:: Spotlight :: Alex Perry to showcase new collection on board Queen Mary 2

By: Carmine Pascuzzi

Cunard Line has revealed that Australia’s designer to the stars, Alex Perry, will be showcasing his 2009 Autumn/Winter Collection onboard Queen Mary 2 when she visits Sydney on February 26, 2009. In a unique first, Alex Perry’s elegant gowns will be paraded poolside on the decks of the world’s most luxurious ocean liner, with Sydney Harbour as a stunning backdrop to the show. The glittering event is expected to attract more than 100 of Sydney’s elite celebrities, socialites and media eager to explore the ship and review Perry’s Autumn/Winter collection.

Ann Sherry, CEO of Carnival Australia which operates Cunard in Australia, said the company was delighted to host this event on Queen Mary 2. “QM2 is truly the world’s grandest liner and will be the perfect backdrop for a fashion event hosted by one of Australia’s most celebrated designers."

Alex Perry said the grand design of the ship was reminiscent of a golden age of ocean travel, which would provide inspiration for his collection and the show itself. “There is nothing more exciting than planning a show on the most glamorous liner, in the most glamorous harbour in the world,” he said.

At a massive 151,400 tonnes, the A$1 billion Queen Mary 2 is the largest ship ever to visit Australia. Too big to fit under the Harbour Bridge or dock at Circular Quay, with the height equivalent to a 23-storey building, QM2 will be berthed at the Garden Island Naval Docks in Woolloomooloo between 7.00am and midnight on February 26, 2009.

ABOUT QUEEN MARY 2

FEATURES INCLUDE:

•1310 staterooms including 955 private balcony cabins
•10 different cabin types including 171 junior suites, suites and penthouses as well as two Grand Duplex apartments, each measuring 209 sq m
•a spectacular six-storey atrium
•the largest library at sea, home to more than 8000 books
•the largest ballroom at sea
•a 20,000sq ft state-of-the-art spa spanning two decks and offering 24 treatment rooms
•More than 10 restaurants and cafes including:
•the impressive 1347-seat three-storey Britannia Restaurant
•the 200-seat Queens Grill
•the 178-seat Princess Grill
•the fine-dining Todd English restaurant
•the Boardwalk Café
•the Golden Lion Club
•the informal 478-seat King’s Court for breakfast and lunch buffet style, which transforms at night into four other dining options
- La Piazza (Italian) – 66 seats. Open 24 hours
- Lotus (Asian) – 212 seats
- The Carvery (British) – 164 seats
- Chef’s Galley (Demonstration Kitchen) – 36 seats
•The first planetarium at sea, Illuminations
•14 bars and clubs
•8 different shops including boutiques from Chanel, Hermes and Dunhill
•4 outdoor swimming pools, including one with a retractable glass roof, and eight whirlpool spas
•a range of sport facilities including two state-of-the-art golf simulators, a half-size basketball court, putting green, quoits, shuffleboard, deck games, a giant chess board and a paddle tennis court.

DID YOU KNOW?

•Queen Mary 2 features 17 decks and towers about 62 metres above the waterline, equal to the height of a 23-storey building.

•She is two-thirds the length of the Sydney Harbour Bridge.

•Queen Mary 2 stretches almost four football fields in length and, if stood on her end, would reach about 40 metres higher than the tip of Sydney Tower.

•It would take five double decker A380 Airbuses to carry the ship’s passengers.

•There are more than 50 nationalities amongst the 1200 crew.

•The ship’s teak wrap-around Promenade Deck is almost 600m long.

•The Queen Mary 2 signs near the funnel are the largest illuminated ship name signs in maritime history stretching 22 metres long and 2.4 metres high

•Queen Mary 2’s library is the largest at sea with more than 8000 hardbacks, 500 paperbacks, 200 audio books and 100 CD ROMs

•The three-deck high main dining room spans the full width of the ship and has a sweeping central staircase perfect for the ultimate grand entrance.

•Since Cunard’s establishment in 1840 the company has launched nearly 180 ships.

•Over a 40-year lifetime, Queen Mary 2 will travel the equivalent of 12 times to the moon and back.

•Queen Mary 2 has two huge 2.1m-long whistles, or horns, attached to the funnel. The starboard (right hand side) whistle is an original from the first Queen Mary. The two whistles sound a deep bass ‘A’ note and can be heard 16km away.

•The ship has three 23-tonne anchors.

•The ship’s engines produce enough thrust to launch a jumbo jet. There are four diesel engines and two gas turbines. Each diesel engine is 12.5m long and weighs 217 tons.

•Queen Mary 2 is one of the most technically advanced ships ever built. She has three thrusters which allow the ship to turn in her own length in port without the use of tugs. These thrusters produce twice the power of a conventional 100,000-ton ship. A small single joystick on the Bridge manoeuvres her sideways or at an angle.

•Four locomotives, side by side, could fit into Queen Mary 2’s massive funnel, which is 13.4m by 6.7m at its widest point.

•The ship has four stabilisers, each weighing 70 tons and extending 6.2m from the hull, which together can reduce the ship’s roll by 90 per cent.

QUEEN MARY 2 HAS:
•1072 deck chairs
•2500 kilometres of electrical cable
•500 kilometres of ducts, mains and pipes
•2000 bathrooms
•234,000 square metres of carpet
•3000 telephones
•5000 stairs
•5000 fire detectors