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Cruise Ship Jobs - Cunard Cruise Line Jobs

   Cunard Line has a long history stretching back to the era of great ocean liners at a time when the only way to cross the Atlantic was by ship. Now days with all the Trans-Atlantic traffic gone to the airlines, Cunard Line has to adapt to the new economic realities in order to survive. Changing owners a few times, Cunard was finally acquired by Carnival Cruise Line and merged with Seabourn Cruise Line (three of the Cunard's ships were transferred to Seabourn). Like any other cruise line Carnival has purchased (Holland America Cruise Line, Windstar Cruises, Seabourn Cruises, Costa Cruises), Cunard Line was left to operate as a separate brand, preserving the image Cunard has built through the last century. The line was founded in 1840 by Samuel Cunard, a businessman from Halifax, Nova Scotia. Cunard applied for and received a contract from the British government to carry the Royal Mail from Britain to North America on a fleet of steam ships that would maintain a weekly service. The first route was from Liverpool to Boston via Halifax, but the western terminus was soon moved to New York. In the late 1920's Cunard Line lay down plans for a pair of ships that would be capable of maintaining the weekly service between Southampton and New York. Construction was delayed by the Great Depression, but the British government issued loan guarantees on the condition that Cunard Line merge with its rival, White Star Line. Cunard-White Star Line launched the ships Queen Mary in 1935 and Queen Elizabeth in 1939. Queen Mary won the speed record for the North Atlantic from the French ship Normandie and kept it for the next 16 years. In 1960, the British government agreed to lend Cunard Line money for the construction of a new liner on the condition that the ship could be requisitioned for national service in an emergency. In 1967, Queen Elizabeth II launched Queen Elizabeth 2, named for the earlier ship, Queen Elizabeth. QE2, as she became known, made her maiden voyage in 1969, as a two-class ship for crossings and a one-class ship for cruises. In 1998, Cunard Line was acquired by Carnival Cruises, which merged the management of Cunard with Seabourn Cruises, their other luxury brand. In January 2004, Queen Mary 2- the largest, longest, highest, and most expensive cruise ship ever built was christened by Queen Elizabeth II and made her maiden voyage attended by worldwide media coverage. In May, Queen Mary 2 took over the North Atlantic liner service between Southampton and New York and became the flagship of Cunard Line. In that month QE2 was repositioned to make cruises out of Southampton for the British market. Also in 2004 Cunard Line, as one of the Carnival family fleet of cruise lines, was moved under the Princess/P&O Cruises umbrella, where its operations will now be overseen by an almost entirely new staff (both onboard and on shore).

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Cruise ships and itineraries:

Queen Victoria: British registered, built 2008, 90.000 gross tons, 2.014 passengers, 900 crew members. Itineraries: Western Europe, Northern Europe, Mediterranean, World Cruise.
Queen Mary II: British registered, built 2003, 150.000 gross tons, 2.620 passengers, 1.253 crew members. Itineraries: Caribbean, Canada/New England, Trans-Atlantic, Norwegian Fjords, Western Europe, Africa.
Queen Elizabeth II: British registered, built 1969, 70.000 gross tons, 1.890 passengers, 1.004 crew members. Itineraries: Norwegian Fiords, Mediterranean, Africa, Caribbean, Bermuda, Canada/New England, World Cruise, Trans-Atlantic, Hawaii/Tahiti, Australasia, Far East.