Queen Mary 2 - Captain Paul Wright Interview; QM2 Profile and Photo Tour

Last week, when Queen Mary 2 reached Sydney, Australia on her current World Voyage, Captain Paul Wright turned over command of the ship to Commodore Bernard Warner. Such changes in command happen periodically. However, what was significant about this one was that it marked the end of Captain Wright’s last contract with Cunard. He is retiring after more than 30 years with the company.

During his time with Cunard, Captain Wright’s commands have included the Queen Elizabeth 2, the Queen Mary 2 and the Queen Victoria. In fact, he was the first person in Cunard’s long history to have commanded three Cunard Queens. Moreover, he oversaw the construction of Queen Mary 2 and was Queen Victoria’s first master. These are only some of his accomplishments.

Captain Wright, however, seldom talks about his accomplishments. He describes himself with a smile as “just a simple sailor.”

His name came up one time when I was speaking to an officer on one of the Princess Cruises ships. Shortly after Princess came into the Carnival Corporation family, there had been an exchange of some of the senior officers between Cunard and Princess. The idea was that the officers from Cunard could learn from Princess and vice versa. Captain Wright was one of the officers who participated in this exchange. The Princess officer that I was speaking to said that he knew Captain Wright and thought highly of him. However, he said that he had no idea that Wright had been with Cunard or that he had commanded QE2 and QM2. As I said, Wright does not like to talk about his accomplishments.

Although he is very much a private person, he is also outgoing and friendly. He enjoys hearing what others have to say, especially if they have a sense of humor.

His personable and relaxed style also extends to the bridge. “I can’t stand shouting on the bridge.” However, with an incredible breadth of experience to draw upon, Wright is firmly in control of the situation.

As a result, Captain Wright has earned the respect and admiration of both the guests and his co-workers. My interview with him is at http://beyondships.com/QM2-art-Wright.html

Captain Wright also provided me with copies of a bar list and a daily programme from the first passenger ship that he served on - - Canadian Pacific’s Empress of Canada. This ship was later to achieve fame as the Mardi Gras, the first ship of Carnival Cruise Lines. The bar list and the daily program are of historical interest because they show just how much cruising has changed since the late-1960s/early 1970s. These items are posted at http://beyondships.com/Cruise-historic-EmpressCanada.html
Finally, I have also updated and expanded Beyondships’ profile and photo tour of Queen Mary 2. There are new menus, daily programs and perhaps a hundred new photos of the ship, which required adding two new pages to what was already an eight page tour. The profile page is at http://beyondships.com/QM2.html and the photo tour begins at http://beyondships.com/QM2tour1.html

Photo Essays of Queen Mary 2 and Queen Victoria

I have just returned from a series of cruises over in Europe. Since the purpose of my trip was to see ships, I decided to go to Europe by ship. Accordingly, I booked two transatlantic voyages on Cunard’s Queen Mary 2.

This turned out to be a quite fortuitous choice. On the day I left for Europe, the volcanic eruptions in Iceland closed down the airways and they remained closed for the better part of a week and it was difficult to get a flight for sometime thereafter. If I had chosen to fly, I would have missed at least the first and maybe more of my European cruises.

In addition to avoiding the difficulties associated with flying these days, QM2 is a delightful experience. There is always something going on. On this particular voyage there was a group of jazz musicians from Julliard both performing and answering questions. There were also talks on politics, history and astronomy given by various professors that were intellectually stimulating. Then there are the dinners and receptions given in the grand style.

When we arrived at the eastern end of the crossing in Southampton, England, we found that Cunard’s Queen Victoria was also in port. Although somewhat smaller than QM2 (90,0000 gross tons vs. 150,000), QV is an impressive ship. She also carries forward the prestige and history of the Cunard Line.

There are many ship enthusiasts living in and around Southampton who come out on a regular basis to see the seemingly ever-growing number of cruise ships that call in Southampton . However, the presence of two Cunard Queens in the port is enough to draw people from all over England. Indeed, Blue Funnel Line, which runs tours of the harbor was able to fill three tour boats with Cunard fans.

It was a beautifully clear but cold day and the air was crystal clear. Consequently, the conditions for photographing the ships were excellent. I have posted a photo essay showing the ships at their berths and then as they got underway. It is at http://www.beyondships.com/QM2-TwoQueens.html

The return voyage westbound across the Atlantic a month later also had a special ending. Due to an accident involving another ship, the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal where QM2 usually docks could not accommodate the great ocean liner. As a result, midway across the Atlantic it was announced that QM2 would be docking at Pier 90 in Manhattan rather than in Brooklyn.

This caused a frenzy of activity as Cunard employees both onshore and on the ship worked to avoid any inconvenience to passengers that could have resulted due to the change in destination. However, it also caused enthusiastic expectations amongst the passengers.

Most of the great ocean liners of the past docked in Manhattan. Indeed, for some four decades, when she came to New York, Queen Elizabeth 2 (QE2) docked at the very pier that QM2 would be docking at.

Aside from history, docking in Manhattan requires a ship to sail up the Hudson River as the world famous New York skyline unfolds in spectacular fashion. As it turned out, it was a clear Spring day and the soft light of dawn colored the City as QM2 made her way to her berth.

I have put together a photo essay which shows some of the sights that the passengers experienced on this unforgettable journey. http://www.beyondships.com/QM2-Manhattan.html

Queen Mary 2 Photo Tour and Other Cruise News

I recently completed my 18th voyage on Queen Mary 2. In part, all of these voyages are the result of the fact that QM2 goes to a variety of places. Not only does she do transatlantic crossings but she cruises to Canada/New England, the Caribbean, Norway, Germany, and to other places. In other words, one voyage on QM2 is not going to be exactly like the one before it and the one after.

Another factor that I like about QM2 is her nautical properties. She was designed to cross the North Atlantic and during the design process simulations were done to test her against the worst Atlantic storms on record. As a result, even though she towers over the water, she is remarkably stable in bad weather. Even with waves washing over the dining room windows some 30 feet above the waterline, I have noticed that most of the passengers are out and about in the public rooms. She also manages to plow through the waves at a good speed even when other ships are heaved to.

The third factor that draws me back to QM2 is the atmosphere. The programming onboard tends toward the cultural and the intellectual. Thus, she is stimulating as well as relaxing. There is also the sophistication of the bars and restaurants as well as the traditional formal receptions. While I enjoy the less formal ships as well, QM2’s style is more closely attuned to my personality.

One result of all this is that the QM2 section of Beyondships is one of the largest on the site. I have done interviews with several of her captains, senior officers and managers in an attempt to give people a behind-the-scenes look at the workings of this historic ship. In addition, there are pages of photos, menus, daily programmes and other information. At about this time last year, I updated the section to reflect some of the additional information that I had accumulated over that year. So too, I have done an extensive update of the QM2 pages on the site this year adding dozens of new photos and information collected this year.

The QM2 section of the site is at http://www.beyondships.com/QM2.html
and the photo tour begins at http://www.beyondships.com/QM2tour1.html

Turning to other items in the news. . . .

Celebrity has announced that the name of the fourth ship in its Solstice class will be Celebrity Silhouette. These are beautiful ships. I was recently on the second ship of the class, Celebrity Equinox, and was impressed by the grace of her contemporary design. In addition, Celebrity has created numerous options for guests to choose from in the activities and in the dining. The third ship in the class, Celebrity Eclipse, is being built at the Meyer Werft yard in Pappenberg, Germany and is scheduled to enter service in April 2010.

Speaking of new-builds, the Silver Spirit of Silversea Cruises entered service on 23 December. The ship is aimed at the luxury end of the market, carrying just 540 passengers. This is the line’s first new ship in several years and while a small ship, 36,000 gross tons, she is considerably larger than the other ships in the Silver sea fleet.