Cunard's Playboy Cruise Ships - Cunard Countess & Cunard Princess

Have you ever heard of Cunard's Playboy Cruise Ships? The Cunard Countess and Cunard Princess were among the most popular Cunarders of the modern era, and yet hardly anyone talks about them today! Let's explore their story!
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Image References:
Permission / License:
Bill Miller Collection
Getty Images (Licensed): www.gettyimage...
Ian Boyle: tinyurl.com/ia...
Ian Boyle's Simplon Postcards: www.simplonpc.... a
Cunard Line
National Archives Released:
Cunard Princess: tinyurl.com/na...
Cunard Princess: catalog.archiv...
Cunard Princess: catalog.archiv...
Cunard Princess: catalog.archiv...
Pexels / Unsplash / Pixabay etc:
Playboy Photo by Max Letek Unsplash: tinyurl.com/fl...
Video by Danilo Arenas: www.pexels.com...
Video by ROMAN ODINTSOV: www.pexels.com...
Video by Oleg Gamulinskii: www.pexels.com...
Video by Pixabay: www.pexels.com...
Video by cottonbro studio: www.pexels.com...
Video by Denys Gromov from Pexels: www.pexels.com...
Video by Pavel Danilyuk: www.pexels.com...
Error Tone: pixabay.com/so...
CC BY:
Hugh Hefner: © Glenn Francis, www.PacificProDigital.com CC BY SA 3.0 tinyurl.com/hu...
Cunard Princess C BY SA 4.0 Gillfoto tinyurl.com/2w...
Cunard Princess CC BY SA 4.0 Gillfoto tinyurl.com/7r...
Cunard Princess CC BY SA 4.0 Gillfoto tinyurl.com/a4...
Bow of ex. Cunard Princess CC BY SA 4.0 דוד שי tinyurl.com/mr...
Cunard Ambassador CC BY SA 3.0 Jtrouw tinyurl.com/3t...
CC BY SA 2.0 Florida Keys Public Libraries tinyurl.com/3m...
Overseas National Airways DC10 CC BY SA 4.0 Richard Vandervord tinyurl.com/5t...
CC.0 NASA tinyurl.com/mr...
CC BY SA 2.0 Trondheim Havn Trondheim Norway tinyurl.com/bd...
CC BY SA 3.0 Emilio J Rodriguez Posada (1986-) tinyurl.com/52...
Achille Lauro: CC BY SA 3.0 D. R. Walker tinyurl.com/2p...
Olympic Countess CC BY SA 2.0 MeRyan tinyurl.com/2r...
Ocean Countess CC BY SA 3.0 Kalle Id tinyurl.com/ys...
Ocean Countess CC BY SA 3.0 Slowmover tinyurl.com/25...
Ocean Countess CC BY SA 4.0 Niels Johannes tinyurl.com/zr...
Golden Iris CC BY SA 4.0 Pjotr Mahhonin tinyurl.com/yj...
Scrapping CC BY SA 4.0 Nayeem Noor tinyurl.com/2v...
Trafalgar House CC BY SA 4.0 International Batandrean tinyurl.com/7b...
Thumbnail:
Playboy logo: Image by pixabay.com/us... Pixabay.
Ship: National Archives
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Tags: #Cunard #cruisenews #cruiseship #cruiseline #cruising #maritime #history #maritimehistory

[@lngvly22]

It’s always astounding to me just how quickly the design of cruise ships changed in the 1990s - the advent and extreme popularity of balcony cabins really altered how cruise lines design ships for good. No ship that looks like these would ever be built again simply because the idea of having a significant majority (or all) cabins being interior or oceanview would be unfathomable to modern cruisers. What an interesting story!

[@chalkywhite11]

Nice to see captain Hudson in the background!

[@cruises_only_thanks]

Love Hudson!

[@howardshepherdson2925]

Sailed on Cunard Countess on a 14 day Caribbean cruise for my very first cruise. Very enjoyable.

[@midshipcinema]

Sailed on the Princess' maiden cruise from Los Angeles to Ensenada. She was actually not such a great ship. I'd rate her 2.5 stars for food, service and the smell of bunker fuel in our cabin. Sailed on Countess as Olympic Countess. Much better experience but even then, the ship was very tired and vibrating like crazy. These ships looked best from outside but I actually think the Ambassador and Adventurer were far more interesting architecturally. Thanks for posting this. :)

[@FrancOnia-zh1me]

I like tour videos

[@midshipcinema]

@@FrancOnia-zh1me Nice handle! :)

[@jamesduffy5019]

Can’t beat the style of the older ships, especially with those gorgeous shaped Afts! If only they could bring that design into modern ships!

[@reintvandijk5068]

Yep remember them in the Caribbean in 1988 and 1989 when I worked for Princess and we would follow each other around. Small cute ship

[@jeremy1350]

Hi Chris. When I was a young travel agent in Miami in the 1980's, it was Christmas one year and there was a Cruise Ship Extravaganza for all the cruise ships departing Fort Lauderdale for their Christmas cruises. Cunard Countess/Princess, Pacific/Island Princess, Stella Solaris, this ships I got aboard. It was funny, well maybe not so funny, now. I was with my boss, and on the Cunard ships it was Free alcohol and a dinner on both. We were on the Countess touring the cabins. My boss had a blouse/skirt ensemble, with black stockings. She took off her shoes and stepped into a bath, in one of the cabins. There was water in the tub, she did not notice. And the dye ran out of her stockings, and so she went about the ship with streaked stockings. She was mortified. Needless to say, the Stella Solaris was the last ship to tour, and lots of OUZO with the Captain. Everybody got TANKED !!! And we stood singing drunk Christmas carols to the Stella as she sailed away into the sunset. (My boss and I eventually got sober, years later). Every travel event we went to always had Free Alcohol and a dinner with WINE !! What would you do ??? The travel industry back then was fueled by alcohol, We had so many Free First Class Passes on Varig and Pan Am, we flew places, first class, just to drink. Many paid the price in the end for all that frivolity, including me.

[@robertbonanno5774]

I have sailed on both ships from San Juan into the Caribbean. They were wonderful. Your video brought back many fond memories

[@kaamkmca]

Fascinating ! Hugely interesting. Shows how volatile the cruise ship industry rolls from success to survival.

[@niprinz6662]

Great memories! Thank you!

[@joanfreestone1707]

I didn't know about these ships at the time. I like the look of them even though they were older. Thanks for the info.

[@timarchbold3959]

I used to tune the pianos on the Princess. Best lunch of any ship till the Sagafjord took the title in my opinion. Todays best lunch while tuning in Vancouver are the Viking Orion followed by the Queen Elizabeth.

[@VickiCross-u5s]

Thanks Chris. Enjoyed the info. 🎉

[@user-liner-mate]

Binge watching Chris Frame today!

[@ChrisFrameOfficial]

Hope you enjoy!

[@nordisk1874]

I only saw the Countess In Turkey. We never sailed on her. My Norwegian grandmother liked her Fjords..

[@Johnplod]

Fascinating info Thanks

[@TheTravelingHatter]

Great video! Nice touch with Captain Hudson 👍🏽

[@lvthud]

My father was a bar tender on the Countess, from her maiden voyage up until the crew took over the ship in Jamaica when Cunard decided to go to a flag of convenience. I spent a few summers on her as a kid, you are right, both her and the Princess developed a loyal following. The main issue with them both was Trafalgar House, they really had no business being in shipping. The sad reality is, with a little more thought they could have owned the Caribbean market, but it wasn't to be.

[@skylar4735]

what year? I was a waiter in 1978-79.

[@TwoAussieAvgeeks]

Wow!!

[@Twoguysonaship]

Brilliant video. Really interesting. Love these wee ships.

[@ChrisFrameOfficial]

Thank you! 🙏

[@BoatMan-y6o]

Sailed this boat in 1996

[@RichardJarman-v2l]

Sailed on Countess from Peurto Rico and Rule Britannia was played very loudly as we sailed. Memorable!

[@angellight495]

I always thought it would have been great if they had continued this naming theme. Cunard Lady, Cunard Duchess, etc. They might have had to eventually drop the Princess as I can see people getting it confused with Princess Cruises.

[@jst7714]

I personally prefer the “-ia” suffix naming style (Mauretania), but the “Queens” of today do have a grace to them too.

[@angellight495]

@@jst7714 I thought it would be great for the cruise ships and leave -ia names for the liners.

[@TimAurich-k6k]

Worked on the Princess in 1989 for 6 months. Good times.

[@cruises_only_thanks]

Really intersting video

[@roberthicks2191]

Ah a 16-year old sailing on the Cunard Countess, I remember it being a fun ship with tons of Venezuelan teenagers and a relaxed policy on beer purchases.

[@Edgetravelguy]

So interesting.......I remember going onboard/visiting the Cunard Princess in NY when she was doing NY to Bermuda cruises. They sure had a good long run.

[@jeffross5424]

the cunard princess was a weekly visitor to vancouver during the alaska season in the 80's...i worked at ballantyne pier (while canada place was being built for expo 86) for cunard and still have the badge

[@p90497]

I loved working on the Princess , smaller ships are best.

[@gerardmackay8909]

Great 👍 the only thing missing were detailed shots of the interiors which would have been interesting (I’m thinking 70s vivid carpeting with lots of orange and purple soft furnishing)

[@lasuvidaboy]

I always like the funnel design on the Princess and Countess. It looked great in Cunard livery as well. The modified QE2 style funnel (though much stubbier and with a different 'Cunard Red') is now the norm on Cunarders.

[@ChrisFrameOfficial]

Same here! If you look closely at their funnels the back indents a bit and the original plan was to paint it black so you’d almost have a reversed QE2 style livery with the swept back design. But ultimately they looked great in these colours.

[@propman3523]

I worked for Costa Cruises which was a competitor to Cunard. While our ships where older and former liners, the Cunard ships where new, but had a vibration throughout the ship which made them unpopular.

[@douglasthompson296]

Jeepers, that thumbnail picture shows how dirty the engine propulsion was back in those days!!!

[@FrancOnia-zh1me]

Nice

[@richardneilan2392]

Such a shame that smaller ship, traditional cruising seems to have gone largely out of fashion.

[@jmsayaang4278]

I thought cunard in the 1970's only had qe1

[@ChrisFrameOfficial]

QE(1) retired in 1968. QE2 joined the fleet in 1969 & had Franconia and Carmania as fleet mates until Cunard Ambassador & Cunard Adventurer, which were then replaced by Countess and Princess. Cunard also had a cargo fleet at the time! Cheers.

[@worthingboomer5161]

For many years my brother worked for Grand Metropolitan Hotels, who had the franchise to supply the Casino on Cunard ships. He sailed on both the Countess and Princess when then did weekly voyages out of Puerto Rico. They did circular cruises to the south and north Caribbean swapping over each week so they could offer one or two week itineraries. He was employed on a 3 months on 1 month off contract as casino cashier. The girl croupiers all worked in London casinos like the Golden Nugget and went out on three month tours as rewards for hard work as it was seen as a perk!

[@robmatthews3873]

I see Captain Hudson🤓

[@cwby2854]

cruise staff on the Princess in 1978-79....

[@skylar4735]

waiter,same year.

[@BlindBiker3]

That’s not good.⛪️

[@skylar4735]

Iworked on both as waiter.Also did the mediterrenean cruises on Princess under Laura flag.