Tag Archives: Queen Mary 2

US Basketball Teams Opt for Luxury Cruise Ship Over Olympic Village

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Team USA’s men’s and women’s basketball stars will be living a life of luxury during this month’s 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.

While many American athletes will be staying at the oft-criticized Olympic Village this summer, America’s best ballers will be laying their heads inside of Silversea Cruises’ Silver Cloud cruise ship.

The Chicago Tribune reported the players arrived on the 296-guest ship Wednesday.

The Silver Cloud, which is the oldest ship in Silversea’s main fleet, is anchored at Rio’s Pier Maua in the Guanabara Bay.

Inside the ship, highlights include generous-sized beds (ideal for basketball players), a spa, a pool, multiple dining options and even a cigar lounge.

Outside, security will be extremely tight. According to the Daily Mail, there’s only one entrance to the ship and it will be manned by security equipped with a scanner. Bulletproof glass will surround the ship and police boats will patrol the nearby waters.

READ MORE: Norwegian Getaway to Become Floating Hotel for 2016 Olympics in Rio

The reason for booking the Silver Cloud is simple, according to USA Basketball spokesman Craig Miller, who told the Associated Press earlier this year that “we don’t stay in the village because we don’t feel it’s the best way to prepare for competition.”

“The players have a long professional season, and they want to spend as much time as possible with family and friends,” added Miller.

While staying outside of the Olympic Village is nothing new for USA Basketball — the last time being the 1988 Summer Games — this summer will be the first time in 12 years that the teams have stayed on a cruise ship.

The teams stayed on the Cunard Line’s Queen Mary 2 during the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece.

New look QM2 sails into Southampton after £90m ‘remastering’

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Cunard flagship Queen Mary 2 sailed into Southampton early this morning following a 25-day refit costing around £90 million.

The so-called ‘remastering’ of the 12-year old ship sees 50 new cabins added, including 15 for single travellers.

Ten additional kennels have been added for passengers taking their pets on transatlantic sailings, complete with a lamp post from Liverpool and a fire hydrant from New York to make dogs “feel at home”.

The work at a shipyard in Hamburg has seen a redesign and refurbishment of the Queens Grill and Princess Grill suites and restaurants, as well as Britannia cabins, with the remainder of the accommodation to be fully completed by the end of the year, according to Cunard.

A new speciality restaurant, The Verandah, has been introduced while the Kings Court buffet area has been completely restructured.

The redesign of key public spaces and restaurants includes transformation of the former Winter Garden into the Carinthia Lounge.

Queen Mary arrives in Southampton after Major Refit.

The ship’s exterior has been repainted, using more than 15,000 litres of paint applied to the hull alone, and “significant technical enhancements and structural changes” have been carried out.

More than one million man hours went in to the refurbishment over the 25 days with 55,200 square metres of new carpets laid – the equivalent of 10 football pitches.

A total of 4,000 new framed pictures have been brought on board as part of the refurbishment.

Cunard senior vice president, Simon Palethorpe, said ahead of the ship departing for New York later today: “Cunard’s passion for delivering a service and experience that both meets and exceeds guest’s expectations is transforming the way we travel by sea.

“Remastering Queen Mary 2 honours the heritage and iconic status of our magnificent ship to take our passengers forward into a new era of ocean travel.”

Jazz artist Herbie Hancock to play QM2 crossing

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Herbie Hancock

Jazz legend Herbie Hancock is the latest artist to be announced in Cunard Line’s jazz-at-sea themed transatlantic crossings on the Queen Mary 2.

Hancock will perform three 45-minute shows on the Aug. 1 voyage from Southampton, England, to New York.

A pianist, Hancock played early in his career with Miles Davis and wrote several modern jazz standards such as “Maiden Voyage” and “Watermelon Man.”

Jazz singer Gregory Porter is scheduled to play on a crossing departing Oct. 25 from New York as part of Cunard’s partnership with Blue Note Records and Blue Note Jazz Clubs.