A "Fitting" Milestone

Fincantieri lifted the iconic Cunard funnel onto Queen Anne on Friday, April 14 (2023) at their Marghera yard near Venice. The 113,000-ton ship is scheduled to enter service in May 2024. 

Photo courtesy of Cunard Line. All rights reserved. May not be copied or used without express permission.

Fincantieri Cuts Steel for 2022 Cunard Liner

Fincantieri cut the first steel today for Cunard's next ship, which will be the line's second-largest ever, but as with many things Cunard, it wasn't typical.

The event took place at Fincantieri's Castellammare di Stabia Shipyard near Naples. The twist in this ceremony is that the very first piece of steel cut today won't actually be used in the construction of the ship, but it will be in the ship. It will be fashioned into a sculpture by acclaimed sculptor Sam Shendi.

The complete story appeared in the October 11 issue of Cruise News Daily. 

Cunard & Julien's Team Up for Baseball Exhibition

Sports fans crossing the pond this September can have a once-in-a-lifetime treat courtesy of Cunard and Julien's Auctions.

The famous auction house will give passengers aboard Queen Mary 2 an opportunity to view sports memorabilia like you've never seen before. The rare items will be displayed in a daily rotating exhibition on the September 15 voyage from New York to Southampton.

The complete story appeared in the July 25 issue of Cruise News Daily. 

Welcome Back, Jack

Very few lines can celebrate their one hundredth anniversary of anything, but Cunard already has a whole list of centennials. An upcoming one in November is the 100th anniversary for operating their signature route from Southampton to New York, which they will mark with a special transatlantic crossing of Queen Mary 2.

Equally impressive is that Cunard has former employees who started with the company as little more than children and now at 100 years old can come back and visit today's ships.

Details appeared in the June 27 issue of Cruise News Daily. 

99-year old former Cunard bellboy John ‘Jack’ Jenkins during his visit to Queen Mary 2 in Southampton.  John joined the Cunard Steamship Company in 1933 & his first job was as a bellboy and lift operator. One of his main jobs was to open the doors for the first class passengers in the dinning saloon working on the famous Cunard liner RMS. Mauretania,

Photos couresty of Cunard Line. All rights reserved. May not be copied or used without express permission. 

Other Things You'll Want to Know - March 22, 2019

CND subscribers also read about:

• The second episode of Crystal's Culinary Journey with Chef Jon Ashton has now been published. 
• Cunard has chosen three British wine experts to sail aboard the "Voyage Du Vin" in September. 

Details appeared in the March 22 issue of Cruise News Daily. 

Teaming up to Design a Liner

Cunard has chosen the design team that will design the interior of its fleet's fourth ship which will be delivered in 2022.

That's a huge responsibility considering the attention to detail Cunard demands and the many connections to its past liners that are always present in Cunard vessels. There is a lot to connect this one to because it will be the 249th vessel to sail under the Cunard flag.

The complete story appeared in the February 26 issue of Cruise News Daily.

Photo courtesy of Cunard Line. All rights reserved. May not be copied or used without express permission.

One of a Kind Barrel

Last week we told you about the record-setting stay in Australian waters this year of Cunard's liner Queen Elizabeth. To commemorate that Cunard commissioned special uniforms for their iconic bellboys from Australian clothier R.M. Williams, and the Australian look was completed with Akubra hats.

But there's another tastier Australian partnership aboard Queen Elizabeth that has been three years in the making and is now “maturing.” We told you about the final year last year at this time.

Details appeared in the February 19 edition of Cruise News Daily

Properly Attired for Australia

When you say “Cunard bell boy,” an almost iconic image comes to mind. If not, think of the classic uniformed hotel bell boy from old movies. There, you have it.

To launch their two-month-long Australian season aboard Queen Elizabeth (a record), Cunard decided to bring their bell boys into the 21st Century - at least for the time they are in Australia - by dressing them in uniforms designed by the classic Australian brand R.M. Williams

The complete story appeared in the February 11 edition of Cruise News Daily.

The Classic Cunard Bell Boy 

Today's Cunard Bell Boy - at least in Australia

Photos courtesy of Cunard Line. All rights reserved. May not be copied or used without express permission.

Cunard Beefed Up The Verandah

Cunard's elegant alternative dining restaurant, The Verandah, on all three of Cunard's Queens, has undergone a bit of a transformation on all three ships. It is now the Steakhouse at The Verandah with a new steakhouse-style menu.

The complete story appeared in the January 9 issue of Cruise News Daily. 

Photo courtesy of Cunard Line. All rights reserved. 

Cunard Doubles Down on Alaska

Cunard is returning to Alaska for a short season in 2019. Response to that program has been so good, the luxury line has decided already that a full season will be in order for 2020.

The 2020 program will double the number of 2019 cruises and run from June through September on the newly-refit (this year) Queen Elizabeth sailing round trip from Vancouver. 

These won't be your standard off-the-shelf week-long cruises. Each is different ranging from nine to twelve nights. 

The complete story appeared in the December 20 edition of Cruise News Daily. 

Changing the Approach

Canyon Ranch is Cunard's spa operator, and Canyon Ranch has always had a quite different approach to spas than what you find on most ships. Cunard has partnered with Canyon Ranch to develop the Mareel Wellness & Beauty concept which Canyon Ranch will be rolling out slowly across the Cunard fleet.

The complete story appeared in the December 11 issue of Cruise News Daily. 

Cunard Commodore Christopher Rynd Retires

Cunard announced that Commodore Christopher Rynd has retired from an epic seafaring career.

The line said, “Commodore Rynd was seen as the quintessential Cunard ship's Master but his career spanned a number of cruise shipping lines and vessels that made him a popular figure with countless thousands of cruise guests.”

Commodore Rynd has struck a number of iconic poses used in Cunard publicity photos but none more so than the one from 2012 by James Morgan aboard Queen Mary 2.

Details appeared in the November 1 issue of Cruise News Daily. 

Photo courtesy of Cunard Line. All rights reserved. May not be copied or used without express permission. 

Other Things You'll Want to Know - October 29, 2018

CND subscribers also read about:

• Cunard partnering with BAFTA LA
• Bitter Blanca propels P&O Australia into finals for first time

Details appeared in the October 29 issue of Cruise News Daily. 

Bartender Siddhant Naik's Bitter Blanca

Photo courtesy of P&O Australia and CND. All rights reserved. May not be copied or used without express permission. 

Two British Icons Meet in NYC

Two British icons had a royal meeting in New York Harbor today when Cunard's Queen Mary 2 crossed paths with the Royal Navy's new HMS Queen Elizabeth aircraft carrier.

It was the aircraft carrier's first visit to the United States. While it was launched in 2014, it was just commissioned last December. It has a displacement of 65,000 tons. (Queen Mary 2 has a displacement of 79,297.)

Details appeared in the October 26 issue of Cruise News Daily. 

Queen Mary 2 and HMS Queen Elizabeth meet in New York on October 26, 2018

Photo courtesy of Cunard Line. All rights reserved. May not be copied or used without express permission. 

Tihany Chosen to Design for Cunard

Noted hospitality-designer Adam Tihany has been appointed Creative Director of Cunard's next new ship which will join the fleet in 2022 and will oversee the entire interior design process.

The complete story appeared in the October 15 edition of Cruise News Daily. 

Other Things You'll Want to Know - August 10, 2018

CND subscribers also read about:

• Cunard passengers got a special show from the RAF's Red Arrows aerobatic team this evening while leaving Southampton.
• Help doesn't always come just when you call it. A passenger needing a medevac from Adventure of the Seas had to wait overnight while the ship got close enough to shore to be within range of the Coast Guard helicopter.  

Details appeared in the August 10 edition of Cruise News Daily. 

The Red Arrows above Queen Mary 2

Photo courtesy of Cunard Line. All rights reserved. May not be copied or used without express permission. 

More than a Pre-Cruise Hotel, It's a Voyage and Tour

Cunard has new Voyage and Tour packages available on select Queen Mary 2 and Queen Victoria sailings that include a pre-cruise land package in the port of embarkation.

This seems to be more than a pre-cruise hotel, because it is for several nights and includes some tours or events in the city, but differs from some other tour packages offered by some lines in that they are only one city and involve no overland touring.

Details appeared in the August 9 edition of Cruise News Daily. 

Actors Need Not Apply

Crossing the Atlantic on Queen Mary 2 is a special experience. It's on every experienced traveler's “must do list.” After they've done it, it's not simply checked off; it's an experience they want to repeat as often as they can.

Those who haven't thought about doing it, don't quite understand it. That's why Cunard put together a video that explains what it means to cross the Atlantic on Queen Mary 2.

They didn't write a script for a voiceover announcer to read, or get actors to read their lines in a  script. Cunard had actual passengers on a real crossing sit down and tell them about the experience.

The complete story appeared in the July 25 edition of Cruise News Daily.

The Rewards of Philanthropy

Just in time for the fourth, Cunard wants you to help build the new Statue of Liberty museum on Liberty Island. No, you don't have to plaster any walls, but it would be helpful if you could open your wallet. Cunard has some incentives that may help you decide to do that.

The complete story appeared in the July 2 edition of Cruise News Daily. 

They Were Not Alone

Most of the passengers aboard Queen Mary 2's world cruise earlier this year on the segment through the Gulf of Aden didn't realize it at the time, but also aboard was an armed squad of former Royal Marines, set to defend the ship in case of a pirate attack.

Passengers were made aware of the unlikely possibility of an attack when Captain Peter Philpott sent a letter to each stateroom giving passengers basic instructions should there be an attack, and asking them to keep their balcony lights off at night. Passengers were also made aware the ship was under the protection of an international task force that protects merchant ships from pirate attacks. There was a uniformed Royal Marine Colonel aboard who gave passengers a security briefing.

The complete story appeared in the June 20 edition of Cruise News Daily.