Maritime Review of 2008

 

 A very Happy New year to all my readers.

Here’s a look back at some of the more memorable cruising and maritime related events over the past year.

One of 2008’s biggest maritime news stories had to be the retirement of Cunard’s QE2 from active passenger service. The QE2, which entered service in 1969, sailed off into the sunset (figuratively) departing from Southampton for the final time in November, with an emotional send-off. She sailed majestically towards Dubai and a new chapter in her long career. After an extensive refit the vessel will be berthed at a specially-constructed pier and serve as a luxury floating hotel and conference centre, and the cornerstone of a new retail and entertainment development at The Palm Jumeirah, the world’s largest man-made island. The jury is still out whether this is a fitting way for her to end her illustrious career.

However, as one great ship retires another one is born. The other big news story of 2008 was the continuing construction of the Worlds largest cruise ship by Royal Caribbean. At 220,000 gross tons and able to carry 5,400 passengers, Oasis of the Seas will set new records for size when she enters service in December 2009. RCI kept the interest in Oasis of the Seas strong by scheduling a series of “reveals’ designed to highlight the innovative features that passengers will encounter onboard. These included the first oceangoing park, ‘Central park’ which will feature live trees and plants and the ‘Boardwalk’ which will feature a carousel and other activities previously restricted to land based venues. Reactions to the sheer scale of this floating ‘theme park’ ranged from ecstatic to  frightening.

Throughout the year we have also continued to see distressing images of a wonderful ex ’ship of state’, the ‘Blue Lady’ (ex SS Norway, SS France). After years in which her fate was uncertain and numerous dubious attempts to save her were announced, in 2008 she was slowly dismantled on a beach in Alang, India. Commentator, Peter Knego estimates that she will be completely gone by the end of February 2009. Despite this reality I suspect that there is at least one eternal optimist out there somewhere saying “It’s not too late, we can still save her. All we need is to collect all of the bits and employ a good welder”.  The ‘Topaz’ also shares the same beach and awaits the same fate.

NCL did not have a great year in 2008. NCL America admitted defeat and their Hawaiian fleet which was originally compromised of three dedicated cruise ships, was paired down to just one vessel, the ‘Pride of America’.

Interestingly the ‘Pride of Hawaii’ was renamed ‘Norwegian Jade’ and was redeployed to Europe. She retains much of her internal Hawaiian style décor, seemingly part of NCL’s strategy of trying to confuse the European passengers.

NCL’s plan to introduce two innovative 150,000gt mega-ships also hit rough waters in 2008. Originally slated for deliver in 2009 and 2010 respectively, the F3 sisters were to feature innovative features such as “wavy” cabin walls and onboard “Ice Bar”. Unfortunately for NCL, late stage design changes combined with escalating costs and disagreements with the shipbuilder forced the cancellation of one of the F3 ship orders. The once ambitious project that NCL management had hoped would set new standards for innovation has now been scaled back significantly. NCL were also required to compensate the ship yard, making this a very expensive mistake.

There was no change in the status of the once proud flagship of the US merchant fleet as the NCL owned SS United States remains tied up and rusting away at a Philadelphia pier. Given the recent turn of events for NCL, then chances of the United States ever returning to service are about as good as me winning the ‘Booker Prize’.

Cunard’s ‘Queen Victoria’ (A Carnival Vista class ship in disguise, with an Ocean Liner themed décor) entered service in December 2007 and was generally warmly welcomed throughout 2008.

Fred. Olsen Cruises gained their biggest ship, the 43,537gt ‘Balmoral’ which entered service in January. While she may be the largest ship in the Fred. Olsen fleet, she is still half the size of many of her competitor’s vessels. Olsen also announced that ‘Black Prince’ (1965) would retire in 2009.

P&O’s Ventura (A Princess Grand Class ship in disguise) entered service in April and demonstrated that P&O’s strategy of attempting to please all of the people all of the time was going to be more difficult to implement that originally planned as P&O veterans reacted coldly to the new addition. However newer converts may have been won over.

One bit of good news on the classic ocean liner front was the triumphant return of Holland America Line’s former flagship ‘Rotterdam’ to her home port of Rotterdam to serve as a hotel and conference center. She has not yet opened to the public but this is expected to sometime in 2009.

Celebrity Cruise Lines, Celebrity ‘Solstice’ complete with a real lawn entered service in November and is arguably one of the most stylish big ships around, at present.

From an economic perspective, 2008 saw the rise and fall of fuel prices and the implementation and then cancellation of fuel surcharges by the cruise lines.

However, perhaps the most significant development in 2008 for all consumerism was the so called ‘credit crunch’ which signalled a global economic downturn. The cruise industry has enjoyed an unprecedented growth in recent years, but in 2009 that may finally slow or even stall. For example, the UK cruise industry grew by 11% in 2007 and a bigger growth was predicted for 2008, yet 2009 is not expected to show any growth at all.

We will be seeing some exciting new cruise ships enter service in 2009, but these were of course ordered pre-economic downturn. Only very brave cruise lines will be ordering new tonnage in the coming months. In fact the challenging market conditions in 2009 may well prove Charles Darwin’s ‘Theory of Evolution’ right and we will see the survival of only the fittest cruise lines.

Malcolm Oliver

 

(Q: Have I forgotten any important maritime events in 2008? Please feel free to add your comments – membership is NOT required).

The Last SS Norway (Blue Lady) Image

Peter Knego’s web site suggests that the Blue Lady (SS Norway ex SS Fance) will be completely gone (scrapped) by Febuary. See what may be the final images here:

www.midshipcentury.com

Unfortunately, the Maxim Gorky may well be sent to the scrappers too, in the near future.

Life Begins at 40 (QE2)

15/12/2008

Some 200 hotel rooms, 110 luxury apartments, a 500-seat West End theatre, a 5,000sq mtr spa, five restaurants and a maritime heritage trail are just some of the refurbishment plans for QE2 in her new life as a floating iconic destination on the Dubai waterfront unveiled by Manfred Ursprunger, ceo of new owner QE2 Enterprises, Nakheel Hotels at today’s opening session of the Seatrade Middle East Cruise Conference.
‘QE2’s arrival in Dubai is not the end for the most famous liner in the world but a new beginning,’ remarked Ursprunger.
Currently berthed in Port Rashid where she arrived on November 20, QE2 will eventually be moved to the nearby Drydocks World repair yard to undergo an extensive refurbishment estimated to take two to three years, Ursprunger revealed.

All public areas will be rebuilt as will all cabins and suites. The makeover will take the philosophy of the original design combined with modern standards, said Ursprunger. This will result in 200 hotel rooms of 50sq mtr plus 110 apartments ranging from 80 to 250sq mtr. The engine room will be stripped out and a 500-seat theatre created staging West End shows and film premieres. Leisure facilities will also include a 5,000sq mtr indoor/outdoor health and wellness centre. Celebrity chef Michel Roux will mastermind the menus of the five restaurants on board and others shoreside.

The bridge, captain’s cabin and Princess Grill will be kept as is, forming part of a heritage trail that visitors can follow. ‘I am sorry to be vague about the completion date but this is a complicated project which also needs major complementary land-based infrastructure alongside where the liner will be finally accommodated, none of which is built today,’ Ursprunger said.

The QE2 Precinct, as the Nakheel executive referred to it, will be the flagship attraction at Palm Jumeriah and will comprise the ship itself moored at a berth accessible via a 40ft gangway, ‘giving visitors the feel of entering an ocean-going passenger liner’.

Shoreside facilities will include luxury restaurants, retail outlets, a cultural and heritage centre, a maritime museum with large display of Cunard memorabilia taken from on board, an art gallery and amphitheatre for outdoor concerts.

Ursprunger told Seatrade Insider he was unable to disclose more information about plans on the hotel and leisure side as ‘this is a ship we are using and we first need to see if our visions can actually be realised’. Repair yard engineers are now conducting structural surveys. ‘It is difficult to accurately predict the cost of the project until substantial assessment has taken place. What we are going to do will ensure the ship is functional for another 50 years and will involve replacing all plumbing, accommodation, wiring, etc.,’ Ursprunger added.

The funnel will be removed from the ship and restored to become the central display of a new maritime museum located at the QE2 Precinct. An exact replica will be built to go on the liner. A luxury apartment will be created inside the replica making the funnel the most famous address in the Middle East, said Ursprunger.

‘They say a soul of a ship is represented by the people who sail in her. We hope under her new look QE2 will continue to provide experiences for many more years to come,’ he concluded.

Source: Seatrade Insider

It’s (Almost) Official: Only One NCL F3

In mid-November, Cruise Critic reported that there were signs of some thawing out between Norwegian Cruise Line and STX Europe over a serious dispute concerning the innovative two-ship F3 cruise project. Insiders predicted that we might be hearing positive news soon.

Today, industry publication Seatrader Insider is reporting that NCL and STX Europe have in fact reached a settlement. The new agreement seems to confirm what’s been hinted at all along: One of the 150,000-ton, 4,200-passenger F3 ships, the largest ever built for the line will come to fruition, instead of the two originally announced by the line back in fall 2006.

As in the past, NCL would not comment on the project, and Seatrade’s report even noted that STX Europe maintained the dispute remains ongoing.

The disagreement between yard and line first stemmed from major requests for design changes by the line that resulted in large, new fee assessments from STX Europe. Things became so bad that work on the second vessel, which is still in the very early stages of construction, had stopped.

So how has the project gotten back on track?

Sources told Seatrade that NCL will have to pay a 100 million euro penalty for canceling the second ship order, plus 55 million euro for added design changes. The cost of the new-build has risen from its original price of 735 million euro to a whopping 890 million euro, or nearly the cost of Oasis of the Seas.

Seatrade’s report, however, raises just as many questions as it answers. If the first F3 is to be completed, what’s to happen with the second ship? And what changes are in store for F3, the original design for which included several one-of-a-kind cruise ship features such as wavy-walled cabins and an ice bar, not to mention an absence of a main show lounge, main dining room and lido buffet style?

(Source: Cruise Critic, Dan Askin)

Malcolm Says:  have quite high hopes for the F3. I hope it really is ‘different’ rather than just ’spin’. Why should a big ships just have one main dining room and one main theatre – it should be all about choice in these post Fordist times (Henry NOT Betty).

I have no problems with additional onboard charges if the fares are set low enough to compensate. At the end of the cruise I need to feel that I’ve had good value, irrespective of the pricing methodology.

The one thing that did strike me as odd is how upfront NCL were with their addition charges onboard the F3’s . Additional charges are hardly a good selling point for newbuild press releases. O.K the fares might be the most competitive at sea, but we don’t know that yet.

Cunard’s QE2 – An Overated Legend?

Introduction

By the time that you read this the QE2 will have retired and be undergoing the process of being converted to become a hotel in Dubai. 

So much has been written about the most famous ship in the world that she became a legend in her own lifetime. I’m sure that legend will just continue to grow and the stories of this palatial icon with the finest food and service will be passed down the generations.  She has a very big fan club, but others were not always quite so impressed, but often remained silent. This because it  is almost sacrilege to write something negative about the QE2.  Her army of admirers normally ‘flame’ anyone that disrespects the legend ‘on-line’.  However I’m feeling brave and I’m going to ask the question “Was her reputation bigger than the reality?”  

Public Rooms

When you board the QE2 your expectations are probably sky high.  You may well be expecting to board a ‘floating palace’. Her interiors were always in good condition, even at the end of her service. However,  I’m sure that many passengers first thoughts on embarking her for the first time were “Is this it?”. There were no large atriums, no breathtaking dining rooms and generally no “wow” factor which modern ships often incorporate.  Although, I’m sure many regular Cunard passengers would argue that they were looking for something a little more subbtle than Las Vegas glitz of most modern ships.

Her interiors are a strange mixture of decors including contemporary decor, 1960’s and retro such as Georgian and Art Deco.  I must say that I was not a fan of the QE2’s original “Austin Powers” style interiors, although much of these have now been replaced. Those 1960’s features that do remained looked ugly to me.

The circular Grand lobby was nicely renovated in recent years with attarctive nuatical murals. However a strage mushroom supported the ceiling in the center of the room, which was surely inspired by the décor in the 2001 A Space Odessey Space Station.

The Queens room was a very nice space, but had that very 1960’s grid-like ceiling supported by more of those strange mushrooms, The Grand Lounge (Show lounge) was rather outdated and lacks sufficient seating. It also did not have any racked seating, so unobstructed views were very unlikely. Unfortunately the show lounge was also ‘through-way’ so people could o pass through it, causing some disruption to the shows.

In contrast the large Theatre, used for lectures and movies, was very charming, very retro, and very practical with fully raked seating.

The Yacht Club which is a bar/nightclub/disco has contemporary nautical decor and was a nice space to finish your evening in, athough it felt like a public room on a modern ship rather than an Ocean Liner.

It is a pity that the QE2 did not have a forward observation lounge in the latter part of her career. This was a big omission and would have been be the prime spot to watch her bow plough through the waves on a rough transatlantic crossing.

Food & Service

Everyone seems to agree that the ‘Queens’ and ‘Princess’ Grill experiences are excellent, but they are very expensive. The Caronia dining room food and service were often regarded as pretty good.  However the evening meals and service in the Mauritania could be very inconsistent.

 

Although the Mauritania was not an unpleasant room, the Caronia dining room was by far the most attractive, in my opinion. I even preferred the Caronia’s decor to that of the more intimate grill dining rooms.

On my crossing, the Mauritania service was very slow at times, and the food ranged from poor to adequate, but it was never great. In fact overall it is the worst food I’ve had on a cruise ship. In fact I had better meals on a DFDS ferry! (Our table mates were very experience cruiser and agreed). 

One the first night I had a steak which was both tasteless and tough. The soups, salads and deserts were also unmemorable. In fact my local supermarkets sells better tinned soups and frozen deserts! Surprisingly, I’ve had better food from Fred Olsen, Thomson, NCL and RCI . In fact the food and service on RCI’s ‘Brilliance of the Seas’ shakedown cruise was better than on our QE2 crossing. Maybe Cunard were just having an ‘off’ week, as I can’t believe that ‘M’ grade food and service was always that bad. Only our charming table mates made evening dinning an event worth looking forward to.

However, I must say that Breakfast and lunch in the Mauritania were better in terms of service and quality of food than the evening meal. There also seemed to be a greater choice on the menu during the day than in the evening.

I personally think that the different grades of dining and price structure onboard the QE2, gives Cunard the perfect excuse to use inferior ingredients and poorly trained Chef’s and wait staff in the Mauritania restaurant, without feeling guilty. On a one class-dining ship, there is of course every incentive to keep the standard of food and service high for all guests. Cunard should be ashamed of themselves. (Although I must say the the QM2’s bottom grade, the Britannia is very good indeed. The Queen Vic’s Britannia is also superior the the QE2’s Mauritania)

Commentators might just say ‘pay more’ if you wanted better food and service. However, I would not want to pay for a higher grade of food or cabin on the QE2, because I already feel that I had paid more than a mass market cruise, but got lower standards. However, the self-service food in the lido was very good.  We often used it both for breakfast and lunch. Although I must say that lining up with a plastic tray hardly represents the hight of luxury.

Accomodation

Having a proper tapered ‘ocean going’ hull means the QE2 has a whole range of cabins of different shapes and sizes, ranging from microscopic inside cabins withbunk beds to luxurious suites with double beds and veranda’s. The cabins come in there grades, Mauritania, Caronia and Grill class.

However, just to confuse the issue, some lower grade cabins can be slightly larger than the next grade, depending on deck position. Only a very knowledgeable travel agent or an accurate deck-plan (not the one in the brochure) can fully enlighten you. However, as a guide the more you pay, the stronger the likely hood of a bigger better cabin.

It is worth noting that the smallest inside cabin on modern cruise ships are considerably larger the smallest on the QE2. In addition, the smallest cabin on a modern ship will probably have twin beds compared to the smallest on offer on the QE2 which will almost certainly have bunk beds (or upper and lower berths) as they politely put it. In short, you got more cabin for your money on a modern cruise ship, when compared to the QE2. (Dubai will certainly have to renovate and enlarge many cabins in order to create profitable hotel accomodation).

Conclusion

A cruise or crossing onboard the QE2 was never chaep.  Compared to most modern ships you paid more but could get considerably less for your money.

Without doubt, a cruise and especially a transatlantic crossing on the QE2 was a great experience for those interested in maritime history. She was very much a ’ship nuts’ ship and did have a unique atmosphere.  However, those primarily interested in spacious and comfortable accommodation, good entertainment, good food, at a reasonable price, there are many new ships with better facilities, better accommodation and certainly offering better value.  I suppose that why she’s gone – she could no longer compete.

So “Was her reputation bigger than the reality?”, well I’d say “yes”  You only got quality on the QE2 if you are prepared to pay top-dollar.  Fortunately, most (all?) of the QE2’s failings have been put right onboard the breathtaking Queen Mary 2 and the Queen Victoria.

Please feel free to comment, but no ‘flaming’ please!

An Interesting snipit of News:

QE2 held back Cunard from being luxury fleet, says Carnival boss

(10 December 2008)

The QE2 held Cunard back from becoming a “totally luxury fleet”, Carnival UK chief commercial officer Peter Shanks has admitted.

Shanks said agents could now sell Cunard as a pure luxury brand.

“The QE2 held us back in many ways as a brand. We could not say a certain cabin on deck five [of the QE2] was luxury. Now it is a totally luxury fleet, with consistent product.”

He admitted the brand could not rely on its quality alone to survive the tough period ahead, and said its version of the “Harrods sale” had been brought forward by several months to boost bookings.