Cunard QM2 celebrations halted by Social Media Campaign

Cunard have spent a long time in the planning of the Queen Mary 2’s 10th Anniversary celebrations which are being held this Friday in Southampton. Launched in 2004 she is now the Cunard flagship and its world famous transatlantic sailings from Southampton to New York are still as popular now than they ever have been.

So it is only fitting she gets a celebration to remember.  However, this week some party poopers took to Social Media to vent their anger and concern at some of the plans. Cunard had originally planned to release 10,000 balloons, which visually would have been fantastic. This morning they have announced they have relooked at their plans and the balloons will no longer feature.

Posting a message on its own social media Facebook page the cruise company said: “We have taken your advice and we will no longer be doing the balloon release.”

Conservationists were worried about the effect the balloons would have on wildlife and that once the balloons were out there who knows what damage they could do and where would they land.

Fridays event begins at early lights with the three ships joining each other in Southampton.

The rest of the special events are going as planned including a  dazzling fireworks display, which is due to begin at 10pm. The QM2 will then set out on the first of two special commemorative crossings to and, then, from New York underlining her role as the only passenger ship in the world maintaining a scheduled service across the Atlantic, something a Cunard ship has done since 1840.