Film Overview

In 1934, The Cunard Line launched the Queen Mary. It was the largest ship of its time and it set a new standard for ocean liners of the era. In 2004, the fourth Queen to sail under the Cunard flag was launched, The Queen Mary 2. At 150,000 tons she is the longest, tallest, widest, biggest ocean liner of the world. And to commemorate the launch, Cunard sent the Queen Mary 2 on a voyage to Rio de Janeiro for the largest party on earth, Carnaval.

Doug Jones, one of the foremost producers of travel films today, was onboard to produce "Sailing Down to Rio - on the Queen Mary 2." The voyage duplicates a legendary journey of the S.S. Normandie that was done in 1939. The historic journey remains among the most remembered voyages of the 20th century. The new Cunarder, Queen Mary 2, repeats the experience. Sailing from Fort Lauderdale, QM2 stops in St. Thomas, the Virgin Islands then sails to the equator and the Southern Hemisphere arriving at Salvador Bahia. Along the way you will travel inland to the Amazon and on to Iguazu Falls. QM2 arrives in Rio just as Carnaval begins. From the beautiful white sand beaches at Copacabana and Ipanema to the cable car ride to Sugar Loaf and the cog train to the Christ Statue atop Corcovado, Rio is like no other city on Earth. And you'll see the magic of Carnaval, throngs of people dancing in the streets and the spectacular samba parades Rio is world famous for.

The film lets you see the wonders of this great new vessel. Meet the Commodore and visit the bridge. See the engine control room of this new hi-tech ship and meet the Chief Engineer. QM2's Executive Chef will take you through the largest floating galleys of the sea. See the lavish shows and peak into the deluxe suites. Relax on the decks and enjoy activities as varied as art auctions and planetarium lectures and meet some of the 1400 people who make up the international staff. All this and much more are featured in this new 90-minute, feature-length film.