RMS Mauretania Feb 1907 fantasy trip report

[sfred]

I'm aboard QE at the moment, and earlier today I was doing my usual dawn roam around the ship.  While walking up QE’s Staircase A, I noticed the photographs of RMS Mauretania which were given to Cunard by the Swan Hunter shipyard.  My photos of the photos are pasted below.  I’ve seen these photos many times before in passing, but this morning after getting a coffee and going outside to watch the sunrise, I got to thinking.  What would our Cunard Cruise Critic community think of the experience of doing a 1907 transatlantic on Mauretania?  What would we think was much better than a similar QM2 crossing of today?  What was much worse than today? 

 

Without having the benefit of a time machine to travel back to 1907, I’ll obviously never be able to enjoy a first-hand experience.  But I can speculate what it might have been like.  So here is my fantasy Cruise Critic trip report of a westbound TA to New York, February 1907 on RMS Mauretania. 

 

Has anyone else done a 1907 transatlantic in their imagination?  What was your experience?

 

Pros:

• Buying a ticket for my voyage was a little challenging.  Perhaps it was just the usual Cunard IT issues, but whatever the cause I wasn’t able to book online.  I had to go to the Cunard office in London to buy my ticket in person.  Cash only.  I guess the IT issues also caused them to be unable to accept my credit card.
• That said, the price was incredibly inexpensive.  Cunard must have been having a sale.  Britannia (they called it third class) was only $17.  Wow – what a deal!  QG (they called it first class) was only $185 and PG (second) was somewhere in between.  At these prices, I decided to splurge on QG/first.
• I was about to make my way to Waterloo station to catch a train to Southampton when the Cunard agent said that actually I would need to go to Liverpool.  OK.  Conveniently, Cunard arranged a dedicated boat train that took me straight from Euston station to Mauretania.
• Embarkation was so easy.  My bags were transferred from the boat train to the ship.  I showed my passport and ticket, and was able to go straight aboard.  No queues or security checks at all.
• A steward guided me to my cabin.  I didn’t have or need a key.  The steward would lock or unlock the door as needed or as requested.
• The MDR dedicated to first class was outstanding.  Multi-course breakfast, lunch, and dinner every day.  Every night was formal gala night.  Everyone else in first class, without exception, adhered to the gala dress code.
• A ship’s band provided live music each night, playing in the various public rooms. 
• Outside decks were all teak, and wooden furnishings were everywhere (panels, staircases, fittings, furniture, etc.)  Very attractive, although I imagine a bit of a fire risk.
• The crossing was fast!  Mauretania averaged over 26 knots and completed the trip in about five days. 

 

 

Cons:

• I’m fairly certain there was not enough lifeboat space for everyone aboard.  Although I can’t imagine there could be any real need.  It’s not like the ship could ever  collide with an iceberg, after all, right?
• Mauretania is small.  Only 31,938 gross registered tons (GRT) and a length of 235 meters.  (QM2 is 149,215 GRT and a length of 345 meters.)  
• There are no alternative dining restaurants or king’s court buffet.  Although the first class main dining room was outstanding, that’s really the only place to eat.
• Neither my phone or laptop could connect to Mauretania’s wifi and internet, so unfortunately I was offline the entire crossing.  I could go to the purser’s office and arrange for a SMS text message to be sent using something called the Marconi wireless, but the charge was extortionate.  12 shillings 6 pence for the first 10 words, and 7 pence for each additional word. 
• There wasn’t a single insight lecture, Cunard singer/dancer show, comedy show, movie, or entertainment program.  The ship’s band did play live music, but you had to be in the right place to listen.  There were some deck games, and you could organise your own card games, but you had to be wary of card cheats out to swindle you.
• Smoking was allowed everywhere.  They even had a dedicated public room identified for smoking – the “smoking room”.  Cigars and cigarettes were available for purchase.
• My first class cabin did not have an ensuite.  Toilets and baths were down the hallway.  This was rather inconvenient in the middle of the night.
• My cabin has a smallish porthole to look outside.  No balcony.  Although I had an electric heater, there was no air conditioning.  I imagine it might have gotten rather warm during the summertime or on a world cruise in the tropics.
• There were no retail shops anywhere on the ship.
• There was no swimming pool or spa facilities.  I was told that some ships like the new White Star liner Olympic would have a pool and Turkish bath, but these were not yet available on Cunard. 
• Although the crossing was fast, the vibration from the ship’s four turbine engines was very noticeable, and there was a considerable amount of roll and pitch in the rough seas.  We burned coal for the entire crossing.
• In New York, we docked at the Cunard piers in Chelsea.  It was very convenient to Manhattan, but when I asked about transfers to JFK or LaGuardia airports nobody had the faintest idea of what I was talking about.   I think it will be a very long trip back home to Australia.

 

 

[exlondoner]

Enchanting.

Did Cunard in London really sell tickets priced in $?

Some would put the lack of Wi-Fi as a pro. For me the biggest con would be the lack of stabilisers and at least a large window in the cabin.

I think she may have had enough lifeboats given Cunard’s serious and much lauded neurosis over safety and that her tonnage was quite a lot lower than that of the Olympic class ships.

 

 

[sfred]

44 minutes ago, exlondoner said:

Enchanting.

Did Cunard in London really sell tickets priced in $?

Some would put the lack of Wi-Fi as a pro. For me the biggest con would be the lack of stabilisers and at least a large window in the cabin.

I think she may have had enough lifeboats given Cunard’s serious and much lauded neurosis over safety and that her tonnage was quite a lot lower than that of the Olympic class ships.

 

Thanks @exlondoner.  I'm sure the London ticket office would've used pounds.  But a google search found a website that listed prices in $ so I used those numbers.  And Mrs sfred was calling to me to get ready to go to dinner so I didn't have time to search further.  🙂

 

I did confirm that in 1907 the Mauretania had significantly less lifeboat capacity than passengers plus crew.   Cunard greatly expanded her lifeboat capacity only after the Titanic sinking in 1912.  

 

I forgot about (lack of) stabilisers - good catch!

[WantedOnVoyage]

I like it.

 

But.... no British liner permitted smoking in the Dining Saloon at meals at least up to the late 1930s.  

 

You forgot the salt water baths. (which I love),  And no running water in the cabins except in First Class. 

 

And the ship's barber was the "shop" on Edwardian liners that sold souvenirs and requisites.  

[NE John]

I’ll certainly check out these great pix in June.  Thanks for highlighting these treasures. 

I would add, as some complain about today’s dress code on Cunard, that the level of dressing up back then must have been very restrictive. Dressing separately for breakfast, lunch, dinner, tea, cards etc. Certainly no “Smart Attire” options offered in 1907, at least for first/second class. I hope there’s room for your multiple steamer trunks in your first class cabin. Or are the steamer trunks used in third class to sit on? 
In addition, no printed Daily Programme waiting for you every evening but maybe there’s the captain’s noon announcements and I would imagine there was a future booking desk onboard in 1907 too. 

[Germancruiser]

sfred- thanks a thousand times- that was a great travel in the time machine. I was wondering about the IT issues Cunard seems to have on and off since 1907- I mean they had enough time to fix that....!

[rog747]

Super post _ I will reply with my thoughts later after a good read....

Yesterday I was shown some colour photos of the Interiors of the RMS Aquitania of the first class lounges and dining room it was quite spectacular.
A nod to the WSL Olympic Class Liners, she had a Grand Staircase and the interiors were luxury personified.
Compared to the older Mauretania which looked very bland, these were luxurious.  
I did notice from the old photos that the colour palette hues used on the Aquitania are similar to some of those being used on the new Queen Anne.

Whilst not an Art Deco ship, the Edwardian Aquitania inside was breathtaking for that period.  

Her features included a Caroline smoking room, a Louis XIV dining room, a Palladian lounge and a swimming pool inspired by the Egyptian architecture in the British Museum. The gracefulness of the liner and her exquisite interiors earned Aquitania the name 'the ship beautiful'.


Regarding alternate Dining:
This was a first on Liners:
On the WSL Olympic Liners there was in addition to the First Class Dining Room, the Café Parisien, and an A la Carte restaurant that was run as an independent concession by Luigi Gatti, the manager of two Ritz restaurants in London.
Unlike the Verandah Cafe, (Palm Court) the Café Parisien was run by Mr Gatti as a sideline to his a la carte restaurant with his own waiters. 
Sadly Mr Gatti died in the sinking in 1912.

This extra dining option was similar to Queen Mary (of 1936) which had the now famous Veranda Grill (which are on all of the ships today)

Both AFAIK back then were ''chargeable'' for diners to eat there.

Edited February 24 by rog747

[D&N]

9 hours ago, NE John said:

Dressing separately for breakfast, lunch, dinner, tea, cards etc.

Fortunately we don't play cards! 🤣

[WantedOnVoyage]

Well not to be pedantic, the Germans introduced the extra cost "restaurant" on ocean liners, way before White Star Line. This was on AMERIKA of 1905, built by Harland & Wolff, and operated as a concession by Ritz. She was also the first liner with a passenger lift.  

[sfred]

Thanks everyone for your kind words and additions to the Mauretania trip report. 

 

Since the original post I've noticed lots more Mauretania photos on QE.  They are hanging in the port and starboard passageways on deck 1 on either side of the theatre.   

 

I've also remembered that I tried to find a launderette on Mauretania.   No luck. 🙂

 

I tried to have a drink in the Chart Room.   Mauretania's was near the bridge and had a huge selection of rolled up charts but no drinks.   There was a junior officer there plotting our position.   He politely asked me to leave. 

[D&N]

29 minutes ago, sfred said:

huge selection of rolled up charts but no drinks.

How uncivilised!

[alibabacruisers]

Well done sfred for the imaginative thread!  How wonderful to think back to those times!

[kermchem]

While we are reminiscing, do remember that before the Great War the exchange rate was $5 = £1, so those fares looked less scary to us Brits. 

[Germancruiser]

Thx - WoV - I did not know that - that the Germans inveted the extra cost dining options. I also thought it was a first on the Olympic Class.

Mauretania was Commodore Rostron´s beloved ship- he was overcome when he watched her going to the breakers.

[rog747]

On 2/24/2024 at 12:37 PM, WantedOnVoyage said:

Well not to be pedantic, the Germans introduced the extra cost "restaurant" on ocean liners, way before White Star Line. This was on AMERIKA of 1905, built by Harland & Wolff, and operated as a concession by Ritz. She was also the first liner with a passenger lift.  

Thank you for that !

 In 1912, the liner SS Amerika was the first ship to warn Titanic of icebergs.

The SS Amerika went on, as such part of War reparations (seized by the USA in 1917) as the United States Lines liner, the SS America.
Reconditioned after her War service and Troop repatriations to resume her place in the Transatlantic passenger trade, she commenced her maiden voyage as an American passenger liner on 22 June 1921, sailing from the former Hamburg America Line piers at Hoboken NJ (New York) for Bremen, Germany, with stops at Plymouth, England, and Cherbourg, France, en route.

The SS Vaterland of the Hamburg America Line was another liner interned by the USA, and she was handed over to become the SS Leviathan for the United States Lines.
She was one of the trio of large 'Ships of State' built by the Hamburg Amerika Line to compete on the North Atlantic with Cunard, WSL, NDL, and the CGT French Line.

In 1919 Vaterland's sister ships – Imperator and the unfinished Bismarck – were handed over to the Allies as war reparations to Britain. They were sold to the Cunard Line and White Star Line respectively, and renamed Berengaria and Majestic.
Along with NDL's SS George Washington, also interned by the USA in 1917, she too joined the newly created United States Lines.

Hamburg America Line and Norddeutscher Lloyd NDL; would eventually merge and become known as Hapag Lloyd.

 

United States Lines was the trade name of an organization of the United States Shipping Board (USSB), Emergency Fleet Corporation (EFC) created to operate the German liners seized by the United States in 1917.

The ships were owned by the USSB and all finances of the line were controlled by the EFC.

One of the founders was Kermit Roosevelt, son of US President Theodore Roosevelt. 

Among the notable ships of this period was the Leviathan, a contender for largest ship in the world for a time.

In addition though, there was to come, significant competition from new Italian, French, German, and British superliners.

Eventually the line was sold and went private to continue operating as a Transatlantic shipping company with ocean liners until 1969—most famously, The SS United States.

 

 

[rog747]

BTW,

I forgot to book a cabin for my Valet....

[ClipperinSFO]

This was a wonderful post -- thank you so much @sfred for your imagination.  I think part of the charm of Cunard, especially on a QM2 TA is envisioning just what it would have been like to be on the Mauretania -- and its not all that far off, esp if one eschews many of the "modern" "improvements" that have been instituted since those days -- en suite bathrooms excluded of course!

 

I remember early in my crossing career someone told me that the view of the skies and seas on North Atlantic mid-ocean is the same today as it would have been for all those who crossed on earlier liners, and thus in a way the crossing is timeless.  That resonated deeply, and still does.

 

Thank you again.

[WantedOnVoyage]

17 hours ago, rog747 said:

BTW,

I forgot to book a cabin for my Valet....

QE2 had those small inside First Class single cabins right off the bigger staterooms and clearly designed for children or servants. I occupied one in 1977.  Most of the liners had them.  Although in Edwardian times, private servants often travelled Second Class and there was a separate dining room for them. They were also listed in the Passenger List but only after their master or mistresses' names and as "and man servant" or "and ladies maid" or "governess" never by their surnames. 

 

It's worth noting that today's QM2 crosses the Atlantic at about the same speed as the ETRURIA and UMBRIA at the turn of the century.... I'll take MAURETANIA's five-day crossing over "modern conveniences" anyday!

Edited February 27 by WantedOnVoyage

[Germancruiser]

Great topic this- especially for us " Shipbuffs"! Thx. Rog! QM2 could do that TA also in 5 days- but who would want that , LOL? I rather stay 7 days on board instead of only five.

The last crossing- right before her drydock-  from NY to Hamburg, was proof how fast she

( Mary2 ) can go- if needed be.

We left NY 17 hours late- due to a computer failure on board- stayed overnight right in front of VN- Bridge. We arrived to the minute on time in Southampton- Captain just sped her up to about somedays 28 knots. Wonderfull crossing that was- and not a shudder,  not a shake- she cut right through the waves. Brilliand ship that QM2.

[rafinmd]

As a Britannia cruiser (then and now most of those on board) I think I would find things a bit different.  Love how everybody is now so nearly equal once out of their cabins.

 

Not to mention, even if one were available I would have hated to face the North Atlantic in an open lifeboat. 

 

Roy

[sfred]

Last night I found two more Mauretania photos on QE.  They are on the wall on Deck 1 adjacent to the purser's desk.  My photos of the photos attached below.   I'm always amazed that after so many days on QE I can still discover new things. 

 

[Germancruiser]

I agree, no North - Atlantic in an open live boat. That I think to myself quite often, when walking the Decks of QM2 or any other Cunarder, but esp. QM2, what a wonderful thing- Britannia Class passengers can enjoy surroundings that would have been reservered for first class passengers about a 100 years and more ago.

Great pictures what a nice Edwardian Style she had ( for the first class passengers anyway) - thanks.