Current Captain QM2

Hi does anyone know who is the current Captain of QM2. We are joining her on Wednesday for a quick trip to Sydney.:)

Hi does anyone know who is the current Captain of QM2. We are joining her on Wednesday for a quick trip to Sydney.:)

Capt Wells if memory serves.

Capt Wells if memory serves.

You are correct. I had a message from a friend who is onboard and mentioned that Captain Wells is the current captain.

M-AR

There is often a major Crew change in Sydney and then in Hong Kong.

Could someone tell me who the current Captain is and how long they are normally on for.

Many Thanks

Captain Christopher Wells came on the ship in Quebec on September 29th. You can tell when he is the master because the ship will be flying the Blue Ensign instead of the Red Ensign. (He is currently the only Cunard captain who is an active or retired member of the Royal Navy Reserve and thus the Blue Ensign.) Captains are typically on/off every two months. Outside of the world voyage the changeover normally takes place in Southampton.

Captain Christopher Wells came on the ship in Quebec on September 29th. You can tell when he is the master because the ship will be flying the Blue Ensign instead of the Red Ensign. (He is currently the only Cunard captain who is an active or retired member of the Royal Navy Reserve and thus the Blue Ensign.) Captains are typically on/off every two months. Outside of the world voyage the changeover normally takes place in Southampton.

Cheers, was trying to work out who the captain will be for our 15th December round trip.

Looks like it won't be Captain Wells.

Why is that important?

I'd be more interested who the chef is.

☺

Hmm, must be me, but I never understand the interest in who the Captain of the ship is. From my experience they are all - without exception - professional and personable and all do an excellent job.

David

Whilst I understand that some don't care which captain is master of the ship they are on (indeed I wouldn't be surprised if the majority of departing passengers couldn't name the captain of the ship they'd just left if you asked them in the terminal*) to some of us it is of interest.

I always look froward to seeing the "Blue Duster" flying from the stern of Queen Mary 2 as this means Captain Christopher Wells will be master. I know I will enjoy his dry humour during the noon announcements and cocktail parties. He is my favourite captain by far. I know I will see him around the ship during the voyage (similarly with Commodore Rynd).

Some masters seem (to me at least) to set the whole tone of the ship, their personality apparently permeates down (think Commodore Rynd on Queen Victoria).

However, there have been a couple of captains who, to me (and all this is individual personal opinion of course) were not as passenger-friendly as others. They seemed less than enthusiastic about the "passenger part" of their job (I would not doubt their professionalism and seamanship of course).

My opinion is also influenced by long-time friends whom I trust to be honest about their own experiences (one for example on a complete world cruise with plenty of time to note the captain's interaction with passengers).

Some captains, no names, seem to forget the old adage "a ship has three sides; port, starboard and social".

I hope this explains a little of why some of us take an interest in who the master is when we step on board.

Best wishes and happy sailings to all.

(*In casual social conversation I meet others who proudly tell me "we've just been on a cruise". When I ask "which ship?" the vast majority can't tell me, they look at me blankly. Some can't even tell me the line they cruised with. The usual answers are "something of the seas" or "Norwegian something". Little chance of them remembering the name of the captain... )

Suppose you folks would have palpitations to "dine at the captain's table"?

Eat with the staff? How quaint! 😉

Suppose you folks would have palpitations to "dine at the captain's table"?

Eat with the staff? How quaint!

It is a very enjoyable and sometimes amusing experience, from receiving the Captains invitation, to joining The Captains Table in the Britannia Dining Room on QM2 for dinner . Have been privileged on many an occasion.

Suppose you folks would have palpitations to "dine at the captain's table"?

Eat with the staff? How quaint! 😉

By that extrapolation an invitation to dinner at the White House can be taken as being asked to dine with a "US government employee".

Never had occasion to dine at the Captain's table and cannot think of any reason why I would be chosen. I'm just not a gragarious racounteur that would contribute to the gathering.

Growing up and traveling on riverboats or ocean ships with my mom and dad I always dined at a Chief Engineer's table. Of course my father wasn't necessarily the Chief Engineer of the vessel we were on at that time!

I took the behind the scenes tour on the QM2 during the Quebec City to New York City this past week and had the opportunity to meet and have a short conversation with Captain Wells. I told him that I had noticed that the QM2 was flying the red ensign on the way into the dock. Upon departing I noticed that she was flying the blue ensign. I told Captain Wells that I had wondered about the change of flags in Quebec City and that I understood the difference. He remarked that he had joined the ship in Quebec City. I think he was a little surprised that an American woman would observe and understand the difference between the flags. I told him that I had learned the difference on the QV when he was in command. It was a nice exchange. He was very friendly and enthusiastic about his job.