"Dear Cunarder"

[Ab Ovo]

I've been lurking since there have been two current Queens to read about. Great fun here.

 

Some posts have been quick to nit-pic and cat-call, correcting mis-information and error. But in a nice way. This is a good thing. I'd certainly want you at my table!

 

Having said that, now to nit-pic: has anyone read THE CUNARDER (Issue 9 - April 2005), the mailing piece/newsletter the company now sends out?

 

There may well be 11 pages of flawless and fun reading this issue, but. Big but! I began to read and threw the issue across the room!

 

Now I know these things are done for you by other people in other departments, but if your name is on the door, wouldn't you think you'd want to see and ok anything going out over your name? Sitting in The Big Seat, one is never that busy!

 

Maybe this represents the posted hand-wringing I read about what is happening to the line now: Front page, the featured letter from the now-company-CEO, "Dear Cunarder," in one sentence, the FIRST sentence, FIVE major errors!

 

Comment?

[QueensFan]

Well, I didn't see this issue of the Cunarder, but it sounds like it was pretty bad. I'm going to see if I can track it down somewhere.

 

There is one thing, though...we are in no way, shape, or form associated with Cunard, Carnival, Princess, or any other linked company. There are times we really wish we were, but that's not so.

 

Perhaps, however, another member might be able to get you some contact info to bring your complaint to the proper people? :)

 

Glad to have you with us! :D

[Paul NH]

Can you quote verbatim the first sentence, which had five errors? Curious about what we are talking about here.

[geopa]

Well, one mistake: HMS Queen Elizabeth II-- HMS is a ship, should have read as HRM ( her royal majesty)-- dumb mistake-- and Ratcliffe is a Brit!!

[dougnewmanatsea]

should have read as HRM ( her royal majesty)--

Going OT here, but is this actually proper?

 

I always thought it was just Her Majesty, e.g. "Her Majesty's Customs" or indeed Her Majesty's Ship.

 

Actually I think there is a HMS QUEEN ELIZABETH II, come to think of it! I assume it was still an error (though I haven't a clue what the context was since I've never seen the magazine in question).

[guernseyguy]

Front page, the featured letter from the now-company-CEO, "Dear Cunarder," in one sentence, the FIRST sentence, FIVE major errors!

 

Comment?

 

Ab ovo - don't keep us in suspense - post the sentence!

 

Peter

 

PS

HRH Queen Elizabeth II - person

HMS Queen Elizabeth II - warship - maybe he thinks her Majesty is an old battleship?

[2moose]

Ab ovo - don't keep us in suspense - post the sentence!

 

Peter

 

PS

HRH Queen Elizabeth II - person

HMS Queen Elizabeth II - warship - maybe he thinks her Majesty is an old battleship?

SHE IS!!!

[Zipper25]

HM Queen Elizabeth II - Person

HRH - Duke of Edingburgh - Person

HRH The Princess Anne - Person, etc

 

There is no "Her Royal Majesty".

 

From one loyal subject banished to the colonies :)

[guernseyguy]

HM Queen Elizabeth II - Person

HRH - Duke of Edingburgh - Person

HRH The Princess Anne - Person, etc

There is no "Her Royal Majesty".

From one loyal subject banished to the colonies :)

 

Quite correct, I had inadvertantly demoted the Queen to a 'Royal Highness', rather than 'Majesty'.....the Tower awaits!

 

......Anyroad up, of the heads of state in North America, I know which one I'd rather have, battleship or no.....!

 

Peter

Subject of Her Majesty, the Duke of Normandy.

[cruiserking]

Here's the first line from issue 9 of the The Cunarder.

 

"Dear Cunarder,

 

It's been just over a year now since HMS Queen Elizabeth II, christened

Queen Mary 2 on January 9, 2004 in a royal extravaganza that was headlined around the world, and what a year it's been!"

 

Cruiserking

[Ab Ovo]

You guys are great! I am SO glad I stopped lurking.

 

I've great aim. I know I hit the trash bin.

 

Now I'll go and find a copy somewhere and post that horrid first sentence!

 

Oops! There's the sentence, up there!

 

Ab

[guernseyguy]

"Dear Cunarder,

 

It's been just over a year now since HMS Queen Elizabeth II, christened

Queen Mary 2 on January 9, 2004 in a royal extravaganza that was headlined around the world, and what a year it's been!"

 

Cruiserking

 

Apart from re-designating the monarch as a battleship...I can't see the other four mistakes, unless it should have been a 'naming' ceremony....

.....other more eagle eyed spotters?

 

....Where's Mr Nitpicker when you need him!

 

Peter

 

PS Mr Nitpicker points out that HMS Queen Elizabeth II is in fact the new British Aircraft Carrier - large slab like structure with a flat top....so not too unlike a modern Cruise liner.....

[Ab Ovo]

Peter, "Mr. Nitpicker" points out that it was another (geopa #4) bringing in the warship thing.........but yes, that error was major to me.

 

HMS =s Her or His Majesty's Ship, I thought. RMS, of course is Royal Mail Ship, a designation the Queen Mary 2 carries.

 

Then.....yes, what happened was not "a royal extravaganza." It was a naming ceremony, not a royal occasion. A coronation would be "a royal extravaganza," or a jubilee or a royal wedding. This was just a big business occasion, graced by Her Majesty The Queen and HRH The Prince Philip, The Duke of Edinburgh. Of course Her Majesty did name the ship after the ship named for her grandmother.

 

The other three, well, call me a punctuation vigilante, but I fret about grammar, tense, syntax, possessives, plurals, contractions, commas in the wrong place and apostrophes stuck about where apostrophes have never been ever before in history.

 

Oh I know the sentence was not written to drive me crazy. I know there are many things on both the QE2 and the QM2 one could really nit-pic about It is just that in reading any letter from any CEO I'd want it proofed and perfect.

 

Ab

[guernseyguy]

Peter, "Mr. Nitpicker" points out that it was another (geopa #4) bringing in the warship thing.........but yes, that error was major to me.

 

HMS =s Her or His Majesty's Ship, I thought. RMS, of course is Royal Mail Ship, a designation the Queen Mary 2 carries.

 

Then.....yes, what happened was not "a royal extravaganza." It was a naming ceremony, not a royal occasion. A coronation would be "a royal extravaganza," or a jubilee or a royal wedding. This was just a big business occasion, graced by Her Majesty The Queen and HRH The Prince Philip, The Duke of Edinburgh. Of course Her Majesty did name the ship after the ship named for her grandmother.

 

The other three, well, call me a punctuation vigilante, but I fret about grammar, tense, syntax, possessives, plurals, contractions, commas in the wrong place and apostrophes stuck about where apostrophes have never been ever before in history.

 

Oh I know the sentence was not written to drive me crazy. I know there are many things on both the QE2 and the QM2 one could really nit-pic about It is just that in reading any letter from any CEO I'd want it proofed and perfect.

 

Ab

 

Ab,

 

You have challenged Mr Nitpicker on nits...a brave, or reckless move!

 

Geopa pointed out 'ship' not 'warship', (HMS referes to Navy, not Merchant Marine) and also invented a title 'Her Royal Majesty' - and then accused others of 'dumb mistakes', 10/10 for inventiveness and courage, somewhat less for accuracy...

 

Mr Nitpicker thinks the event could be reasonably described as an 'extravaganza' and there certainly were 'Royals' there - so the problem with 'Royal extravaganza' is...presumably that the 'extravaganza' did not belong to the Royals....but 'extravaganza featuring Royals' would have been more accurate, if less snappy?

 

Mr Nitpicker however is too tired at this hour to go in for the 'Lynne Truss' (see here: http://*****.com/ckdcv) punctuation vigilante award....apart from the wandering it's its apostrophe its (or it's?) enough to drive one to another Martini.... and to subscribe to George Bernard Shaw's description of them as 'uncouth bacilli'..... So the misplaced punctuation was....

 

Did we miss anything else?

 

Peter ;)

[guernseyguy]

Well, here's one even I could spot....UK Cunard 2006 Brochure, p 11, describing how Queen Victoria will 'continue Cunards's rich and famous heritage'....

 

The prose is pretty dire....the QE2 will be 'criss-crossing the seven seas...the only genuine circumnavigation of the globe by an ocean liner today' Where to start.....

 

Peter

[Zipper25]

Hrmmph!

 

My TA down-under didn't receive a supply of the 2005 brochures until February 2005, so I will just have to wait until next February before I can contribute to the vexing question of what to do with the flying apostrophe. :(

[Ab Ovo]

You guys ARE great! Some time, all on, we can group with buckets of martinis and keep the Lynne Truss Award of the Flying Apostrophe from being wasted on the CEO in question, but we CAN give him the lesser Listen To Us And Be A Better CEO ribbon.

 

Actually, I know he knows not of any of this, probably doesn't even see most of the company print material.

 

Cheerio!

 

Ab ovo