What sets Cunard apart from other Cruise Lines

[glojo]

I am USELESS at using the search engine and get all weird and wonderful replies when I ask a question so here we go.

 

When the Queen Mary 2and the Queen Victoria departed on this year's World Cruise there were at least fireworks being let off on the dockside and no doubt sirens were being sounded by both ships, but is this the norm throughout the cruise industry?

 

Do other companies have this close affinity with the Royal family, could another company have a m\v Prince Charles or Princess Anne and then take advantage of Royal patronage?

 

When these Cunard ships pay their first visit to a port or country there are usually celebrations to mark the event, again is this the norm?

 

What other if any things can our more experienced cruisers think of and does Cunard have the strictest of dress codes?

 

I love the colour scheme of the Cunard line and note Disney have perhaps also noted how nice the scheme looks :)

 

Celebrity I believe have an AWFUL 'X' type marking on their side but do other companies have distinctive, unique, paint schemes.

 

Please feel free to add to, drift or discuss any issue connected with this cruise company as we can all learn something from the input of others :)

[QM1]

When the Queen Mary 2and the Queen Victoria departed on this year's World Cruise there were at least fireworks being let off on the dockside and no doubt sirens were being sounded by both ships, but is this the norm throughout the cruise industry?

Add to it the wonderful farewell the QM2 always receives when leaving Hamburg, thats certainly unique. Cunarders, QV and QE much less than QM2 though, are regarded as special among the public and the media, ranking above the rest, there is no doubt. Is there any other ship were there are TV programs made about almost regularly?

 

Do other companies have this close affinity with the Royal family, could another company have a m\v Prince Charles or Princess Anne and then take advantage of Royal patronage?

I doubt it would make sense for anyone else to go hunting in these grounds, though I could see that a Royal might christen a P&O ship in the future. Princess Diana did so for the old "Royal Princess" in the 80s.

 

What other if any things can our more experienced cruisers think of and does Cunard have the strictest of dress codes?

At least no other comes to my mind.

 

I love the colour scheme of the Cunard line and note Disney have perhaps also noted how nice the scheme looks :)

I am with you, the Cunard colourscheme is the classiest out there. And clearly Disney copied it. HAL also has dark (nightblue) hulls, but their white funnels and the, sorry, tacky logo, dont look classy in my eyes. Imho it looks better if a ship has different colours on hull and superstructure, and a funnel painted in a distinctive colour. I am a traditionalist when it comes to that.

 

Celebrity I believe have an AWFUL 'X' type marking on their side but do other companies have distinctive, unique, paint schemes.

Not as classy and wellknown as Cunard for sure. P&O ships still carry the traditional buff funnel colour though the white hulls blend in with the mass. HAL has dark blue hulls. And Spanish Pullmantur is just giving their ships a makeover with dark blue hulls, too.

Carnival has those nice "diving dolphin" funnels, but unfortunately their biggest ships carry funnels of reduced size making them look less balanced. The Carnival funnels look great on the Destiny class.

As for distinctiveness, Norwegian has those tacky bow decorations which look very cheap like plastic bag prints. Aida does the same, though it doesnt look as cheap as Norwegian. Hapag-Lloyd uses a unique colour coding of orange and blue, a leftover from the 70s, imho not perfectly fitting to the worlds best cruiseship, the Europa.

Just a few observations not covering all lines.

As far as branding goes I think that white ships with white funnels are the worst that can be done.

[Slow Foxtrot]

.......I doubt it would make sense for anyone else to go hunting in these grounds, though I could see that a Royal might christen a P&O ship in the future..

 

H.M. The Queen christened P & O's Oriana and Princess Anne christened P & O's Aurora.

[Ray66]

When the Queen Mary 2and the Queen Victoria departed on this year's World Cruise there were at least fireworks being let off on the dockside and no doubt sirens were being sounded by both ships, but is this the norm throughout the cruise industry?

 

There were five ships in Southampton that day and if they were all setting off on world cruises, I'm not surprised that there were fireworks.

 

I've found that horns are usually exchanged between all ships in all ports when one ship is leaving. Also the passengers wave at one another.

 

Carnival has those nice "diving dolphin" funnels,

 

I dislike those Carnival funnels immensely.

[Cruachan]

Celebrity I believe have an AWFUL 'X' type marking on their side...

 

That "awful X" actually has quite a prestigious place in the history of passenger shipping. It is a stylised Greek letter "Chi" which was the initial letter of Chandris Line, from which Celebrity Cruises evolved, and which appeared on the funnels of all Chandris line ships. Chandris Line was founded in 1960, initially trading mostly to Australia. Celebrity Cruises was formed in 1988 as a subsidiary brand of Chandris Line. The parent company's popularity waned and, in 1996 Chandris Line ceased trading and all its assets other than Celebrity were dissolved.

 

J

[Ray66]

Here's the farewell to the QE in Travemunde

 

 

And here's the farewell a few days letter in Helsinki :D

 

[Sauer-kraut]

When the Queen Mary 2and the Queen Victoria departed on this year's World Cruise there were at least fireworks being let off on the dockside and no doubt sirens were being sounded by both ships, but is this the norm throughout the cruise industry?

 

Disney has fireworks on its cruises not dockside, but rather somewhere at sea. Their ship's horns also are very distinct, playing notes from "When You Wish upon a Star". :D

[glojo]

EXCELLENT and most informative replies THANK YOU very much

 

 

Ray66

I accept there were indeed a number of ships in Southampton when the two Cunard ships left and do we know if P&O had a similar display when their ship departed for its World Cruise? I am NOT interested in any boasting rights regarding one company being better than the other, I am merely curious.

 

Cruachan

What an interesting point regarding that butt ugly 'X' on the side of those cruise ships. It is HIGHLY probable that I am in the minority for disliking this feature but ugly is as ugly does and no doubt internally those ships are very nice :)

 

The P&O buff funnels raise an interesting point and I forgot all about that and the Costa line which also has a distinctive funnel with I believe a white hull or should that be hole!! :o:o

 

Excellent points and I have read about the ongoing interest the people of Hamburg show toward the queen Mary 2 and long may that continue :)

 

Thanks everyone

 

John

[Ray66]

I was assuming that the port of Southampton put on the fireworks display for all the ships that were departing on their world cruises.

[Cruachan]

I was assuming that the port of Southampton put on the fireworks display for all the ships that were departing on their world cruises.

 

They also seem, on occasions, to get a bit of a welcome on their return from the World Cruise. This shot shows Queen Mary 2 returning to Soton from her 2011 WC, on 19 April that year. Clearly rank hath its privileges though because Queen Elizabeth arrived shortly before the flagship without the benefit of a welcoming tug.

 

J

 

[Jim Avery]

They also seem, on occasions, to get a bit of a welcome on their return from the World Cruise. This shot shows Queen Mary 2 returning to Soton from her 2011 WC, on 19 April that year. Clearly rank hath its privileges though because Queen Elizabeth arrived shortly before the flagship without the benefit of a welcoming tug.

 

J

 

 

the difference between a ship-----and a vista.:eek::D

[glojo]

I was assuming that the port of Southampton put on the fireworks display for all the ships that were departing on their world cruises.

 

An interesting assumption.

 

I was under the impression the cruise company paid the bill but that is just me thinking aloud.

 

If the port authority pays then where would it draw the line as to what ships get this farewell?

[Cruachan]

the difference between a ship-----and a vista.:eek::D

 

Well, maybe so, but I'm a big Vista fan. This year will be our fifth cruise on a Vista and our fourth on QV which is way my favourite ship of the current fleet.

 

J

[Jim Avery]

Well, maybe so, but I'm a big Vista fan. This year will be our fifth cruise on a Vista and our fourth on QV which is way my favourite ship of the current fleet.

 

J

 

We enjoyed QV ourselves. Now if she could just handle a head sea.:eek:

[Jim Avery]

Another difference with Cunard.:D The good old days.

[Ray66]

An interesting assumption.

 

I was under the impression the cruise company paid the bill but that is just me thinking aloud.

 

If the port authority pays then where would it draw the line as to what ships get this farewell?

 

You're probably right about the cruise-lines paying for them.

[glojo]

We enjoyed QV ourselves. Now if she could just handle a head sea.:eek:

Hi Jim,

I have no idea about how the Vista class handles a head sea but by crikey they are extremely stable vessels and you cannot compare how stable they are compared to their older liner counterparts as those ships would roll in the slightest of seas compared to the Vista. The old Queen Mary for example actually record roll rates in excess of 25 degrees.. I have not seen any Youtube footage of any large modern cruise ship getting anywhere near 15 degrees, in fact I would put that at 10!

 

I would suggest their manoeuvrability goes beyond the imagination of any master of yesteryear and to leave port without the assistance of tugs would not even be considered??

 

Please look on this post as me asking you questions as I respect your input and look forward to a response.

 

The Royal Yacht Britannia in her time was considered the height of luxury but sadly that luxury does not get anywhere near what we see on these modern cruise ships. Can it be that we look at these older ships through our glasses that might have a nice layer of rose tint? :o;)

 

I am as guilty as the best of us when looking back and woe betide those that criticise those wonderful old liners that were the foundation of what we have now. (I am NOT critical of them, IK am hopefully trying to remember them how they were)

 

Regarding their stability,

I have met them on the high seas and no way could any type of modern warship (excluding CVN's) keep up with them in any type of sea and that to me speaks volumes about how they cut through the ocean, but I am sure the same would still apply with these newer ships?

[Jim Avery]

Rolling is much easier on the old body than pounding into head seas with a BOOM! Then shake-shake-shake. Very flexy those Vistas.:eek: A good old roll is what used to give sailors their swagger. On QE2 it was always amusing later at night to watch passengers in a seaway. The sober ones bounced from bulkhead to bulkhead. The more lubricated ones managed to walk right down the passageway.:eek: I have studied this phenomenon extensively and can attest to its accuracy.:D:D And yes, the Rolling Mary was famous for that. I clearly remember ropes strung up in open spaces so one might stay basically on course.:eek: If a new cruise ship rolled like that, well, it would not be pretty. Concordia comes to mind.

[cruiseluvva]

You're probably right about the cruise-lines paying for them.

 

We left on QE's Exotic Voyage a couple of weeks ago and were told Cunard had provided the fireworks....which were very nice indeed.

[glojo]

Rolling is much easier on the old body than pounding into head seas with a BOOM! Then shake-shake-shake. Very flexy those Vistas.:eek: A good old roll is what used to give sailors their swagger. On QE2 it was always amusing later at night to watch passengers in a seaway. The sober ones bounced from bulkhead to bulkhead. The more lubricated ones managed to walk right down the passageway.:eek: I have studied this phenomenon extensively and can attest to its accuracy. And yes, the Rolling Mary was famous for that. I clearly remember ropes strung up in open spaces so one might stay basically on course.:eek: If a new cruise ship rolled like that, well, it would not be pretty. Concordia comes to mind.

Excellent post :)

 

I watched a Youtube clip posted by a passenger that had sailed on one of the 'of the Seas' cruise ships. She shot some footage in the main restaurant during a mperiod of rough weather. She was absolutely adamant the captain had stated the ship was rolling up to thirty degrees. folks were eating at the tables but did have to sometimes counter the slight roll, but the funny thing was how she attacked anyone that dared to suggest the ship was hardly rolling and certainly NOT at anywhere near the angles she claimed. It is not rocket science to demonstrate such an awful angle but if that ship rolled to even 10 degrees then that furniture would have been crushing folks and ANYONE that was STUPID enough to stand there when furniture was flying about out of control would have veryt quickly learnt the folly of their ways.

 

I TOTALLY agree with you about the pounding that is felt when steaming through a rough sea. If folks were allowed right up frrd (but below deck) then they would have an interesting ride :) that might feel like an out of control lift, although I am guessing 100,000 tons of steel will never get lifted up as quickly as a smaller cross channel ferry :)

[Louise D]

I remember the special walk that I developed for QE2 to ensure I did not crash into the railings on the sides of the corridors. It did not involve copious alcohol, but rather, speed. If you slowed down, you would crash into the walls.

 

I have some self published books of passenger travels on QE2, and quite a few mention witnessing or suffering severe injury to passengers on board from sudden lurches. One woman reported being hit by a falling table in the Mauretania restaurant causing momentary loss of consciousness and broken bones. I have met with several passengers who fell over and broke bones on the dance floor on QE2 during rough weather.

[Jim Avery]

Excellent post :)

 

I watched a Youtube clip posted by a passenger that had sailed on one of the 'of the Seas' cruise ships. She shot some footage in the main restaurant during a mperiod of rough weather. She was absolutely adamant the captain had stated the ship was rolling up to thirty degrees. folks were eating at the tables but did have to sometimes counter the slight roll, but the funny thing was how she attacked anyone that dared to suggest the ship was hardly rolling and certainly NOT at anywhere near the angles she claimed. It is not rocket science to demonstrate such an awful angle but if that ship rolled to even 10 degrees then that furniture would have been crushing folks and ANYONE that was STUPID enough to stand there when furniture was flying about out of control would have veryt quickly learnt the folly of their ways.

 

I TOTALLY agree with you about the pounding that is felt when steaming through a rough sea. If folks were allowed right up frrd (but below deck) then they would have an interesting ride :) that might feel like an out of control lift, although I am guessing 100,000 tons of steel will never get lifted up as quickly as a smaller cross channel ferry :)

 

QE2 did not pound through rough seas but cut through them nicely. We purposely booked forward cabins, preferably with fore and aft berths, just to get the wonderful sleep at night. The bows would go through the waves with a large "wooooosssshhhh" sound-not loud but a big sound- and vertical acceleration. Great sleeping. Never had to roll over to change positions as every swell produced a wonderful weightlessness at the peak of the swell and a heavy compression of you into the mattress at the bottom. Relax, go with the flow, and sleep like the proverbial baby.:D:D

[bazzaw]

We enjoyed QV ourselves. Now if she could just handle a head sea.:eek:

 

Jim

 

I don't think the Vista class can . We encountered a Force 11 gale with 14 metre seas head on in 2011- on a passage in P&O Arcadia to Barbados from Soto (Actually we were supposed to go via the Azores) They had to slow the ship to 10 knots for going on 24 hours -- which is why we missed the Azores.

 

Barry

[bazzaw]

Hi Jim,

I have no idea about how the Vista class handles a head sea but by crikey they are extremely stable vessels and you cannot compare how stable they are compared to their older liner counterparts as those ships would roll in the slightest of seas compared to the Vista.

 

 

Ship stability is a very complex matter - and a ship with the stability factor of a Vista class ship is comfortable for passengers, but not necessarily as safe as you might like. Witness the Costa Concordia and the speed with which she turned turtle (went from positive stability to negative stability) once she had been holed. The only saving grace of that debacle was that she was holed in shallow water and essentially sat on the bottom -- IF she had somehow been holed in deep water, it would have been a tragedy of MAJOR proportions. I would dread to be in a Vista class ship IF she were ever holed at sea.

 

Barry

[Salacia]

Ship stability is a very complex matter - and a ship with the stability factor of a Vista class ship is comfortable for passengers, but not necessarily as safe as you might like. Witness the Costa Concordia and the speed with which she turned turtle (went from positive stability to negative stability) once she had been holed. The only saving grace of that debacle was that she was holed in shallow water and essentially sat on the bottom -- IF she had somehow been holed in deep water, it would have been a tragedy of MAJOR proportions. I would dread to be in a Vista class ship IF she were ever holed at sea.

 

Barry

 

...and that is why I prefer to sail on an ocean liner. And there is only one.