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| Sunday, 30 March 2003 |
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| News Business Features Editorial
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Cruise ship QE2 in Colombo The world's most famous and fastest cruise ship Queen Elizabeth 2 (QE2) owned by Cunardline ltd showcased herself in Colombo recently on her way to Seychelles from Singapore. The ship accommodated 1435 passengers from 18 different nationalities and a crew of 950 from 51 nationalities. It is on a 107-day tour around the world and the people who prefer a shorter voyage can opt for a range of tours from seven days to four weeks. QE2's passenger sales are handled by Gabo Travels. The cabins in the ship include seven suites, 342 outside and 335 inside cabins as well as 316 double occupancy cabins designed and furnished with all comforts. Once aboard the ship, it reminds you of a city at sea and the crew members are ever so willing to help and be of service to each and every guest which will definitely make every individual feel very special. The mid ship area handles all activities relating to embarking and disembarking. The Travellers Cove or the shops on board has almost everything from cigarettes to perfume while all transactions are in US dollars. The Cruise sales office aboard the ship was started 14 years ago though we encourage bookings through sales agents. At present 96 per cent of the bookings are done through sales agents while the balance are direct sales, said Regional Sales Manager of Cunard Craig Owens. At present we have four world cruise savings programmes including the 20 per cent early booking savings, 5 per cent early payment plan, 10 per cent club savings and the 5 per cent world cruise society savings, he added. The Library is equipped with over 6000 books on various topics and is handled by two full time librarians. The Cunard Cook book on sale at the book shop is a all time favourite among passengers. The Chart Room Bar is the most popular bar while the Queens Room is the place to be if you love dancing, but if you are a novice don't worry help is at hand as dancing classes too are conducted at the Queens Room. It is also the place where welcome aboard functions are held while afternoon high teas are also served in the Queens Room. The grand lounge is the main entertainment area in the ship and has two shows daily in the evening to accommodate the early diners and the late diners. It is also the place where port talk is given i.e. 24 hours prior to coming to a port all information regarding the port and the country is given to all passengers be it shopping, city tours etc. Each passenger is given a map too. The passengers who were unable to attend the port talk are not forgotten as all information is aired through a public address system for 24 hours. The activities and facilities aboard the ship include Goren bridge instruction, computer learning centre, dance instructions, deck sports, duty free shopping, seagoing branch of harrods, european style spa and sauna,flower shop, full promenade and jogging track, gentlemen hosts, golf driving range and putting area, gymnasium, indoor and outdoor swimming pools, illuminations lecture and enrichment programme, library and bookshop, casino, chart room, crystal bar, golden lion pub with karaoke, grand lounge, nine piece orchestra, cabaret and stage productions, Queens room, movie theatre, classical performances, movie screenings, world class entertainment and yacht club the disco. Aboard the city at sea everything feels more special as each level of accommodation is paired with an elegant sea view restaurant. The suites and cabins feature complimentary 24-hour room service, TV/radio (satelite TV where available) direct dial telephone, hair dryer, daily newspapers and 110/220/volt outlets. The Queens Grill also feature Bon Voyage bottle of champagne, a bar with selected spirits or wine and soft drinks and a room service prepared by Queens Grill chefs during restaurant hours. Accommodating 1700 passengers representing the most affluent segment of leisure travellers, the QE2 has been adjudged best in her class for four successive years by the Berlitz Complete Guide to Cruising and Cruise Ships, one of the industry's most authoritative publications. Built 34 years ago in 1969 QE2 had cost S40,000,000 and its maiden voyage had been from Southampton to New York. QE2 is expected to return to Colombo in March 2004 on her world cruise. Chairman Gabo Group Gabo Peiris said, the QE2 calling in Colombo shows the confidence of Cunardline in Sri Lanka and its potential for tourism. It took six years for us to convince Cunardline to put Colombo as one of its ports of call. It is a great achievement as all the passengers who saw the beauty of Sri Lanka will want to visit it again. GM Tours Fariz Deen said that there are some exciting packages lined up for Sri Lankans to enjoy the comforts and the sailing experience of QE2. In January 2004 Queen Mary 2 will make her debut as the queen of all ocean liners. The maiden Grand Transatlantic voyage will depart southampton on January 12, 2004. (SG) |
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