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To remind you, Cunard not to name it Queen Elizabeth 3 because they want this ship to be more reminiscent of the original Queen Elizabeth that entered service in 1938, rather than the QE 2, which replaced her in 1968. Today we had a full day to look over the rest of the ship - now fully finished since my shipyard visit in August. As expected, she is a classic beauty; highly reminiscent of the older ships but also fully in keeping with the both modern Queen Mary 2 and Queen Victoria. The staterooms have more storage space than the Queen Victoria, but not quite as much as the Queen Mary. The ship's superstructure is almost identical to the Queen Victoria, and while the d�cor is similar on this ship it is far more devoted to the original Art Deco décor of the original Queen Elizabeth and Queen Mary built in 1938. The Royal Palace Theater is now fininshed and in full productionmode, with rehearsals and blocking for the massive amount of entertainment already underway.
Both the current generation Queen Victoria and the Queen Elizabeth are smaller versions of the mother ship, Queen Mary 2, which is about 40% larger. But the onboard feel will be very much the same regardless of which ship you sail upon, especially at night. All three modern Cunarders have a beautiful ballroom called the Queen's Room. This room is a grand two stories tall with a full bandstand big enough for a 10-piece orchestra and a dance floor long enough for 100s of dancers to all move freely at once. It is here that they will hold the Ascot and Black and White Balls.
Similarly to the Queen Victoria, Elizabeth also has a beautiful Grand Lobby with a Dent clock, flanked by a two story library with a winding staircase and a new iLounge called "Connexxions" which features all Apple Computer products such as iMacs and iPhones. One other difference between Queen Victoria and Elizabeth is that the alternative restaurant Todd English on Victoria has been replaced by "The Verandah," one of the original surcharge restaurants ever built on a cruise ship, back on the original Queen Elizabeth and Queen Victoria ships built in 1938. Then it was actually known as "The Verandah Grill" and my ship historian friend, Peter Knego, tells me that it carried just a slight cover charge, just enough to keep it very exclusive. It was known as the place where the celebrities and nobles would go not to be bothered by the hoi polloi.
On today's Queen Elizabeth, it is called just "The Verandah," and we dined there yesterday for lunch. It was absolutely delicious. From my fois gras opener to my rare duck followed by a chocolate tort, accompanied with several shots of caf� latte, every moment of our three hour lunch was an utter joy. We have already told you about the other subtle differences of this ship, and we will be telling your more after the ceremony tomorrow. This is a just an update keep you primed as we continue our Queen Elizabeth maming adventure. The naming ceremony will commence at 4:00 pm, Monday, October 11, Greenwich time, U.K. Picture taking is not allowed during the ceremony but we will have access to pool photos and of course, our own vivid memories to bring the event to life for you. See you tomorrow.
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