Princess / Cunard ---- any doubts?

[eroller]

Just in case you had any doubts about who is controlling Cunard, here is a pic taken of the Princess/Cunard headquarters in Santa Clarita, CA. They wasted no time getting the Cunard sign up! ;)

 

One good thing is that Princess is gearing up to add Cunard to the Princess POLAR reservation system. This will be happening very soon, and once it does you will have online access to Cunard rates and reservations through the various online booking engines.

 

Ernie

 

[dougnewmanatsea]

That was quick!

 

I have to admit that it still feels strange having Cunard run from California... But then, it felt just as strange having them run from Miami. A pity that their US address is no longer "New York, NY".

 

On the other hand, I'm confident that there are a lot of positive changes being made now. The level of satisfaction seems to have gone way up since Princess took over. I know a number of people who have been on QM2 in the last month or so, all expeirenced Cunard passengers who had been on QM2 previously, and all felt that quality was far higher than it ever had been before.

[PRINSENDAM]

Just in case you had any doubts about who is controlling Cunard, here is a pic taken of the Princess/Cunard headquarters in Santa Clarita, CA. They wasted no time getting the Cunard sign up! ;)

 

One good thing is that Princess is gearing up to add Cunard to the Princess POLAR reservation system. This will be happening very soon, and once it does you will have online access to Cunard rates and reservations through the various online booking engines.

 

Ernie

 

 

 

 

Hi Ernie,

 

This makes more sense than having a sign that reads:

 

CUNARD PRINCESS CRUISES

 

People would be trying to book on the "CUNARD PRINCESS".

 

It is bad enough today when you talk to passengers and they sail they sailed on the "CARNIVAL" or the "NORWEGIAN" or the "PRINCESS". The one that really makes me cringe.... the 'HOLLAND"!!!!!!!!!!

 

Stephen

[eroller]

Hi Ernie,

 

This makes more sense than having a sign that reads:

 

CUNARD PRINCESS CRUISES

 

People would be trying to book on the "CUNARD PRINCESS".

 

It is bad enough today when you talk to passengers and they sail they sailed on the "CARNIVAL" or the "NORWEGIAN" or the "PRINCESS". The one that really makes me cringe.... the 'HOLLAND"!!!!!!!!!!

 

Stephen

 

Hi Stephen,

The sign doesn't bother me. It basically gives both lines equal billing but keeps them separate.

 

In reality, a sign is not even necessary on the Princess/Cunard offices. The only people that really need to know where the office is located are internal customers/vendors of Princess/Cunard. It's not a retail office and services are not provided to anyone walking off the street. I guess it's more for prestige than anything?

 

When I worked for Princess we were located on several floors in a high-rise in Century City. You didn't get much more prestigious than that. It's probably the most expensive commercial real-estate in Los Angeles. Princess is now out in the burbs. Much cheaper and it makes more sense and they have more room (room enough to absorb Cunard - which I predicted quite sometime ago). Crystal Cruises is still in Century City, as was Sitmar Cruises before Princess gobbled them up. For a short time, there were three major cruise lines all headquartered within a few blocks of each other.

 

Ernie

[dougnewmanatsea]

People would be trying to book on the "CUNARD PRINCESS".

In which case, they really want MSC ;) !

 

The sign looks fine. My guess is that the "Princess Cruises" sign was already there and they just added "Cunard" on the end. Reason I say this is that the font of "Princess Cruises" is one that they have not used for some years. Compare with the current Princess logo (yes, I know, it's got the slogan beneath):

 

As you can see, the font has changed somewhat. Also the colors.

 

The above logo is actually very new in that exact form, since they just very recently started adding "Cruises" to the end of the name again; for the past few years it was just "Princess".

 

Similarly, HAL seem to have made a conscious decision to add "Line" back to their name (three cheers for Seattle on this one). It is interesting to note that virtually every piece of HAL "paper" has been rebranded with "Holland America Line" rather than just "Holland America" over the past year or so.

 

Of course, the Cunard logo on the building is in its latest form, as befits a brand-new sign.

 

It was interesting to note that, even though the "branding police" changed Cunard's houseflag to conform to the current logo standard, there are quite a few "incorrect" (traditional) Cunard logos floating around QM2.

 

Not to mention at least three very prominent ones on QE2 (and these I can think of without having even been on her).

 

Not that I mind this - it's just interesting that the brand-identity enforcers managed to let these slip past.

[elaine61]

One good thing is that Princess is gearing up to add Cunard to the Princess POLAR reservation system. This will be happening very soon, and once it does you will have online access to Cunard rates and reservations through the various online booking engines.

 

Ernie

 

 

I have just had all new paperwork in from my T/A for our forthcoming trip and it has all been changed to the same system that P & O uses who were also taken over by Princess some time ago and they have been on this system for some time now. I am assuming that this is the system you are talking about above!!

 

Elaine

[guernseyguy]

I have just had all new paperwork in from my T/A for our forthcoming trip and it has all been changed to the same system that P & O uses who were also taken over by Princess some time ago and they have been on this system for some time now. I am assuming that this is the system you are talking about above!! Elaine

 

Elaine,

 

P&O may have adopted the Princess system, but since P&O owned Princess (and not the other way round as many seem to believe) they were hardly 'taken over' by Princess!

 

Peter

 

PS - Ernie - thanks for the picture - looks like joint equal billing to me!

[elaine61]

Elaine,

 

P&O may have adopted the Princess system, but since P&O owned Princess (and not the other way round as many seem to believe) they were hardly 'taken over' by Princess!

 

Peter

 

With companies being merged, brought and sold it's difficult to keep up!!!! Anyway, the new paperwork seems to be off the same system as the P & O paperwork that I have. Also I now believe that P & O booking and Cunard booking all sit side by side nowadays in Southampton!!

 

Elaine

[CGT]

 

On the other hand, I'm confident that there are a lot of positive changes being made now.

 

Including dumping the Kennels?

[dougnewmanatsea]

Including dumping the Kennels?

I didn't say every change was positive... But I think there are a lot of positive changs. And yes, a few negative ones too.

 

I do wish they would keep the kennels. They actually seem well-used. A few occupants were being led up there during my QM2 visit.