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Although vacation vessels of the modern age are technically “cruise ships,” Queen Mary 2 (QM2) is the world’s only remaining true ocean liner in active service.
Launched in 2004 as the flagship of the Cunard Line, QM2 was designed by naval architect Stephen Payne to succeed the prestigious Queen Elizabeth 2.
Her very construction was an act of defiance against modernity.
At a time when shallow drafts and top-heavy shapes were standard in shipbuilding to allow for as much balcony as possible, Cunard invested in a vessel stout enough to weather the North Atlantic’s meanest winter gales.
The difference between a liner and a cruise ship is in the very bones of the ship.
To warrant earning her “RMS” (Royal Mail Ship) prefix, QM2 was constructed with 40% more steel than a regular cruise ship, with a hull of great thickness and a deep, heavy draft to keep her stable.
Her bow is long and reinforced to slice through immense swells, and her four mighty propulsion pods drive her to speeds of 30 knots — nearly ten knots more than the average speed of a modern cruise ship.
This speed was not for fun, but for the function of keeping to the exact “line” schedule between Southampton and New York, no matter the weather.
Today, QM2 describes a living link to the past. While she comes with the trappings of a modern holiday — she hosts the only planetarium at sea and a cavernous 10,000-volume library — her heart is one of pragmatism.
She does not have the water slides, rock-climbing walls nor go-kart tracks that define the “floating hotels” she shares the water with.
She has “Cunard Insights,” formal gala evenings and the unerring, monotonous cadence of a seven-day crossing.
In 2026, the QM2 maintains this legendary transatlantic service with annual world voyages, circumnavigating the globe with a steadiness that redounds upon her slight, stiffly-proportioned, boxier rivals.
The last true ocean liner on passenger service, the QM2 was constructed as a highly specialised machine, a thoroughbred of the seas with a singular function, to reliably transport passengers across the world’s most tempestuous ocean.
In an era where the mass-market cruise experience is increasingly paradigmatic, QM2 is the last of her kind, a true queen at sea where the ship is more important than the destination.
Her steel and speed make her a technical marvel, but it is the people on her decks who give her a soul.
We want to hear from you. Have you walked the promenade of the QM2, or perhaps you have stories from the legendary QE2 or the original Queen Mary?
Please send your stories, anecdotes, and photos to ian.crump@dailyecho.co.uk. Also, don’t forget to comment in the field below.
