In Transition, Cunard Offers Discounts

Last spring’s acquisition of Cunard Line by cruise giant Carnival Corp. does not mean the Queen Elizabeth 2 will be turned into a “fun ship,” but it does mean a lot of short- and long-term changes not only to Cunard but to Carnival’s luxury-label Seabourn as well.

For the five Cunard ships acquired--the QE2, the Vistafjord (which traditionally attracts a larger European than North American audience), the Royal Viking Sun and the pair of luxurious little Sea Goddess ships--the new owners have announced a series of price cuts for 1999.

Cruisers traveling with Cunard for the first time save 30% to 45% off 1999 published brochure fares, while repeat Cunard passengers save 40% to 55%. The amount saved depends on the ship and the cabin category selected. Dates the discount is in effect range from mid-April to mid-December on the Sea Goddess ships; late April to early November on the Vistafjord; early May to late October on the Royal Viking Sun; and early May through mid-December on the QE2.

Here’s an example: Say you wanted to make a transatlantic crossing on the QE2 in early June in a deluxe outside cabin with dining assignment in the first-class Caronia restaurant. (Dining room seating on the QE2 depends on the price of the cabin, with the Grills at the top of the line, followed by the Caronia, then the Mauretania.) Instead of paying the listed price of $4,580 per person, double occupancy, the fare would be $2,519, including gratuities and economy class air fare between Los Angeles or 116 other U.S. gateway cities and London. For a six-day sailing, that figure falls far short of a real bargain, but it does offer an incentive for people who want to sail on the QE2.

Aboard the Royal Viking Sun, the 16-day Los Angeles-to-Miami Panama Canal cruise departing April 24 is priced from $7,550 for the first person occupying the cabin; the second person sails free. The first person’s fare includes gratuities and round-trip economy class air fare, while the second person pays $11 a day for gratuities and a $500 air add-on. Cabin choices are limited to lower category inside and outside doubles on the two lowest passenger decks only.

We’d recommend using a travel agent to negotiate these special fares to be sure every “i” is dotted and every “t” is crossed.

None of the special end-of-the-year millennium sailings are affected by the price cuts.

Carnival surprised many cruise fans when, along with some Norwegian minority investors, it purchased Cunard from Finland’s Kvaerner PLC last April for $500 million. For Cunard, this was the equivalent of hearing the other shoe drop. The venerable line, founded in 1840 by Nova Scotia businessman Samuel Cunard to carry the mail and a few incidental passengers between England and North America, had been part of the package when Kvaerner bought Cunard’s longtime owners, London-based Trafalgar House, in 1996.

Under Kvaerner, top Cunard executives came and went, sometimes almost overnight, and the company’s North American headquarters were moved to Miami after 150 years on New York’s Fifth Avenue.

From the start, Carnival said it would merge its luxury Seabourn brand with Cunard under a new Cunard Line Ltd. label. Larry Pimentel, president of Seabourn, was named president of the new line.

But instead of moving Cunard to Seabourn’s San Francisco offices, those offices were closed down by the end of 1998, and key personnel were transferred to Miami.

The transition to incorporate the two lines is moving slowly because of Cunard’s existing 1999 bookings. A brochure for 2000 is expected to be out in mid-1999.

By late this year, the Cunard and Seabourn ships are expected to be divided into two different groups. The “Norwegian” ships (ships registered in Norway with Scandinavian officers and hotel staff) will carry the Seabourn logo--the 200-passenger Seabourn Pride, Seabourn Spirit and Seabourn Legend; the Royal Viking Sun (to be renamed Seabourn Sun in October); and the two Sea Goddesses, to be renamed Seabourn Goddess I and Seabourn Goddess II.

The “British ships” will retain the Cunard label, British flag and traditional cruising style. They include the QE2, the Vistafjord (to be renamed and reflagged in Britain in the fall) and the Queen Mary project, a proposed new ship aiming to re-create the romance of ocean liner travel.

Loyal Cunard passengers were certainly in evidence on the world cruises when we recently went aboard both the QE2 and the Royal Viking Sun. We saw many familiar faces of both staff and passengers from previous sailings.

Also, we noted both ships were in need of refurbishment, the QE2 more so than the Sun. Both are slated for dry dock this fall.

To get copies of the 1999 Cunard brochures, see a travel agent or call (800) 7-CUNARD.