What happens when our ships cross paths around the world? Recent calls in Halifax and Los Angeles created opportunities to step on board, swap experiences and strengthen connections across ships, fleets and generations.
From two cadets comparing life at sea to a meeting between a modern Cunarder and one of the most famous Cunard ships in history, these visits showed the value of looking beyond our own ship and learning from others.
Cadets cross decks in Halifax
A call to Halifax provided an unexpected reunion for cadets Erica Salisbury from Queen Mary 2 and Amelia Mackay from Sapphire Princess.As well as serving on ships from different fleets, Erica and Amelia are college mates. With both ships in port, they were given the opportunity to visit each other’s workplace and experience life on board from a different perspective.
The exchange gave both cadets the chance to compare onboard practices, share knowledge and gain a better understanding of how another ship operates.
It was only a brief visit, but a valuable one. As well as strengthening their friendship and professional connection, it gave two colleagues at the beginning of their maritime careers an opportunity to learn directly from each other’s experiences.
A big thank you to the teams on Queen Mary 2 and Sapphire Princess who helped make the exchange possible.
Two Queens, one shared history
There was a rather different ship-to-ship encounter in Los Angeles on 28 September, when Queen Elizabeth welcomed officers and colleagues from the former Cunard liner RMS Queen Mary.Following breakfast in the Britannia Restaurant, the visitors were given a guided tour of Queen Elizabeth, including a look behind the scenes at crew areas below decks and how a modern Cunarder operates.
It was also an opportunity to celebrate the connections between Cunard’s past and present. Queen Mary Curator Katrina Capaldi spotted references to the historic ship among Queen Elizabeth’s artwork, while representatives from the two ships marked the occasion with a plaque exchange.
Later, it was Queen Elizabeth’s officers’ turn to cross the gangway, visiting Queen Mary for a guided tour of the historic liner.
For those used to life aboard a modern Cunarder, exploring Queen Mary’s decks offered a glimpse into a very different era of life at sea and brought almost nine decades of Cunard history together in one port.
Different ships, shared experiences
The encounters in Halifax and Los Angeles might have been very different, but both demonstrated what can happen when ships and their people have the opportunity to connect.
For Erica and Amelia, it was a chance to learn from a peer working aboard another fleet. For colleagues from Queen Elizabeth and Queen Mary, it was an opportunity to share knowledge while celebrating maritime heritage.
Whether the connection is between two college mates, two fleets or two generations of Cunard ships, stepping aboard somewhere different gives us an opportunity to listen, learn and see life at sea through someone else’s eyes.