Using Cunard to post letters

I just wondered if anyone has had any problems giving Cunard their mail to post.We gave some postcards to the Purser in St Petersburg some 8 weeks ago and so far none have arrived.I don't doubt Cunard have given them to their Russian agent but perhaps he just puts them in the bin !!!

I just wondered if anyone has had any problems giving Cunard their mail to post.We gave some postcards to the Purser in St Petersburg some 8 weeks ago and so far none have arrived.I don't doubt Cunard have given them to their Russian agent but perhaps he just puts them in the bin !!!

Historically it has not been shown to be the most efficient way to send mail. I heard once that when the cards arrived they bore a Southampton postmark :)

You are right, the hand off from Cunard is to the port agent so there is risk that the letter does not even make it into the postal system. Examples from previous experience; Mexico to UK took months, Greece to UK and USA was a matter of days. Sorry no experiece of posting letters from Russia.

M-AR

Friends in Maine are still waiting for a post card that I handed to the Grills' Concierge to post for me five years ago. The cards have not made it yet, but the charge certainly made it to my account right away.

None of the post cards from Rio that I handed to the Purser's desk have ever arrived ... :D

I have posted cards and letters on each of my Cunard cruises from the reception desk and also from my butler in my Grills cabin. Not a single one made it to anyone I sent them to. It made me sad. Weren't these Cunard ships mail carriers at one time?? Guess that tradition never made it through the Carnival take over??

Sorry, I am not trying to be negative. But every time I am on a Cunard ship I will mail something anyway. I have done this on all of my trips. Everyone of my cards has made it except the Cunard mail. I do this just to see if it makes it. I have read about mail lost for decades and then it shows up. I am still hopeful to see my post cards and letters I sent on my own Cunard letterhead posted from the ship. Time will tell.

I posted 5 Letters from QM2 they all arrived the same day I got back from NY. I believe if your going Westbound and post to the UK, the Letters travel back on the QM2, ( lucky Gits )and are put into the postal system at Southampton.

I just wondered if anyone has had any problems giving Cunard their mail to post.We gave some postcards to the Purser in St Petersburg some 8 weeks ago and so far none have arrived.I don't doubt Cunard have given them to their Russian agent but perhaps he just puts them in the bin !!!

I have left many postcards at the Pursers Desk over the years while travelling with Cunard, and all have arrived to the address posted. I usually purchase stamps on shore, then hand the cards to the Pursers Desk. I did once think they did not leave the ship and had to wait till they visited that port again, I cannot think they would be posted in Southampton if they had foreign stamps on the mail?

I have posted many cards and letters on the RMS Queen Mary 2, mainly to get the "posted on board" stamp which is appreciated by some of the recipients and even ourselves. These have been only on eastbound crossings. Some have been posted in England and others in Germany. All have arrived.

I did two westbound crossings so far. Unfortunately the last trip was 5 years ago. On both crossings I bought postcards and US-stamps in the bookstore and deposited the cards in the red mailbox on deck 2 or 3. The cards arrived the recipients in Germany 10 days after I debarked in New York.

So we are really none the wiser are we? Some have posted mail and it has arrived and others have posted mail and it hasn't arrived. Another fruitful CC discussion.

I mailed several letters and post cards from the ship during my recent QV World Voyage and they all made it to their destination. I was Going around South America and in Australia when I mailed many of these.

Don

I mailed my Christmas card from the ship two years ago. They were in the box day before we arrived in NYC and I thought they were suppose to be mailed at that port at that time. I got home right after New Years and none of the card had been received. In July I received messages from various people that they had just received my cards. So the cards sat somewhere on the ship for all those months. :confused:

So we are really none the wiser are we? Some have posted mail and it has arrived and others have posted mail and it hasn't arrived. Another fruitful CC discussion.

Lesson learned is that you pay your money and take your chances. If it is any consolation I still have not received the card posted to myself two years ago while onboard HAL's EURODAM. It was supposed to go off the ship while at Tunis, Tunisia.

This problem is not unique to Cunard, happens on a lot of cruise ship lines... I have also found, international hotels are not much better... have tried mailing cards from Hiltons with mixed results.