New Queen Elizabeth

[Seachase20]

I know I have been harping on about this, but in a conversation with Ms Marlow during the 40th Anniversary voyage, she hinted quite strongly that there was going to be another Cunarder in the future. The timing has surprised me though.

 

 

There is a certain confusion here, indeed, as various Cunard shoreside spokespersons have been saying outright, not just hinting, that there are two new ships in the works. Patience......

[TBirdFrank]

Just in case anyone hasn't looked at the other thread, here is Costa Luminosa currently building at Fincantieri and which has the same specification as that announced yesterday - yes - it is a cookie cutter floating apartment / retail block

 

http://www.worldcruise-network.com/projects/costa-luminosa/images/1-costa-luminosa.jpg

 

And yes - I am a grumpy old man - and proud of it, if this is what we are being sold as "new and improved"

[lexxity]

Stop being a miserable old git Dad. :D

 

I can't see why Cunard can't fill Caribbeans out of NYC, it is far easier to get to then Florida for those of us in the UK and also the bonus of being in NYC should add to the attraction.

[3rdGenCunarder]

How about the distinctive whistle and the Queen Mary piano for starters. ;)

They would be high on my wish list!

Kathy

[cunardqueen]

I for one am excited about the new Queen Elizabeth. It might just keep me with Cunard.

Had they not been to rushed into selling QE2 and everything onboard her, they could have held back on flogging all the onboards treasures and put some of them onto Queen Elizabeth.

Perhaps its up to the passengers to donate some of the artifacts that will no doubt appear( and be discussed in hushed tones over the next year.)

Not that lm saying any of us would pinch from onboard, But by all accounts between us we have a pretty dam good collection!!

anyway,will be onboard tomorrow, will be interesting to find out what those onboard think?

cheers

Myles

[3rdGenCunarder]

Bon Voyage, Myles!

Kathy

[Cosmic Rays]

Vs Queen Victoria's 2014 - sounds likle they are squeezing in an extra deck and a bit of staterooms up front like they have on Eurodam - which in Eurodam's case gets her an extra 42 staterooms - here 39....I guess they are also getting a couple of extra suites.....so at least when we try to play 'spot the difference' we'll know where to look.....

 

 

Peter

 

Peter,

 

Of interest, is this a picture taken in the shipyard in Venice of QV? I'm intrigued as I think this is what we saw from the air on our final approach into Venice Marco Polo last week. Please can you confirm? From a distance I thought I was seeing things and QM2 flashed before my eyes even though she is much bigger...........

 

Colin

[dak]

http://www.theherald.co.uk/news/news/display.var.1751421.0.0.php

 

David

[Wadadli1]

Stop being a miserable old git Dad. :D

 

I can't see why Cunard can't fill Caribbeans out of NYC, it is far easier to get to then Florida for those of us in the UK and also the bonus of being in NYC should add to the attraction.

 

Lex, this is my guess--the Caribbeans out of NYC have 2 sea days down and 2 back up, none of which features "Caribbean-y" weather. Now that sounds wonderful to folks like us, but not everyone finds the sea days, especially ones where you aren't laying about in the hot sun near a pool, all that attractive.

 

However! More people live around NYC than Miami (Florida), and the wonderful convenience of being just a drive or train ride away is very alluring and the more the people realise this option is possible, the more they will take it. IMO.

[3rdGenCunarder]

http://www.theherald.co.uk/news/news/display.var.1751421.0.0.php

 

David

 

From the article:

The QE2 could be compared to a greyhound, while the present-day liners can be compared to a St Bernard

Amen!

Kathy

[Traveler Nina]

I am very excited about another new ship although i do hope that they do something to make her different then QV inside and out. Being able to tell the fleet apart at just a glance is one of the things I feel makes them special and fosters loyalty in guests to one particular favorite ship.

 

NCL is coming out with their new ship the Gem. They are calling her the "It" girl. Only problem is, she looks just like all of the other NCL ships other than the "bling" she is going to have on her haul. (Heaven help us!) I couldn't believe it when they sent me a HUGE fake diamond ring that is supposed to be a keychain as a promotional item along with a large poster of this un-unique ship. It's when I looked at that key chain that I knew why I don't sell NCL!

 

So Cunard, if you are listening please give us agents an ocean liner we can be proud of recommending to our clients that is unique and classic and worthy of the name Queen Elizabeth.

[msk68]

Aside from those of you who are privy to secret information, did anyone expect this news? I was surprised.

 

I was expecting something but I was expecting her to be called the Queen Anne as that is what Ronnie Keir told me along with the group I was with. He was 100% sure there would be an new ship in 2010, just unsure of the name.

 

In fact, I was going to post in a few days whether it would be realistic to expect a new ship in 2010 given that 2007 is coming to an end and there had not been an announcement. Guess Ms. Marlowe must have read my mind and that's why they issued the press release. :D

[bepsf]

I can't see why Cunard can't fill Caribbeans out of NYC, it is far easier to get to then Florida for those of us in the UK and also the bonus of being in NYC should add to the attraction.

 

Probably for the same reasons HAL is cancelling 3 months of fall cruises from NYC to the Carib next year and pulling out of that market...

 

...chief among them, high fuel prices and low profit margins trying to compete against the likes of NCL and RCCL megaships.

[calikak]

This is my favorite game: speculate about where ships will be placed in the distant future. Seriously, my TA and I chat about this all time, it's very fun.

 

Since cruising is about making money, I would imagine that Cunard will place a ship in a "hot" market where they can make more money. The Caribbean in general is not a strong market right now. Many lines are pulling their ships from the Caribbean and putting them in more lucrative markets, like the Med. I personally think the next hot market will be either Asia or South America and would not be surprised to see Cunard place a ship there at least part of the year.

 

The west coast market in the US is also something the cruise lines are looking at expanding--many of us don't want to fly all the way to New York or Florida. Disney (which costs almost as much as Cunard, but is obviously targeting a different market) now has a ship on the West Coast for part of the year doing Mexican Riviera sailings, and I wouldn't be surprised if they began keeping a ship on this coast year round.

[Lanky Lad]

The west coast market in the US is also something the cruise lines are looking at expanding--many of us don't want to fly all the way to New York or Florida. Disney (which costs almost as much as Cunard, but is obviously targeting a different market) now has a ship on the West Coast for part of the year doing Mexican Riviera sailings, and I wouldn't be surprised if they began keeping a ship on this coast year round.

 

Would be nice it Cunard had a ship on the west coast, maybe doing Alaska in Summer and Mexico in Winter. Its been a long time since you could sail to Alaska on Cunard.

[534]

Would be nice it Cunard had a ship on the west coast, maybe doing Alaska in Summer and Mexico in Winter. Its been a long time since you could sail to Alaska on Cunard.

 

Don't forget Hawai'i! :D

Betsy

[calikak]

Don't forget Hawai'i! :D

Betsy

 

This is what I was thinking--if the new QE or QV were faster than a regular cruise ship, they could do the Hawaii sailings from the mainland and shave a couple of sea days off the trip, leaving more time in the islands. But, I'm not sure they're faster? And QM2 can't come over here because she's needed in the north Atlantic.

[Wadadli1]

I was expecting something but I was expecting her to be called the Queen Anne as that is what Ronnie Keir told me along with the group I was with. He was 100% sure there would be an new ship in 2010, just unsure of the name.

 

In fact, I was going to post in a few days whether it would be realistic to expect a new ship in 2010 given that 2007 is coming to an end and there had not been an announcement. Guess Ms. Marlowe must have read my mind and that's why they issued the press release. :D

 

I've been thinking about this for a bit, and it would be really neat if they replaced one ocean liner with a new one. Not like that Costa hideous ick. Obviously no one is noting how we feel and sending it on to the architect, if there is one.

 

You know, a lot of this is the mirror of the McMansion horror/cookie cutter trashy house situation that has inflicted the US the past 5-8 years or so.

[QueensFan]

I was thinking how cool it'd be for Queen Elizabeth to be a kind of "Pacific QM2," a flagship Cunard design running routes based more out of LA or something, visiting Alaska, Hawaii, Asia, etc. While not the flagship, or even as much of a liner as QM2 is, it would be a well-designed, fast ship that could fill this market.

 

Cunard visits the Pacific relatively infrequently - really only once-twice ship/year. I think it's going to become a big market, and there's no Cunard to fill it.

 

But a cruise ship barge Queen Elizabeth is not going to work. Too slow for the vast Pacific.

[lexxity]

Obviously no one is noting how we feel

 

Erm, wrong actually. JGS emailed someone very high up that we met on the 40th Anniversary and she personally emailed back to say she was reading this this board re: New QE.

[QE2 fan]

If someone from Cunard is reading this, I hope they will note the following;

 

1: Make the new ship a true liner

2: Have some single cabins, or many of us will no longer be travelling Cunard.

3:It would be good to have a ship on the west coast of the US, doing cruises to Alaska etc.

[lexxity]

Yes please do Alaska, I really want to go there, but Celebrity's childcare rules are just plain silly and I really don't fancy Princess all that much, never liked the idea of freestyle and I don't know who else goes up there apart from the "funships" and "rock climbing" lines.

[Cunarder Man]

Lexxity,

 

I'm a true Cunarder - but have cruised with Princess 3 times and found them to be really good.

[RobertQM2]

............I don't know who else goes up there apart from the "funships" and "rock climbing" lines.

 

I think HAL could be a good substitute to Cunard, not that spacious on board, but a more serious line compared to the others mentioned by you. No climbing walls ad other silly stuff. They are going up and down the inside passage quite often during sumer time.

[lexxity]

Will look at them, but a deciding factor for us would be childcare, which so far we have found to be outstanding on Cunard.