Queen Elizabeth -Cunard

Cunard’s new Queen Elizabeth liner was officially named in a luxurious ceremony at the vessel’s home port of Southampton, England.

It was a bright, sunny day and her Majesty christened the new £360 million Queen Elizabeth, with a bottle of Rothschilds’ Cunard Graves 2009.

There were notable guests in attendance, including: Lord (John) Prescott, Sir Ben Kingsley, Sir Jimmy Savile, Alan Whicker, Judith Chalmers, Alan Tichmarsh, and Simon Weston.

The Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra and Chorus supplied beautiful music and the Massed Bands of the Coldstream Guards and Scots Guards also entertained the ceremony gathering.

Queen Elizabeth has long been associated with the luxury Cunard fleet of ships. Her Majesty previously launched theQueen Elizabeth 2 in 1967, followed by the Queen Mary 2 in 2004.

The new Queen Elizabeth luxury liner is a 92,000-ton ship and will be Cunard’s second biggest ship behind the QM2.

Queen Elizabeth -Cunard (Grand Lobby)

The Queen Elizabeth cruise ship is bring back pure luxury to the high seas, featuring high ceilings, wood panelling, mosaics, art deco flourishes, chandeliers and fine marble.

The ship has a capacity of 2,000 passengers, and will enjoy many luxurious amenities including waltzing in multiple ballrooms, catching Shakespeare plays in the ship’s theatre.

If you feel lucky, take your chances by gambling in the casino, or simply relaxing with a cup of tea and listening to the soothing sounds of a string quartet.

For more information on Cunard’s new Queen Elizabeth, visit http://www.cunard.com/Ships/Queen-Elizabeth/

The world awaits the launch Royal Caribbean International’s Oasis of the Seas. When she launches in late 2009, Oasis of the Seas will be the largest and most revolutionary cruise ship in the world.

With apartment balconies overlooking a park, a town square, boutique shops and a choice of restaurants and bars, holidaymakers might think they traveled through time and landed in New York.

The Oasis of the Seas is the world’s largest mega ship and 50 percent bigger than its nearest cruise ship rival – the luxury ocean liner Queen Mary 2 by Cunard.

Oasis of the Seas will be the first ship to tout the cruise line’s new neighborhood concept of seven distinct themed areas, which includes Central Park, Boardwalk, the Royal Promenade, the Pool and Sports Zone and Vitality at Sea Spa and Fitness Center.

The Oasis of the Seas offers six levels of staterooms, a turf-covered chip and putt golf course, the world’s first open-air amphitheatre at the stern, two surfing simulators, a flying fox-style zip-line and a boardwalk surrounded by casual restaurants, it is more like a giant ritzy resort than a cruise ship.

At 220,000 tonnes and with a capacity to carry more than 10,000 passengers and crew, the Oasis of the Seas – the pride of the Royal Caribbean International fleet is set to make waves with its extreme flamboyance.

Initially, it’s restricted to the Caribbean and Mediterranean. The ship will sail from her home port of Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

Cunard Line, the Luxury cruise provider, is set to launch the ship “Queen Victoria” in December. They’ve also recently announced plans to build a new ship named “Queen Elizabeth”.

The “Queen Victoria” is scheduled to launch on December 10 in Southampton, England, for its maiden voyage around northern Europe. Full article