A new four-minute video tells the story of the recent multi-million dollar refit that took place aboard Cunard Line’s Queen Elizabeth, creating nine new single staterooms, laying more than 25,000 square metres of carpeting, replacing more than 3,000 mattresses, installing 1,200 flat screen TVs, adding new awnings on the sun decks, re-modelling the Lido restaurant and Royal Arcade shopping area, and on the technical side, replacing a 65 tonne alternator.

Over 20 days in May and June, 950 contractors worked with ship’s staff around the clock to complete the work at the Blohm+Voss yard in Hamburg, Germany, drinking 54,300 cups of coffee, more than 35,000 cups of tea and 9,000 litre bottles of water, and consuming more than 80,000 meals – with 13,500 sachets of tomato sauce – over the duration of the 265,000 man-hour project.

Recognising the increasing popularity of solo travel, eight outside and one inside staterooms were added to the ship and are on sale now, available for booking beginning with the 16 December 2014 sailing (voyage number Q422).

The single staterooms measure 159 to 162 square feet, with features including:

• Ideal central location, mid-ships in close proximity to the social areas of the Empire Casino, the Royal Court Theatre and the Queens Room
• Small double beds with generous width of more than 47”
• Large windows giving plenty of natural daylight and excellent views (outside staterooms only)

Other innovations made possible by the refit include waiters with insulated coffee and tea pots henceforth serving passengers with hot drinks at all meals, following the refurbishment of the ship’s informal Lido restaurant.  The addition of recessed risers will improve the styling of this self-service area as well as passenger flows within it.

More generally, carpets have been renewed and large flat-screen TVs – mostly 32” or above – have been installed in all passenger staterooms.  Sun awnings have been erected on the open area near the Lido pool at the stern on Deck 9 and on both sides of the Grills Upper Terrace area near the top of the ship to offer more shade out on deck. The creation of a dedicated studio enables the ship’s photographers to offer high-end portraiture, while the addition of touch screens in the photo gallery continues the development of a digital environment in which passengers can more easily find and select their photos taken by the team.

Shopping in the Royal Arcade on Deck 3 has been transformed: new Fine Jewellery and Watch shops have opened and the layout, lighting and overall shopping experience for passengers has been enhanced.

On the technical front, scrubber technology has been installed in line with the company’s commitment to minimising its environmental impact. This involves the installation of a new filtration system for the exhaust gas from the ship’s engines.   In addition, a new alternator has been installed.