Hello all     

We thought we’d share with you some of the wonderful things our Cunarders have sent us over the last few weeks. We often receive emails and letters in the post from people who have cruised with us or are fans of Cunard and our ships.     

Susie Wiseman from Sydney, Australia sent us some great photos from her friend Keith Moore, who is from Liverpool. Keith’s grandfather Joseph Francis Moore and his father Joseph Paul Moore both worked for Cunard Line in on board Queen Elizabeth and Queen Mary carrying US troops to the UK.     

The photos below show Joseph Francis Moore and his wife before he went off to war.     

Here is Joseph Francis Moore’s ship ID, as you can see from the date, it expired almost 64 years ago!     

Below you can see Joseph Paul Moore’s crew medical card from Queen Mary     

Camilla Heinig and Thomas Reise from Germany sent us some photos of a very special birthday gift. Inspired by the puzzle below, Camilla ordered a handcrafted aluminium and copper Queen Mary door sign for her husband’s birthday:  

The sign was made by Sylvia Burgold, you can see some of her other creations here:  http://shop.burgold.de/    

And here is Thomas looking very pleased with his gift:    

The fantastic detailed drawings below were posted to us from one of our younger fans in Holland, who sketched Queen Mary 2 and Queen Elizabeth. We think you’ll agree we have a budding Naval Architect in the pipeline?   

We hope you’ve enjoyed looking through these photos and drawings as much as we did, if you have anything you’d like to share with us on the blog please send it through to wearecunard@cunard.co.uk   

Guest Blog – Lisa Page, New Media Executive

Photo credit - Martin Knight, FTF Worldwide

Photo credit - Martin Knight, FTF Worldwide

It was brilliant to watch our flagship and our newest Cunarder sail off together, and will be the last time we see any of the Cunard fleet in Southampton until the end of March when Queen Victoria returns to the UK. We’re very much looking forward to 5 June when all 3 of our Queens will be together in Southampton for the first time, in celebration of Her Majesty the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee, it’s sure to be a day to remember! 

Queen Mary 2 is now in Madeira as she heads down to Cape Town and Queen Elizabeth is crossing the Atlantic heading to New York. Queen Victoria continues her Americas season as she sails around Hawaii, Mexico, the Caribbean and the Panama Canal until March this year. We were very pleased to hear this week that she was awarded Best Ship and Best Food in the cruise.co.uk Passenger Ratings 2011 – thank you to those of you who voted!  

On a separate note – have you seen our new look homepage on the Cunard website? Have a look and let us know what you think: www.cunard.com  

We’ll be updating you with photos and news from the fleet as they sail around the world over the next few months, with some maiden ports of call along the way – please keep logging on!  

I hope you all have a great weekend.  

Lisa

Hello all, I spent the day last Sunday in Hamburg on board Queen Elizabeth. We were hosting a press conference on board for the Hamburg Cruise Centre and it was pleasing to hear of the substantial growth of cruising in the German market and appropriate that Queen Elizabeth was hosting the event given our own growth in the number of German guests we now have sailing with Cunard Line.   

It struck me that as both Queen Mary 2 and Queen Elizabeth leave Southampton today on their World Voyages, just how international Cunard Line is these days and how interesting it must be for our guests to be able to spend time with so many different people from different parts of the world.  

Queen Elizabeth was on a short five day voyage from Southampton calling at Le Havre in France and Hamburg, Germany. We partly designed this voyage so that we could offer our French and German guests the opportunity to sail right around the world from one of their home ports.  So we picked up a group of French guests in Le Havre on Saturday and on Sunday I was able to help welcome over 175 German guests who were joining in Hamburg to set off around the world.  At the end of the World Voyage, Queen Elizabeth will return to Hamburg and therefore what a great experience for those guests to be able to see the world from their own doorstep.  

When Queen Elizabeth sets off today her first port of call will be New York.  And of course there she will pick up many of our valued North American guests. 

Queen Mary 2 is off the other way around the world and will be heading down towards Cape Town.  And of course when Queen Mary 2 gets to Australia this time, she is undertaking her maiden Royal Circumnavigation of Australia with many of our valued Australian guests on board.  

The World Voyages are always a wonderful mix of those who are travelling right around the world and those who are joining the ship for either long or short sectors.  We also look forward to welcoming many of our Japanese guests on board. 

This is what leads to one of the most interesting differences for Cunard Line. Having so many people from different parts of the world just adds to the flavour and interest for everybody.  Often when sitting at dinner our guests can discuss world events, politics, and sport, and to have a table where British, American, Australian and Japanese guests can sit together and apply their different experiences and interests just makes it so much more interesting. 

Of course, when you add in our marvellous ship’s company to the mix then the international nature really comes to the fore.  We pride ourselves on working with our wonderful staff who come from many different parts of the world including the Philippines for example and Eastern Europe and they, along with our British Officers and other nationalities, gel on so well together to give the White Star experience for our guests.  So whilst we remain proudly British and offer that wonderful British experience, we are actually providing people with a very cosmopolitan and varied experience.  This is the case on many of our voyages, but it is mostly the case on our World Voyages. 

I bumped into one of our German guests on board Queen Elizabeth. In fact he is a keen reader of our blog and therefore well versed in everything Cunard Line.  He was returning for his second Round the World Voyage on Queen Elizabeth.  I thought what a marvellous feeling it must be to arrive on board one of our ships, be welcomed in White Star style, settle into your stateroom and then be invited up for a glass of champagne to meet the Senior Officers, prior to setting sail for three months or more right around the world. 

The ship, of course, was busy preparing itself for the World Voyage.  Many, many meetings have taken place over recent months to make sure everything is in place on both of our ships.  You can imagine all the logistic planning that needs to take place from a storing perspective and to make sure we are able to pick up fresh produce, often in parts of the world that we only visit infrequently.  I had a brief chat with our Spa Director in the Royal Spa and she has been busy preparing the different packages that we offer for our World Voyage guests.  We pull together many opportunities for them to purchase a package that gives them an extended ability to use the Spa facilities.  I remember last year meeting a lady who congratulated me on the World Voyage as she had become a “New Woman”.  She had actually gone on a World Voyage to change her life from a health perspective.  By working with our chefs to make sure she ate carefully and by spending a lot of time with our fitness instructors on a programme over three months she was both successful and very emotional at the way in which she had managed to make such a change to her own personal health by being on a world voyage. So there you go – that puts an end to the myth that cruising can lead to putting on weight and being unhealthy and what a great way to set about making a life change by spending three months surrounded by everything you could possibly want to make you feel good and stay healthy. 

When our guests join today there will be speculation as to where we will hold our World Voyage Dinners.  These have become famous events over the years, where we take all of our full World Voyage guests off the ship one evening to a spectacular location for a Gala Dinner and this is our way of thanking them for choosing to sail around the world with Cunard Line.  Of course I know exactly where and when the dinners are going to be – but I am not going to tell you.  It is always a surprise and we always work hard to make sure the first to find out are those on board our ships. 

No doubt we will have fun in Australia, where our ships are always welcomed so well by our Australian friends.  We will see the maiden call of Queen Elizabeth into San Francisco sailing under the Golden Gate Bridge.  One can never tire of arriving into Cape Town on Queen Mary 2 – it is quite an awesome sight to see Table Mountain coming out of the clouds in the early morning sunrise as you approach the city.  Cunard will again visit Japan – another special welcome as we have enjoyed a very close relationship with our Japanese guests over many years.  The Far East, India, New Zealand, Hawaiian Islands and of course European ports on the way back – it all makes for a great experience and we look forward to treating our full World Voyagers in the way that they have quite rightly been accustomed to. 

In early 2013 we have all three ships on World or Exotic voyages.  Queen Mary 2 and Queen Victoria are doing full World Voyages.  Queen Elizabeth, as you may have seen, is doing something different.  We offer our UK guests the opportunity for a 91 day voyage from Southampton going right down to the Pacific, round New Zealand and back to Southampton.  That also allows our North American guests to take a 37 night voyage from Los Angeles through the best of the Pacific and round New Zealand back to Los Angeles.  So if for any reason you have not been able to join us on the World Voyages in 2012, or indeed if you’ve yet to sail with us at all on a World Voyage, then we are up and running and have some cracking offers available for the 2013 World Voyage options.  Do come and join us. 

To those guests who will be joined us today to set off around the World, or indeed joining us at any point during the World Voyages, then thank you so much for choosing to sail with us and I am sure you will be well looked after and do enjoy that international, cosmopolitan  experience. 

Lastly, I should wish all of our ship’s company the very best as they set off around the World.  They, too will be away from their friends and families and working extremely hard to look after our guests.  I have seen many of them over the last few days on Queen Elizabeth and Queen Mary 2 and nothing gives me more pleasure than to be able to chat with those incredible people who work so hard to make Cunard Line the success that it is. 

That’s all for now.  I hope you are keeping well. 

Best regards, 

Peter    

Guest Blog: Dominique Damerell, White Star Academy Trainer, Queen Mary 2

Celebrating Christmas on the grandest ocean liner ever built is an unforgettable experience and particularly for the ship’s company on board. This is our home away from home and we pulled out all the stops to make celebrating Christmas on board an unforgettable event.

In keeping with tradition, the officers on board Queen Mary 2 show their appreciation to our crew by serving Christmas lunch in the Crew Mess.

The transformation of the Crew Mess, our biggest crew restaurant on board, started promptly after breakfast and we had two hours to complete the change. Because of the incredible team work this ship is renowned for, this alteration was completed in good time and this extremely busy part of the ship looked quite unrecognisable to those who dine in here every day.

Preparing a Christmas lunch for well over a 1000 crew members is no easy task. At any one time there are up to 52 different crew nationalities on board our ship and so a lot of careful planning and consideration for the varying tastes we all bring to the table is a massive undertaking in itself.

However We Are Cunard for a reason and both the portside and starboard side of the buffet lines looked appealing, fresh, colourful and most of all extremely appetising. We had something for everyone to enjoy. And enjoy they all did.

Furthermore, our gracious and willing officers all contributed to the cherry on the top by making themselves available for serving behind the lines. This unique to Cunard touch is what makes Christmas so special for our crew because it is one of the ways we can show our appreciation to the very people who help to make this ship what she is.

A Legend.

I think that it is safe to say that this has been a year of immense challenge interspersed with moments of great reward. Producing and serving a fantastic Christmas lunch with all the fun and festivity we could muster whilst still maintaining the relentlessness of this operation is the least that we can do to say thank you to all of our crew.

Here at Cunard, the welfare of our crew is integral because a happy crew makes a happy ship. Our on board Crew Welfare committee is of paramount importance because we seek to put the happiness of our crew first and are continuously striving to include events and activities that they will enjoy and appreciate.

Christmas is a special time and usually spent with our families and loved ones. Christmas on board Queen Mary 2, especially if it is your first, is far removed from anything that you are accustomed to. However I think that because of our combined efforts to make it special and rewarding, to keep it fun and unique helps make celebrating Christmas on your home away from home that more memorable.

We are all in the same boat after all…

A sincere thank you to each and every one of the ship’s company for the part that they played in this year’s Christmas. It is certainly an event that will remain in our memories forever. As always it is both a pleasure and privilege working with our crew and I look forward to a momentous 2012 during which, we will make it happen.

Warm regards,

Dominique

Guest Blog: Lisa Page – New Media Executive

Hello All

It’s been a very exciting week here in our online team and I wanted to share a couple of things that I thought you might find interesting…

We have created an infographic – an image full of fun facts and figures about Transatlantic Crossings on board Queen Mary 2. Did you know that the most purchased cocktail is a Classic Dry Martini? Or that we bake over 6000 fresh scones on each crossing? You can see the full sized image here . It has been a real talking point on our twitter and facebook pages!

An Interactive facebook Crossing

Laura from our team here in Southampton is currently hosting an interactive Transatlantic Crossing on our facebook page. Every day between 2-10 January she is posting Queen Mary 2’s Daily Programme for our fans to choose her activities and dining choices, she is then reporting back with the photos in the album on facebook.

The voyage started with a stay at the Marriott Marquis in New York on 2 January, where the facebook Cunarders suggested that Laura take in the sights and a spot of retail therapy. With 24 hours in New York before joining Queen Mary 2, Laura managed to see Central Park, the Rockefeller Centre, Grand Central Terminal and the Empire State Building. You can see the photos here

On day 1 of the crossing the fans have voted on room service breakfast, an Insights lecture from Eamonn Gearon and the Black and White Ball in the Queens Room.

The sea conditions are moderate, with an outside temperature of 6 degrees – there was even snow on the balcony on Day 1! So far they have travelled 747 nautical miles and have 2495 left to go to reach Southampton. Join in the fun this week, vote for your activity choices and ask any questions you have about Queen Mary 2 or the legendary Transatlantic Crossing:

www.facebook.com/cunard

Hello all

I hope you enjoyed your Christmas – now it’s time to look forward to 2012. We have an exciting year ahead at Cunard Line and I thought I would share with you some of the highlights coming up next year. Of course we all hope that you will be sailing with us in 2012 and if you have not yet made up your mind – then perhaps this will trigger some ideas for you.

10 January – Off Around the World – Both Queen Elizabeth and Queen Mary 2 will set off from Southampton and we will make sure it is a spectacular send off. Queen Elizabeth will be on her way across the Atlantic to New York and Queen Mary 2 on her way to South Africa.

4 February – Queen Elizabeth in San Francisco – Well I for one am not going to miss this one. When Queen Mary 2 first sailed under the Golden Gate Bridge it was a wonderful moment. We are hoping that this maiden arrival will be just as good – there is just something special about seeing the famous Cunard ships arriving in spectacular cities.

Let’s go around Australia – We worked out that all the best parts of Australia are on the outside. So for 2012 we decided to send Queen Mary 2 on a 23 night Royal Circumnavigation of Australia. There is some limited availability if you would like to join us. For me Sydney will be a highlight, I am hoping to be there when one of our ships is in town – and for the third year running I hope to climb the Sydney Harbour Bridge. Honestly – if you have not done it yet it is a must whatever your age – on my first climb we had a gentleman from California who was 85 with us and he said ‘It was on my bucket list – so here I am’ (In 2013 – Queen Mary 2 will be going around New Zealand)

Three Queens for the Diamond Jubilee – it is quite remarkable that Her Majesty will have been on the throne for 60 years. On the very day that the country will celebrate this – 5 June – we will have our three Queens in Southampton for an event to pay our own tribute to Her Majesty. There are many ways for you to join us. If you book to travel on one of the voyages that end in Southampton that day (Queen Mary 2 New York-Southampton 29 May, Queen Elizabeth 13nts Mediterranean 23 May, Queen Victoria 14nts Fjords 22 May) – then you will enjoy a wonderful early morning three Queens arrival. If you book to travel on one of the voyages departing that day – then it will be a special day in Southampton. In the evening – after dinner – we will light up the sky over our three ships with our own tribute to Her Majesty. You can choose to sail that day on Queen Mary 2 5nts Getaway Break, Queen Elizabeth 14nts Baltic or Queen Victoria 17nts Adriatic Explorer. Please don’t miss being with us on the 5 June – a great day for Queen, country and Cunard Line.

The London Olympics – a great celebration of sport. Happily – as I play field hockey – my wife has managed to secure 4 tickets for the Mens Hockey final. And the Cycling Road Race (which I can assure you will be won by our own Mark Cavendish) goes past the end of the road where we live. So the Shanks Family are looking forward to the Olympics. For our friends in North America – why not spend a few weeks in the UK – you could travel over on Queen Mary 2 from New York on the 6-13 July, take in the Olympics and then travel back on Queen Mary 2 on the 21 August – perfect. Of course there may be those who say they just don’t want to be around for the Olympics – well what better way to escape than on a Cunard Voyage.

Queen Elizabeth Maiden Fly Mediterranean Season – Now if I was looking for something special then this is what I would choose. She will be sailing on 7 twelve night voyages in the Mediterranean from September to November– you can choose to join her in Rome, Athens or Venice. Last year I took an Eastern Med voyage on one of our sister lines and it was fabulous. The best way to do it is to fly out a couple of days before the voyage and explore Rome, Venice or Athens. That way, when you board Queen Elizabeth you will be completely relaxed and ready to enjoy the voyage. The itineraries are very rich – and the prices are very keen. I was in North America recently – and read of and heard a lot of concern about travelling to Europe. Well – it’s OK over here you know – we are all still here. I am hopeful that the ‘Arab Spring’ disruption will have calmed down – in fact much of it already has. And in terms of value for money – well the European resorts thrive on tourism and there has probably never been a better time to come. And if you do come over – then joining Queen Elizabeth on her maiden season down in the Mediterranean would be a great way to see all the best places in style.

So there is much to look forward to – and here are a few things that I recommend you think about – either if you are already planning to join us and can look forward to this year or your mind is not yet made up;

Relaxing – so important on holiday – reading a book in our libraries, chilling out in Canyon Ranch or our Royal Spas, dozing on a steamer chair in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean – or sleeping on our most wonderful beds.

Eating – dining in Princess Grill or Queens Grill in my book is as good as any top restaurant in any top city in the world. The atmosphere in the main Britannia Dining Room on a formal night is a sight to behold and will make you feel very special indeed. A night out in our award winning Verandah Restaurant on Queen Elizabeth is stunning. And for lunch on all three ships you can now have one of our famous 7 minute fresh pizzas – always one of my favourites. Or if you want to be really British then join us for a pub lunch in The Golden Lion.

Exercise – as hard or as soft as you like. Our famous promenading (three times round deck 7 on Queen Mary 2 is a mile), our many pools and Jacuzzis – our excellent state of the art gyms with personal trainers – with Cunard you can relax as hard as you like.

Unique Experiences – the arrival into New York as the sun glints off the Statue of Liberty beats them all. But whichever port you arrive into – it’s not like being on any other white ship – the fact that you are on a Cunard Liner will make you feel rightly special.

Things to do – Julliard School of Music, Royal Academy of Dramatic Art plays and workshops, 3D cinema, Planetarium, fencing lessons, dancing, internet and iPad master classes, fascinating Insight lectures, art classes, awesome theatres (with private boxes) – there is so much to do and so little time.

And everything you do and experience with us in the year ahead will be supported and made possible by our wonderful ship’s company. You will hear us talking more of our famed White Star Service – it is what sets us apart and we are fortunate to have such wonderful people working with us to look after your every need.

So there is a lot to look forward to in the year ahead. And recognising that the economic outlook remains challenging – we have made sure that we offer the best possible value for our guests.

I do hope you are able to sail with us in the year ahead. If you have already booked – thank you so much and we look forward to taking great care of you. If you have yet to book – then I hope my outlook for the year ahead has nudged you in the right direction.

All of us at Cunard Line wish you and your friends and families a very Happy New Year!

Best Regards

Peter

Hello All,

We left the Queen Mary 2 Refit blog and video up for a week – which is a little longer that we would normally do but it was very popular. Over 15,000 people watched it in the first three days – so thank you all for showing so much interest. She is now back in service and sets sail today on her annual Christmas Voyage to the Caribbean from New York.

Pride of place in the Grand Lobby of Queen Mary 2 is our new portrait of Her Majesty the Queen. Having had so many positive comments of the portrait on Queen Elizabeth we felt it appropriate to do likewise on Queen Mary 2 – after all she is the cherished Godmother to both ships. The portrait was painted by a friend of Cunard Line – Gail Graham. She based it on a photo of Her Majesty that was taken in 2008 when she visited QE2. If I may say so – it is a lovely portrait – there is so much love and respect for Her Majesty but to see her smiling so broadly is terrific. Here are a few shots of the portrait, the unveiling by Gail Graham and now hanging proudly outside the Veuve Cliquot Champagne Bar in the Grand Lobby – a perfect place for us to celebrate Her Majesty as we soon enter the year of her Diamond Jubilee.

So here we are at the beginning of Christmas week. I hope you have all your planning underway for the holidays. My wife and I had our first sense of Christmas on Friday night when we attended Winchester Cathedral for the first of their famous Christmas Concerts. I was invited by the Lord Lieutenant of Hampshire. We are fortunate to have had a lot of Royal Events over recent years and the Lord Lieutenant and her office are always most helpful in the organisation of such events. By way of a thank you, I agreed that Cunard Line would provide modest sponsorship to her Christmas Carol Concert at the Cathedral – the concert raises funds for the Winchester Cathedral Choir. They are one of the best – if not the best – choirs in the country. It was a cold evening in a packed cathedral but the music was simply magical. We were invited back to the Lord Lieutenant’s house for supper afterwards. To be honest, as it was a Friday after a busy week , I was not sure if I was up for a formal dinner. Imagine my surprise and delight when we arrived to discover that the Lord Lieutenant had ordered a take-away curry for thirty of us – now there is a Lady with style and who is in touch with the needs of her guests. That rather set the scene for an ‘Indian’ weekend. On Saturday I played field hockey against a very well known side by the name of Indian Gymkhana. Unfortunately they are rather good and were just that little bit better than us – we lost 2-1 – never mind it was an excellent and healthy way to work off the curry of the night before.

Later this week we will put up a Christmas Message by way of a short video.

Until then – Happy Christmas shopping. Oh – and If you are not sure what to buy your loved one this Christmas – then after a great deal of research I have discovered the best possible Christmas present. A voyage on Cunard Line in 2012………..

Best Regards

Peter

Hello All

Thursday was quite a day – for a number of reasons. I am not sure if – as a travel professional – I should own up to the first part of the day. Having flown out to the US on business last Sunday I was clearly not concentrating when I parked my car at Heathrow and flew out to Los Angeles to visit our US Sales and Marketing Team. Because as I boarded my Virgin Atlantic flight home on Wednesday evening from Las Vegas – having been there for 24 hours to present to 1,800 travel agents at the annual Luxury Travel Show – I heard the Captain say ‘Welcome aboard our flight to Gatwick’. So I arrived at Gatwick only to have to grab a taxi to go and rescue my car from Heathrow and then head on down to Southampton to see Queen Mary 2. So there you have it – sometimes we get our travel plans wrong – but worry not as my one ambition was to see Queen Mary 2 prior to the embarkation of her first voyage after her refit – and I made it.

As I arrived just after midday, the ship’s company was still hard at work putting the final touches to the ship. She was ready for embarkation. Now, before I get to what you have been waiting for, please let me say a few words about Queen Mary 2 ship’s company. To those of you, and it must be nearly all of you, who have not been through a ship refit – it is quite remarkable how much work can be done in such a short space of time. Of course we had several hundred contractors and our colleagues from the office worked very hard indeed. But to me the real heroes of the piece are every member of the ship’s company. They worked so very hard, achieved all they had to achieve and I am so very, very proud of them – well done to each and every one of them.

So – to what you have been waiting for – the 2^nd part of the refit video. Enjoy……..

Marvelous – I hope that gave you a taste of what we have been up to over the last two weeks. The shots of the bulbous bow are just awesome. I will never forget the moment, at the Chantieres ship yard in France in 2003, when we parked a red double decker London bus under the bow of Queen Mary 2.

So she is back in service and looking beautiful. There was plenty of excited chatter on the ship as guests embarked and looked around. The new look Commodore Club is a triumph, the Golden Lion Pub so much warmer and the Queens Grill Suites are just gorgeous – more so than ever. Given the scale of what we achieved, notably refurbishing 1,310 staterooms in just 12 days, we had always planned for some of the activity to be completed over the coming weeks. I have had quite a few questions and comments about the new stateroom designs. One point raised was over some of the sofas and the fact that they do not quite match the new designs. Well please don’t worry – they are all planned to be changed over coming weeks. Personally, I think our designers have done a terrific job and we have ourselves a refreshed and beautiful ocean liner.

So to all of our guests who have booked to sail with us in the year ahead on Queen Mary 2– thank you, congratulations and we look forward to welcoming you back. To those who have yet to decide on their 2012 travel and holiday plans – then there has never been a better time to book to sail on Cunard. We have over 170 years of heritage and tradition and we have the youngest and most beautiful fleet in the world. Well I would say that wouldn’t I – but it’s true…

Have a wonderful weekend wherever you are.

Best Regards

Peter

Hello All

As promised, here is the latest update from Queen Mary 2 where the refit is progressing very smoothly. The complex scheduling of work is being carried out as planned, by our team here in Southampton and the shipyard in Hamburg.

To give you an idea of the scale of work, over 20,000 litres of paint, 10 miles of carpet and 1,250 crane lifts will be used over the two weeks by over 1,200 contractors who will and are currently working as you read this blog to bring all the planned enhancements to life.

For those of you wondering what happens to the items replaced in refit, I am also pleased to say that at both Cunard and the Blohm & Voss shipyard we look to take the opportunity where possible to recycle items removed from the ship. Steel, pipes, cladding and teak for example will all be recycled and used but good items, such as some of the soft furnishings including carpets, beds, linen, televisions and computers, will be donated to local charities in Hamburg through Der Hafen Hilft.

So to what you have all been waiting for – the first video update has arrived. Cunard’s very own Paul O’Loughlin, Entertainment Director on board Queen Mary 2, takes you on a tour of Queen Mary 2 in the Blohm & Voss shipyard in Hamburg. You will see Queen Mary 2 as you haven’t before… it’s fascinating stuff.

On the tour Paul meets with Beniamino Acler, Senior Maitre D’ to find out what is happening in the Princess Grill and Queens Grill restaurants. Followed by Richard Araujo, Assistant Spa Manager for an update in all things health and fitness and then finally he meets with Colin Watson, Executive Housekeeper to uncover what’s planned for the suites and staterooms on board. The video will certainly give you an insight into what goes on behind the scenes when we take one of our Cunard liners into dry-dock.

Hopefully it will also whet your appetite for part 2 – we will be back next week with a second video and another insider’s tour, showing you how wonderful Queen Mary 2 looks after her two week refit, from the suites and staterooms to the Grill restaurants, Grand Lobby and the Golden Lion Pub.

Rest assured that our team on board are working their socks off to make sure that Queen Mary 2 receives the care and attention she deserves and will be ready with their White Star Service from 8^th December when she sets sail on her next voyage.

That’s all for now –  I hope you enjoy the video – and have a cracking weekend wherever you are.

Best Regards

Peter

Guest Blog: Lisa Page, New Media Executive, Cunard Line

In the early hours of Saturday morning I found myself at a very cold and windy quayside at the Blohm & Voss shipyard in Hamburg. Complete with hard hat and safety shoes – camera at the ready, we were awaiting the arrival of our flagship – all in the name of our blog! Queen Mary 2 peered around the corner at around 4am and the wait was over:

This is where we filmed our first shot for the upcoming video blog of the refit, our cameraman Peter ran up and down to get the perfect shot and set the scene:

Once the ropes were secured the dock gate was tugged back into place and the water began to drain, something which took many hours to do, she was on blocks the following morning, and the shipyard workforce were in full swing clearing out the dock and cleaning the hull. Unfortunately it was too busy to have a camera crew down underneath the hull but we’re hoping to get some shots at the end of the refit next week. If you look closely at the photo below you can see how small one of the workers looks at the bottom of the dock:

There were hundreds of contractors on board; carpenters, electricians and decorators – all working their magic for the next 10 days in refit. We headed straight to the Golden Lion Pub – one of the main rooms to be renovated. All of the old carpets were already gone, as well as the seating areas, this is how she currently looks:

Next we headed up to the Grills Restaurants for a quick catch up with Senior Maitre D’ Beniamino Acler, all around us people were busy sowing and fitting seat covers and various soft furnishings. During the refit both Grills Restaurants will have new carpets throughout, here’s Beniamino and Entertainment Director Paul O’Loughlin during their interview:

The Canyon Ranch Spa is my favourite area on board Queen Mary 2, especially the aquatherapy pool, with the water jets and bubbles in the centre! We met with Assistant Manager Richard Araujo, who explained that amongst the changes in the spa area, the teak wooden areas were being redone, there will also be new machines in the gym, including some very fancy sounding bikes!  This is where I saw the pool as I’ve never seen it before…completely empty. Paul and Richard climbed in to take a closer look:

The floor outside of the Britannia Restaurant was a little ‘bumpy’ in parts, as this is such a high traffic area it was unable to fix whilst we had guests on board. The carpet has been pulled up and the problem areas are being repaired as you can see below:

Usually one of the busiest venues on board, the Commodore Club looked deserted, you can see the new chairs in the picture below, the carpets will also be replaced.

We have two children’s areas on board Queen Mary 2, the Play Zone and the Zone, usually full of colourful toys and the latest computer games, both areas are having a revamp and were completely bare when we went inside to film, you’ll notice a big difference at the end of the refit next week.

That’s all from me for the moment, we’ll be filming in the shipyard again next week, keep an eye on our facebook and twitter pages for live updates. I hope this blog has given you all an idea of what’s happening during the dry dock and how we produce the videos you see here on wearecunard.com. The footage is currently being edited to make part 1 of our refit video blogs, make sure you check back here at the end of the week or use the subscribe button at the top and we’ll email you!

Lisa