World's largest cruise ship docks in Dubai with 4200 passengers and crew

As it docked at the state-of-the-art Dubai Cruise Terminal in the Port Rashid complex, the 1,132-feet-long, 72-metre tall vessel made history by becoming the largest ship ever to enter Dubai, the region's pioneering cruise hub.

A host of VIPs and government officials led by the Director General of Dubai Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM), Mr. Khalid A bin Sulayem, and Mr. Awadh Seghayer Al Ketbi, Acting Manager of DTCM-managed Dubai Cruise Terminal, joined the fanfare to welcome 4200 passengers, including 1600 crew members.
The cruise visitors were provided glimpses into the emirate's rich culture and heritage by the UAE nationals. There was a passenger exchange programme involving 2597 cruise tourists.

The cruise liner has arrived from the Indian port city of Kochi and is heading to Egypt. The bulk of the passengers are Australians followed by US, British and German nationals.

Operated by Cunard Line, the world's grandest ocean liner started its around the world -in-80 days journey on January 11 from Fort Lauderdale in the US and after circumnavigating the globe and covering 38,000 nautical miles, it will return to the port on April 2.

The ship has 19 decks which equals the height of a 23-story building. The ship is only 118 feet shorter than the Empire State Building. The Queen Mary 2 has the largest ballroom at sea and the only planetarium at sea. QM2 entered service in January 2004 and is the largest, longest, widest, tallest and most expensive passenger ship in history. Queen Mary 2 is the first passenger liner purpose-built for trans-Atlantic service in 35 years.

Queen Mary 2 features a broad range of accommodations, from the most economical 194-square-ft. inside cabins to lavish duplex suites. All in all, from a total of 1,310 cabins, 955 are fitted with the private balconies.

The massive 151,400-ton Queen Mary 2 navigates at the top speed of approximately 30 knots (34.5 mph) and its whistle is audible at 10 miles.

Up to 50 cruise ships are expected at the region's first and only dedicated cruise tourism facility during the cruise tourism's winter season ending April 2007.

The passenger vessels, some of which making their debut in the Middle East region, are scheduled bring a total of 64,993 passengers and crew members on board.

The ship-shaped terminal, opened in 2001, is the world's first to receive ISO-9002 certification and also the world's only cruise facility run by the government tourism body.