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May 16, 2008
Quarterly Business Update
Dear Travel Professional,
As many of you know, 2008 will be a most memorable and poignant year for us at Cunard as QE2 will be completing her service in Cunard’s fleet after more than 40 years and nearly 6 million miles of ocean travel. We are delighted and inspired by the new era that continues to flourish through the modern day splendor and elegance of our new QUEEN VICTORIA, now sailing in Europe after completing her very successful first World Cruise!
QUEEN MARY 2 continues to sail with tens of thousands of satisfied guests, as her voyages keep her on schedule across the North Atlantic and to exotic destinations. Here are just a few of the many exciting events that have taken place at Cunard in the past few months, and we hope that you and your clients will soon have the opportunity to experience our renowned ocean liners. I am also pleased to share with you a few exciting product and service enhancements already underway.
NEW PRODUCT
2009 Voyage Program
Following simultaneous World Cruises in early 2009, Cunard Line’s flagship QUEEN MARY 2 and the new QUEEN VICTORIA will celebrate Cunard’s 170th year in service by embarking on a series of more than 60 departures calling on over 75 ports in 34 countries. Highlights of the 2009 schedule include additional QUEEN MARY 2 Transatlantic Crossings (including options to extend or embark a Crossing via Boston) and 11 new QUEEN VICTORIA itineraries featuring 18 maiden.
In commemoration of QUEEN MARY 2’s fifth year in service, the grand ocean liner will sail her first Around the British Isles itinerary, an eight-day journey featuring first-time calls to Liverpool, Glasgow, and Cork.
In addition, guests interested in an all-at-sea travel experience by sailing roundtrip to Europe from New York can do so aboard QUEEN MARY 2’s Grand Voyages of 20-24 days. These are available on her European itineraries by adding a legendary Transatlantic Crossing to the beginning and end of a voyage, affording guests an extended and more relaxing journey of a lifetime.
Kicking off her second year at sea, QUEEN VICTORIA will offer a wide range of voyages from her home port of Southampton featuring northern Europe itineraries to the North Cape and Spitzbergen, the Baltic and Iceland. In total her 2009 schedule features 11 new itineraries, including Kristiansand, Norway; Gothenburg, Sweden; Alghero on the Italian Island of Sardinia, and Cephalonia, Greece.
In July, she will make her maiden voyage to Iceland, visiting nine ports including Akureyri, home of the northernmost golf course in the world, and Reykjavik, the northernmost capital city in the world, on the 13-day Geysers & Glaciers itinerary roundtrip from Southampton. Other port calls include Grundarfjordur, Alesund, Hellesylt, Geiranger, Flaam/Sognefjord, Stavanger and Bergen.
Cunard has enhanced its Group Program for 2009 and now includes the following benefits:
- Additional amenity points offered on Queen Mary 2 Eastbound Crossings
- The "10-10 Special" Group Program is back - agents can earn 1-for-10 Tour Conductors and 10 group amenity points for group allocations on select Mediterranean voyages
- Low Tour Conductor Ratios - most voyages earn credits at 1-for-10 with some as attractive as 1-for-8
- Double value amenities for Balcony and Grills accommodation on all Cunard voyages.
Cunard continues to offer one of the most attractive group programmes in luxury cruising and these enhanced benefits make it even easier to lucratively sell the Most Famous Ocean Liners in the World. In addition, Cunard's Group Program will continue to offer savings of 5% per person off Early Booking Fares on all sailings with special April voyages offering 25% off Early Booking Fares. Cunard World Club members also receive 5% savings off early booking fares on all voyages.
Cunard 2009 Cruise Sales are now available offering a reduced deposit and attractive onboard credits. Please remember that you can now set them up at POLARonline or contact your DSM to take advantage of these great promotional tools.
QUEEN VICTORIA
Debut and Cunard Royal Rendezvous’
QUEEN VICTORIA was launched on December 10, 2007 by HRH The Duchess of Cornwall (Camilla) in the presence of HRH The Prince of Wales amidst great fanfare, excitement and a spectacle production. You can now enjoy QUEEN VICTORIA’s thrilling Naming Ceremony online at www.cunard.com. See the pageantry and excitement of the festivities in Southampton on December 10, 2007.
After embarking on her first two maiden voyages in Europe, she departed Southampton for her first Transatlantic Crossing, sailing in tandem with QE2. Seven days later joining their sister ship, QUEEN MARY 2, in New York, at a special presentation at the Manhattan Cruise Terminal a proclamation was presented to Cunard President Carol Marlow from Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s office declaring January 13, 2008 as “Cunard Royal Rendezvous Day” in the City of New York.
That evening, Cunard celebrated another historic occasion when the three ships met amidst a grand fireworks celebration at the Statue of Liberty – it was to be the only time that three Cunard Queens would meet in New York. Both ships continued on their respective World Cruises meeting again in Sydney, Australia, for another Royal Rendezvous on February 24.
QUEEN VICTORIA has now completed her world cruise and will be spending the summer in Europe. Limited space is still available on European voyages for summer/fall 2008 so please keep your eye out for competitive promotions as we complete selling the season.
Stateroom Drawers & Storage
We appreciate many of you and your clients taking the time to share feedback on the many exceptional aspects of QUEEN VICTORIA and we are also taking action on the specific feedback to install more storage space in the staterooms. The design team has just completed a comprehensive audit of all staterooms, and they are currently reviewing the various alternatives. We hope to have corrective fixes in place during this summer.
QUEEN MARY 2
QUEEN MARY 2 has a wonderful season of signature transatlantic crossings this year, further enhanced by noteworthy Cunard Insights™ lecturers. There is no better time to promote peak season and fall voyages.
Cunard Insights
We are excited to announce that the Boston Symphony Chamber Players, one of the world's most distinguished chamber music ensembles, will perform on QUEEN MARY 2’s September 4th Transatlantic Crossing (Eastbound). Artistic Administrator of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, Anthony Fogg, will accompany the Chamber Players on this voyage and serve as a guest lecturer in the Line’s award-winning onboard enrichment program, Cunard Insights. Comprised of principal players of the Boston Symphony, the Chamber Players were founded in 1964 so the Boston Symphony Orchestra could share the unique qualities of the full chamber music repertoire with concertgoers.
Cunard Line, the Official Cruise Line of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, is entering its second year of sponsoring the Boston Pops at Tanglewood Series and the Tanglewood Jazz Festival.
Also on the September 4th Crossing will be a very special appearance by Linda Hope, daughter of legendary comedian-humanitarian Bob Hope, as she promotes the first ever Bob Hope Estate Charity Auction taking place live/online from Los Angeles in October this year. Hope will participate in several onboard programs and share stories and anecdotes about her father’s career in radio, film, TV, philanthropy, and his iconic contributions to the military through his years of dedicated service entertaining the USO. In an exclusive arrangement with Linda Hope and the Bob Hope Estate, several coveted memorabilia items will be auctioned onboard for guests of this very special Crossing.
Bob Hope has a notable history with Cunard having sailed on the original QUEEN MARY back in 1939 singing “Thanks for the Memories” in the Queens Salon during a special New Years Eve performance.
Additionally, now is the critical time for World Cruise promotion so please take advantage of our fabulous promotions for QUEEN MARY 2 World Cruise liners, especially FLL-LAX, and LAX-SYD.
QUEEN ELIZABETH 2
Farewell Celebrations
As Cunard Line's famed QE2 continues her farewell season - the iconic ships final year with the fleet is highlighted by a series of poignant voyages, including three calls in favorite North American ports that are expected to draw an outpouring of well-wishers.
Widely considered the most famous ship in the world, QE2 has logged more than 5.6 million nautical miles (equivalent to traveling to the moon and back 13 times), carrying over 2.5 million passengers. The regal ship will complete her service for Cunard Line in November 2008 as the company's longest-serving liner.
Her Majesty The Queen will make a farewell visit to QE2 in Southampton on Monday June 2, 2008. Her Majesty The Queen has visited QE2 twice since the launch – on May 1, 1969, immediately prior the Maiden Voyage, and on July 27, 1990 to mark Cunard Line’s 150th anniversary.
PUBLIC RELATIONS
Cunard continues to use creative public relations and sponsorships to keep the Cunard Queens in the public eye with key audiences. Examples of some recent high-profile events include:
Cunard Line embarked on a new partnership with the UK-based youth charity, The Prince's Trust, founded by His Royal Highness Prince Charles, helping to raise vital funds in order to change the lives of disadvantaged young people throughout Britain. On January 30, 2008 during QUEEN VICTORIA's maiden call to Los Angeles, a check in the amount of $60,000 was presented to The Prince's Trust from Stars for a Cause, a Los Angeles-based charity with whom Cunard Line partnered for a unique celebrity pop-art charity auction.
In early February, QUEEN MARY 2, hosted over 200 guests at her US home port in Brooklyn for a luncheon to celebrate the European Travel Commission’s Giants of Culture and Travel - a colorful and whimsical display of cardboard and mixed media sculptures designed by French artist Dan Mestanza to represent the 20 ETC participating countries and showcase the ETC’s 2008 culture and tourism campaign. Also that month aboard QUEEN MARY 2, Cunard Line President Carol Marlow served as keynote speaker and hosted an exclusive gathering of New York's esteemed Women's Forum, Inc. Founded in 1974 by Elinor Guggenheimer, the Women's Forum membership is on an invitation-only basis and limited to 400 pre-eminent professional women of diverse achievements whose professions are in the New York arts and business communities .
Liner Notes – Public Radio Series
Cunard Line is proud to bring Liner Notes to public radio, a new travel series that explores fascinating destinations and thought-provoking ways that travel can be experienced and enjoyed through literature. Hosted by Paul Holdengräber (NY Public Library) and recorded with notable and knowledgeable guests over lunch at the Captain's table aboard QUEEN MARY 2, the series of themed, one-hour shows takes listeners on a journey of wit, wisdom and wonder, exploring destinations as they have been imagined and as they exist in literature, painting, film, music and myth. You can learn more about past and future episodes online at www.cunard.com/linernotes.
CUSTOMER SERVICE
New Group Lists
POLAR Online is making it easier for you to view and manage your groups online. You will now be able to view a single list of all your active agency groups on all ships. All active groups for your agency will be listed in the group list. The group list will display the sail date, group number, voyage number, ship name, destination and group name. You will be able to view your group allotment, the number of berths sold and your current conversion ratio for each group. You can also sort the group list by entering a future sail date, selecting a destination or selecting a ship. All three options can be used at the same time to help you find a specific group.
Documentation Program
We are proud to announce the launch of our new and improved Cunard Pre-Voyage Documentation.
For the first time, Cunard guests will now receive full color, digitally printed documentation which will be personalized by each individual guest and their voyage. The move to digital print will enable us to provide more accurate and relevant information to the guest and also provide greater opportunities for targeted marketing both on behalf of Cunard and the guests' respective Travel Professional.
As per the existing process, the new documentation will be mailed as follows:
| 60 days prior to departure: |
NEW Cover letter |
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NEW Pre-Voyage Documentation booklet |
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Improved Cunard Voyage Guide |
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Shore Excursion Program |
| 28 days prior to departure: |
NEW Travel Documents (final tickets) |
We are delighted to confirm that the first guests to receive our new documentation will be those on the following three voyages: QUEEN VICTORIA’s V809 Russian Rendevous II (June 22, 2008), QE2’s E808 Norwegian Wonders (June25, 2008) and QUEEN MARY 2’s M824A Summer Splendours (June 26, 2008).
Academy Commodores
Finally, thousands of Cunard and Princess Academy Commodores are participating in the Ultimate Princess Commodore Competition Challenge. They are having their knowledge tested each month with the contest presenting them with 15 entirely new multiple choice questions about Princess plus three bonus questions about Cunard. Commodores are competing based on the state or province in which the agency is located and our website tracks each of the Commodore’s scores, which are based not only on the number of questions answered correctly but also the time taken to answer – more points are awarded for faster answers. The leader board shows which agencies are ahead in their state or province, plus the overall leaders for North America. When your agents have downtime, please encourage them to compete for bragging rights to the top Commodore in your agency state. Check out where they rank today at onesourcecruises.com.
Warm Regards,
Sr. Vice President Sales & Customer Service
Cunard Line and Princess Cruises
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