Three Queen cruise ships to rendezvous in New York

NEW YORK -- The three Cunard Queen ships -- the Queen Mary 2, Queen Elizabeth 2 and the new Queen Victoria -- are expected to meet in the waters off Lower Manhattan on the evening of Jan. 13, with the Statue of Liberty as a backdrop and fireworks celebrating the once-in-a-lifetime event.

The Queen Victoria was christened Dec. 10 in Southampton, England, by the Duchess of Cornwall (Camilla Parker Bowles, who is married to Prince Charles). The ship embarks today on a three-month around-the-world cruise, including a trans-Atlantic crossing with the QE2.

After Victoria and the QE2 arrive in New York, they will rendezvous with the QM2, which homeports in Brooklyn. The meeting of the three grand ships should be quite a sight, all lit up and twinkling in the winter darkness of New York Harbor. Fireworks are scheduled for 7 p.m.

The public will be able to view the spectacle from the parks and open spaces ringing Lower Manhattan, including Battery Park on Manhattan's southern shore; and Robert F. Wagner Jr. Park, just south of the Museum of Jewish Heritage.

The Queen Elizabeth 2 is expected to be retired from service later in 2008. Cunard is building a new Queen Elizabeth for a 2010 launching.

Details at www.cunard.com.