Cunard Line celebrated a historic meeting between the RMS Queen Mary and Queen Elizabeth in Long Beach, California in March 2013. Over 3,500 spectators witnessed the ships' mutual whistle blasts and a fireworks display. Media coverage of the event included local TV stations and newspapers. Cunard also saw increased engagement on social media platforms and positive press coverage of voyages and itineraries throughout the first quarter of 2013.

1. EVENTS
Media Highlights
Riding the wave of news and information
Q1 2013
QUEEN ELIZABETH / QUEEN MARY ROYAL RENDEZVOUS
In Q1 2013, Cunard Line’s Facebook fans increased to more than 97,769 fans and counting. On Twitter, Cunard
has more than 12,757 followers. The WeAreCunard YouTube Channel now has more than 2,284 subscribers and
1.6 million views.
SOCIAL MEDIA
Cunard Line made history on 12 March 2013 when QUEEN ELIZABETH met
RMS Queen Mary, once the undisputed grand dame of the North Atlantic,
for the first time during a spectacular Cunard Royal Rendezvous in
Long Beach, CA. This Royal Rendezvous marks Queen Mary’s first meeting
with a QUEEN ELIZABETH since 1967 when Queen Mary, during her final
Transatlantic Crossing, passed by the original Queen Elizabeth. More than
3,500 spectators were aboard Queen Mary, now permanently berthed as a
popular luxury hotel and attraction in Long Beach Harbour, to witness the
historic occasion that included mutual whistle blasts and a stunning fireworks
display. Media coverage included
KCAL / CBS, KTLA, Los Angeles Times,
Long Beach Press-Telegram and NBC.
PRESS “FAM” COVERAGE
SPECIAL COVERAGE
For a special cruise issue, book critic Dwight Garner’s
“Notes on a Crossing” included captivating details of his
experiences aboard QUEEN MARY 2’s 3 January 2013
Transatlantic Crossing. View article. The full two-page feature
story also appeared in The Miami Herald and Canada’s
The Chronicle Herald; and an abbreviated version appeared
in Travel Agent.
Writer Si Liberman recounted his Scandinavian Explorer voyage
aboard QUEEN MARY 2 in the 18 March issue. View article.
Photographer James Morgan’s gallery of 11 breathtaking
shots of QUEEN MARY 2 included images taken as
she became the largest ship to visit Milford Sound in
New Zealand. View article.
In the 9 January edition of this Allentown, PA outlet, writer
Diane Stoneback assured readers that Cunard’s traditional
English Afternoon Tea aboard QUEEN MARY 2 would satisfy
fans of the popular BBC television series, “Downton Abbey.”
View article.
PRESS RELEASE COVERAGE
2013 WAVE OF SAVINGS
Cunard entered the 2013 Wave Season with attractively priced Transatlantic Crossings and Europe voyages aboard QUEEN MARY 2,
QUEEN ELIZABETH and QUEEN VICTORIA. The “Wave of Savings” promotion included a popular fly-cruise Mediterranean programme
that allows guests to extend their stay in Athens, Rome or Venice post-voyage. The promotion earned online coverage by ABC News,
Fox News and Examiner.com, among other media outlets.
2014 VOYAGE PROGRAMME
Cunard’s announcement in March of details for the 2014-2015 cruise programme earned media coverage in leading travel publications.
Several outlets, including USA Today’s The Cruise Log and Travel Agent Central, noted Cunard’s increased presence in the Mediterranean
and the “Birthday Crossings” to celebrate the 10th
year of service of flagship QUEEN MARY 2. Cruise News Daily and Seatrade Insider
also detailed Cunard’s industry-leading strategies and itineraries.
NEW DRESS CODES
In March, Cunard announced the simplification of the Line’s dress codes, from Formal, Semi-Formal
and Elegant Casual to Formal and Informal. Media coverage emphasized Cunard’s ongoing
commitment to its tradition of special occasion dressing, including Travel Weekly, The Miami Herald
and The Huffington Post.
Cunard Line’s new dress codes celebrate
the chance to dress up – and relax
QUEEN MARY 2 200th
CROSSING
On 6 July 2013, Cunard will mark a major milestone when she achieves her 200th
Transatlantic Crossing in her ninth
season since entering service in 2004. The milestone will be commemorated on board with a variety of special
festivities, live performances by the Juilliard School of Jazz, and a Cunard Insights programme featuring British naval
architect Stephen Payne, OBE, who is credited with much of the design of QUEEN MARY 2. Trade publication
Group Tour Magazine was among the outlets covering this exciting news.
JANE AUSTEN LAND TOURS
In March, Cunard announced a special series of land tours to celebrate the 200th
anniversary of Jane Austen’s classic novel,
“Pride and Prejudice.” Available as an add-on to select sailings, the tours visit sites where the famous author lived and worked, as well as
her burial site and Salisbury Cathedral, which is featured in the 1995 film, “Sense and Sensibility.” The Jane Austen tours earned media
coverage in USA Today’s Cruise Log, TravelersToday.com and Travel Weekly.
CUNARD INSIGHTS
The 2013 Cunard Insights programme earned coverage in various outlets, including the New York Daily News’
books blog, “Page Views.” The article featured well-known author Margaret Atwood, who will be aboard the
15 August Transatlantic Crossing of QUEEN MARY 2 to preview her new book, “MaddAddam,” prior to its
official U.K. release. The multi-awarded author is best known for “The Handmaid’s Tale.”
Renowned author Margaret Atwood
to appear for Cunard Insights on
QUEEN MARY 2
The January 2013 “Social Safari” column by R. Couri Hay
included his insightful account of the 20 November 2012
Transatlantic Crossing aboard QUEEN MARY 2 that featured
auction items from the estate of legendary actress Greta Garbo
and a special Cunard Insights programme by the star’s nephew,
Derek Reisfield. View article.
Massachusetts journalist Linda Fasteson reminisced about
some memories of a lifetime in her 17 March story, “Sailing into
the Sunset: Trip Home Aboard Luxurious Queen Mary 2 a
Perfect Way to Wrap up European Vacation.” View article.
Following her independent voyage aboard QUEEN ELIZABETH, author Linda Bauer described the unique experience of a
Cunard World Voyage. View article.
A 28 January article directed readers to an anonymous 56-page
appraisal and more than 1,000 photos of QUEEN ELIZABETH
for the newspaper’s cruise review site, vacationCruisesInfo.com.
View article. The same coverage was also published in sister
newspaper, the Pensacola News Journal.
In the March 2013 edition, columnist Robert Bone described a
lifetime of sailing in “Cunard Memories, a Tale of Three Great
Ships.” View article.
A fireworks display lit the sky above QUEEN ELIZABETH and Queen Mary to
celebrate their first meeting in a Cunard Royal Rendezvous in Long Beach Harbour