Cruise History: How far they've come

25 May 2014 - 02:10 By Teresa Machan
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As Cunard's flagship QM2 celebrates a decade of service, newspaper archives reveal the innovations - including chorus girls - awaiting the Aquitania's passengers in 1914.

These days, cruise passengers have access to some wonderful innovations at sea - from aerial-viewing pods and simulated sky-diving to scientific research vessels that beam images from the deep to paying passengers on board.

Cruise-ship dining is just as cutting-edge (Jamie Oliver, Marco Pierre White and Nobu are among those with offshoots at sea), while entertainment includes everything from performances by the Royal Shakespeare Company to recordings with the cast of The Archers. One wants for nothing on a 21st-century cruise ship.

And yet, it was always thus. We found a story about how the soon-to-be-launched RMS Aquitania would - among other things - have the first music hall on a cruise ship. And they were pretty excited about it back in 1914.

Aquitania was the third in Cunard Line's "grand trio" of express liners, preceded by the RMS Mauretania and RMS Lusitania, and was a grand four-funnelled ocean liner. Originally the ship was to operate on the North Atlantic service alongside the Lusitania and Mauretania. RMS Aquitania left Liverpool on its maiden voyage on May 30 1914 bound for New York and would complete only two more transatlantic voyages before the outbreak of World War 1.

Instead it entered military service and would later see service in the Gallipoli campaign.

The reporters appeared to miss the point of time at sea, disparagingly referred to as "the tedium of the days away from land", even though the Aquitania's passenger accommodation was superior to anything seen on the North Atlantic before: the first-class drawing room was decorated in the Adam style, copied from features in London's Lansdowne House, and walls were adorned with portraits and prints of English seaports. The restaurant was decorated in Louis XIV style; the ship's Grill Room in Jacobean style.

But even on the best-equipped cruise ship, time was "apt to drag of an evening," notes the piece.

The "garden" referred to is most likely to have been the Garden Lounge, which stretched for 45m on either side of the public rooms on A Deck and was designed to look like an old English garden.

"The walls were treated to represent stone, fixed trellis in natural teak was attached to that, and ivy was grown on the trellis," says Michael Gallagher, Cunard's historian.

The Telegraph report went on to detail further particulars - the Tiller Girls dance troupe were among the entertainers, who weren't paid but "enjoyed the monetary contribution of a reduced fare".

This month, almost a century on, Cunard's three newest ships - Queen Victoria, Queen Elizabeth and Queen Mary 2 (which was on the final leg of a world cruise) - were photographed side-by-side at sea for the first time ever as part of celebrations to mark the latter ship's 10th birthday yesterday. The only true ocean liner in service, the QM2 remains the world's fastest passenger ship, 10 years after she was launched by the Queen in 2004.

Following the celebrations, the "royal" trio set sail together from Southampton with the QM2 leading the way to the Solent.

Originally published in The Daily Telegraph on April 17, 1914

OCEAN MUSIC HALLS.

CUNARD'S LATEST LINER.

NEW LUXURY POSSIBLE.

Apparently there is no limit to the luxuries provided for the Ocean traveller of today. He has his gymnasium, his swimming bath, his garden, his library and diversions without number, and now there is the possibility - indeed, it seems almost a probability - that a first-class music hall entertainment will still further relieve the tedium of the days away from land. Particulars were printed in The Daily Telegraph, yesterday, of a variety of entertainment which is to be given on the Aquitania, the latest and largest addition to the Cunard fleet.

A special stage is being constructed in the saloon on the "A," or first-class deck, of the ship, and appropriate scenery provided, and the 800 or 1000 persons which the apartment will accommodate will find that the services of such well-known artists as Mr George Robey, Mr Barclay Gammon, Mr Arthur Prince, the Grotesques, and the Tiller Girls, have been secured for the occasion.

The arrangements for this new phase of the music-hall show are in the hands of Mr Frank Allen, managing director of Moss's Empires (Limited) and Mr Ernest Wighton, chairman of the Booking Committee. It was with these gentlemen that the idea originated, and they pointed out to one of our representatives yesterday what it was likely to lead to.

Four years ago it was suggested to steamship companies that by conceding certain reductions in fares to artist passengers they might receive in return a substantial addition to the attractions which they had to offer their other patrons.

At the time the idea was held to be impracticable, for the number of entertainers making the voyage was so comparatively small as to render the experiment hardly worthwhile trying. But the last two or three years have seen a great change in the matter of exchange of music-hall stars.

The invasion of England by ragtime music was accompanied by an incursion of ragtime and other American specialists, and in return British artists have been visiting the United States very largely. There has also been the same state of affairs with regard to certain of the European countries. The result is that scarcely a ship sails from either side of the Atlantic which has not on its passenger list names which suggest the possibility of a first-class programme.

Ocean liners have pretty nearly everything in the world already for their passengers. With the small sum of money which it would cost, and its undoubted popularity with passengers, I feel convinced that they are sure, in the near future, to add the ocean music-hall to their list of attractions.

The special stage which is being placed in the saloon of the Aquitania has a 12m opening, and it is being so arranged that it can, if found necessary, be retained as a permanent structure. Running along the rear are a row of first-class cabins, which will be utilised on May 29 as dressing rooms, and which could be devoted to artist passengers should the project for a regular entertainment of this class be realised. - ©The Daily Telegraph

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