In 2009 Susan Kennedy officially opened Carnival House accompanied by her husband (and Carnival UK Corporate Services Director), Andrew Kennedy and CEO at the time David Dingle.
Ten years on we caught up with Susan and her two children, Catherine Kennedy, Entertainment Director on board Queen Mary 2 and Chris Kennedy, Safety Officer on board Queen Victoria to reflect on the momentous day, what it meant to be involved and why it remains such a special moment for the Kennedy family.
(L – R) David Dingle, Susan Kennedy and Andrew Kennedy on launch day!
Susan: Carnival UK has been part of our family for years. My parents, grandparents, great aunt and uncle all cruised with P&O Cruises and I grew up with the pennants of Orsova, Chusan and Arcadia on my bedroom walls. Andrew and I met in 1980 when we were both working on Canberra. He was Accountant and I was Children’s Hostess. He came ashore first to work in the office in London and I followed him when the office relocated to Southampton. Andrew was Finance Director for Carnival UK for most of his career, then moved to Project Manage the building of Carnival House and the Inaugural Events and Naming Ceremonies of several ships before retiring. I still have very fond memories from my time at sea and keep in touch with many of the people I worked with, plus my two children are carrying on the Carnival UK story working on board Cunard ships today.
Chris: For as long as I can remember I wanted to be a deck officer and cruising with family growing up I was fascinated with the mechanics of the ships and how they got from A to B. I’ve now been a Deck Officer with Carnival UK for 12 years.
Catherine: Chris and I heard so many of our parents’ stories from their own seagoing careers when we were growing up, and of course so enjoyed cruising as children, that it seemed like we could do nothing else! When cruising as children, you could barely get me out of the youth centre, but Chris would be found on deck for hours watching the tenders going up and down, or finding out how things worked. I started working on the Events Team for the Azura Inaugurals and during this time, I applied to be a seasonal Youth staff member. I was accepted, and joined Oceana in 2010 for 6 weeks. Following that I spent three years at the University of Leeds reading Theatre and Performance and every Christmas, Easter and Summer holiday I would be back working on board. After I graduated in 2013, I applied to move to the Entertainment Team and am now sailing as Entertainment Director on board Queen Mary 2.
Your family’s connection to Carnival House and Carnival UK is quite unique. What do you remember from the official opening of the building back in 2009?
Susan: Andrew was there from the beginning, choosing the site, working with the architects and overseeing the project as a whole making sure that the project came in on time and on budget. There was a champagne reception on the opening day, followed by speeches and family and friends were invited including Andrew’s mum and some of the friends we had sailed with at sea.
Catherine: Like absolutely everything that my father did in his life, it was a huge success and now that he is no longer with us, it’s nice to know that his legacy lives on through Carnival House. I remember how impressed I was with how modern the building was, especially the atrium and the little roof terrace!
Chris: Although I was at sea during the opening of the building I do remember the build up, the excitement from home and how proud we all were. In the years that followed I have spent time in the office assisting on interviews panels and working on a number of deck and safety projects and It is always special to think about my father’s involvement with the building and to see my mother’s name on the plaque by the reception desk.
Susan: Something that most people may not know is that Andrew also bought the painting on the other side of the entrance hall from a local artist – this was his gift to the building and to Carnival UK.
Are there any stand out significant moments from this day, how did you feel?
Catherine: I remember being really nervous for Mum’s speech, as she had never been used to speaking in front of that many adults before – she was used to children with a career as a teacher! But she was fantastic and the whole day was very special. I was so pleased for mum to have such an important part in the day, and unbelievably proud of my father’s achievement. My brother had already gone to sea and I remember being so jealous and wishing that I was able to go myself – little did I know that almost exactly a year later I would!
Susan: The day was a very proud and emotional one. I was very honoured to have been asked and proud of Andrew and his fine achievement and the fact that my children were continuing the connection.
What makes you proud to work for Carnival UK?
Chris: I am extremely proud to work for Carnival UK, I think history plays a big part in this pride, both on a personal level with the family connection we have and also in a wider sense to be working for such historic and prestigious brands as P&O Cruises and Cunard. Sailing on our ships you have a real sense of being a part of something special, both brands are so well loved by our guests and the holiday happiness that we deliver to many thousands of people every day should be a source of pride to all of us that play a part in it.
Catherine: Both Cunard and P&O Cruises have such a rich cruising history and it is amazing to think that I am a part of that. The family connection for me is obviously very important, but it goes beyond that because you make your extended family on the ships you work on. Standing beside my colleagues on a daily basis making our guests happy, and keeping them returning time and time again is something to be very proud of.
What’s on the horizon for you?
Chris: My next challenge is joining the Iona new build team as Safety Officer in the shipyard early next year. Having spent a bit of time with the Cunard brand (although never at the same time as Catherine!) this will be quite a change and an exciting opportunity.
To celebrate 10 years of Carnival House and the improvements we are making to the building, we’re offering you the chance to win a treat for you and your team!
Share what you love about Carnival House in the comments box here and we will select one winner at the end of the week that will receive 10 pizzas from the Atrium Cafe for them and their team to enjoy. Full terms and conditions available here.
Don’t forget to also share your photos with us on Instagram @CarnivalUKComms #WeLoveCarnivalHouse #Summerofhappiness