Guest Speakers

[David Owl]

We are doing our first cruise on Cunard next year (QE) and have a few questions about the guest speakers.

 

I see that there is a schedule of speakers for 2016. Do you know when the 2017 schedule is released ?

 

Are the talks in the theatre or a smaller location ?

 

The list shows some speakers who I assume will be very popular. Is it possible / necessary to book ?

 

Do they normally do a series of talks, just one talk, or the same talk repeated ?

 

Thanks

 

David

[Ray66]

The lectures are held in the theatre on the QE. No it's not possible to book. Just turn up early if you think it's going to be ver popular.

 

Most speakers do a series of talks. Although it depends on how many sea days there are on the cruise as they are only held on sea days. If you miss any of them, you can watch later on your cabin TV.

Edited August 16, 2016 by Ray66

[mtsublueraider]

I'm really excited. And honestly, may seem strange, but until I really examined the website I only thought there was one speaker on our sailing. When I happened to look at the box featuring the guest speaker and realized you could scroll right I saw we had multiple guests! Huzzah!

 

Now I'm reading the book of one of our guests and I couldn't be more excited to meet him!

[Host Hattie]

How organised ! Who is your guest speaker ?

Edited August 16, 2016 by Host Hattie

[jimmybean]

In the past, we've found the list of speakers started months in advance (at the beginning of the year), but sometimes some-spaces on the list have stayed undesignated until just weeks before the voyage. It depends when speakers are available and which speakers agree to a particular voyage. Also, sometimes plans change and speakers need to back out of their engagement. The list, even after it appears, isn't written in stone.

 

Also, there may be more challenges, finding speakers who want to sail on segments of the World Cruises vs speakers willing to do a transatlantic. Or the reverse. My understanding is that speakers travel first-class, in the Grills, but don't recent monetary compensation (correct me if this is wrong).

 

Not-knowing the speakers can be an inconvenience, since many of us would choose one voyage over another on the basis of speakers. On the other hand, Cunard does an amazing job with daytime enrichment and doesn't always have the ability to provide an accurate list months in advance...

 

Truthfully, the speakers, in general, are typically so good and the mix is usually a good variety, so DH and I have never been disappointed (even if there is no time to read someone's book before sailing).

[mtsublueraider]

How organised ! Who is your guest speaker ?

 

I just think it'll lend to the experience. He's a formal military social director to the white house. Exciting!

[Mid-Atlantic Ridge]

In the past, we've found the list of speakers started months in advance (at the beginning of the year), but sometimes some-spaces on the list have stayed undesignated until just weeks before the voyage. It depends when speakers are available and which speakers agree to a particular voyage. Also, sometimes plans change and speakers need to back out of their engagement. The list, even after it appears, isn't written in stone.

 

Also, there may be more challenges, finding speakers who want to sail on segments of the World Cruises vs speakers willing to do a transatlantic. Or the reverse. My understanding is that speakers travel first-class, in the Grills, but don't recent monetary compensation (correct me if this is wrong).

 

Not-knowing the speakers can be an inconvenience, since many of us would choose one voyage over another on the basis of speakers. On the other hand, Cunard does an amazing job with daytime enrichment and doesn't always have the ability to provide an accurate list months in advance...

 

Truthfully, the speakers, in general, are typically so good and the mix is usually a good variety, so DH and I have never been disappointed (even if there is no time to read someone's book before sailing).

 

Perhaps the higher profile speakers travel in the grills but they are the exception rather than the rule, l have seen a few in there over the years. Generally however, and based on the fact I know one of the Cunard Insights speakers, they and guest entertainers dine in Britannia and either occupy entertainer cabins or guest cabins as capacity dictates.

 

I agree mostly a good variety of speakers, two who spring to mind that l have enjoyed are Seth Gopin, historian and Felicity Aston, a British global explorer. There are many more l could list and it's not always the case that the more famous are the best public speakers nor the most interesting.

 

M-AR

[DreamflightPat]

We are doing our first cruise on Cunard next year (QE) and have a few questions about the guest speakers.

 

I see that there is a schedule of speakers for 2016. Do you know when the 2017 schedule is released ?

 

Are the talks in the theatre or a smaller location ?

 

The list shows some speakers who I assume will be very popular. Is it possible / necessary to book ?

 

Do they normally do a series of talks, just one talk, or the same talk repeated ?

 

Thanks

 

David

I have been a guest speaker on board, am not one of the In sights lecturers. I just did the one lecture, but I was asked to repeat it as it was popular (have got a big head now). So you might find some extra ones on apart from those on the published list.

 

Regards Pat

[Cosmic Rays]

Perhaps the higher profile speakers travel in the grills but they are the exception rather than the rule, l have seen a few in there over the years. Generally however, and based on the fact I know one of the Cunard Insights speakers, they and guest entertainers dine in Britannia and either occupy entertainer cabins or guest cabins as capacity dictates.

 

I agree mostly a good variety of speakers, two who spring to mind that l have enjoyed are Seth Gopin, historian and Felicity Aston, a British global explorer. There are many more l could list and it's not always the case that the more famous are the best public speakers nor the most interesting.

 

M-AR

 

You are correct - certainly not first class flights or Grill passengers!!!!!

[erniebernie]

Hi David Owl where would I look to find out who the guest speaker is on our cruise next March? Thanx Allison

[David Owl]

Hi David Owl where would I look to find out who the guest speaker is on our cruise next March? Thanx Allison

 

Hi Allison,

 

This is the link that I found. If you go to the bottom of the page you can select the ship. Unfortunately for me they don't go as far as August 17.

 

David

 

 

http://www.cunard.co.uk/cunard-experience/why-cunard/enrichment-programmes/guest-speakers/

[Lanky Lad]

In my experience the list of speakers is not always reliable. I have been on trips where none of the listed speakers were on board.

 

One problem I have come across is having speakers we have seen before. Although some of them are worth seeing again.

Edited August 18, 2016 by Lanky Lad

[rakkor]

In my experience the list of speakers is not always reliable. I have been on trips where none of the listed speakers were on board.

 

One problem I have come across is having speakers we have seen before. Although some of them are worth seeing again.

 

Indeed, on four of my last five cruises, Phil Holt has been a speaker, and as much as I've enjoyed his lectures on the Red Arrows and BBMF, I think I'm close to being able to recite them verbatim 😁. Added to that Margaret Gilmore was the headline speaker on my last cruise and she is the same on my next in October.

Edited August 19, 2016 by rakkor

[Aussieflyer]

Somewhat OT but still related to scheduling, when is information on formal nights/balls provided on the web site? I am on a WC sector though not until April next year but those on the full cruise or on an early sector will be leaving in January. The only information I can see online is up to the end of 2016 and certainly voyage personaliser doesn't show anything yet. I am interested to know the number of formal nights so I can plan accordingly (i.e. buy some more clothes :D)

[emileg]

On our recent eastbound TA, only one speaker was listed in advance (a New York Times journalist). However, once we were onboard we found we had the following presenters:

 

• Terry Waite, the hostage negotiator who was himself taken hostage.
  
• An astronomer
  
• A director of West End musicals
  
• A New York Times journalist
  
• A marine historian
  
• A Shakespeare expert
  
• Graduate students from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts (RADA).
  

Our problem was finding enough time to participate in all the programs we wanted to. Because you lose an hour a day (clocks turned ahead one hour at noon), you still have to find time to eat lunch. I never thought I would be so busy on a voyage with six consecutive days at sea. But, we loved it and booked a westbound TA for 2018.

[sennen]

We have been on the same table as the guest speakers and we were not in the Grills. I know Terry Wogan was and Sir David Frost but not most speakers.