Hello all.      

A few things to catch up on and inform you of on today’s blog. Firstly, a few weeks ago we held a retirement dinner for the three Cunard Captains who retired during the year.       

We covered each of these retirements individually on the blog at the time, but as is tradition with Cunard Line we held a dinner in their honour. It was to honour Commodore Bernie Warner, Captain Nick Bates and Captain Paul Wright. We held the dinner at Lainston House Hotel near Winchester and we asked each of the Captains to invite four of their good friends in order that they could share the occasion with them. A number of us from the office also attended and it was a wonderful evening. I thought I would share a few photos of the event: 

          

     

During the evening we presented each of the Captains with a barometer and there were some wonderful speeches around the table. Three great men who each contributed to Cunard magnificently. In their absence I am delighted to report that the new Captains who have come to Cunard Line recently are also very much enjoying their tenure. Captain Inger Olsen, our first lady Captain, is really making her mark on Queen Victoria and earning deserved praise both from the ship’s company and from our guests. Captain Kevin Oprey, currently on Queen Mary 2, has brought his own style and experience to Queen Mary 2 and is also receiving warm appreciation from the ship’s company and from our guests. Both Captain Ian Hutley and Julian Burgess have spent considerable time on both Queen Victoria and Queen Elizabeth and they, too are now regarded as Cunarders. In addition, our new Commodore Chris Rynd is very much enjoying his role and showing leadership across the fleet. So whilst we were sad to lose three such experienced Captains at the end of their career during the year, we are also pleased that we have such good strength in them and I certainly appreciate the contribution of every Captain across our fleet.       

Turning to a different matter, we were delighted to receive some photos taken by Richard and Barbara Okill, they were travelling on Queen Mary 2 recently and decided to send us their own “We are Cunard” photos. Thank you so much for sharing them with us and some lovely shots of our fine ship.      

  

    

Lastly, I thought I would share with you a photo of what modern day Cunard Presidents get up to at weekends. I play field hockey each Saturday during the winter. I am not sure if it is sensible, but I have always played the position of Goalkeeper. The ball can be very hard but I have padding just about everywhere that it matters – although at least once a season the ball seems to penetrate to places that do hurt somewhat. Anyway I thought I would share with you an excellent shot from Saturday as I was trying to ensure another victory for my colleagues – although on this occasion we came a fine second.       

     

That’s all for now – will be back soon. I hope everybody is keeping well.       

Best regards,       

Peter     

 

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:

11 March 1921	Antonia is launched and is the first of six ships to begin with the letter A, because they were A Class liners.
11 March 1950	Caronia makes her maiden call to Palermo Italy – one of only two calls she ever made there
11 March 2007	Queen Mary 2 makes her maiden call to Dubai, UAE
15 March 2007	Cunard announces Queen Victoria’s first summer voyages
15 March 2008	Queen Victoria makes her maiden call at Laem Chabang for Bangkok
16 March 2007	Queen Mary 2 makes her maiden transit of the Suez Canal

  

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 

Countdown to Queen Elizabeth – 6 days

Firstly thank you so much for all of the continued feedback about the recent Blogs; it’s always great to read your comments and questions. I know many of you are interested in seeing other areas of our new Queen including the guest staterooms, so I’ll have some for you in a special post tomorrow.

There is tremendous excitement in Southampton about the arrival of Queen Elizabeth on Friday morning. Cunard’s new Queen will be docking at around 9.00am at the new Ocean Terminal. For full details you can click on this link for more of the timings of our arrival:

http://www.cunard.co.uk/viewingpoints

And again to view the Queen Elizabeth webcam click on this link:

http://www.cunard.com/Ships/Queen-Elizabeth/Bridge-Web-Cam/

The ship will remain at her berth in Southampton until her Maiden Voyage on 12 October when she will leave at approximately 5.00pm.

One of the great things about the Cunard family is the amount of support and good wishes we are receiving from our sister ships, Queen Mary 2 and Queen Victoria as well as our shore side offices in Southampton. I also received a wonderful message from our Flagship to pay tribute to Captain Bates, pictured here on the bridge of Queen Mary 2.

There was a fantastic response to the President’s Blog last week, so I thought I would add this special Guest Blog, which comes from Dragana Prodanovic, who is one of our Voyage Sales Specialists.                                                                   

                                                                                  

           Dragana Prodanovic             

           Voyage Sales Specialist

           Queen Mary 2

 

 

 

Captain Nick Bates recently retired after 44 years at sea with Cunard Line. But where did all these years go? Captain Bates was born and raised in Northern Ireland and inherited love for the sea from his father and grandfather. He is pictured here with his family; he is the one to the right with his chin up, looking regal.

 

 

At the age of eleven he bought his first boat that had oars and all, and here he is on one of his earlier craft.

 

He later on went to navy schools and moved to Edinburgh, Scotland, where he has been residing ever since.

Captain Bates served on number of Cunard ships throughout his career and after obtaining his “Master’s Ticket” in 1975 he was offered a position on board the luxury liner, QE2. He joined Queen Mary 2 in 2008, where he spent his last days before retiring on Aug 28th, 2010.

Captain Bates will be missed by thousands, including guests and crew members. He has left a lasting impression on everyone who came in to contact with him with his unique charm, friendliness, and great sense of humour.

Captain Bates was a great ambassador for Cunard and is well known the world over, for his alter ego, Patrick O’Shaughnessy, and Patrick’s whimsical sayings. Captain Bates loves collecting old sea stories and sayings and even published a book called “With a Pinch of Salt”, which he would share with guests daily.

 

Captain Bates is a great sailor, Captain and Master, but best of all, he is caring, considerate, friendly, and to sum it up, a great man.

President and Managing Director of Cunard Line, Peter Shanks, came on board during Captain Bates’ last voyage to wish him farewell, and to thank him for many years of service with Cunard. As you may have seen in the President’s blog last week, the presentation took place during the Cunard World Club Party, where all Diamond, Platinum and Gold members were present, as well as the ship’s Officers.

Hundreds of crew members also presented Captain Bates with gifts at the Crew Mess on his last day. He was so moved that he let his emotions take over, and was speechless and teary eyed for few minutes.

The last evening before departing, Queen Mary 2’s Officers arranged a farewell party for Captain Bates and the Food & Beverage team arranged some beautifully presented and tasty hors d’oeuvres.

The Captain was presented with many gifts along with speeches from officers such as Entertainment Director Paul O’Loughlin.

Throughout the evening Captain Bates’ beautiful wife Kefah was at his side. They were married last year, and one of the reasons for retiring is to be at home with his wife and their 2 children, as they call them, their dog Woody and cat Twiggy.

There were a number of guests who had sailed with Captain Bates for many years, who were also invited, including the designer of Queen Mary 2, Mr Stephen Payne, who gave a speech and presented the Captain with a gift.

Captain also received beautiful handmade gifts including ones from the Carpenters from the Technical Department.

 

He was also presented with gifts from the deck department

 

Deputy Captain Robert Camby delivered best wishes from Commodore Bernard Warner, Captain Paul Wright, Captain Chris Wells, Captain Christopher Rynd and Commodore Warwick.

Here Captain Bates is joined by his secretary Christel Hansen and Chief Officer James Griffiths. They both have worked under Captain Bates’ command for a number of years with James having worked on QE2 and Caronia, and Christel on Caronia.

Later in the evening, Christel presented the Captain with a gift on behalf of all the officers;

 

As part of the celebrations the Royal Cunard Singers performed a special Irish song………

Captain and his wife Kefah became quite teary eyed listening to the performance.

Back at home Captain Bates is signed up for art classes, so I enjoyed presenting him with an easle, water colours, brushes, sketch pad, and a French beret. Picasso, watch out, a new Master is coming!

On August the 28^th, Commodore Warner, Chief Engineer Brian Watling, Deputy Captain Robert Camby, Security Officer Grant Williams, and the Entertainment Director Ray Rouse were on the gangway as Captain and Mrs Bates left the ship.

Commodore Warner, Deputy Captain Robert Camby, and Captain’s Secretary Christel Hansen were the last to bid them farewell.

Captain Bates, thank you for your services to Cunard Line, thank you for making guests welcome and appreciated, and thank you for your humour and Patrick O’Shaughnessy. Thank you for your support to the crew, your leadership, your friendship, and for your incredible energy and your smile. You will be missed as you are missed already.

As mentioned in the story in your book about Toasts at Sea: “Toasts originated in Nelson’s day; to toast to someone or something every day of the week”, so Captain Bates, every Sunday we will toast to an Absent Friend!

 

We wish you all the best in your future endeavours and in your life at home with your family from the ship’s company of Queen Mary 2 and Cunard Line

Thank you Dragana for such a fabulous tribute to Captain Bates; it’s clear how highly he is thought of from this Blog, the President’s Blog and comments our readers have posted and that he will be very much missed.

That’s it for the moment but I’ll be back tomorrow, with some of the latest pictures from Queen Elizabeth, a new Vlog and news of her Inaugural stay in Southampton – see you there. Cheers for now, Alastair

Countdown to Queen Elizabeth – 15 days

Thank you again, for all the tremendous feedback from all the recent Blogs, but in particular regarding our 2^nd anniversary and the coverage of Queen Elizabeth. With only two short weeks before her Maiden Voyage, it’s great to feel the growing anticipation of our new Queen joining the fleet, from both readers and the crew here in Italy, many of whom have been following her progress on the Blog during their leave.

I’ll be sharing some more great pictures with you over the next few days, but today it’s time to turn to our flagship and the recent retirement of Captain Nick Bates. To tell you more, I’ll hand over to Cunard’s President and Managing Director, Peter Shanks.

                                                                  

Peter Shanks

President and Managing Director

Cunard Line

 

A few months back, I asked Captain Nick Bates what he would like us to do on the occasion of his retirement after 45 years with Cunard Line. ‘Please don’t make a fuss’ was the response in his soft Northern Ireland accent, ‘I would just like to go down the gangway quietly – no fuss at all’.

So having consulted Nick, I set about making as much fuss as possible; after all it is not often we get to recognize and celebrate such wonderful loyalty to Cunard Line. To have served Cunard Line ‘man and boy’ and to have been Captain of our famous QE2 and Queen Mary 2, is a marvellous achievement for any sea-going person, and I was determined to make sure we planned his retirement in a traditional way. Actually, having known Nick myself for some 8 years, I recognized that he did not want ‘fuss’ but I was sure he would not mind the sort of dignified and traditional send-off we had in mind.

Nick’s last voyage was to bring Queen Mary 2 across from New York to Southampton followed by a Northern Fjords Voyage, taking in Hamburg, before leaving the ship in Southampton.

I asked our team in Southampton what would be appropriate after 45 years. Firstly we sourced a beautiful sliver and crystal decanter, and had it inscribed ‘On the occasion of your retirement from Cunard Line after 45 years’. That was the traditional gift, but I was also after something a bit more personal. One of our famous Maritime Artists, Gordon Bauwens, had sent me a set of his wonderful paintings. I chose one that showed both QE2 and Queen Mary 2, to depict the last two liners on which Captain Bates was Master, and I had that inscribed in my local framing shop with ‘From your many friends at Cunard Line’.

So now I had the raw ingredients, the only thing to do is to go and join the ship. I flew up to join Queen Mary 2 in Allesund and what a beautiful place that is. As we flew right over the ship, I could not help whipping out my Blackberry and taking a picture of the ship down below us; but I got me a jolly good telling off from the SAS Stewardess for not having all my technology turned off!

 We had a wonderful sail away as I joined the Captain on the bridge; the scenery up in that part of the world is gorgeous. I am not sure if it was for the ship or for Captain Bates, but a fire tug escorted us out of the harbour:

 

I did mention to Nick that I had not just come to see how the ship and our guests were doing but that I was also planning on saying just a few words that evening, at the Cunard World Club party.

So let me set the scene; we are in the Queens Room with around 1,000 guests, all looking splendid in Black Tie. I always enjoying saying a few words to our guests, and as usual I encouraged a warm round of applause for all of our staff for their attentive White Star Service. The cocktail party passed as you would expect as we recognized our most travelled guests, and Captain Bates thought he had got away with it. That was until I said ‘Ladies and Gentlemen; the real reason I have joined you here this evening is to recognize and applaud 45 years service from Captain Nick Bates, and I would like all of the Senior Officers to join me here on the stage’

We then presented the engraved decanter.

 

I then put up on the screen behind the stage a large shot of the picture of QE2 and Queen Mary 2.

 

I mentioned that this particular gift was a personal one from me, and I recounted the story as to when I first saw Captain Bates eight years ago. I had just joined Cunard Line and I went down to visit him on Caronia in Southampton. Well I was new to shipping protocols, so I just boarded the ship, made my own way up to the Captain’s cabin, knocked and entered. Well how was I to know that Nick had just joined the ship, although the fact that he was standing in his cabin is his underwear was a clue. This chap is quite a character I thought, and he certainly is. Standing in front of many of our guests, and with our Senior Officers behind Captain Bates received a warm round of applause.

We passed him the microphone, but nothing came out. For the very first time in 45 years we had managed to render him speechless.

Many of our own staff and many of our guests will miss Nick. Many have read his wonderful and amusing book and many will miss his quite Irish tone. If you managed to see the Blog we ran a few weeks ago, when Queen Mary 2 met up with the Artemis Atlantic Rowers, well that video says it all. If you didn’t see it you can click on this link:

http://wearecunard.com/2010/07/29/

After arranging the meet, and allowing all of our guests to cheer on the four lonely rowers, Nick signed off the radio from the rowers by wishing them ‘God Speed’. Well Nick, ‘God Speed’ to you; we will all miss you.

After I had left the ship in Hamburg and during Nick’s last day at Sea with Cunard Line, the ship’s company honoured Nick in the Crew Mess.

This was a very touching occasion, mostly for our ship’s company who had grown very fond of Nick, but also respected his professionalism and his strong leadership. Forgive me for the picture below, but there is nothing wrong with a grown man crying, especially when that man is bursting with pride and proud of his achievements.

When the ship arrived in Southampton, Captain Bates was pipped down the gangway by Commodore Warner and the ship’s company. At the bottom of the gangway we had beautiful silver Mercedes to whisk him off to a long, happy and healthy retirement. Nick only recently married, for the first time so I was delighted that his beautiful wife Kefah was with him on that last voyage. I am so pleased she was able to see how fondly he was regarded by all of his friends at Cunard Line. And Nick; as you drove off to Edinburgh along with your wife, I hope you had a sense of pride, a sense of achievement and felt safe in the knowledge that all of your friends at Cunard Line wish you and Kefah ‘God Speed’. 

Peter Shanks

Thank you Peter for a great Blog. I know from speaking to many of the Queen Elizabeth’s ship’s company that he will be missed, but at the same time wish him and his wife a happy retirement.

Well that’s it for now but I’ll be back on tomorrow with some more photos from Queen Elizabeth as she nears completion. And then on Thursday as she is handed over to Cunard by the Fincantieri shipyard I’ll have a Vlog featuring a very special crew event and the official handover. Cheers for now, Alastair

Countdown to Queen Elizabeth – 74 days

I’m writing this week’s Blog from Trieste where we are giving the world’s press a preview of our new Queen at the shipyard where she will be leaving in less than ten weeks time. While we are here we will be making some more Video Blogs, the first of which will go up next Thursday. Meanwhile Queen Victoria is nearing the end of her first round Britain voyage and you see more about that in a special President’s Blog tomorrow. Queen Mary 2 is continuing her Transatlantic season and today we have a Guest Blog about her last remarkable crossing, from Queen Mary 2’s Hotel Manager, David Stephenson, after this week in Cunard’s history from the week of 30 July to 5 August:

July 30 1951

Caronia makes her maiden call to Glengarriff, Cork, Ireland

July 30 2006

A traditional bagpipe procession signalled a jubilant send-off for Commodore Ronald W. Warwick following the conclusion of his farewell Transatlantic Crossing in Southampton

August 1 1840

The Britannia leaves Boston for her first eastbound Transatlantic service to Liverpool

August 4 1840

The Acadia (1,154 tons) makes her maiden voyage as one of the first four Cunarders built in Glasgow

August 5 1992

QE2 makes her maiden Call to St. John, Canada

On Saturday morning 24 July 2010, Queen Mary 2 made a rendezvous with the Boat Artemis Investments. The 23 foot purpose built rowing boat is manned by 4 young men who are attempting to beat the world rowing record between New York and England. The team left New York on 17 June and are braving some of the most horrendous weather the North Atlantic can offer. In addition to creating a new record the rowers are raising money for the following charities: The National Autistic Society/Jigsaw (Young Peoples Health in Mind Ireland), In support of Help for Heroes (those effected by various conflicts around the world) and Aware (A charity helping to defeat depression). David Stephenson takes up the story.

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 Guest Blog: David Stephenson

 Hotel Manager

 Queen Mary 2

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Following a chance conversation over breakfast with Natalie Rushton, the Assistant Spa Manager, Captain Bates, the Master of Queen Mary 2, learned of a heroic attempt by four young men to row across the Atlantic in less than 55 days and beat a record that had stood for 114 years. What made this valiant attempt more interesting to Captain Bates was one of the team, Ray Carroll had served on Queen Mary 2 from when she came into service until 2005. Natalie managed to convince the Captain that a chance meeting could perhaps become a reality on Queen Mary 2’s return form New York.

His appetite whetted our intrepid Captain rushed off to do his research. Contact with the Artemis’s headquarters found them on a similar course to Queen Mary 2 with a calculated meeting time mid morning 24 July!

Don Lennox, Livar Nysted, Ray Carroll, and Levin Brown had braved capsize, inquisitive whales and some appalling weather to travel the 2,200 miles they had already covered at the time of the meeting. It must have been quite a sight for them as they saw Cunard’s flagship appear through the mist.

The Bridge Team lowered a Fast Rescue Boat to allow Michal Grnja – Queen Mary 2’s Photographic Manager to record this unique meeting on film. Captain Bates chatted over the radio to the team on the 23 foot craft as Queen Mary inched her gigantic superstructure carefully past the tiny craft.

 

Stefan Engl, the Food & Beverage Manager, had wanted to send across a hot lunch for the rowers to enjoy, but the rules of the competition were that their crossing should be unaided so sadly “lunch was off” and our rowers had to settle for the waves of all Queen Mary 2’s Guests that lined the open decks to witness the meeting and of course the occasional hoot from the Whistle of Queen Mary 2 herself.

After half an hour with the rescue boat recovered and Queen Mary 2 was on her way with another hoot or two of encouragement from the ships whistle. All the Guests on board felt perhaps that they had witnessed history in the making and perhaps a record that had stood for 114 year was about to fall?

Thank you David for such a great story, and those great pictures and video; what an amazing event to be a part of and we were lucky enough to receive this great video from Queen Mary 2’s photo team which captures the spirit of the occasion:

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That’s it for the moment from me, but I’ll be back soon with a President’s Blog from Queen Victoria’s maiden round Britain voyage, and of course some new pictures from Queen Elizabeth on Monday. Cheers for now, Alastair

Images and video kindly provided by Image Photo Services

 

Countdown to Queen Elizabeth – 168 days

 

Firstly I hope you like our new look and more interactive Blog. A big thank you to Richard, Matt, Shelley and Lisa back in Southampton, for managing to incorporate so many ideas in to the new look Blog as well as making it easier to read. I’d love to hear what you think, along with all your comments and questions as always.

 

Both our Queens have settled in to their summer seasons, with Queen Mary 2 making her first westbound Transatlantic Crossing and Queen Victoria on her first voyage to the Iberian Peninsula. However there are still a few stories from our World Voyages that I’ll be sharing with you over the next week or so, as well as what’s new on board and ashore.

 

Now it’s a great pleasure to hand over to Queen Mary 2’s Social Hostess who managed to send me a post about the last few days of Queen Mary 2’s World Voyage before she went on leave in Southampton, so it’s over to Freda.

 

Guest Blog – Freda Singleton, Queen Mary 2, Social Hostess

 

As Queen Mary 2 approached Southampton last Thursday, she came to the end of her 2010 World Voyage; we’d like to bring all our avid bloggers up to date with the latest.

 

We asked our guests to make the 2010 World Voyage Charity Country Fair the best ever and they jumped up to the challenge!  The atmosphere in the Queens Room was pure Country Fair, with the full range of typical stalls hosted by guests and crew alike from ‘Hook the fish’, the flower booth, the coconut shy, and the wonderful 5-minute massage run by the housekeeping team, the florist, the entertainment staff and the Canyon Ranch Spa respectively; to Numerology, the Human Fruit Machine, ‘Guess the weight of the cake’ and the ‘Book stall’ all hosted by our guests, to name just a few of the activities on offer. 

 

  

 

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The ‘Second Hand Rose’ stall could have easily filled the entire starboard section on the upper level and was all but empty by the end of the afternoon. All supported by the delicious offering from the Corner Cafe with cream teas, crepe suzettes, chocolate coated strawberries and the most tempting display of beautiful cakes, pastries and sandwiches. And what a fantastic result!  A phenomenal $18,426, made up of $11,776 from the fair and $6,650 from the auction of things that money can’t buy, such as dinner at the Captain’s Table, blowing the ship’s whistle, a Queen Mary 2 life ring, the full World Voyage navigational chart, Queen Mary 2’s Sunday ensign – enthusiastically bid for and taken by the on board Protestant Priest – and much more. 

         

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This picture shows just some of the nautical items that were available for our guests to bid for, while Captain Bates discusses raffle prizes with guests. As you can see from the next picture, there was even an authentic coconut shy!

 

 

Added to that were the superb contributions from the crew, who somehow managed their own midnight auctions and raised $2,340 (part of which went to the Crew Welfare charities). The total of Queen Mary 2’s charity donations for the whole World Voyage came to the magnificent total of $26,020.05, which has been split between this year’s four nominated charities:

 

The Haiti Emergency Relief Fund

The Prostheses Foundation of Thailand

The Seaman’s Institute of Brooklyn, New York

The Royal National Lifeboat Institution

 

 

 

Then it was – Time to Dance – Queen Mary 2 Style!

 

Queen Mary 2’s answer to Strictly Come Dancing, we gave our guests their moment in the spotlight on the largest dance floor at sea.  To the delight of the packed Queens Room we were entertained by ten superb dance performances from the traditional waltz to the Viennese waltz and from the quickstep, to the jive and the Argentinean tango! Ten nervous couples put themselves at the mercy of our tough panel of judges, led by Entertainment Director, Ray Rouse – a fellow of the Imperial Society of Teachers of Dance and two of the talented Royal Cunard Dancers, Kelly-Rhian Scott and Katie Woolnough, assessing their technique, timing, interpretation and performance.

 

 

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It was such a rewarding experience to see such polished and elegant routines that for many, was entirely the result of their time on board with us for our 2010 World Voyage. Heart-warming reinforcement indeed for those who select Cunard for the ballroom and dancing!  

 

 

Our runners-up – Jean Baker and Gentleman Dance Host, Dennis King who performed an outstanding quickstep.  Jean’s radiant smile lit up the entire ballroom and did not slip once! Meanwhile here are the well-deserved winners with their Argentinean Tango; Cecile Lanthier and Steve Groleau.

 

 

What better way to celebrate the end of a truly legendary, elegant and memorable World Voyage than to send us spinning us into the 2010 transatlantic season – the glamorous finale with Renato and Katy to whom so many of our guests wish to pay a special thank you for their dancing expertise and inspiration.

           

                                             

Thank you so much Freda for another great Blog and congratulations to everyone involved in those fantastic events; it’s great to see so much being raised for these very worthy charities.

 

I’ll be back on Wednesday with a blog about some of the events during the last week of Queen Victoria’s World Voyage and on Thursday I’m delighted to tell you that I will have brand new photos from Monfalcone in Italy where Queen Elizabeth is currently under construction. Cheers, Alastair

 

Countdown to Queen Elizabeth – 172 days

 

With both Queens back in Southampton today it marks the end of the 2010 World Voyages, and I hope you have enjoyed following both ships around the world. I have a few more Blogs coming up over the next week which will celebrate the success of this year’s voyages on both Queen Mary 2 and Queen Victoria. It’s always quite emotional for guests and crew as everyone says goodbye to guests who have been with us so long and I’d like to thank the many guests who have been telling me they are regular readers of this Blog. I hope you enjoy reliving some of your time on board with the stories we have been covering. As we now prepare for our summer season of sailings from Southampton this week’s Blog focuses on Queen Mary 2’s Star of the Month. Firstly here’s this week in Cunard’s history from 23 to 29 April

 

25 April 2004	QE2 completes her last westbound transatlantic crossing as Cunard’s flagship on an historic eastbound Transatlantic Crossing in tandem with Queen Mary 2. Both RMS Queen Mary 2 and QE2 meet in new York marking the first time that two Cunard Queens have been berthed in the port since March 1940.
28 April 1969	QE2 makes her maiden call at Lisbon, Portugal
28 April 2009	Queen Victoria makes maiden call at Palma
29 April 1987	Diana, Princess of Wales, makes her first and only visit to QE2

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rosalie or Rose to her friends was born in Manila, Philippines where she still lives with her family. She graduated from the La Consolacion College Mendiola in Manila, with a Bachelor of Science in Hotel and Restaurant Management.

 

After working at home in the Philippines, she worked for two years in Dubai, as a waitress, at the prestigious Emirates Golf Club. After a brief time at home with her family, Rose was encouraged by her mother and sister to apply for work on ships. As she had the relevant experience and background, she was accepted by Cunard in 2006 and joined Queen Mary 2

 

Rose began working in the Housekeeping department, but then applied to the Food and Beverage department and is now on her third contract an Assistant Buffet Steward in the Officers Mess.

Her day starts normally at 7:00am and she finishes around 9.30pm, with breaks after breakfast and lunch service. She told me the reason she enjoys her job, is because she gets to meet and work with many different members of the ships company, who have very different jobs. She said she is happy that she is able always learn new things and gain plenty of experience. She added that it’s a very busy job, and an important part of her work is to smile and greet the officers as they come in to the mess, and then be prepared to expect the unexpected!

 

When she does get some time off Rose enjoys watching movies on the Crew TV channel as well as keeping in touch with her family at home by Email and phone. On port days she likes to get ashore for some fresh air when she can, relaxing with friends and taking in what she calls; the ever changing scenery.

 

At home Rose enjoys tennis, shopping with friends as well as going to the gym and having relaxing massages. Spending valuable time with her family is naturally a very important part of her leave. Here she is enjoying her time at home with her family from left to right, her older sister Grace, youngest sister Cathy and her mother.

 

 

She is also very proud of her two sons who are twelve and eight years old, and they are looked after by her mother in the family home while she is away at sea. Here they are; Ghian and CJ as well as with her nephew Miguel.

 

Our Star of the Month winners never know they have won until they arrive at a very special presentation, where the nominees are read out by the Hotel Manager who is the on board White Star Committee Chairman. At the presentation Rose told me she was really surprised and speechless when she realised she had won. Here she is receiving her award, with from left to right, Hotel Manager David Stephenson, and Captain Nick Bates.

 

 

 

As well as a certificate, Rose receives some prize money which she told me would go straight to her mother back home in the Philippines. She also said that being the Star of the Month is very overwhelming with people still congratulating three weeks later, as she walks around the ship proudly displaying her Star of the Month name badge.

 

She said “It’s great that they are very happy for me. Some of them call my name and greet me with a big smile and so many more members of the crew now recognise me and it has shown me that it is worth it to work hard. It was my pleasure to become Star of the Month and to those who vote for me, and especially those who nominated me; a big thank you and god bless you all.”

 

As for the future Rose would like eventually to have her own house and car as well as helping her family and relatives.

 

Congratulations again Rose and thank you for sharing your story with us. I’ll be back on Monday with some more stories of our World Voyages, featuring some of the events that took place on both ships over the last couple of weeks. I also hope to have some more news from Queen Elizabeth in Italy very soon, so thanks again for logging on and please keep those questions and comments coming in. Cheers Alastair

 

 

 

 

 Countdown to Queen Elizabeth – 188 days

 

For this Blog, it’s a great pleasure to go back to Queen Mary 2 and their 2010 World Voyage. Although Cunard’s flagship is now heading up towards the Caribbean from Rio De Janiero, this post looks back over the last few weeks as she left Australia across the Indian Ocean for maiden calls to Mauritius and South Africa. Freda Singleton takes up the story.

 

Guest Blog – Freda Singleton – Queen Mary 2 Social Hostess

As Queen Mary 2 comes to the last segment of her 2010 World Voyage, the excitement has continued with more fabulous maiden ports of call. With the announcement that in 2012, the ship would be making a circumnavigation of Australia, it was particularly heart-warming to receive such a rapturous welcome to and send off from our first visit to Fremantle. The weather was perfect and it seemed that anything and everything that would float had come out onto the water, and anyone without a floatation device was on the shore-line to see us in and then to wave us farewell.

 

From there we made a leisurely sail over to the beautiful island of Mauritius, another maiden visit and what a stunning island of natural beauty, with warm welcoming local people! This is a view of the contrasting textures of Mauritius looking towards its almost completely surrounding reef.

 

 

And so on to South Africa, for many guests the highlight of the World Voyage, and to our first stop in Durban – a great opportunity for several guests to head north to take a safari and to then rejoin us in Cape Town, the venue for our full World Voyage gala dinner.

 

A picturesque drive through country plantations, farms and rolling hills took us to the spectacular Vergelegen Wine Estate, built in the early 1700s and listed on South Africa’s National Historic register. As the coaches arrived at the entrance, all the senses were engaged, the sounds of an untamed Africa with a throbbing drum beat, tribal singing and the non-intrusive under-lying calmness of a classical pianist, the perfume of the jasmine flowers, the warmth of an African autumn evening, the sights of native dancing and traditionally dressed warriors – all lined up in greeting. 

 

 

 

Through the octangular Rose Garden and on to the historic Manor House, guests were lead by ladies in period costumes to the red carpet walkway on the grand lawns surrounded by prodigious 300-year old, 200 feet tall camphor trees with canopies that spread over 100 feet in diameter, all lit to provide a real sense of being ‘Out of Africa’. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

At the entrance to the grand marquee, typical safari style tents equipped with antique lanterns, luggage, tables, chairs and zebra rugs hosted small groups gathering to soak up the mood of the evening and sip on the opulent (and very powerful!) wines.

 

 

We were then escorted into the huge, white colonial marquee, stunningly decorated with fabulous hanging chandeliers, elegant damask table linen, fine crystal glasses, cascading wisteria and enormous hydrangea and many more opportunities to savour the sumptuous wines.

 

 

After a moving grace by Archbishop Desmond Tutu, reminding us all of how privileged we were to be there, we were treated to a typically African styled meal of Cape and Franschhoeik salmon, Biltong spiced African beef filet and a trio of delicious desserts.

 

         

Our featured entertainment for the evening was the outstanding operatic voices of The Gugulethu Tenors, four young lads, not long out of high school with the purest of voices.

 

 

And finally, a chance to dance off the evening’s excesses with the fabulous Big Band music of the Johnny Cooper Orchestra, the only group outside of America appointed and licensed to use the music and play under the Glen Miller name. A night to be remembered for a very long time!

 

Before leaving South Africa, what better way to send us off than with a complete contrast to the typical African style jungle drums, dancing and rhythms of the previous evening, provided by the powerful, soulful drummers and pipers of the Cape Town Highlanders in a concert commemorating their 125^th anniversary? 

 

 

A truly magnificent end to our brief stay in South Africa.

 

Thank you Freda for another great post; it certainly sounds like you all had an amazing time in South Africa. Before we leave Queen Mary 2 and Cape Town, I received a very interesting message from Captain Bates with a rather unusual event. I’ll let him take up the story:

 

Guest Blog – Captain Nick Bates – Queen Mary 2

At approximately 0830 hrs on 25 March, shortly after the Queen Mary 2 had berthed alongside in Cape Town, Queen Mary 2’s Chief Security Officer, Grant Williams conducted a security inspection of the berth and immediate facility area. When walking towards the bow with the First Officer Navigator, Simon Westall, from a distance, he noticed an unidentified individual sat nonchalantly on the bulbous bow. There were no US Navy Warships in the port at the time so the idea if him being a lost US Navy “Seal” was discounted although he was similarly attired for clandestine operations, albeit unarmed. His identity was later discovered to be a Mr C Lion, a well known character in the port. Initial attempts to remove him from the bulb by the Navigator shouting “Ssscchhhoooooo!” jumping up and down and waving his arms about, were fruitless and he eventually left of his own accord. The bulb was checked for any suspicious items and other than the remains of a fish carcass, was reported as clear at 0845 hrs.   ….all in a day’s work on the Queen of the Seas!!

Thank you Captain Bates, what a great story and picture. We look forward to getting some more news from our big sister soon, but in the meantime I’ll be back tomorrow with a report about a recent special event in London, and on Friday as promised some new pictures from Queen Elizabeth in Italy. Cheers for now Alastair.

 

Countdown to Queen Elizabeth – 198 days

 

I know I was going to post my pictures about Queen Victoria’s call to Shanghai, but today I received some great pictures and Guest Blogs from Peter Shanks and Captain Nick Bates, sharing their amazing few days with Archbishop Desmond Tutu. The Archbishop joined Queen Mary 2 in Port Louis, Mauritius on 20 March and I’ll let Captain Bates take up the story:

 

Guest Blog – Captain Nick Bates

 

On 21 March Queen Mary 2 was at sea between Mauritius and Durban, and of course since it was Sunday, part of the Captain’s duties is to officiate at the Cunard Interdenominational Church service. This has been a tradition on Cunard ships for over 170 years. As usual as I stood on the stage of the Royal Court Theatre adjusting the microphone, making sure my order of service was properly arranged. I looked up to a packed house, only to spot Archbishop Desmond Tutu himself sitting just a few rows from the front of stage. Well I thought “no pressure here this morning”. Thankfully the service went very well with the Staff Captain Alan Nixon reading the first lesson and for the second reading, Bill Gibson one of our very talented musicians gave a beautiful rendering of Swing Low Sweet Chariot. After the service I invited the Archbishop and his wife up to the Bridge to blow the ships whistle.

 

 

 

What an absolute delight he and his wife were, their lively sense of humour had us all enjoying the moment on the Bridge and something we will all remember for a long time to come. To commemorate the occasion he was also kind enough to sign our Visitor’s Book.

 

 

 

Cunard’s President and Managing Director joined Queen Mary 2 in Durban and he continues the story:

 

Guest Blog – Peter Shanks – President and managing Director, Cunard Line

 

I thought I would share my experiences of South Africa this week where I joined Queen Mary 2 as she travelled from Durban to Cape Town for her maiden calls. We had Archbishop Desmond Tutu travelling with the ship and it has been very special indeed for all of our guests.

 

It is the first time I have been In South Africa since living here as a child many years ago. A country of enormous change, huge challenges but when you are here you sense an overriding sense of hope, not least with the Football World Cup fast approaching.

 

I joined the ship on day 79 of her 103 World Voyage, with New York, Hong Kong, Shanghai and Sydney behind her and Cape Town, Rio and Barbados still to come. I realised even from my short visit that in going on a World Voyage you really do get an insight into so many cultures and experiences right around the world.

 

Archbishop Tutu had agreed to do a lecture onboard as part of our Insights programme. We have had some famous and influential people sail with us in the past, but here we had something very special indeed.

 

You could have heard a pin drop at the two of his events in a packed Royal Court Theatre. At the end of each session we witnessed a truly emotional standing ovation; he touched all of us just briefly but left his mark for ever. It is not often we are lucky enough to be in the presence of a world statesman. He really does not hold back. It’s not my place to express any political views, but I wanted to share with you some of what he shared with us.

 

Archbishop voted for the first time when he was 63; can you imagine how that must have felt after so many turbulent and difficult years. He told us of his visit to see Ronald Reagan in 1984 at the White House where he asked for sanctions but nothing happened. He told us of his visit to Margaret Thatcher in London in 1987. ‘We spoke for 50 minutes; me for 20 and she for 30. Nothing happened; the lady was not for turning’. He then spoke of February 1990 when the South African Government announced change and the release of Nelson Mandela after 27 years in captivity. ‘Wonder of wonders, we kept pinching ourselves to make sure we were not dreaming; don’t wake me up I love this dream’.

 

He went on to speak of the 27th April 1994 as ‘a magical day – a day like no other when all races of South Africa voted in the first democratic election and for President Nelson Mandela who was free at last’. At that moment in the theatre, we went from silence to an instant round of applause; it was quite a moment.

 

He had shared with us some of the stories from the bad old days. One of the lighter moments was when he described an early visit to London with his wife. They were lost and went up to ‘a London Bobby’ to ask for directions. ‘The policeman called me Sir and my wife Mam, so over the next few days we kept asking for directions even when we knew where we were going’

 

I am a big rugby fan and there cannot be many people who don’t remember Nelson Mandela wearing the springbok jersey as they won the world cup.

 

Now things are so much better and it was very moving to hear him talk of the future. ‘Young people are amazing, they will make poverty history, they will care about the environment’ And as for the rugby, well he proudly told us that South Africa have won the world cup twice , have a black coach and the recent best player in the world accolade went to a black South African player.

 

He finished the lecture by saying ‘You know things in South Africa could be a great deal better, BUT – things in South Africa could have been a lot worse’. And then he stopped. Everybody in the theatre sat stunned in silence, in awe of what they had heard in the last hour, in awe of a great man and reflecting on the privilege of being in the presence of such a decent, warm and generous human being. And then a standing ovation that took everybody by surprise.

 

Two days later, whilst at sea between Durban and Cape Town, he entertained us all during a face to face interview with Ray Rouse, our Entertainment Director.

 

 

 

Some of the fun moments from that included;

 

As he was introduced wearing one of those modern headphone microphones he said ‘I look like Madonna’

 

 

 

Asked about whether South Africa would win the Football World Cup he said ‘Patriotically Yes – Honestly No’

 

He spoke of the importance of laughter. He is famous for his wonderful laugh; ‘laughing keeps your head the right size’. He went on to tell how once he was in San Francisco and an excited couple rushed up to him and said, ‘Pleased to meet you Archbishop Mandela – that made me laugh – two for the price of one’

 

Each year on our World Voyage we take our full cruisers ashore for a thank you dinner in a spectacular location. This year it was in Cape Town in a beautiful vineyard for over 700 of us. Archbishop and his wife joined us for dinner and the setting was perfect. Imagine the moment, a beautiful setting for dinner, surrounded by beautiful scenery and mountains, beautiful young local dancers and Archbishop stood to give a moving grace. As he spoke my eyes fell not upon our many loyal guests, but on the many young local waiters and waitresses, mostly school children and students. It was when I was looking at them, bursting with pride and listening intently that I realised that this country has a great future and that we really were in the presence of a great man………

 

I walked Archbishop and his wife out to their car towards the end of the evening to say our goodbyes and thanks. When I got back to the table I discovered he had written in my menu card ‘God Bless You Peter’

 

There is no more to say.

 

Best Regards, Peter Shanks

 

Thank you Peter and Captain Bates for you Blogs, certainly a remarkably historic occasion to be a part of. Peter mentioned Queen Mary 2’s World Voyage Dinner and I hope to have some pictures from that wonderful event soon. Meanwhile I’ll be back on Monday with the promised pictures from Shanghai and then later in the week, an interview with Queen Elizabeth’s Staff Captain, Hamish Sunter. Hopefully we’ll also have some new pictures of Queen Elizabeth in Italy, very soon. Cheers for now Alastair.

Countdown to Queen Elizabeth – 208 days

 

Queen Mary 2 has now sailed from Australian shores, as she heads for the tropical island of Mauritius. She has left some fabulous and lasting memories for her guests and crew on board, as well as the thousands of people who came to see her in Sydney, Adelaide and Fremantle. If you didn’t catch the stunning pictures from Queen Mary 2’s arrival in Sydney they can be found on this link:

http://wearecunard.com/2010/03/09/

 

Once Queen Mary 2 docked at her berth at Sydney’s Garden Island, the bow of the liner was just a hundred metres away from the home of one of Sydney’s most famous residents. Looking out of the window is an essential part of the daily duties for the Quartermasters on the Bridge, but to be looking out over the home of one of the most famous film stars in the world must, surely be just a little out of the ordinary. The home in question belongs to the nautical hero; “Master and Commander” himself, Russell Crowe. This is the view of his home as Queen Mary 2 approached the dockside.

 

Russell Crowe, the ever popular New Zealand born Australian movie star, began his acting career in the early 1990’s with roles on Australian television. By the end of the decade he had been in films such as L.A. Confidential. He has been nominated for 3 Oscars, and in 2001 he won Best Actor for his starring role in the film Gladiator.

 

Feeling that perhaps Cunard’s flagship might have been intruding a little on his privacy, Captain Bates invited Russell Crowe and his family on board, so they could meet his new, if only temporary, neighbours.

 

Not only did the Crowe family have a full tour of Queen Mary 2, but he was also gracious enough to allow himself to be photographed with some of the Bridge Team. Here he is on the Bridge with the 4 – 8 Quarter Master Roel Cagoco:

 

Roel who is married with 3 children, lives with his wife Lucila and family in Zamboanga Philippines. Roel has worked on board Queen Mary 2 for almost 3 years, while his colleague Wilfredo Banguiran, known as Fred, lives in Cebu City with his wife Lilibeth and their 3 children. Fred has worked on board Queen Mary 2 September 2004.

 

What a great moment to treasure for these two crew members, making this quite an unforgettable World Voyage and I’d like to thank Queen Mary 2’s Hotel Manager, David Stephenson for sharing this wonderful story with us.

 

Six days later, after a maiden call to Adelaide, there were more celebrations as Queen Mary 2 arrived at the port of Fremantle for the first time. Fortunately for us Chris Frame was there to capture the excitement of the day. Chris recently lectured on Queen Victoria as part of the Cunard Insights programme. Chris’ passion for Cunard’s history started at the age of eleven when he first set eyes on QE2. He has published a number of books on QE2 and Queen Mary 2. Whilst on Queen Victoria, he was also working a new book, Queen Victoria: A Photographic Journey, which he is co-authoring with Rachelle Cross. I’ll let Chris take up the story of Queen Mary 2’s visit to Fremantle in this special Guest Blog:

 

Guest Blog – Chris Frame – Cunard Insights Lecturer and Author

Queen Mary 2’s maiden visit to Fremantle was a truly festive occasion. She is so large that the port had to be cleared of nearby shipping to allow her to fit into the passenger terminal. To facilitate this, the ship arrived very early, but despite this, hundreds of people lined the banks to watch the world’s largest ocean liner enter the port for her first time.

 

 

During the day, most of Perth (or so it seemed) ventured down to ‘Freo’ to see Queen Mary 2. Traffic was at a near stand-still as people flocked for every vantage point.

 

Aboard the ship, the atmosphere was one of excitement. Guests returning from shore tours (some coming back early to have their books signed by Rachelle and I), were all talking about how many people were in the port, waiting for the big event – Queen Mary 2’s departure from the city.

 

At 5pm the lines were let go and the ship set sail. She was escorted by the Fremantle Fire Boat spraying water skyward. Overhead, a small aircraft carried a banner “Fremantle Port Salutes Queen Mary 2!”

 

 

It was a fantastic sight as hundreds of boats, and tens of thousands of people crowded the port. The North Mole, where we were standing, had the biggest crowds I’ve seen since QE2’s farewell departure back in 2008.

 

 

As Queen Mary 2 sailed past, she sounded her magnificent “Queen Mary” horn and the crowd cheered – followed shortly after by an “Aussie Aussie Aussie” to which the Australian’s on board replied “Oi Oi Oi”.

 

 

As the ship slipped over the horizon, conversations were already on the 2011 World Voyage – we can’t wait!

 

Thank you, Chris, for a great post and superb pictures. You may be interested to know that Chris maintains a popular independent website (www.chriscunard.com), so you can catch up with him there. We’ll of course have lots more pictures from both Queens as they continue their World Voyages. Meanwhile I’ll be back tomorrow, with the results of the competition to design a sculpture to adorn Queen Elizabeth’s Royal Arcade Cheers for now, Alastair.