Is Queen Mary 2 an Icon of the Seas?

So, just how big is Queen Mary 2? How does she match up with the latest icons of the seas? Does she still rate?

The much-admired Queen Mary 2, of Cunard fame, has recently been feted in Liverpool, England, as reported by the BBC. Her visit marked the 185th anniversary of Cunard’s first transatlantic crossing, which departed in 1840. That’s something. Long before Jumbo Jets!

She’s been to Freo quite a few times, as these images will remind Shipees.

One of the all time fab shots of Queen Mary 2 in Freo is this one taken in 2023 by Les Moyle of Balm Commercial Photography, with the great ocean liner turning in Freo harbour and the city of Perth way in the distance.

QM2 in Fremantle 2023. Credit Les Moyle, Balm Commercial Photography

And our Shipping and Sailing Correspondent, Jean Hudson captured this wonderful night shot of her leaving Freo in 2023.

QM2 in Fremantle 2023. Credit Jean Hudson

QM2 is said to be the ‘largest and the last purpose-built ocean liner on the seas’. But what does that mean? What about the other big cruise ships? Aren’t they larger?

Well, it all depends on what you mean when you say ocean liner and cruise liner. She’s an ocean liner, not a cruise liner!

So, you ask, what’s the difference between an ocean liner and a cruise liner! Well here are the key differences.

If you put QM2 in a table with the top 10 cruise liners in 2025, she doesn’t rank. Icon of the Seas tops the poll. In fact, QM2 doesn’t even make the top 20. Ranked by gross tonnage, Queen Mary 2 would now rank around number 40–45 globally, depending on how you count ships with similar tonnage.

Here’s the top 10 showing QM2 well down the list.

A capacity for 7,600 people versus ’s 2,695 rather tells the story.

By the way, here’s an artist’s impression of Icon of the Seas when she was being built.

QM2 was the largest passenger ship in the world when launched in 2004, but has since been eclipsed by the mega cruise liners of Royal Caribbean, MSC, Carnival, and others listed here.

Despite her smaller size, though, QM2 remains the largest ocean liner ever built, designed for speed and strength across the Atlantic. She’s built –

*with 40% more steel than a typical cruise ship,

*cruises at 26 knots (vs 22–23 knots for most cruise ships), and

*boasts a planetarium, ballroom, and art deco grandeur that no floating theme park on a mere cruise liner can match!

So, is Queen Mary 2 an icon of the seas? Well, no, in one way. But yes, in another! She is still the largest ocean liner going round.

By Michael Barker, Editor, Fremantle Shipping News

~ If you’d like to COMMENT on this or any of our stories, don’t hesitate to email our Editor.

~ WHILE YOU ARE HERE –