Queen Elizabeth 2 departed Southampton enroute the for Bremerhaven and the Lloyd Werft shipyard for her routine refit scheduled for every two years.  Some of the work scheduled while QE2 is in Bremerhaven includes a technical overhaul and carpet replacement.  The work will be completed by May 9 when she returns to the UK to start her summer cruise season.

Queen Elizabeth 2 has now sailed an estimated 5.5 million nautical miles since her naming in 1967, by comparison Queen Mary 2 has sailed just 300,000 nautical miles in the past two years.

After sailing two more Trans-Atlantic crossings herself, Queen Mary 2 has her own date with a drydock.  She heads to Blohm and Voss to get her damaged propulsion pod removed for repairs.  The pod was damaged while the ship was departing Fort Lauderdale FL back on January 17 and has been sailed at reduced speeds ever since.  QM2 will be out of service for 6 days to allow for the removal of the damaged pod, returning on May 11 to sail a Northern Europe itinerary.  The ship will operate the entire summer on just three pods and return to Blohm and Voss in November in order for the repaired pod to be re-installed.