SOUTHAMPTON [10 November 2026]

The refurbishment will introduce new Grill Suites accommodation, an elevated wellness offering and refreshed guest spaces, while preserving the ship’s distinctive Art Deco identity and her place as the icon of transatlantic glamour.

 

Bringing the creative vision to life, Cunard has collaborated with acclaimed illustrator Tanu Vasu on a bespoke collection of newly released illustrations. Offering the first look at how some of Queen Mary 2’s most iconic spaces will be reimagined, the illustrations capture the spirit, craftsmanship and design language behind the transformation.

 

Designed by London-based studio AD Associates, the interiors draw directly from Cunard’s historic archive and the decorative arts of the original Queen Mary, creating a rich visual narrative that connects Britain and America, past and present, across the Atlantic. 

 

As the flagship of the Cunard fleet and the only ship in the world offering regularly scheduled transatlantic crossings between Southampton and New York, Queen Mary 2 holds a special place in maritime history. The 2027 refurbishment represents Cunard’s continued investment in the future of luxury ocean travel. 

 

Paul Ludlow, President of Cunard, said: “Queen Mary 2 holds a unique position within our fleet and remains one of the most recognisable ships in the world. Our focus is on protecting and celebrating everything that makes her so special, while making considered enhancements that will further elevate the onboard experience. We are confident these improvements will ensure Queen Mary 2 continues to set the standard in luxury ocean travel for years to come.”

 

 

A tapestry woven between two continents

 

The design process began at Cunard’s archive in its spiritual home of Liverpool, where designers immersed themselves in original drawings, ornate schemes and artworks from the 1936 RMS Queen Mary, transforming the decorative arts of the 1930s into a modern design language for the ship. The redesign will cover every grade of accommodation, from Britannia staterooms to the Grand Duplex Queens Grill Suites, as well as the Princess Grill and Queens Grill restaurants and the Grill Suites Lounge.

 

Cunard Deco brings together refined British elegance and the transatlantic glamour of the crossing between Southampton and New York. Cunard has crossed the Atlantic since 1840, and Queen Mary 2 has sailed this route since 2004. 

 

AD Associates approached the ship as a tapestry woven between two continents, Britain and America, with a warp and weft of design and storytelling: the warp bringing structure, steel and order, and the weft carrying stories, style and memories. 

 

Where the threads cross, stories emerge in custom carpets, wallcoverings, screens and artwork, many of them drawn from the 1936 liner. Each Grill Suites space has its own story, united by a scallop shell motif, a historic emblem of safe passage across the sea. 

 

Its distinctive fanned shape, which echoes tide lines and horizons, takes a different form in each space: the iconic bow of Queen Mary 2 cutting through the Atlantic in the Queens Grill Suites; a cinematically symmetrical design inspired by the Manhattan skyline in the Princess Grill Suites; and a peacock-fan-inspired design in the Grill Suites Lounge. The latter draws on the social promenade aboard the original Queen Mary, known affectionately to guests as ‘Peacock Alley’, where fashionable travellers would stroll, meet, see and be seen. 

 

Embroidery and bespoke artwork add further layers of storytelling. In the Princess Grill Suites, embroidered headboards depicting cityscape silhouettes share the subtle stories of transatlantic travel, while printed panels in the bathrooms reinterpret Leslie MacDonald Gill’s map of the Atlantic, which hung in the first-class dining room of the original Queen Mary. Gill’s map included a working clock, and the hands in the new artwork are stopped at 4.33pm, the moment Queen Mary first left Southampton in May 1936.  

 

Chris Finch, Founder and CEO of AD Associates, said: “The process of exploring Cunard’s archive in Liverpool, with the drawings and decorative arts of the 1936 Queen Mary, gave us both inspiration for the designs and stories to build meaning behind those creative choices. A guest might not know that the clock design in their suite stopped at the minute Queen Mary first set sail, but once they do, they never look at the room in the same way.”

 

 

Celebrating British craftsmanship

 

The refurbishment celebrates the crafts of Cunard’s 1930s liners, including marquetry and cabinetmaking. It also brings together the skills of British suppliers, among them the world-renowned manufacturer of luxury carpets, Ulster Carpets, a Royal Warrant holder that weaves for royal residences such as Buckingham Palace.

 

Designing for the sea is different from designing on land: every fabric, finish and carpet has to meet the highest marine standards, and AD Associates’ creative team will bring 20 years’ experience in luxury hotel design to the project. Many of the ship’s existing timbers, stone floors and fittings will be kept and restored, reducing waste and preserving her original craftsmanship. 

 

 

450 crossings and a new chapter for an icon

 

The design reveal coincides with Queen Mary 2’s 450th Transatlantic Crossing. To mark the milestone, the voyage features the 450 Club, an immersive and theatrical programme that celebrates the history and enduring appeal of transatlantic travel through events across the ship.

 

Queen Mary 2 takes her name from the original RMS Queen Mary, which made her maiden voyage 90 years ago in 1936, and the new interiors bring that liner’s decorative arts back to the Atlantic. The redesign responds to growing demand for luxury travel with a sense of history and occasion, as more travellers choose the journey itself over the destination.

 

The ship will enter dry dock at Damen Shiprepair Brest in France on 31 March 2027 before returning to service on 9 May 2027.  

 

For more information about Cunard, visit www.cunard.com.