Disney Magic arrives in Liverpool

Posted on 27 May, 2016 by Spacejunkie2

It’s here! The spectacular Disney Magic cruise ship has arrived in Liverpool.

The visit is the luxury liner’s maiden voyage to the city – and it has brought some of Disney’s best known names with it.

The stunning vessel entered the Mersey this morning carrying 2,700 guests and an incredible 950 cast and crew members.

Packed with Disney characters – from princesses to super heroes – the cruise ship showcases the famous film-maker’s magical history.

Guests on board can enjoy Disney inspired dining, theatre, leisure and entertainment designed for children of all ages (and their big kid parents!).

Weighing 84,000 tonnes it boasts 10 different restaurants, five pools and two nightclubs.

You can even meet Disney royalty on board- from introducing yourself to Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty to playing in a giant recreation of Toy Story Andy’s bedroom.

Today’s visit to Liverpool is one of only a handful of UK stops being made by the 12 night transatlantic cruise, which started in Florida.

And while Merseyside’s biggest Disney fans may not be able to taste the experience today fear not – it returns next month.

And on when it does, on June 12, a host of events will celebrate its arrival.

There will be an outdoor cinema that will show Frozen, Finding Nemo, Toy Story and Mary Poppins in full.

A bandstand in front of the Cunard Building will play host to live music, with the Royal Marines Bands playing a Disney medley and performances from opera singer Danielle Thomas and Liverpool’s Ukulele Orchestra.

Youngsters will also be battling it out to be named Liverpool’s Young Town Crier.

A ‘magic garden’ event will run at Pier Head, themed with potting sheds, toadstools, giant flowers and fairy houses.

And, at around 10.15pm, a firework display will signal the moment the vessel leaves for Dublin.

Cunard’s Queen Mary 2 embarks on historic transatlantic crossing

Posted on 6 July, 2015 by Spacejunkie2

By Phil Davies

Cunard's Queen Mary 2 embarks on historic transatlantic crossing

Cunard flagship Queen Mary 2 departed on the line’s first transatlantic crossing from Liverpool for the first time in almost 50 years at the weekend.

Saturday’s sailing marked the 175th anniversary of the line’s first scheduled service to the US.

Queen Mary 2’s special crossing from Liverpool to Halifax and Boston is recreating the first voyage.

A total of 400 passengers joined the ship in Liverpool to make the crossing.

This was the first time that passengers have set out on a transatlantic voyage from Liverpool since Cunard’s Franconia’s last crossing from the city in 1968.

Cunard marketing director, Angus Struthers, said: “It’s just six weeks since the Three Queens Liverpool Salute made news around the world and the city has once again given Cunard the warmest of welcomes.

“The atmosphere in the city is still amazing and the support for Queen Mary 2 has been fantastic on this, the exact day that Cunard’s first ship set out on her maiden crossing from Liverpool, 175 years ago.

“Today has also been the first time in nearly 50 years that we’ve been able to welcome transatlantic passengers aboard in Liverpool and those 400 people have each made a little bit of history.

“This has been such an extraordinary year for Cunard but it has been the strength of the partnership with Liverpool, our ‘spiritual home’ which has made our 175th anniversary so special.”

Cunard liners mark 175th anniversary in Liverpool

Posted on 25 May, 2015 by Spacejunkie2

3 Queens and the Red Arrows visit Liverpool

Three famous ocean liners have sailed together in Liverpool for the first time to mark Cunard’s 175th anniversary.

The Queen Mary 2, the Queen Victoria and the Queen Elizabeth saluted the city where Samuel Cunard began his transatlantic line in 1840.

Thousands of people lined the River Mersey to watch the “three queens” perform a synchronised sailing display.

As the fleet completed its manoeuvres, the Red Arrows performed a fly-past.

Captain Christopher Wells, who was at the helm of the Queen Mary 2, said it was a “very special weekend”.

“It allows us to celebrate our anniversary in the city where the company was founded.

“To have that celebration is very important not only to us, but also to the city,” he said.

The three Cunard Queens on the River Mersey — The three Cunard Queens sailed on the River Mersey

Queen Elizabeth, Queen Mary 2 off Crosby Beach ready to enter the River Mersey — Crowds gathered at Crosby Beach

Red Arrows fly-past — As the fleet completed its manoeuvres, the Red Arrows performed a fly-past

Three Cunard liners — The event celebrates the famous shipping line’s formation 175 years ago in its original home port

Queen Mary 2 leaves Liverpool to meet sister Liners Queen Elizabeth and Queen Victoria — The display was part of a three-day celebration

The display was part of a three-day celebration, which ends on Tuesday, marking the company’s first transatlantic crossing from Liverpool.

Sir Samuel Cunard, who founded the service, sailed aboard the RMS Britannia to Boston on its maiden voyage on 4 July 1840.

The Cunard company revolutionised travel in the 19th Century with its steam ships which added speed and safety to journeys which had previously been made on less reliable sailing ships.

By the early part of the 20th Century, the company’s “big three” liners – Mauretania, Berengaria and Aquitania – were the primary means of passenger transport across the Atlantic

The shipping company moved its headquarters from the Cunard Building on Liverpool’s waterfront to Southampton in 1965.

Cunard at 175: Facts and figures

Since the first scheduled service across the Atlantic, Cunard ships have crossed and re-crossed the Atlantic, in peace and war, without fail every year
More than 109,000 bottles of red wine are consumed every year on board Queen Victoria
The annual sugar consumption on Queen Mary 2 is enough to make eight million scones