Thank you as always for all your comments; I’m glad you are enjoying watching Queen Elizabeth as she continues her maiden circumnavigation of the world. Thank you as well, to Theodore & Soo-Leng Stoddard who were able to clarify what I thought was a Carnival procession in Vietnam, but turned out to be a funeral procession. I’m glad I now know, so thanks to Theodore & Soo-Leng for pointing that out!

Today Queen Elizabeth begins her sixth and final leg from Dubai to Southampton, but for this blog we go back to Singapore and Malaysia; and what great ports of call they were. I have more photos to share with you after this day in Cunard’s history for the week of 31 March to 6 April:

The Republic of Singapore is an island city-state, located at the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula and is the smallest country in Southeast Asia. The name Singapore was derived from the Malay words singa (lion) and pura (city). Singapore consists of 63 islands, including the main island, Jurong Island, and is a fascinating country. It is scrupulously clean and has a great blend of the old and the new. One of the most famous spots for anyone visiting Singapore is of course the legendary Raffles Hotel;

Although you need to be a resident to enjoy the beautiful grounds, visitors can still enjoy the famous Singapore Sling cocktail at the Long Bar; just don’t think too much about the price!

The new does far outweigh the old in Singapore, partly because the main island has grown tremendously over the years; our taxi driver claimed that as much as a quarter of Jurong Island is reclaimed! If you like stunning architecture Singapore ranks among the most creative cities, such as Hong Kong, Dubai and Shanghai.

There’s one building though that has to be one of the most impressive in the world; the Marina Sands Hotel and costing a mere $4billion, it’s the most expensive hotel ever built. At 56 floors it towers over the nearby cricket ground, creating an amazing contrast to its surroundings.

The building’s boat shaped Sky Park on top of three towers is, according to its designer Moshe Sarfdie, based on a deck of cards, and as you get closer you realise the sheer scale of its structure.

The general public are able to take an express lift and arrive 650 feet in the air to the 55^th floor. There, they can enjoy a glimpse of the facilities that the hotel guests have at their disposal, including the ‘piece de resistance’; the infinity swimming pool.

The pool stretches 150 metres which is three times the length of an Olympic swimming pool, and looking along the side of the building you begin to grasp the scale of the project.

The resort is huge with 10,000 people employed in the hotel, casino and shopping areas. The hotel itself has 2,560 rooms costing from £350 a night and it officially opened with a concert with Diana Ross in June 2010. Remarkably non residents are permitted to walk behind the infinity pool which is a bit of a shame for guests staying at the hotel, but gave us some superb photo opportunities.

There are amazing views from what is called the Sky Deck, and this photo shows the Singapore Flyer, (similar to the London Eye; but bigger!), as well as the grandstand areas for the Singapore Grand Prix

The area in this next picture is going to be Singapore’s version of Cornwall’s Eden Project with its Bio Domes. In the distance you can see how Singapore has become as prosperous as it is, as a major trading port, with all those ships waiting to dock at one of the biggest container ports in the world.

The following day Queen Elizabeth was docked at Port Kelang which is the closest that ships are able to get to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. We had already visited one Malaysian Port on our way up from Australia; Kotakinabalu which is the capital of Sabah, located on the northwest coast of Borneo at the foot of its namesake, Mount Kinabalu. The city is one of the major industrial and commercial centres in East Malaysia but is surrounded by beautiful national parks and a busy fishing harbour.

The day after Port Kelang, Queen Elizabeth made her maiden call to Penang which is the second smallest state in Malaysia, with the highest population density. We were docked at Penang’s capital city, Georgetown, which is on an island connected by one of the world’s longest road bridges to the mainland. Georgetown is a UNESCO World Heritage site and boasts a wonderful contrast of cultures and faiths, with Mosques as well as Hindu and Buddhist Temples.

The Temple on the right is called the Snake Temple which was completely renovated in May 2010, and is officially known as Hok Kin Keong. It was built to worship Chor Soo Kong and legend has it that the Buddhist monk and healer, Chor Soo Kong, from Fujian in China, gave shelter to the snakes of the jungle. When he built the temple, the snakes just started appearing and to this day the snakes are an integral part of the temple although sightseers are advised to keep away as they are very poisonous.

Back in the centre of the city there are still many reminder’s of Georgetown’s multicultural history and British influences.

Sadly many of the older buildings look somewhat neglected, but you can still imagine what these colonial buildings, such as this, the Georgetown Dispensary, would have been like in their heyday.

I’ll be back on Monday with some news from Queen Victoria as well as news from Queen Elizabeth’s maiden calls to India. Cheers for now, Alastair

In last week’s Blog we covered just some of the signature events on a World Voyage, and I’m glad, judging from your comments, that you enjoyed reading about them. This week I am bringing you more, starting with the annual Shrove Tuesday Pancake Race. This is where teams of crew from different departments dress in an array of interesting outfits to compete in this traditional race.

For Queen Elizabeth’s very first pancake race we certainly had some interestingly attired crewmembers, such as the Oscar Rejects team from the Galley: -

Our engineers decided to go with a more youthful look going back to their school days with ties decorated with electrical tape!

Probably the most creative was another team from the Galley who came as Team 300 Galley Crew, dressed as Roman Centurions complete with their own Queen.

The Youth staff on board went with the theme of the ingredients of the pancake, while the Purser’s Staff chose to concentrate on what how best to enjoy your pancake!

Then the race was on, with six team members taking their turn to run from one end of the Pavilion Pool to the other ensuring their pancake had been flipped at least three times on the way before being flipped in to their team mate’s pan. Here, wearing some interesting masks, are the Royal Court Theatre Production Staff as the Repairs and Renovations team, under the watchful eye of Ron Barela from Washington State who was one of the judges.

Meanwhile on the other side of the pool the Oscar Rejects were being watched carefully by another guest judge, Ron’s wife Vicky

In the end the glory went to some of the cast of the Queen Elizabeth Theatre Company, from left to right Tom, Ben, Will, Captain Julian Burgess presenting them with their prize, Tim, Katie and Penny.

One of the traditions we are proud of at Cunard is our association with various charitable organizations around the world. A highlight is when we invite the children and staff from the Father Ray Foundation on board for the afternoon. Continuing the tradition from QE2 and more recently Queen Victoria, the children and the staff from the Foundation travelled by bus from Pattaya to where Queen Elizabeth was docked in Laem Chabang, Thailand. They were delighted when Captain Chris Wells joined them on the forward deck for a photo;

Before their performance, our Food and Beverage team did a great job in providing some refreshments as Thomas Quinones and the Youth Staff provided games and crafts for the children to play with.

Then it was time for the show which featured dancers, Thai Kick Boxing and a particularly moving performance from the children from the School for the Blind. There was also an inspirational performance from the boys who performed some remarkably impressive dances and acrobatics in their wheelchairs.

I think they really enjoyed using the stage lift to get them on and off the Royal Court Theatre stage as well, all under the watchful eye of our Production Manager Chris Knowles and his staff.

It was another fantastic afternoon and our guests were delighted to see them perform. On the same day some of our guests and crew visited the nearby Pattaya Orphanage, taking with them toys and gifts for the children.

Helen Eatough from the Entertainment Staff went along and told me a bit about the visit:

When I was invited to go to the Pattaya Orphanage, I wasn’t too sure what to expect, but it turned out to be an incredibly moving day and a real eye opener. What struck me was how positive the atmosphere was, and how beautiful the play areas and the gardens were. One little baby I saw was just a month old, and all these little children wanted was love and a human touch.

What an amazing day it was and despite the very sad circumstances that brings these children here, it’s heartening to know that over 80% of them go on to study at university. All of the children without exception come back to help out at the orphanage for a few hours a week, spending time with the children, helping out with the duties and even performing for them in bands.

Although it was an emotional day for all of us, it was great to see such dedication from the staff and as we left the Orphanage, we all felt a strong sense of how privileged we are.

Our guests come from all over the world as you know and often they bring some friends with them in the form of their favourite soft toy. Sometimes they bring their furry friends so that they can be pictured around the world. We had seen some around the ship so thought they may like to meet one another!

And here are their respective owners, I wonder if you can match the pet with their owner!

Oscar, the Australian black cat is travelling on his first World Voyage with his owners Heather and Will Lee from New South Wales. It seems that Oscar has also found himself a new friend, in the form of 45 year old Eeyore who is a true British Pedigree, as he comes from the prestigious Harrods Store. He was brought on board by his owners Lesley and Michael Tudor Pole from Southampton, and is being watched at home by Kate and Mark. 

We also have two stowaways and they are two monkeys called Lad and Little Bro and Joshua and Lilly in Nottingham, England are watching his travels around the world. Then there’s Woolly Jumper, a British sheep and he is being followed by Tim and Yvonne

The children back at St. Petroc’s School in Bodmin, Cornwall are watching Busky the Bear carefully, as he travels the world proudly carrying the St. Pirin’s Flag, (The Patron Saint of Cornwall), with him.

James and Mary Fitchie, originally from Northern Ireland, but now living in the Isle of Man, couldn’t make it to the meeting that day, but I met up with them a few days later and they told me all about Stripey.

Mrs and Mrs. Fitchie were among some other Queen Elizabeth guests who found a soft toy animal during our call to the Bay of Islands in New Zealand. They were walking along a path on the way to the church in Russell, which is the oldest working church in New Zealand, when they found Stripey on the ground. They first thought a child had dropped it by accident, but then they saw this sign attached to Stripey’s neck:

Stripey has come from Russell School in the Bay of Islands, the children of Room 6 left lots of soft toys around Russell, hopeful that they would be picked up by our guests and taken around the world! Mary and James have already sent five post cards to the school and hope the children will enjoy reading about Stripey’s new home when they return to the Isle of Man at the end of the World Voyage.

That’s it for the moment but I’ll be back on Thursday with some photos from Queen Elizabeth’s maiden calls to Singapore and ports in Malaysia. Cheers for now, Alastair

Probably one of the most fascinating sections of the World Voyage is visiting ports in Asia. There’s such diversity in what you see from the tropical rainforests to beautiful bays and harbours to dramatic city skylines. This year Queen Elizabeth visited two ports in Vietnam; the first of which was Nha Trang, which is one of Vietnam’s most popular resorts. Queen Elizabeth anchored in the bay and this photo shows a wonderful contrast between our new Cunarder and a traditional Vietnamese fishing boat.

Nha Trang itself is quite a small town with a scattering of French-colonial beachfront hotels making up the heart of its tourist district. Wherever you go though, you are constantly reminded where you are, by the government posters:

Being a tourist town, the beachfront could be anywhere, but the prices are still wonderfully reasonable, and the food a good mixture of international but mostly local cuisine.

Although this is a country which is undergoing change at a remarkable rate, the blend of old and new are very evident once you go back a few streets to the centre of the town.

One thing that is consistent in every Vietnamese town and city is the huge quantity of motorbikes absolutely everywhere. The day after Nha Trang, Queen Elizabeth docked at Phu My, which is the main port for Ho Chi Minh City, formally Saigon; the largest city in Vietnam.

Whilst over half of our guests went to Ho Chi Minh City for the day, there was also a shuttle bus to the nearby town of Baria. After what could only be described as an interesting 45 minute bus ride on the main and very busy highway, between the port town of Vung Tau and Ho Chi Minh City, we were in what appeared to quite a reasonably modern city, certainly by Vietnamese standards.

Just walking around you can see some remarkable buildings, such as this cathedral in the heart of the town which was built in the 1930’s replacing an older church.

I’m not sure what was going on that day but all of a sudden there was a lot of noise and a small carnival seemed to pass along the road with an eclectic group on this particular float flanked of course by numerous motorbikes!

Again you are often reminded of the authority of this country, with the numerous government buildings, which are surrounded by security officials.

The country is very proud of its past, with immaculately kept gardens surrounding statues of past and present leaders.

The buildings in this country are absolutely fascinating, with such a range of modern structures which are certainly individual in their design. There are of course many older colonial buildings around, which reflect the French architecture from the 19^th century, such as this private house which somehow has managed to survive in the middle of the town

But then there are those which have had some quite imaginative designers. Now these houses may not be to everyone’s taste, and I am guessing there’s not much consultation with neighbours, but it certainly creates an interesting street!

I know I was going to include some pictures from Singapore, but I realized I had too many photos for one Blog so I’ll post them next week along with some from Queen Elizabeth’s maiden calls to ports in Malaysia. I’ll also have pictures from more events that have taken place recently on Queen Elizabeth,  as well as some news from Queen Mary 2 and Queen Victoria. Cheers for now, Alastair

Firstly thank you for all of your lovely comments about our most recent Stars of the Month; we are very proud to be able to recognise them for doing such a great job, and I know their families at home will also appreciate reading your kind feedback on this blog. I’ll be back in a few weeks with three more Stars but today I wanted to highlight some of the events and people that make a World Voyage so special and unique; but that’s after this week in Cunard’s history for the week of 24 to 30 March:

There are so many highlights during a World Voyage but one evening that is truly special for our guests who are on board for the whole World Voyage, is the World Voyage dinner. The venue for the 2011 World Voyage Dinner this year was Sky City, The Auckland Convention Centre which opened in 2004. For the first time, both Queen Mary 2 and Queen Elizabeth enjoyed their dinners at the same venue, just over a week apart from each other.

After a cocktail party on board our Full World Voyage guests were met on a red carpet by their tour guides who would escort them by coach to Sky City. The guides did a great job in giving a quick background to the city of Auckland, and all were dressed as someone who should know; Captain James Cook. Here they all are with Queen Elizabeth’s Captain Julian Burgess.

Guests were met at Sky City by a traditional Maori welcome, before entering the grand ballroom which looked magnificent with a special set and stunning floral and table arrangements. Just before dinner the Captain welcomed guests and introduced Cunard’s President and Managing Director, Peter Shanks who talked about the history, present and future of Cunard. Then it was time for the meal, served with New Zealand wines, which looked and tasted wonderful. Just look at this beautifully presented dessert:-

During the meal the photographers were able to capture the moment and in this picture you will get an idea of what a wonderful event it was and how stunning the venue looked.

Then it was time for dancing the night away before the coaches took everyone back to the ship in time for a Sailaway Party overlooking the night sky over Auckland.

A couple of weeks ago I was delighted to meet 91 year old Mr. Joseph Russell from Melbourne, who told me all about one of his first voyages when he crossed the Atlantic on Queen Mary in October 1937. Here we are with Mr. Joseph and Captain Burgess and members of his family, Beverley Bird and Courtenay English;

The Russell family company was established in 1908 making pressure gauges, and given the impending World War, production was about to be increased as their gauges were a vital component for Depths Charges.

Mr. Russell’s family took a ship to Southampton and continued the journey to New York on Queen Mary. The purpose of the trip was to source new machinery for the business, and we were lucky that Mr. Russell had kept all the paper work from that journey;

Equally fascinating was the Itinerary paperwork which was in remarkable condition. In it you could even see the price of the whole trip although this didn’t include their passage on Queen Mary!

Another brand new event for Cunard has taken place on Queen Elizabeth’s Maiden World Voyage. Guests took part in four heats in the Golden Lion Pub, and the team with the highest accumulative score were invited to play against the Officers in a new game show called The Ultimate Quiz Challenge.

On the day I acted as Quizmaster in the Royal Court Theatre, as our Officers battled it out with a team of guests. There were nine rounds of questions from Cryptic Connections to Movie Music and fastest on the buzzer.

Team Sam for the guests comprised, Sam Kutner, Charles Meson, John Taylor and Tim Anderson. Meanwhile for the officers we had Dr. Baljit Chhokar, White Star Trainer, Emma de Wilde, Technical Stores Manager Paul Edwards and Captain Julian Burgess. In the end the guests won by just one point………. or so we thought! It turned out after a recount that in fact the competition was a draw, so we’ll have to have a rematch before the end of the World Voyage! Anyway here are the teams at the end of what was a really good afternoon.

Another World Voyage event is the Float Your Boat competition. This is where guests are invited to build craft that will carry six cans of beer from one end of the Pavilion Pool to another. They are given a relatively free reign on what they build, but on the day the contestants are not allowed to touch their craft or use any mechanical means of propulsion.

This turned out to be a competition with national and personal pride with many guests going to incredible lengths to ensure success. Here’s one of the heats with Wacky Noodle (we’ll come back to them in a while), against 13 year old Luke Gregg with his boat Zoned Out.

One or two guests went a bit far with their ingenuity, which meant they had to be disqualified, such as this boat called No Sweat. It appeared upon closer examination that the boat had a propeller that was controlled remotely.  As you see in the pictures below the judges decided to see how it would sail……. well not so well.

There is some justice in the world! Then there was Roger’s Jolly whose owners had rigged up a remarkable pulley system to help their boat, but again that had to be disqualified. Good try though!

After four heats it was down to the final between Chin Tan from Singapore, with his craft Q’Nard’s Dream, propelled by table tennis bats creating waves under the water, against Graham Dubben from Weymouth, England, and his hose propelled boat Wacky Noodle. I know; what imagination and probably only just within the rules! Here they are under starters orders and then mid race;

There had to be a winner and in the end Wacky Noodle crossed the finishing line first, and here’s Graham with a bottle of champagne and his team mates wearing purple sashes cheering him on.

Congratulations to all involved, especially DJ Mark Rawlins and Sports Director Marc Wilkson for organising a great afternoon of fun.

There are also many extra Royal Nights in the Queens Room on a World Voyage with themes celebrating St.Valentine’s Day, St. Patrick’s Day as well as the regions we visit such as the South Pacific, Asia and India. We also have other themed nights including the Carnival Ball and the Roaring 20’s Ball.

It’s always great to see people getting dressed up for the occasion, and I couldn’t resist this photo with Helen Boskemper & Thelma Fitzpatrick from Adelaide, Australia, all dressed up in their wonderful outfits for that night; 

There’s so much more to tell you about the World Voyage and what’s going on, but that’ll have to wait for another day. Tomorrow I’ll be back with some photos from Queen Elizabeth’s Maiden calls in Vietnam and Singapore and next week some more news from Queen Mary 2 and Queen Victoria. Cheers for now, Alastair

Welcome to another busy week of blogging and more news from around the Cunard World. As Queen Elizabeth and Queen Mary 2 enjoy Asian ports on their World Voyages, Queen Victoria has returned to the Caribbean as she concludes her very successful Americas Season.

It’s been such a busy time blogging that I realised we haven’t told you about Cunard’s most recent Stars for a while. As a regular feature, we like to let you know about our Cunard’s Stars, where every month on each of our three Queens, one crew member per ship is awarded the title of Star of the Month. The award is a result of guest and crew feedback, and then consideration by our on board White Star Committees.

Following from last month, I’m delighted to introduce Cunard’s latest stars.

Queen Victoria

Attila Verdo – Lido Maitre D’hôtel

Being the Maitre D’hôtel of the Lido is a demanding job which involves looking after a very busy dining area that operates around the clock, so it was great to see that Attila was nominated for all his hard work and commitment to White Star Service. 

Attila was born in north east Hungary, where the famous Tokaji Aszu dessert wine comes from.  He is married and Attila and his wife are anxiously awaiting the arrival of their first baby, which he hopes will be a boy!

Attila started working at sea in 1996 on the original Love Boat.  He joined Cunard in 2007 as part of the opening team for Queen Victoria, as a Senior Waiter.  Attila has since worked in the Princess and Queens Grills and as for the future; his dream is to become the Senior Maitre D’hôtel some day.

According to his colleagues, nothing is ever too much trouble for Attila and he always finds a positive way to overcome any challenges. They added that he has an excellent attitude towards our guests as well as his colleagues and is a true team player.

Attila  told me that his favorite part of his job is taking pride in delivering White Star Service to our guests, and he is also known for making the best crepes suzette on Queen Victoria!

Here he is accepting his award from Captain Inger Olsen, with Senior Maitre D’hôtel, Osman Pinaolglu, Hotel Manager, Jacqui Hodgson and Food & Beverage Manager, Stefan Engl.

Attila’s favorite hobby is football, but when he is at home on leave he spends as much of his time as possible with his wife and friends, particularly now as they prepare for their baby’s arrival.

Queen Mary 2

Jeffrey Calija – Spa Attendant

Jeffrey has been working as a Spa Attendant for seven years and is from Las Pinas City in the Philippines, which is known for its Bamboo Organ Festival. He has been married to Remy Matimtim for nine years and they now have two children, seven year old Christian and Christine, who is five.

Before joining Cunard he worked for Globe Telecom as a Sales Associate and Supervisor and started to work for Cunard in December 2001. His first position was on Caronia as a Galley Utility, before moving to the housekeeping department.

He told me that he really likes his current job because he is able to meet many interesting people, and he feels by just talking to our guests, he has learned a lot about his own personal life.

The Canyon Ranch Spa Manager Mandy Meth, told me; “The whole spa team felt that Jeffrey was very deserving of the Star of the Month award. The spa attendants are constantly busy throughout the day and the staff noticed that Jeffrey consistently goes above and beyond his usual duties. For example while collecting towels in the gym he always takes the time to show guests how to operate the equipment, which is not his responsibility. He also exceeds guests’ expectations by offering to take their swimwear to be dried” She added that Jeffrey is a very cheerful person and his excellent customer service is reflected in the amount of White Star comments he receives from our guests.

Here’s Jeffrey receiving his well deserved award from Captain Paul Wright, with Hotel Manager David Stephenson and Canyon Ranch Spa Manager Mandy Meth.

In his spare time on board Jeffrey likes to read magazines about history, national geography and computers. He also likes to play cards and he hopes that he may get promoted sometime to a higher position within the housekeeping department. He also wanted to add that he considers working with Cunard a privilege that he will cherish for the rest of his life. 

Queen Elizabeth

Jayadev Alapati (Jay) Assistant Printer.

As the Assistant Printer on board Jay works closely with the Chief printer and between them they are responsible for pretty much everything that gets printed on board, which includes the Daily Programme, Newspapers, Menus, etc.  Although he does most of the physical printing Jay sometimes gets the opportunity to design as well.

From a printing family in Hyderabad in India, Jay is still a student and he is currently on an Internship at Cunard. He told me that this is his first real job and Cunard is the first company he has ever worked for. He added that he has always loved travelling and when he found out about this job, where he could travel and do what he loves most, he couldn’t have been happier. Jay was part of the inaugural team on Queen Elizabeth, joining the ship in Monfalcone in September, and like most of us on board he loves that fact that he gets to wake up in a different city almost every day.

Jay was nominated for the award by his colleagues and guests, after he helped a lady to use her iPhone, so she could email and text her family while away. Jay has also been instrumental in simplifying some of the Print Shop processes and he constantly delivers high quality service by taking on any request and following it through ensuring guest satisfaction.  Here’s Jay receiving his award from Captain Julian Burgess with Hotel Manager, Robert Howie, Chief Purser, Tracy Riley and Chief Printer, Andrew Berghauser;

Afterwards Jay told me how excited he was at winning the award; “Every day when I went to work I walk by the board that has the picture of White Star of the Month on it along with all the nominees, and I always hoped that someday I would be up there too. When I found out that I had actually won, I was so surprised and happy”. He added; “This is my first real job and in my first five months I have won the Star of the Month, so I’m pretty excited.

Jay went on leave last week and returned to America to continue with his studies. But he told me that once he has graduated this summer, he’s looking forward to hopefully coming back and maybe even as Chief Printer. He said he would like to stay for a few years at sea, then go back to college and get an MBA, and eventually join his father’s printing business back home in India.

Congratulations to all of this month’s winners and of course I’ll bring you our next month’s winners in a few weeks time. Well that’s it for the moment but I’ll be back later in the week with some news from Queen Elizabeth as she continues her Maiden World Voyage in Asia.  Cheers for now, Alastair

It’s a great pleasure to introduce another Guest Blog. Many of you will know Chris Frame as he has written a number of books about Cunard, and also lectures regularly on our Queens.

This is the third time Chris has written a Guest Blog, and if you would like to know more about him you can read his other two Blogs by following these links:

Author Sails On Queen Victoria

Queen Mary 2’s Mediterranean Medley

Chris came on board Queen Elizabeth a few weeks ago for a few days, to give some lectures and also to prepare for his next book, so I’ll let him tell you all about it.

Guest Blog                                                               

Chris Frame

Author and Cunard Maritime Lecturer

All readers of this blog will have heard about the meeting of the Queens in Sydney. After this rendezvous, Queen Mary 2 sailed to New Zealand, while Queen Elizabeth made her maiden call at both Melbourne and Fremantle. It’s on this passage that our first voyage aboard Queen Elizabeth took place.

It was in Melbourne that my partner Rachelle and I first boarded Queen Elizabeth, bound for Fremantle for a short four night voyage. I was aboard to lecture – covering three topics – Cunard’s Early Years, The White Star Line and Cunard’s First Queens. However, while we were aboard we took over 2,500 photographs of the ship for use in our forthcoming book, Queen Elizabeth: A Photographic Journey, due out this October.

Embarkation day for us was Friday 25 February 2011. We woke early and were excited about setting off aboard the latest Cunard Queen. Breakfast in Melbourne included a visit to the Lindt Café for the best hot chocolate in Melbourne, followed by some shopping. It was while we were in a local bookstore on Colin Street that I bumped into some fellow Cunard guests, friends that I’d made during our voyage last year on Queen Victoria. This only built the excitement further!

At noon we made our way to Port Melbourne and embarked aboard the third ship to bear the name Queen Elizabeth. We were impressed. Queen Elizabeth felt familiar, which was expected having been aboard Queen Victoria. However she was unique, with her own personality, beautiful art-deco styling and masterful blend of colours, tones and lighting creating an ambiance aboard that makes you feel very comfortable.

After dropping our bags in our stateroom the work began. The first task was to photograph the stateroom before we messed it up! The result was pleasing.

From there we were in full photography mode, taking pictures of every room as we made our way throughout the ship. Having a similar layout to her sister ship made it very easy for us to navigate Queen Elizabeth. I think that’s a real benefit for many repeat guests.

One of the highlights of our first walk around the ship included seeing the Royal Court Theatre, and knowing that the following day I’d be lecturing there. The Royal Court Theatre really is a speakers dream venue; the atmosphere is excellent while the acoustics are superb and there is a very large screen which allows my maritime slides (including many historic images and video) to be displayed at their best. This is the view I get from the stage when lecturing, although less empty seats!

We also spent quite some time seeking out the priceless QE2 memorabilia that is held aboard Queen Elizabeth. Items include the QE2’s bell, builder’s plaque, silver model and the Bust of H.M. The Queen. Here’s an image of QE2’s builders plaque, you can find this near the Commodore Club.

By early evening we’d scoured the ship from top to bottom, already having taken hundreds of images. We like to get photographs of the rooms empty for our books so as readers can see the rooms in their full beauty, as if entering them for the first time. Port days are good for this kind of imagery as many guests are off the ship on shore excursions.

At 6pm Queen Elizabeth set sail from Melbourne bound for Fremantle. After sailing we enjoyed drinks in Café Carinthia, dinner in the Britannia Restaurant and a show in the Royal Court Theatre.

We rose early on our first day at sea. Breakfast was at the Lido where pancakes smelt too delicious to pass up. After our meal, we set out with our camera once again. This time we didn’t have long before my first lecture in the Royal Court Theatre.

Cunard’s Early Years was the topic, which I shared with a sizable crowd. I was particularly impressed so many guests were keen to hear about the Cunard heritage, although not surprising given the heritage and pedigree this company has.

After the lecture we held a book signing in Queen Elizabeth’s bookshop. The bookshop aboard Queen Elizabeth is superb, and bookshop manager Richard had set up a wonderful display of our work in the window. What a thrill!

We met some wonderful people on this voyage. It’s always such a treat to meet people who are part of Cunard’s history and Cunard guests have fascinating stories to tell. I’ve met people who served aboard the Queens as well as Aquitania during World War II. Others had family members who made crossings on Mauretania or Berengaria, while some recall sailing on Britannic during the Cunard-White Star era.

On this voyage we met a gentleman who was sailing with an extensive QE2 collection. Items included medallions from QE2’s maiden circumnavigation of the globe, which I thought was very appropriate, given we were sailing aboard Queen Elizabeth during her maiden World Voyage.

That evening we enjoyed our second dinner in the Britannia Restaurant. Our table companions were all Australians; however all from different states. The dinner conversation was lively as we all shared with each other stories from our lives.

By Sunday we were well and truly at sea. Queen Elizabeth was sailing across The Bight at 23 knots. My lecture today was about the White Star Line. White Star is often remembered because of the ill-fated Titanic; however its history is far more extensive than one ship.

White Star was once one of Cunard’s greatest rivals but by 1934 had merged with Cunard to form Cunard-White Star. Two great ships from White Star continued in Cunard-White Star service, Georgic and Britannic. Both these liners were requisitioned for use as troop ships during World War II. Georgic was bombed during her war service and my grandfather captured this image of the ship during the aftermath of the attack.

The White Star Line also has an Australian connection, having originally started as a service ‘down under’ to cater for the Gold Rush, so understandably the large number of Aussie guests aboard were keen to hear of the company’s story.

We had lunch in the Britannia Restaurant after the lecture. The highlight was desert, I ordered a chocolate fondant with ice cream while Rachelle had the chocolate mousse; we couldn’t decide which was more delicious or decadent!

More photography followed and by the end of the day we’d added a further 500 images to our collection. Here’s a shot of one of the many pieces of maritime artwork displayed aboard Queen Elizabeth.

By Monday time was starting to run away. My last lecture was at 10am and covered Cunard’s First Queens – the iconic Queen Mary and Queen Elizabeth. It boggles the mind to think of the acts that these two Atlantic greats achieved. Requisitioned for use by the British Government during World War II they went on to change the course of the war with their ability to carry thousands of troops each and every crossing.

The audience enjoyed hearing the history of these two Cunarders which was followed by another book signing. We met more fascinating people, including Queen Elizabeth’s Madrina, Dennie Farmer, who was sailing with us.

Photographing a ship for our Photographic Journey books means we often have to stay up late to capture the rooms with no guests in them. This is sometimes fairly simple; restaurants for example are empty relatively early and have many angles at which to capture that perfect shot.

There are, however, harder rooms to capture. Queen Elizabeth’s Library is one such room. Spectacular in its design (it feels like the quintessential library), it is two decks tall and has a spiral staircase in the centre of the room making for a superb shot. The only problem is to get that perfect shot; you end up with scenes like this.

At least I was dressed accordingly!

Our voyage aboard Queen Elizabeth came to an end all too quickly. On Tuesday morning we sailed into Fremantle. Fortunately we managed to get all the images we needed for the book, some 2,500 to choose from!

After disembarkation, we stayed in Fremantle to watch Queen Elizabeth depart. What a superb occasion. Fremantle really does put on a spectacular show for the Queens. Thousands of people were in and around the port, lining every vantage point to watch the ship depart. People even climbed onto the rocks to see the ship up close.

There were cheers when she passed us on The North Mole and headed out to open sea. We all hope you continue to enjoy the 2011 Maiden World Voyage! We had a fun time aboard the Queen Elizabeth and look forward to returning soon.

Thanks again Alastair for all the help offered to us last week.

Thank you Chris; it was a pleasure to have you and Rachelle on board and we look forward to seeing the book later in the summer. Next week I’ll be posting a Blog celebrating Cunard’s latest Stars as well as news from Queen Elizabeth as she continues her Maiden World Voyage. Thanks again for logging on.  Cheers for now, Alastair

Firstly thank you for all your comments and concern regarding the tragic Japanese earthquake and tsunami. Although it’s wonderful news that none of our guests or crew were affected by the disastrous events, our thoughts and prayers remain with the Japanese people as they struggle to come to terms with what has happened. All three Queens are of course taking donations from guests and crew to pass on to the relief agencies, and we’ll let you know about some of the fund raising efforts in forthcoming blogs.

While Queen Victoria enjoys being back in the Caribbean, Queen Mary 2 is heading to Hong Kong after her calls at Shanghai and Xingang (the port for Beijing and the Great Wall of China). Queen Elizabeth made her maiden call to Hong Kong last week, and I’ll tell you all about it after our weekly feature, this week in Cunard’s history from 17 to 23 March:

Another highlight of any World Voyage is coming to the Fragrant Harbour otherwise known as Hong Kong. In fact I wrote a blog about Queen Victoria’s visit last year which you can read by following here

This year we were very lucky to be docking at the Ocean Terminal in the heart of this amazing city. Hong Kong Island is famous for its lights, but that’s at night. Queen Elizabeth arrived very early in the morning, so the lights were not as colourful as they would be later, but it’s still an unmistakably impressive skyline.

As the ship swung round to her berth at Ocean Terminal, we could see the famous Star Ferry terminal right next to us. You can see the tug standing by to assist if necessary, and it even had a clean white sheet on its bow so that it wouldn’t mark our beautiful Queen!

Meanwhile as we were docking, dawn was breaking over Hong Kong Island behind us and in this next photo you can see in the background, the impressive Two International Finance Centre building, which was designed by Cesar Pelli and opened in 2003. At 88 floors it is now Hong Kong’s second tallest building.

It was certainly a very warm welcome for Queen Elizabeth’s maiden call, and if any of our guests were hoping for a lie in that morning the drummers on the quay side had other ideas!

The local authorities were clearly keen to impress with music and the traditional Chinese Dragon running along the top of the terminal building.

Once docked it was great to get ashore to enjoy the bustling city, but as I left the terminal building I had to take this picture of our Queen looking majestic at her berth with one of the most famous skylines in the world providing the backdrop.

Hong Kong is a wonderfully vibrant city which is dominated by impressive modern architecture. There are still some old colonial buildings remaining which are being carefully restored, and this is where there is a wonderful contrast of the old and the new. This is a photo of the newly redeveloped 1881 complex of hotel, restaurants and chic boutiques in the foreground, and One Peking towering behind it.

Opening in 2003 and standing at 30 floors, it has a commanding position overlooking Hong Kong Harbour. On the top two floors, restaurants and bars offer an amazing view and I managed to take this picture of Queen Elizabeth at the heart of the city at Ocean Terminal.

That night at 8.00pm, Hong Kong offered its nightly laser show and Queen Elizabeth probably had one of the best views of this spectacular light show from the comfort of her open decks and balconies. Fortunately there was a professional photographer there to capture the moment, so thank you again to our Chief Photographer, Petar Pecanac for this great picture.

The following day Queen Elizabeth moved to Junk Bay and used shore side tenders to take everyone to Hong Kong Island. It was, as always in Hong Kong, a fantastic two days before the ship headed off for her Vietnamese ports of call and I’ll post those pictures next week.

I’ll be back tomorrow with a Guest Blog from Author and Lecturer, Chris Fame, who many of you will know. He sailed with us from Melbourne to Fremantle so tomorrow’s post will be about his stay on board. Next week we will celebrate Cunard’s latest Stars as well as news from our Flagship, Queen Mary 2.

Please do keep these comments and questions coming and thanks as always for logging on.  Cheers for now, Alastair

Today we have a guest blog from Peter Shanks, who recently spent time on Queen Mary 2 from Sydney to Auckland during her 2011 World Voyage. Peter shares with us just how special the ship and her experiences are:       

 Guest Blog    

Peter Shanks    

President and Managing Director    

Cunard Line   

I do so much enjoy spending time on Queen Mary 2. Over recent months understandably many of us at Cunard Line have been nurturing Queen Elizabeth into her new career at sea. Spending time back on Queen Mary 2 has firmly reminded me of just how special she is. I joined in Sydney, and I have already written about the very special service we had on board for Australian Veterans. Leaving Sydney we sailed to New Zealand, spending a day in Wellington and I write this as the sun sets and we will arrive in Auckland in the morning. I have just snapped the view from my balcony;    

This leg of the voyage has become especially poignant following the tragic events in Christchurch. We were meant to sail into Christchurch but had to go to Wellington instead. There was a lot of compassion on board for Christchurch and rightly so. Whilst I was discussing with the Hotel Manager how we should start a collection for the Relief Appeal, one of the reception team came into the office to say that a guest was asking how they could donate to the appeal. So we were at one with our guests and we have since been collecting. On arrival into Wellington, and unbeknown to me , our Food and Beverage Team unloaded 5,000 bottles of water, and through the Port Agent arranged for it to be collected by HMS Canterbury to be taken down to Christchurch. I say unbeknown to me – I was aware we were looking at doing something – but the F&B Team know me well enough that they did not have to ask.       

What a lovely city Wellington is. It was a Sunday and many people were out on the beautiful harbour front. I took the shuttle bus into town and sat down over a coffee with the local paper and read of the distressing events in Christchurch. I have always admired New Zealanders – I hate to admit it but they are very good at Rugby and for a nation so far away from everywhere – they are very resilient and very successful. As we sailed out of Wellington there was a full rainbow to the port side of Queen Mary 2 – and I had a strange sense of the power of nature, nature that can deliver tragic consequences through earthquakes and at the same time reveal it’s true beauty.       

I had two reasons for being on Queen Mary 2 – not that I normally need reasons. Firstly to spend time with our guests and the Ship’s Company and secondly to walk every area of the ship in preparation for the refit we have coming up in November of this year. And over the last few days I have been reminded of many of the special things about Queen Mary 2– and I thought I should share them with you. So, in no particular order, here come of the special things about Queen Mary 2 that I have witnessed over the last few days…       

Secret of the Library – Up on deck 8 forward you will find our Bookshop and Library with over 16,000 books in many languages. I came across a delightful Australian couple who had found the secret – four white leather chairs and sofas that have a panoramic view over the bow of Queen Mary 2– they looked so happy , so relaxed  – and told me so – marvellous.       

Jazz – Walking past the refurbished Chart Room, a classy jazz quartet playing, dancing, laughter, clink of champagne glasses – a wonderful night out to match any jazz venue.       

Hosting the Captain’s Table – I will let you in to a secret. I think the Senior Officers like me to host a table as it gives them a night off – and why not. I had a lovely table, delightful guests from around the world. Not many of us are lucky enough to sit in that seat, with three decks above us, surrounded by guests in black tie having a wonderful dinner. Let’s not forget just how awesome the Britannia Restaurant is on Queen Mary 2. It does not recreate how it used to be on ocean liners of the past – it is how it used to be only much, much better – it is the real thing and no other ship comes close (although her little sisters Queen Victoria and Queen Elizabeth are pretty cool too).       

Lunch in the crew mess – I will always eat in the crew mess once when I visit the ships. Gives me a chance to be seen out and about, ask how things are and of course make sure that our crew are happy with their food. I think they are – there have been some real efforts by Chef and his team recently to add variety. Sometimes I will have the ‘sticky rice and salty beef, or ‘fried chicken’ – but this time I went down the European line and had Cottage Pie – it was fine.       

Canyon Ranch – well it was a Sunday so I was allowed some time off. Six times round the deck (two miles) – and then time in the amazing Canyon Ranch indoor pools, Jacuzzis and steam rooms. I find that so relaxing and it is always good to experience just how good the Canyon Ranch Spa is. When you go into the shower, one of the team will rinse out and dry your trunks and when you approach your locker, miraculously a towel is laid out on the floor for you to stand on as you get dried and changed– nice touch.       

Boy – are the deck areas in great shape – you see Queen Mary 2 is a proper Ocean Liner. When you walk around all the deck areas – you walk on real teak and you pass brightly painted white steel. Despite now being 7 years old – I would argue the external areas of Queen Mary 2 are in better shape than any ship at sea – and that is a credit to every member of the deck team. I asked Deputy Captain to briefly gather every member of the Deck Team the next morning – along with their supervising officers. I thanked them and shook each of their hands. In doing so I told them they should be proud keeping the most famous ship in the world in such great shape.       

Regular coffee fixes – Coffee has moved on so much these days and on the ship Sir Samuels now offers proper coffee – either in a lovely china cup or in my case in a take away cup. No matter which way you take it – it is always served with a smile.       

Queens Room – Picture the scene – 1,000 guests in formal dress, champagne all round, canapés and classical music. Commodore Warner introduces his Senior Officers and tells his joke (I have suggested he develops a 2^nd joke but the one he has seems to work every time). I was able to say a few words of welcome. As I always do – I asked our guests to applaud our White Star Ship’s Company. I mentioned that we were – for our Ship’s Company – going the wrong way around the world with the clocks going back in time. So far we have lost 18 hours and 18 hours of sleep for our hard working staff. Good for our guests – they responded with warm applause for the staff – and the good news is that now we have reached New Zealand (which by the way is bloody miles from everywhere) – the clocks will start to go back the other way and they will get some extra rest.       

It’s Sunday – so let’s go to Church – Commodore led a very nice service and the Theatre was quite full. Our thoughts were with those in New Zealand as we sailed along their shores, I read the lesson and it was a moving occasion – and we always feel better for a little prayer. Going to church on Sunday is something many people do and it’s rather nice to do so on Queen Mary 2 on a Sunday and if you like, you then go on to have a rather nice Sunday lunch – a perfect day.       

Standing room only – we have recently started to give computer lessons on how to use Apple Macs, I-Pads and I-Phones. I popped down to see it – and was surprised to see every computer station full and many standing at the back of class. We are going to extend the area used for this. When you think of it – technology can be daunting. So to have the time and ability at sea to go to lessons is a great way of learning. The ship also now has Wifi service and full internet access so once you have mastered it you can try it for real. I wonder just how many emails have been sent that start with the words ‘ I am sending this email from Queen Mary 2 in the Pacific Ocean….’. We are all so used to fast internet access at home and at work we do have to remind guests that as we are in the middle of an ocean and at the mercy of satellites – they need a little more patience than usual.       

I had forgotten about Tom Hanks – Well who else would you get to narrate the Planetarium shows. They are a fairly short 20 minutes – but to sit in a full size planetarium whist at sea listening to Tom Hanks tell you about outer space is something that has to be done.       

We turned out the lights and – I spotted in the daily program that our Astronomer Lecturer was going to describe the night sky up on deck 13 at 2200 hours. So there were about 200 of us, it was a clear night, we were sailing about 25 miles off the New Zealand coast. The astronomer had a neat little green laser gun. As we waited for the deck lights to go off – we were not sure what we might see. When the lights went off – there was an audible gasp. We often talk of how Cunard delivers unique experiences – well I had happened across one of those moments. The night sky was incredible – I have never seen so many stars. The Milky Way stood out so clearly, we were asked to look at one star and it was clearly a bright red colour – I have never seen the colour of a star before. Then – to some surprise – the astronomer let out a shriek. He had seen a far away galaxy with the naked eye for the first time. We could all see it as a distant cloud – he told us the name which seemed to use every letter in the alphabet at least twice – and his evening was made. I stood back from the gathering – and made a note to remind as many people as I can as to the many special experiences on this fine ship.       

Knackered and Proud – On arrival in Auckland, and after taking our 700 plus Full World Voyagers out for a special dinner, my time on Queen Mary 2 was over and ahead of me was a 27 hour journey back to Southampton. I had a really clear idea of what work we need to undertake in our November refit , I had really enjoyed spending time with so many of the ship’s company and of course meeting so many of our guests. But overall I had two overwhelming feelings. The first was one of being ‘knackered’ (British technical term for being rather tired). I had been away for Two weeks, Two Ship Visits, Two Queens in Sydney, Two World Voyage Dinners and One Earthquake. The other feeling was one of pride – pride in everything that the ship’s company on Queen Elizabeth and Queen Mary 2 were doing to look after our guests. And if you would like to experience some of that pride, and some of those special moments – then please do come and sail with us – they happen every day , 365 days a year………….       

Best Regards       

Peter Shanks       

Before I start this Blog, thank you, for all your messages of concern after the tragic events in northern Japan. As many of you were aware Queen Mary 2 was about 450 miles the epicentre at the time and naturally our thoughts were with her guests and crew as soon as we saw the news reports unfold. The weather where Queen Mary 2 was at the time was calm, and it was a relief to hear that the sea area and route the ship was on was also unaffected by any after effects of the earthquake.  The Commodore kept the guest on board fully informed with the developments and fortunately the news got through quite quickly that everyone on our flagship was fine.

Over the weekend I received this message from Rachael Fish, the Assistant Entertainment Director on Queen Mary 2 with this update: -

On March 11th, we were crossing between Osaka and Nagasaki, Japan when we heard the news about the earthquake. Fortunately being at sea at the time, we were completely unaffected but there were 33 Queen Mary 2 guests ashore on an overland tour through Tokyo. They were due to rejoin the ship in Nagasaki on March 12^th and were being escorted by Iva from our Tour Office.

We very soon heard they were all fine but with the Japanese ports all being closed we were not sure how they would rejoin the ship. I am delighted to report that the group were returned to us safely by pilot boat from Nagasaki yesterday, (12^th March), at 3:00pm, along with Iva, who according to all her guests, did a truly fantastic job.

Thank you Rachael for that reassurance; of course our prayers and thoughts are with the Japanese people and everyone affected by this terrible disaster.

While Queen Mary 2 and Queen Elizabeth are in Asia on their 2011 World Voyages, I was delighted to receive two Guest Blogs from Queen Victoria, with some great pictures from their time in Hawaii and Mexico.

Firstly I would like to introduce Adam Ritchin, who is the Guest Computer Services Manager on Queen Victoria. Adam looks after the guest Internet Centre and teaches some great classes, where guests can hone their computer skills from the basics through to learning how to Photoshop holiday photos and more. In the first of a series of Guest Blogs, here he is with a pictorial review of the Hawaiian Islands; 

Guest Blog

Adam Ritchin

Guest Computer Services Manager

Queen Victoria

Greetings from Queen Victoria!  I’m Adam Ritchin, the Guest Computer Services Manager on board, and every week or two, I’ll be posting some blogs to give everyone a sense of the Queen Victoria experience.

Recently, we were on our second of two voyages to Hawaii.  If you’ve never been, let’s put it this way; it was truly paradise. The weather was ideal at around 25 degrees Celsius (77 degrees Fahrenheit) with a fresh sea breeze. We stopped at four ports, and each one offered something unique.

Honolulu offered the charms of a large city, a welcoming oceanfront, tons of great shopping and restaurants, and world famous beaches.  From the famous Aloha Tower next to our ship…………

……….to remembering fallen heroes at Pearl Harbor………..

…….to the delightful beach at world famous Sunset Beach; the nirvana for serious surfers.

Honolulu is unforgettable. There’s a lot more to see than just high rise hotels and famous beaches.  Did you know that in Hilo, there’s a Buddhist temple that’s set in the mountains? 

In Laihana……..,

…….enjoy a meal at the historic Pioneer Inn.

You can also hop on a boat and watch whales in their natural habitat. I went on a whale watching trip and saw at least eight whales, but sadly the whales were quicker than my camera!

Finally, there’s Nawiliwili, with rustic charm and modern amenities.

In late December this year, Queen Victoria returns to Hawaii for her festive voyage.  I suggest you escape the snow, ice and misery, and whatever you choose to do, even if you’re just a turtle lying on the beach………

………..you will have a tremendous time. Bye for now!

Adam

Thanks Adam for a great post. We look forward to your next one and more news from Queen Victoria. Meanwhile in the same week I also heard from Anand Ramakrishnan who is Queen Victoria’s White Star Trainer. Anand is responsible for the White Star Training on board and this has kept him particularly busy recently with so many new crew members joining the ship. In his first Guest Blog he tells us about a wine tasting tour taken by some of the Queen Victoria crew in Ensenada, Mexico;

Guest Blog

Anand Ramakrishnan 

White Star Trainer

Queen Victoria

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When we were in Ensenada, Mexico, I had the opportunity to join our Chief Sommelier Vijay Kumar and his team on a wine tasting tour to the Vina De Liceaga Winery. There were fourteen of us and here we are at the beginning of our day:

It was a 45 minute coastal drive towards the hills of Ensenada, and once we arrived Alejandro, Sommelier of the vineyard, welcomed us and explained in detail the viticulture and vinification process in wine making in their vineyard.  He apologised that he was unable to show us the actual cellar on that day as they were in the process of bottling their wine. However to compensate for that, he offered us a tasting of their homemade Grappa at the end of the tour.  This is the initial stage of the vines being grown.

Alejandro took us inside a well decorated tasting room overlooking the vineyard. We sat around the tasting tables which were resting on aged wooden wine casks, and the tables were laid out with wine glasses, bread, cheeses and three different types of olive oil.

We tasted six different types of wine, Chenin blanc, two types of Merlot, two types of Cabernet Sauvignon and a blend of Syrah and Merlot. Below you can see Alejandro explaining each wine, and of course he insisted we tasted each of them!

You can also see below our Chief Sommelier Vijay to the right of this next photo with his team. The Sommeliers asked quite a few technical questions which Alejandro explained in detail which gave our newly joined Sommeliers extra knowledge on wine making.

After we tasted all six wines we went down to the first part of the cellar where we saw wines in aged barrels. The barrels were from new French oak and new American oak. Alejandro also explained the whole process of ageing wine in barrels, explaining that they age their wine for between 6 and 22 months, depending on the blend and the wine maker’s decision.

Then he offered us two kinds of Grappa which they make in their vineyard which were very different from the wines we tasted, and I shall leave it at that!

Thank you Vijay, it was a great wine tasting experience, and I am sure this will further enhance our Sommeliers knowledge and will help them provide our guests with even better service.  On the way back to Queen Victoria we also got to see some beautiful scenery.

Thank you, Anand for that fascinating Blog. It reminds me of the wine tasting I enjoyed in Maclaren Vale last year and it certainly is great experience for our Sommeliers.

After this very busy week of Blogs I’d like to thank again all our guest Bloggers and will be back next week with  more news from Queen Elizabeth’s Maiden World Voyage and from around the fleet.  Cheers for now, Alastair 

As regular readers of this Blog know, we like to feature our Stars of the Month. This is the title awarded to just one crew member per ship each month following guest and crew feedback, and then consideration by our on board White Star Committees. A new initiative was introduced this year whereby all the Stars from the previous year would be considered for the title of Star of the Year. There was tremendous excitement as each ship put forward their candidate from the previous twelve months, and recently the company announced Cunard’s first Star of the Year, and I’ll tell you more about that after this week in Cunard’s history for the week of 10 to 16 March:

I’m delighted to announce that out of all the candidates from our three ships, Mary Ann Austria on Queen Mary 2, has been awarded the title of Star of the Year for 2010. Here she is proudly holding her certificate. 

Mary Ann is from the Philippines and joined Cunard in September 2008 as a Housekeeping Utility, but was soon promoted to the position of Housekeeping Clerk. Mary Anne clearly impressed the management of Queen Mary 2, because during her second contract she became a Receptionist in the Purser’s Office. 

Before joining Cunard, Mary Ann worked for a prestigious hotel in Manila, where she worked her way up through the ranks. She started as a 3^rd Cook before becoming a Switchboard Operator, and then eventually the Front Desk Supervisor. 

When the hotel closed she decided to join her husband, Joven, who had been working at sea since 2005. They have two sons, 13 year old Jomar and 7 year old Jan Benedict. 

Mary Ann was first nominated as Star of the Month, in August 2010, and this was her nomination by her colleagues in the Purser’s Office: 

Although Mary Ann has only worked with our team for a short while, she has already made a very positive impression. Her guest interaction is fabulous and she’s a committed, positive and energetic person. She’s eager to assist all guests and never hesitates to assist her colleagues. No task is ever too much for her, and she never says no to any guest request, and we feel she a valuable asset to Cunard. 

Here she is receiving her Star of the Month award last August, when Peter Shanks was also on board to present it with Captain Nick Bates, Chief Purser, Chantal Mooiman, and Executive Housekeeper, Colin Watson 

The Purser’s Desk is a very important part of the smooth running of a ship, and as you can probably imagine it requires a lot of hard work and patience. Mary Ann told me she normally starts at around 7:00am, and feels that the most important part of her job is greeting every guest with a smile, and then dealing with whatever query they have as best as she can. 

In her spare time, Mary Ann calls home as often as possible and said she loves going ashore and finding a Chinese Restaurant. When at home, time with her children is exceptionally valuable so she spends as much time with them as possible, and she also enjoys playing Badminton and Volleyball with them. 

I asked her how she found out about the award and she said: “My supervisor advised me that she had some good news for me. She informed me about the Star of the Year award and I couldn’t express my happiness. I hugged her and as soon as I had a break I called home to tell my family the good news. They were very proud of me and can’t wait to see me in March” 

She added that for her ‘We are Cunard’ means “That we are working as a team with the same goal to provide best service to our guests.” As for the future Mary Ann says she would like to continue to provide for her children and give them the best education possible for their future, and the cash reward she received as part of her prize, will help towards her new house for the family. 

David Stephenson, Queen Mary 2’s Hotel Manager, asked Mary Ann to join the White Star Meeting to present her with a bouquet of flowers from the Shipboard Committee, and to thank her on behalf of the Committee for all her hard work.  He takes up the story in this Guest Blog: 

 Guest Blog 

 David Stephenson 

 Hotel Manager 

 Queen Mary 2 

While Peter Shanks was onboard Queen Mary 2 for the World Voyage dinner, he used the occasion to make time to present Mary Ann Austria with her certificate as the Star of the Year.  

Since learning of her award Mary Ann has had a busy time. Firstly the shipboard White Star Committee informed her of the accolade and presented her with a bouquet of flowers at the Ship’s White Star meeting. Here she is with Captain Paul Wright, Ruud Jansen, Chief Purser and myself: 

Then a few days later Mary Anne received her cash award at the ship’s monthly presentation ceremony and now finally the icing on the cake, to receive a certificate from the President and Managing Director.  

Mary Ann was quick to impress Peter Shanks with her warm smile, and her obvious pride in being nominated by her colleagues. 

Mary Ann has worked on Queen Mary 2 for three years and has made good progress in that time progressing to her current position of Receptionist in the Purser’s Office. She impressed the Shipboard Committee who nominated her for her cheerful disposition and her genuine desire to give all the guests she serves the “Best Possible Experience” and judging by the numbers of White Star Cards she receives, she is not only meeting that objective but exceeding it!  

Oh and by the way – In case you are wondering?  The Picture in the background is the Franconia by Stephen Card. 

Thank you David for that great Guest Blog, and of course congratulations again to Mary Ann, for winning such a prestigious award.  I’ll be back tomorrow with another Blog from Queen Victoria and news from her America’s Season from Guest Bloggers,  and then on Monday more news from Queen Elizabeth’s Maiden World Voyage with pictures from her overnight in Hong Kong. Cheers for now, Alastair