Tours in Cape Town

Posts Tagged ‘Queen Mary 2’

The Queen Mary 2 at its mooring at the foot of Table Mountain

The visit of the Queen Mary 2 was too short. She spent  only two days and one night in Cape Town’s Duncan dock before she sailed away on Friday evening.

The ship was treated like royalty while here. A lot better than the passengers who had to stand in long queues to board her, thankfully on a day when it was cooler than what we have been experiencing here of late.

Cape Town came out if force to bid the Queen farewell

I was privileged to get an invite to go on a harbour cruise to see the ship leave port.

What an experience to be out on the water waving goodbye to such a magnificent ship.

The sun setting over the Queen at her berth in Cape Town

As is usual in the holiday travel industry there is always some one who is late getting back from a trip or tour somewhere  in our beautiful city and causing those who took the trouble to be on time to wait for them to arrive.

In this instance 3000+ people on the Queen Mary 2, two tugs and the pilot boat, an assorted array of boats in the bay and a number of helicopters, plus thousands of people lined up outside the Port authority building and on jetties around the harbour had to wait for an hour longer than was necessary due to two people being late back from a tour, for the great ship to slip her moorings and leave the harbour.

The Queen Mary being turned

Her bows nearly clear of the jetty where she was moored

Her bows now clear of the jetty where she was moored

Just about ready to leave

After the tugs had moved her away from her berth they had to turn her stern towards Table Mountain and then move the whole ship northwards before she was able to set sail.

The send off fit for a Queen

Her final sendoff after dropping the lines from the tugs and the pilot was one of the tugs sending a magnificent spray of water into the air to say farewell.

The Queen Mary 2 with Table Mountain and Lions Head in the background

The upper decks with passengers lining the rails

The Queen Mary  2 answered by blowing her horn, causing a large cheer from the crowds and the waiting boats in the bay to go up.

The Queen Mary 2 sailing off into the sunset

With the sun setting over Table Bay the magnificent Queen Mary 2 made her way slowly out into the bay to continue her world cruise with her next destination being the islands of St Helena.

What a fitting departure for a queen.

Cape Town is such a magnificent destination that even royalty come to stay here and enjoy our hospitality.

Let’s see you all here soon for the world’s largest sporting event.

The FIFA World cup.

Cape Town is ready and waiting for you to arrive.

While here take some of the day tours available ,  see some of our magnificent scenery, discover our wonderful wines,  and after your visit send all your friends back  to visit us.

Book your Cape Town Day Tours early to avoid disappointment.

We would love to show you around our beautiful city.

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The Queen Mary 2, the largest ship afloat docked in Cape Town harbour

This morning the second largest passenger ship afloat in the world sailed into Table Bay on its maiden voyage to Cape Town. It’s on a world cruise that started in New york and crossed the Atlantic to Southampton.

The Queen Mary 2, lying in Cape Town Harbour today 22.3.2010

From there it sailed through the Mediterranean and Suez Canal to Mumbai, India; Nagasaki, Japan; before making its way south to Australia.stopping off at Whitsunday Island before sailing to Auckland New Zealand.

From there it sailed west to Sydney, Adelaide and Perth before heading for Mauritius and Durban.

The Queen Mary 2, so long you cannot ge all of it into a photo

The ship docked in Cape Town today and will stay two nights before setting sail for St Helana Island, Rio de Janeiro and Miami before heading back across the Atlantic to Southampton.

So what does it cost to sail on the world’s largest ship afloat?

Its not as bad as you would think if you were earning pounds sterling but as a South African it could become pretty pricey.

The following legs were advertised as follows.
17 nights from Sydney to Cape Town B/Stg pounds 1512.00
Only ZAR 16257.00

The leg from Cape Town to Southampton which is scheduled to take 28 days will cost B/Stg Pounds 2051.00 or ZAR 22853.00 depending on the rate of exchange at time of purchase.

A total of R 39119.00 for 45 nights of cruising luxury.

Obviously this is not the final price as there are optional extras along the way as well as onboard expenses.

Add some spending money and a 45 day cruise could cost you around R60000.00 per person. Not really that exhorbitant if you think about it.

That of course is only the cruising part. You must also add flights to your starting destination and home from Southampton to Cape Town which could cost another R20000.00 or so plus accommodation while waiting for the ship and your flights.

One would think that only the rich and famous would sail on the Queen Mary 2 and that they would get special tratment when waiting to board the ship. That was not the case in Cape Town today.

People queueing to board the Queen Mary 2

One lady in the queue had been there since 11.30 am and when I got to the ship at around 14.30 pm was still a good two hundred metres from the customs and security tent.

At last the end of the queue is in sight!!

What makes the ship the largest afloat?

The Queen Mary 2

To start with it is 1132 feet long (347 metres) more than the length of three rugby fields set end to end. From keel to funnel she is 236 feet high ( 72 metres). This ship is big as you will see from the accompanying photos.
Standing 500 metres from the ship I could not get the entire ship into a shot.
Here are some interesting statistics regarding the ship.

The bridge about 200 feet above the keel of the ship

QM2 is five times longer than Cunard’s first ship, Britannia (230 ft.)

QM2’s whistle is audible for 10 miles

Here is a unique photo, Cape Town Stadium and the Queen Mary 2 in the same shot.

Now you know why I could not get the full ship on one photo.

For those fortunate enough to be able to sail away from Cape Town on a holiday of a lifetime tomorrow I say:

Bon Voyage!!

Enjoy!!

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