CUNARD SALE STARTS 1 DECEMBER (UK)

Cunard are holding a sale on many cruises that starts today

Find more on the site: http://www.cunard.co.uk/

The email alert says:

Make a booking on The Cunard Sale, starting 1 December 2009 and you can save up to £300 per person.

Savour the many wonders of Europe and North Africa on a selection of Mediterranean voyages from just £899 per person. Choose from Fly-Mediterranean voyages aboard Queen Victoria to maximise your time in the sun or Southampton roundtrip voyages on either Queen Victoria or Queen Mary 2 with no airport check-ins or luggage restrictions. Search VoyagesAlternatively, discover the quintessential Cunard experience on a Transatlantic Crossing on our magnificent flagship Queen Mary 2. Enjoy 6 or 7 nights of uninterrupted pleasurefrom £899 per person. Remember this includes all meals*, entertainment and your flight to or from New York. Search Crossings

New to The Cunard Sale:
A selection of Baltic voyages roundtrip from Southampton on Queen Victoria. Explore a tapestry of regal pomp and imperial grandeur from just £1779 per person for 14 nights. Search Voyages
Demand for these fantastic savings is sure to be high once again, so book as soon as possible to secure the best savings on your chosen 2010 Cunard voyage.

VIDEO OF THE NEW QUEEN ELIZABETH SHIP WORK-IN-PROGRESS

On the great http://wearecunard.com/ blog there was some links to videos made by Cunard gang on the work in progress on the Queen Elizabeth ship.

Click here to watch on YouTube, or watch on the blog posting below:

Cunard Queen Mary 2 QM2 Crossing: a story of the trip in 10 minutes!

Cunard Queen Mary 2 QM2 Crossing: Passenger Talent Show

This is a compilation of the 7 passengers that took part in the "talent" show on board the Queen Mary 2 crossing we did in April. Quite a laugh, for the wrong reasons really. To watch on YouTube: click here

Extreme Queen Mary 2 from a Helicopter! Cineflex Aerial Footage

Queen Mary 2 (QM2) Maiden Call to Greenock

Queen Mary 2 (QM2) Maiden Call to Greenock, originally uploaded by Rob Lightbody.

Queen Mary 2 (QM2) Maiden Call to Greenock

Queen Mary 2 (QM2) Maiden Call to Greenock, originally uploaded by Rob Lightbody.

24/365: QM2 Fireworks

24/365: QM2 Fireworks, originally uploaded by petecarr.

This was some day. Started with a helicopter flight over the city.
Ended with this view of QM2. Some day.

Pete Carr - Photographer
(Sent on location)

blog: www.vanilladays.com
web: www.petecarr.net

Queen Mary 2 in Liverpool

Queen Mary 2 in Liverpool, originally uploaded by petecarr.

Uploaded on Flickr by petecarr who wrote:
Awesome morning so far. No rain, windy and oddly not that cold. Been flying around in a helicopter photographing the arrival of the Queen Mary 2 in Liverpool. The biggest cruise ship to ever grace the Liverpool skyline. Amazing sight from up there as I'm sure you can tell.

Uploaded by petecarr on 20 Oct 09, 2.06PM BST.

TWO GREAT CUNARD FAN SITES

I received an email with a link to 2 great Cunard sites by a fan:

This from Richard:

I'm very interested in ships including the QE2. I was lucky enough to travel aboard her so put together a website of my own which I thought you might be interested in.

http://maritime.elettra.co.uk/qe2/

If you think it might be of interest to you readers I'm happy for you to post a link


I can see from your site you've also been to Long Beach. If you are also interested you might like to visit:
http://maritime.elettra.co.uk/queenmary/

Kind regardsRichard

Design a Sculpture for Queen Elizabeth's Royal Arcade

This from Cunard:

We are delighted to announce that this Saturday, 19 September, The Daily Telegraph launches an exciting new competition inviting readers to design a sculpture for ongoing display on board Our Gracious New Cunarder, Queen Elizabeth, joining the fleet next autumn. Saturday's Review section of the Telegraph will contain all the information you will need to enter.

Whether your are a professional or amateur sculptor, this is a fantastic opportunity to have your design showcased on one of the most elegant Ocean Liners in the world. The sculpture will have a prime location in the liner's Royal Arcade which features shops and chic designer boutiques over two decks.

The competition judges will include Charles Saumarez Smith, Chief Executive of London's Royal Academy of Arts. Full details of the competition can be found at www.telegraph.co.uk/culture from Saturday.

Southampton name removed from QE2

This article at: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/hampshire/8225638.stm

The QE2 will no longer bear the name of its former home port Southampton.

The city's name has been replaced with the liner's temporary home port of Port Vila by its new owners, United Arab Emirates real estate developer Nakheel.

Cunard sold the ship for £50m to Nakheel, which is now in talks to move it to Cape Town to become a hotel in time for the 2010 football World Cup.

The developer said international law required the removal of Southampton since it was now registered in Vanuatu.

The QE2 left the Drydocks World-Dubai, where it was transferred to in July for routine marine surveys in compliance with international standards, last Saturday in preparation for sea trials.

A spokesman for Nakheel said: "Although she will no longer be taking passengers or operating as a cruise ship, the registration documents will state her class as being 'a passenger/cruise ship'.

Floating hotel

"To conform to international law, the name 'Southampton' has been painted over on the stern, although the letters remain attached, and her temporary home port of Port Vila has now been painted underneath.

"To comply with the terms of the sale contract, the Cunard brand has also been removed from the side of the ship."

Nakheel had planned to refurbish the ship and open it as a floating hotel in Dubai but that has been put on hold.

The QE2 will now go to the Victoria and Alfred Waterfront in Cape Town, where there is a shortage of hotel rooms.

Nakheel, which has a financial interest in the South African port, said the ship would be staying in Cape Town for 18 months.

Queen Mary 2

Queen Mary 2, originally uploaded by Andy Fitzsimmons.

Lifeboats on the QE2

Lifeboats on the QE2, originally uploaded by garybembridge.

Dubai based QE2 may return to Southampton

This article appeared on Southampton newspaper daily Echo at
http://www.dailyecho.co.uk/news/district/southampton/4453206.QE2_may_be_coming_back_to_Southampton/


MYSTERY surrounds an approach for legendary Southampton liner Queen Elizabeth 2 to make a stunning return to her home city.

The Daily Echo has learned from high-placed sources that port bosses have been contacted about the possibility of an astonishing comeback by the Grand Old Lady of the Sea towards the end of the year.

It comes less than eight months since she was sold off for £50m to become a luxury hotel in the desert of Dubai with thousands of well-wishers lining Southampton Water to bid her farewell.
It is likely that QE2 would have to sail to Southampton without passengers but it revives the tantalising prospect of the liner sailing with thousands of nostalgic travellers on her traditional transatlantic route to New York, where it is understood approaches have also been made by shipping agents.

Grand plans to convert the former Cunard liner into a luxury five star resort in Dubai have been torpedoed by the global recession, with QE2 now lying in a deserted container berth.
Owner Nakheel, part of the Dubai royal family’s development empire, has been forced to deny consistent rumours that the troubled project could be in jeopardy and ruled out a sale or sending her to the scrapyard.

A spokesman for Nakheel denied the company was behind any plan to send her to Southampton.
However, a senior cruise industry figure told the Daily Echo there were major doubts over Nakheel’s lavish plans and said it would not be insurmountable to return her to service. He added he had heard of plans to run cruises out of Dubai on QE2 and to take her to South Africa.
It would be relatively easy to restore the ship ready for cruising once again and would cost considerably less than Nakheel’s conversion scheme.

Currently she is home to only a skeleton crew of 36 under an eastern European captain and has just one engine running to provide power.
Port owners ABP declined to comment.