Cunard Return To Liverpool.

[joseph connor]

Fouro , I have to admit I wasn't aware that they had dropped the union flag , they say so as to tap into the lucrative wedding on board ship market, which is not allowed under british law there is probably a grain of truth in that , but the real reason is obviously to flout british and U S labour laws, in that the crew members ( mostly foreign as we know) are treated appaulingly having to work seven days ninety hours aweek , with an average wage of $545 Dollars a month and have no rights whatsoever and if taken ill are dropped at the nearest port which could be Nicaragua or India with poor medical care . the ports of registry being indifferent because there is no connection . And all done under our flag which they have highjacked , if they don't want the union flag they shouldn't be allowed to use the red ensign .They say they are still a "great British Tradition". Bo****ks. joe.

[happy daze john in oz]

In reply to Furo #6, it all depends on who you speak with. Of course the stiff upper lip British in 1945 would say with gusto, 'we did'. But that was a long time ago and things have changed but not always for the better. If you take a close look at Europe now then what Britain won was a battle, the war continued on but in another manner. By todays standards and by the current look of Europe I would hazard a guess and say Germany won the war.

As to Joe and his comments about wages and hours worked I beg to differ. Carnival have an agreement with all shipping companies within the group that no worker is to work more than 11 hours per day unless a disaster occurs. The wages vary greatly between the various shipping companies and the crew duties. With Princess the bar crew are only paid $50 per month but get around $1 for every drink they serve.

[Ivan Cloherty]

Cunard say they want to perform marriages at sea. The Queen being Head of the Church of England wouldn't allow this to happen,

FOURO.

Having written to Buckingham Palace and the House of Commons on this very subject, 'Marriage at Sea on British Flag vessels' I can assure you from the replies I received, from Clarence House and The House of Commons the Queen or the Palace have no say in the matter what so ever. It is purely commercial and conforming to current law that restricts marriage at sea on British flagged ships, the main law affecting this ruling is that any 'interested parties' must have access to express their objections when the lines 'if anyone hereto has any objections to this union let him speak now or forever hold his peace' which of course they would not be able to do

And until that line is excluded or amended it is a stumbling block for marriages at sea on British ships, and apart from a law being changed the Churches and ecuminical Council have also to agree to its exclusion/amendment

[Jim Brady]

Ivan what happens with these underwater marriages or two sky-divers taking their vows on the way down to earth.
Regards.
Jim.B.

[Ivan Cloherty]

Ivan what happens with these underwater marriages or two sky-divers taking their vows on the way down to earth.
Regards.
Jim.B.

A point I raised Jim, but apparently the interested parties have access immediately prior to the dive or jump and the the ceromony, which I am assured they wouldn't when ship mid ocean, I raised other obtuse locations as well, but it all came down to mid ocean location

[Fouro]

I am quite shocked at the unpatriotic response shown by almost all members of this forum regarding the Cunard company breaking away from British tradition and registering their Cruising Liners in Bermuda, just for the sake of being able to perform weddings at sea.
Our British tradition is known by all,
Be prepared Cunard, to suffer a great fall.

At this rate the flagship of the British Merchant Navy will soon be rowing boat.

FOURO.

[happy daze john in oz]

Furo, are you not aware that since installing a wedding chapel on board there have been at least two weddings? Many of the ships under the overall ownership of Carnival have such chapels and they make great storage rooms as I have seen. Rowing boats |I hear you say, and prey tell what is wrong with a life raft it will do the same job.