Companies That You Expect to Disappear Soon

[Brightonboy]

Arcadia is also adults only. Another good match for Cunard?

Arcadia was originally intended for Holland America line when built so is a close match for the other 4 Vista class in that fleet. She is also aging (as is QM2) so it would not make sense to leave Cunard with 2 older vessels (50% of their fleet). Cunard accommodate children rather than being 'family orientated ships' but would be unlikely to go adults only as there is a small but significant client base that want to travel as families (and with pets transatlantic on QM2).
On a family ship the space allocated for kids clubs etc and the numbers of family size cabins can be a sizeable chunk, removing that commitment in favour of additional space for adults only (mainly travelling as couples) is a balancing act - how many families do you lose compared to the number of additional adults and what are the numbers in terms of £. I think Cunard will remain as - carrying but not targetting families.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: Thursday at 20:21 ==

What is QA?

Queen Anne - the ship moving from Cunard to P&O.

 

[WesternLancer]

Arcadia was originally intended for Holland America line when built so is a close match for the other 4 Vista class in that fleet. She is also aging (as is QM2) so it would not make sense to leave Cunard with 2 older vessels (50% of their fleet). Cunard accommodate children rather than being 'family orientated ships' but would be unlikely to go adults only as there is a small but significant client base that want to travel as families (and with pets transatlantic on QM2).
On a family ship the space allocated for kids clubs etc and the numbers of family size cabins can be a sizeable chunk, removing that commitment in favour of additional space for adults only (mainly travelling as couples) is a balancing act - how many families do you lose compared to the number of additional adults and what are the numbers in terms of £. I think Cunard will remain as - carrying but not targetting families.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: Thursday at 20:21 ==


Queen Anne - the ship moving from Cunard to P&O.

Thanks for these insights

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: Thursday at 20:37 ==

I hope not, but nothing would surprise me. Cunard, despite its image as a strictly class-segregated line, is one of the few lines not to follow the trend of “ship within a ship” for premium passengers, and even offers a good number of pet-friendly voyages.

I don’t entirely agree with the assertion that P&O’s clientele are vastly different to Cunard’s. I have sailed with both, and many of the passengers I’ve met on the Queens also happily sail with P&O (albeit preferring the smaller vessels, not Iona and Arvia). P&O seems well setup to cannibalise Cunard, offering a very similar experience to Britannia class, but without the hassle of gratuities or USD as the onboard currency. Cunard differentiate with the soft product - slightly better service and much better entertainment, but we have lost such benefits as included room service.

Thanks. Interesting to read this, based on experience.

 

[H F Stephens]

What is QA?

Cunard Line’s Queen Anne.

Edit: now answered above.

 

[brad465]

OpenAI, on account of fraud?

https://www.ft.com/content/b66a9858-f8fb-46cb-b506-44bfe26fca2a?syn-25a6b1a6=1

OpenAI’s annualised revenue is about $20bn less than the company had signalled, according to financial documents shared with investors, a massive gap likely to damp optimism about the growth of AI demand. The company has recently told investors its revenues were approaching $50bn on an annualised basis at the end of September, far short of the $70bn reported by the FT and other media outlets late last month based on information that was provided to investors.

 

[DelW]

Arcadia was originally intended for Holland America line when built so is a close match for the other 4 Vista class in that fleet. She is also aging (as is QM2) so it would not make sense to leave Cunard with 2 older vessels (50% of their fleet). Cunard accommodate children rather than being 'family orientated ships' but would be unlikely to go adults only as there is a small but significant client base that want to travel as families (and with pets transatlantic on QM2).

Although QM2 is over twenty years old, she's unlike any other ship. Her hull is thicker steel, her promenade deck is higher above the waterline, and she has large open deck areas both fore and aft. All of these are to enable her to cope with North Atlantic winter storms on her transatlantic runs. Her predecessor QE2 stayed in service for around forty years because she was similarly unique, so I think that as long as her particular market is there, QM2 will be serving it for a good while yet.

 

[Brightonboy]

Although QM2 is over twenty years old, she's unlike any other ship. Her hull is thicker steel, her promenade deck is higher above the waterline, and she has large open deck areas both fore and aft. All of these are to enable her to cope with North Atlantic winter storms on her transatlantic runs. Her predecessor QE2 stayed in service for around forty years because she was similarly unique, so I think that as long as her particular market is there, QM2 will be serving it for a good while yet.

All accurate, although some of the upper deck open deck areas will be lost at at next year's dry-docking period, along with the bookshop and some of the kids club area. Her hull shape is also different to a 'modern' cruise ship. There are, however, some shortcomings in areas such as crew accommodation and technical areas which, whilst not problems as such, could usefully be improved.

 

[Broucek]

OpenAI, on account of fraud?

https://www.ft.com/content/b66a9858-f8fb-46cb-b506-44bfe26fca2a?syn-25a6b1a6=1

Company that sells a product prone to making stuff up makes up its own financial results....

In other news, dog bites man

 

[8ace]

BBC reporting that Boots is being sold on by a US private equity outfit (who'd owned it for all of 18 months) to a Canadian private equity outfit. All the usual guff about "investing in the business" and "serving customers with excellence", but will anyone be surprised if they turn out to be another self-interested bunch of asset-strippers?

Boots sold in £7bn deal to Canadian billionaire family

The sale of the High Street chain was announced on Wednesday.

www.bbc.co.uk

Boots have never been what they were since they stopped displaying those big glass containers of blue and green liquid in the window.

 

[duffield]

Boots have never been what they were since they stopped displaying those big glass containers of blue and green liquid in the window.

I just hope they last another couple of days until I pick up my prescription - I've just paid them for a year's supply of Finasteride!

 

[8ace]

I just hope they last another couple of days until I pick up my prescription - I've just paid them for a year's supply of Finasteride!

Good luck thatching your roof! (unless you have BPH like I do )

 

[duffield]

Good luck thatching your roof! (unless you have BPH like I do )

Yes, mine's for thatching, I don't want my hairline going back any further at least. Sorry you've got BPH, must be very inconvenient but at least it's "B", not "M"!.