Cunard Line’s Executive Pastry Chef Bosco Dourado puts the “Catherine and William” cake topper on a commemorative Royal Wedding cake.  Photo: Diane Bondareff/AP Images for Cunard Line

What’s happening now:  The Royal Wedding

Our ships are always ready to please and when it comes to the Royal Wedding, the cruise lines are making sure to give the cruisers what they want: front row seats to the big show.

• On Cunard Line, there will be plenty of royal watching happening on the three Cunard vessels. Probably the most fun will be the special commemorative menu at dinner and a champagne toast by the ship’s Captail to the newlyweds. Guests may enjoy a Royal Wedding Afternoon Tea service featuring Twinings limited edition Royal Wedding Tea or celebrate the nuptials with a  commemorative “Princess Royale” cocktail to mark the occasion.

• Norwegian Cruise Line will have fleet-wide activities, the hightlights are the Prince and Princess Brunch ($15) and High Tea ($10).
• Princess Cruise Lines will broadcast the BBC coverage of the wedding on deck on the giant Movies Under the Stars screens.

Meeting Captain Inger Klein Olsen on Cunard Lines’ Queen Victoria

Welcome to my hood!

Today Cunard Line’s Queen Victoria called on the Port of Los Angeles’s World Cruise Center in San Pedro. I was invited onboard for a little one-on-one time with the Captain and to experience a wonderful ship tour and reception.

May I present Captain Inger Klein Olsen…

Carrie Finley-Bajak (@CruiseBuzz) with Captain Inger Klein Olsen, Cunard Line

Once onboard, I was escorted behind the “crew only” door to the inner-sanctum of Queen Victoria’s bridge compound. And there, just like that, working at her desk was Cunard Line’s first female captain taking care of business. Immediately, I could tell this was a woman after my own heart.

Captain Olsen was quick to smile and made me feel welcome. I expressed my gratitude for the opportunity and then we got down to business.

The following video takes place on the bridge where Captain Olsen answers my questions about a multitude of topics including: getting the keys to Queen Victoria, the tandem Transatlantic sailing, the huge spectacular in New York celebrating the “Three Queens” of the fleet in one place, family cruising, navigating Stockholm, and life in the Faroe Islands.

After my “15 minutes of fame,” Captain Olsen and I went back to her office. During this time, I asked her some of my random questions.

Q. How do you like your office décor?
A. Perhaps more photographs of the actual ports would be nice.

Q. Do you have any brothers or sisters?
A. Yes. Three younger brothers.

Q. What’s behind that door?
A. My cabin.

You get the idea.

Because Captain Olsen is so easy to talk to, she taught me a lot without even knowing it. Here are some of the highlights:

• Queen Victoria is a true Ocean Liner. That means that the ship is longer than a traditional cruise ship.
• Sailing into Stockholm is contingent upon the wind. Cruisers that sail into Scandinavia’s capital will dock in the city or outside the city. Also, the long narrow entry into Stockholm is full of “tight turns.”
• Family Cruising. Seeing is believing. I actually saw quite a number of children embarking on Queen Victoria. This was a total surprise to me. Captain Olsen told me that Cunard Line is for everyone. Good to know.
• A good Captain will allow rotation of leadership so that there is even distribution of power.
• Inger Klein Olsen was born and grew up on the Faroe Islands. She left school at 16 with the ultimate goal of settling down as wife and mother. Although she did not get the mother part, she did get the “love of her life” part.
• It was the call of the sea and a passion for travel that brought Captain Olsen to the ships. As a woman, she tried her hand as a stewardess on a cargo ship, but quickly realized that she loathed cleaning.
• Life at sea was her calling, and in 1989 Inger moved to Denmark and joined DFDS Scandinavian Seaways as a cadet. The rest is history.

What I have in common with Captain Olsen

Ok. I know this is not a story about me but I have to say that Captain Olsen and I have something in common. Once, back in the day, I was one of three girls that busted through the equality barriers and actually was on the award-winning boys water polo team in high school (the b-team aka the players in development). Although I did not see much game time, I did show up for most of the practices ready to work hard and committed to success.

For me, to be able to meet the first woman captain of a Cunard Line vessel is truly an honor. Spending some time with the woman that shattered the 171-year-old tradition of having a male at the helm of a Cunard Line ship is a dream come true.

Join me live from San Pedro, the home of The Port of Los Angeles World Cruise Center.

Queen Victoria

I am excited because I am going to pop into the car and drive down to the Port of Los Angeles for a live report from the docks.

Today, two fantastic ships are ramping up to greet new cruisers: Disney Cruise Lines’ Disney Wonder and Cunard Line’s Queen Victoria.

Disney Wonder arrived in Los Angeles January 21st for a couple of days of preview cruises before setting off on her Winter 2011 Mexican Riviera itineraries. Today she will be in port for the second run at the popular Mexican Riviera.

Next to her in berths 91-92 will be Cunard Line’s Queen Victoria. It is here that I will focus my attention, as I am invited onboard for a little preview and a chat with Captain Inger Klein Olsen, the line’s first female captain. If you missed the video from Cunard Line’s President, Mr. Peter Shanks, click here to get up to speed with the Cunard Line  buzz.

Stay tuned. Live tweeting from the ship via @CruiseBuzz on Twitter.

If you have a question about Cunard Line’s Queen Victoria, let me know.

Here are some of the basics I will be looking for today on Queen Victoria:

• Cunardia - museum display of maritime memorabilia and artifacts
• ConneXions – Internet Center
• Grand Lobby – the heart of the ship
• Children’s Programme – these facilities feature both inside and outside areas dedicated to children ages 1-12 years.
• Cunard Royal Spa & Fitness Centre
• Library -  6,000 titles catalogued.  Inviting deor, rich mahogany,  ornate spiral staircase and leather sofas
• Queens Room – fashioned after Queen Victoria’s  much loved home, Osborne House. This is also where waiters orchestrate a white gloved serving of afternoon tea. And this is where the famous ballroom dancing takes place.
• Sports Deck -  Ocean Liner games from shuffleboard to quoits part of the tradition.
• Royal Court Theatre – A West-End-style venue with private boxes.
• The Royal Arcade – shoppers paradise
• Winter Garden –  grand conservatory, filled with greenery. A retractable glass roof even allows you to feel the warm sunshine on your face without setting foot outside.