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Originally posted by Ernst:
Well, we have to 'live' with Cunard calling their ships liners - that's their marketing strategy.
I would not even call QM2 a liner - she is a fast cruise ship - this means that some 'details' are different - but also QM2 is definitely geared towards vacationists (who travel with her for 'fun') and less towards people who use her mainly as a mean of transportation.
For me this does not make her a less fascinating ship - but she is not a liner - which is for me a ship serving basically only one itinerary with a strong emphasis on transporting passengers form one port to another.

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Originally posted by Cunard Fan:
Great videos! Thanks for posting. It always amazes me how fast they can build these ships now. I guess thats becasue they build the same ship over and over again. QVs looking good.

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I agree it is nice to see the videos, and thanks for posting them, but I don't think they really show much more than the unfinished steel interiors of the ship.

In most cases, the "tour" leader is standing in front of a brochure image and talking about what it WILL look like. What it DOES look like to me is unfinished steel and wires.

Here are the (apparently very spacious) Grill Restaurants:

Am I missing something?

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Originally posted by joe at travelpage:

Am I missing something?

Joe at TravelPage.com

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No I should have been more clear on what I meant. Sorry. I mean that over all she will be a nice looking ship when shes done. IMO.

[ 03-13-2007: Message edited by: Cunard Fan ]

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Originally posted by joe at travelpage:
What it DOES look like to me is unfinished steel and wires. Am I missing something?

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I'm afraid that you are missing something Joe.

I sailed on a ship that makes regularly scheduled transatlantic crossings,..a ship that cut through the Atlantic as steady as a rock (even with 20-30ft. seas), a ship that was designed with crossings in mind, a ship that went from point A to point B,.....I could go on and on.

If one is going to argue that QM2 is not a true liner, they'd better be prepared to admit that the same thing could hold true for QE2. Afterall, BOTH ships were designed with cruises and crossings in mind. And yet, all I hear is how QE2 is the last of her kind! What tripe!

Almost every famous transatlantic liner, at one time or another, strayed from it's intended itinerary,......Bremen, Berengaria, Normandie, Olympic, etc., all hosted passengers who took cruises on them for the sole purpose of having fun; and yet no one EVER questions their status as liners.

Respectfully,

-Russ

[ 03-13-2007: Message edited by: linerguy ]

Don't get me wrong - I am sure QM2 is a fine, well built ship - probably one of the finest afloat.

And yes, she has been built in reminiscene of the 'old liners' - to recreate the 'idea' we have of what a liner is - but this in principle not different than other design/decoration themes e.g. found aboard the often bashed funships of Carnival. (I do not see this as a disadvantage!)

Speed, seakeeping etc. are certainly not defining a liner as there were also many slow liners - and there are also some cruise ships and ferries (which are the a good apporximation of a liner) with similar attributes.

The schedule is an interesting issue - IMHO QM2 could do a bit more crossings (I desperately tried to find a suitable crossing for this year - impossible ) - I wonder why she has been built like she has been built when she spends most of her time somewhere else than on the Atlantic...
Also, if it would just be the repetition of an itinerary ALL these mainstream ships e.g. in the Carribbean would more qualify as liner than QM2.

I will never understand what the issue is w/some people arguing about QM2 being a 'liner' or a cruise ship-she is BOTH. She does a very luxurious 3-class point A to B service and keeps to that schedule like liners of the past AND does her cruise service the rest of the year. She also could be considered a 5-day boat (if Cunard brought her up to 28.5 knots) which would put her more in the 'express liner' catagory.

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Originally posted by Malcolm @ cruisepage:

Although the SS Norway was converted into a caribbean cruise ship, her heritage was 'pure' Ocean Liner, a ship of state.

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But even she was also used for cruising. Her Maiden voyage was a cruise, wasn't it? Also ships that she desended from were also used for cruising. Like the Normandie.

[ 03-13-2007: Message edited by: Cunard Fan ]

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Originally posted by Ernst:
A liner doing a cruise doesn't become a cruise ship - and a cruise ship doing a liner voyage doesn't become a liner.

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Originally posted by mec1:
The latest edition of The Cunarder includes a DVD with a virtual tour of QV and I must admit that her interiors look lovely.

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Originally posted by linerguy:
And yet, all I hear is how QE2 is the last of her kind! What tripe!

3-13-2007: Message edited by: linerguy ]

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Thankfully, there are several modern cruise ships (as well as QM2) that go against the grain,...many of RCI's ships come to mind.

And while it's true that most modern boxboats are rather unsightly, the long and short of it is that the general public could care less; as long as they experience good food and service, in comfortable surroundings (which is subjective), they're more than likely going to be happy.

I think people get too hung up on this whole liner thing,....does anyone think that Cunard, a company that's known for it's ties with famous liners, is going to pull a wild card and not call QV a liner? It isn't gonna happen, folks. They're going to play up that schtick as much as possible.

I will concede to calling QM2 a "cruise liner", because that's what she was designed to do. But I also put QE2 under the same tag because that's what SHE was designed to do.

-Russ

[ 03-14-2007: Message edited by: linerguy ]

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Originally posted by Malcolm @ cruisepage:

Do Cunard publish that magazine regularly. They have not sent me one for ages?

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