Established in 1840, Cunard is by far the oldest name in ocean travel and the cruise business. Once the dominant carrier on the North Atlantic route, Cunard remains the sole provider of regularly scheduled crossings, plus cruise programs based in the U.S. and Great Britain catering to largely North American and European markets.
Fleet
The Queen Mary 2, when built in 2003, was the largestpassenger ship ever built, until exceeded in tonnage by the larger RoyalCaribbean ships. Running mate Queen Elizabeth 2, now approaching forty years ofservice, is due to be retired in November 2008. In December 2007, the QueenVictoria will arrive, and while she will maintain Cunard traditions as well asoffering period interiors, her hull dimensions, lack of extra strengthening andslower speed put her in the category of a cruise ship rather than an oceanliner built for express crossings regardless of the weather.
Itineraries
The ships are based mostly in New York, Fort Lauderdale or Southampton, England. Transatlantic sailings operate between New York and Southampton, andsometimes Cherbourg and Hamburg. Southampton based cruises operate mostly toother European ports while the U.S. based cruises head to New England and Canada and the Caribbean. Annual world cruises usually aim westward, embarking the threemain base ports.
Dining and Decor
While there is no segregated class structure as in the past,one’s choice of accommodations determines the restaurant assignments – the mainrestaurant and the two grill rooms. The ships also offer specialty, theme, puband buffet dining. Décor is a sophisticated blending of styles that recall theocean liners of the past.
Programs
Cunard operates fine enrichment programs especially ontransatlantic crossings with many days at sea. Lecturers may be well-knownactors, broadcasters, writers, movie producers and the like or just experts intheir fields such as maritime history, adventure travel or Anglo-Americanrelations.
Onboard Experience
While now a relatively small player in the overall cruisebusiness and a brand of Carnival Corporation operated under Princess Cruises,Cunard retains significant distinctive features. The Queen Mary 2, untilrecently the largest passenger ship and still the largest ocean liner everbuilt for regular Atlantic crossings, provides as traditional an on-boardexperience as modern lifestyles will permit. The ship may have been built in France and owned by an American company, yet the on-board atmosphere maintains Cunard andBritish ocean liner traditions such as mostly British officers, some who dineregularly with passengers, formal afternoon teas, ballroom dancing, a formaland informal dress code where most passengers comply and English pub food andbeers. The Queen Elizabeth 2 offers much the same traditions but now with alargely British passenger list as she is based in England, and she has evenmore formal dress code than the QM2. The Queen Victoria is likely to take up thesesame traditions.
Competitors
There is no competition for the Atlantic crossings otherthan much slower positioning voyages that many ships make between Europe and the U.S. or Caribbean. From New York and Fort Lauderdale, the competition couldeasily be any premium line and from England, Saga Cruises, Fred. Olsen andP&O.
