Response from Cunard Re: removal of Capt's McNaught and Wright

[cruisin'fool2]

I have today received the following from Cunard in response to my email to Peter Ratcliffe. If you wish to express your opinion regarding the removal of the Cunard captains to Mr. Ratcliffe, I strongly encourage you to email him at pratcliffe@princesscruises.com. Even though you will no doubt receive the same canned response, I believe it is important that they know how we feel about it. Here's their response. Not particularly enlightening in my opinion:

 

 

RE: Secondment of Cunard Captains

 

 

Dear Mr. Farmer:

 

 

Thank you for your email addressed to the Chief Executive Officer, Peter G. Ratcliffe, regarding your concern pertaining to Captain Wright and Captain McNaught. Your letter has been forwarded to the Guest Relations Department for response. We appreciate the opportunity to respond at this time.

 

 

While it is not our practice to publicly discuss the appointments of our onboard senior management, we very much appreciate your taking the time to express your views regarding the secondment of Captain Wright and Captain McNaught to Princess Cruises’ vessels.

 

 

Captain Wright and Captain McNaught are accomplished and well-respected within the Cunard fleet and this is one of the reasons we have decided to expose them to another operation in order that both brands may benefit from their experience and the sharing of best operational practices. We can assure you that the California and United Kingdom-based management teams are committed to the tradition and heritage of Cunard and are working tirelessly to ensure the legacy of the brand continues. Indicative of this is the recent improvement in the levels of passenger satisfaction on QM2 and the significant capital investment in the refurbishment of the public rooms onboard QE2.

 

 

Mr. Farmer, your loyalty and support of the Cunard brand is valued, and we look forward to welcoming you aboard in the near future. Until then, we send our kind regard.

 

 

Sincerely,

 

 

 

 

Beth Padilla

 

Director, Guest Relations

 

 

cc: CEO, P&O Princess, PLC

[guernseyguy]

RE: Secondment of Cunard Captains

 

We may infer some encouragement from the description 'Secondment', rather than 'transfer' - or was that your descripton which they are simply playing back?

 

Peter

[Druke I]

Brits do a lot of that secondment, particularly in their Armed Forces.

[cruisin'fool2]

We may infer some encouragement from the description 'Secondment', rather than 'transfer' - or was that your descripton which they are simply playing back?

 

Peter

 

That was their term. As a Yank, haven't a clue what that means. Please explain.

 

Mike

[guernseyguy]

That was their term. As a Yank' date=' haven't a clue what that means. Please explain.

Mike[/quote']

 

Mike,

 

To second (verb) is : to send an employee to work somewhere else temporarily, either to increase the number of workers or to replace other workers, or to exchange experience or skills

 

while secondment is the noun.

 

 

See here - http://dictionary.cambridge.org/define.asp?key=71017&dict=CALD

 

interesting that Princess are using a UK usage....ohmygod...perhaps we've got it all wrong.....its the Brits who are ruining Princess!!!!!

 

Peter

[cruisin'fool2]

Thanks, Peter -- perhaps they are Yanks trying to pass as Brits!

[guernseyguy]

We appreciate the opportunity to respond at this time.

 

American usage.

 

While it is not our practice to publicly discuss ...

Or to cheerfully split infinitives

Indicative of this is the recent improvement in the levels of passenger satisfaction

 

Good grief - someone in 'Guest Relations' thinks the people who sail on Cunard are 'Passengers'....where will this end!

 

Peter

[Crouton]

interesting that Princess are using a UK usage....ohmygod...perhaps we've got it all wrong.....its the Brits who are ruining Princess!!!!!

LOL!

 

The part that disturbs me most about Cunard PR's response (that's PR "Public Relations" as opposed to PR "Peter Radcliffe" -- though I have no idea whether the distinction is meaningful) is this line:

 

"...we have decided to expose them to another operation in order that both brands may benefit from their experience and the sharing of best operational practices."

 

"Best operational practices" sounds like they are more than ready to homogenize everything, which is sadly, what "Corporations" tend to do (example: their reply above) and is such an important part of how they manage to boil and sterilize all the individuality, personality and life out of everything and reduce it to "brand experiences" -- which should make everyone who cares vomit.

 

Anyone who loves Cunard should seriously consider raising hell. It might be possible to reduce, but not prevent, the damage.

[Vic The Parrot]

With Red Hook, and now this, looks like RATcliffe is mucking things up over there.

 

 

Too bad Trump doesn't own Cunard .... it'll be sweet to hear those 2 magical words ---- "You're fired"

[Colin_Cameron]

I don't wish to make excuses for Carnival/Princess but I wonder if this has come about as a result of loosing Caronia and not having Queen Victoria ready to replace her?

 

Cunard now has at least five(?) captains (Warwick, Wright, McNaught, Bates and Perkins, with many more in reserve) and only two ships.

 

I suppose we should be grateful they didn't treat the officers the same way they treated the crew.

[wotec]

I've written to the onboard sales office to find out dates Capt McNaught will be on board as we would like to make a final sailing with him. I've requested this info twice and no response as of yet. Will post when I receive a reply. Any one have any news on this?

[Colin_Cameron]

wotec, The only place I've been able to get that sort of info from in the past is "Fleet Personnel" in Southampton. Of course, they may now be located in Outer Mongolia.

[rjms74]

Wotec,

 

Captain McNaught will be on QE2 for the 6 July Northern Wonders Cruise - Cunard confirmed this to me yesterday as I was interested to find out who the Capt. would for my next cruise on board.

 

Kind Regards,

 

 

RJMS74

[Richard Schmidt]

I have today received the following from Cunard in response to my email to Peter Ratcliffe. If you wish to express your opinion regarding the removal of the Cunard captains to Mr. Ratcliffe' date=' I strongly encourage you to email him at pratcliffe@princesscruises.com. Even though you will no doubt receive the same canned response, I believe it is important that they know how we feel about it. Here's their response. Not particularly enlightening in my opinion:

 

 

 

RE: Secondment of Cunard Captains

 

 

Dear Mr. Farmer:

 

 

Thank you for your email addressed to the Chief Executive Officer, Peter G. Ratcliffe, regarding your concern pertaining to Captain Wright and Captain McNaught. Your letter has been forwarded to the Guest Relations Department for response. We appreciate the opportunity to respond at this time.

 

 

While it is not our practice to publicly discuss the appointments of our onboard senior management, we very much appreciate your taking the time to express your views regarding the secondment of Captain Wright and Captain McNaught to Princess Cruises’ vessels.

 

 

Captain Wright and Captain McNaught are accomplished and well-respected within the Cunard fleet and this is one of the reasons we have decided to expose them to another operation in order that both brands may benefit from their experience and the sharing of best operational practices. We can assure you that the California and United Kingdom-based management teams are committed to the tradition and heritage of Cunard and are working tirelessly to ensure the legacy of the brand continues. Indicative of this is the recent improvement in the levels of passenger satisfaction on QM2 and the significant capital investment in the refurbishment of the public rooms onboard QE2.

 

 

Mr. Farmer, your loyalty and support of the Cunard brand is valued, and we look forward to welcoming you aboard in the near future. Until then, we send our kind regard.

 

 

Sincerely,

 

 

 

 

Beth Padilla

 

Director, Guest Relations

 

 

cc: CEO, P&O Princess, PLC

Thanks for the e-mail address for Ratcliffe. Here si the e-mail I sent him. I am not certain I'll get any response at all.

 

"Dear Mr. Ratcliffe,

 

Congratulations on the latest step in your efforts to destroy the legacy of the Cunard Line. Putting Cunard Captains in charge of the barges you at Princess call "ships" is like making the conductor of the New York Philharmonic head of a hillbilly jug band. Good work, Mr. Ratcliffe. When we decide to turn the Vatican into a strip club, we'll turn to you for all the final details, including placement of the chrome pole. You will know where that goes, I am certain.

 

Richard Schmidt"

[guernseyguy]

Here si the e-mail I sent him. I am not certain I'll get any response at all.

 

Well, if you do, let us know, you are testing their powers of diplomacy to destruction!

 

Peter

[Crouton]

When we decide to turn the Vatican into a strip club, we'll turn to you for all the final details, including placement of the chrome pole. You will know where that goes, I am certain.

LOL...This will also go a long way towards breaking up the stereotype of Cunard passengers as stuffy, repressed, and overly formal.

 

;)

[Richard Schmidt]

LOL...This will also go a long way towards breaking up the stereotype of Cunard passengers as stuffy, repressed, and overly formal.

 

;)

 

I clean up for the formal nights, but you are correct: stuffy and repressed I am not. Have a good night.

 

Richard