From Cunard

[Linerguy]

Today, I received a letter from Cunard's VP of sales, Lee Robinson:

 

All of us at Cunard are proud of the spectacular launch of QUEEN MARY 2. She has captured the imagination of the world and has established herself as an international icon almost overnight. It is with the same spirit of excitement that I am writing to share some important news about Cunard.

 

Effective September 30, 2004, the Miami-based Cunard Line organization will relocate to Valencia, California, to be alongside the Princess organization. This move provides us the opportunity to utilize the significant resources of one of our sister companies, allows us to operate more efficiently and posititons us very positively for future growth, including QUEEN VICTORIA.

 

Cunard Line will remain an independent brand with it's own luxury product delivered on board the QUEEN MARY 2 and QUEEN ELIZABETH 2. Your clients will not experience any change to our shipboard services as a result of this change, and all customer services, marketing and sales activities will remain dedicated Cunard Line functions based in Valencia.

 

I will be heading the Cunard Sales and Customer Service department in Valencia and my colleague David Gevanthor will head the Cunard Marketing and Revenue Management department. Our current 13-person field sales organization will remain intact, as will national accounts and the corporate incentive sales department. Inside sales will be relocated to Valencia and certain personnel are considering relocating to Valencia.

 

There are no plans to change our sale policies and contracts with our travel agent partners. We do anticipate however moving to Princess' Polar reservation system early next year. We believe this will further improve the level of service that we can provide to you.

 

We have established a team across the Cunard and Princess organizations to manage the transition process. Our goal is to establish the Cunard brand organization in Valencia by September 30th, and to achieve a complete relocation of the Cunard Line business by December 2004. Concurrent with these changes, the Seabourn organization will remain based in South Florida and operate as an independent brand within Carnival Corporation led by Deborah Natansohn as President.

 

We are commited to providing as seamless a transition as possible, and to continue to honor the traditions Cunard Line has been famous for during it's 165-year history. If I or any member of the Cunard management team can be helpful in answering specific questions, please feel free to call us directly. You may also find our website helpful during this transition.

 

It is said that change is both inevitable and constant. We believe that the changes we are announcing will make Cunard a stronger brand with greater resources at our disposal. We look forward to a bright future and to your organization's support for the Most Famous Ocean Liners in the World.

 

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Linerguy