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!

Photographer: Michal Grnja

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.

Photographer: Michal Grnja

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.

Photographer: Michal Grnja

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.

Photographer: Michal Grnja

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 – 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

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 – 179 days

I know it’s a bit of a cliché to say how time flies, but it always feels the same towards the end of a World Voyage. Queen Victoria has just made her third transit through the Suez Canal and will be arriving in Piraeus for Athens today, before heading off to Civitavecchia for Rome on Saturday. Then it will be the final four day crossing back to Southampton. Meanwhile Queen Mary 2 is back in New York having now completed her 101 day, third World Voyage. This evening she will be crossing the Atlantic back to Southampton and both ships will be there together on 22 April, which is the first time they have been there together since last year, so it will be cause for celebration. And with less than six months to go before our new Queen joins the fleet, Queen Elizabeth is making great progress and hopefully I’ll have some more pictures for you soon. 

Before we find out about the culinary celebrations on Queen Mary 2 here’s this week in Cunard’s history from 16 to 22 April.

You may remember in February this year, we highlighted a Cunard World Voyage tradition, with the Chef’s Salon Culinaire on Queen Victoria. If you didn’t get to read it you can click on this link to find out more.

http://wearecunard.com/2010/02/19/

I was delighted the other day when Mark Oldroyd, Queen Mary 2’s Executive Sous Chef, sent me pictures of their event, which they held recently. The competition took place in our flagship’s magnificent Queens Room, and Mark takes up the story:

 “Queen Mary 2’s 2010 Chefs Culinary Cooking Competition was a huge success. The chefs really went all out and produced masterpieces and signature dishes that even Escoffier would be proud of. The team really wowed our guests with the event being the talk of the ship for days. We were so proud of the chefs; the commitment and sheer dedication the team projected was electric, it was a chance for them to let go and cook their favourite signature dishes and culinary visions. They all definitely exceeded all our expectations.”

 He told me that they had five categories in this year’s event including an award for the Pastry and Bakery Show Piece.

This was won by Richard Serran who is Demi Chef de Partie Baker. Here he is with his award winning entry and from (left to right) Executive Chef Karl Winkler, Executive Sous Chef Mark Oldroyd, Hotel Manager David Stephenson and Food & Beverage Manager Bernhard Fischer.

The next winner was for the Hot or Cold Plated Entree category

This was won by Noli Salimbagat who is a Chef De Cuisine and like so many of the entries managed to make his work look too delicious to ever eat.  

Many of our guests have an opportunity to see a fruit and vegetable carving demonstration while they are on board and this competition looked for the most artistic creation.

The Fruit and Vegetable Carving award went to Rizalde Gagaring who is a Chef De Partie, Food Artist.

One of the most popular categories amongst our guests, is the dessert section, which always produces some of the most inventive pieces.

The Plated Dessert winner was Franz Joseph Ballelos who is a Demi Chef De Partie, Pastry.

Some of the biggest creations are in the Cold Larder Buffet Display category.

This was won by Panchoo Arvin Kumar who is a Chef de Partie

Back in the Britannia Restaurant Galley, all the winners came together with their Certificates for a group photograph.

From left to right they are, Panchoo Arvin Kumar, Richard Serran, Franz Joseph Ballelos, Noli Salimbagat and Rizalde Gagaring.

Karl Winkler and Mark Oldroyd told me they would like to thank all departments and the ships on board services for their generosity as they donated some excellent prizes which were really appreciated by all the winners.

Thank you Mark for sharing this great success story and congratulations to you and all your chefs for what sounds like an amazing event, showing yet again the incredible skills of our on board culinary teams.

That’s it for this week, I’ll be back on Monday with more news from around the fleet, including a very special story from Queen Victoria as we come to the last few days of our 2010 World Voyage. We’ll also have some other great stories so thanks again for logging on. 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.

Countdown to Queen Elizabeth – 216 days

As Queen Victoria left the southern hemisphere, her big sister Queen Mary 2 was being welcomed in New Zealand and Australia. Auckland was a special celebration, as Trelise Cooper, the internationally renowned New Zealand fashion designer, chose Queen Mary 2 as a tableau to display her new collection when Cunard’s flagship paid her third visit to Auckland on 4 March.

One hundred and fifty of New Zealand’s fashion community came together on the top deck of Queen Mary 2 to enjoy the flamboyant colours and the exotic fabrics that are the hallmarks of any of Trelise Cooper’s collections. Her unique approach to style is born out of the adventurous New Zealand spirit, and embraces the quirkiness and originality that comes with living at the edge of the world. Trelise Cooper’s international client base includes Julia Roberts, Liv Tyler, Meg Ryan, Reese Witherspoon and Catherine Zeta Jones and her garments are sold throughout Europe, America, Asia Australia and of course New Zealand.

In addition to the fabulous collection, guests enjoyed an amazing view of Auckland Harbour that only the top deck of Queen Mary 2 can offer, while they enjoyed a cocktail reception of Moet & Chandon champagne and fine canapés laid on by Executive Chef Karl Winkler. Queen Mary 2’s International Band, Vibz entertained VIP’s, guests and media during the event. Sunshine prevailed and the day showcased Queen Mary 2 at her best proving that the models were not the only well dressed ladies in port that day.

Three days later the largest ship to ever visit Australia arrived in Sydney in spectacular style marking the half way point of her 101-day World Voyage, and her third visit to this truly magnificent city. At 5:00pm she slipped through the famous Heads into Sydney Harbour.

Despite the slightly breezy conditions, a welcoming armada was waiting inside the harbour, in the many small coves that grace the Harbour’s edge, ready to greet Queen Mary 2 as she made her way slowly into the channel past Quarantine House on the North Head, and Vauclause Bay in the Eastern Suburbs. Craft appeared from every quarter, and in no time at all Queen Mary 2 was escorted by a growing flotilla of every conceivable variety of pleasure boat, from a jet boat to a water Taxi. 

Several helicopters buzzed the ship with photographers hanging precariously form their sides recording the event for the evening news. Australian flags appeared from the balconies of several staterooms adding to the atmosphere of the occasion. After Captain Bates made his turn off Fort Dennison Queen Mary 2 then backed up towards the iconic Sydney Harbour Bridge.

What a fantastic picture to see Queen Mary 2 from this view, especially when you consider she is two-thirds the length of the bridge and taller than the bridge’s road deck! To huge crowds she then proceeded to pass the famous Opera House, which she seemed to dwarf.

She then headed to her berth in Garden Island docking at 7:00pm 

Guests then went ashore to enjoy their first of two evenings in this amazing city with Queen Mary 2 leaving late the following night. I’d like to thank James Morgan for sending me these fantastic pictures and to David Stephenson, Queen Mary 2’s Hotel Manager, for all his help in putting this Blog together.

As promised I’ll be back tomorrow with a report from Queen Victoria’s World Voyage Dinner and my regular post on Thursday. I did mention it was going to be a busy week! Cheers Alastair

Countdown to Queen Elizabeth – 222 days

Thank you again for all your feedback, it’s always great to hear from you. I know from reading your comments you have been enjoying watching Queen Victoria going around the world, well I’m delighted to introduce a guest Blogger to share Queen Mary 2’s World Voyage with you; and what a great Blog it is, so over to Freda who takes up the story.

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

Queen Mary 2’s 2010 World Voyage is well under way with some fabulous new ports of call as well as some much loved familiar places, a whirl of parties, celebrations, themed balls, charity events, superb speakers and very variable weather!

Our first stop in beautiful Lisbon marked a very wet start.  Grey clouds and torrential rain deterred many from venturing ashore, so it was with some relief to move quite quickly from Civitavecchia (for Rome) through the Suez Canal and on to the desert lands. No pause by the pyramids and the Valley of the Kings would be complete without an Egyptian Ball. The Queens Room was inspirationally decorated to remind us of the magnificence and history of the land we had just visited and guests were delighted by the surprise appearance of Freddie Fahrouk, Achamanda and Hot Chick Soup performing the hilarious Sand Dance, much to the amazement of the guest who earlier in the evening had commented that no-one would remember that far back! And here they are supported by Antony and Cleopatra.

With a proudly Scottish Chief Engineer on board, celebrating Burns night in style was not negotiable!  Thanks to Ronnie Keir’s enthusiastic dissection of the haggis and Carol Summers’ (Royal Cunard Dance Captain) stunning sword dance, the famous Baird was toasted in style with a packed dance floor of energetic Gay Gordons, Dashing White Sergeants and an officers’ display of Strip the Willow! Here’s Carol dancing above the carefully crafted swords, the handiwork of Ronnie’s team of engineers, as he watches on.

As we moved on to India, the Queens Room hosted the Night of the Raj Ball, with guests displaying their newly honed skills of sari tying with their newly purchased jewel coloured saris. They then enjoyed watching the Royal Cunard Dancers perform their sensual, exotic interpretation of the dance of the Gods, depicting the God of destruction and the God of creation.

Bringing us to the end of the 3^rd leg of our World Voyage, all the sensations of the east were brought together at the Oriental Ball with the Sun and the Moon duet sung by our fabulous singers Kris Harding and Hannah Bloch and dramatically illustrated by the beautiful Vasilica Lungu as the love nymph in ‘The Sun and the Moon’.

Despite some very chilly weather as we approached Shanghai, the temperature rose in the Queens Room. Cupid paid us a timely visit as we celebrated Valentine’s Day with love, romance and some steamy passion with the jaw-dropping tango, seen here with Carol and Nazarly.

Amongst the fifteen or so maiden ports of call for Queen Mary 2 in this year’s World Voyage, one that will certainly stay in guests’ minds for a very long time is Nagasaki. As is customary, the ship exchanged plaques with the local officials, but this time the ceremony was extra special. The Mayor of Nagasaki came with his prefecture governors and made individual presentations to Captain Nick Bates, Staff Captain, Robert Camby, Chief Engineer, Ronnie Keir , Hotel Manager, David Stephenson and Entertainment Director, Paul O’Loughlin. The officers, dignitaries and audience were entirely humbled by the tear-jerking graciousness of the exquisite Japanese children who seared their place into everyone’s hearts. The 3 to 6 year olds of Oura Nursery School presented such enormous bouquets of flowers that they could hardly see or be seen; Captain Bates had to brush a tear from his eye. We heard later that they had rehearsed for over a month for their word perfect performance in English of ‘Head, shoulders, knees and toes’, followed by 2 traditional Japanese dances. No-one could think of more deserving recipients of our Cunard fluffy lions.

Of course, Cunard and Queen Mary 2 have excelled with an array of Insight speakers.  Amongst the celebrity speakers so far, we have been educated by John Humphries who hosted a special Queen Mary 2 version of ‘Masterbrain’, as well as a very thought provoking ‘Time for Questions’ with our panel of resident experts comprising Commodore Warner, Hotel Manager, David Stephenson and pianist, Campbell Simpson.  We were enlightened by Michael Nicholson and enthralled by Dr George McGavin.

Throughout all of the partying and celebrations the crew have been busy raising money for the four nominated World Voyage Charities: The Royal National Lifeboat Institute, The Haiti Emergency relief Fund, The Prostheses Foundation in Thailand and the Seaman’s Church Institute of New York.

The first event was the Tug of War, with competing teams from the Medical, Deck and Technical departments, the Spa, the Purser’s Office, the Engineers and Entertainment. The medical department under the appropriate title of ‘The Walking Dead’ won the best dressed team:

However, the Entertainment department wiped the floor with the remaining awards winning the ladies, the men and the mixed competitions. No wonder Paul O’Loughlin and Amanda Reid, (Entertainment Director and Assistant Entertainment Director), have such big smiles on their faces! 

By way of a complete contrast, the second charity event moved away from raw crew strength to musical expertise and seven superb examples of hidden talent put on two magnificent shows of ‘Stars in the Crew’ to allow fellow crew members and guests alike to judge their skills. The show featured:

·   Renier – Purser’s Staff as Gareth Gates with ‘Spirit in the Sky’

·   Marion Woolley – Zone Manager as Charlotte Church with ‘To dream a dream’

·   Jeffrey Canono –  Bedroom Steward  as Michael Ball from Miss Saigon with ‘Why God’

·   Alex Laxton – Stage Crew as Frank Sinatra with ‘Come fly with me’

·   Napoleon Mana – Laundry Man as Bill Medley with ‘Unchained Melody’

·   Big Dave Griffiss – Bar Steward as Paul McCartney with ‘I saw her standing there’ (eat your heart out Karl Lornie of the Beatles Celebration, who were also performing with us at that time and were, of course, completely brilliant!)

·   Cela Wasserman – Sound Engineer as Linda Perry with ‘What’s up?’

The voting was very close with outstanding performances from all seven stars and many congratulations due to final winner, Jeffery Canono who won himself dinner for 2 in Todd English.

And finally, we say a special thank you to the Masons on board who have done a wonderful job of raising money for our charities through cocktail events and raffles, with a magnificent total of $1745.57.

How do we top all that in the second half??

Thank you so much Freda for such a great Blog, it has given us a wonderful overview of your World Voyage so far. It was also really good to see and hear about our colleagues over on our big sister as well. We look forward to hearing about your next segment.

Meanwhile I’ll be back on Thursday with the regular weekly Blog and some new pictures of Queen Elizabeth under construction in Italy.

Countdown to Queen Elizabeth – 261 days

As Queen Mary 2 reached Dubai for the next leg of her World Voyage, Queen Victoria arrived in San Francisco for her maiden call – and what a welcome she received. I’ll post a special Blog covering that day very soon. Before we introduce you to Queen Mary 2’s latest Star of The Month, here’s Cunard’s history, for the week 29 January to 4 February:

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

On 5 January 1995, Noel joined his first ship, the Vistafjord, which was renamed Caronia in 1999. He started his career as a member of the utility team and two years later, on his third contract with Cunard, he was promoted to Assistant Waiter and then Waiter. He remained on Caronia until she went out of service in 2004 when he joined Queen Mary 2 as a Buffet Steward

At home he is married to Olivia, and with their children, seven year old Camilla Jasmine and three year old Earl Grey, they live in San Fabian in the Philippines.

At the moment Noel is assigned to the Room Service department, and his day starts early at 6.00am when the ship is in port or 6.45am if the ship is at sea. Having reported to his supervisor, Noel spends most of his morning preparing coffee or making toast for the room service trays and reckons he makes over 500 slices of toast each morning!

In the afternoon he sets up the trolleys in preparation for the following morning and then helps the Room Service team deliver orders to guest staterooms. His true dedication to “White Star Service”, lead to his nomination for “Star of The Month”. He received numerous recommendations from the guests he served, who consistently said they appreciated his excellent service and tremendous positive attitude.

He is often asked how long he has worked for the company and he told me that he is very proud to tell guests “since 1995”, and he considers the best part of his job to be able to meet our guests.

When he gets a break on board, he likes to play chess, watch movies in his cabin and sometimes he goes to the crew gym. He also likes to call home regularly and when the ship is in port he enjoys going out with friends to have some Filipino food which he can find in many ports Queen Mary 2 visits.

Becoming the “Star of The Month” also brings a prize which Noel said he would use towards his children’s future. Here he is receiving his award with (from left to right), David Stephenson, Hotel Manager, Osman Pinaolglu, Senior Maitre D’Hotel, Commodore Bernard Warner and Jeff Morgan, Food and Beverage Manager

At home on leave Noel loves spending valuable time with his family and also enjoys singing and playing the guitar. As for the future Noel told me that he hopes he will be promoted, which would also help him support his family even more as he would like his children to attend a good school where they can study. Noel certainly seems to be a true Cunarder and when I asked what “We Are Cunard” meant to him he replied simply that, “We are a big family”. I couldn’t put it any better.

Thank you Noel for taking the time to chat to me and also a huge thank you to Jeanne Pohling, who is the Hotel Manager’s Personal Assistant, who helped put this Blog together. I’m sure you’ll agree it’s another great story where our fellow crew members have been recognised for their hard work and White Star Service.

I’ll be back soon with more news from around the Cunard World, including some recent celebrations on Queen Victoria. As always, keep those questions and comments coming in, Alastair

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

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

1 November 1921

Andania II is launched

2 November 2003

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

3 November 1970

QE2 makes her maiden call at Luanda, Angola

5 November 2004

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Firstly, thanks so much for all the viewings and postings – what a great start to the Blog and fantastic to see there is so much interest from guests past, present and hopefully future. Please keep the comments coming in and of course ideas for future subjects. As Graham Lake quite rightly said in his posting (thanks Graham), this Blog is for the whole Cunard family stretching beyond Queen Victoria to our sisters, Queen Mary 2, QE2 and to our new Queen Elizabeth as well as our shore side team in Southampton and you our readers at home.

I know I was going to chat to David Hamilton (Queen Victoria’s Hotel Manager) this week, but realizing it was Queen Victoria’s maiden sailing to the Black Sea, Queen Elizabeth 2’s birthday on the 20^th, and Queen Mary 2’s 100^th Transatlantic crossing on the 21st, I hope you don’t mind if we leave David until next week. Sorry David!

So, yes this has been an historic week for all three Cunard Queens and as you will probably know, at Cunard we love celebrating milestones.

Thank you to QE2’s Entertainment Director, Warren Smith who told me about the nostalgic atmosphere on QE2 as she celebrated her final Cunard birthday. Warren told me: “It was a wondrous day on the ship’s Autumn Colours Voyage, and on this day 41 years ago a ship slipped down her slipway at 2.28pm on the Clyde in Glasgow, Scotland… A legend was born.”  This was celebrated with a special cover of the Daily Programme.

Click to enlarge

Also thank you to QE2’s Hotel Manager John Duffy who added:

“It was appropriate that QE2 was in St. John, New Brunswick on the 20 September 2008, the 41st Anniversary of the launching, as this section of Canada is where Samuel Cunard came from. Even more appropriate, the following day, QE2 visited the actual birthplace of Samuel Cunard, Halifax, Nova Scotia. He would have been a proud man knowing this icon, QE2, was part of his Cunard Fleet. During the evening we had an excellent turnout for the Anniversary Ball in the Queen’s Room.  Of course the ship was the main feature of novelty dances, and prizes included the Programme Covers from her 40th Anniversary, 20 September 2007, signed by Senior Officers. At each show in the Grand Lounge, the Entertainment Director gave a short message to the audience about the launching 41 years earlier and how QE2, became a legend and the most famous and loved ship of all time.  The reaction of the audience at both shows was tremendous applause and obvious appreciation of the Entertainment Director’s words.”

Warren went on to say that the party continued late into the night with a “Launching Party” in the Yacht Club and it was widely agreed it was a fitting celebration for QE2’s last Cunard birthday, as she will leave the fleet in November for a new life in Dubai.

Meanwhile, 21 September marked another important milestone for Queen Mary 2, as she set sail on her 100^th Transatlantic Crossing. Thank you to Commodore Warner for describing the scene as Queen Mary 2 set sail on this historic crossing:-  

“It was a warm autumn afternoon as Queen Mary 2, flagship of the Cunard line, slipped her moorings at the Queen Elizabeth II terminal in Southampton. I was on the Bridge and Chief Engineer Officer Ronnie Keir below in the engine room, she turned short round to port just south of the pier. Crowds had gathered off dock head to wave her farewell and they were saluted by her deep typhoon whistles – one being the original from Queen Mary herself. She sailed serenely down Southampton Water, crowds waved from vantage points ashore close to the River Hamble and the Warsash School of Navigation where Commodore Warner had trained over 40 years ago. Within the hour she had passed the excited crowds gathered off Calshot Castle and saluted Cowes on the Isle of Wight – the yachting capital of the world. Being Sunday evening flotillas of small craft paid tribute to her as she built up speed, taking her 2471 guests and 1270 crew down the Solent and out into the English Channel. Most guests were from the UK (1520) but many were from the USA (600). By 7pm she was up to 24 knots and heading WSW down the English Channel towards the setting sun which had left a spectacular pink horizon and inspiring hopes of fair weather ahead. The Hotel Manager David Stephenson toured the galleys in preparation for the evening dinner and Entertainment Director David Pepper prepared the first nights glittering entertainment. There was an expectant air and tangible ting of excitement vibrating throughout the great liner. By 7am she would be south of Bishop’s Rock off the Scilly Isles and heading out into the North Atlantic at the start of her 100th crossing……………”

And thanks to Queen Mary 2’s Entertainment Director, David Pepper who added “Today, Queen Mary 2 is celebrating her 100th Transatlantic crossing, but our first crossing was in April 2004 and we had the world media waiting in New York with all the major television networks waiting to board as we went alongside in our dock in Manhattan. Ninety nine crossings later we, as a ships company have grown in character and now have a loyal following of regular guests with our Cunard World Club parties growing larger on every crossing. We have maintained the Cunard traditions ensuring we are indeed legendary, elegant and of course memorable. So many ports have taken us to their hearts with literally thousands witnessing our arrivals and departures, and I know we all feel a sense of pride being part of this exceptional crew of the flagship of the Cunard Fleet; Queen Mary 2”

Here are some fascinating statistics for Queen Mary 2’s first 100 crossings which I’m sure you’ll find interesting:

• More than 229,000 guests crossing the North Atlantic
• 450 pets crossing the North Atlantic
• 97,000 pounds of lobster serverd
• 2,700 pounds of caviar served
• 206,200 bottles of champagne served
• Enough tea to fill nearly five Olympic-sized swimming pools

Queen Mary 2 has welcomed many notable guests, including HM Queen Elizabeth II, HRH The Duke of Edinburgh, Queen Noor, Former President George Bush, New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Senator Hillary Clinton, Uma Thurman, John Cleese, Richard Dreyfuss, Carly Simon, Rod Stewart, Tina Brown and Harold Evans, Donald Trump, and Dame Shirley Bassey.

For us on Queen Victoria, we send greetings from the Black Sea, where Queen Victoria is sailing for the first time. Having been through the Dardanelles (North West Turkey), a site of so much history, we spent a night in Istanbul (more about the interesting belly dancer next time……but needless to say the front row of the Royal Court Theatre was completely full!) We then transited the Bosphorus straits with just 10 meters clearance under the Bosphorus Bridge, connecting Europe and Asia. Odessa is our first port of call in the Ukraine and it’s always great to make a maiden call at a port, as we all (guests and crew); feel that sense of anticipation in discovering somewhere new. At the Captain’s Cocktail parties, Captain Wright tasked me to find out why it is called the Black Sea. There are a few likely reasons but the most popular, is that apparently it can be pretty stormy in winter, (hopefully not in October!) and it’s thought that the name was given to it by sailors and pirates who were struck by its dark appearance when the sky turned leaden with storm clouds. The ancient Greeks called it as the Scythian Sea, after the tribes who held its shores at the time. It’s said that shipwrecked sailors could generally expect no mercy from the Scythians, who plundered the wrecks and made wine goblets out of sailors’ skulls. I’m hoping our welcome will be somewhat warmer! The Greeks also called it Pontos Axenos – the inhospitable sea – until they settled in Crimea, after which they apparently changed their minds and called it Pontos Euxenos: the hospitable sea. An interesting idea when according to holiday brochures you can even find naturist beaches along its coastline. Mind you I won’t be heading there, as beaches like these are usually occupied by the exact people who shouldn’t be baring all. Anyway I’ll tell you more about Odessa and Yalta next week when yes I will be chatting to Hotel Manager David Hamilton who recently joined Queen Victoria from QE2.

Meanwhile thank you again for reading what turned out to be quite a long blog this time, and thanks of course to the contributors from our sister ships to the Blog this week, I’ll be back next Thursday, so thanks again for logging on and I look forward to hearing from you.

Cheers for now- Alastair