried luminaries such as Princess Grace of Monaco, The Duke and Duchess of Windsor, Cary Grant and Coco Chanel.
The post Queen Mary 2: NYC Bound After Costly Facelift appeared first on LUXUO.