Unwrapping the Queen: Cunard’s Queen Mary 2 Set to Come out of Dry Dock in June

When Cunard’s Queen Mary 2 emerges from a 25-day dry dock in late June, its passengers will see upgrades and refurbishments that touch nearly every aspect of the cruise experience. It will be a metamorphosis, predicts one cruise retailer, which will make the QM2 feel like a brand new ship.

“Cunard is definitely listening to its passengers about what’s important to them,” says Stewart Chiron, the founder of http://www.cruiseguy.com and an expert on the cruising segment. “I’m thrilled with the changes. They’re making some needed adjustments but it’s a lot more than cosmetic touch-ups, or bringing things up to code. This is a significant upgrade that will change the dynamic of the passenger experience.”

Indeed, the refit of the 2,600-guest flagship, which launched in 2004, includes a slew of renovations and design changes that will be done at the Blohm+Voss Shipyard in Hamburg, Germany, starting May 27, with completion expected on June 21.

“The 2016 refit for Queen Mary 2 is certainly the most substantial dry dock to date for our flagship. It is our aim that the newly designed and refreshed spaces will exceed our guests’ expectations, and further elevate ‘luxury on a grand scale’ on Queen Mary 2,” said Richard Meadows, president of Cunard, North America.  He declined to provide the cost, but said the investment is “quite significant.”

Cabin fever
The planned addition of 15 solo cabins to the liner follows a growing trend across the cruise industry.  Cunard says its research shows that increasing numbers of guests want to vacation in multi-generational family groups, which often means that one member of the family travels as a single. And Meadows cites the 2015 Visa Global Travel Intensions Study, which found that 24% of people traveled alone on their most recent overseas leisure vacation, up from 15% in 2013.

“The desire to add single staterooms has consistently been echoed by our guests and travel partners for some time,” Meadows said, noting that Cunard’s Queen Elizabeth and Queen Victoria each received nine single staterooms, in 2010 and 2014, respectively.

Agent Ruby Stine, a CruisePlanners retailer in Greenwich, CT, says adding solo accommodations will be a welcome option.

“There are a lot of people who cruise as a single and they don’t want to pay double the price,” says Stine, who believes that single cabins are a big selling feature for any line—and that most solo customers expect single fares. “Sometimes people call about cruising solo and, sadly, they think they can just pay for themselves. We have one gentleman client who always travels alone, but he can afford the single supplement—he’s a little better off than some of us.”

But Chiron said that the QM2’s new solo cabins will comprise just 11% of the ship’s accommodations. “It’s a small number of people,” he noted; single staterooms don’t appeal to most customers because they want something bigger.

He also disputes the “double price,” saying it’s a misunderstanding: “If the cruise line decides it needs $2,000 for the cabin, that’s what it has to charge. Single people think they’re being penalized but they’re not.”

In acknowledgement of the growing popularity of balcony cabins, Cunard also will install balconies on 30 existing cabins in the Britannia Club category, the least-expensive accommodation on the ship behind the Princess and Queens categories. And guests booking these staterooms will have open seating at the Britannia restaurant, which will be expanded.

In the higher accommodations categories, all Princess and Queens suites will receive a comprehensive restyling, says Cunard, with, for example, luxury carpet featuring design work inspired by rugs from the original Queen Mary. The suites also will be reconfigured to maximize space.

Accommodations upgrades don’t end there, however.  The QM2 is the only cruise liner to offer dedicated kennels and currently carries up to 12 dogs and cats on each transatlantic crossing. To meet strong demand—the line says these kennel places frequently sell out—a further 10  kennels are being created for four-legged travelers. To make dogs “from either side of the pond feel at home,” Cunard says, a lamp post and a fire hydrant will be installed on the area of deck reserved for dog walking.  (This was previously a feature of the kennels on Cunard’s former flagship, QE2.)

On the menu
There are a slew of changes on tap in the ship’s dining areas as well, including the addition of the French restaurant Verandah, already a popular lunch and dinner venue aboard the Queen Elizabeth and the Queen Victoria. On the QM2, it comes at the expense of the Todd English restaurant, which is being discontinued.  The Verandah “will evoke the special personality and flavor of French regional cooking with seasonal influences,” promises Cunard.

Retailer Chiron says this is a good move. “Todd English lasted a long time—12 years,” he noted. “But the chef concept doesn’t do well in the industry, and the lines are realizing they can do it better themselves. People don’t go on a ship because of a [celebrity chef] restaurant.”

During the refit, both the Princess and Queens Grills restaurants will be redesigned, offering more tables for two, increased space between tables for privacy, and new culinary options.

Renovations also will extend to the Kings Court buffet, which will have a “more open central buffet area,” and reconfigured seating arrangements. The refreshed venue will sport new menus, and have pre-set tables and waiter-served drinks. 

Chiron says changes to Kings Court are needed; “there were never enough seats there.”

Following the refit, Kings Court’s popular Chef’s Galley area, serving Italian pastas and pizzas for lunch, will offer a Chef’s Table tasting menu on select evenings, featuring insights from the executive chef and paired wines.

The ship’s Winter Garden will be redone and renamed Carinthia Lounge. It will have a dedicated patisserie and serve breakfast and lunch plus afternoon tea. Come evening, the atmosphere will evolve into a gathering spot offering premium wine, small plates, and “relaxed entertainment,” Cunard said. 

SMC Design, a London-based consultancy that specializes in the maritime sector, will lead the revitalization. The company has a history of working with Cunard ships past and present. It led previous refit projects of the QE2, and was involved in the designs for the Queen Victoria and Queen Elizabeth as well.

The revamped Queen Mary 2 will make its official North American debut in Brooklyn on July 6, and Meadows says that top-producing trade partners will be invited to the celebration. Regular updates about the ship also will be posted on Cunard’s OneSource Travel Agent Center.

Photo courtesy: Conollyb