BAR HARBOR (AP) – The Queen Mary 2, the world’s largest ocean liner, has added Bar Harbor to its list of port stops during a cruise in September.

The 1,132-foot-long ship, which was christened earlier this month, will make a 10-hour stop on Sept. 27 as part of its 12-day Splendours of the Fall cruise. Other stops on the cruise, which begins and ends in New York City, include Newport, R.I.; Halifax, Nova Scotia; and Quebec City, Quebec.

The ship’s owner, Cunard Line Ltd., previously announced that the vessel would also stop in Portland this year.

“We originally weren’t scheduled to see her until 2005,” said Charlie Phippen, the Bar Harbor harbormaster. “There was a problem with one of the smaller harbors. For some reason they needed another harbor.”

According to Cunard, the Queen Mary 2 is the largest cruise ship in the world at 151,400 tons; the tallest at 236 feet tall; and the widest, with a beam measurement of 135 feet.

The $800 million ship features 10 dining rooms and what is being called the world’s first onboard planetarium. It has six restaurants, 14 bars and clubs, a library, a casino, 22 elevators and penthouses with butler service. It can carry up to 2,620 passengers and a crew of 1,253.

Phippen said the ship shouldn’t cause any problems in the harbor, although he expects a “large gawk factor” at the town dock.

Bar Harbor has played host to a number of large cruise ships in recent years, including the Queen Mary 2’s sister ship, Queen Elizabeth 2.

The town has had visits from ships as long as 950 feet or so, some of which have carried nearly as many passengers as the Queen Mary 2, according to Phippen.

“We’re looking at about 150 feet longer than the longest ship we’ve had in here,” he said.

The Queen Mary 2 sailed from the English port of Southampton on Jan. 12 on its two-week trans-Atlantic maiden voyage and was scheduled to arrive Monday in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

AP-ES-01-26-04 0216EST