With her maiden voyage just around the corner, we’ve been introducing you to our colleagues, ship and shore, who have been working hard to get Queen Anne and her crew ready to set sail.
In our third story, we hear from Howard (Howie) Herdi, Deck Housekeeper, Queen Anne. You’ll remember Howie, as one of our World of Cunard competition runners up, who documented his visit to Queen Anne at the shipyard last October, through the lens of his camera.
This time, Howie has been capturing his journey to Queen Anne, where he’s part of the inaugural crew bringing her into service. Read more about his journey below.
Travelling to Venice
We had to catch a flight to Manila to attend dispatch and collect our documents. At the dispatch office of Singa the buzz started to build, seeing my colleagues and lots of familiar faces who were also joining Queen Anne! .
I arrived at the airport early and met some of my colleagues in the queue for check-in, while others said their farewells to their friends and family. We boarded the plane and arrived in Venice, Italy after our 15-hour flight, to a warm welcome from Cunard colleagues.
I arrived at the airport early and met some of my colleagues in the queue for check-in, while others said their farewells to their friends and family. We boarded the plane and arrived in Venice, Italy after our 15-hour flight, to a warm welcome from Cunard colleagues.
Arriving at the yard
Upon arrival to the shipyard we were welcomed by Rachel, Queen Anne’s Crew Services Manager. We were given our Fincantieri ship yard ID and issued with personal protective equipment (safety shoes and a hard hat) ready to attend our yard safety briefing. Following the safety briefing we walked over to the ship and it was incredible to see Queen Anne again. Everyone was so excited and we all had our cameras ready as we approached her. She had changed so much since my visit to the yard in October!
Getting on board
Our departmental representatives waited for us on the quayside and after collecting our luggage we were all eager to get on board. We completed the sign on process at the Crew Services Office, found our cabin, and were warmly greeted by new and old faces all throughout the process. After settling in, we attended the ‘Welcome to Queen Anne’ induction session and the necessary safety and departmental training sessions for our roles. We’re all so happy and proud to be a part of Queen Anne’s crew and can’t wait to welcome guests on board for her maiden voyage!
