QE2 to carry on cruising !!!!

[Vic The Parrot]

Hi Vic

 

I think that if Cunard were sure QE2 was leaving next year, they would be telling us. I am sure that "Farewell" cruises will be fairly well booked.

 

I still do not expect her to be sailing much after 2008 though.

 

 

 

Hey buddy

 

:)

 

 

Guess I should get off my duff, and make plans for next years crossing (2007) ... who knows what Cunard has up thier sleeve...

 

 

Nice seeing you online ... hope all is cool.

 

;)

[transat_jon]

Sixteen days to go for the 2006 crossing.

 

I will book 2007 quite late to get a good deal. My girlfriend says she will go with us, although she is unsure about the weather....She wants to go New York before Christmas, but I keep telling her it would be better to get the sales in January.

 

Make sure you are there in 2007, there are not that many chances left.

[Vic The Parrot]

Aye Aye, Cap'n!

 

 

 

;)

[rjms74]

Judging from many comments from passengers on the Nov 20 Crossing on QM2 - QE2 is still considered the true Queen of the Seas & if Cunard can make the figures work I am sure they will continue to invest in QE2's future - hopefully! Still preferring QE2 myself it will take many years to come for the QM2 to get anywhere near the standards of service & cuisine as offered on QE2!!! so I dont' think management at Cunard can hope that we will all just switch to QM2 and then get rid of QE2!! If they do they will making a big mistake - the sheer size of QM2 to some including myself is just to big!!

 

For all of you joining QE2 on 3 Jan for the crossing I wish I was too & hope you all have a great trip- but only have until Sep to wait until the Transat Crossing / Canada cruise! Cannot wait!

 

I will soon be posting a review of the afore mentioned crossing that in the main I enjoyed very much.

 

 

Kind Regards,

 

 

RJMS74

[Vic The Parrot]

Judging from many comments from passengers on the Nov 20 Crossing on QM2 - QE2 is still considered the true Queen of the Seas & if Cunard can make the figures work I am sure they will continue to invest in QE2's future - hopefully! Still preferring QE2 myself it will take many years to come for the QM2 to get anywhere near the standards of service & cuisine as offered on QE2!!! so I dont' think management at Cunard can hope that we will all just switch to QM2 and then get rid of QE2!! If they do they will making a big mistake - the sheer size of QM2 to some including myself is just to big!!

 

 

 

 

Hey buddy

 

 

How ya been?

 

I take it your recent crossing wasn't up to par with our fav ship?

Drop me an email when you get a chance. I'd love to hear more.

[travel-to-go]

Anyone know what the average occupancy rate for 2005 was on the QE2? That is where the tale will be told for her chances, unless a major change is in store that might help her fortunes.

 

If the vast majority of the cruising/crossing public are "tired of her" or fear going on an "old" ship, as compared to those of us who can appreciate the beauty and elegance of the older liners and the classic standards, then Cunard is not going to chase her with money.

 

If there are enough of us who appreciate her lines and traditions, then they will keep her going. Sadly, it's all about money and profit. History be damned. And her "new" owner didn't get to be where he is on sentimentality.

 

I still have not made it on her, a crossing not being in our cards just yet, and her Caribbean career was overridden for us by our HAL cruises that fit our schedule and our pocketbook. Many years ago, I was afraid to sail her for fear of sailing in the hold, in cattle class! <LOL> and feeling I wasn't "good enough" for The Queen! I've considered it many times, though. I still remember the horrors of her last major refit- toilets exploding or not working, workmen pounding hammering and drilling in the corridors even as she sailed, areas of the ship still not finished- and wasn't that about the time she also ran aground or bumped another ship in New York or somewhere? I forget. But she got a lot of bad press! I still believed in her, but she was mainly doing crossings and The World, neither of which were in the cards for me at the time. We simply could not afford her.

Karie

[eroller]

Anyone know what the average occupancy rate for 2005 was on the QE2? That is where the tale will be told for her chances, unless a major change is in store that might help her fortunes.

 

 

Unfortunately Carnival Corp. does not separate occupancy or earnings figures for the individual brands. You can only see how the corporation is doing as a whole.

 

I think QM2 and QE2 are doing "ok", but probably not exceptional. I do see a lot of discounting on both ships, probably more so than other luxury

lines.

 

If Cunard were really going like gangbusters, Carnival Corp. would not have deferred the original QV to P&O. Also, it's doubtful Carnival Corp. would have postponed building on the current QV to give construction priority to a new Carnival Cruise Line ship. I would also expect to see the Cunard brand grow faster then just one ship on order which won't even make her debut until December 2007 or early 2008.

 

If you look at other Carnival Corp. brands, such as Carnival, HAL, Princess, and Costa .... they are each growing at a phenomenal rate with multiple ship orders for each. Unfortunately you don't see that aggressive growth at Cunard which should give you some indication as to how profitable the line is.

 

Ernie

[guernseyguy]

..... according to a friend who was on board QE recently, that the ship will be sold in 2007 to some Far East interests.

...I think it's all BS.

 

Vic, agree - If Cunard/Carnival fail to make money with her as the QE2, I wonder how anyone else would make money with the 'former QE2' - though of course that doesn't mean someone won't be daft enough to try.....though how in heaven a crew member would hear of this first.....rumours, speculation and garbage.....

 

Peter

[travel-to-go]

Vic, agree - If Cunard/Carnival fail to make money with her as the QE2, I wonder how anyone else would make money with the 'former QE2' - though of course that doesn't mean someone won't be daft enough to try.....though how in heaven a crew member would hear of this first.....rumours, speculation and garbage.....

 

Peter

 

They would probably do a complete makeover if she is still oceanworthy and can meet whatever new and improved SOLAS rules are coming about.

Possibly Orient Star line might take her.

But I really don't expect this to happen.

 

Others might take her who can run her right- And not be distracted by half of the other passenger ships in the world under the same ownership.

[bob brown]

So, from what I've been reading in these posts, 9Jan2006 may be the very last time the QE2 will call at Manhattan? :(

[dougnewmanatsea]

So, from what I've been reading in these posts, 9Jan2006 may be the very last time the QE2 will call at Manhattan? :(

Yes. And QM2's 15 Jan 2006 call may be the last time any Cunarder calls there.

 

After that the next scheduled Cunard call is QM2 on 15 April which will be in Brooklyn. From then on all scheduled P&O Princess calls (including Cunard of course) are in Brooklyn.

[Globaliser]

Anyone know what the average occupancy rate for 2005 was on the QE2? That is where the tale will be told for her chances ...

Even if you could get the numbers, occupancy rate wouldn't be the determining factor. Much more important would be the financial yield from the occupancy. A half full ship on which the pax have paid an average of $2500 each is probably more profitable than the same ship completely full of pax paying an average of $1000 each.

[cunardqueen]

Vic,

hi stranger!!! who knows they might sell them to the company that bought the old vistafjord and sagafjord!! and that was SAGA cruises......

[Rotterdam]

On the 2003 World cruise there was a couple that occupied 2 of the top suites....one was for themselves the other for clothing 7 when teh kids flew in to visit.

 

2 officers confirmed that the combined fare of the 2 suites (for the entire world cruise) would pay for the fuel the QE2 would use siling around the globe!

 

I know it was in excess of $1,000,000.00!

 

BTW - that same couple do the entire world cruise each year. They started to take the 2nd suite because they did not like the people that booked the suite for the WC one year!

[cunardqueen]

Hi Rotterdam,

If lm correct, l think the couple you speak of are from the Isle of Wight in the uk, and they are regulars of this great voyage!! guess you meet all kinds and types on this cruise, even they guy who embarked with a case full of tinned peaches

cheers

Myles

[guernseyguy]

2 officers confirmed that the combined fare of the 2 suites (for the entire world cruise) would pay for the fuel the QE2 would use sailing around the globe!

 

This is an interesting point - while we hear all about the M7's for $599, we don't hear about the suites which may not get discounted - when you are paying that much, whats a few 10,000 here or there - maybe this is the root of the QE2's profitability......

 

Peter

[cunardqueen]

... that and possibly the price of the photographs on board!!!!!! but l still keep buying them....:rolleyes:

[Rotterdam]

Yes the couple are from the Isle of Wight....each evening they sat in the Chart Room after dinner.

 

Yes the cast of characters onboard were too much(myself included)...I loved every moment - I only did the Panama Canal portion - NYC to LA & hated to leave. I'm hoping to do the WC in 2007 if all works out!

 

I don't recall what my fare was but I was happily ensconced on One Deck for 2 weeks. everyone drank & danced & really enjoyed being on THE QUEEN ELIZABETH 2! Very festive to say the least.

[guernseyguy]

If you look at other Carnival Corp. brands, such as Carnival, HAL, Princess, and Costa .... they are each growing at a phenomenal rate with multiple ship orders for each. Unfortunately you don't see that aggressive growth at Cunard which should give you some indication as to how profitable the line is.

Ernie

 

And recently (14 Dec) announced orders for Carnival Corp (biggest yet for Carnival at 130,000, HAL at 86,000, panamax and two biggies for Princess (116,000, Emerald sister) & Costa (112,000, Concordia sister).). I wonder if the HAL will be adaptation of Queen Victoria? I assume Carnival is a Conquest stretch - tho +~20% is quite a stretch! Still looks as though Carnival view Cunard as a niche player, which may be just as well. See here:

http://www.corporate-ir.net/ireye/ir_site.zhtml?ticker=CCL&script=413&layout=-6&item_id=795775

 

Peter

[dougnewmanatsea]

I wonder if the HAL will be adaptation of Queen Victoria?

Probably more like ARCADIA.

 

Both the new HAL ship and QV are Vista developments, but I think they will have been developed separately from the same starting point.

 

I assume Carnival is a Conquest stretch

That should be a totally new design. According to Carnival, "as different as DESTINY was from FANTASY".

 

Long before the announcement I was told that the 210,000 GT "Pinnacle" was intended as a "halo product" of which only a few would be built, to boost Carnival's brand image, and that the new 130,000 GT ship was intended as the next "mass-produced" Carnival ship, in the way the DESTINY/CONQUEST-class have been in the past decade or the FANTASY-class in the decade before.

[guernseyguy]

Probably more like ARCADIA. Both the new HAL ship and QV are Vista developments, but I think they will have been developed separately from the same starting point. That should be a totally new design. According to Carnival, "as different as DESTINY was from FANTASY".

 

Just caught up with the conference call - both the HAL and Carnival ships were described as 'new', but subsequent comments suggest not so 'new' after all!. Much discussion of moving ships between brands, and potential ship sales (QE2????? - in fairness the context was HAL, so Prinsendam, or Statendam class, surely still too young...?), so some of the new tonnage may not be completely incremental. Mickey described 'Pinnacle' as on the back burner as they focus on getting 'the most efficient ships we can from a construction and operating point of view' - i.e. get the shipyards to do what they already know how to do, rather than something more challenging or innovative. So the cookie cutter cuts on!

 

Another interesting comment was that the significant increase in COSTA's advance bookings was due to the movement of a senior Cunard manager to Italy, following the closure of the Cunard Miami office.

 

When asked a direct question about Cunard profitability or income by ship, Mickey said 'we don't declare income by ship', but launched into a eulogy on the QE2 as a 'remarkable ship, 36 years old, and still highly profitable', he confirmed Carol Munslow's statement on QE2 being able to pass 2010 'easily', and as long as people want to sail on her and pay a premium we'll continue to operate her. Sounds like Mickey has fallen in love with (just a bit) more than her bottom line!

 

Peter

[PRINSENDAM]

Yes the couple are from the Isle of Wight....each evening they sat in the Chart Room after dinner.

 

quote]

 

 

Rotterdam,

 

Incorrect. Mr & Mrs R live on the Isle of Man but they are not from there.

 

Stephen

[Rotterdam]

Thank you Stephen.....yes you are correct...its been a couple of years & I am old & grey!