Queen Mary 2 facts: What you don’t know about cruises

HAVE you ever wondered what a life at sea is really like? Here are some mind-boggling things you may not know about what it’s like on board the biggest and most expensive ocean liner ever built.

Here are some of the crew of the QM2. So what’s life really like at sea? Picture: James M

HAVE you ever wondered what a life at sea on the Queen Mary 2 involves?

How glamorous and soul-enriching it must be, to escape the stresses of life on the land and embrace the picturesque expanses of ocean.

Well, it may be hard to believe, but working on an ocean liner isn’t actually all that cruisy!

From a “kennel master” who looks after any canine companions who may be on board, to the preparation of a whopping 73 kilograms of lobster every day, the crew on board the $800 millionQueen Mary 2, the biggest and most expensive ocean liner ever built, have massive responsibilities.

The 151,400-tonne floating city, which visited Sydney last month during her second circumnavigation of Australia, accommodates 2620 passengers, alongside an incredible 1253 crew.

Here are some mind-boggling facts about what the staff really get up to.

The Laundry Master

On an average day, the laundry processes a staggering 4000 items of linen in a 24/7 operation. It makes your laundry pile at home seem like nothing, right?

The Kennel Master

Did you know you can bring a dog on board a cruise ship? Yep, you can! There’s even a crew member dedicated to working in the kennels on the QM2. More than 2000 dogs have received the royal treatment over 10 years.

The Executive Chef

The Executive Chef is responsible for overseeing 240 staff, who prepare more than 15,000 meals a day across 10 dining rooms. This includes the three-storey 1347-seat Britannia, with an estimated three kilograms of Russian caviar, 73kg of lobster, 460 eggs, 344 bottles of champagne and 1200 litres of milk consumed on-board each day.

With everything including bread made fresh on-board, the kitchen goes through nearly 8000 industrial bags of flour each year — if stacked this would reach five times higher than Sydney Tower (which is 309m tall).

Guests also consume an estimated 7000 boxes of strawberries, 700 scones and 6000 cups of tea. All this service requires 87,000 pieces of china and glassware, daily.

The Britannia Restaurant on QM2.

The Butler

The Head Butler looks after approximately 50 of the best suites, handling everything from meal requirements and party planning to setting up a mobile office. Roger Leonen, who currently holds this position, has served VIP guests such as Lenny Kravitz and Rod Stewart. He spent a month in France beforehand just to help prepare the ship.

The Captain

Coming from a long line of seafarers, Captain Kevin Oprey is in charge of the world’s longest (345m — two thirds the length of the Harbour Bridge), fastest (with a maximum speed 30 knots or 55kmh), tallest (62 metres) and most expensive ocean liner in operation today. It’s no small feat.

He uses a small joystick to manoeuvre the impressive ship, which, by using three thrusters, can turn in its own length without the use of tugs — one of the most impressive displays of reverse parking you’ll ever see.

Captain Kevin Oprey stands beneath the soaring hull of the QM2. Picture: James Morgan

The Chief Engineer

The Chief Engineer manages a team of 108 crew on one of the most technically advanced ships ever built with four Diesel engines (each weighing 217t and 12.5m long) and two gas turbines producing enough thrust to launch a jumbo jet.

The Librarian

The library on the QM2 is the largest at sea and contains 10,000 books. It takes 20 minutes just to unlock or lock its many glass cabinets.

The Hotel Manager

The Hotel Manager is in charge of a veritable floating town with more than 2000 guests in 1310 staterooms ranging from 955 balcony cabins to two grand duplex apartments measuring 209sqm each. That’s a lot of rooms to maintain!

A room on board the QM2.

The Entertainment Director

The Entertainment Director oversees a group of more than 100 singers, dancers, lecturers and entertainers. The key room for performances are the liner’s Royal Court Theatre, which seats 1100 guests over two levels, and the Queens Room, the largest ballroom at sea.

The Harpist

There’s even a dedicated harpist on board the ship: Hannah Kuipers. She generally performs as a soloist but also occasionally performs with the Queen’s Room orchestra.

The Florist

There are dedicated floral art classes for guests, and the florist also prepares the ship arrangements and on-board requests (a guest once ordered $1000 worth of flowers!). In fact, 2500 red roses were loaded for Valentine’s Day — normally the liner would carry about 500.

The QM2 accommodates 1253 crew. Picture: James Morgan

Luxury cruise ship the Queen Mary 2.

Cooking in the kitchen of the cruise ship Queen Mary 2.