Catching Up With Cunard’s Liz Fettes

People know Cunard but do they know Cunard?

Cunard’s senior vice president, commercial for North America, Liz Fettes, says the answer to that is no.

“A lot of times we see that people know of Cunard, but they don’t know Cunard,” she said in an interview with TMR. Fettes spoke with TMR about some of the misconceptions clients and advisors might still have about the line, who is the right prospect for the “modern” Cunard, why FAMs are important to Cunard, and more.

Misconceptions

Class System

Because Cunard has always had varying levels of stateroom accommodations, each with its own service levels and exclusive dining venues – traditionally referred to as a class system – the line remains in many advisors’ and clients’ minds class oriented. The implication being that unless you’re in the highest class, you will be excluded from many parts of the ship.

That is not true.

Fettes told TMR in the modern world of ship-within-ship systems – which most of the mainstream cruise lines and even some premium lines (ie Celebrity Cruises) have as well – Cunard’s system should be viewed the same way.

“You still have a wide variety and exposure to the entire ship,” she explained. “It [ship-within-a-ship] is very common… I don’t know why Cunard gets pushed into the class system, but everyone has it.”

She added that Cunard will continue to work with travel advisors on how to position the Queens and Princess Grills, so it doesn’t come across as a class system.

Helping advisors understand the Grills product is going to be a big push for Cunard in the near future, Fettes told TMR.

“They’ll see more of a push on how we educate them on Grills, whether that be them selling into it at a certain percentage and being deemed a Grills expert and getting some sort of benefit with that,” she said. “In the near future, Grills is going to be a huge focus because it’s such a differentiator for us.”

Always Formal

Another misconception that continues to plague Cunard is the notion that it’s always formal onboard, particularly at night.

In recent years, the brand has loosened many of its previous formal dress codes, particularly in places like Alaska and the Caribbean – where Queen Elizabeth will be arriving in mid-October to offer a season of nine- to 12-night Caribbean sailings.

“Some people might want to go from sandals to sparkles, but some might just want to go sandal sandals… and that’ okay.”

There are areas of the ship where the night’s dress code must be adhered to, but there are plenty of alternatives, Fettes said. (In the Caribbean, the dress code is less formal in general overall.)

“It’s as much or as little as you want to do,” she said, adding that nine times out of 10, guests end up wanting to participate, just because it’s not something they normally get to do.

“Once you get in the moment, you really do get swept away. And isn’t that romanticized? Yeah, I do want to dress up. I do want the pomp and circumstance. But if you don’t want to do that, if you just want to do something casual, you’re more than welcome at multiple different dining venues.”

Too Many Boring Sea Days

One aspect that Fettes believes differentiates Cunard that is true, is the brand’s love for sea days.

“We do sea days best,” she said.

But she wants to make it clear, these aren’t boring sea days. Sea days give guests the opportunity to experience everything a Cunard cruise has to offer, from consistent lectures from onboard guest speakers, who also mix and mingle with cruisers throughout, to traditions like Champagne breakfast and afternoon tea.

Every sailing in the Caribbean will also feature Broadway and West End theater stars performing and participating in panels.

With that said, Fettes emphasized that Cunard loves “slow travel,” explaining slow often gets confused with bad.

“Letting people know that days at sea are a good thing, because you’re in this constant hustle and bustle where you always have to hurry up and get there. You can’t slow down to experience anything.”

Visibility Is the Best PR

Though Cunard is not an unknown name within the cruise industry, there are still many cruisers and potential cruisers who do not know it at all.

Having ships in key markets has been instrumental in helping Cunard grow both its brand recognition and drive first-time cruisers onboard, especially in places like Alaska and the Caribbean.

“It’s how we continue to engage and build up new guests for us. Alaska? Queen Elizabeth has been great with that. We’ve seen a huge increase in newcomers… You need to have that in the North American market for that visibility. It always helps for us to have ships that are homeported in North America.”

Attracting new guests to the brand is part of the reason Cunard chose to homeport Queen Elizabeth in Miami from October 2025 to March 2027.

“We’re always looking at where we can attract more of those North American guests. The Caribbean was chosen because it’s a favorite destination – for our entire guest demographic.”

Not Only for Bucket List Check Offs

Often when people do know of Cunard, they think specifically of trans-Atlantic crossing, which is not unfair, Fettes said. It is a staple of Cunard and what made the line famous. World Cruises are also top-of-mind for many when thinking of Cunard.

But Fettes wants cruisers and travel advisors to think of Cunard as more than just the ability to check trans-Atlantic Crossing or World Cruise off of a client’s bucket list.

“From a brand standpoint, what we’re really trying to do is have them think of our ships being the destination instead of it being a one-time checkoff the bucket list,” she said.

Advisor Ship Tours & Education

To help advisors better understand the modern Cunard’s differentiators, Fettes said the line is working on bringing on as many advisors as possible for ship tours when a vessel is in a U.S. port.

Each tour typically also features a taste of the line’s theater offerings, an aspect of Cunard’s onboard experience that Fettes believes is one of its biggest differentiators.

On some FAMs, advisors got to se a 15-minute sampling of “The Greatest Showman.” In the Caribbean, a featured show will be “Come from Away,” so advisors touring there may get to see a sample.

“I’ve been on multiple ship tours and seeing a Broadway performance doesn’t really occur on a ship tour,” Fettes said.

Seeing the Grills offering also is part of every ship tour because, as Fettes said, once a client experiences Grills, they don’t go back to Britannia.

Advisors interested in touring Queen Elizabeth when its in Miami or Queen Mary when its in New York should reach out to their BDM.

“I you really want to see Cunard, I really do recommend getting on a ship tour,” Fettes said.

Who Is the Right Client for the Modern Cunard?

Beyond the obvious choices – those who love the grand old days of ocean liner cruising, Anglophiles, and anyone who does want a traditional trans-Atlantic crossing, who else is a good prospect for a Cunard sailing?

First and foremost, Fettes said it’s the client who loves arts and culture.

“From the partnerships we do with Abbey Roads Studio and specific residences we’ve had withing the ship and the curated art experiences, art and culture is huge.”

Cunard has one of the strongest theater offerings in the cruise industry, with full-length Broadway and West End shows, regular guest appearances of theater actors, and more.

“We’ve got an amazing theater… you also have suite boxes on the side… This is going to sound so English, but a proper theater.”

History buffs are also a natural fit for Cunard as the line almost always has a guest speaker onboard to offer lectures on world history and events.

So, too are foodies, Fettes said, adding that Cunard often has Michelin-starred chefs onboard.

Beyond these clients, Fettes told TMR she also believes Cunard is an excellent option for clients who “are looking for something new in destinations they may have already traveled to and want to see them differently.”

We asked Fettes if Cunard makes sense for families.

She answered enthusiastically, yes.

“We’ve got really great kids programming onboard. We have a nursery where they actually do in-room nanny service, which is huge for us.”