Author Topic: Coronavirus : general discussion focussed on the impact on the cruise industry  (Read 62720 times)

0 Members and 4 Guests are viewing this topic.

Online Andy Holloway

For those of us in the UK.

Various scenes and mentions of QE2 in the first few minutes.

https://www.channel4.com/programmes/luxury-cruises-from-boom-to-bust

About the programme

Kate Quilton explores how ocean travel was transformed from a simple journey to a luxury holiday, and the post-pandemic future for what was once a £100 billion business

Plus quite a few bits of Cunard footage from way back when.

Now for a test of your observation and QE2 Officers knowledge!.

About half way through the programme there is a reference to 'dining at The Captain's Table', with.a still of a group sat around a round table in a ship's dining room.
How many of those people can you name?  As an extra bit of 'nerdyness'; which ship, where onboard and what was the occasion?

In a couple of days - or maybe after Christmas - I'll post the picture and name the 'guests' .

There are no prizes, well apart from the knowledge that you watched the programme and noticed the bit I'm on about.
« Last Edit: Dec 22, 2020, 08:34 AM by Isabelle Prondzynski »

Online Lynda Bradford

For those of us in the UK.

Various scenes and mentions of QE2 in the first few minutes.

https://www.channel4.com/programmes/luxury-cruises-from-boom-to-bust

About the programme

Kate Quilton explores how ocean travel was transformed from a simple journey to a luxury holiday, and the post-pandemic future for what was once a £100 billion business

That a pity that you need to sign in or register to watch, so I cannot view as I do not want to register for Channel 4. Maybe it will come onto BBC later.
I was proud to be involved with planning QE2's 50 year conference in September 2017 in Clydebank

Online Andy Holloway

That a pity that you need to sign in or register to watch, so I cannot view as I do not want to register for Channel 4. Maybe it will come onto BBC later.

Sadly i think that you've got about the same chance of it being on the Beeb that you have of QE2 being returned to Trannies! Zilch.

I found it a bit boring to be honest, and in particular the long haired yank Professor who was just so anti the Cruise companies/industry it was laughable. Especially as all his 'evidence' was out of  date and he purported it to have been 'kept secret and covered up'! 
Even at the end, when the reporter bimbo asked the 'experts' about the future of cruising, he was the only one to be negative.
With the content they had, the whole programme could quite easily have been put out in 30 minutes instead of constantly repeating things and dragging it out to an hour.
Finally, why oh why do they always have to get comments from Dancers & Prancers who, aswe all know, live in a totally different universe than the rest of the crew? 

Online Rob Lightbody

  • Administrator
  • Queens Grill Diner
  • *****
  • Posts: 12332
  • Total likes: 15855
  • Helping to Keep The Legend Alive
    • Rob Lightbody dot com
Sadly i think that you've got about the same chance of it being on the Beeb that you have of QE2 being returned to Trannies! Zilch.

I found it a bit boring to be honest, and in particular the long haired yank Professor who was just so anti the Cruise companies/industry it was laughable. Especially as all his 'evidence' was out of  date and he purported it to have been 'kept secret and covered up'! 
Even at the end, when the reporter bimbo asked the 'experts' about the future of cruising, he was the only one to be negative.
With the content they had, the whole programme could quite easily have been put out in 30 minutes instead of constantly repeating things and dragging it out to an hour.
Finally, why oh why do they always have to get comments from Dancers & Prancers who, aswe all know, live in a totally different universe than the rest of the crew?

I know, it was a bit of an odd programme.  More like Channel 5 quality! 

However I think their conclusion was generally right - millions of people around the world - including many on this forum - are desperate to resume cruising just as soon as they are allowed to / it is safe - and also that for many of them, its vastly more important to them, than it is to me!
Passionate about QE2's service life for 40 years and creator of this website.  I have worked in IT for 28 years and created my personal QE2 website in 1994.

Online Andy Holloway

For those of us in the UK.

Various scenes and mentions of QE2 in the first few minutes.

https://www.channel4.com/programmes/luxury-cruises-from-boom-to-bust

So now, as promised it's time for the quiz!

In good Christmas tradition here we go with a bit of head scratching and memory jolting.

Here is a screen shot, taken by my wife with her phone, of a still from the Ch 4 Programme, can you name the officers around the Captain's Table?
We'll start with Commodore Warwick and then go around the table clockwise, so we want names and positions onboard!

Then, for a couple of bonus points, where was the photo taken [which dining room] and what was the occasion?

« Last Edit: Dec 26, 2020, 10:02 PM by Isabelle Prondzynski »

Offline Thomas Hypher

  • Queens Grill Diner
  • *****
  • Posts: 2879
  • Total likes: 5602
  • QE2 started a dream to go to sea - now a reality!
I can't name the people besides Ron Warwick but they are in the Britannia Restaurant on QM2 and I'm guessing it's Ron's retirement dinner circa 2005/6? The camera is filming them from the second deck of the restaurant.
First sailed on QE2 in August 2003 aged 6 years old. Last sailed on QE2 in July 2008. Last saw the seagoing QE2 in person from the decks of QM2, on QE2's last Transatlantic crossing (Eastbound tandem) in October 2008. Visited QE2 in her new life, in Dubai, in January 2020 and August 2022.

Online Andy Holloway

I can't name the people besides Ron Warwick but they are in the Britannia Restaurant on QM2 and I'm guessing it's Ron's retirement dinner circa 2005/6? The camera is filming them from the second deck of the restaurant.

I think you get the bonus points Thomas, I await 'official' confirmation though!

Online cunardqueen

Here goes Position 2 is His Secretary, position 5 in his wife Kim and position 7 is Mr QE2
From the moment you first glimpsed the Queen,
 you just knew you were in for a very special time ahead.!

Online Andy Holloway

Here goes Position 2 is His Secretary, position 5 in his wife Kim and position 7 is Mr QE2

Could be right, yes, no!

Online Andy Holloway

In the true spirit of New Year and goodwill to all Men/women etc here are the answers to my 'Christmas Quiz'.

Commodore Warwick* [Master], Phil Boddy* [Chief Security Officer], the only Officer i do not know, [i think possibly relief Captain's Secretary but no positive], Paul Wright *[In coming Master], 'I think - Irvine Hall[First Officer], Kim Warwick* [Mrs Master], Ronnie Kier *RIP[Ch Engineer], Peter Hawthorn* [Senior Doctor], Jacqui Hodgeson*[Hotel Manager],Othello Goshroy*[Ch Officer], Martin Stensall* [Staff Captain], Karen Smith*[Captain's Secretary].   
* These are definites, any others are possibilities or my thoughts as to who.




Online Rob Lightbody

  • Administrator
  • Queens Grill Diner
  • *****
  • Posts: 12332
  • Total likes: 15855
  • Helping to Keep The Legend Alive
    • Rob Lightbody dot com
« Last Edit: Jan 12, 2021, 10:25 PM by Rob Lightbody »
Passionate about QE2's service life for 40 years and creator of this website.  I have worked in IT for 28 years and created my personal QE2 website in 1994.

Online Rob Lightbody

  • Administrator
  • Queens Grill Diner
  • *****
  • Posts: 12332
  • Total likes: 15855
  • Helping to Keep The Legend Alive
    • Rob Lightbody dot com
Passionate about QE2's service life for 40 years and creator of this website.  I have worked in IT for 28 years and created my personal QE2 website in 1994.

Offline Thomas Hypher

  • Queens Grill Diner
  • *****
  • Posts: 2879
  • Total likes: 5602
  • QE2 started a dream to go to sea - now a reality!
This comes off the back of their CFO saying they have enough cash and other things to last comfortably until 2022, $9 billion in cash and other things I seem to recall. They've been losing billions month after month, quarter after quarter and I can't help but think the CFO's statements were a vain attempt to calm down their shareholders as their share price continues to plummet and/or stay at record low levels, as to avoid more panic. I don't think the outlook is as, relatively speaking, rosy as the CFO stated and I think they're desperate and in major trouble but don't want to admit as such publicly, not yet at least. Why would the executives be divesting themselves of their stakes in their company otherwise, and at a time like this when it could cause panic in of itself? It's like rats fleeing from a sinking ship...
« Last Edit: Jan 23, 2021, 02:08 PM by Thomas Hypher »
First sailed on QE2 in August 2003 aged 6 years old. Last sailed on QE2 in July 2008. Last saw the seagoing QE2 in person from the decks of QM2, on QE2's last Transatlantic crossing (Eastbound tandem) in October 2008. Visited QE2 in her new life, in Dubai, in January 2020 and August 2022.

Offline Rod

If one any of the Carnival high-ups said that the sun would rise tomorrow. I would have to check it!

Online Rob Lightbody

  • Administrator
  • Queens Grill Diner
  • *****
  • Posts: 12332
  • Total likes: 15855
  • Helping to Keep The Legend Alive
    • Rob Lightbody dot com
As I type this, 6000 people are locked down on board Costa Smeralda in Italy, due to their being sick passengers on board who had visited Wuhan.  They only boarded on the 25th.

Thinking it through, they really need to quarantine the whole ship for 2 weeks.  However if any passenger subsequently does show symptoms, that 2-week incubation starts again - another 2 weeks - and so on, so they'd better hope that confining those poor passengers to quarters works...  Also the ship had already visited a number of ports during the cruise...

I have fairly rapidly come to the conclusion that cruising isn't really possible at the current time, and I'm not the only one - Carnival shares are down 7% already.

Well there you have it. One year ago today I posted the above.  People thought I was over-reacting, but it was clear to me what was unfolding - I had done a huge amount of reading and research during January.

In February, I followed a couple who were stuck on Diamond Princess in Japan.  To start with they were fine, then they were evacuated, then they found themselves struck down with Covid and alone, with their family in the UK trying to get information/get them home - it was dramatic to follow.  I remember listening to his blogs at my desk at work, while worrying about the air-conditioning and wanting them to send me home.

This was his first blog post :-



The other chap I followed was an Irish teacher in Wuhan called Ben Kavanagh.  He was covered by Channel 4 news and his posts were dramatic too.

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=ben+kavanagh+channel+4

He got evacuated to the UK by the Irish embassy, and then found himself in the position of being locked down repeatedly here, as things improved dramatically in Wuhan.  He's been desperate to go back for months.  His videos were also really dramatic, and scary.



I'm sure they will get going somehow, sometime, in some capacity, but next time the above happens on a ship somewhere, with a mystery new virus, hopefully it will be taken more seriously by the cruise industry, rather than taking minimal precautions and carrying on as normal until absolutely forced into stopping.
« Last Edit: Jan 30, 2021, 12:00 PM by Rob Lightbody »
Passionate about QE2's service life for 40 years and creator of this website.  I have worked in IT for 28 years and created my personal QE2 website in 1994.