Change At Norwegian and Regal Princess Part Two

Kevin Sheehan

 

In my experience, it does not usually make much difference who is the CEO of a large corporation. Most of the time, the corporation just proceeds along much as it did in the past despite changes in the CEO. Perhaps there is some change in the corporate slogans or some acquisitions or spin offs but no meaningful changes.

This general rule, however, has not been true in the cruise industry. The three major lines have all had leaders who not only made a visible mark but who became synonymous with their companies. This has certainly been true at Norwegian Cruise Line.

Since coming to Norwegian Cruise Line seven years ago, Kevin Sheehan has turned things around. Prior to his arrival, the line had some quite creative ideas but you only had to go on its ships to see that there were execution problems and poor morale. When Sheehan arrived, he gave the line new direction and released the talent of its executives and employees.

Just about a year ago, I was on a press cruise on Norwegian Getaway. Mr. Sheehan made a short presentation to the assembled journalists. The charts and Powerpoint slides that he presented told a good story of growth and profitability. But what was interesting was the charismatic style of leadership. Sheehan was not the stereotypical MBA executive but rather delighted in playing the street-wise New Yorker, energetic, fun to listen to and likable.

He told us to talk to the crew about how they felt about the company, confident that we would find them solidly behind him. At that time, Getaway had just come into service and the cruise lines usually use their best people to bring a ship into service. Naturally, they were going to support the boss. But the next week, I was sailing on Norwegian Sky, one of the line’s older ships. How did its crew feel about Norwegian? I found that not only did those people enthusiastically support Norwegian but that they loved the CEO. To hear them talk, you’d think that Sheehan was a popular athlete or television personality.

As a result, it was disappointing to learn that Mr. Sheehan has now left Norwegian. When a person has done so much to change a company (or any organization for that matter), you have to wonder how it will fare without him. Hopefully, the corporate culture he created will endure but without his dynamic leadership, the future is clouded in mystery.

Mr. Sheehan’s successor is Frank Del Rio from Prestige Holdings, the luxury cruise company (Oceania and Regent Seven Seas) that was recently acquired by Norwegian. We wish Mr. Del Rio success in his new job.

This week on Beyondships, we have part two of our profile of Princess Cruises’ latest ship, Regal Princess. This includes interviews with the captain, http://www.beyondships2.com/regal-princess-captain.html the hotel general manager http://www.beyondships2.com/regal-princess-hotel-general-manager.html and the cruise director http://www.beyondships2.com/regal-princess-cruise-director.html. We also have a review of the Crown Grill specialty restaurant. http://www.beyondships2.com/regal-princess-crown-grill.html Finally, we present a collection of menus from the main dining rooms and specialty restaurants on Regal Princess. http://www.beyondships2.com/regal-princess-menus.html

Cruising in 2015

At this time of year, it is customary to look ahead to the New Year. Therefore, I thought I would take a look ahead to see what may be in store for cruising in 2015. My conclusion is that 2015 promises to be an exciting time for several reasons.

First, 2015 will see an array of important new cruise ships go into service. Each of the top three cruise families will have at least one significant new ship.

In the Carnival family, P&O Cruises will receive its largest ship ever, the 140,000 gross ton Britannia. This ship will be a sister to Princess Cruises’ innovative Royal Princess and Regal Princess. As such, Britannia will present British cruisers with dining and entertainment options never before offered on a P&O Cruises ship.

Britannia will be facing some tough competition as Royal Caribbean’s new Anthem of the Seas will be based in Southampton for part of the year. This is the 167,000 gross ton sister ship to Quantum of the Seas. Anthem too will be offering Royal’s new Dynamic Dining concept and will feature the advanced 270 entertainment center as well as an upmarket sophisticated interior like on Quantum. Oh yes, there will also be the bumper cars, the sky diving simulator, and the North Star observation capsule. However, do not let such items cause you to think that Anthem is not a serious ship.

Not to be left out, Norwegian Cruise Line will be bringing out Norwegian Escape later in the year. At 163,000 gross tons, Escape will be a bigger and improved version of Norwegian Breakaway and Norwegian Getaway. The Breakaway class embodies a new model of cruising where the passenger has multiple quality options with regard to both dining and entertainment. It will be interesting to see how Norwegian enhances this concept on the ships of the Breakaway-Plus class.

The German cruise market will be greeting AIDAprima. At 120,000 tons, she will be a quantum leap larger than previous AIDA ships. Meanwhile, rival TUI Cruises will be receiving the second ship to be built especially for TUI, the rather unimaginatively named Mein Schiff 4 (98,000 tons).

In the luxury segment of the industry, Viking Cruises will begin ocean cruising with the 48,000 ton Viking Star. The common wisdom in the industry has been that river cruising and ocean cruising are two different businesses and so none of the major ocean cruise lines has ventured into river cruising. Viking, the most successful of the river cruise lines, will test the common wisdom and demonstrate whether a river cruise line can break into the ocean cruise market.

The drop in the price of oil in the last part of 2014 bodes well for the cruise industry. Fuel is the chief cost of operation for the cruise lines. In addition, with consumers paying less at the pump and to heat their homes, they will have more money to spend on discretionary items like cruise vacations. The only cloud on the horizon would be a collapse of the economy of one of the oil exporting states, which could have an adverse impact on the world economy.

Another unexpected gift this fall was President Obama’s overture on normalizing relations between the United States and Cuba. The cruise lines are always looking for new destinations for their expanding fleets and Cuba, 90 miles from Florida, is an ideal location. However, before the cruise ships can start calling there, the lines will have to explore such things as whether the port facilities are adequate to handle modern cruise ships, the ability of the Cuban infrastructure to handle shore excursions and whether it would be safe for passengers to go ashore in Cuba. It may take awhile to get all of the ducks in order and so even if the diplomatic questions are resolved quickly, it may be beyond 2015 before the cruise ships come to Cuba in large numbers.

But with all of this happening, it is an exciting time in the cruise world.

On Beyondships this week, we have a new profile of cruise destination Ocho Rios, Jamaica. http://www.beyondships3.com/ocho-rios-cruise-destination.html This includes a review/photo feature on Ocho Rio’s top attraction – – Dunn’s River Falls http://www.beyondships3.com/ocho-rios-attractions-dunns-river-falls.html and a review of Prospect Plantation.http://www.beyondships3.com/caribbean-great-houses-4.html We also have a new photo and video feature in which Caribbean Princess disappears and magically reappears. http://www.beyondships2.com/caribbean-princess-rain-sun-shadow.html

 

Dunn’s River Falls, Ocho Rios, Jamaica

 

More and more cruise ships; Seven Seas Navigator and Voyager

Recently, Carnival Corporation issued a press release pointing out that by 2016, it will have increased the capacity of its fleet by 10 percent. Considering that there are over 100 ships sailing for the various Carnival brands, this will be a considerable achievement. Meanwhile, Royal Caribbean is building a sister to Quantum of the Seas and a third Oasis class ship. Not to be left out, Norwegian Cruise Line is building a series of ships that will be a bigger version of its revolutionary Breakaway class.

Back in the last decade, many in the cruise industry thought that the boom in cruise ship construction would eventually end and the various lines would use the ships that they had built to serve the market for 20 to 40 years. However, during the boom, the public became addicted to new ships. I have heard passengers describe five year old ships as old. Passengers want new ships. Also, as new cruising concepts are conceived, there is a need to create new platforms to implement them. Thus, the industry is forced to build more ships.

The question then becomes what are you going to do with all these ships? They are built to last 40 years or longer and so this is not a case of the new ships replacing ships that are no longer fit for service.

Traditionally in the cruise industry, when a cruise ship started to become long in the tooth and no longer capable of attracting passengers in the primary cruise market (i.e. North America), it was moved to the secondary market (i.e., Europe or Australia). When it became to old to be viable in the secondary market, it became a gambling ship in Asia.

The traditional hierarchy of markets, however, no longer exists. As the popularity of cruises has developed in Europe, Australia and Asia, those parts of the globe have become primary markets. Consequently, you see more and more first tier cruise ships deployed to those markets. The deployment of the new Quantum of the Seas to China is but one example.

Thus, the industry has to count on the continued growth of cruising to absorb all of the ships. In addition, to attract guests, the ships are going places and doing things that were never envisioned when cruising was confined to the Caribbean. And speaking of the Caribbean, the change in the quality and quantity of the attractions and things to do in the popular cruise ports over the last decade has been amazing. A Caribbean cruise is not like it used to be.

Furthermore, the cruise line’s existing ships have to be continually upgraded to remain viable. For example, after Oasis of the Seas and Allure of the Seas entered service, Royal Caribbean undertook a fleet-wide revitalization program to bring some of the popular features of those revolutionary ships to the rest of its fleet. Along the same lines, Carnival so extensively re-did Carnival Destiny to create a platform for Fun Ship 2.0 that they re-named the ship (Carnival Sunshine).

All of this new building seems to be great for consumers. You have new ships and revitalized ships with new offerings. Ships are going to new places. There is more to do in traditional cruise ports as the desire to attract cruise dollars feeds development. Also, unless the laws of economics have been suspended, increased capacity (supply) should place downward pressure on prices.

On Beyondships this week we look at two ships of luxury cruise line Regent Seven Seas Cruises. We have a new mini-profile of Seven Seas Voyager http://www.beyondships2.com/seven-seas-voyager-mini-profile.html. And we have expanded our coverage of Seven Seas Navigator with a new photo feature http://www.beyondships2.com/seven-seas-navigator-photos.html and videos showing the ship in The Bahamas http://www.beyondships2.com/seven-seas-navigator-video.html and in Canada. http://www.beyondships2.com/seven-seas-navigator-video-2.html

Seven Seas Navigator

 

Photos of cruise sailing ships; the first cruise ship and a cat who goes to sea.

Sea Cloud II

 

There is something graceful and attractive about a sailing ship. In addition, the notion of plowing through the waves under sail at sunset on a tropical evening has a great romantic appeal. Not surprisingly, therefore, a number of smaller cruise lines offer voyages on cruise ships that are primarily sailing ships.

 

Within the sailing ship category, there are a variety of ship styles ranging from very traditional ships such as Sea Cloud, first built as a yacht in 1931, to more high tech ships such as Wind Surf, which has computer operated sails. There is also a difference in the number of passengers ranging from 68 on Sea Cloud to over 300 on Wind Surf. Along the same lines, there is a difference in the number of contemporary cruise ship features, which roughly corresponds to the size of the ship.

 

Of course, none of the sailing cruise ships are anywhere near the size of the cruise ships operated by the major cruise lines. Accordingly, they market themselves on such things as informality and luxury. They also point out that the uniqueness of the sail experience and their off-the-beaten track itineraries.

 

Our new sailing ship galleries present exterior photos of six sailing cruise ships: Sea Cloud and Sea Cloud II http://www.beyondships2.com/sailing-ship-gallery-1.html; Royal Clipper and Star Clipper http://www.beyondships2.com/sailing-ship-gallery-2.html;Wind Surf and Club Med 2 http://www.beyondships2.com/sailing-ship-gallery-3.html.

 

We’ve also added two new FAQs. The first deals with the question of what is the biggest cruise ship. http://www.beyondships2.com/faq-what-is-the-largest-cruise-ship.html We answer the question and explain why it is so. We compare the size of these ships to some of the great ships of the past. There is also a chart of the top ten largest passenger ships now in service.

 

The second answers the question what was the first cruise ship? http://www.beyondships2.com/faq-what-was-the-first-cruise-ship.html Of course, ships have been transporting passengers since the dawn of history. But what was the first ship to be built for the purpose of taking passengers on recreational cruises? The answer is somewhat surprising.

 

Finally, we have added our first book review. All At Sea With Truffles was written by Sheila Collins, who is a frequent cruiser on Celebrity Cruises and Royal Caribbean International. She is also the author of a popular series of humorous books about a cat named Truffles. In this volume, Truffles goes to sea on a ship that is clearly drawn from Celebrity Eclipse and Independence of the Seas (Eclipse of the Seas?). It is a witty and perceptive look at cruising and human nature. Our review is at http://www.beyondships2.com/cruise-book-review-truffles.html

Celebrity Reflection – – interview, review, menus and video

This week we complete our profile of Celebrity Reflection with several new items.

 

First, we have an interview with Hotel Director Julian Brackenbury and Cruise Director Paul Buya. I first met Julian on the stately Celebrity Summit when that ship was cruising the Caribbean. I met him again when Celebrity was preparing to re-vilatize Summit adding a panoply of features as part of the line’s Solsticization project. Paul, I know from Celebrity Silhouette, a ship I found to have a strong pulse. As the person in charge of entertainment there, Paul played no small part in making it a lively cruise experience.

 

I asked them to tell us what is new about Celebrrity Reflection? The ship is the fifth and final ship in the Solstice class Each ship in the class has retained the essebtial Solstice design but each of the prior ships has been somewhat different. As they replied, Celebrity has not run out of new ideas but has channel in its thinking in a new direction. The interview is posted at http://www.beyondships2.com/celebrity-reflection-interview.html

 

We also have a review of the Murano specialty restaurant. There are Muranos on each of the Solstice class ships and on Celebrity Century. They offer perhaps the most elegant, old school fine dining experience at sea. The review is at http://www.beyondships2.com/celebrity-reflection-murano.html

 

We have also added a menus page to the Celebrity Reflection profile with examples of menus from the main dining room and some of the specialty restaurants. http://www.beyondships2.com/celebrity-reflection-menus.html

 

Finally, we have a short video showing the ship in several Caribbean ports. http://www.beyondships2.com/celebrity-reflection-video.html

 

So who is Celebrity Reflection for? In my opinion, she is for experienced cruisers who like what used to be called the better things in life. She ius a pretty ship with attention to detail in the design. She has an excellent array of dining options. She has a good enrichment program although not as strong as Cunard or Holland America. She is not a party boat but rather is sophisticated without being stuffy.

 

 

Talking with the Captain, Hotel Manager and Entertainment Director of Queen Mary 2

Captain Kevin Oprey

During the last couple of years, Cunard Line, and its flagship Queen Mary 2 in particular, have seen the retirement of a substantial number of senior officers including Commodore Bernard Warner, Captain Paul Wright, Captain Nick Bates and Hotel Manager John Duffy. It is also my understanding that Entertainment Director Ray Rouse is now semi-retired. Those familiar with the Cunard world know that these people played a significant part in bringing the Queen Mary 2 into service and shaping the on board experience.

 

Now they have been succeeded by a new generation of leaders. Some of them have only been with Cunard a relatively short time. However, it is now their responsibility to take Queen Mary 2 into the future.

 

This is a more difficult task than taking over the leadership of any other major passenger ship. Queen Mary 2 was built as a transatlantic liner and although she does other types of voyages, her mainstay is the crossing between New York and Southampton, England. Whereas at one time hundreds of ships were making this journey on a regular basis, only one ship makes regularly scheduled transatlantic crossings today. The question that constantly haunts Cunard is whether there is enough of a market for such voyages to even sustain one ship.

 

The direct crossings on Queen Mary 2 are different than the transatlantic re-positioning cruises that cruise ships moving from the Caribbean to Europe or vice versa do during the Spring and Fall. On a direct crossing, there are no port days. Thus, the focus of the voyage is on what happens onboard, not on the ports. In addition, it is a shorter voyage than the re-positionings even though with the high cost of fuel, Cunard has lengthened its crossings in recent years to reduce fuel consumption.

 

Queen Mary 2 was designed with such differences in mind. The ship is geared for sea days, with facilities and programming to occupy your time fully. Furthermore, the ship was designed to withstand whatever weather she may encounter on the Atlantic and still proceed at speed and in comfort.

 

There is a core of people who love the traditional crossings and their elegance. Consequently, Cunard has a very high number of repeat passengers. However, in order to sustain the ship, it must also attract other vactioners and holiday-makers.

 

Thus, Cunard must balance preserving tradition with providing the type of onboard experience that contemporary travelers seek in an ocean voyage. Queen Mary 2’s predecessor, Queen Elizabeth 2 (QE2) managed to tread this tightrope for nearly 40 years. As one who traveled on QE2 many times, I can attest that she constantly evolved throughout her career.

 

I recently met with some of the new generation of Queen Mary 2’s senior officers and asked them about their vision for taking the ship forward. As noted earlier, even though some have only been with the line for a relatively short amount of time, I was struck by their commitment to preserving the Cunard heritage, which goes back some 170 years. At the same time, they recognized the need to move forward. But changes will be done in a keeping with the Cunard style, not by merely copying whatever becomes popular on other ships.

Beyondships interview with Captain Kevin Oprey is posted at http://www.beyondships2.com/queen-mary-2-captain-oprey-interview.html

 

Our interview with Hotel Manager Robert Howie is at http://www.beyondships2.com/queen-mary-2-howie-interview.html

 

And our talk with Entertainment Director Keith Maynard is at http://www.beyondships2.com/queen-mary-2-maynard-interview.html

 

We have also updated our Queen Mary 2 section with new daily programs and with new photos so that the photo tour of the ship reflects the changes that were made in the 2011 refit. http://beyondships.com/QM2.html

Queen Mary 2 Videos

Queen Mary 2 sailing past the Freedom Tower in lower Manhattan.

 

I was recently on a cruise during which Queen Mary 2 was with us in three of the ports as well as when we embarked from New York. It was interesting to watch the reaction of the passengers on the ship that I was on each time they saw QM2. People would stop and make some comment like: “Is that the Queen Mary?” And then they would pause for awhile just to watch. It was a recognition that this was something special that you could tell your friends and family about – – “I saw the Queen Mary 2.”

 

Cunard’s QM2 is an imposing sight. At 150,000 gross tons, she is much larger than the majority of today’s cruise ships. Also her sleek streamlined silhouette has a traditional grace and beauty.

 

But the thing that stops people in their tracks is the fact that Queen Mary 2 is heir to a tradition that goes back some 170 years. She is the only true ocean liner providing regularly scheduled transatlantic service. As such, she follows in a tradition of such legendary ships as the original Queen Mary, the Normandie, the France, the United States and most recently, the Queen Elizabeth 2 (QE2).

 

These ships became legendary not just because of their technology but as the epitome of luxury. They captured the public’s imagination with images of movie stars, royalty and the rich and famous mingling in beautiful surroundings.

 

Queen Mary 2 brings that image into the modern era. Leaving QE2 aside, the luxury on the historic ships was pretty much limited to first class. On Queen Mary 2, everyone can participate. (One of the myths that has arisen about QM2 is that she is a two-class ship. She is not. There are separate dining rooms for passengers traveling in the suites but other than that every passenger pretty much can go anywhere any other passenger can go. There is actually more separation of passengers on some of today’s cruise ships than there is on QM2).

 

This ship is also technologically unique. In order to be able to handle any weather that might confront her during an Atlantic crossing, the ship was built to be strong and powerful. Although she is rarely called upon to do so, she can reach speeds of up to 30 knots. In addition, I have been on her in tremendous storms during which the dining rooms were nonetheless full of passengers. That is a testament to her stability.

 

Another thing that makes QM2 interesting is that she does varied itineraries. Her mainstay, of course, is the transatlantic crossing between New York and Southampton but she also turns up in the Norwegian fjords, in the Caribbean, circling the British Isles, in Germany, Australia, and on the Canada & New England run. When she does appear, the reaction is always the same, people stop and stare. Indeed, there have been instances in Hamburg and in Australia where they came in the thousands just to have a look.

 

I’ve put together several new videos on Queen Mary 2. The first is an introductory piece with video of the ship sailing and a slideshow of the ship’s public areas – theaters, restaurants, bars and lounges etc. It is posted at http://www.beyondships2.com/queen-mary-2-video-review.html

 

The other two videos will primarily be of interest to QM2 fans. One shows the ship sailing into Halifax, Nova Scotia and maneuvering into her berth. It is posted at http://www.beyondships2.com/queen-mary-2-arrives-video.html

 

The third video is the flip side of the second one. Filmed some eight hours after the arrival shown above, this video shows QM2 leaving her berth and going out to sea. In it, you can hear Queen Mary 2’s fabulous deep fog horns. The video is at http://www.beyondships2.com/queen-mary-2-departs-video.html

Cunard’s Queen Victoria, Profile, Photo Review and Interview

Queen Victoria on a Mediterranean cruise.

 

           It has been almost five years since Cunard Line’s Queen Victoria entered service.  As such, it is appropriate to take a look and see just where the ship is these days.

             Queen Victoria was conceived to solve a problem that had plagued Cunard since the 1960s.  Ever since it began in the 1840s, Cunard’s business and reputation had been based on transatlantic crossings.  However, by the 1960s, the jet airliner had become the method of choice for most people traveling between Europe and North America.  As a result, there was only room on the Atlantic for one ocean liner.

            Despite some who questioned whether even one liner was too many, Cunard built a new liner, the Queen Elizabeth 2 (QE2) http://www.beyondships.com/QE2.html and entered her into service in 1969.  Although she went through some difficult times, that ship proved that there was still enough of a market to support one liner in the jet age.

             But Cunard wanted to remain a major name in the passenger ship business and you could not remain a major player with a one ship fleet.  Therefore, during the second half of the 20^th century, Cunard tried a number of ways to expand beyond the transatlantic service: mass market cruising; luxury yacht cruising; and purchasing a variety of ships that catered to different niche markets.  As a result, the line ended up with a polyglot fleet that had no real focus.

             When Carnival Corporation purchased Cunard in 1997, it decided that the way to revitalize the company was to return to the original focus.   The first step was to build a new ocean liner that would assume the transatlantic crossing role that had been fulfilled by the aging QE2.  This resulted in the Queen Mary 2, which entered service in 2004. http://www.beyondships.com/QE2.html

             The next step was to sell off the rest of the polyglot fleet or redistribute the ships to other Carnival companies which were more closely aligned to the markets those ships served.  They would be replaced by new ships especially built for Cunard.

             These new ships would not be ocean liners in the strict technological sense of the term.  Rather, they would be cruise ships designed to provide a cruise experience similar to that of the great ocean liners of the past.  They would complement QM2’s transatlantic role by providing cruises in Europe and America and by doing world cruises.  Consequently, Cunard would once again become a distinct, coherent brand.

             The first of these new ships was Queen Victoria.  Built by Fincantieri, she is based upon the Vista class design, which has been used for ships sailing with HollandAmerica, P&O Cruises and Costa Cruises.*   However, going beyond those ships, Cunard made her longer and strengthened her hull in order to enable her to do itineraries involving rougher waters.

             What really distinguishes Queen Victoria from the other ships of the Vista design is the interior.  The overall theme of the decor is 19^th century and successfully recalls the great ships of the early 20^th century.  This is helped to a large extent by some multi-deck high public rooms such as the Queens Room ballroom that give the ship a sense of grandeur beyond its physical size.  Even after five years, the interior remains one of the elegant on the seas.

             The elegance of the physical surroundings would be for naught unless the service levels were also consistent with people’s expectation of what service on a great liner was like.  On my most recent voyage on Queen Victoria, I found the service levels to be quite good.  This may be due in part to the injection of a large number of QE2 crew members into the ship after that ship left service.  In addition, as Hotel Manager David Hamilton described it, the ship has “settled.” The crew is familiar with the physical plant and with each other and so relationships and routines have developed that make it all work harmoniously.

             Thus, Queen Victoria is a successful ship.  She does what she set out to do – – she provides a cruise experience that has the ambiance of a classic ocean liner.  Having sailed more than 70 times on QE2 and nearly 30 times on QM2, it seems to me that she has the Cunard feel about her.  

             Beyondships’ coverage of Queen Victoria has been significantly expanded.  The profile page has been augmented with the addition of new menus, daily programmes and informational leaflets distributed on the ship. http://beyondships.com/QV.html  The photo review has been almost entirely redone.  http://beyondships.com/QV-Tour-1.html  In addition, there is a new photo essay showing the ship in various Mediterranean ports  http://beyondships.com/QV-photos-Med.html  and there is a new interview in which Hotel Manager David Hamilton and Entertainment Director Paul O’Loughlin share some thoughts on Queen Victoria today.  http://www.beyondships2.com/cunard-queen-victoria-comes-of-age.html

Celebrating The Diamond Jubilee And The Beatles With Cunard

Cunard’s Queen Mary 2 during the Diamond Jubilee celebrations in Southampton

This week the focus is on celebrations.

             In early June, Cunard Line participated in the Diamond Jubilee celebrations marking the 60^th anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II’s accession to the throne.  There were celebrations throughout the UK for this anniversary ranging from local street parties to a concert with a series of mega-stars outside of BuckinghamPalace.

             Considering the long connection between Cunard and the Royal Family, and this monarch in particular, Cunard decided that it had to do something more than just send a card to mark the occasion.    Therefore, it planned a spectacular event where all three of its Queen ships would meet together in Southampton.

             Because of the legendary reputation of the Cunard Queens, their rare gatherings have been recognized not only by ship lovers but by the general public as special occasions.  The first gathering of three Queens occurred in New York in 2008 when Queen Elizabeth 2, Queen Mary 2 and Queen Victoria were all in port together.  A few months later, the same three ships met in Southampton but because QE2 was there for a re-fit rather than to begin a voyage, the meeting was considered unofficial even though it generated significant attention.  Then, shortly after the new Queen Elizabeth entered service, she met with Queen Mary 2 and Queen Victoria inNew Yorkwith all three ships exiting the harbor in a grand procession.

             For this year’s celebration, Cunard planned to have all three ships enter and exit Southampton harbor together.  In addition, there would be a display by Britain’s precision flying team The Red Arrows and a fireworks display as the ships left Southampton.  There would also be a day-long radio broadcast from the roof of the Carnival UK building which overlooks the harbor.        Unfortunately, the weather did not cooperate.  It caused the cancellation of The Red Arrows performance and interfered with the fireworks.

             Still, it was a spectacular event.  The stars of the show in their black and white liveries and Cunard red funnels were majestic.  For those onboard the three ships, the proximity of the ships to each other was indeed an awesome sight.

             Beyondships’ photo essay of the celebrations (including a slide show) is at http://www.beyondships2.com/cunard-royal-jubilee-celebrations-part-one.html

             A much different type of celebration was the performances by The Beatles Celebration onboard Queen Mary 2 during one of her recent transatlantic crossings.  The Beatles Celebration is not just another Beatles tribute band but a show in which the performers place the audience in an imaginary Beatles performance.

            This show was particularly appropriate for Queen Mary 2.  While not mentioned as much as Cunard’s connections to royalty and its connection to the celebrities and movie stars of the 1930s, 40s and 50s, Cunard has a substantial connection to The Beatles and to the so-called British Invasion music of the 1960s.  In addition, a performance of this caliber fits nicely with the ship’s overall quality level

            Beyondships’ review of The Beatles Celebration, including an interview with the cast, is at http://www.beyondships2.com/cunard-qm2-beatles-celebration.html

Designing Queen Mary 2; Cunard’s Queen Elizabeth Photos; Photo Guides St. John and St Thomas USVI

            We have several things for you this week.

Naval architect Stephen Payne before a model of his most famous design Queen Mary 2

 

            To begin, we have an extensive interview with Stephen Payne.   Mr. Payne is the naval architect who designed Queen Mary 2 for Cunard Line.   QM2 is a unique ship.  She was built to do regularly-scheduled transatlantic crossings.  This meant that she had to have the strength and power to cope with the uncertain weather of theNorth Atlantic, arrive as scheduled and be comfortable for her passengers.  No one had designed such a ship, i.e., an ocean liner, in more than 30 years when Payne was given the task of designing QM2.

 

            In addition, QM2 had to be able to do cruises as well as transatlantic crossings and do them as well as any contemporary cruise ship.  Thus, Payne also had to incorporate into his design  all of the new thinking and technology of a modern cruise ship.

 

            Finally, the ship had to be superlative.  She was following in the wake of a line of great ships that includedMauretania, Queen Mary, Queen Elizabeth and QE2.

 

            I have sailed on Queen Mary 2 many times and can say that Mr. Payne’s design clearly accomplished these objectives.  The ship is impressive to behold and her ability to handle seemingly any weather condition is amazing.  Also, she can more than hold her own cruising as I’ve seen her do in theCaribbean, the Norwegian fjords and aroundBritain.

 

            Beyond the success of his design, Mr. Payne has an interesting life story.  It is one that supports the theory that you can live your dream if you remain faithful to it.

 

            I’ve divided our interview with Stephen Payne into three parts.  Part one is a profile of his career and is posted at  http://www.beyondships2.com/qm2-stephen-payne-interview-part-one.html   In Part Two he discusses designing QM2 – – the concept and why things are the way they are on the ship. It is at  http://www.beyondships2.com/qm2-stephen-payne-interview-part-two.html     Finally, in Part Three, he discusses the future of QM2 and of passenger ships in general.  http://www.beyondships2.com/qm2-stephen-payne-interview-part-three.html

 

            The next item we have this week is a new photo essay on Cunard’s latest ship, the new Queen Elizabeth.  I encountered her at the beginning of her 2012 world cruise as she made a swing down through the Caribbean.  The weather cooperated and yielded a good light for photo taking.  http://www.beyondships.com/QE-photo-Caribbean.html

 

Cunard Line's Queen Elizabeth during her 2012 world cruise.

 

            Leaving Cunard aside, we have a cruise destination photo guide of St. Johnin the US Virgin Islands.  The smallest of the three main U.S. Virgin Islands, St. Johnis also the least commercially developed.  Most of the island is a national park.  Consequently,  its beautiful white sand beaches and its lush green mountainsides are largely unspoiled.  Our photo guide begins at http://www.beyondships.com/Ports-StJohnUSVI.html

 

            Finding a cruise that goes directly toSt. Johnmay be difficult.  The island has no cruise terminal or pier.  However, it is plainly visible fromSt. Thomasand it is a short ferry ride between the two islands.  In fact, most of the ships that call inSt. Thomasoffer shore excursions toSt. John.

 

            So, while we are on the topic of St. Thomas, we have expanded our cruise destination photo guide of that port to include some more of the attractions in Charlotte Amaliesuch as Blackbeard’s Castle, the 99 Steps and the Synagogue.  The St. Thomasguide begins at http://www.beyondships.com/Ports-StThomas.html  

Trunk Bay is one of the spectacular beaches on St. John USVI