THE SCOTTISH ADVENTURES OF A CRUISE SHIP ADDICT

Three giants have appeared in Southampton! Firstly, there is Cunard's QE2. Not a giant in size but a giant in reputation. The modern's world's most famous ocean liner is embarking her passengers today for her final double transatlantic voyage - from Southampton to New York and back to Southampton. Cunard have been famous for their transatlantic voyages for over 160 years, since their first scheduled sailing by Britannia in 1840. This will be a particularly poignant voyage as this will be the last time she visits her second home, New York. Rumour has it that New York will not let her leave without a massive celebration. Accompanying her on this double transatlantic is her sister, Queen Mary 2 - a giant in size at almost 160,000 gross registered tonnes. This is a real treat for ocean liner lovers everywhere. Finally, in port at the same time is P and O's Ventura, She is the newest and largest addition to the P and O fleet at over 100,000 gross registered tonnes. Ventura i...

Professor Willms presentation at the 1st International Cruise Conference in Bremerhaven started me thinking about my own experiences of cruise ships in port and the visitors they attract. I think the most amazing vision of this was arriving in Cherbourg on Queen Mary 2's maiden arrival in France. Over 10,000 people were waiting to see the ship arrive at 7am, and this had swelled into 15,000 by the time she left! On our arrival, fire boats were spurting plumes of water as a salute to the uncrowned queen of France, and a large floatilla of small boats  hovered dangerously near this enormous ship's bow. But the crowning moment was when she approached the terminal, she let out a roar from her massive horn! We all covered our ears and my daughter screamed - we couldn't hear her scream! One of these horns was from the original Queen Mary (now in Long Beach, California) and can be heard from over 10 miles away. France was proud of its Queen! But why had these people come to visit ...

This is a term I have come to dislike. It was made popular in 2004 when the Queen Mary 2 came into service. The reason: The QM2 is an ocean liner but she is also a cruise ship. But the media have now grasped this concept and every new ship seems to be a cruise liner. Let me tell you the different... An ocean liner is tends to do line voyages. That is going from one place to another on a distinct commercial voyage. A good example of this is the transatlantic route where a liner goes from Southampton to New York. Most ocean liners have a specially reinforced hull to cope with the bad weather because unless it is a REALLY big storm, they will not divert from their course, such as when the QE2 was hit by the 90ft wave. A cruise ship goes from A to B via C on a predestined route for the enjoyment of her passengers. Therefore she will avoid storms as it is not good for business if all her passengers are seasick! Also cruise ships tend to follow the sun. Most cruise ships are very well built ...