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

Allure of the Seas - - Dining

Gone are the days when all there was to do during a cruise was eat. Nonetheless, food remains a big part of the cruise experience and indeed, of travel in general. Just consider how many travel programs on television are really about food.

As is to be expected from the world’s largest cruise ship, the dining options on Allure of the Seas are not limited to the main dining room and a buffet. In fact, if a guest were to confine himself to just three meals a day, he would not be able to dine in all of the dining venues on Allure during one of her seven day cruises.

Beyond numbers, Allure offers variety. The options range from comfort food to fine dining with many gradations in between.. There is Asian food, Italian food, Brazilian food, Mexican food and various types of American cooking. One venue offers hot dogs from around the world while another features healthy smoothies, wraps and fresh fruit.

Facing so many options can be a bit daunting. Therefore, in order to give us some guidance about the various dining options on Allure, I sat down with her Food and Beverage Director Joao Mendoca and asked him to give us some insights into what each of these options are about. Not only is Mr. Mendoca is in charge of all of the dining venues but he was part of the team that developed the dining concepts for Allure and her sister ship Oasis of the Seas. This tour of Allure’s dining venues is posted at http://www.beyondships.com/RCI-ALOS-art-FB.html

From a fine dining viewpoint, perhaps the most exciting venue on Allure is 150 Central Park. Here, in an elegant, intimate setting, Allure is offering a sophisticated tasting menu. Unlike other sea-going fine dining venues, the menus at 150 Central Park were not drawn up by the line’s corporate headquarters or by a celebrity chef who only visits the ship occasionally. Instead, the menus are the product of the restaurant’s chef de cuisine who is responsible for cooking the meals as well. Thus, the restaurant is unique and reflects that chef’s creativity.

With the success of the top of the line dining venue on its newest ship at stake, Royal Caribbean had to find a truly exceptional chef. An established celebrity chef would have been ideal but it would have been impractical for a number of reasons. Instead, Royal Caribbean went out looking for a person that could well become a celebrity chef. With the help of the Culinary Institute of America, they found that person in Maureen “Molly” Brandt.

I spoke with Chef Brandt while I was on Allure about 150 Central Park and her cooking philosophy. We also chatted about her career and how she became 150’s Chef de Cuisine. The resulting article is posted at http://www.beyondships.com/RCI-ALOS-art-Brandt.html

As an added extra this week, I have also posted a new photo essay on Allure’s sister ship Oasis of the Seas. Like Allure, Oasis’ homeport is Port Everglades (Fort Lauderdale) Florida. Port Everglades is a busy cruise port and there can be some eight cruise ships in port on the same day in a relatively small area. As a result, it is amazing that a ship the size of Oasis can maneuver with such seeming ease in these confined waters. That is the subject of the photo essay. It is posted at http://www.beyondships.com/RCI-OOS-Photos-1.html

Allure of the Seas: perspectives from the top

This time we continue our coverage of Royal Caribbean’s Allure of the Seas. As discussed last time, I see the entry of Allure into service as being a turning point in cruising. The number, variety and quality of the options that she offers will raise people’s expectations as to what to expect on a cruise. Moreover, with Allure’s entry into service there is now a critical mass in that now there are three ships who are offering onboard experience comparable to a shoreside resort - - Allure, her sister Oasis of the Seas, and NCL’s Norwegian Epic. This week we look at Allure from the perspectives of three key insiders who have shaped Allure of the Seas.

First, there is Captain Herman Zini. Captain Zini is a dynamic individual who at the young age of 43 has already been in charge of bringing into service some of Royal Caribbean’s most important ships including Liberty of the Seas and Independence of the Seas. His charge this time was to ensure that Allure of the Seas was not overshadowed by her older sister Oasis of the Seas - - a difficult task considering all of the publicity that Oasis received when she entered service in 2009. To assist him in this endeavor, Royal Caribbean added new features to Allure and used the ship to premiere its new relationships with Dreamworks Animation, Starbucks and Guess. However, it was up to Captain Zini to breath life into the ship. It was interesting to me how the spirit of Allure was shaped by Captain Zini’s enthusiasm and personality. In addition, considering his experience commanding ships, I asked Captain Zini to speak about Allure’s nautical qualities.. My interview with him is posted at http://www.beyondships.com/RCI-ALOS-art-captain.html

Next, Raimund Gschaider was the first hotel director on Oasis of the Seas and the first hotel director on Allure of the Seas. I asked him to tell us about what is common to the cruise experience on both ships and what is new and distinct about the experience on Allure. That interview is at http://www.beyondships.com/RCI-ALOS-art-HD.html

Finally, I spoke with Lisa Bauer, Royal Caribbean’s Senior Vice President for Hotel Operations. Ms. Bauer has responsibility for the dining, entertainment and accommodations not only on Allure but across the Royal Caribbean fleet. She was able to give us insights into the importance of Allure to RCI as a whole as well as into what the coming of Oasis and Allure mean for the rest of the Royal Caribbean fleet. My interview with her is posted at http://www.beyondships.com/RCI-ALOS-art-Bauer.html

Allure of the Seas Profile and Photo Tour

Allure of the Seas is a game-changer for the cruise industry. Allure shares the title of world’s largest passenger ship with her sister ship Royal Caribbean’s Oasis of the Seas. Indeed, the two ships are a third again larger than their nearest competitor. When they enter or exit the harbor in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, their homeport, they tower over the high rise condominiums at the mouth of the harbor.

But, these ships impressive size is not what is important about these ships, it is what Royal Caribbean has done with all that space. There are more than 20 dining venues on Allure ranging from a hot dog stand to a fine dining restaurant where a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America has been given the freedom to develop the venue. In between, are all sorts of varieties of restaurant - - Italian family style, Brazilian churrascaria, American steakhouse, Asian cuisine, Mexican, healthy fare, hamburgers, pizza, to give just a few examples. There is also a monumental main dining room.

Similarly, there are numerous entertainment options including a production of the Broadway hit Chicago, ice show spectaculars, aqua shows, ice skating spectaculars, 3-D movies, live jazz, and live comedy.

One could go about the varieties of swimming pools and spots facilities; the spa offerings, the bars and lounges and in the accommodations. Royal Caribbean has really attempted to provide something for every taste.

On top of this, all of the various options are executed professionally. This is true not just of the chefs in the fine dining establishments and the cast in the main theater but throughout the ship.

To illustrate, the concern I hear most often about the Oasis-class ships is that they carry between 5,400 to over 6,000 guests, depending on cabin occupancy. However, the people flow is managed so that there are rarely lines and getting on and off the ships is faster than on nearly any other ship.

The reason Allure is a game-changer for the industry is that she will change what people expect from a cruise ship. With her sister ship and also NCL’s Norwegian Epic, a very sizeable number of people each week are experiencing a new level variety and quality in cruising. This will eventually reach a critical mass that will compel the rest of the industry to enhance their offerings to remain competitive.

Each ship has its own personality, largely derived from the officers and crew. On Allure, I found the spirit contagious. There was such confidence and pride in the ship, her features and what she could achieve. It was exciting just be there.

Since sailing on Allure, I have wondered at times whether this was just my impression. However, I recently attended a talk by William Miller to the World Ship Society in New York. Mr. Miller is one of the deans of ocean liner and cruise ship historians and has written numerous books on the subject. His topic that evening was on some of the great ships of the past. But, he began his talk by praising Allure of the Seas in enthusiastic terms. I felt quite vindicated.

Beyondships’ profile of Allure of the Seas is at http://www.beyondships.com/RCI-ALOS-Profile.html. The extensive commentary and photo tour of the ship begins at http://www.beyondships.com/RCI-ALOS-tour-0.html