Cunard Announces Independence Day Celebration Cruise to Feature Political Heavy-Weights Mary Matalin and James Carville

Remastered Queen Mary 2 to sail roundtrip New York, featuring Halifax and an overnight stay in Boston

Cunard is thrilled to announce that “love & war” will come to the high seas when Mary Matalin and James Carville set sail as Insights speakers onboard Queen Mary 2. Departing New York on July 1, 2016 on a roundtrip cruise, Queen Mary 2 will visit Halifax and overnight in Boston for guests to enjoy the city’s famed Independence Day Celebration.

Mary Matalin and James Carville are of America’s most well-known political voices and political consultants, as well as authors of two national bestsellers, All’s Fair: Love, War, and Running for President and Love & War: Twenty Years, Three Presidents, Two Daughters and One Louisiana Home. Known for their two distinct voices, Matalin and Carville will join guests onboard Queen Mary 2 for a discussion titled “Perspectives on the Modern Presidency” and Q&A with the Entertainment Manager as part of the ship’s Insights programme.

Image courtesy of Cunard

Among her many roles and accomplishments, Mary Matalin served under President Ronald Reagan, made her mark as George H.W. Bush’s Campaign director and was an assistant to President George W. Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney. She has made numerous appearances on NBC’s Meet the Press and hosted CNN’s critically-acclaimed debate show, Crossfire.

James “The Ragin’ Cajun” Carville is an American political commentator and media personality who is a prominent figure in the Democratic Party. His most prominent victory was in 1992 when he helped Bill Clinton win the Presidency. Currently, Carville is a contributor to This Week with George Stephanopoulos and is also a Professor of Practice at Tulane University in New Orleans.

“Cunard is honored to host such distinguished American political experts onboard our flagship, Queen Mary 2,” comments Richard Meadows, president of Cunard North America. “Matalin and Carville have captured the American public for decades with their dueling political views and successful marriage, and we are excited to share their insight and unique personalities with our guests.”

Queen Mary 2 will be fresh off a 25-day dry dock and extensive refurbishment. Debuting on the ship will be 15 new single cabins, 30 additional Britannia Club Staterooms, an expanded kennel, a refreshed Kings Court, the new Verandah restaurant and Carinthia Lounge. Remastered design and décor will also be featured throughout the Grill suites and restaurants, as well as all Britannia staterooms. Executive Chef Nicolas Oldroyd will also be introducing new menus across the ship with new ingredients, selections and more choice, from pub menus to fine dining.

For more information about Cunard or to book a voyage, contact your Travel Consultant, call Cunard at 1-800-728-6273 or visit www.cunard.com.

Cunard Kicks Blue Note Jazz-Themed Transatlantic Crossing into High Gear with the Addition of a Second Vocal Legend: Dee Dee Bridgewater

Cunard, Blue Note Records, and Blue Note Jazz Clubs are excited to welcome Grammy® Award-winning artists on two Cunard Blue Note Jazz at Sea Transatlantic Crossings aboard the Queen Mary 2 in 2016.This is on one of those special sailings and you will experience the best of jazz along with Cunard’s traditional entertainment offerings, on the grandest ocean liner in the world.

Blue Note Jazz at Sea in 2016 – Gregory Porter, Dee Dee Bridgewater and Herbie Hancock

Grammy® Award-winning artist, Herbie Hancock will join the Queen Mary 2 on the 1 August 2016 “Jazz at Sea” Transatlantic Crossing. The multi Grammy Award winning star will perform three, 45-minute intimate shows in The Royal Court Theatre. During the westbound Transatlantic Crossing Hancock will be joined by band members, drummer Vinnie Colaiuta, bassist James Genus and guitarist Lionel Loueke.

Cunard also announced that jazz icon Dee Dee Bridgewater will be co-headlining Queen Mary 2’s third Blue Note jazz-themed Transatlantic Crossing from New York to Southampton on October 25, 2016.

Bridgewater is a Triple Grammy® Award Winner, a TONY® Winner, a UN Goodwill Ambassador, producer, record label head, and much more. Widely celebrated for her depth of artistry across mediums, Bridgewater will perform three intimate, powerhouse shows in The Royal Court Theatre as well as a Q&A session on board Queen Mary 2’s 7-night crossing.

Bridgewater’s career spans more than four decades, and began with her phenomenal debut in New York City in 1970 as the lead vocalist for the band led by Thad Jones and Mel Lewis, one of the premier jazz orchestras of the day. Bridgewater marked an early career in concerts and recordings with musical giants including Dizzy Gillespie, before beginning a career on Broadway, where she won a Tony Award for her role as Glinda the Good Witch in The Wiz. Her time on Broadway led to work in Tokyo, Los Angeles, Paris, and beyond. In London’s West End, she garnered a coveted “Laurence Olivier” Award nomination as Best Actress for her tour de force portrayal of jazz legend Billie Holiday in Stephen Stahl’s Lady Day.

Bridgewater joins booming baritone Gregory Porter on the Transatlantic Crossing. Fellow jazz musician Gregory Porter is also a Grammy® Winner and was awarded “International Jazz Artist of the Year” in 2015 by Jazz FM. (Porter’s upcoming participation was announced in November, 2015).

Jazz, soul and gospel singer, songwriter and actor Gregory Porter was born in Los Angeles, California and grew up in Bakersfield, California, where his mother was a minister. As a child, he fell under the spell of his mother’s Nat King Cole records, learning to imitate and sing like Cole. Luckily, this charismatic artist is here to breathe life, vitality, fun, excitement, passion and honesty into the musical genres he has loved from boyhood. Flutist Hubert Laws featured Porter’s vocals on his 1998 album, “Remembers the Unforgettable Nat King Cole.” Laws’ sister, Eloise Laws, helped him get cast as one of the leads in a new musical “It Ain’t Nothing But the Blues,” which eventually enjoyed a run on Broadway. His debut album, Water, appeared in 2010, and was followed by a second, “Be Good,” released two years later in 2012. Gregory’s latest album “Liquid Spirit” won last year’s Grammy Award for Best Jazz vocal album and reached the top 10 on the UK charts. Gregory was recognised this year by Jazz FM as “International Jazz Artist of the Year” and is described by the New York Times as “a jazz singer of thrilling presence, a booming baritone with a gift for earthy refinement and soaring uplift.”

“I am thrilled to join Cunard and Blue Note for such a unique musical experience on board Queen Mary 2,” said Bridgewater. “To me, jazz symbolizes liberty and freedom of expression, and I look forward to sharing this jazz experience with guests on board and with my dear friend, Mr. Gregory Porter.”

Cunard Announces Fashion and Culinary Event Cruises in 2016

New York Fashion Week’s Own Fern Mallis Takes to the High Seas

Cunard has today announced two exciting event cruises for 2016, celebrating the worlds of fashion, food, music and dance. From the launch of its very first ‘Transatlantic Fashion Week’ to a culinary tour of the British Isles to the largest Big Band Balls at sea, guests on each cruise will be immersed in the very best of these themes.

Cunard’s Three Queens: Queen Mary 2, Queen Victoria and Queen Elizabeth

Defining true excellence at sea with over 175 years of legendary voyages, Cunard is the operator of luxury ocean liners Queen Mary 2, Queen Victoria and Queen Elizabeth, renowned for impeccable White Star Service, gourmet dining and world-class entertainment. Cunard has long been synonymous with the quest for new discoveries since the company’s first paddle-wheeled steamer Britannia crossed the Atlantic in 1840. Today, Cunard offers the only regularly scheduled Transatlantic liner service and continues the legacy of world cruising which it began in 1922.

The inaugural ‘Transatlantic Fashion Week’ voyage on the Queen Mary 2 arrives in one of the style capitals of the world, New York, the very same day New York Fashion Week Spring/Summer 2017 Shows begins, after an extra special 7 night (1-8 September) voyage across the Atlantic on board the most famous ocean liner in the world.

Dame Zandra Rhodes

The voyage will be hosted by a number of very significant names from the industry, as guests will be treated to ‘an audience with’ pioneering British designer, Dame Zandra Rhodes CBE, Colin McDowell, the highly respected fashion historian and commentator Fern Mallis, the ‘Godmother of Fashion’ and founder of New York Fashion Week.

Fern Mallis ( Credit: Timothy Greenfield-Saunders)

Dame Zandra Rhodes, who has dressed some the world’s most iconic stars and musicians, including Freddie Mercury and Jackie Onassis, said: “I’m extremely excited to be joining Cunard on board Queen Mary 2 for the very first Transatlantic Fashion Week, 2016. For me, it offers the opportunity to share my knowledge and wonderful experiences from throughout my career in fashion, and give guests a taste of what my collection has to offer.“

Colin McDowell

Dame Zandra Rhodes will also reveal designs from her collections, as emerging faces from Storm modelling agency take to the catwalk during the voyage. Alongside these great fashion authorities, guests will have the opportunity to meet the designers of the future, as students from one of the world’s number one postgraduate fashion programmes, The Royal College of Art, showcase their latest collections on board.

Food lovers can treat themselves to a British Isles Culinary Discovery on board Queen Elizabeth in June next year. The cruise will feature highly reputable names and producers from the world of gastronomy, including Charles Sichel of Maison Sichel and Jilly Goolden, English Wine Critic and UK Television personality. Guests will be able to enjoy regional delicacies from around the British Isles through a range of tailored shore-side excursions, hosted on board events and specially curated menus.

QUEEN MARY 2 AND QUEEN ELIZABETH ROYAL RENDEZVOUS IN SYDNEY HARBOUR
Tuesday 22nd February 2011 – Sydney Harbour, Australia – Sydney Welcomes Queen Elizabeth and Queen Mary 2 on Royal Rendezvous on Maiden World Voyage; Cunard’s newest ocean liner, Queen Elizabeth, arrived in Sydney for the first time this morning, following her larger sister, Queen Mary 2, into Sydney Harbour in another historic Royal Rendezvous.

Each of the three Cunard Queens (Mary, Elizabeth and Victoria) will host their very own Big Band Balls in November 2016 for dance and music lovers around the world to enjoy. Cunard’s biggest orchestras of the year will delight guests with music from Glenn Miller, Count Basie and Duke Ellington. The big band phenomena originated in the US in the 1920s era, and soon took the world by storm by creating the party of all parties. Next year each of the three Queens will look forward to playing host to their own exclusive musical spectaculars.