The Queen Mary 2 visits Dubai for First Time

The Queen Mary 2, one of the world's largest ocean liners, arrived in Dubai for the first time on Sunday (March 11) as part of her maiden global world cruise.

As it docked at the state-of-the-art Dubai Cruise Terminal in the Port Rashid complex, the 1,132-feet-long, 72-metre tall vessel made history by becoming the largest ship ever to enter Dubai.

A host of VIPs and government officials led by the Director General of Dubai Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM), Mr. Khalid A bin Sulayem, and Mr. Awadh Seghayer Al Ketbi, Acting Manager of DTCM-managed Dubai Cruise Terminal, joined the fanfare to welcome 4,200 passengers, including 1,600 crew members.

The cruise liner has arrived from the Indian port city of Kochi and is heading to Egypt. The bulk of the passengers are Australians followed by US, British and German nationals.

Operated by Cunard Line, the Queen Mary 2 started its around the world –in-80 days journey on January 11 from Fort Lauderdale in the US and after circumnavigating the globe and covering 38,000 nautical miles, it will return to the port on April 2.

The ship has 19 decks which equals the height of a 23-story building. The ship is only 118 feet shorter than the Empire State Building. The Queen Mary 2 has the largest ballroom at sea and the only planetarium at sea. QM2 entered service in January 2004 and is the largest, longest, widest, tallest and most expensive passenger ship in history. The Queen Mary 2 is the first passenger liner purpose-built for trans-Atlantic service in 35 years.

The Queen Mary 2 features a broad range of accommodations, from the most economical 194-square-ft. inside cabins to lavish duplex suites. All in all, from a total of 1,310 cabins, 955 are fitted with the private balconies.

The massive 151,400-ton Queen Mary 2 navigates at the top speed of approximately 30 knots (34.5 mph) and its whistle is audible at 10 miles.

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