• January 26, 2004
• Vol. 61
• No. 3

Return of Queen

With a Lavish Ballroom, Five Pools and a Planetarium, the Queen Mary 2 Calls Out to Those Who Like Luxe

With crowds of Britons lining the waterfront, the $800 million Queen Mary 2 began its maiden voyage Jan. 12, carrying some 2,600 passengers from Southampton, England, to Fort Lauderdale. Triple the size of the Titanic, the 1,132-ft. ocean liner is the world's largest, with top-of-the-line suites running $27,249 per person for a six-day crossing and a grand lobby (right) decorated with a bronze relief. Four days before the voyage, amid fireworks and floodlights, Queen Elizabeth (left, with Commodore Ronald Warwick) christened the ship named for her grandmother.