Cunard passengers break more furniture than HAL passengers

[bepsf]

Obese passengers break seats on cruise liner
Report: Plus-size Americans collapse chairs on Queen Mary II

MSNBC
Updated: 2:27 p.m. ET Dec. 6, 2004


Overweight American passengers have broken dozens of seats on the Queen Mary II, the world's biggest and most luxurious cruise liner, according to Britain's The Sunday Telegraph newspaper.

The French company that supplied chairs on the cruise liner told the newspaper it is repairing and replacing them as quickly as they collapse under plus-sized passengers.

A spokesman for the company Alstom Chantiers told the newspaper that some of the passengers, mostly those from the United States, were heavier than expected.

Many of the broken seats were in the bar and restaurant areas, according to the British paper.

There has been a rise in the number of obese and overweight people going on cruise holidays because of cramped seating on airplanes and trains, an obesity expert explained to the Telegraph.

The Queen Mary II, which set sail on her maiden voyage in January this year, is more than twice as long as the Washington Monument. It carries 2,620 passengers and 1,250 crew, and cost an estimated $800 million to build.

[Orcrone]

There has been a rise in the number of obese and overweight people going on cruise holidays because of cramped seating on airplanes and trains, an obesity expert explained to the Telegraph.I bet the all-you-can-eat buffets have nothing to do with it.:rolleyes:

[tomc]

The Queen Mary II is more than twice as long as the Washington Monument. But if the Washington Monument were flat on its side, how many people would go to watch it? OTOH, if the QM2 were balanced on its props, you'd see it on every channel and contestants on Fear Factor would be told to load their trays and climb up the now-vertical buffet naked.

[bepsf]

OTOH, if the QM2 were balanced on its props, you'd see it on every channel and contestants on Fear Factor would be told to load their trays and climb up the now-vertical buffet naked.
White Star Line tried that "on-end" thing with one of their new ships a while back - didn't sit too well with the passengers...:rolleyes:

[smeyer418]

Do they charge the passenger for breaking the seat?

[spongerob]

This is why the US needs to go to the Metric System immediately. If you were metric, a portly 330 becomes a svelte 150 - well within the limits of the average bar stool. Problem solved! :)

[elmorejj]

They`ll just have to build sturdier chairs! We can`t all look like Brigitte Bardot and Yves Montande..much as we might like to......jean :cool:

[Orcrone]

As an aside, it's not only how much someone weighs, but how someone sits down. I mention this because we're now on teenagers three and four going through our furniture. Rather than lower themselves slowly and gently on the couch they just position themselves over it and let gravity do the rest. That's a lot more force on furniture than a 300 pound person just sitting there.

[FlorenceItaly]

This is why the US needs to go to the Metric System immediately. If you were metric, a portly 330 becomes a svelte 150 - well within the limits of the average bar stool. Problem solved! :)

Now, I like this idea....BRILLIANT :).

Marie, also from Edmond!

[tomc]

Rather than lower themselves slowly and gently on the couch they just position themselves over it and let gravity do the rest.In some Christmas carol, don't the angels assend on high? I assume they then lower themselves gracefully.

[Orcrone]

In some Christmas carol, don't the angels assend on high? I assume they then lower themselves gracefully.Tom, cause and effect. The only ones that ascend on high are the ones who descend gracefully. The rest crash and burn.:eek:

I'm not sure if I know what I mean.;)

[Arubalisa]

QM2 seats get extra bottom (http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2087-1389811,00.html)
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2087-1389811,00.html (http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2087-1389811,00.html)
The Sunday Times - Britain December 05, 2004

THE Queen Mary 2, the world’s biggest cruise liner, is being fitted with reinforced furniture amid claims that overweight American passengers have broken some of the existing seats, writes Katie Samuel.
The £500m ship, which made its maiden voyage from Southampton at the beginning of this year, is to be fitted with the new furniture next year by Alstom Chantiers, the French shipyard company that originally built the vessel.

According to one former crew member, the broken chairs are in the ship’s bars and 10 restaurants. Alstom has blamed the broken furniture on unexpectedly obese travellers who caused chairs to buckle.

“There are some problems with the chairs because some of our passengers are heavier than we imagined,” a company spokesman told The Sunday Telegraph. “It’s not an English problem; it’s probably more American.”

The ship, currently in the Caribbean and due back in Britain in April, carries 2,620 passengers and 1,253 crew.

A spokesman for Cunard, which owns the Queen Mary 2, confirmed that a major refit of the ship was taking place next year but added that exactly what work would be carried out had not yet been decided.

Obesity experts said rising numbers of overweight people were choosing cruise holidays to avoid the practical problems and embarrassment of air travel.

Narrow aisles and small seats into which bulky people must squeeze can make planes uncomfortable and annoy other passengers. Some airlines have tried making overweight travellers pay for two seats, while some customers have complained at having to sit next to the obese.

Dr Ian Campbell, president of the National Obesity Forum, said: “I am not surprised overweight people are breaking charirs . . . the seating is designed for a lighter person from the past.”

[Arubalisa]

. . . the seating is designed for a lighter person from the past.”So it is the seat's fault?

[CDRMark]

Those who think this is a strictly American problem have never been at an Isle of Wight beach full of Brit vacationers.
MarkB

[RuthC]

In some Christmas carol, don't the angels assend on high? I assume they then lower themselves gracefully.Marc, apparently this went right over your head. ( Read it again; check for spelling.)
Ya know, if ya gotta explain it....:rolleyes:

[Orcrone]

Marc, apparently this went right over your head. ( Read it again; check for spelling.)
Ya know, if ya gotta explain it....:rolleyes: I noticed the spelling, but you're right, it went right over my head. Just assumed a spelling or typing error.

Major DUH for me.

[jhannah]

Alstom has blamed the broken furniture on unexpectedly obese travellers who caused chairs to buckle.So, the chairs buckle, but the pax' belts don't??? :D While the U.S. is an obese nation, I think it's unfair to blame it all on the Americans. Also, many fru-fru furniture designs just don't hold up. That's a design issue. I also agree that part of the problem can be attributed to plopping down instead of being seated. When an aircraft experiences a hard landing, this can cause the landing gear to buckle ... where it wouldn't had the landing been "greased."

[RaffinOrganGrinders]

Is anyone concerned about the hapless individual that has a chair collapse under them? Liability issues, personal injury, etc.? :o

[Stevesan]

Narrow aisles and small seats into which bulky people must squeeze can make planes uncomfortable and annoy other passengers. Some airlines have tried making overweight travellers pay for two seats, while some customers have complained at having to sit next to the obese.


The objection is not in sitting next to them, but sitting with them!:rolleyes:

[Stevesan]

If all us HAL cruisers are so skinny, why were darned near all the lounge chairs in Maasdam's Crows Nest broken???

[gizmo]

As an aside, it's not only how much someone weighs, but how someone sits down. I mention this because we're now on teenagers three and four going through our furniture. Rather than lower themselves slowly and gently on the couch they just position themselves over it and let gravity do the rest. That's a lot more force on furniture than a 300 pound person just sitting there.Absolutely!! :D

Back to the news article.
Sounds more like the furniture is junk and poorly constructed. I don't want to get political but look at the source of the complaint, it is coming from a French company.:rolleyes:

[wander]

We all know that there are some very obese travelers, however, on cruises I have been on there have been few very obese folks. Many more are overweight, but not of a size that should cause chairs to break. Typical overweight women I see on cruises still weigh less than many OK weight men. How one sits down, as described above, certainly can be a factor. However, I agree that it is at least in part the calibar of the chairs. What weight were they designed for?

[smeyer418]

50 stones.

[cruzincurt]

Everyone is missing the point...the chairs were made in France. Never knew France to hold up against any pressure.

[gizmo]

Everyone is missing the point...the chairs were made in France. Never knew France to hold up against any pressure.
LOL :D :D

[FlorenceItaly]

Everyone is missing the point...the chairs were made in France. Never knew France to hold up against any pressure.

LOL! :).

Marie

[jhannah]

Touche! Good one!

[RuthC]

This news made a brief report on today's Inside Edition. That show blamed it on the food.

[RaffinOrganGrinders]

This news made a brief report on today's Inside Edition. That show blamed it on the food.

To tell the truth, during the ms Westerdam 17-day Barcelona to Florida cruise last month, I lost 6 pounds.

George

[bepsf]

To tell the truth, during the ms Westerdam 17-day Barcelona to Florida cruise last month, I lost 6 pounds.

George
Why George? Did they serve meatloaf more than once?;)

[RaffinOrganGrinders]

Actually, meatloaf was not a problem, the DW likes it onboard. Lots of fish, breakfast, lunch, and sometimes dinner. Can't seem to get enough when out to sea. Fresh fruit every morning, melons, figs, some prunes (no flamming here please (LOL)), whole wheat breads only.

Would have liked to lost a little more but my sugar intake increases with trips to the bar. ;)

[bepsf]

Actually, meatloaf was not a problem, the DW likes it onboard. Lots of fish, breakfast, lunch, and sometimes dinner. Can't seem to get enough when out to sea. Fresh fruit every morning, melons, figs, some prunes (no flamming here please (LOL)), whole wheat breads only.

Would have liked to lost a little more but my sugar intake increases with trips to the bar. ;)
Dont feel bad - I love the stewed prunes, bananas and fresh croissants delivered to the stateroom every am!

BTW - Are you and your DW full-timers in your RV? My folks live in their 40' DutchStar and are meeting me in Palm Springs this Xmas...

[RaffinOrganGrinders]

We travel about three-quarters of the year in our RV. We like winter in San Diego, spring in Kerrville, Texas, Fall sometimes in Florida or New York State all the way over to Iowa. Believe we have about 55K miles in two years.

George

[HeatherInFlorida]

Everyone is missing the point...the chairs were made in France. Never knew France to hold up against any pressure.
Not to be repetitive, but this was really hysterical!:D

I'm interested that it seems to be happening more in the bar areas. So maybe it's not so much the weight of the person as that they are falling off or possibly into the chairs;) .

Seriously, all seating on a ship or any public area should be sturdy enough to hold up under all weights. Truth be known, you get one of these 6'6" guys who are built well and their weight might be comparable to a very hefty 4'11" little lady. So they're going to blame the fat lady?

All she wanted to do was sing ...;)

[Orcrone]

Truth be known, you get one of these 6'6" guys who are built well and their weight might be comparable to a very hefty 4'11" little lady. So they're going to blame the fat lady? Well what do you expect? Do you think I'm going to pick a fight with a well-built 6'6" man?:eek:

[Hondu]

I'd bet there are more multiple bypass surgeries performed in the USA than any other country. When our fast food franchises first opened in Asian countries, heart attacks quadruple. Have you ever heard the saying that what Americans worry about is when is the next meal?

[jhannah]

There's a follow-up to this in the current "Ocean & Cruise News."

Chairs aboard the Queen Mary 2 will be refitted and strengthened during the ship's 2006 refit as many existing chairs are buckling or breaking when used by over-weight guests.

[ekerr19]

To tell the truth, during the ms Westerdam 17-day Barcelona to Florida cruise last month, I lost 6 pounds.

George
I lost 5 lbs. on the 9-day final Noordam voyage! Unbelievable - and I was so happy! We danced for hours every night though... I think it helps!

[localady]

Everyone is missing the point...the chairs were made in France. Never knew France to hold up against any pressure.Okay that made me laff.:D ;)


But on a serious note: Cunard buys "cheap" chairs, no doubt lowest bid, and they have the audacity to blame obese Americans????? And btw, I have encountered some plus size Brits too, still NO reason for fat-bashing IMHO......:eek:

[Vicar]

Just goes to show Americans can never count on the French for ANY kind of "support" :) *LOL*

[uncialman]

Great comment on the French, Gizmo!:D

What really gets to me about this is that you don't see Americans breaking furniture on HAL, Carnival, RCI, Celebrity, Seabourne, Costa, Princess etc. THIS article, of course had the unfortunate beginnings in the UK press (where a delicacy is batter-dipped and fried Snickers Bars) and is just another way of taking a cheap-shot at Americans.

Had anyone in the UK thought that it might be because the furniture that was broken was crummy? Did they think to check the lines that Americans cruise weekly and see if the same phenomenon is occuring there? Of course not...