By Della Hasselle
DNAinfo Reporter/Producer
MANHATTAN — Fireworks went off as the Big Apple welcomed the "Three Queens" into the city's harbor with pomp and circumstance Downtown on Thursday night.
The fireworks began at 6:45 p.m. as the three Cunard Line cruise ships, the Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mary II and the Queen Victoria came together for the first time underneath the Statue of Liberty.
"Wow the fire works r so nice queen mary cruise ships r so big @ liberty state park now," jerseygirlEmmy Tweeted as she watched the show.
New Yorkers gathered to watch as the newest ship to join the fleet, the Queen Elizabeth, met with the other two luxury cruise lines. It was only the second time in Cunard's 171-year history that its entire fleet has met in New York at one time, NY1 reported.
Mayor Michael Bloomberg signed a proclamation declaring Thursday "Cunard Royal Rendezvous Day," the Times reported. The Empire State Building was also lit up in red in honor of the Cunard Line's reunion, according to the company's website.
Although the Queen Elizabeth is the baby of the group, the majestic Queen Mary II cruise ship continued to awe spectators as they gathered in crowds to watch the show.
"Wow, the Queen Mary is a *HUGE* cruise ship. Pics of 2 ships & fireworks in NYC harbor soon," Twitter user 2jase wrote.
The event started at 6 p.m. when the Queen Mary 2 departed from Brooklyn Cruise Terminal while the Queen Victoria and Queen Elizabeth sailed out of their berths on the Hudson River, NY1 reported.
After the event, all three ships began voyages out to sea.
The lavish celebration comes at a time when the cruise industry in the city is thriving.
New York caters more to the cruising industry than many other cities, the New York Times reported, due to the fact that passengers often spend at least two days in the city while their ship is docked.
All in all, cruise passengers spent $145 million in New York last year, or about $247 per passenger. That's up 54 percent from 2009, president of Economic Development Corporation Seth Pinsky told the Times.
