Queen Mary 2 the only ocean going liner

Good morning Mr Payne,
Firstly let me point out that I am a huge fan of the Cunard line and I love the looks of all their ships but I do have a niggling query.

Both your very good self and indeed Cunard all refer to the Queen Mary 2 as the only ocean going liner that is still in service.

I am someone that queries statements that are made regarding topics I am interested in and please, please note I am querying this statement and not disagreeing with it.

We all accept you were commissioned to design an ocean going liner and you built the world's most advanced, most impressive liner to ever sail the high seas. The reasons why this ship was an ocean liner are well documented and do not need repeating, but is a ship that was built as an ocean liner, always going to be one?

I ask this as we have all seen beautiful looking but much smaller ocean liners being taken out of service, then bought by a cruise line and from that date they are only referred to as a cruise ship!

This is where I am confused as the Queen Mary 2 appears to spend most of her time being used as a cruise ship and on some of these cruises she visits New York, but the port of New York is part of a scheduled cruise? I do believe that once or maybe twice a year she might actually do what I believe is a back to back vist to that port but even that trip is viewed as a cruise and not a trip where folks are being transported as per the much older days of the original Queen Mary.

Folks are giving me an awful lot of stick for daring to ask this question but I would genuinely appreciate your input just to put my inquisitive mind at ease.

Incidentally the only current other ocean liner I can think of that is still in service is the Marco Polo but I bow to your far suprior knowledge regarding that statement

I cannot see a way of posting a picture on this thread but this might show a link to the Marco Polo

http://i1258.photobucket.com/albums/ii527/glojoh/Marcos_zps995fdb04.jpg


Thank you very much for taking the time to read my post and please accept that this is me simply trying to put my mind at rest regarding this minor issue

Regards
A huge fan
John

Dear Glojo,

Let me assure you and many others that Queen Mary 2 is unequivocally a thoroughbred liner. She embodies the hull form, strength, reserves of power and overall shape that are the prerequisites through and through. She may undertake round trip holiday voyages (cruises in other words) as well as offering a point to point ferry service (transatlantic crossings), but she is a liner. Period.

I concede that Marco Polo does indeed have her origins as a liner, but she is hardly in the same league and doesn't offer regular point to point sailings like Queen Mary 2.

Thank you for your question.

Stephen