Ships:
Queen Elizabeth (2010), Queen Mary 2 (2004), Queen Victoria (2007).
About the company
Cunard Line was established in 1839, as the British and North American Steam Packet Company, to carry the Royal Mail and passengers from the Old World to the New. Its first ship, Britannia, sailed on its maiden voyage on American Independence Day in 1840. The author Charles Dickens crossed the Atlantic aboard the ship in 1842 together with 62 other passengers, 93 crew members, one cow, and, most important, Her Majesty’s mails and despatches.
Since 1840, Cunard Line has always had ships built to sail across the North Atlantic. From 1850 until the arrival of QE2 in 1969, all of the line’s ships and those of White Star Line (with which Cunard merged in 1934) had several classes. Your luggage label, therefore, declared not only your name but also what you could afford. Today, there’s no class distinction, other than by the grade of accommodation you choose. In other words, you get what you pay for, as on any cruise ship.
But one is still reminded of the company’s illustrious history. For example, Cunard Line:
was the first company to take passengers on regularly scheduled transatlantic crossings.
introduced the first passenger ship to be lit by electricity (Servia, 1881).
introduced the first steam turbine engines in an ocean liner (Carmania, 1905).
introduced the first indoor swimming pool aboard a ship (Aquitania, 1914).
pioneered an around-the-world cruise (Laconia, 1922).
held the record for the largest passenger ship ever built (Queen Elizabeth, between 1940 and 1996).
is presently the only company to sail regularly scheduled year-round transatlantic crossings (Queen Mary 2).
Frequent passengers’ club: Cunard World Club
So what’s it really like?
Sailing with Cunard Line is quite different to being aboard a standard cruise ship. The ships incorporate a lot of maritime history and the grand traditions of ocean liners – as opposed to the other cruise ships, with their tendency to tacky high-street trappings. Assuming your sea legs can cope with sometimes less than calm waters, a transatlantic crossing is supremely civilized, particularly if you can enjoy being cosseted in accommodation that allows you to dine in the “grill”-class restaurants with their fine cuisine and presentation.
Cunard Line ships are best suited to a wide range of seasoned and well-traveled couples and single passengers who enjoy the cosmopolitan setting of an ocean liner, with their extensive array of facilities, public rooms, dining rooms, and lecture programs. Male social hosts – typically 10 on an around-the-world cruise – serve as dancing partners for women traveling alone.
Cunard Line is the only cruise line that allows you to take your dog or cat with you (Queen Mary 2 transatlantic crossings only). Also, one of its most successful formulas is its adherence to formal dress codes – in contrast to the downward sartorial spiral of most cruise lines.
Berlitz Guide © Apa Publishing 2010
