Among the many celebrations on Queen Mary 2’s Around The British Isles Voyage, was the naming of the latest Star of the month. This is always a prestigious occasion where crew members are recognized for their outstanding White Star Service. This month Queen Mary 2’s winner was a member of the housekeeping department, who do such an amazing job looking after guest staterooms and the public areas of the ship. Before we get to that I’d like to thank you again for all the comments that we keep getting. We have been receiving more than ever, so please do keep them coming. Queen Mary 2 is on her way across to New York while Queen Victoria heads back to the sunshine of the Mediterranean and Queen Elizabeth – well she’s growing fast in Italy! I’ll be heading back there in a couple of weeks and can’t wait to see her progress and share that with you along with new pictures and video.

 

Now it’s time for this week in Cunard’s history for the week 30 October to 5 November

 

1 November 1921

Andania II is launched

 

2 November 2003

Queen Mary 2 undertakes her second set of sea trials and achieves a speed of 30 knots.

 

3 November 1970

QE2 makes her maiden call at Luanda, Angola

 

5 November 2004

QE2 becomes longest serving Cunard Express Liner surpassing RMS’s Aquitania’s 35 Years 6 months 1 day (1914 – 1949) by 2 days

 

 

As regular readers will know, we like to feature a “Star of the Month” from either Queen Mary 2 or Queen Victoria, each month. The title is awarded to just one crew member per ship each month as a result of guest and crew feedback and then consideration by our on board White Star Committee. The “Star of the Month”, also has their photo displayed prominently in the Grand Lobby for guests to see and it’s now a great pleasure to talk to Queen Mary 2’s latest star; Raul Dematera who leads the crew Housekeeping team.

 

 

 

 

 

His official title is Crew Housekeeping No.1, and he is responsible for a team of 16 staff, who between them ensure the highest standards of cleanliness in all the crew areas.

 

Raul is from the Philippines in the province of Sebu, in a city called Mandaue. He has a small knit family which consists of his wife Joseline, his son David as well as his mother in law.

 

 

 

 

 

He started his career at sea in 1992, with our sister company The Yachts of Seabourn. His first job on board was as a Picolo No.1 in the housekeeping department. Although the department is structured differently these days, they used to assist the bedroom stewards by cleaning and setting up the pantries, as well as collecting all the linen for the bedroom stewards. After fourteen years with The Yachts of Seabourn he decided to join Cunard, and joined the opening team of Queen Mary 2 in 2004. He began working as a utility in the crew housekeeping team and has worked his way up to Crew Housekeeping No.1.

 

He reports to Jose Afonso, the Crew Housekeeper, and he told me that they have been working together for the last twelve years. Here he is receiving his award with (from left to right) Hotel Manager, David Stephenson, Executive Housekeeper, Colin Watson, Jose Afonso and Commodore Warner.

 

 

 

 

 

As you can imagine Raul has a busy day which begins at 7.30am in the morning with a meeting with all the crew housekeeping team to discuss the work of the day, which he then allocates accordingly. Queen Mary 2 has very large crew areas so this keeps them occupied for most of the day and into the evening although they get a few hours break at lunchtime.

 

Raul and his team are particularly busy during embarkation and disembarkation as they are also involved with guests’ luggage. Raul has also been trained to use one of the ship’s forklift trucks (yes we do use them on board!), and helps move luggage cages and stores on embarkation days. He also helps out in the Crew Office (the equivalent of the Purser’s Office for the crew), helping new crew members to settle in.

 

During the voyage he and his team get involved in many of the crew events by decorating the venues. This doesn’t leave that much free time, but when he does get time off on sea days Raul likes to relax and watch movies and call home to speak to his family. On port days he likes to go out for a walk to get some fresh air; as he says “so I get to feel what it’s like to walk on land again!”

  

Raul is very proud to be working for Cunard and on Queen Mary 2 and says “We are Cunard means one big happy family to me. All 1240 crew members are like my brothers and sisters whom I love and look forward to seeing each and every day. I work in the back of the house but my mission is to support all those who work in the front of the house so they can give the best White Star Service to each and every Guest on board Queen Mary 2.”

 

When Raul is at home he loves to play basketball with his son and understandably likes to spend as much time as possible with his family. In fact he has already sent the winnings, from being awarded “Star of the Month”, to his wife to put towards his son David’s education.

 

As for the future Raul says “I am looking forward to seeing my son growing up and getting settled in life. Also I wish to work on the new Queen Elizabeth; that really would be a dream come true”. Raul also added “I would like to thank my team and all the crew members on board for all their help and support they have given and shared with me. Salamat – Thank you”

 

Thank you Raul for taking the time to talk to us and again our congratulations; the award sounds very well deserved. That’s it for another week but I’ll be back on Monday with a very special Guest Blog and of course more news from the fleet. Thanks again for logging on. Cheers for now – Alastair

 

Here as promised is the final instalment of Peter Shanks’ reports from Queen Mary 2 having just completed her historic round Britain voyage. So it’s back over to Peter:  

 

 

Thank you so much for the positive comments on my Queen Mary 2 Around The British Isles Blog. I last updated you as we left Liverpool on our way to Cobh in Southern Ireland – a famous port near Cork and a stop-off point for many famous liners over many years.

 

 

Our arrival into Cobh was beautiful – sailing past the lighthouse into the natural harbour entrance and coming nicely alongside despite a lively 25knot wind. After all the buzz and excitement of Liverpool our guests were looking forward to a restful day seeing all that Ireland has to offer. The welcome was indeed an Irish one – they are such a friendly bunch. There is a very impressive museum at the port which brings back all the history of the many liners that have called there, including The Titanic, they used to stop briefly in the bay whilst on their way to New York. The history and heritage of the Irish leaving their shores to find a new life in North America is fascinating and I always think of that when in New York which has such a wonderful link to Ireland even today.

 

But we had a different job to do in Cobh today – more of a time for reflection of the past and the part that The Lusitania played both for Cunard, for Ireland and literally for the free world, as her sinking played a major role in the course of the First World War. In 1915, 1198 lives were lost just off Cobh with the sinking of Lusitania by a German U-Bout submarine. We had decided it would be only fitting and appropriate if on behalf of Cunard, Commodore Warner and I were to lay wreaths at the Lusitania Memorial in the town.

 

As we walked down to the town, we were not sure what to expect. I had in mind a small gathering, a few onlookers and a small memorial. When we turned the corner into the town square I was stunned. In front of us were hundreds of local people, old soldiers lined up proudly wearing their service medals and bearing flags from their regiments. As we arrived, the crowd went silent and we stood before the magnificent and very moving memorial to those that perished on The Lusitania. We were each handed a beautiful floral wreath and then one by one called forward to lay our wreath at the base of the memorial. I was taken a back – I had not considered the heavy responsibility of the moment and both the Commodore and I found it very moving indeed. Once we had laid the wreaths it was time for the local Reverend Father to say a few words of prayer. As he opened his mouth the heavens literally opened and we stood there getting soaked – you know that made it all the more poignant. This was then followed by a warm round of applause. I was so pleased we were able to pay our respects and decided on the spot that we would repeat this in July next year when Queen Victoria makes her maiden call to Cobh.

 

 

 

Then we invited the local dignitaries back to Queen Mary 2 for a White Star Afternoon Tea and they certainly enjoyed the hospitality.

 

Each of the ports of call has been very special on this Around The British Isles Voyage – but you have to award the ‘friendly warm welcome’ prize to the Irish. I did say that the only way we could improve the call next year would be to stop for a pint of Irish Murphy’s at the pub on the way back to the ship.

 

I left the ship late that afternoon to fly back to the office. The ship continued with a marvellous call to see our good friends in Cherbourg before returning home to Southampton. As I sat waiting for my flight I could not help reflecting on the many special and incredible events all of us – guests and staff – had witnessed during the voyage. The feedback from our guests was some of the best we have had this year so I am pleased we were able to make the voyage so special. It also proved as a timely reminder for me that Queen Mary 2 really is very special indeed – she is of course now the most famous ocean liner in the world and deservedly so.

 

But the last line has to go to the 1,250 members of the ship’s company for this very special voyage. Over the five days I had spent on the ship, I was able to see the effort and the pride that each member of the ship’s company puts into looking after our guests. Fireworks , Opera Singers , Command Performances, Concerts, The Beatles , Special Welcomes , Historic Moments – yes they were pretty cool – but the staff on board Queen Mary 2 are my heroes every time.

 

Next year Queen Victoria will go on her Maiden Around The British Isles Voyage on the 22^nd July – not one to be missed and I look forward to seeing you on board.

 

Best Regards

Peter Shanks

President and Managing Director

Cunard Line

 

Thank you again to Peter for another great post and I know all of us on Queen Victoria are looking forward to what will be a truly remarkable voyage. Meanwhile I’ll be back tomorrow with the regular weekly Blog featuring one of those Queen Mary 2 Stars. Cheers Alastair

 

 This will be another busy week blogging as we will have Peter Shanks’ post on the last stage of Queen Mary 2’s fantastic Around The British Isles Voyage as well as some other special articles including meeting Queen Mary 2’s latest “Star of the Month”.

 

It still amazes me that although Cunard has a history stretching over 170 years, we now have one of the youngest fleets in the industry. But our ships aren’t all that’s new at the moment, with Cunard having recently moved in to shiny new headquarters in Southampton (more of that in a special Blog coming soon),  and both Queen Mary 2 and Queen Victoria beginning to dock at the new Ocean Terminal in Southampton. Located conveniently at dock gate 4 (the same gate that is used for the QE2 terminal), this is the view you see as you approach the new terminal.

 

 

 

Guests and visitors are enjoying the covered canopy where there is plenty of room for taxis, buses and cars dropping off guests. As always there are plenty of porters to help with baggage as well as new trolleys that haven’t developed a will of their own yet! Inside, the two levels of the terminal feel very spacious and airy with a warm welcome from friendly staff. 

 

 

 

Guests are then guided to very roomy lifts or escalators to take them to the upper level where the check in desks are. Being purpose built for today’s ships, there is plenty of room and embarkation is very smooth, as guests then make their way along the modern jet way to board the ship

 

 

 

Many of you will know Bill Miller (see the 18 December 2008 post), as one of Cunard’s favourite maritime historians who has an incredible passion for our industry. His lectures about the Cunarders of yesteryear, as well as the golden era of ocean liner travel, are always packed, as he tells wonderful stories with his inimitable contagious enthusiasm. Known as “Mr. Ocean Liner”, he has written over 70 books about passenger ships, both past and present and has traveled on over 350 voyages aboard some 250 different ships in the past 35 years. I caught up with Bill again recently on our Canada and New England voyage and having just arrived at the terminal, he offered to write an article about our new Ocean Terminal which has an historic name:

 

Guest Blog – Bill Miller – Maritime Historian

On an overcast morning last September, the mighty 151,000 ton Queen Mary 2, inbound from New York, berthed at Southampton’s newest cruise facility. The 1,132 ft long Cunard flagship docked bow-first and among her, nearly 2,600 guests. I was one of the first off, being in the “self help” group so as to make an early train up to Shropshire. The reception, baggage handling and taxi access could not have been more efficient.  “Landing was as smooth as soft sand,” commented a fellow guest, heading off to make an early flight from Heathrow. It was my first experience at the fourth of the three cruise facilities at Southampton.

Officially opened last May 29th, the $35 million terminal, created in a joint venture between the Port of Southampton and Carnival UK (Cunard’s parent company), is a response to Southampton’s (and Britain’s) booming cruise business. In 2008, the port handled 289 cruise calls, representing a processing of some 900,000 passengers. That figure represents a doubling of the amount of passengers just four years earlier, and could hit the million mark by 2010. Named the Ocean Terminal, it is a supplement to the three existing cruise facilities at the port: Berth 101, Berth 106 and the Queen Elizabeth 2 Terminal. The new facility is accurately Berth 46 in the Ocean Dock.

 

Ocean Terminal is a rather iconic name to the Port of Southampton. The previous facility was a grand, late Art Deco creation that, because of the Second World War, was actually not completed until 1950. Finished in blonde, burl woods on the inside and painted white on the outside, it had sweeping waiting rooms, baggage areas, a flower shop, newspaper stand, spectator galleries and, most conveniently, a ground level link to trains to and from London. Passengers could be at Waterloo Station, London in less than 2 hours. Business boomed back in the 1950s & ‘60s, for example, when legendary liners such as the Queen Mary and Queen Elizabeth, the United States and the France called regularly on their trans-Atlantic crossings. Passengers, including small armies of celebrities, then traveled with trunks, servants, pets and even big American cars. Myself, I recall using the Ocean Terminal during an eastbound crossing on the France in July 1973 and then, for the last time, returning there from a cruise on the Canberra in October 1980. 

 

Sadly, in 1983, that original Ocean Terminal fell to the wreckers’ ball. It should have been saved and today would have been ideal for reuse for contemporary cruise liners, including the likes of the mighty Queen Mary 2.   After demolition, the idea was to rebuild the site as a cargo terminal, but that never came to pass.

 

Southampton has future expansion plans as well. Rumours are that the 1968-built Queen Elizabeth 2 terminal might give way to a newer, more efficient facility and that some other port areas might be further developed to include a moored, floating hotel, possibly using the 24,000-ton Saga Rose (the former Sagafjord), which is being retired this fall after 44 years of service. Meanwhile, Cunard’s new Queen Elizabeth, a 92,000-tonner, will start her regular departures next October. Indeed, cruising is booming at the port of Southampton.

Thank you so much Bill for your great insight to the significance of the Ocean Terminal and you can catch up with bill on his blog and websites www.mroceanliner.com and www.billmilleratsea.com.

 

That’s it for the moment but I’ll be back soon with more news including the final post from Queen Mary 2’s round Britain voyage. Cheers for now – Alastair

 

Yes at last we have the Video Blog of my interview with Sir Terry Wogan, but I’ll come to that in a moment. As Queen Victoria returns from a wonderful voyage to the Canary Islands, Queen Mary 2 has been making history on her Around The British Isles Voyage with her first visit to  Glasgow, and of course the home of Cunard for so many years; Liverpool. As you know from the last posting on Tuesday, Peter Shanks (President and Managing Director of Cunard Line) is on board and hopes to post more news soon along with some pictures and maybe even video.

 

On Queen Victoria we are nearing the end of a great voyage to the Canaries and our guests were delighted to find the warmth of the islands. After a short voyage to Cherbourg, Zeebrugge and Rotterdam we’ll be heading back to the Mediterranean. Now before the interview here’s this week in Cunard’s history for the week 23^rd to the 30^th October.

 

October 27 1986

QE2 arrives in Bremerhaven for a six-month £110 million re-engining and refurbishment programme, the largest such refit in the history of the merchant marine, undertaken and successfully completed in 1987. Steam turbines replaced by diesel electric power plant and the funnel is widened to accommodate the new engine. HRH the Princess of Wales boards on the ship’s return to Southampton.

 

October 29 1970

QE2 offers medical assistance to the ‘Cerinthus’ in the Atlantic

 

October 30 1947

Cunard’s first cruise ship, the Caronia II, is launched at John Brown Shipyard, Clydebank. She becomes known as the ‘Green Goddess’ because of the colour of her hull.

 

 

Hopefully most readers of this Blog will be familiar with Sir Terry Wogan and his TOGs, but in case you don’t, he currently has the most popular breakfast radio show in the UK with over eight million listeners every morning. He has also become quite a British institution in his own right over the years, hosting numerous TV shows and of course the remarkable annual BBC “Children In Need” event. Although he announced his retirement from the breakfast show recently he will still be heard on the Radio 2 airwaves at weekends and yes, he will still be joining guests and TOGs on board Queen Victoria for the voyage departing on 14 May 2010.

 

Following the great success of the TOGs voyage last year, (you can read all about it in the Blogs posted between the 20^th November and 11^th December 2008), we decided to do it all again! Next May we’ll be visiting exciting cities such as Barcelona and Cannes as well as the port of Livorno where guests can visit Pisa and Florence. With Rome and Gibraltar also on the itinerary it’ll be a fantastic voyage.

 

We are looking forward to welcoming back the TOGmeister himself, Sir Terry Wogan, along with his intrepid team who’ll be getting involved with all sorts of fun and games including the Deadly Quiz and Loose Cannon Karaoke as well as a brand new Janet and John.

 

As you may know I went to meet Sir Terry again, when I was last at home (see Blog from 6 August 2009), and our friends Helen and Norman (at http://togscalendar.org/) filmed the interview in London at BBC Radio 2’s studio. And if you are still wondering what a ‘TOG’ is, don’t worry Sir Terry explains it all. So here’s the interview:

 

 

We hope you’ll join us and remember it’s all about fun and raising money for Children in Need. You don’t need to be a TOG to join in the fun so to find out how you can be a part of this exciting voyage and how you can support BBC’s “Children in Need” click http://www.cunard.co.uk/togs/

 

In the meantime we wish everyone taking part in this year’s events, all the best with their fundraising activities. Of course the crescendo of the occasion will be the night of Friday 20 November on BBC 1 hosted by a galaxy of stars including Sir Terry himself.

 

Thanks for logging on again, we’ll have more news from the fleet soon including more posts from Queen Mary 2’s Around The British Isles Voyage. Cheers for now – Alastair

 

 

 

I am delighted to enclose the second part of Peter Shank’s reports from Queen Mary 2’s historic Around The British Isles Voyage this week. So over to Peter:

 

Tuesday 20 October will go down as a very special day in the history of Cunard Line – the day that Queen Mary 2 came to visit the spiritual home of Cunard Line – the historic city of Liverpool. It was hard to imagine after the spectacular departure from Greenock the night before that things could get any better – but they did.

My start to the day was on the bridge as we sailed into the River Mersey. There was a strong tide with us pushing the ship along. As we neared the centre of the city it became clear why the day was going to be so special – many thousands of people had come out to greet us. In front of us were the three famous Grace buildings and from the central building, the Cunard building, flew the Cunard house flag.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I don’t think the people of Liverpool knew what to think as the mammoth Queen Mary 2 performed a perfect 180 degree turn as she came down on the tide – ending up perfectly in line with the berth. I am not sure how many times the ship’s whistle blew – but there was no doubting we had arrived.

I stepped off the ship with Commodore Warner to a frenzy of local TV and Radio interviews. Perhaps the most fun interview was with Sky Sports. They were in town for the big Liverpool v Lyon football match that evening. They had come down to film Queen Mary 2 and ask the commodore who he thought would win. He predicted a 3-1 win for Liverpool – then went on to say he was a Leeds supporter. (As it was they sadly lost 2-1 – oops!)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The day then unfolded with a series of events including;

 

·         Plaque Exchange – we invited the Lord Mayor of Liverpool on board with local dignitaries for lunch.

·         We invited the local Royal National Lifeboat Institute (RNLI) on for a tour of the ship and afternoon tea. We are big supporters of all they do and it is right we are able to repay them in a small way for all that they do. After Commodore and I had said a few words of welcome they said they had something for us. Up stepped a beautiful young girl. She gingerly walked up to the two of us, looked up and said ‘I was born on 8 January 2004 – I have the same birthday as Queen Mary 2’ and then handed Commodore a birthday card for the ship – well we were speechless, what a lovely and unexpected moment. Of course we recovered our composure and sent for some Cunard teddy bears to give in return. That has to be the best ‘Plaque Exchange’ I have witnessed.

·         Queen Mary 2 Birthday Concert – I suspected all along that what we had planned would work but could never have expected such a fine concert. The Royal Court Theatre was packed for two shows in the evening. We had 63 members of the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic on stage, the wonderful soprano Helen Williams, the famous tenor Jon Christos and of course our good friend and conductor Anthony Inglis. Anthony took the audience through the concert with a script depicting the history of Cunard Line, Liverpool and of course Queen Mary 2. The music included just what you would expect ;

 

National Anthem – yes we sang all the verses

Song of the Clyde – Jon sang this famous tune depicting ships and the Clyde

Orpheus in the Underworld – by Offenbach, the orchestra were stunning

You’ll Never Walk Alone – Oh my goodness – on Queen Mary 2, on the Mersey – awesome!

Queen of the Sea – a wonderful song all about the original Queen Mary

Battle Hymn of the Republic – this had our American guests enthralled

Happy Birthday – we all sang happy birthday Queen Mary 2

Jerusalem – works every time and the singing by the audience was terrific – well done all!

 

And if that was enough – out came the expected Union Jack flags as we finished with Pomp and Circumstance and Land of Hope and Glory.

We have had some big nights in the Royal Court Theatre over the last 5 years – Shirley Bassey, James Taylor, Skellern and Stilgoe, Lesley Garrett – well this was right up there with the best of them and left everybody feeling inspired.

 

·         The Beatles – well of course we had the best Beatles tribute band in the country on board and later that evening they played two concerts to a packed Queens Room.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lastly – to the departure from Liverpool as the ship sailed at 2300 hours. We were amazed at the tens of thousands of people lining the river. They had come down to wave goodbye to Queen Mary 2. A wonderful firework display lit up the night, Queen Mary 2 slipped off the berth and we sailed out of Liverpool down the Mersey.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It was not ‘Goodbye’ – Queen Mary 2 will return to Cunard Line’s spiritual home many, many more times in the future. Thank you Liverpool – you did us proud!

 

Best Regards – Peter Shanks

President and Managing Director – Cunard Line

 

Thank you again to Peter for a great post. It sounds like a remarkable day and you’ll be pleased to hear that he’ll have another post coming soon with details of Queen Mary 2’s call to Cobh in Ireland.  Meanwhile I’ll be back tomorrow with the regular weekly Blog. Cheers Alastair

 This is a truly a very special Blog as it marks the 100^th posting as Queen Mary 2 makes an historic Around The British Isles Voyage. Before I pass over to Peter Shanks (President and Managing Director of Cunard Line), I would like to say a big thank you for everyone’s support over the last 100 postings, including Richard, Matt and Shelley, but most of all to you for logging on and sharing your comments; here’s to the next 100! Now it’s a great pleasure to pass over to Peter on Queen Mary 2

 

I write this from Queen Mary 2. We are just leaving Greenock, with many thousands of people waving goodbye to what has been a spectacular day. Just twenty minutes ago – I pushed the hallowed red button on the bridge to sound our famous whistle and that in turn triggered an awesome firework display to celebrate the occasion. As we left – we heard the sounds of thousands of people singing ‘Happy Birthday’ from the shore – a very emotional, spontaneous and fitting tribute from the people of Scotland celebrating the 5^th Birthday of the finest ocean liner in the world.

 

Today – Queen Mary 2 sailed up the Clyde towards Glasgow for the very first time. Over 120 Cunarders were built in this part of Scotland –  including Lusitania, Aquitania, Queen Mary, Queen Elizabeth, QE2 and our first ever ship Britannia over 170 years ago this year. We were all bursting with pride – our crew, our guests – all of us making history together as the largest ship ever to sail up the Clyde. And yes – we were welcomed by Scottish Pipers.

 

It was also a special moment for me personally as I am a proud Scotsman myself – born in Glasgow. Our lap of honour started in Southampton and over the last few days we have experienced;

 

·         A voyage up the East Coast of England coming close to some famous towns and beaches as we did so. We said a warm hello to Whitby, to Scarborough and Sunderland. You know the coast of the UK is actually very beautiful and the sun shone.

·         As we came into Whitby – Commodore sounded the ship’s whistle in tribute to a friend of his who sadly passed away earlier this year and who had been very active in the Royal National Lifeboat Institution – it is really marvellous when Cunard can play a small and humble part in recognition of things like this.

·         The day in Edinburgh was indeed spectacular with the ship anchored just off the famous bridge – a wonderful sight.

·         We travelled right around the top of Scotland yesterday, through the Pentland Firth, past Scapa Flow, past Old Man of Hoy – this coastline is rarely seen and to see it all the way round was a real treat for all of our guests.

·         Lesley Garret – a delightful and famous British opera singer, performed two concerts to a packed  Royal Court Theatre

·         I was able to deliver a presentation to guests on the forthcoming Queen Elizabeth to a packed theatre. The response was very warm and there is a real sense of anticipation for our next Liner.

 

On board we have 2,600 guests of which over 1,500 are our very loyal and valued Cunard World Club Members. Last night in the Queens Room we were able to thank them for their valued support – it was a real pleasure for us all to see so many familiar faces. I was also able to ask them in turn to give a warm round of applause for the people who lie behind the success of everything we do at Cunard Line – our valued ship’s company.

 

Well – that is all for now. Tomorrow is the big day – we take Queen Mary 2 up the Mersey into Liverpool for the very first time.  As though today on the Clyde was not exciting enough – to take Queen Mary 2 to Liverpool, where Cunard Line was founded 170 years ago should be very special indeed. I will of course let you know how we get on. We will also post some of the marvellous pictures of events over the next few days.

 

I just wanted to share with you the excitement and pride of today. More to come tomorrow I am sure. Since I started writing this – I have heard our ship’s whistle sound 9 more times – with the last one being to say goodbye to the famous Waverley Steamship as she escorted us back down the Clyde – packed with what I hope are hundreds of very happy Scots. We certainly made our mark today……………………….. Thank you Scotland – we will be back!

 

Best Regards – Peter Shanks

President and Managing Director – Cunard Line

 

Thank you Peter, this sounds like an amazing voyage so we look forward to hearing more from you soon. In the meantime I’ll be back on Thursday with the interview with Sir Terry Wogan. Cheers – Alastair

Thank you for all your questions and comments, which have created some lively discussion this week. We are continually looking to develop this Blog and have some ideas (many of which have come from your comments on this Blog and at the on board Bloggers Get Togethers), that we’ll be looking to introduce when we can. As we approach our 100^th Blog we are now posting twice a week (every Thursday and usually every Monday as well), and we’ll see how this goes. Thank you to Chris Cruickshank for his comment, and I would like to clarify that as much as I like to encourage younger people to sail with us on Cunard ships, I wouldn’t want to change our current guest profile in any way. Interestingly, as I mentioned to a journalist who is travelling with us on Queen Victoria this voyage, I think a guest who chooses Cunard is defined by the experience that that they wish to have as well as the expectation of quality they are looking for, rather than by age.

 

Here as promised is the long awaited opportunity to meet Cunard’s new Entertainment Director Paul O’Loughlin, who joined Queen Mary 2 in July. We let him settle in and find his feet before asking him for an interview, but as you’ll see from his background, he brings a wealth of experience to the job. I know many of you have already met Paul during his time on Queen Mary 2 and maybe before. I have known Paul for many years but unfortunately I’ve never worked with him, although we have handed over to one another on a few occasions and it’s always been a pleasure. So now it’s time to meet Cunard’s newest addition to the Entertainment Director Team.

 

 

 

 

Paul was born in Dublin, Ireland and spent his childhood in Oxford, England, where his family settled.  He commenced his career at sea in 1980 after a fortunate evening that changed his life when the Director of Entertainment for a cruise line offered him a contract after seeing him perform. Later, Paul became an Entertainments Officer for the Peninsular & Oriental Steam Navigation Company on board the legendary SS Canberra in 1981, and fell in love with life at sea. In 1982, he became an Assistant Cruise Director for Princess Cruises. He was swiftly promoted to Cruise Director in 1986 at the age of 24.

 

His life at sea has brought many unforgettable moments; he was Cruise Director on board the Pacific Princess for the July 7th 1987 celebration of the 150th anniversary of P&O at Greenwich, England.  Paul was presented to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth ll and His Royal Highness the Duke of Edinburgh.  Paul was also honoured to sail with President George Bush and First Lady Barbara Bush. He treasures another special moment when he was introduced to Her Royal Highness Diana, the Princess of Wales at the naming ceremony of the Royal Princess. 

 

He has hosted many celebrities and dignitaries as well as sharing a stage with Hollywood legends and Entertainers including Ginger Rogers, Tony Bennett, Vic Damone, Artie Shaw, Ben Vereen and Cleo Laine.  He has appeared on numerous radio and television programmes over the years. He co-starred as an Entertainer in an episode of the American TV show “Loveboat – The Next Wave”. His career has spanned nearly 30 years and he has sailed on 27 different ships, seven of them new builds. The Entertainment Director’s day consists of around 12 hours of duties commencing recording live TV shows, meeting with the Executive Officers of the ship, contact with corporate office in Southampton, meeting with his own managers and staff, socialising with guests, as host with the Commodore, at cocktail parties and generally supervising the overall entertainment programme. Paul considers one of the proudest moments of his career was his appointment to the magnificent Queen Mary 2 to become a part of the greatest and most famous shipping line in the world. 

 

Paul is married to Deborah, a former P&O/Princess Senior Nursing Officer. They live with their Shar Pei dog Harry in a delightful old fishing town called Whitby on the North East coast of England.  He has many interests which include theatre, sport, music, long walks over the North Yorkshire Moors and looking for his ball on numerous golf courses.

 

Here’s Paul on the fantastic Queen Mary 2 Royal Court Theatre Stage.

 

 

 

And now here’s the interview:

 

How are you finding the role of Entertainment Director on Queen Mary 2?

It took me a journey of 30 years and 27 ships to make it to Queen Mary 2 and now I am here it is an absolute joy. The atmosphere on the ship is great and the teamwork with all the departments on board is very special.  The Royal Court Theatre is a pleasure to work and heading up a team of 120 staff is a challenging and rewarding experience.  

 

Before joining the company what did you know about Cunard?

I love maritime history and the rich heritage of Cunard Line has always been an interest of mine. Lunch has been a great part of my learning about Cunard. Over the years I have enjoyed being invited to lunch in ports all over the world on Cunard ships including the Cunard Countess, Cunard Princess, Caronia, Sagafjord, QE2 and Queen Mary 2. It is great to finally have lunch on a Cunarder that is moving! 

 

What were your first impressions when you came on board and did anything surprise you?

Seeing so many old friends such as Commodore Warner, Hotel Manager David Stephenson, Senior Maitre D’ Beniamino Acler and many more. The elegance and grandeur of the Ship is the first impression you get when you step on board. 

 

What has been the highlight for you, since joining Queen Mary 2?

Hosting Anthony Inglis and the National Symphony Orchestra along with the Guest choir made for a memorable “Last night of the Cunard Proms”, interviewing Hollywood Actress Jane Russell, Director Baz Luhrmann, having a Martini with Barbara Streisand’s Manager of 40 years, Marty Erlichman. The magic of Queen Mary 2 is you never know who you are going to meet on a voyage or crossing. I even met one of my primary school teachers who amazingly recognised my name and enquired if I went to John Blandy Primary School. It was there as I child, I appeared in my first stage performance and got the show business bug. 

 

What is the most frequent question you get asked – and what’s the answer?

“Where is Ray?” has been the most asked question since I have been on board Queen Mary 2. The other main one is “What are those sculptures at the front of the ship on deck 7?  The answer is spare propeller blades but I tell the guests they’re the Commodore’s cufflinks!

 

What does “We Are Cunard” mean to you?

The spirit of the people of Cunard sums the expression up. The guests and everyone who works and is connected with the company have a pride and feeling of belonging to something very special.

 

What would be your favourite golden nugget of advice to guests coming on a voyage for the first time?

Embrace the rich history of Cunard Line and have some fun! 

 

What is your ideal way of relaxing when you are on leave?

My wife Deborah and I love to walk with our dog Harry along the Yorkshire coastline and the Esk Valley. I love watching all sport and my favourite is Rugby, London Irish being my club. We spend as much time as we can with family and friends in Yorkshire, Oxford and Abingdon where I grew up. Being away at sea for so long I do not stray too far from home once I get there. My wife says I am like the Olympic flame…..I never go out! 

 

What is your favourite quote and who said it?

No matter how successful or wealthy you become the success of your funeral will largely depend on the weather! (Author unknown). I take from that don’t worry too much and enjoy every minute of life!

 

Paul was kind enough to do this interview just before he left Queen Mary 2 last week so thank you so much Paul, and of course enjoy your leave. Paul will return to Queen Mary 2 in November, while Ray has a break before the World Voyage in January. Meanwhile I’ll be having a busy week of posting as I am looking forward to receiving reports from Peter Shanks (President and Managing Director of Cunard Line) who is on board Queen Mary 2 for her Around the British Isles Voyage. I’ll also have (at long last!) the video Blog interview with the TOGmeister himself, Terry Wogan on Thursday so please do keep logging on. Cheers Alastair

As Queen Victoria heads down to the sun in the Canary Islands, today’s Blog is about the stunning port of Quebec where the ship visited last week. What a stunning port it was and one I would thoroughly recommend to anyone. Before we get to that – this week has marked yet another major milestone as Queen Elizabeth is now less than one year away from her maiden voyage, so the official countdown enters the next phase with just 362 days to go. I’ll hopefully have some more news from the shipyard soon, along with some more announcements in due course which will answer many of your questions. Thank you again for all your comments and it’s been great to meet so many of you on board, around the ship and at the Bloggers get-togethers.

 

Now for this week in Cunard’s history for the week of 16^th to the 22^nd of October: –

 

October 16 2008

QE2 makes her final Transatlantic Crossing from New York to Southampton

 

October 17 1843

Hibernia comes in to service

 

October 20 1910

The Olympic is launched for White Star Line at Harland & Wolf in Belfast. She becomes part of Cunard Line on the 1st of January 1934

 

October 20 1986

QE2 makes her last Transatlantic voyage under steam power

 

October 21 1922

Franconia II is launched at John Brown’s Yard, Clydebank

 

October 22 1997

QE2 makes her maiden Call Port Delgada, Azores

 

A fantastic part of life at sea is to have the opportunity to visit favourite ports and to discover new ones. That’s the same for guests and crew, and I believe I have just added another favourite to my list. Last week Queen Victoria visited Quebec for the first time and it really is a beautiful city. Walking off the ship everyone was greeted by this magnificent view.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The city of Quebec has always been important as a strategic port, lying where the St Charles River meets the St Lawrence River, and Queen Victoria was able to dock right by the centre of the old town. The walled city is the only one remaining in the United States and Canada, and as you walk through the streets you feel a real sense of history with a truly European style. Dominating the city on the top of Cap Diamant is the iconic Chateau Frontenac, whose first wing was constructed in December 1893. This is known as the River Wing and is the one in the foreground of the picture. Expansion was swift and soon other wings were built over the years, bringing the hotel to its current capacity of 605 rooms.  The hotel has played host to numerous stars, world leaders and even aristocracy with King George VI and Queen Elizabeth visiting the hotel in 1939.

 

 

 

 

Much of the city’s past is still visible and its many churches, old stone houses and narrow streets make it an architectural gem. As the oldest city in North America, it boasts many of Canada’s best museums making Québec City a year-round tourist mecca, welcoming some four million visitors each year.  The hills are quite steep, (although you can cheat a bit by using the funicular), but being quite compact the old streets are well worth walking.

 

 

 

 

 

In this one you can see Queen Victoria in between the autumn colours. There are so many stunning buildings that you find yourself taking another photo every few minutes. This is the beautiful “Hotel De Ville” or Town Hall.

 

 

 

 

 

Also worth a look is the very impressive Citadel, a fort and famous landmark, which overlooks the city from its lofty perch on the highest point of Cap Diamant. These fortifications, dating back to the inauguration of the city, were once a key to protecting Quebec, but since 1920 it has been the home of the Royal 22^nd Regiment of the Canadian Armed Forces.

 

 

 

 

 

There are so many reminders of the city’s French heritage and not just in the style of the buildings but also the names such as the “Notre Dame” cathedral in the middle of the old city.

 

 

 

 

 

With all that walking you certainly work up an appetite and the food in Quebec is wonderful and there are so many interesting and picturesque restaurants to choose from. We found what claims to be the oldest in the city, and is called “Aux Ancient Canadiens” named after the book by Philippe-Aubert de Gaspe who lived there from 1815 to 1824.

 

 

 

 

 

It was full of locals as well as tourists so I think we were lucky to get in, but I was glad we did. With the main part of the building dating back to 1677, it has a great atmosphere with staff dressed in traditional Quebecois period clothes serving local specialties. Whenever I see local specialty advertised I am drawn to it like a magnet (just like the lobster ice cream last week!), so I had to order some Poutine. Speaking some French I had an idea what I was in for and it wasn’t too shocking.

 

 

 

 

 

Although it’s not exactly gourmet food, it was apparently first seen in Quebec in the 1950’s and is now a firm favourite. It’s basically chips with brown gravy and fresh cheese curds on top, which is a bit odd unless you are really in to soggy chips! Nevermind the Toutiere, (a mixed meat pie) was great, athough I still haven’t worked out exactly which meat was in it!

 

We were very lucky to spend a night in Quebec as well, and it has quite a night life – apparently! But while many of our guests, and even more of our crew, were enjoying the Quebecois hospitality our Chief Photographer on board, Marius Botha, took a ferry ride across the river to the town of Lévis (pronounced not like the jeans but as ‘lev-ee’) to take this superb photo.

 

 

 

 

 

Great job Marius – thanks. We had a fantastic two days and I look forward to going back there; hopefully soon. Queen Victoria is now heading for the sun on a ten day voyage to the Canary Islands while Queen Mary 2 is about to embark on her round Britain voyage with many celebrations planned along the way. Our President and Managing Director, Peter Shanks, is on board and has promised me some news and pictures of the voyage over the next week, so keep logging on to find out more. I’ve also got some other special Blogs on the way as well including (in case you thought I had forgotten), the video Blog of my interview with Sir Terry Wogan. We are really looking forward to welcoming Sir Terry and his TOGS on board next May, and I’m sure he’ll be looking forward to it too as Great Britain prepares for the BBC charity event of the year, “Children In Need”, in a few weeks time. That’s all to come so I’ll be back soon. Cheers for now, Alastair

 

 

 

What a week it’s been in Halifax, Nova Scotia, this week with two Cunard Queens visiting this historic city. The name Cunard resonates around the city and nowhere more than at the Statue of Sir Samuel Cunard himself, which is the focal point for any Cunarder. Queen Mary 2 made her call three years to the day after Cunard Line and The Halifax Foundation unveiled the bronze statue of Samuel Cunard, and for Queen Victoria it was her maiden call and what a celebration it was.

 

Before I take you through the events of the day I would like to thank you again for all the comments on the Blog this week. I know you have many questions about Queen Elizabeth and as soon as announcements are made I’ll definitely pass them on to you, but as I mentioned in previous Blogs, the naming details probably won’t be confirmed until about three months before her maiden voyage. I’ll have more pictures soon as well, thanks to Simon in Monefalcone, which show the incredible pace of her progress.

 

Now it’s time for this week in Cunard’s history for the week 9^th to the 15th^th of October.

 

October 7 2006

Cunard Line and “The Halifax Foundation” unveiled a bronze statue of Sir Samuel Cunard, prominently presiding over the Port of Halifax waterfront, the towering bronze statue appropriately depicts Cunard standing beside a ship’s telegraph, an iconic symbol of steamship travel. Joining the celebration were Sir Samuel Cunard’s great, great, great, great grandsons Benjamin and Samuel Paton.

 

October 9 1967

Captain “Pip” Read was advised that Caronia was to be sold.

 

October 10 2007

Cunard announces the building of the new 92,000 ton Queen Elizabeth that will enter service in October 2010

 

October 11 1973

QE2 makes her maiden call at Halifax, Nova Scotia

 

I really do love New England and it’s such a great itinerary for our guests to enjoy; mind you the crew seem to love it too! On this voyage, it was my first time to visit Portland, Maine and it was a perfect sunny autumn day. The leaves are just turning and the picturesque town gave us all a great welcome.

 

 

Another first was trying Blueberry Beer; yes a new one on me and I am now officially a convert to the idea so have even brought a bottle back for the landlord of my local!

 

The following day was another inaugural visit for Queen Victoria, and this time it was to what I consider the home of some of the best lobster you’ll ever find; Bar Harbor, Maine. You could say this small and very charming town has a thing about it; well who else would have lobster ice cream.

 

 

Yes that is lobster ice cream and for reporting purposes I did try some. Having just enjoyed a fantastic lobster lunch this was a strange experience when I discovered chunks of lobster in vanilla ice cream. I think it must be an acquired taste so I’m afraid I won’t be rushing back too quickly to get some more, but am very happy I’ve tried it!

 

The town is delightful and along with all the ports we have visited this week, they gave us a tremendous welcome and Queen Victoria certainly provided a very elegant backdrop for the town that day.

 

 

Friday the 2^nd of October will always be an import date for the for the ship  and the city of Halifax, Nova Scotia as it was the first time Queen Victoria visited the home town of Cunard’s founder Samuel Cunard. It was here where his ship, the Britannia arrived for the first time, on the 17^th of July 1840 having completed her maiden 14 day voyage from Liverpool.

 

Halifax was a very different city when Queen Victoria arrived 169 years later, and we are thankful to Andrew Langley for taking this picture from the Dartmouth shore.

 

 

 

 

 

The celebrations started as soon as Queen Victoria docked as reporters from the local press and television stations interviewed Captain McNaught in front of the magnificent Sir Samuel Cunard monument. Our on board photographers were able to join in and take this picture of Captain Ian McNaught with members of the 78^th Highlanders.

 

 

 

 

Then it was time to show off Cunard’s latest addition to the press and distinguished guests, as they came aboard for a special reception.  It is traditional that when a ship visits a port for the first time that an exchange of plaques takes place.  However as a new Cunard ship was visiting Halifax for the first time Queen Victoria was afforded something even more special. Pipe Major Andrew Bruce, played a specially composed piece of music written to mark the occasion. David Danskin, representing the Halifax Citadel National Site, then presented the Captain with a framed picture of the music score.

 

 

Photographed from left to right are: John Langley Q.C., Chairman of the Cunard Steamship Society, Mark MacDonald, Chair of the Halifax Port Authority, Margaret Wittingham-Lamont from the Mission to Seafarers, David Danskin from the Halifax Citadel National Site, Captain Ian McNaught, Minister Percy Paris, Nova Scotia Minister for Tourism, Culture & Heritage, David Hendsbee, Deputy Mayor for the Halifax Regional Municipality and Pipe Major Andrew Bruce.

 

It was great to see John Langley again and I’m sure many readers will know him not only as the Chairman of the Cunard Steamship Society, but also as a frequent a lecturer on our ships.  I asked John how he felt about this amazing day. He told me:

 

‘The feeling was almost tangible…. a presence felt among guests gathered at an onboard reception to celebrate Queen Victoria’s inaugural visit to Halifax, Nova Scotia this fine autumn day. Not far from where the ship lay berthed, the larger than life-size bronze statue of company founder Samuel Cunard gazes out over the waterfront, admiring the new Cunarder. On closer examination one could almost perceive a look of satisfaction on his face. Now, at last, ‘Cunard’s Line’ has a ‘Queen Victoria’ in its fleet. The company’s historic connection with Halifax dating back to 1840 is reborn yet again with the arrival of this newest of Cunard liners. The Cunard tradition continues…long live Queen Victoria!’

 

As we sailed that night everyone was excited to have been able to be a part of another great day in Cunard’s rich history. We had a day at sea before sailing up the St. Lawrence River and the stunning port of Quebec, but that deserves a blog of its own! So thanks again for logging on and cheers for now – Alastair

 

 

As Queen Victoria continues her voyage in Canada and New England, Queen Mary 2 is not far behind visiting some of the same ports on this exciting itinerary. I’ll have some pictures from Queen Victoria’s maiden call to Halifax soon, but in the meantime congratulations are in store for the ship’s company of Queen Victoria.

 

The ship underwent a series of inspections last week as it was our first time back in American waters since January and the first ever visit to Canada. This is a regular process, so we were prepared as always to receive inspectors from the United States Coast Guard, the United States Public health and also Health Canada. The crew received many compliments from the Coast Guard for their high standards of knowledge and training. Both public health organisations score for their standards of health and hygiene and I am delighted to tell you that Queen Victoria performed brilliantly which is a huge credit to all crew members for their hard work and diligence.

 

As you know, last week I received some pictures from Simona in the Fincantieri Shipyard in Italy, showing the continuing construction of Queen Elizabeth, so now, as promised I would like to share those with you.

 

It’s amazing how much progress has been made in less than a month and from this picture you can see the extra blocks that have been put in place.

 

 

This is the port side of the ship looking forward and you can see that she now reaches up to deck 9 in the middle section. Another gangway has been put in and she’s starting to look recognisable.

 

The forward part of the ship has also grown in the last few weeks with another section of the bow now in place.

 

 

 

This is a view of the bow thrusters which are basically propellers placed in a short tunnel from one side of the ship to the other. Their purpose is to assist the ship’s maneuvering especially when coming in and out of port, and working in conjunction with the ‘Azipods’ on the stern of the ship, it means that in the majority of cases, Queen Elizabeth is able to dock without the need of tugs. This next picture is looking at the forward part of the ship, looking aft.

 

 

 

You can just about make out the green motor for the bow thrusters below. There is only a small section of the forward keel yet to be placed along with the ship’s bulbous bow.

 

I’d like to say a massive thank you to Simona in the ship yard in Monefalcone for sending these great pictures and to our chief Engineer, here on Queen Victoria, Willy Robinson for helping me to identify the more technical aspects of the photos.

 

We’ll hopefully get some more pictures soon and of course we’ll keep you updated with any further announcements about her progress. I’ll be back on Thursday with the regular weekly Blog, but for now thanks as always for logging on and all your questions. Cheers for now – Alastair