robbie_3

Well we hadn't booked a cruise ever expecting to visit the medical bay but here we were on our Nov 2017 Caribbean Cruise both somewhat crocked. My wife went first with a skin infection and got some antibiotics that cleared it up in seven days. The wait time was less than 20 minutes. The nurses did a good job re-dressing a few times with bandages A first consultation was some $67.00 that seemed reasonable. The multiple consultations and treatment came to some $200 in all and not worth claiming on our insurance. My reason for a visit was a rather painful cracked skin complaint between my toes. I'd seen the NHS back in the UK but after only a phone consultation and a bit of cream I'd given up. It doesn't sound much but when it started weeping to the point of getting painful to walk anywhere on ship it becomes a priority pretty pronto. The QM2 Doc was great! A real doctor, not a guess what might be wrong from the end of a phone. Well he took one look at my feet and I could see he was thinking hard. "I think you might have a secondary infection there" Well that was more than I could have been told from a phone back in Blighty. The doctor certainly projected a calm polite nature and I found myself actually in agreement though I have no medical qualifications at all. I was dispatched with suitable antibiotics and cream containing a mild steroid. Within 4 days my painful crack skin weeping between my toes had almost healed up! So all I can say is my one and only encounter with sick bay was a strangely enjoyable one because I got to enjoy my holiday.

So Doctor Andrew James JACKSON wherever you are now my wife and I would like to thank you for getting us well and able to enjoy our QM2 holiday. :)

That is great to hear, we got the usual talking up from Cunard's UK phone rep recently when we booked our last QM2 Caribbean hol . We went last November. We booked an A2 and were told "you will be upgraded to an A1 or PG cabin if an A1 isn't available" not a maybe. Of course it never happened. Assuming these calls are recorded I'm surprised they make these rash claims.

To save any confusion regarding the style, or type, of jeans, suggest it is best to leave them at home.

If one left smart jeans at home that would leave a substantial amount of passengers undressed from the waist down during daytime hours :D

I always wear my Levi 527s for comfort during daytime, a slightly faded look but smart enough non the less not to raise any eyebrows.

Antigua was canceled onboard QM2 yesterday (Dec 27) because the swells were making the tenders move vertically one meter relative to the tender platforms. I don't fault the captain for that decision.

 

We had just decided to spend the day onboard when the captain cancelled the call so the downside for us was that the ship was more crowded than we had hoped. :)

I can't fault you for being philosophical. It sure is interesting though that Antigua got cancelled twice in a row within weeks of each Caribbean cruise. Given the few ports visited on the QM2 Caribbean I wonder if Cunard can rethink its itinerary to avoid further disappointment.

I agree. In the Carinthia lounge, whilst a great improvement, there were chairs already with bad stains marks and we had to pick and choose our chairs carefully. Also the rust marks I saw that were above the water mark on the QM2 hull on the Caribbean cruise a few weeks ago were not pretty and I was thinking the same thing. I saw crew from other ships touching in the hull with long handled rollers. These are highly visible areas that potential customers will also see so why can't Cunard get on top of this especially in the Caribbean ports as black must surely blend in.

Dear robbie_3,

 

I do concur with inasmuchas you wrote too!

At least Homer was still wall eyed..:D

 

Nice that we all aboard had a good time we made..

 

The bottom line is IMHO ( in my humble opinion) theyn really don't give a daRn-it.

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In that POC ( Port of Call) the NEW on QM@2 Master made his call late..

A couple of our ship/table - mates made it ashore. But the IBMer had to wait with his wife and not even a bottle of H2O..either.. they had no motor coach etc.. not neary a word except they were being sent back on to the ship.. oh my they came back hours and hours after they made land . No compensation, no water, no food, NOITHING..

well thye I wager recieved on the final billing statement the , IMHO, paltry US Dollar amout of less than a Ten$USD. dollar bill..

 

One area the Cruise line made a lot of money is on that day..

 

The Casino ( withpout any CRAPS Tables) was OPEN as well the reatil HIGH PRICED Shops..

So yes revenues were coming in .. but not shared with us paying passengers nor us shareholders..

 

 

My one hope too is the Food Quality IMPROVES as now it is Sub-Par!

 

Oh BTW:

 

On the Customer Comment Card ::rolleyes:

How can one be non-biased when even the wait staff pleads for the best Ratings!((???))) I say that jades the real reviews.

 

That is INTERESTING! and coming from you a real compliment. Thank you.

Thanks to all. With regard to the Caribbean, in future we have decided to sail with smaller ships without the anchor ports.

That's lovely Hattie, Merry Christmas.

I think this subject deserves a thread of its own although I touched upon in recently in another thread.

If Cunard completely misses a port(s ) for passengers to alight, particularly in circumstances where there are few ports scheduled on a cruise, should Cunard offer some sort of compensation even if it's a token money off the next cruise? I think peoples views on this subject would be interesting.

Just to recap our own recent experience with Cunard. On our recent Nov Caribbean trip Antigua was the last port of call, an anchor port, and it happened to be our favourite. It was effectively cancelled. The captain made an announcement that the anchor was dragging on the sand bed and with the 15mph on shore winds this left the ship at risk of drifting towards the shore. It was announced that a handful of passengers had already got off so the ship would have to maintain position using thrusters etc until they could be brought back on board which transpired to be not until 5.30pm that evening which left the ships passengers we spoke to rather disappointed to say the least! Nothing was offered for this disappointment I would add, not even a drink!

Now I don't really know if the handful off passengers that went off first thing really were ordinary passengers or if they were ship crew or entertainers. What I do know is that on this particular cruise we had announcements that passengers getting off independently had to wait usually until 11am after those on the scheduled Cunard excursions had embarked. The ship may also have been waiting for new entertainers to arrive on board at some point during the day. I also don't know if the Captain waited until he was sure the ship wasn't drifting before allowing anyone off given the onshore wind circumstances and that the ship was trying to anchor over sand.

We were bitterly disappointed with this lost port, we could cope with a change of itinerary but this was something else on a different level whatever the circumstances. We gave our feedback on Cunard''s questionnaire but we felt it will probably get ignored with so much customer footfall that Cunard enjoys.

A few months ago we booked a LS inside but saw a better deal, we were told we could swap for a current priced cabin but not lower than the original booking cost. That sounded fair enough as we were swapping for a more expensive A2 Club cabin but at a later discounted price which made it a better deal for us. Had we paid the Club price at the time of our original inside cabin booking it would have been far more expensive. I guess there must be infinitely more factors at play or perhaps the interpretation of Cunard's rules differs with whatever person/supervisor happens to deal with the call.

Sadly, for many of us long time Cunard customers, we will be remembering this 'event' for years to come. However, it does not fall under the category of "fondly" in our memories.

Neither does loosing the last port of Antigua, only one of 5 caribbean ports visited and arguably the best before the New York Premier with not a word of apology either.

The reviews of this cabin are not that bad,

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2233816

 

It may not have been what the OP expected/wanted but it seems a bit of a stretch to suggest that it's going to cause a detriment to anyone's health.

 

Thanks for the warning bananavan, I have a guarantee Club balcony booked on QV next year so I might end up in the same cabin.

I appreciate this is a subjective view but such a cabin would I believe be detrimental to my health. I'm 6'3 and whilst gym fit I carry an ongoing back problem. I have been unable to use lower sink units in the past for this reason and if essential amenities were indeed lower as some posters suggest, then I could not easily use such a cabin if allocated. An inch lower for things like a normal sink height really does makes all the difference. The fact that this issue has come to my attention would now prevent me from booking certain cruises as I can no longer rely on a guaranteed booking and I thank Bananavan or making readers on this thread aware of it. For those not aware of Bananvan's circumstances I think it could be an issue when they could not have been reasonably aware of the ergonomics of a disabled cabin.

TOTH I believe your right that the small number of disabled cabins should be kept open for disabled passengers at least until the last minute. Also aside from aesthetics and general suitability, the idea that an able passenger should get allocated such a cabin, without specific consent, when ergonomically such a cabin may not be suitable for a number of reasons and may even have detrimental effect on health is I believe open to question despite any guarantee booking. The argument that a Cunarder in such an unfortunate scenario should be aware of potential ergonomic pit falls in advance is I believe an unreasonable one. I would hope Cunard would listen to a passenger who felt such a cabin was not suitable for them especially over long cruises. Perhaps to avoid such an unfortunate situation these cabins should be kept open until the last minute and then only be sold separately and discounted further if necessary to any able passenger who was willing to be allocated such a cabin.

Bananavan, I'm really glad you can keep your chin up in these circumstances. I can say I'm not into conspiracy, the definition of which would suggest something unlawful or harmful had occurred, even though someone seems to have decided to mention it. I note you mention you booked your ticket some 18 months before the sailing, that seems a long time in advance to me and in my opinion long enough not to be the last passenger booking such an itinerary especially when you note that A1 guaranteed cabins opened up after your booking. Cunard often places great emphasis on priority given to date order bookings so why indeed did you get the short straw?. You are right to continue to query this as its clear you have yet to receive a satisfactory answer. Apologies for the profiling, it was but a figure of speech :)

There again on the Nov Caribbean Cruise under the guise of a Xmas market. There seems no end to inventiveness.

We were in an A2 Club in September from NY to Southampton and thought that the starboard side Club restaurant staff were all great.

Excellent. Glad you had a great time.

Well put TOTH. Also are Cunard going to allocate such an unpopular cabin (even amongst the disabled it seems) that they can't easily shift to multiple able passengers on a world cruise or are they going to allocate it to a little old lady from Florida who seems unlikely to make a fuss. I know which I would put my money on.

Bananavan apologies for the thoughtless abbreviations in my last post. COA is Court of Appeal, SofS is indeed Secretary of State, in my case for The Home Office (UK). My post was from a UK perspective although the central argument applies. The small claims limit in the UK is £10,000 and is a very easy on line procedure here in the UK as both sides cannot usually be granted legal/representation costs which makes it here in the UK a popular avenue for consumer problems. Due diligence can only be applied up to a point, no perspective able customer is going to know the height of essential amenities of a disabled cabin in advance if in the unlikely scenario they are allocated such an unpopular cabin.I doubt a County Court Judge is going to think it reasonable that a customer should second guess such specific information when making any such booking, however these are my thoughts which is why an independent judiciary is sometimes a useful tool if reasonable requests fail. I would not advocate similar advice to an American when court costs and risks could be higher. Whatever happens good luck.

Just returned from our 19th Nov--15th December QM2 Caribbean cruise and thought readers might like to share our experience.

Cabin

Regarding our A2 Cabin. Small issues included an intermittent vacuum problem with our toilet not flushing on seven or eight occasions but resolved itself within a few hours. The only other thing was whistling wind when at sea through the sliding patio door seals but the thick curtains helped. Our cabin was one of the new cabins on the 13th deck and a great improvement over standard cabins. The Club cabin living area looked similar in floor area but more luxurious than a standard Britannia balcony cabin. Our cabin had extra framed pictures and a very attractive bevelled mirror made up of six segments above the desk area. My wife did laugh though as she thought this was designed by a man because when she sat down for makeup and to dry her hair, her head reflected right into the bevelled areas of the central mirror segments. She looked like something out of the hall of mirrors and had to therefore stand up to do this which proved more than a little tedious throughout the cruise. The wall mounted television was central at the end of the bed and in a good position to view from there though we had to be a little careful passing the end of the bed as the screen protruded a few inches from the wall. From what I can remember there were mainly a few movie channels, BBC & Sky News and BBC HD and channel with soaps including East Enders, Coronation St, Emmerdale & White Chapel that might be welcome especially for longer cruises . Despite the recent dry dock there were still no movies on demand so we usually ended up seeing part of a film rather than all of it despite the programme times advertised in leaflets. We found the on board itinerary made it difficult to catch up for the start of films. Many of the cabin surfaces on our 13 deck cabin were roll tops of a luxurious marble look and very attractive. The bathroom surfaces were again of a marble look and the shower had large attractive light beige stone style tiling with a clear shower door that opened inwards or outwards, there were clear rubber seals on the door edges that prevented any water from escaping into the main bathroom area. We thought the doors also opening outwards very sensible for larger people. The shower itself was lovely! A light touch on the button on the shower head delivered four different settings! The bathroom itself had plenty of storage both under the basin and corner shelving.

The Ship

We felt the Carinthia Lounge was a great improvement over the old Winter Garden. Clearly much thought had been made to the new furnishings and dividing spaces where we sat in comfort while listening to the harpist or pianist. The area where snacks were served seemed like a good idea too. The newly improved Kings Court proved much easier to navigate and the new seating was very comfortable on the few occasions we used this.

The films we saw in Illuminations were mostly very recent releases, and interesting films too (well done Cunard!) films like Dunkirk, Churchill, The Mountain Between Us, Kingsman II The Golden Circle etc.

There were plenty of piano recitals. Our favourite past time was listening to the young talented harpist and pianists in the Carinthia and Commodore Lounges.

The Theatre

The newly boarded singers and dancers were in our opinion not worth watching, perhaps they will improve given time. Other acts seemed to be far more entertaining. Many of the speakers we found fascinating.

Speakers

Popular talks included the Costume Designer for The Greatest Showman and other well know films, the well respected author, actor & historian Joshua Levine talking about the blitz and Dunkirk; and a Canadian Astraunaut talking about his International Space Station experience. Such interesting speakers is one of the reasons why we book with Cunard.

The Club Restaurant

After an initial hiccup in the starboard side Club restaurant we asked if we could move to the Port side Club. This was because we felt the atmosphere was very tense, a couple of servers really did appear not to be team players and seemed disinterested to the point where my lovely DW was afraid to ask for another tea for fear of constant rolling eyes. A very unusual occurance and thankfully the Food and Beverage manager and head Maitre' D got back to us straight away and this was quickly dealt with. After the move we found Dominic and his team truly wonderful, his flambé seemed regularly available at table for customers who asked and Bruno our sommelier knew all the wines and gave us invaluable advice to the point where we left him to choose our preferred non EU New World wine selection. A suitable wine is an important part of our Cunard holiday and Bruno completed the 26 day challenge very well. Our table servers were lovely too, Carlo & Gonzalo were courteous and extremely capable. Overall we found the anytime dining experience suited our needs and the tables were spaced out well but close enough in many cases for neighbouringt ables wanting a quick chat.

Food

The food in the Club mirrored Britannia with the addition of the back page A La Carte section which remained the same throughout the trip but provided welcome additions such as scallops and beef tornados, the latter being my favourites. We found the quality and selection of the dinner menu very good indeed. The food in Kings Court was a little hit and miss, the minute steaks weretougher than my old boots but the succulent chicken kebabs were a hit with us. Late night KC offerings included savaloy hot dogs but I noted gone were my beloved KC late night burgers, oh how I mourn for them!. We also found that on occasion for lunch when there might be nothing on the Britannia Club lunchtime menu or KC to our liking, a better alternative was the in cabin food service. The sirloin steaks were OK and the club sandwich and delicious burgers were of a very good quality and delivered hot. Also Rose who answered our in cabin orders was always polite and helpful.

Itinerary

Amber Cove and St Kitts seemed a reasonable replacement to the islands of St Martin & St Thomas that had suffered the recent storm damage. Just a couple of observations though regarding the anchor tender ports. We noticed announcements for independent passengers disembarking were not made until 11am. Not a great deal of time to explore when the last call for tender was in some cases 4.30pm though I guess not entirely surprising for a ship with so many passengers. Something to be aware of if not on a ship excusion. Also Antigua the last port of call, an anchor port, happens to be our favourite was cancelled. The captain made an announcement that the anchor was dragging on the sand bed and with the 15mph on shore winds this left the ship at risk of drifting towards the shore. It was announced that a handful of passengers had already got off so the ship would have to maintain position using thrusters etc until they could be brought back on board which transpired to be not until 5.30pm that evening which left the ships passengers we spoke to rather disappointed to say the least! Nothing was offered for this disappointment I would add, not even a drink!

All in all we very much enjoyed the trip; the itinerary experience of missing out on the last port was really the only downside. I Hope this will help anyone who is thinking about booking a similar cruise.

An interesting dilemma for such a long cruise.

There are I think some circumstances where such a cabin would not prove suitable for an able bodied person. If for instance you were tall like me, lets say over 6 feet with a medical history of back problems, then it would be prudent to ask the height of essential in cabin facilities, wash basin, toilet, bed comes to mind. If such facilities were significantly lower than normal height then there is an argument that allocating such a disabled cabin could have a significant negative impact on health.

Of course by agreeing to a saver or upgrade Cunard could argue that any cabin in that grade or higher could be allocated, however, Cunard also have an over riding duty of reasonable care and health and safety towards its customers.

A letter from a doctor could also help in such a scenario to customer services by recorded delivery.

I appreciate you were looking forward to your cruise and would not want to cancel it. However if such a scenario applied to you the advice I would then give would be to send a recorded letter to Cunard Customer Services with a strict timescale to either re allocate the cabin to a non disabled or provide a full refund. If neither was forthcoming then an application to the On Line Small Claims/County Court would seem appropriate, the argument being that the refusal to offer a suitable cabin would breach their terms of duty to reasonable care, health and safety, which in turn would amount to a breach/unfair terms and conditions of contract.

Apologies if this seems long winded but having presented complex cases at the COA for the SofS over the years, I like nothing better than a challenge with large corporate companies if they fail to listen to their customers.

That is nice to know, DW is a vegetarian but I am the opposite. Southampton tomorrow.

Packing now, useful thread this, got those little hand weigh scales to check each case.

We might book if it were on cool weather routes otherwise our preference would only be for ships with a full uninterrupted promenade deck. Walking the deck after a meal taking in the sea air is certainly an integral part of our enjoyment for a cruise holiday.

Thanks all so much for those useful contributions, we now feel happier that we have made the right choice to try club. It seems then that the cabins are some way from the restaurant but nearer other things that we like including the Commodore Club and gym. Thankfully we are very mobile and active which had some bearing in making our choice. Our other curiosity is the Grills and we hope this will also help decide a preference for future cruises.

Anything helpful would be appreciated.