New ship

[molecrochip]

11 hours ago, Host Hattie said:

molecrochip has very good sources in Carnival UK !

Odds are 8/2 I’m right!

[RJChatsworth]

21 hours ago, molecrochip said:

Odds are 8/2 I’m right!

Are you sure they are the odds and not the date?!

[majortom10]

4 hours ago, RJChatsworth said:

Are you sure they are the odds and not the date?!

My guess is that molecrochip means that the new ship will be named on 8th February.

[MarkBearSF]

I heard that Cunard is very serious about broadening their passenger base and appealing to younger and more diverse customers. 

She will be called Queen Latifah

[majortom10]

Queen Anne on 8th February 👍

[PORT ROYAL]

5 minutes ago, majortom10 said:

Queen Anne on 8th February 👍

This post has legs 😊

[molecrochip]

I'm expecting that we'll know more in a week.

[Host Hattie]

[MylesS]

1 hour ago, Host Hattie said:

Just got this email as well! Exciting!

[Ray66]

2 hours ago, Host Hattie said:

 

My email also says 1pm on the 8th.

[richard_london]

If you click the link on the email and go to the image on the web page and zoom in as much as you can, you make our her basic outline. 

 

The superstructure at the front of the ship is much more built up than the QE and QV, so very much like the HAL ships. 

 

There is definitely a tall structure between the superstructure block at the front and the funnel.  It was there on the silhouette when they did the steel cutting at Fincantieiri if you look at the photos.  I wonder what it could be?  Is it going to be like the North Star on the RCCL ships?

 

And is it me, or does the funnel look a bit chunkier, more prominent?  Maybe they have enclosed the exhausts at the top?

 

What are your thoughts?

 

Although not a liner like the QM2 I am excited to see, especially the interiors.

Edited February 4, 2022 by richard_london

[eroller]

Personally I would love to see the name MAURETANIA resurrected but it's very unlikely, and honestly I'm not sure this new ship is worthy of the name.  Probably QUEEN ANNE since modern Cunard seems to insist on having "Queen" in the name.  

 

I have sailed on her sister NIEUW STATENDAM with Holland America, and to my surprise quite enjoyed the ship and experience.  Add in Cunard's own unique interiors + style and the ship has a lot of potential, but unfortunately still no traditional promenade deck (sorry the alley-like walkway behind the boats doesn't count).  I still wish the design was completely unique to Cunard, but I know that is asking too much.  Thankfully we have QM2 which is a one-off, so I guess one out of four isn't bad.    

[MylesS]

3 minutes ago, eroller said:

Personally I would love to see the name MAURETANIA resurrected but it's very unlikely, and honestly I'm not sure this new ship is worthy of the name.  Probably QUEEN ANNE since modern Cunard seems to insist on having "Queen" in the name.  

 

I have sailed on her sister NIEUW STATENDAM with Holland America, and to my surprise quite enjoyed the ship and experience.  Add in Cunard's own unique interiors + style and the ship has a lot of potential, but unfortunately still no traditional promenade deck (sorry the alley-like walkway behind the boats doesn't count).  I still wish the design was completely unique to Cunard, but I know that is asking too much.  Thankfully we have QM2 which is a one-off, so I guess one out of four isn't bad.    

I too would love to see the return of any "IA" names, not just Mauretania.

[3rdGenCunarder]

2 minutes ago, eroller said:

Personally I would love to see the name MAURETANIA resurrected but it's very unlikely, and honestly I'm not sure this new ship is worthy of the name.  Probably QUEEN ANNE since modern Cunard seems to insist on having "Queen" in the name.  

 

I have sailed on her sister NIEUW STATENDAM with Holland America, and to my surprise quite enjoyed the ship and experience.  Add in Cunard's own unique interiors + style and the ship has a lot of potential, but unfortunately still no traditional promenade deck (sorry the alley-like walkway behind the boats doesn't count).  I still wish the design was completely unique to Cunard, but I know that is asking too much.  Thankfully we have QM2 which is a one-off, so I guess one out of four isn't bad.    

 

If they do use HAL's Koningsdam/Nieuw Amsterdam design, I hope they do something about the aft design. We were in a corner aft on the K, and in "following seas" that ship shuddered and slammed down on waves like I couldn't believe. Except for the wind/wave direction, conditions weren't terribly rough. People in midship and forward cabins had no complaints. I'd been in aft cabins on Vistas and never experienced anything like that, even in rough weather.  

 

I very much dislike the lack of a decent promenade deck, which is not likely to be changed. And the theater/showroom on the K is much too small for the number of passengers. I'm not sure if that could be reworked. Other than that, the design allows for a good variety of public spaces. I hope the new ship (I'm expecting her to be Queen Anne) keeps the midship pool with sliding roof and movie screen. It somehow doesn't sound very "Cunard," but one of my favorite things to do on the K was relax on a lounger under the stars and watch a movie on the big screen. 

[eroller]

19 minutes ago, 3rdGenCunarder said:

 

If they do use HAL's Koningsdam/Nieuw Amsterdam design, I hope they do something about the aft design. We were in a corner aft on the K, and in "following seas" that ship shuddered and slammed down on waves like I couldn't believe. Except for the wind/wave direction, conditions weren't terribly rough. People in midship and forward cabins had no complaints. I'd been in aft cabins on Vistas and never experienced anything like that, even in rough weather.  

 

I very much dislike the lack of a decent promenade deck, which is not likely to be changed. And the theater/showroom on the K is much too small for the number of passengers. I'm not sure if that could be reworked. Other than that, the design allows for a good variety of public spaces. I hope the new ship (I'm expecting her to be Queen Anne) keeps the midship pool with sliding roof and movie screen. It somehow doesn't sound very "Cunard," but one of my favorite things to do on the K was relax on a lounger under the stars and watch a movie on the big screen. 

 

 

It's pretty much a 100% certainty the HAL K-Dam (KONINGSDAM/NIEUW STATENDAM/ROTTERDAM) design is being used for the new Cunarder.    Keep in mind this design is essentially a Vista on steroids, so it's an evolution of QV/QE just like it was an evolution of EURODAM/NIEUW AMSTERDAM for HAL.  Lets hope Cunard tweaks the interior and makes it their own like they did with QV and QE.  Personally I feel QV/QE are vastly superior to their HAL counterparts both in design and layout, and hope the same will be true of QA or whatever she will be called.   The K-dam Class has the theater in the round which I thought was cool (Celebrity Edge Class does too), but it's probably not suited for the more traditional Cunard style shows, so I expect the design to be tweaked.  

 

Funny you mention that aft cabin.  I had one on NIEUW AMSTERDAM which is a Vista Class (same as QV/QE).  Lots of movement and even while docked, the waves would smash against the flat bottom hull and cause vibration and shuttering.  My husband who is prone to seasickness did get seasick in that cabin, so no more aft cabins for him.  I've had aft cabins on other ships and never felt motion and vibrating as much as NIEUW AMSTERDAM.  

 

 

[Mudhen]

1 hour ago, richard_london said:

If you click the link on the email and go to the image on the web page and zoom in as much as you can, you make our her basic outline. 

 

The superstructure at the front of the ship is much more built up than the QE and QV, so very much like the HAL ships. 

 

There is definitely a tall structure between the superstructure block at the front and the funnel.  It was there on the silhouette when they did the steel cutting at Fincantieiri if you look at the photos.  I wonder what it could be?  Is it going to be like the North Star on the RCCL ships?

 

And is it me, or does the funnel look a bit chunkier, more prominent?  Maybe they have enclosed the exhausts at the top?

 

What are your thoughts?

 

Although not a liner like the QM2 I am excited to see, especially the interiors.

Stop scaring me....this is a joke, right?

[eroller]

1 minute ago, Mudhen said:

Stop scaring me....this is a joke, right?

 

 

This is the rendering Cunard has been using since day one for the new ship.  Trust me she will not win any beauty contests, at least on the outside.  

 

 

[richard_london]

This is the photo from the steel cutting of the new Cunarder (photo from https://www.cunard.com/en-gb/cruise-ships/new-ship).

 

You can see the "feature" in between the funnel and forward superstructure.  Not sure it "helps" the profile. 

 

The Rotterdam (photo from https://www.hollandamerica.com/en_US/cruise-ships/ms-rotterdam/0.html) has a similar structure in the same place but it doesn't have a tower-like element to it.

 

I'm sure all will be revealed on 8th. 

[Mudhen]

26 minutes ago, richard_london said:

This is the photo from the steel cutting of the new Cunarder (photo from https://www.cunard.com/en-gb/cruise-ships/new-ship).

 

You can see the "feature" in between the funnel and forward superstructure.  Not sure it "helps" the profile. 

 

The Rotterdam (photo from https://www.hollandamerica.com/en_US/cruise-ships/ms-rotterdam/0.html) has a similar structure in the same place but it doesn't have a tower-like element to it.

 

I'm sure all will be revealed on 8th. 

Thank you but not making me feel better!

Hoping for the best… sigh…

[eroller]

59 minutes ago, richard_london said:

This is the photo from the steel cutting of the new Cunarder (photo from https://www.cunard.com/en-gb/cruise-ships/new-ship).

 

You can see the "feature" in between the funnel and forward superstructure.  Not sure it "helps" the profile. 

 

The Rotterdam (photo from https://www.hollandamerica.com/en_US/cruise-ships/ms-rotterdam/0.html) has a similar structure in the same place but it doesn't have a tower-like element to it.

 

I'm sure all will be revealed on 8th. 

 

 

 

Attached is a close-up of the "feature" that I took onboard NIEUW STATENDAM.  It just houses machinery of some sort, perhaps for the elevators which I believe are below it.  It's possible Cunard may expand on this machinery housing to including some sort of public space, such as a lounge or restaurant.   Essentially that is what they did on QV and QE to house The Grills.  

 

 

 

 

 

Edited February 4, 2022 by eroller

[bluemarble]

3 hours ago, 3rdGenCunarder said:

... And the theater/showroom on the K is much too small for the number of passengers. I'm not sure if that could be reworked. ...

 

To that point about the theater size, I'm not particularly optimistic about that after reading this quote from Simon Palethorpe discussing the new ship for Cruise Critic a couple years ago which you may recall we discussed back at the time.

 

"Simon added that passengers have given the line the greenlight to change the new ship’s theatre. “They just said, 'Just make sure the sightline is good, the acoustics are good and the seats are super comfortable,' so we’ve reduced the amount of seats to make each seat bigger, with more room and bigger arm rests.""

 

2 hours ago, eroller said:

It's pretty much a 100% certainty the HAL K-Dam (KONINGSDAM/NIEUW STATENDAM/ROTTERDAM) design is being used for the new Cunarder.    Keep in mind this design is essentially a Vista on steroids, so it's an evolution of QV/QE just like it was an evolution of EURODAM/NIEUW AMSTERDAM for HAL. ...

 

I'll just add it sounds to me like the new ship might be described as the Koningsdam design on steroids. The new ship's stats are 113,000 GT, 322.51 meters length and approx. 3,000 passengers, compared to 99,863 GT, 299.65 meters length and approx. 2,650 passengers for Koningsdam.

Edited February 4, 2022 by bluemarble

[3rdGenCunarder]

1 hour ago, bluemarble said:

 

To that point about the theater size, I'm not particularly optimistic about that after reading this quote from Simon Palethorpe discussing the new ship for Cruise Critic a couple years ago which you may recall we discussed back at the time.

 

"Simon added that passengers have given the line the greenlight to change the new ship’s theatre. “They just said, 'Just make sure the sightline is good, the acoustics are good and the seats are super comfortable,' so we’ve reduced the amount of seats to make each seat bigger, with more room and bigger arm rests.""

 

 

I'll just add it sounds to me like the new ship might be described as the Koningsdam design on steroids. The new ship's stats are 113,000 GT, 322.51 meters length and approx. 3,000 passengers, compared to 99,863 GT, 299.65 meters length and approx. 2,650 passengers for Koningsdam.

 

I'm glad the seats will be comfy. People will have to sit in them for an hour before the show starts in  order to simply get a seat. I looked back at my journal from K'dam cruise, and I was going around 7:10 for an 8:00 show. I estimated capacity at around 600, not nearly enough for a ship that size. 

[eroller]

2 hours ago, bluemarble said:

 

To that point about the theater size, I'm not particularly optimistic about that after reading this quote from Simon Palethorpe discussing the new ship for Cruise Critic a couple years ago which you may recall we discussed back at the time.

 

"Simon added that passengers have given the line the greenlight to change the new ship’s theatre. “They just said, 'Just make sure the sightline is good, the acoustics are good and the seats are super comfortable,' so we’ve reduced the amount of seats to make each seat bigger, with more room and bigger arm rests.""

 

 

 

 

If they stick with the theater in the round like on HAL's K-Dam ships, it will look something like this.  I quite liked it on NIEUW STATENDAM (and CELEBRITY APEX), but it means no traditional sets.  Instead the sets are displayed on giant video screens that surround the theater.  There was no live band on NIEUW STATENDAM, but there was on CELEBRITY APEX which had built areas for the live band behind the rounded wall (which opened in sections).  

 

 

[TheOldBear]

5 hours ago, MylesS said:

I too would love to see the return of any "IA" names, not just Mauretania.

 

Why not both? How about Queen Bodicia ?  🙂

There seem to be several possible spellings for the name.

There was an earlier cruise ship MV Boudicca - so possibly Cunard rejected the name as not original.

[eroller]

2 hours ago, bluemarble said:

 

 

 

I'll just add it sounds to me like the new ship might be described as the Koningsdam design on steroids. The new ship's stats are 113,000 GT, 322.51 meters length and approx. 3,000 passengers, compared to 99,863 GT, 299.65 meters length and approx. 2,650 passengers for Koningsdam.

 

 

Thank you for the stats.  So exactly 75 feet longer.  Honestly that is so much better than just adding a deck, as it increases the topside deck space.  When you just keep adding decks but not length the topside deck space just remains static and of course more crowded as more pax have to squeeze in.  

 

The nice thing is the added length and gt along with the amount of pax added keeps the space ratio constant compared to the HAL K-Dam ships.  So in this one case bigger isn't necessarily a bad thing.  

 

I sailed on NIEUW STATENDAM when she was a full ship.  I never felt crowded or encountered any long lines which is a good thing.  The 37.6 space ratio was respectable which is pretty much what the new Cunarder will have as well.  QE is 43.9 so a bit higher.   QM2 is 55.37 so in a different league entirely from a space perspective.  More in line with a luxury ship.  

Edited February 4, 2022 by eroller