Recently, Forbes published an intriguing story about Cunard Line, the ship which has finally reached the harbour after decades of struggles in navigating on the adverse currents caused due to the jet age and changing consumers tastes.
What happened?
20 years ago, the Carnival Corporation purchased 68% of Cunard Line for $500 million and a year later the Miami-based holding company, which now trades as Carnival Corporation & plc, bought the rest for $205 million. At the time traditionalists and some travel agents were apprehensive.
They were concerned an entity better known for its “Fun Ships” namesake cruise line might homogenize a company founded in 1840 which had played an important role in both the annals of shipping and world history. It also wasn’t apparent that the buyer was going to end up happy. Reportedly, Carnival received a $50 million refund after it found Cunard’s then-aging fleet was in worse condition than what was represented.
The Historic Importance of Cunard
In terms of its place in history, Cunard not only transported millions of immigrants from Europe to the United States around the turn of the 19thcentury, James Cameron reminded a new generation how the rescue efforts of its S.S. Carpathia saved hundreds of survivors from the R.M.S. Titanic in 1912 after it hit an iceberg and sank.
- During two World Wars and other conflicts, Cunard vessels played important roles in transporting troops to battle, wounded warriors home and refugees to safety. Winston Churchill said the line’s efforts sped up the end of WWII by nearly a year.
- During the calmer periods prior to the jet age portion of the 20th century, Cunard’s grand ocean liners carried CEOs, Hollywood stars, and Royalty.
Why is it still around?
To understand the miracle that Cunard is still, around only one of its former transatlantic competitors is still operating passengers services – Holland America Line, acquired by Carnival back in 1989. What’s even more surprising today is that Cunard is not an afterthought, kept around by some sense of nostalgia.
- Carnival doesn’t break out the performance of individual brands – but a fourth ship – which experts say may cost between $700 million and $1 billion – is on order for delivery in 2022.
- The company right now is spending over $250 million to refurbish the current fleet, all relatively new at just eight to 14 years old.
The Queen Mary 2 was completed in 2016, Queen Victoria last year and Queen Elizabeth enters drydock in November.
Over 175 Years Of Innovation
Josh Leibowitz, a five-year veteran of the holding company’s c-suite, added the role of Cunard’s senior vice president about 18 months ago. The former McKinsey consultant says the brand’s survival then and now is built on a foundation of openness to change, and in fact, the line’s history reveals a high level of creativity.
- In 1852, when it was still building vessels with wooden hulls, Cunard launched the first onboard children’s playroom.
- In 1874 came the first library at sea and a dedicated lounge for women.
- In 1911 were the first shipboard gymnasium and the first vessel to offer hot and cold running water in all cabins.
- During the 1960s Cunard, seeing the future of travel, made two attempts to get into the airline business.
- It bought 60% of a small U.K. carrier renaming it Cunard Eagle Airways and then later formed a short-lived airline joint venture with BOAC, the forerunner to British Airways.
- In 1981 there was the first full at-sea spa, a branch of California’s Golden Door, and in 1984 there was the first floating outlet of Harrods, decades before wellness and shopping were identified as key drivers for affluent travelers.
In a dynamic combination of old and new, by packaging a flight on the supersonic Concorde with a transatlantic sailing on the QE2, executives identified that there was still a business opportunity for the regular oceanic crossings if people could easily fly one way.
Why does people love it?
More recently, its sailings between New York and Southampton have been stretched to seven days, guests telling the company that they wanted an extra day of serenity out on the big blue ocean. Cunard has also bulked up its outreach to travel agents, who Leibowitz sees as a key conduit in finding clients who will appreciate what the line has to offer. At the same time, it is using digital marketing to target Anglophiles and others who don’t fit into any natural cruising category, for example, affluent vacationers who are planning to already spend two or three weeks in Europe. For these folks, what’s another week to enjoy the unique experience of crossing on a real ocean liner. It was a Cunard ad campaign in the 1950s that coined the phrase, “Getting there is half the fun!”
While you can spend $50,000 on the 2,249 sq. ft. Grand Duplex Sandringham Suite aboard the QM2, it’s also possible to score a balcony stateroom on a crossing for under $2,500, including meals and entertainment for two people, far less than one would pay for many luxury vacations on land.
If you are worried about the weather, Leibowitz says its liners have double the number of stabilizers as typical cruise ships – four instead of two – and specialized bows that cut through rough oceans. “People root for big waves because the ride is so smooth,” he says. The Atlantic crossings run from April to January, with the QM2 spending the rest of the year on a world cruise, something Cunard invented in 1921.
Eclectic Itineraries
Whereas most ships make seasonal shifts and often ply the same routes calling on the same ports week in, week out, many of Cunard’s itineraries change from year to year, with each of its ships making round-the-world circuits but varying stops.
Next year, for example, the line returns to Alaska, and its first of four sailings for the season there begins in Japan. Perusing one of its glossy brochures filled with exotic itineraries, it’s clear even when one of the ships stays in a particular region for an extended period, the routes vary voyage to voyage.
Folks who can’t dedicate a quarter of the year to circumvent the globe can buy segments ranging from 16 to 60 days, and there are others that are seven days in addition to the crossings.
The Cunard and the Others
Its Indiana Jones throw a dart at the map itineraries is only one point of difference. Whereas most luxury ships sail with under 1,000 passengers, each of the current Queens has the capacity for double that number of guests, although Leibowitz points out that its larger ocean liners carry about half as many people as mass-market cruise ships of similar tonnage.
Another difference is dining. While the trend aboard cruise ships of all sorts has been to focus on specialty restaurants and celebrity chefs, each of the top three cabin categories aboard Cunard’s vessels gets its own dedicated restaurant. At the highest end is the Queen’s Grill, then Princess Grill and Britania Grill and at each Leibowitz says instead of a rush or line, you get your own dedicated table and waiter dining at whatever time you want. You also can order off the menu and if it’s onboard, your wish is happily accommodated. You can have ribeye medium rare every night if that’s what you like. Most requests, Leibowitz says, are fairly mundane. Usually, it’s about having the dish prepared in line with dietary restrictions, or one world cruise regular who wanted a specific type of apple pie, which was baked with a crumb topping per her directions.
That’s not to say there aren’t a variety of restaurants. There are, including the French-inspired Verandah, a British pub, a casual buffet, and pop-ups serving Asian, Indian, Italian and even American Smokehouse dishes. There is the traditional Afternoon Tea service too. Still, Leibowitz says most guests happily dine in their assigned restaurant each night. In the Queen’s and Princess Grills, tableside preparation of your Caesar Salad or Banana’s Foster adds to the fun.
Fashion Week At Sea
Event cruises have also become a staple, including a Fashion Week voyage that brings aboard various designers who give guests the inside scoop on how the industry works complemented by several runway shows. Next year there are also voyages themed around big bands, wine, and space exploration. This November is a cruise with Ancestory.com. You can take the test and get your results before boarding, then meet with genealogists on the sailing.
Days at sea are filled with lectures, spa treatments, workouts at the extensive gym, walks around the extra wide decks or just relaxing with a book in a lounge or out on deck where a steward will bring you a warm blanket and hot drink. There is Wifi in case you want to stay connected. Evenings before and after dinner include cocktails, comedians, and musical performances from blues to solo harpists and classical recitals. There is karaoke too.
Rare Opportunity
During Virtuoso Travel Week in Las Vegas last month, advisors attending a seminar from the line said one attraction is Cunard offers that increasingly rare venue for those of you who want to dress to the nines, a place that still welcomes ladies in the finest gowns and best jewelry and men who enjoy wearing a tuxedo. While a dark suit and tie will do on formal evenings, one advisor told me, “It’s for somebody who enjoys The Carlyle (Hotel in New York) much more than a W (Hotel) or somebody wanting barefoot luxury.”
Leibowitz looks at it a bit more broadly, saying that travelers take different types of trips looking for different experiences, so perhaps the same person takes one trip to a trendy luxury hotel and another to a grand dame. It’s not clear that Cunard or its liners will again in the future play a significant role in world events as they once did, but a new video with actual guests reminds that the line still generates something every vacationer wants – memories that last a lifetime.
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Source: Forbes
