Cunard Captains

[Lepine]

How about if you quit beatin' up the Yanks!

 

Thank you,

A proud Yank!

 

I'm part "Yank" myself. It's not a personal attack on the US, but a situational complaint. Don't be thoughtless and shut people out, and no one is going to complain. The complaint is because of feeling somewhat violated and disrespected. I'm not trying to "diss" anyone for the sake of it, but rather, am feeling "dissed". If people are very upset about something a company is doing, the company should listen, or at least aknowledge their existence, neither of which one feels they do. What would it take, a boycott? There is such a rush to travel these days, I don't know if that would take.

 

So perhaps someone will start a new cruise line that will cater to pre-Princess Cunarders.

[guernseyguy]

Does anyone know who will be in command for the QE2's January crossing - if Bates is back in September, (for 3 months?) will Rynd be back in December and hence starting off the World Cruise?

 

Peter

[sandiegoprincess]

as far as I understand, Rynd is scheduled to come back to the QE2 in december for the world cruise. But as we all know, these schedules are constantly subject to change, and this may not eventuate...

[PRINSENDAM]

as far as I understand, Rynd is scheduled to come back to the QE2 in december for the world cruise. But as we all know, these schedules are constantly subject to change, and this may not eventuate...

 

Sandi,

 

Yes, my understanding is that Captain Rynd will take the QE2 on the world cruise in January. But as you say, schedules change.

 

Stephen

[guernseyguy]

Yes, my understanding is that Captain Rynd will take the QE2 on the world cruise in January.

 

Are we to expect mass cancellations for the January Trans Atlantic?

 

Peter

[Transatlantic Tom]

Are we to expect mass cancellations for the January Trans Atlantic?

 

Peter

 

Peter:

 

Feeling the way that I do about QE2, they could assign Mick Jaggar as master and I'd stilll be at the Queen Elizabeth II Terminal on January 3rd, ready to sail for NY !!!

 

No cancellations from me !

 

Tom

[PRINSENDAM]

Peter:

 

Feeling the way that I do about QE2, they could assign Mick Jaggar as master and I'd stilll be at the Queen Elizabeth II Terminal on January 3rd, ready to sail for NY !!!

 

No cancellations from me !

 

Tom

 

 

 

Ah! A voice of reason in the wilderness!!!!!

 

Are you hoping for calm seas or a 'rough ride'?

 

Stephen

[guernseyguy]

Peter:

 

Feeling the way that I do about QE2, they could assign Mick Jaggar as master and I'd stilll be at the Queen Elizabeth II Terminal on January 3rd, ready to sail for NY !!!

 

No cancellations from me !

 

Tom

 

Tom,

 

I certainly didn't doubt you! I just wondered if some of the Princess bashers would put their passage where their rhetoric was......I guess not.

 

All that said, I'd MUCH rather have Captain Rynd than Mick Jagger at the helm - she's an old gal, and the North Atlantic is a dangerous place!

 

See you on January 3!

 

Peter

[Transatlantic Tom]

Tom,

 

See you on January 3!

 

Peter

 

Peter:

 

I guess that I haven't been paying attention - I didn't know that you were making the crossing too.

 

It should be a good group. In my little circle of "familiar faces' will be my wife and I, a dear friend of our's with whom we've made two previous crossings, and two gents whom we've had the pleasure of meeting during our April 2004 and December 2004 crossings, respectively.

 

I look forward to seeing you on January 3rd !!!

 

Tom

[simwil]

I have just returned from the QE2 cruise to Iceland and Norway (my 14th on QE2) and, as a passenger, was very impressed by what I saw of Captain Rynd and his wife. He regularly walked around the ship meeting and chatting with passengers. He was anxious to explain that Carnival is not planning to stop Cunard traditions and we should let him know if he was 'not doing things properly'. Perhaps a few more blasts on the whistle!! One morning whilst walking outside the Lido he found a damaged deckchair and dealt with the problem himself. He made very informative announcments throughout the cruise. He seemed to have a much higher profile with passengers than any other captain I have seen since 1989.

[carlmm]

I have just returned from the QE2 cruise to Iceland and Norway (my 14th on QE2) and, as a passenger, was very impressed by what I saw of Captain Rynd and his wife.

 

Our impression of Captain Rynd on this cruise was somewhat splitted. Thus I like to share some observations in reply to the previous post, yet would like this not to be regarded as opinion on the general discussion about Carnival/Princess replacement of captains.

 

Captain (and his wife) were very friendly and communicative at the receptions. It was good to see the Captain e.g. on deck after arrival at Southampton talking to passengers.

On the other hand, his announcement policy was strange. While it used to be a well received Cunard tradition only to make one announcement at noon, Captain Rynd started his broadcasts early in the morning and continued throughout the day. One passenger commented: "Next time he is going to tell us which colour the life vests are."

Yet, most upsetting, he did not tell anything when it had been really interesting. After having been captured in Trondheim by strong winds, passengers were interested to know if and when we would reach the next port. But who appeared on the speakers in the morning: The cruise director, just telling which extra activities had been scheduled. One could deduce from this that we would have a couple of hours delay, but no direct explanation was given.

Later another officer spoke and gave some information, but not the captain.

 

Similarly when we had more than one hour delay in Bergen the Captain kept quiet and when he reappeared just talked about things like where we were and how the weather was but we never got an explanation.

 

Of course we have no knowledge if the multitude of unnecessary announcements were his idea or are new corporate policy.

[KenC]

OMG .... I thought this was a serious thread ..... but just realised - it's a Monty Python Sketch !!!!!

 

You guys really had us fooled there!!!!

 

Can't wait for the bit about the dead parrot on Captain Rynd's shoulder !!!!!!

[realist]

I don't think that it started as a serious thread!

 

Does it really matter who is driving the bus? Heaven forbid that this moves in to Airline Captains!

[highcbob]

Would the Statue of Liberty have the same presence if she was moved to Key West?!!!!

 

 

Well, interesting thought, but it just wouldn't be the same.

 

:(

[sandiegoprincess]

OMG .... I thought this was a serious thread ..... but just realised - it's a Monty Python Sketch !!!!!

 

You guys really had us fooled there!!!!

 

Can't wait for the bit about the dead parrot on Captain Rynd's shoulder !!!!!!

 

I imagine that the beautifully plumaged (if rather quiet) Norwegian Blue is one of Captain Rynd's favourite animals...

[sean of the seas]

I have a few bio's on Captain Warner and Captain Rynd that I thought perhaps some of you may find interesting:

 

CAPTAIN BERNARD WARNER

Captain Bernard Warner was born in Bardsey, Yorkshire in the North of England in 1949 and has wanted to work at sea ever since a small child when he and his father went fishing at Sandsend near Whitby during the summer holidays.

Interestingly, Captain Warner hails from a seafaring family as Sir Thomas Warner was the first British person to land on the Caribbean island of St Kitts and became their first Governor General in 1625.

He joined P&O as a Deck Cadet in 1966, sailing on his first ship, a 7,000 ton cargo-vessel, in the Far-East. He trained at the Warsash School of Navigation, Hampshire and joined his first passenger vessel, the original Oriana, in 1969. He moved to the original Island Princess as a Second Officer in 1976 and has sailed exclusively on cruise ships ever since.

He gained his Masters Certificate in 1975 and achieved promotion to Captain aboard the original Island Princess in 1994, sailing in the Far-East and South-America. He has also served in command of the original Pacific Princess in the Mediterranean, the Royal Princess in the Baltic, New England and Panama Canal, the Dawn Princess in the Caribbean and Alaska and the Grand Princess exclusively in the Caribbean. He was appointed Captain of Diamond Princess for her 2004 launch and brought out Golden Princess at the time of her 2001 debut.

Captain Warner currently resides in the English village of Leak-Wooton near Warwick with his wife Tina, whom he married in 1988 and two sons, Tom and Charlie. When on leave, he enjoys spending time in the countryside. Fly-fishing for trout has always been a passion and his wife’s rapidly increasing golf skills means he always has to keep his eye on the ball.

 

 

CAPTAIN CHRISTOPHER F RYND

Captain Rynd was born in Waiuku, New Zealand and grew up in the Far-East, Fiji and Samoa. He went to sea at the age of seventeen as a cadet in the Union Steam Ship Company of New Zealand, before joining P&O Cruises in 1974.

He gained his Master's Certificate in 1979 and widened his professional experience as a reserve officer in the ships of the British Navy. He has previously commanded the original Pacific Princess, the Pacific Sky, the Regal Princess, the new Pacific Princess and most recently, the Royal and Sapphire Princess.

His interests apart from a full family life include sailing small yachts, hiking, gardening, and fly fishing and amongst his passive interests are classical music and history. He is married, has three teenage children and lives in Australia.

 

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