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What next for jinxed liner
By Richard Allen, Times Online
January 21, 2005

The jinxed liner Aurora should be relaunched, with a new name and a second bottle of champagne smashed on her side, in order to allow the £200 million vessel to escape from her reputation, a marketing expert told Times Online.

Vince Mitchell, Professor of Consumer Marketing at the Sir John Cass Business School, at City University, London, said that to avoid a public relations disaster, P&O should relaunch the Aurora under a different name and compensate every passenger with a free cruise.

Around 1,350 disappointed passengers disembarked from the vessel this morning, 12 days after they were due to set off on a grand round-the-world voyage. Problems with the boat's German-built propulsion system were blamed.

Prof Mitchell said: "The company has an opportunity to make sure that a phoenix rises from the ashes of this disaster.

"People go on cruises to mark special occasions. They go for honeymoons, for anniversaries and for birthdays. These are events which are heavy with significance for people.

"It only takes a couple of bad stories for a name to stick with people. The Aurora will now forever be associated with bad omens. It needs to be renamed and this time they've got to make sure that the bottle smashes."

There is a long tradition of renaming boats, buildings and companies in order to polish up reputations. The Government renamed the Windscale nuclear power station Sellafield.

Other recent relaunches include Anderson Consulting, which became Accenture, while in 2001 the Post Office Group became Consignia.

Prof Mitchell said that in his view, P&O cruises would have to do more to get over the negative impact of Aurora's abortive grand voyage.

He said: "The company is trying to get away with the bare minimum in terms of compensation. It wants the passengers to sign a piece of paper and get them off the ship. They don't want legal actions going on and on for years.

"A 25 per cent cruise credit is a nice way for the company to get rid of the problem but it simply isn't good enough when you are talking about the hopes and dreams that some people will have had for a lifetime.

"I would advise the passengers not to accept any compensation at the moment. The company is engaged in a damage limitation exercise, and they've worked out that a 25 per cent cruise credit is the bare minimum.

"My advice to the passengers would be: 'Don't sign anything. Come home and get onto a legal hotline and make an independent claim based on your own losses'. Individuals should compensated for individual losses.

"It's highly unlikely that the terms and conditions put the company in the clear over this. This is a product failure. This is due to the failure of the mechanics of the ship - it wasn't damaged in a storm or some kind of natural disaster.

"Setting aside pension scandals, this is one of the biggest service delivery problems ever, given the number of customers and the money involved.

"The company is really missing a trick here. The thing that really binds people to companies is how they deal with difficult times. If P&O show generosity now they will get a lot more back in the future."

Times Online

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What should the Aurora be renamed?
A marketing expert has recommended that the jinxed cruise liner Aurora should be relaunched with a new name and a second bottle of champagne smashed on her side. What should the Aurora's new name be - and who should launch her?

How about Harry? Then the Queen, or better, the Duke of Edinburgh, might give the bottle of champagne a suitable whack as she/he is relaunched. Amanda, Derby

Rename her Helen, the ship that launched a thousand (or so) long faces.
Michael McCartney, Southampton

Her Majesty's Prison Ship, Southampton - launched by Jeffrey Archer. Geoff Spick, Bournemouth

Renamed Pedalo, to be relaunched by a Portsmouth park-keeper. Name and address withheld

Why rename the Aurora - she is a lovely ship with a helpful and hard-working crew. We won't hestitate to travel on her again when she is repaired. Name and address withheld

What should the Aurora be renamed? - Times Online debate

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Me personally, I don't believe in superstition and all the other rubbish that has been said. I say keep her as Aurora.

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Cheers

[ 01-22-2005: Message edited by: bulbousbow ]

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there is no way that any machanical problem or superstitious mumbo jumbo will stop me.

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Aurora had the misfortune that some of the technical problems happened in the beginning of her career and that the media had picked up on them. The virus out brake happens these days on almost every large cruise ship, but again the funny stunt Gibraltar pooled made it catch the media attention.

Current situation is painful because it happened as soon as the world cruise began, had it happened during a short cruise then it wouldn’t have been such a big thing.

As for the Champaign bottle that did not smash, P&O should have had a second one nearby that could be smashed when the need arrived for it.

I only find it strange that the mechanical failure was not noticed during inspection (surely the ship is inspected before going on a world cruise, or isn’t it?)

Aurora is a fine ship which already had some unfortunate situations and bugs in her early days. I watched the ship sail smoothly while visiting Amsterdam, but as always good performances are never picked up by the media nor celebrated because misery is what sells! Trust me when the Arcadia enters service all the Aurora problems are forgotten and all attention goes out to the Arcadia.

Onno

[ 01-22-2005: Message edited by: Onno ]

[ 01-22-2005: Message edited by: Onno ]

Cheers
M.

Cruiseships aren't indispensable tools any more for people going from one place to another, but 'products' which have to be sold. The engine failures of QE2 and Canberra were in less marketingcrazy times, there was less competition in the high profile luxury passengershipping branch. Besiedes, the 1970's werent particularly good for passengershipping, and there wasn't much experiment in the traditional companies.

When QE2 ran aground, Cunard wasn't owned yet by Carnival. Transfer of the Cunard company ownership was almost constantly before Cunard being acquired by Carnival. I think wiht the new QM2, Carnival would be less compassionate now.

Cruising on "Aurora" is a luxury thing, and her image is tainted by this succession of mishaps. Everytime sometime happens, there will be a reference to this.

It was a newsitem yesterday on both flemish as Dutch TV, and a page in the flemishnewspaper of today (with color picture).

"Aurora" is one of ca.77 ships in the Carnival fleet. They won't scrap her, but as Carnival is busy these days with transferring ships from one brand to another, i can see her going to Princess, or Cunard, for which she is better suited. QV as a vistacruiser is seemingly less likely to be able to make long world voyages, (or not ? I am not sure, but I think it to be, HAL sends Prinsendam on the longer voyages) and QE2 will have to be retired once, in thenot so distant future. "Aurora" is much younger.
As "P&O" and "Cunard" have all become brands, marketing is the whole point, and this was a marketing fiasco.

Apart from this, I think "Aurora" , exteriorally at least, one of the most handsome cruise ships of today. and the consumer forgets quickly

Transfer her to Cunard, rename her and do a couple of voyages, then...

Transfer her to HAL, rename her and do a few cruises, then...

Transfer her to Costa, rename her and do a couple of cruises, then...

Transfer her to P&O, rename her Aurora.

Elapsed time? 3 months. She'd be back where she belongs and the media and general public would have lost track and not even realize that "new" Aurora was the same one that has been tabbed the "jinxed" ship. What could be simpler?

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What a fuss about nothing! The vast majority of Aurora's cruises during her career of five year have been uneventful.

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Indeed they have, but those successful/uneventful cruises garnered no publicity. This one has - it's been in all the main papers for day after day. And on the web. That image from the BBC News web site is cruel but true - the difference between the planned voyage (around the world) and the actual voyage (around the Isle of Wight). This will stay with Aurora for ever, no matter how many successful future cruises she makes.

I do indeed think that the best thing is for her to be renamed - perhaps at the end of 2005 - and transferred to another part of the Carnival empire, and moved to a market where there has been less coverage. Then another ship can be transferred into P&O and given a different name.

The bad press HAS reached the general public, but many of them would never have sailed on Aurora anyway!

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Originally posted by Tom Burke:
I do indeed think that the best thing is for her to be renamed - perhaps at the end of 2005 - and transferred to another part of the Carnival empire, and moved to a market where there has been less coverage. Then another ship can be transferred into P&O and given a different name.

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Sorry but I totally disagree, renaming and repositioning, I can’t see the point! If so the ship will stay with in the Carnival family anyway, and besides let’s say she is transferred to Costa, HAL or Princess and be renamed Auroradam (or something) The press will keep tracking her and if there would be something of a mishap it will be in the news again under the title “that former jinxed P&O ship is added again” Media loves misery and the story would be even more juicy if the ship failed again under a new name.

Transferring and renaming is absolutely not a solution. P&O (before Carnival takeover) designed her with the British P&O traveller in mind she is clearly different from a HAL ship or Princess ship. I myself would appreciate and take P&O more serious if they would do their very best to make Aurora a success, then if they got rid of the ship when it got a little rough.

Onno

PS the above news story is meant to feed superstition in order to sell their news. It is simply pouring more oil on the fire. Besides how can you relaunch a ship, I thought that could only happen once. The news article is written by someone that knows little about the cruise industry, a ship is not just a simple thing you toss away when it is showing a malfunction. You don’t demolish a 5 year old office because the lifts brake down a couple of times. Neither do you resell your new car as a second hand if the air co is malfunctioning. No you let the problem be fixed

[ 01-22-2005: Message edited by: Onno ]

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Originally posted by Caronia II:
I think she'd be quite distinguished in the Cunard fleet.

Many thanks and apologies in advance to Leon van Duivendijk for this excellent photo. ALL rights belong to him. I just added the Photoshopping.

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The media tend to forget that the Aurora has already had five successful years of cruises, apart from the maiden voyage problem, the stomach disease - which had already swept through the hospitals and other establishments here in the south of England and this. I think it is the magnitude of the recent propulsion problem and the stomach disease (which caused a diplomatic furore between the UK and Spain) which has got the media all excited.

The QE2 has had her fair share of bother over the years - no one calls her cursed...

I hope the Aurora remains the Aurora and stays based in Southampton. Anything less would be caving into media pressure.

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Originally posted by Caronia II:
I think she'd be quite distinguished in the Cunard fleet.

Many thanks and apologies in advance to Leon van Duivendijk for this excellent photo. ALL rights belong to him. I just added the Photoshopping.

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Caronia II in your photoshopped image of Leon's Aurora, did you lengthen her forecastle/bow? Because she now really looks like a liner. Nice!!

As for renaming and relaunching her, I have given my opinion. As for transferring her to Cunard or another Carnival brand, that's for them to decide. To me Aurora will always be Aurora not matter what paint scheme.

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Originally posted by bulbousbow:

Caronia II in your photoshopped image of Leon's Aurora, did you lengthen her forecastle/bow? Because she now really looks like a liner. Nice!!...

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Oh no... not at all... Besides, I was feeling so lazy I didn't even bother to color correct the reflection in the water as I might usually!

Nope, Aurora's bow makes a down angle to the prow, much as the Disney Magic does. I simply swept the line of the black up a'la Normandie/France/QM2/QE2. The convergence between the black and the forecastle-bow line gives the illusion of her having a longer foredeck. Perhaps she was always MEANT to have a black hull???