How British is CUNARD?

Thanks for answering questions. We know Cunard is own by the Carnival Corporation and that the 3 ships are registered outside the UK. How has this affected the tradition of Cunard feeling British? What is being done to differentiate Cunard from Princess or Carnival ships?

Great Question. Cunard is 'British for the International Traveller'. It varies by voyage - but across the year roughly half our passengers are British - we have a lot of North American, Australian, German, Japanese, French, Swiss and many other nationalities that sail wth us. We are essentially a British Company - we were established in Liverpool, England in 1840 - and have our 175th Anniversary in 2015. Her Majesty The Queen christened both Queen Mary 2 and Queen Elizabeth and The Duchess of Cornwall christened Queen Victoria. We are flagged to Bermuda - but we fly the Red Ensign. Our HQ is in Southampton England. We have a wonderful international crew onboard our three ships. Most, but certainly not all, of our Senior Officers are British. Our roots and our long History are British - but today we offer a very modern, international and cosmopolitan experience and have a very international crew onboard to look after our passengers. We aspire to and feel similar to other great British brands like The Dorchester, Aston Martin, Jaguar and the Chelsea Flower Show. There are some wonderful Bristish Signatures on our ships - our Afternoon Tea, our Formal Dinners, our Croquet Lawn - but our food is wonderfully international. Our parent Carnival Corporation has allowed us to transform our fleet with three new ships in just 8 years - and we benefit from their investment and guidance. But they leave and encourage us to be 'Cunard'. We are proud to be British, we are proud of every member of our ship's company no matter where they are from and we take great care of our many different international guests. Oh - and I am Scottish - and my family produced the Shanks bathrooms that were on the original Queen Elizabeth and Queen Mary as well as the QE2 - so we are all proud to be British and share a unique sense of history. But most of all - 'We are Cunard'. I hope that answers your question. Best Regards. Peter

Thanks very much indeed for your answer! I am very glad about what you have said. I am an international guest and I have sailed (and will continue to do) different cruise lines. I really think of you in terms of the old british tradition and wish you can keep it. I appreciate all the thinks you have mentioned. I also like the RADA performances, which are so unique to you. Please keep it up and give us the traditional way of cruising/crossing.

Thank you Peter. It was a pleasure to meet you on a QV for a short voyage t o Dublin Cobh Bilbao Brest and back right around the time of the lovely Icelandic eruption a few seasons ago and we made Diamond status last July on QM2 to Halifax and Boston last July.

Despite being a Yank, I love the tradition and the Britishness of the Cunard experience especially afternoon high tea in the Queens Room or the Grills lounge but also the Golden Lion pub atmosphere, the great libraries and an occasional meal including fish and chips or bangers and mash

We really enjoyed our only QE2 adventure to the fjords of Norway in which we were two of only 80 Yanks on board with 1500 Brits and got to send special red white and blue cocktails to our dining neighbors on July 4th (a holiday not apparently celebrated in the UK.

Keep up the great job. Looking forward to Voyage number 16 in exactly three weeks from LA to the Big Apple via the Panama Canal on Queen Elizabeth