_ On May 1, 1915 at the Cunard Pier in New York — not in Brooklyn — the ship that the passengers boarded was vastly different from the ship passengers board today. There were no shopping arcades. Nor did you have the internet or a Canyon Ranch spa. The library was more like a lady’s reading and writing room where m’lady did her correspondence, not a place next to the spa that grabs your attention with illuminated bookcases. Of course the Lusitania didn’t have an onboard planetarium. Nor was there a deck 12 pet area next door to a swimming pool with a retractable roof!
That brings it down to the fact that the Lusitania was smaller and didn’t have room for as many passengers. And the segregation between the first class passengers like Vanderbilt and the passengers in steerage below the decks was total and complete. They didn’t even see each other. Now the only segregation is for meals in the Britannia Dining Room or the Queen’s and Princess Grills. Some of the dining venues are common to both: the King’s Court and Todd English.
The differences in the two Cunard ships — with almost one hundred years in between — reflects the changes in society during that century.
That brings it down to the fact that the Lusitania was smaller and didn’t have room for as many passengers. And the segregation between the first class passengers like Vanderbilt and the passengers in steerage below the decks was total and complete. They didn’t even see each other. Now the only segregation is for meals in the Britannia Dining Room or the Queen’s and Princess Grills. Some of the dining venues are common to both: the King’s Court and Todd English.
The differences in the two Cunard ships — with almost one hundred years in between — reflects the changes in society during that century.