Countdown to Queen Elizabeth - 248 days

Both World Voyages on Queen Mary 2 and Queen Victoria are progressing well and it’s exciting to hear that so many readers are following us on the ships’ Webcams. As I write this, Queen Victoria is in the southern hemisphere heading towards New Zealand and Queen Mary 2 is enjoying the stunning city of Hong Kong. We will of course keep you posted on both voyages, and thanks again for all your feedback and comments on what you’ve seen so far. In this Blog we decided to feature something a little different; Cunard’s “Pets At Sea” programme, but that’s after Cunard’s history, for the week 12 to 18 February:

There are many traditions that Cunard likes to maintain and some things are unique to Cunard like offering a regular transatlantic service. However did you know that you can even travel with your cat or dog when you take a Transatlantic Crossing on Queen Mary 2? It’s a unique service that has been enjoyed by numerous guests for many years on QE2 and now Queen Mary 2. In fact by the time Queen Mary 2 had completed her 100th Transatlantic Crossing in 2008, over 450 pets had crossed the North Atlantic on the liner.

Queen Mary 2’s Kennel Programme is available on all crossings between New York and Southampton in either direction, and is overseen by a full-time Kennel Master, whose responsibilities include feeding and walking guests’ pets as well as cleaning the 12 kennels. Travelling dogs and cats also receive a complimentary gift pack and other animal amenities. The kennels and adjacent indoor and outdoor walking areas are open throughout the day, enabling guests to spend significant time with their pet. Reservations for the kennels may be made at the time of booking, and are based on space availability. Food is provided for all of the animals, but if a guest has a special request for a particular brand, or would prefer to bring their own, they only have to ask.

The Kennel Master currently on Queen Mary 2 is 32 year old Dayle Mercado. From Pampanga in the Philippines, Dayle is married with one son, Kenneth. I recently chatted to him and asked him about his special role on board. He told me; “Since I love pets, my supervisor asked me if I wanted to be a Kennel Master. I was really excited to be given the opportunity so I accepted and spent two months training in kennels, where I learned about how to care for the animals and how to understand their behaviours.”  Here he is at work:

I asked him what the job was like. “Taking care of the animals is not easy, especially during the first and second day of the crossing”, he said. “During this time the animals are still adjusting to being at sea, much in the same way that guests do.  However the animals become settled very quickly and are happy for the remainder of their crossing”.

Dayle said that every day for him is fun but nothing beats the moment when he opens the kennel door first thing in the morning, and all the animals are excited to go out and play. During his time as Kennel Master, Dayle has looked after a wide range of different breeds of dog including, Chihuahuas, Westies, Poodles, German Shepherds, Cocker Spaniels, Terriers and many more. 

After a recent crossing, a guest enjoyed the whole experience so much she wrote a Blog about it. Nikki Moustaki, MA, MFA, is a well-known dog trainer, TV and radio personality, and animal expert who splits her time between New York City and Miami Beach with her two rescued Schnauzers, Pepper and Ozzie, her rescued Schnoodle, Pearl, and three parrots. She is the author of 9 books on dogs and 24 books on birds as well as books on topics other than pets. She writes for Dog Fancy Magazine as well as for many national pet websites. Nikki has also been featured on national television and radio shows including the BBC.

Nikki said taking the Transatlantic Crossing on Queen Mary 2 was the voyage of a lifetime especially as neither she nor Pepper were keen to fly. After her initial enquiry, Cunard sent her all the paperwork she needed including details of the international rules of pet travel, as every dog and cat on board must have all of the paperwork for the Pet Passport Travel Scheme.

When Nikki and Pepper arrived at the terminal building at Brooklyn, New York, Chantal Mooiman, Queen Mary 2’s Chief Purser, met them and checked Pepper’s paperwork, and Nikki said they felt like VIP’s as they were escorted onto the ship. As this is the only time the pets are in the guest areas, apart from the Kennels, it was the perfect time for a photo opportunity.

At the kennel on Deck 12 they met Dayle for the first time. “Dayle, was the sweetest guy. He clearly loved the dogs and cats on board and I immediately trusted him. And I don’t trust a lot of people with Pepper”, said Nikki.

She was intrigued to find out that each pet has a life jacket and a staff member assigned to him or her in case of an emergency

Nikki added that; “One night on each of my voyages, Cunard put a “Dog Lovers Meeting” in the Daily Programme. All of the dog lovers on board got together to talk about their dogs on board and their dogs at home. It was very nice.”

Nikki said that she and Pepper enjoyed the photo session for people with their pets. One of the ship’s photographers takes photos of guests with their pets wearing the complimentary Queen Mary 2 coat which she said looked “very cute”.

She offered some advice to guests thinking of travelling with their pets; “The kennel is a great place to spend part of the day if your pet is on board. The view is spectacular. We saw whales one day! Only people who have pets are allowed inside the deck run or the kennel, so your pet is safe, and the kennel is locked tight when the kennel master isn’t there. The kennel is quite a curiosity on board, so be prepared to answer some questions from people stopping by to say hello to the dogs.”

In wrapping up Nikki said; “All in all, we had a spectacular time and I would take this voyage again in a heartbeat. Pepper thinks so too”

If you would like to read Nikki’s full story with more pictures you can use this link to get to her account of the voyage:  http://betterwords.typepad.com/pepperinparis/taking-a-dog-on-the-queen-mary-2.html. She also made a great video which you can see by clicking on this link: -

Thank you Nikki for sharing your story with us and thanks to Harald Franzen for the wonderful pictures of Pepper enjoying his Transatlantic Crossing. I would also like to thank Dayle for taking the time to chat to us.

That’s it for this post but I’ll be back again on Monday with more news from around the Cunard World! Thank you as always for logging on and please do keep those comments and questions coming. Cheers for now, Alastair

Countdown to Queen Elizabeth - 254 days

As Queen Mary 2 made her maiden call to Cochin in India and headed to Phuket in Thailand, her sister, Queen Victoria had crossed the Pacific to make her maiden call to the port of Lahaina on the Hawaiian island of Maui. It was the ship’s first visit to the island and what a welcome we received, and certainly beyond our expectations. On the same day a couple from Toronto, Canada had decided to make this an extra special day as well. More of that after our regular feature, Cunard’s history, for the week 5 to 11 February:

Queen Victoria anchored off the island of Maui at about 8am last Monday, and everyone soon flocked to the open decks to see the most incredible welcome from the marine life of the bay. There were North Pacific Humpback Whales everywhere around the ship with approximately twenty of them on view comprising families with their calves.

We found out that this was no coincidence, as the Whales choose the Maui area and specifically the bay around Lahaina as it is a perfect area for them to spend their winters. Hawaiian water temperatures average around 75 degrees, which is an ideal environment for the newborn calves. The islands shelter and protect the waters and form a shallow basin, as compared to the deep surrounding Pacific Ocean waters with depths of up to three miles. The average depth in the area off Lahaina is only about 300 feet which is perfect for the Humpback Whale. Another reason they come to Maui is that Hawaiian waters are virtually predator free for the Humpback Whales. Their only other predators, besides humans, are Orcas, the Killer Whale, but they are rarely seen in Hawaii as they prefer colder waters. The Humpbacks encounter Orcas on a regular basis when they migrate to the feeding grounds of Alaska in the summer, and as such, about a fifth of Humpback Whales bear scars from Orca attacks. The marine life remained visible throughout the day; it was almost like some of the calves wanted Queen Victoria to join in the fun! Our guests and crew were able to take some fantastic photos from the ship and the tenders which took them ashore; mind you it takes a professional like our Chief Photographer, Marius Botha to get a shot like this.

The name La haina means “cruel sun” in the Hawaiian language, describing the sunny dry climate enjoyed most of the year. It’s a small town compared with the very busy and cosmopolitan Honolulu, with the focus of activity along Front Street, which dates back to the 1820s and today is lined with stores and restaurants. Banyan Tree Square features an exceptionally large Banyan tree planted in 1873 to commemorate the fiftieth anniversary of the arrival of the missionaries. It has grown by dropping roots from its branches that then become additional trunks, allowing it to cover two-thirds of an acre.

It’s amazing to think that this is just one tree! It now has twelve major trunks and the symmetry of the tree is apparently maintained by volunteers.

While most of our guests were enjoying island tours, two guests from Toronto, Canada were preparing for a day they would never forget, because this was the day they had chosen for their Hawaiian wedding. Corey who recently retired from the Canadian Military, and Amy, who works in finance, met in a nightclub in Toronto just over a year ago. As Amy was already booked on part of Queen Victoria’s World Voyage, the idea of a Hawaiian wedding seemed perfect. Amy’s parents are staying on for the whole World Voyage so they also attended the ceremony on an exclusive beach within a short walk of Lahaina. Amy’s sister and her partner flew to the island for a week’s holiday, so they could also be part of the special day. The setting was idyllic with their honeymoon destination, (Queen Victoria) in the background.

They said that once they had decided on a Hawaiian wedding, the process was actually quite simple and not too complicated. They managed to arrange everything over the internet and all they had to do on the day was arrive at Amy’s sister’s hotel to change, and then walk down to the beach to meet the minister who had arranged their traditional Hawaiian wedding, which they told me involved lots of kissing throughout the ceremony along with exchanges of leis and vows.

After the ceremony they wanted to do something quite different so they hired a paddleboard before returning to the ship later that afternoon. They had a lot of fun on the tender back as they heard guests saying, “Did you see the wedding on the beach – how lovely”. “Little did they know, that it was us” said Amy. Back on board their room steward Rosie had made a special decoration of kissing swans made out of towels, so I am guessing the word was out!

While Amy’s parents continue with their World Voyage after Sydney, the now Amy and Corey McKee-Beglin, will be making plans to move in to their new condominium in September when it is finished. This was Corey’s first voyage and they hope their anniversaries will be back on board; what a great idea! Thanks Corey and Amy for sharing your story with us and we wish you every happiness in your married life.

The following day we were back in Honolulu and now Queen Victoria is heading towards the Southern Hemisphere. I’ll be back on Monday and I have a great Blog for you with video from our day in San Francisco. Cheers for now, Alastair

Amongst all the excitement of looking forward to our new Queen joining the fleet in October, our two other Queens had a busy and exciting festive season, before preparing for their 2010 World Voyages. So in this Blog I’d like to take you back a few weeks as celebrating the festive season on a Cunard ship is always very special for guests and crew alike. While I was at home, I was very grateful to Queen Mary 2 for sending me a special Blog, capturing the festive atmosphere of the season.

Guest Blog, Freda Singleton – Queen Mary 2

20 December saw an interesting start to Queen Mary 2’s festive celebrations with Cunard’s flagship docking in New York shortly after 6.30am. Commodore Bernard Warner arrived shortly afterwards to take the helm and to his surprise, found the pride of Cunard’s fleet, the greatest ocean liner of our time, coated in white as her decks were covered in several inches of snow!  Had the newly installed snow-making machine gone into over-drive?!  No!  New York was fully into its Christmas cheer with a snow storm worthy of the North Pole! 

Some hours after the Commodore’s arrival, the snow was still piled up alongside the ship, so it was no surprise that our 2,400 guests were anxious to escape to the warmth of the Caribbean!  We were all very grateful to the Commodore as he headed south towards our first port of call, Tortola, in the British Virgin Islands, to thaw out.  Meanwhile, the glamour and elegance of Cunard travel began on the first formal evening of the voyage with our fabulous, traditional, Black and White Ball. The Ball opened with the extra sparkle of the Royal Cunard Dancers in all their brilliant white finery, setting the scene for a glittering voyage.

It wasn’t long before we could all enjoy the sunshine of the Caribbean. The islands of Tortola and St Maarten are known for their beauty, friendliness and typical Caribbean hospitality, not to mention the odd rum punch or two which had everyone in the mood to party.  Christmas Eve saw a transformation from the wonderful rhythm of the steel drums to the gentle and festive sounds of Christmas carols as guest, officers and crew gathered in Queen Mary 2’s elegant Grand Lobby for the traditional start of the festivities.

Children and adults alike went to sleep that night anticipating the fun that was to follow on Christmas Day.  We were awoken of course, to the sound of sleigh bells…….coming down the chimney?  Well, the funnel is certainly big enough - and there indeed was Santa himself making his way through the ship from the Grand Lobby to the Queens Room!

Father Christmas was delighted to have caught up with Queen Mary 2 and to have been able to give so many presents to the fantastic young travellers on board. So much so, he even found time to reward the Commodore for being such a marvellous host, master of the ship, leader of such a tremendous team and fine example of White Star Service! Here he is being congratulated by Santa with Entertainment Director, Paul O’Loughlin.

Merriness continued throughout the day with sumptuous food and a specially written Christmas Show performed in the Royal Court Theatre that night and here’s a photo capturing Edwina Currie and her husband John Jones relating the story of ‘The Night Before Christmas’,

Of course the whole evening would not be complete without a spectacular Grand Lobby buffet prepared by our incredibly talented Chefs.

Enormous credit has to be given to the team who created this beautiful gingerbread display .

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The special voyage gave our guests to enjoy visits to the stunning islands of Curacao, Grenada, Barbados, St Lucia, Dominica and St Kitts before the countdown to 2010. After a tremendous amount of preparation from the ships staff the countdown for the big night was soon underway in all parts of the ship.  From Campbell Simpson at the Piano in the Commodore Club, to our resident DJ Freddie in the G32 nightclub, through the Grand Lobby with our international band Vibz, the Chart Room with the Mark Hodgson Jazz Trio and not forgetting the Golden Lion pub with Gun of the Entertainment Staff where a rousing refrain of the British National Anthem and the ever emotional Pomp and Circumstance had seen in the British New Year at 8pm, and so on to the Queens Room and the elegance of the Queens Room Orchestra.  Here there was a very Scottish flavour to the Hogmanay styled celebration with many guests in kilts enjoying the traditional dances such as the Gay Gordons. Meanwhile the clock was ticking on the big screen behind the orchestra.

The ballroom was packed, the excitement was tangible as Evgeny Gnezdilov, tenor sax player from the Royal Court Theatre Orchestra, crouched down to ring 8 bells to mark the passing of 2009, under the watchful eye of vocalist Michel Chartier, poised to begin his rendition of Auld Lang Syne. This was swiftly followed by Alex Laxton, Queen Mary 2’s youngest crew member at just 19 years old, ringing in 2010.

And the beautiful gold and silver balloons fell, hooters squealed, streamers filled the air, everyone cheered, hugged and kissed.

As always Queen Mary 2 celebrated in style that night, with all her fabulous guests joining the ship’s company to mark the beginning of a new decade!

I’d like to thank the Queen Mary 2 for their help in this Blog and to Freda Singleton for sending it to me as it really shows yet again that Cunard certainly knows how to put on an unforgettable party.

Also thank you again for logging on and for all your questions and comments. I’ll be back on Thursday with a Video Blog featuring some interior shots of Queen Elizabeth as well as an interview with Cunard’s President and Managing Director, Peter Shanks. Cheers for now, Alastair

 Countdown to Queen Elizabeth - 267 days

As Queen Mary 2 prepares to make her maiden southbound transit of the Suez Canal, Queen Victoria has also found the warmth of the Caribbean having made her maiden call to Grand Cayman yesterday. We anchored just off Georgetown, very close to a new pier:

We were lucky to be the only ship in, so we had the island to ourselves, where we could enjoy the delights of snorkeling, seven mile beach, Tortuga Rum Cake and an opportunity to go to Hell. No I am not being rude, there really is a place called Hell and it’s a group of short, black, limestone formations in the northwest of the island roughly the size of a football pitch. There are numerous explanations of how Hell received its name, but they are generally variations on what locals perceive Hell would look like. Whatever the origins of the name, many of our guests and crew go there, just so they have this claim to fame and post their cards from this spot with a special stamp.

Thank you again for all the comments about the previous Queen Elizabeth “Float Out Ceremony” Blogs. We will of course keep you updated with all the news as it happens. In this Blog and third video, we have a special interview with Queen Elizabeth’s Madrina, Dennie Farmer and also the ship yard director Paolo Capobianco.

Once the ceremony had been completed by the dry dock, which was now filling with water, we were treated to a wonderful reception and lunch in the Fincantieri offices at the Monfalcone ship yard. We were first given a very special souvenir programme of the day:

Inside the programme was a fitting tribute to our new Queen and Cunard’s proud and rich history, which included this great picture comparing Cunard’s latest liner with the very first ship, Britannia, which began Samuel Cunard’s company in 1840

There was some fantastic memorabilia around the room from the private collection of Maurizio Eliseo and Paolo Piccione, which celebrated many of the Cunard Liners of the past, including the previous ships bearing the name Elizabeth:

In this next Video Blog you’ll see that while we were at the reception I managed to have a chat with both Dennie Farmer and Paolo Capobianco, before heading back to Queen Elizabeth to have a look at the progress of the inside of the ship.

You’ll be able to see the next Video Blog in the series on Thursday, when I’ll be guiding you through the interior of Queen Elizabeth and there’ll also be an exclusive interview with Cunard’s President and Managing Director Peter Shanks. Thank you to both Dennie Farmer and Paolo Capobianco for their time and again to our cameraman Andrew, as well as everyone else at the Fincantieri ship yard for all their help on that day.

Meanwhile I’ll be back tomorrow with a special Blog from Queen Mary 2. Although the festive celebrations of Christmas and New Year may see a long time ago, we thought you’d still like to see how our flagship celebrated the season with a Guest Blog from Freda Singleton, Queen Mary 2’s Social Hostess.

Thank you again for logging on and please keep those comments and questions coming in. Cheers for now, Alastair

Countdown to Queen Elizabeth - 280 days

Monday 4 January is a special day, as both Queen Mary 2 and Queen Victoria begin their 2010 World Voyages, but this year there is a difference. Queen Victoria heads west to New York while her sister will, for the first time, begin her World Voyage heading east from New York to Southampton. I’ll make sure we get pictures from both ships as they progress around the world.

Meanwhile our third Queen is nearing the next milestone in her construction; the float out ceremony. That will be happening tomorrow and over the last few weeks the final additions have been made to her superstructure ready for her big day on 5 January.

These photos were taken just before Christmas and Queen Elizabeth entered in to the festive spirit with a special addition to her iconic funnel for the town of Monfalcone to admire.

Another very important addition was the forward main mast, which will carry many vital elements of the ship’s navigation equipment and is also where some of the ships flags are flown from.

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The final touches are also being added to the bow as the familiar livery of the white and federal grey paint are added.

One of the last jobs was to add the propellers to the Azipod motors at the stern of the vessel. It’s only when you see someone working on them that you realise how massive they are.

Work is progressing fast inside as well, and this is the first view of the magnificent staircase in the Royal Arcade.

I’m really looking forward to seeing her for myself again tomorrow as I return to Monfalcone for the float out ceremony. This will be a very exciting moment as Queen Elizabeth’s hull touches water for the first time and moves to her outfitting dock. I’ll post the first pictures of that ceremony on Thursday with some videos including an interview with President and Managing Director Peter Shanks. Cheers Alastair

Countdown to Queen Elizabeth - 292 days

As Queen Victoria spends her Christmas in the Canaries and Queen Mary 2 celebrates in the Caribbean, we’ve already had snow falls here in Britain. Who knows whether it will stay or not for Christmas, but it has certainly made things very festive as we think of our colleagues in warmer climes. Thank you again for all your comments and to answer the big question regarding Queen Elizabeth and when she will float out; well read on as Peter Shanks mentions it in his message. Before we get to that here’s this week in Cunard’s history, for the week 25 to 31 December:

25 December 1981 QE2 makes her maiden call at Kralendijk, Bonaire

26 December 1949 Caronia makes her maiden call to Ciudad Trujillo (Santo Domingo)

26 December 2003 Queen Mary 2 arrives in Southampton for the first time

27 December 1930 John Brown Yard Manager, Donald Skifflington, hammers first rivet on Queen Mary

28 December 2007 Queen Victoria makes her maiden call at Madeira

30 December 1964 Contract to build QE2 is signed between Cunard and John Brown Shipyard.

As we reflect on this remarkable year for Cunard, it’s a great pleasure to hand over to Peter Shanks for his thoughts on this last year and a look at the one ahead.

Guest Blog – Peter Shanks - President and Managing Director Cunard Line

Happy Christmas

As we look forward to Christmas and the dawn of a new year, it’s good to reflect a little on the past year and what we have to look ahead to in 2010.  The past year has certainly been a tough one for all of us, whether in business or in our personal lives, given the very challenging economic conditions we have seen around the world. First and foremost, all of us at Cunard Line would like to thank our valued guests for travelling with us over the past year. We are fortunate to have a wonderful sense of loyalty amongst our guests. We have also seen a growing number of guests sailing with Cunard Line for the first time in 2009. Almost every sailing has been full during the year and we really appreciate that support.

As you know, we very carefully measure our guest satisfaction on each and every voyage. Through the year our guests have scored their satisfaction at record levels on both Queen Mary 2 and Queen Victoria. Over 98% said they would recommend Cunard to a friend and over 97% said they would return to sail with Cunard again in the future. That is terrific and the credit for that must go to the ship’s company. We pride ourselves on our White Star Service – it’s the most special thing we have.  In a Christmas message to all of our staff who work so hard on board our ships I was able to thank each and every one of them for the marvelous “White Star Service” they deliver to our guests, so rest assured their efforts in looking after all of our guests have been, and will continue to be, well recognised.

I hope you have enjoyed reading our Blog during 2009, it’s really starting to take on a life of its own. From my perspective there have been a number of highlights during the year, many of which have been shared on the blog, but in particular I will remember the year for:

·         Queen Mary 2 Around the British Isles Voyage – this was a wonderful way to celebrate the 5^th birthday of Queen Mary 2 – without doubt the most famous ship in the world. The welcome we received in Glasgow, Edinburgh, Liverpool, Cobh and Cherbourg was amazing. It reminded all of us of the proud tradition of Cunard Line.  To be on Queen Mary 2, on the Mersey River, alongside the historic Cunard building, in the Royal Court Theatre, with the 73 piece Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra performing “You’ll never walk alone” was very Cunard. Queen Victoria will go round Britain in July 2010 on her inaugural lap of honour and I certainly won’t miss that one!

·         My lapel pin – I never thought a lapel pin could mean so much. All of us at Cunard Line wear the White Star Service lapel pin. It is a small piece of metal, but it represents something which is incredibly special both to all of us at Cunard Line and I trust to our guests as well.  Each time I go on the ship, it acts as a point of reference – all of our staff have their pin and wear it proudly, they also recognise the fact that I have my pin on as well. So even to those staff who I have not yet had the pleasure of meeting, there is instant recognition that we are all part of something special.

·         So many awards – it’s fine for all of us at Cunard to be proud of the service we deliver to our guests.  However to receive third party recognition is much more powerful as it salutes the holiday experience and service we offer to our guests.  2009 has been a great year for awards including:

-       “Cruise Line of the Year” – British Travel Awards

-       “Best Cruise Line in four out of five categories” – the first ever Zagat awards in North America

-       “Top two ships in the world” – Berlitz Cruise Guide

-       “Top Cruise Line” – Cruise.co.uk guest reviews

-       “Conde Naste Readers’ Travel Award”

Those are only a few but it was terrific in each case to be able to send a very positive message to our ships’ company for what they have achieved.

·         Meeting our Guests – in my first six months as President and Managing Director of Cunard Line I have really enjoyed meeting so many of our guests whilst on board our ships.  That has been a real highlight for me personally as it is always useful to hear just how our guests feel about their experience as well as ideas for future itineraries and areas where we could further innovate and improve in everything that we do.  So thank you for taking the time to share those ideas and I look forward to meeting many more of our guests during 2010, including when I join Queen Mary 2 in New York in June eastbound Transatlantic Crossing.

Looking forward to 2010, it’s going to be a very special year indeed. The highlight of course will be the introduction of Queen Elizabeth in October. There is a real sense of anticipation and excitement building now and we have much to do and much to announce as we go through 2010. Our Blog has become a really useful way of us communicating how the ship is developing and Alastair has been terrific in terms of the photos and video blogs he has been posting.  We will continue with that starting with the Float Out ceremony on 5 January in Trieste. Rest assured we will share all of our exciting news as we go through each month of 2010.  The one for everyone to watch out for will be the launch of the Queen Elizabeth inaugural Summer Season for 2011 which will go on sale in April. We are currently working on her itineraries to ensure they are the best we have ever had, with a range to suit everybody in all of our international markets. 

In the year ahead Queen Victoria also has some exciting new itineraries as she settles down to fly/cruising in the second half of the summer in the Mediterranean and of course her exciting new programme for Winter 10/11 which includes the Caribbean, Panama Canal, West Coast of USA and Hawaii. And with Queen Mary 2 and her historic Transatlantic crossings we really have an awful lot more to offer our guests than ever before.

So thank you for being one of our “bloggers”. We will be launching a new website in the first part of 2010 and we will continue to make sure that our “We are Cunard” blog plays a prominent part.

It gives Alastair, myself and many other colleagues the ability to tell the many exciting and varied stories that come to us on a daily basis at Cunard Line. It is really very special to have a brand with 170 years of heritage and the youngest fleet in the world.

So a very happy Christmas to each and every one of our bloggers and guests and thank you so much for your interest and support of Cunard Line during 2009.

Best wishes too for the year ahead in everything that you do. We hope that one of the highlights of your own year ahead will be a voyage, or two, with Cunard Line – we would love to welcome you back.

Best regards,

Peter Shanks

Thank you Peter, and when you look back, it’s certainly been an amazing year. It just leaves me to add my personal best wishes to everyone for a wonderful Christmas season wherever you are in the world. I’ll be back next Thursday with the 125^th and final post of 2009. Cheers Alastair

Countdown to Queen Elizabeth - 299 days

It’s all in a day’s work for the Deck Department keeping Queen Mary 2 pristine, but if you have ever wondered how they paint those hard to reach areas of Cunard’s flagship read on for a guest Blog from Peter Shanks. In the meantime I was hoping to have posted more than one Blog this week but upon returning home, my computer decided to give up on me, so while it is being nursed back to life I am grateful to my neighbour Roger, who has kindly lent me his laptop to post this one!

It’s an exciting time on board as both ships prepare for the festive period with Queen Mary 2 celebrating in the Caribbean and Queen Victoria heading back to the Canaries. I’ll be posting some pictures of their festivities over the next couple of weeks.  Also with the countdown to Queen Elizabeth under 300 days I am pleased to tell you we have just received some amazing pictures from the ship yard in Italy, and I’ll be posting them on Tuesday. 

Thank you again for all the comments especially from St Agatha’s School, it was great to hear how much everyone at the school and on board enjoyed the day and the follow up Blog.

Here’s this week in Cunard’s history, for the week 18 to 24 December:

18 December 1948 Caronia is commissioned and leaves Glasgow for her run to Southampton

18 December 2007 Queen Victoria makes her maiden call at Hamburg

21 December 1918 Carmania becomes one of the first ships to be released by the government and makes her peace time sailing

21 December 1971 QE2 makes her maiden call at Port Everglades, USA

22 December 2003 Queen Mary 2 is handed over to Cunard

23 December 1923 Ascania II is launched at the Armstrong Whitworth yard in Newcastle

23 December 1968 QE2 completes her sea trials in the Irish Sea

Just before I get to the title of this Blog, I couldn’t let tomorrow go by without mentioning something here. Many of you in the UK will be aware that tomorrow (Friday 18 December) will be Sir Terry Wogan’s last broadcast of what has become the most popular breakfast radio show in Britain with over eight million listeners every morning. To read more about Sir Terry you can follow this link to an interview I did in the summer before he announced he was retiring from the show. Sir Terry Wogan’s interview.

He will be returning to the airwaves in February in his new Sunday show, and he will still be joining guests and TOGs on board Queen Victoria on 14 May 2010. I had the privilege of meeting him on the TOGs Voyage last November and on behalf of us all at Cunard, would like to wish him a well earned rest from the early mornings and of course look forward to seeing him in May.

Under the leadership of the Staff Captain and Marine Supervisor, the Deck Department have the huge task of keeping the outside of our ships in an immaculate condition. This may not seem too complicated until you think about all the areas that includes, from the waterline to the highest point of the funnel and masts. The highest point of Queen Mary 2 is the top of the funnel and at nearly 204 feet above the waterline, painting it is quite a logistical operation.

Here’s Peters Blog:

Guest Blog – Peter Shanks (President and Managing Director of Cunard Line).

Keeping The Most Famous Funnel In The World Clean

After a very busy transatlantic season and some challenging Autumn weather, Queen Mary 2 is now in the Caribbean. I asked our Captain how the weather had impacted our ability to keep the ship looking at her best. He told me not to worry as he had a plan in place with the deck team and he would keep me up to date.

Yesterday he sent me these pictures of our team working hard to clean the most famous funnel in the world.

I thought I would share the fabulous pictures with our bloggers. We often talk of our White Star Service and everything our ship’s company do to look after our guests. Often it is the hotel team who are seen to be delivering the service. However, as these pictures show, it’s every member of the ship’s company that makes the difference. Of course it also means that we will have a beautiful clean Chimney just in time for Father Christmas!

Thank you Peter for your Guest Blog and to Queen Mary 2’s Deck team for these fantastic pictures. If you are wondering how the crew get there, well they actually climb up ladders located on the inside of the funnel itself. They then lower themselves on ropes secured to special points on the inside of the funnel. The ladders to the ships horns are a permanent fixture so that engineers can service them. As many of you will know one of the horns (or Typhons as they are officially known), is on permanent loan from the original Queen Mary in Long Beach, California. It was put aboard QE2 on a Transatlantic crossing from Fort Lauderdale to Southampton where it was taken to St. Nazaire in France to join its new twin. To give you an idea of how big they are; each one is 7 feet long, 3 feet high and weigh in at 1,400 pounds. However you don’t want to be too close to them when they are sounded as they generate a shattering basso profundo blast keyed to low bass A, two octaves below middle C!

Peter will return soon with a special end of year message and speaking of the Deck Department, Queen Victoria recently named their latest Star of the Month as their Deck Storekeeper and you can read more about him tomorrow. Meanwhile I’ll be back on Tuesday with some stunning pictures of Queen Elizabeth’s progress in Italy and a special festive post for next Thursday – Christmas Eve. Cheers Alastair

As Queen Mary 2 headed back to Southampton on her last eastbound transatlantic crossing of the year, there was a special celebration for one of her guests. Most people from the United Kingdom will be familiar with the famous Soap Opera, Coronation Street, and will remember one of its most beloved couples, Jack and Vera Duckworth. Liz Dawn who played the role of Vera Duckworth for an impressive 34 years has sailed on QE2 and Queen Mary 2 many times.  Here she is with Commodore Warner in 2007:

Born in Leeds as Sylvia Butterfield, Liz Dawn was the daughter of a skilled engineer and his wife, the third of five children. At the age of 16 she left school and started working in a local tailoring factory and then took various jobs including a cinema usherette, shoe salesgirl and a light bulb seller in Woolworths.

Liz then sang in clubs and posed for publicity photographs with a guitar but when bookings came in for a guitarist she claimed she had hurt her finger and told jokes instead as she was unable to play the guitar. When Liz auditioned for a Cadbury’s cookie commercial, directed by Alan Parker in the late sixties, she was soon inundated with offers. She appeared in the James Herriott movie Who’d Be A Vet and played Larry Grayson’s neighbour Dot in a long running sitcom before landing a role in Colin Welland’s play Leeds United. One of her lesser known roles was as one of the alien voices in the Cadbury’s Smash advertisements in the 1970s!

She began her career on Coronation Street in 1974, in a recurring role as a factory worker until her husband Jack, (played by William Tarney) first appeared in 1979. By 1983 her role had become concrete and the rest as they say is history, as the nation watched the ups and downs of the Duckworth family life; who could ever forget those flying ducks!

During her time on the soap Liz found time to publish her autobiography “Vera Duckworth – My Story in 1993” and in 2000, she was chosen as the Lady Mayoress of Leeds.  In October of that year she was awarded an MBE for her services to charity, having helped raise hundreds of thousands of pounds for hospitals in the Manchester and Leeds area. She is married to husband Donald Ibbertson and has four children.

By her own request, because of ill health, on 22 July 2007, the producers of Coronation Street announced that Liz was to be written out and her final appearance would come in January 2008, when Vera Duckworth died in her sleep, thus ending 34 years of the popular, iconic character. Liz stated that the hardest thing about leaving Corrie was saying goodbye to Bill Tarmey (who played her on screen husband Jack), with whom she is best friends. Liz won the Special Achievement Award at the 2008 British Soap Awards for her 34-year long portrayal of her iconic character.

Liz Dawn’s last visit to Queen Mary 2 was particularly special, as she was celebrating her 70^th birthday. So at a special dinner on board, the chefs prepared a special surprise, by presenting her with a birthday cake. But this wasn’t just any cake as the pastry team had created a replica of the “Rovers Return”; the pub where Vera Duckworth not only worked but will have enjoyed a fair few drinks over the years.

What an amazing career and of course we all wish her Many Happy Returns. I’ll be back tomorrow with my regular post with some pictures of Queen Elizabeth that have just arrived from the ship yard in Italy. Cheers for now, Alastair

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Best Regards - Peter Shanks

President and Managing Director – Cunard Line

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

On a recent westbound Transatlantic Crossing the celebrated writer, director and producer Baz Luhrmann, travelled on board Queen Mary 2 with his wife Catherine Martin, herself a winner of two Academy Awards® and their two children, Lillian and William. They told Entertainment Director Paul O’Loughlin how much they loved Cunard’s White Star experience, the friendliness of the crew and everything about the ship.  They mixed with guests at the cocktail parties and were seen dancing the night away in many of the great venues on Queen Mary 2.

Baz Luhrmann’s notable films include “Australia” starring Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman. His three films, “Strictly Ballroom”, “Romeo and Juliet” and “Moulin Rouge” were dubbed the “Red Curtain Trilogy” as they fell under a particular style of film making. He was nominated for an Academy Award®, and received Directors Guild of America and Golden Globe nominations for Best Director - Motion Picture for his work on “Moulin Rouge.” He was also awarded the Australian Centenerary Medal in the 2001 Queens Honours List for his services to Australian society in film direction and production.

Baz Luhrmann kindly accepted the offer to introduce a special screening of his hit movie, “Moulin Rouge,” to Queen Mary 2 guests in Illuminations on the last afternoon of the crossing. The event began with a “Question and Answer” session with the Entertainment Director Paul O’Loughlin where they discussed his early years, his creative drive and his work to date. 

Luhrmann discussed his love of opera and music and how he was proud to have changed the genre of the musical with his flamboyant style of writing and direction.  Robert Wise, the director of “The Sound of Music” and “West Side Story” who is considered the great grandfather of musical cinema, said “I have seen ‘Moulin Rouge’ and Baz Luhrmann has re-invented the musical”.

A keen sailor, he has sailed the Sydney to Hobart race and said his time aboard Queen Mary 2 brought back fond memories of line voyages in Austraila when he was a child.

Here is some of the interview that was recorded:

Baz, Catherine and their family signed the Queen Mary 2 official visitor’s book. They thanked the Commodore and all the ship’s company and said they will be back to sail with us again. After his voyage he was kind enough to send the following note:

“I’m currently working on several projects, one of which is set in New York in the mid-twenties, the period of the grand ocean crossings when the main characters would have crossed the Atlantic from England into New York. I was motivated somewhat by wanting to be on the deck of a grand ocean liner as it would have been in days gone by, and to pass the Statue of Liberty at five in the morning as the ship came into harbour.

This hope of course was fulfilled in the most majestic way, but what came as a surprise was that apart from the obvious glamour and romance of such a grand ship, how little time I spent in my cabin working, and how often my wife Catherine and I found ourselves drawn into the myriad of possibilities, adventures, entertainments, and the sheer pleasure of sitting on deck as we crossed the Atlantic.

Prior to setting out, I had planned to eat in my cabin, working diligently, but fell down mightily as we found ourselves swept up in the tremendous culinary delights and fine wine, with the very occasional experiment into the new and previously unexplored  territory of the martini. All was well, knowing that even if we wanted to see more of our children, there was no prying them from the safe and - to them - exciting haven of the kids club.

We certainly got from the journey what we were looking for, and more and it has been a tremendous way to arrive in New York without jetlag and into the first tentative steps of our new creative adventure.”

Baz Luhrmann 

What a great treat for guests on that crossing; it sounds fantastic and another iconic event for Cunard to celebrate. Thank you to Baz Lurhman and his family for sharing their experiences and time with us and of course to Paul and the Queen Mary 2 team for sharing the story. I’ll be back soon with more news from around the fleet. Cheers Alastair