Elizabeth - General Discussion

[Isabelle Prondzynski]

Somehow, the name adds insult to injury...

Any other name (even that of a queen, if so desired) would have been fine -- but why use the name of two such illustrious forebears, which are in a totally different class to this mass produced block?

Anyway, I did sneak a look at the keel laying ceremony blog, and found it surprisingly fascinating in its own (rather limited) right :

http://wearecunard.com/2009/07/the-first-pictures-of-a-new-queen/
http://wearecunard.com/2009/07/queen-elizabeth%e2%80%99s-keel-is-laid/

The video, which continues the blog, contains an interview with a happy Carol Marlow.

[luzparis]

for me cunard loose his spirit because the new ship is not original !she's  a copy of different other ship made by fincantieri
only the QM2 is different why cunard don't built a specific liner ,modern, new look and design contemporay  a ship for the 21 century??

[Rob Lightbody]

My God, does she EVER wear ANYTHING else!

I can imagine her in bed with that rigout on!

[Isabelle Prondzynski]

She's just making life easier for people like me with poor memories, who might not otherwise recognise her!
Must be the case for a few more Cunard passengers too .... 

Come to think of it, I bet you that her wardrobe is FULL, and that it is just us who cannot distinguish between one of her rigouts and another...

But black and red pyjamas... very smart... 

[Jem]

Where has the imagination gone.........

Cheers
Jeremy.

[highlander0108]

Cunard has appointed Captain Chris Wells as Master of the new Queen Elizabeth.

http://www.marketwire.com/press-release/Cunard-Line-Limited-1039243.html

I, as well as probably most of you, am very disappointed that this did not go to QE2 Master Captain Ian McNaught.  Is he being punished for his little grounding incident?  Does anyone know what our favorite captain is up to?

Ken

[Twynkle]

Captain McNaught is hopefully at the helm of the Queen Victoria, as from last Sunday!

(It looks windy out there tonight, passengers may be experiencing Heavy Mounting Seas!!)

[highlander0108]

Well, to put a positive spin on this, perhaps he is in line for command of another liner, QM2.  This news does take away some of the excitement of the 2011 Maiden Tandem Crossing that I am booked on.  For me, Captain McNaught was part of the whole QE2 experience and having him at the helm would have helped bridge the transition to a new ship.

Ken

[Louis De Sousa]

Captain Mcnaught deserved to be the Captain for the new ship.

Louis

[Twynkle]

However it's important and good to read that the new QE will have
a Master who also has much experience of sailing aboard QE2

About QE and the Crew / Staffing in general.

After QE2 arrived in Dubai - many of the Crew moved to either 'The Mary' or to qV.
This has been to help maintain Cunard's way of doing things, as well as to train new crew etc.
From this passenger's experience, it's worked very well!
'Specially as our Cabin Steward, some of the Waiters, Officers and Staff had spent over 10 years aboard QE2
It certainly felt as if the spirit of QE2  was everywhere around us!
I wonder whether it's the same on 'The Mary'?

However, at least one ex-QE2 'Senior' is now needing to work in a more junior position
Currently many working on qV are as yet unsure where they will be 'posted' next year
It seems that some Crew and Staff from 'The Mary' and qV will be shared between new QE
while a number of new Crew et al will be recruited across all three Cunarders.
Officers, Crew and ?Staff spent months with qV prior to her Maiden Voyage
Expecting now that it will be the same for QE

Please,  someone correct / change any of these 'facts' if they are incorrect!

[Twynkle]

Counting down....
http://wearecunard.com/2009/11/breaking-news-–-the-latest-pictures-of-queen-elizabeth/

[highlander0108]

Counting down....
http://wearecunard.com/2009/11/breaking-news-–-the-latest-pictures-of-queen-elizabeth/

It would be nice if all the glazing mullions are blacked out ala QE2 on the bridge.  Too bad there appears to be nothing changed or even tweaked from the QV bridge design.  The white mullions on the bridge area scream out to me on the QV design.  I know there is no way to make the new ship QE2 like, but that subtle change might approve here appearance and give a subtle nod to real Cunard Liners QE2 and QM2.  I rather like how Stephen Payne angled the center portion of QM2's bridge like QE2's.

I also wonder if they welded the name on the stern so that QEII cannot mess up the naming ceremony which undoubtibly she will be called to do.

Ken

[Rob Lightbody]

You learn a new word every day - mullion!  Its a great word too

I bet HRH QEII does not name the new ship.  I think her hubby & co know a thing or two about ships, and they knew QM2 was special... I'd be surprised, and disappointed, if she named qE .

And agree about the bridge comments - and i really like how this is one of the many ways in which QM2 gives a nod to her illustrious predecessor.

[Chris Frame]

I bet HRH QEII does not name the new ship.  I think her hubby & co know a thing or two about ships, and they knew QM2 was special... I'd be surprised, and disappointed, if she named qE .

I'd like it if HRH did name the new ship, and once at the podium, she speaks the words "I name this ship Mauretania" She's 'renamed' a ship before - why not this one?!

[Rob Lightbody]

Mauretania's no better than mis-using the Queen name!  Mauretania was an awesome ship - fastest and most advanced in her day, world famous! 

Caronia or something would be OK though...

[Chris Frame]

Ok ok ... perhaps I picked the wrong name! Maybe "I name this ship Sea Goddess 3"

Caronia (of 1949) would be good considering she was the first Cunard 'Cruise' Ship - although make no mistake she could handle herself on the North Atlantic.

That said, all the old Cunarders were awesome ships in their own right... they helped shape nations, drove commerce and safely transported millions upon millions across the world's most perilous ocean. They were and are awe inspiring, national treasures... Which is why it is so important that the last of these great Cunarders (QE2) is preserved!

[highlander0108]

You learn a new word every day - mullion!  Its a great word too

I bet HRH QEII does not name the new ship.  I think her hubby & co know a thing or two about ships, and they knew QM2 was special... I'd be surprised, and disappointed, if she named qE .

And agree about the bridge comments - and i really like how this is one of the many ways in which QM2 gives a nod to her illustrious predecessor.

Wouldn't that be the ultimate snub if she does NOT accept to name the ship, which we probably would never know anyway if the offer was extended to her from Cunard.    I know that they have their reasons for naming the ship plain old QE, but I just have a hard time with that (Queen Elizabeth is one of the original Queens to me) and QE3 rolls off my tongue far easier. Anyway, since they want to simply erase all QE2 memories and hark back to the original Queen Elizabeth with the retro Art Deco interiors and not do anything cutting edge like QE2 was in her time, so be it Cunard.  Like Captain McNaught has said so many times, you will never see anything the likes of QE2 ever again.    That being said, I'm booked on the maiden tandem crossing on QE with QV. 

Ken

[LegendOfTheSeas]

Quote. "The ships design incorporates aspects of the QE2 and the original Queen Elizabeth!!!"

http://www.gadling.com/2009/03/30/details-about-the-cunard-ship-the-queen-elizabeth/

Which reads like complete crap to me, as it's another Vista clone. In my opinion, there's nothing wrong with Vistas in their own right, as they're fine cruise ships and quite pretty ones, too, when seen from the front quarter (all in my own opinion, of course - I do expect to be shot down in flames here   ) but they are not Queens and to try and dress up an off-the-peg cruise ship up as a true Cunard queen is short-changing everyone.
If they had wanted to give them true Cunard names, and there is nothing wrong with that why didn't they give them the traditional Cunard '-ia' (except Queen Victoria of course   ) names such as Mauretania, Aquitania, Coronia, etc, and leave the Queen names out of it? Want a Queen? Build a sister to Queen Mary 2, doesn't have to be as large, but it would still be a Queen - we can but dream... Just stop passing a cloned cruise ship off as something it is not.  

[Isabelle Prondzynski]

In my opinion, there's nothing wrong with Vistas in their own right, as they're fine cruise ships and quite pretty ones, too, when seen from the front quarter (all in my own opinion, of course - I do expect to be shot down in flames here   ) but they are not Queens and to try and dress up an off-the-peg cruise ship up as a true Cunard queen is short-changing everyone.
If they had wanted to give them true Cunard names, and there is nothing wrong with that why didn't they give them the traditional Cunard '-ia' (except Queen Victoria of course   ) names such as Mauretania, Aquitania, Coronia, etc, and leave the Queen names out of it? Want a Queen? Build a sister to Queen Mary 2, doesn't have to be as large, but it would still be a Queen - we can but dream... Just stop passing a cloned cruise ship off as something it is not.  

I agree with all that. By the way, the -ia names were all of Roman provinces, so probably even Victoria would not qualify     . But there could have been the additional option of reviving the -ic names of White Star lines...

And if it had to be a Queen... why Elizabeth, of all available names? This choice just seems to add insult to injury...

But as for shooting anyone down in flames, somehow I do not think this Forum is the place for that, we seem to be altogether too civilised (what else would you expect of a bunch of QE2 fans?) to even consider such action  .

[LegendOfTheSeas]

But as for shooting anyone down in flames, somehow I do not think this Forum is the place for that, we seem to be altogether too civilised (what else would you expect of a bunch of QE2 fans?) to even consider such action  .

LOL!   I wasn't sure, as I thought I might have overstepped the mark here by describing the Vista family as 'pretty'! But, yes, this is one of the most civilised forums I have ever been in (and with varied interests such as astronomy, birding and football I belong to quite a few!) with nice people who all love our dear old QE2.

I agree about the '-ic' names. It would have been great to see Georgic, Britannic, Majestic, Olympic, etc, revived. Olympic, especially, would have been quite apt for Queen Elizabeth, as we host the Olympics here in Britain two years later.