After a one-way cruise voyage from Southampton to the German port, the Queen Mary 2 (QM2) entered dry dock at Blohm & Voss, Hamburg, on 27th May for her 25 day overhaul. In her 12 years of service the QM2 has sailed 1,780,000 nautical miles (1.78 million miles) which is the equivalent of the distance to the moon and back more than four times (4.2 times). This is the largest refit ever undertaken by Carnival UK and Cunard has been a customer of the Blohm & Voss yard since 1990.

The QM2 was last drydocked there in 2011 and was out of the water for 19 days during this latest visit. Approximately 1,200 crewmembers, 2,500 contractors and 1,500 yard workers were involved in this mammoth project. Carnival UK’s Alison Clixby (Director of Hotel Design and Projects) has worked with SMC Design to achieve the new look for the ship.

SMC Design was founded in 1994 and is a London-based design consultancy that specialises in the maritime sector. The design team has worked on many ships from small luxury yachts to some of the largest ships ever built.

The company also has a history of working with Cunard ships past and present. SMC’s Managing Director Andy Collier was in fact part of Queen Mary 2’s launch design team when she was the first Atlantic liner to be built for over 35 years.

Post refit, the new passenger capacity is 2,961 with 35 new staterooms having been added on Deck 13, namely 30 A2 Club Balcony Staterooms and 5 IF Standard Inside Staterooms. The new staterooms are contained in eight new blocks which were hoisted on board. Some 32 of the cabin units were complete and 3 were in ‘flat-pack’ form. Six new KC Single Oceanview staterooms have also been added to Deck 3L. These feature two unique circular windows with bench seat cushions and a central dressing console table. Deck 2 has also received nine KB Single Oceanview Staterooms. A week into her significant remastering, the QM2 received the first sections for the 35 additional staterooms on deck 13 (above). An additional 12 kennels are also being fitted while the Cunard flagship is refurbished from bow-to-stern. Tea and coffee making facilities now feature in all staterooms, meaning the addition of 1,305 kettles. All grades of Queens Grill and Princess Grill suites have been completely redone during the refit whilst the 737 Britannia staterooms will be refurbished by the end of 2016. The ship has also received 4,000 new framed pictures and over 6,500 pieces of new loose furniture. New carpeting has been laid in the Royal Court Theatre, Illuminations, Britannia Restaurant, Britannia Club Restaurant, ConneXions, the Champagne Bar, Chart Room, the Golden Lion Pub, the Atlantic Room, the Casino, Commodore Club, Churchills and throughout the four passenger stair towers and stateroom corridors. In total 40,150 square metres in 26 new carpet designs will be laid. Brintons provided 19,000 square metres whilst Ulster Carpets provided 20,000 square metres consisting of 10 tufts per inch of carpet High Quality weave and 80 to 20 ratio of wool to nylon in the blended yarns. A total of 17 giant looms were used in the production of carpets for the ship, with 642 rolls comprising the entire order, shipped to the yard in 33 containers.

The work also included a new Verandah Restaurant, a new Carinthia Lounge (formerly the Winter Garden), an enlarged Britannia Club, all new look Queens Grill & Princess Grill, all new King’s Court Buffet, a new Kennel Suite, a new style Grand Lobby, new Sports Area, Photo Gallery relocation, remodelled Casino, new retail partnerships and a refurbished Canyon Ranch SpaClub.

Work “at the business end” included exhaust gas scrubber systems installed on all four diesel engines, upgrades to all four propulsion motors, a new Ballast Water Treatment system, installation of a new Reverse Osmosis Water Production plant installed and the complete repainting of the exterior using over 10,300 litres of paint.

The ship returned to Southampton on 23rd June, in the company of her two fleet mates.