09/02/12, 20:18:10 EST

  e-mail this article

A ROYAL VISIT

eTN

Malaysia will be graced by a royal visit in early March. The visit does not involve just any member of royalty – this grand dame will make a huge presence when she arrives in the country.

You see, she is just a little shorter than the Petronas Twin Towers is tall and weighs in at an astonishing 151,400 tonnes. Her royal entourage involves some 1,253 people just to keep her in ship-shape condition. She cost a staggering $US800 million to build and now, some 3,056 guests can sleep within her. The Queen Mary 11, operated by the Cunard Line, is a floating palace and the grandest and most magnificent ocean liner ever built. In the early morning of Sunday March 4 she will steam in from the Straits of Malacca into Port Klang for a brief visit and residents of the Klang Valley will get a chance to see from afar, the world’s most luxurious ocean liner. The vessel departed Sydney and Hong Kong earlier in the week on her maiden world voyage. The visit to the Australian port coincided with the Queen Elizabeth 11 being in port. The liner will berth in Port Klang to enable the guests onboard to discover the many attractions in and around Kuala Lumpur. While it is not possible for uninvited guests to inspect the vessel, those who are interested can take up one of the many vantage points around Port Klang to admire the scale and beauty of this grand ocean liner. A select group of Malaysian dignitaries will enjoy an inspection of the ship and savour the delights of one of several restaurants onboard with an exclusive luncheon. While onboard they will marvel at the grand array of facilities that include an art gallery with original Picasso and Dali paintings. They will be shown the striking sea views from the Atlantic Room, drop by the Commodore Club and watch waiters create the most divine drinks, pass the Golden Lion Pub where onboard guests enjoy daily karaoke, darts and ales at the going down of the sun and, inspect the Sports Deck with its golf stimulators and golf putting practice greens. The Queen Mary 11 has every facility onboard to ensure a relaxing and enjoyable cruise. Guests can stay in touch with the world via the internet in the Computer Room, dance the night away to the ship’s resident band in the G32 Disco, swim in one of five spacious swimming pools, chance their hand in the Empire Casino, read one of 8,000 books in The Library or dine in one of numerous exciting dining concepts. The Queen Mary 11 is three and a half times the size of the famous Titanic and rises 62 metres above the waterline and all up is the equivalent in height to a 23-storey building. Singer Lenny Kravitz was supposed to be onboard but he cancelled at the last minute. His duplex suite is priced at a cool $US250,000. Malaysian holidaymakers now have the opportunity to take a royal cruise on the luxurious Queen Mary 11. Surprisingly enough, short cruises are not just for royalty and the well to do. Asian Overland Services Tours & Travel (AOS) is offering competitively-priced packages on the Queen Mary 11 from just RM3,779 for a seven-day cruise from New York to Southampton in the United Kingdom. Other upcoming cruise opportunities include Southampton to Fort Lauderdale (Florida, USA), cruises around the Caribbean Sea as well as a Southampton to Southampton Cruise for 12 nights around the Mediterranean Sea.

 Printable Version  | published Feb 26, 2007