Remarks of Carol
Marlow at the
13 January 2007
ROYAL
RENDEZVOUS in
New York City
Marlow at the
13 January 2007
ROYAL
RENDEZVOUS in
New York City
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On 13 January 2008, the entire Cunard fleet - - QUEEN MARY 2,
QUEEN ELIZABETH 2 and QUEEN VICTORIA - - met in New York
harbor. In the evening, they departed as a fireboat shot water into the
night sky and a fireworks display was held near the Statue of Liberty.
During the day, Cunard President Carol Marlow met with New York’s
press corps at the newly refurbished Pier 88 along with George
Fertitta, CEO of NYC & Company and New York City Deputy Mayor
for Economic Development and Rebuilding Robert C. Lieber. Among
other things it was pointed out that 43.8 million people had visited New
York in 2007 and that the cruise industry contributed $1 billion in
direct spending to the New York economy in 2006. Ms. Marlow made
the following remarks:
We’ve been coming over to New York in various guises and in various
ships since 1847. The HIBERINIA was the first ship to come into New
York harbor, her first direct transatlantic crossing from Liverpool over to
New York, and we have been coming ever since.
We thoroughly enjoy bringing our guests here. We are going to be
bringing our ships, whether it is QUEEN VICTORIA, QUEEN MARY 2 or
QE2 over here over 30 times in 2008. Of course, every time we bring a
ship in, there is a great positive economic impact on New York. Our guests
love to be here, they love to spend money here.
We are here today for two different celebrations: The first being that this
is the maiden call for QUEEN VICTORIA. She was launched back in
December, one month ago. A spectacular naming ceremony - - she was
named by her Royal Highness the Duchess of Cornwall, Camilla, and her
husband, his Royal Highness the Prince of Wales, Prince Charles, was also
in attendance. We were delighted to have them for the very first ship naming
ever that they have performed together.
The vessel now is on her very first world cruise and this is the very first
call on her very first world cruise. It is very appropriate that New York
should be the destination. New York is one of 37 different destinations on
this voyage. She is away for 106 days and she is calling in 23 different
countries - - a remarkable voyage.
We have about a thousand people actually boarding the ship today. The
rest - - she carries around 2,000 people - - boarded in Southampton but we
have about a thousand coming on board, many of whom will be residents of
the local area.
Our second milestone today is that we have all three Queens here in
New York. This is the first time they have all met. In fact, since December,
we have had three Cunard Queens in our fleet, the first time in our 158-year
history that we have had three Queens. We are delighted to have them all
here today in New York because New York is actually the port that Cunard
has been continuously for the longest period of time. We have come
continuously to New York more and for a longer period than we have for
Southampton in England, which is their homeport, but also Liverpool, which
was the home of Cunard in the 1800s. So, this really is a very special place
for us.
It is not only special because this is the first time we have had these three
ships together, it is special because it will never happen again. QE2 is
leaving our fleet to go on to pastures new in November of this year and they
are not programmed to meet in any other port between now and then.
So, this is a truly momentous occasion. For the maritime buffs amongst us
including me, it is a spine tingling time and tonight when they leave together
they will be just by the Statue of Liberty for a period of time when we will
shoot up some fabulous fireworks by Grucci and I think everyone will have
an amazing time. They came in together this morning and they are leaving
together tonight.
It is particularly meaningful that we have the three Queens having their
rendezvous by the Statue of Liberty because Cunard over the years has
brought over two and a half million emigrants from the old world to the new
in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Of course, the vast majority of those
people stepped ashore in North America for the very first time on Ellis
Island. So, it is particularly poignant that our three Queens should meet
there.
Of course, nowadays, we are seeing a great revival and a renaissance in
the number of people wanting to travel across the Atlantic by ship. The
QUEEN MARY has been in service doing that run now for the last four
years and this is her 80th crossing that she has recently completed. So, they
are bringing more and more people across the Atlantic by ship.
The journey is a little different now than it was in the 1800s as you can
imagine -- still an authentic ocean liner experience but this time in the height
of luxury, fine dining and excellent service. And, if you sail on one of our
vessels, for example, QUEEN VICTORIA, whether it is on one of her
transatlantics - - she has just completed her first transatlantic - - or her world
cruise or indeed, her voyages to the Mediterranean that she is going to be
doing next summer, you can enjoy some fabulous features to the ship: her
two deck library with over 6,000 books; her Cunardia museum, which tells
the story, the fascinating story of the Cunard Queens; or maybe the Royal
Court Theater, which is a magnificent theater - - the only theater at sea with
private boxes and the only theater at sea with a royal box officially
inaugurated by Prince Charles and his good wife a month ago. So, she is a
spectacular ship. As you can imagine, when she leaves here she is going to
be carrying about 3,000 bottles of champagne, round about 2,800 lobsters -
- all of which will be used before the end of the month and then she will
stock up again. She does offer the heights of luxury.
The closing remark I should make is that this meeting of the Queens
starts the next chapter in Cunard’s history. We had to wait after QE2 came
into service some 37 years before we found our next Queen joining us and
that was obviously QUEEN MARY 2. Now, we have only had to wait
three years for QUEEN VICTORIA to join us and I am delighted to say
that it will be less than three years before we welcome another Queen to the
Cunard fleet. That will be QUEEN ELIZABETH, the new ship that is
joining us in 2010. So, again the Cunard fleet continues to grow. Of
course, ladies and gentlemen, New York will be one of the very first major
calls that she makes.
[In response to a question on QUEEN VICTORIA’s first crossing and
the logistics of arranging the meeting of the three ships, Ms. Marlow stated:]
These are ocean liners and yes, we come across the ocean to our
destinations. Yes, we didn’t have the smoothest crossing across the Atlantic
this time around but after the first few days it did subside a little and the ships
were still able to make it on time, in fact they all came in just a little early.
QUEEN MARY 2 came up from the Caribbean.
In terms of the logistics of that, we plan our programs some 18 months
to two years in advance so this has been planned for a very long time. We
put together the schedules and our guests noticed that all of our Queens
would be in New York at the same time and as you can imagine, the sale of
these voyages were very strong.
The logistics of all our guests disembarking and going off to enjoy
themselves in New York went extremely smoothly and we were helped
greatly by all of the authorities here in New York, by the Coast Guard and
by the Customs gentlemen. And I have to say it has been an incredibly
smooth day so far. We have already embarked our guests for the next
voyage.
[In response to a question concerning the future QUEEN ELIZABETH,
Ms. Marlow stated:] We have not announced too much about her yet
because obviously QUEEN VICTORIA has had her launch and her
introduction. QUEEN ELIZABETH will be most similar to QUEEN
VICTORIA than to the other ships in our fleet but there will be some
differences. We will over the next few months be revealing those,
announcing those, as we get the ship construction underway. But she will be
most like QUEEN VICTORIA.
[In response to a question on whether Cunard will build a ship larger
than QUEEN MARY 2, Ms. Marlow stated:] We don’t like to get ahead
of ourselves at Cunard. We make a success of the ships we have and then
we look to the future. QUEEN MARY 2 is certainly an extremely
successful ship. She does the transatlantic run extremely well and very
comfortably. We are very happy with her as a ship. As to whether we go
larger or not, we will see.”
[Adding to Deputy Mayor Lieber’s response to a question concerning
the impact of foreign tourists on New York City’s economy, Ms. Marlow
stated:] From Cunard’s perspective, when you come across the Atlantic
and then go back again on a ship, you don’t have a baggage restriction. I
can testify to the fact that our guests’ baggage is getting bigger and bigger.
QUEEN ELIZABETH 2 and QUEEN VICTORIA - - met in New York
harbor. In the evening, they departed as a fireboat shot water into the
night sky and a fireworks display was held near the Statue of Liberty.
During the day, Cunard President Carol Marlow met with New York’s
press corps at the newly refurbished Pier 88 along with George
Fertitta, CEO of NYC & Company and New York City Deputy Mayor
for Economic Development and Rebuilding Robert C. Lieber. Among
other things it was pointed out that 43.8 million people had visited New
York in 2007 and that the cruise industry contributed $1 billion in
direct spending to the New York economy in 2006. Ms. Marlow made
the following remarks:
We’ve been coming over to New York in various guises and in various
ships since 1847. The HIBERINIA was the first ship to come into New
York harbor, her first direct transatlantic crossing from Liverpool over to
New York, and we have been coming ever since.
We thoroughly enjoy bringing our guests here. We are going to be
bringing our ships, whether it is QUEEN VICTORIA, QUEEN MARY 2 or
QE2 over here over 30 times in 2008. Of course, every time we bring a
ship in, there is a great positive economic impact on New York. Our guests
love to be here, they love to spend money here.
We are here today for two different celebrations: The first being that this
is the maiden call for QUEEN VICTORIA. She was launched back in
December, one month ago. A spectacular naming ceremony - - she was
named by her Royal Highness the Duchess of Cornwall, Camilla, and her
husband, his Royal Highness the Prince of Wales, Prince Charles, was also
in attendance. We were delighted to have them for the very first ship naming
ever that they have performed together.
The vessel now is on her very first world cruise and this is the very first
call on her very first world cruise. It is very appropriate that New York
should be the destination. New York is one of 37 different destinations on
this voyage. She is away for 106 days and she is calling in 23 different
countries - - a remarkable voyage.
We have about a thousand people actually boarding the ship today. The
rest - - she carries around 2,000 people - - boarded in Southampton but we
have about a thousand coming on board, many of whom will be residents of
the local area.
Our second milestone today is that we have all three Queens here in
New York. This is the first time they have all met. In fact, since December,
we have had three Cunard Queens in our fleet, the first time in our 158-year
history that we have had three Queens. We are delighted to have them all
here today in New York because New York is actually the port that Cunard
has been continuously for the longest period of time. We have come
continuously to New York more and for a longer period than we have for
Southampton in England, which is their homeport, but also Liverpool, which
was the home of Cunard in the 1800s. So, this really is a very special place
for us.
It is not only special because this is the first time we have had these three
ships together, it is special because it will never happen again. QE2 is
leaving our fleet to go on to pastures new in November of this year and they
are not programmed to meet in any other port between now and then.
So, this is a truly momentous occasion. For the maritime buffs amongst us
including me, it is a spine tingling time and tonight when they leave together
they will be just by the Statue of Liberty for a period of time when we will
shoot up some fabulous fireworks by Grucci and I think everyone will have
an amazing time. They came in together this morning and they are leaving
together tonight.
It is particularly meaningful that we have the three Queens having their
rendezvous by the Statue of Liberty because Cunard over the years has
brought over two and a half million emigrants from the old world to the new
in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Of course, the vast majority of those
people stepped ashore in North America for the very first time on Ellis
Island. So, it is particularly poignant that our three Queens should meet
there.
Of course, nowadays, we are seeing a great revival and a renaissance in
the number of people wanting to travel across the Atlantic by ship. The
QUEEN MARY has been in service doing that run now for the last four
years and this is her 80th crossing that she has recently completed. So, they
are bringing more and more people across the Atlantic by ship.
The journey is a little different now than it was in the 1800s as you can
imagine -- still an authentic ocean liner experience but this time in the height
of luxury, fine dining and excellent service. And, if you sail on one of our
vessels, for example, QUEEN VICTORIA, whether it is on one of her
transatlantics - - she has just completed her first transatlantic - - or her world
cruise or indeed, her voyages to the Mediterranean that she is going to be
doing next summer, you can enjoy some fabulous features to the ship: her
two deck library with over 6,000 books; her Cunardia museum, which tells
the story, the fascinating story of the Cunard Queens; or maybe the Royal
Court Theater, which is a magnificent theater - - the only theater at sea with
private boxes and the only theater at sea with a royal box officially
inaugurated by Prince Charles and his good wife a month ago. So, she is a
spectacular ship. As you can imagine, when she leaves here she is going to
be carrying about 3,000 bottles of champagne, round about 2,800 lobsters -
- all of which will be used before the end of the month and then she will
stock up again. She does offer the heights of luxury.
The closing remark I should make is that this meeting of the Queens
starts the next chapter in Cunard’s history. We had to wait after QE2 came
into service some 37 years before we found our next Queen joining us and
that was obviously QUEEN MARY 2. Now, we have only had to wait
three years for QUEEN VICTORIA to join us and I am delighted to say
that it will be less than three years before we welcome another Queen to the
Cunard fleet. That will be QUEEN ELIZABETH, the new ship that is
joining us in 2010. So, again the Cunard fleet continues to grow. Of
course, ladies and gentlemen, New York will be one of the very first major
calls that she makes.
[In response to a question on QUEEN VICTORIA’s first crossing and
the logistics of arranging the meeting of the three ships, Ms. Marlow stated:]
These are ocean liners and yes, we come across the ocean to our
destinations. Yes, we didn’t have the smoothest crossing across the Atlantic
this time around but after the first few days it did subside a little and the ships
were still able to make it on time, in fact they all came in just a little early.
QUEEN MARY 2 came up from the Caribbean.
In terms of the logistics of that, we plan our programs some 18 months
to two years in advance so this has been planned for a very long time. We
put together the schedules and our guests noticed that all of our Queens
would be in New York at the same time and as you can imagine, the sale of
these voyages were very strong.
The logistics of all our guests disembarking and going off to enjoy
themselves in New York went extremely smoothly and we were helped
greatly by all of the authorities here in New York, by the Coast Guard and
by the Customs gentlemen. And I have to say it has been an incredibly
smooth day so far. We have already embarked our guests for the next
voyage.
[In response to a question concerning the future QUEEN ELIZABETH,
Ms. Marlow stated:] We have not announced too much about her yet
because obviously QUEEN VICTORIA has had her launch and her
introduction. QUEEN ELIZABETH will be most similar to QUEEN
VICTORIA than to the other ships in our fleet but there will be some
differences. We will over the next few months be revealing those,
announcing those, as we get the ship construction underway. But she will be
most like QUEEN VICTORIA.
[In response to a question on whether Cunard will build a ship larger
than QUEEN MARY 2, Ms. Marlow stated:] We don’t like to get ahead
of ourselves at Cunard. We make a success of the ships we have and then
we look to the future. QUEEN MARY 2 is certainly an extremely
successful ship. She does the transatlantic run extremely well and very
comfortably. We are very happy with her as a ship. As to whether we go
larger or not, we will see.”
[Adding to Deputy Mayor Lieber’s response to a question concerning
the impact of foreign tourists on New York City’s economy, Ms. Marlow
stated:] From Cunard’s perspective, when you come across the Atlantic
and then go back again on a ship, you don’t have a baggage restriction. I
can testify to the fact that our guests’ baggage is getting bigger and bigger.
Ms. Marlow during the press conference.
New York City Deputy Mayor Robert C.
Lieber (left) reads a proclamation issued
by Mayor Michael Bloomberg decalring
13 January 2008 "Cunard Royal
Rendezvous Day" in New York City while
Ms. Marlow and George Fertitta, CEO of
NYC & Company look on.
Lieber (left) reads a proclamation issued
by Mayor Michael Bloomberg decalring
13 January 2008 "Cunard Royal
Rendezvous Day" in New York City while
Ms. Marlow and George Fertitta, CEO of
NYC & Company look on.
QE2 at Pier 92 as seen from QUEEN
VICTORIA.
VICTORIA.
QUEEN VICTORIA towers over Pier 88
Above: The bows of the three Queens. Left to right: QUEEN VICTORIA; QUEEN ELIZABETH 2; and QUEEN MARY 2.
Below: The lights of the three ships near the tip of Manhattan (left); the silhouette of QE2 against the New York skyline.
Below: The lights of the three ships near the tip of Manhattan (left); the silhouette of QE2 against the New York skyline.