| Why is the ship called Queen Mary 2? | | The ship is called Queen Mary 2, abbreviated to QM2, in honour of her famous transatlantic predecessor Queen Mary which came into service in 1936. She carries the Arabic 2 (two) rather than the Roman numeral II (second) because it refers to a second ship rather than the monarch. | | |
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| Why is Queen Mary 2 being built in a French shipyard? | | Several yards were invited to submit tenders with the final two yards in the selection process being Alstom Chantiers de l%u2019Atlantique in St Nazaire and Harland & Wolff in Belfast. Cunard was predisposed to select a British yard but despite negotiations, Harland & Wolff remained substantially more expensive. In addition, Harland & Wolff were not able to build the entire ship and would have been forced to tow the hull to another yard for fitting out, adding to both the time and expense. | | |
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| What will happen to QE2? | | QE2 will remain in service for many years to come although her principal role as a transatlantic liner will be taken over by QM2. QE2 will offer cruises out of Southampton together with her traditional 3 month world cruise. | | |
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| When will QM2 and QE2 be in Southampton at the same time? | | QM2 and QE2 will arrive together from New York on 1 May 2004. Both are scheduled to berth at 0700 hrs. | | |
