Cunard Announces Details on Remastering of Queen Mary 2 and Queen Victoria

Today at Seatrade Cruise Global in Fort Lauderdale, Cunard announced new enhancements planned for Queen Mary 2's remastering, the most significant refit ever undertaken by Carnival UK, as well as surprise news on Queen Victoria, during a press event hosted by top executives from the company.

Queen Victoria Britannia Club

In addition to the reveals made on Queen Mary 2's refit, Cunard announced it will be adding Britannia Club staterooms to Queen Victoria in her next dry-dock scheduled for June 2017, due in part to the stateroom categories exceedingly popular appeal on Queen Mary 2 and Queen Elizabeth.

"The changes being made are a direct response to our discerning passengers increasing desire for space and style, and to meet their rising expectations of luxury," stated David Noyes, Cunard CEO.

Queen Mary 2 Remastered

Queen Mary 2, which will be in dry dock from 27 May to 21 June, will see several enhancements including 30 additional Britannia Club Staterooms, 15 new single staterooms, and an expansion of the ship's dedicated kennel for cats and dogs. All staterooms will be remastered by the start of the ship's 2017 World Cruise.

Shared for the first time at Cunard's press event were renderings showcasing new designs for Queen Mary 2's coveted and luxurious Queens Grill Duplex Apartment and Penthouse Suites, as well as videos on Queen Mary 2's redesign and culinary program.

"Cunard was the innovator of the luxury suite category, and this remastering will further showcase the richness of ship's stateroom design, intimate dining experiences and White Star Service," commented Richard Meadows, President, Cunard North America.

In the newly debuted videos, Queen Mary 2's interior decorators delve into what it took to stay true to Cunard's heritage in "Inspired by the Originals," and Cunard's twin Executive Chefs, Nicholas and Mark Oldroyd, share the process of working together on developing new menus and further enhancing the ship's fine dining in "The Oldroyd Twins."

"We are all very excited about what Nicholas Oldroyd and his twin Mark, the Executive Chef onboard Queen Victoria and Queen Elizabeth, are doing to reinvigorate the menus across the fleet," continued Richard Meadows. "They have gone to great lengths to source interesting and different ingredients, and we believe our guests will be extremely pleased."

Cunard, which found inspiration not only in Queen Mary, but also in its guests, announced that in conjuncture with the remastering of all of its staterooms and suites, it will also introduce tea and coffee makers in each cabin.

"Guest feedback was especially important as we explored the redesign of the staterooms," said Angus Struthers, Vice President of Marketing. "We believe the new designs on board provide a more distinctive Cunard character and will elevate the guest experience."

"During our 175-year history, Cunard earned a reputation for being the arbiter of style and taste. The remastering of Queen Mary 2 continues this tradition by the thoughtful contemporizing of the product, while maintaining the refined design aesthetics and service standards that are deeply based in British style and refinement," continued David Noyes, Cunard CEO. "The combination of our keen attention to detail, and incorporating inspirations from our past will continue to propel the powerful Cunard story, which we think will strongly resonate with today's discerning travelers."

About Queen Mary 2

Christened by Her Majesty The Queen in 2004, Cunard Line's flagship Queen Mary 2 defines luxury travel for the 21st Century and continues a 175-year legacy of transatlantic travel. Queen Mary 2 achieved her 200th Transatlantic Crossing in July 2013. Famous names who have experienced this iconic voyage since 2004 include President George H.W. Bush, Desmond Tutu, James Taylor, Wes Anderson, Tilda Swinton, George Takei, Kim Novak, Uma Thurman, Richard Dreyfuss, John Cleese and Angela Bassett.