Cunard takes guests behind the scenes

Adding to its extensive list of onboard activities, Cunard Line is now offering “Behind the Scenes Tours”for the curious guest. Led by Cunard senior officers, the tours offer guests unprecedented access to the ships’ private areas, such as the Medical Centre, Engine Control Room, Butchers Shop and the Mooring Deck. Topics range from environmental concerns, such as recycling 15,000 litres of used cooking oil, to the logistics of stocking more than 5,000 lines of consumable products, such as shower gel and beef joints. During the tour, guests learn first-hand of the many provisions required to manage Cunard Line’s ocean liners. Tour stops include: The Bridge – At the widest part of the ship, the captain and navigational officers greet guests and give a tutorial of all the dials, buttons, radars and navigational charts that help them safely helm Cunard’s Queens; Royal Court Theatre – Guests peruse more than 3,000 costumes in the costume store, and light and sound engineers give hands-on lessons in operating the stage equipment; Galley and Provisions – Guests catch a glimpse of the complex logistics of moving provisions around the world in containers and picking them up in different ports mid-voyage, to accommodate 11 tonnes per day. The tour includes stops at the Food Stores, Butchers Shop, Freezers, and the Galley; Mooring Deck – Guests learn the purpose of the anchor winches, windlesses and other critical machinery on the most forward part of the ship; Medical Centre – Guests tour Cunard’s floating hospital and meet the exceptional medical staff that keeps everyone on board healthy and well; Burma Road – Guests tour the only main crew passageway to run the entire length of the ship and get a behind the scenes look at where the crew and officers socialize after work; Waste Handling Room – Guests observe Cunard’s round-the-clock waste handling operation, and learn the differences between five waste sorting streams: hazardous, recyclable, suitable for incineration, food waste and suitable for donation. Available on board Queen Mary 2, Queen Victoria and Queen Elizabeth, Cunard’s Behind the Scenes Tours last three and a half hours and cost $120 p.p. Currently, one tour with a maximum of 16 guests is available per voyage and can be booked onboard through the Tours Office. (http://www.cunard.com)