Twinkletoes101

We were quarantined on the QM2 for testing positive for Covid. We disembarked on May 15 and still have not had any word about the FCC that was promised by Cunard (among other problem resolutions due to isolation/quarantine). Am wondering if others have had or are having this problem and how they handled it. I am getting very frustrated with their lack of response to me. Any tips?

We were isolated in May. Yes they have isolation rooms and you are required to go to them. We were in a sheltered balcony room, which sucked. You cannot leave your room and you can’t even enjoy the balcony because there is a 3.5 foot steel wall blocking your view unless you stand right at the rail. The rooms were not up to par either. I don’t think any of them have been renovated as the difference between our room originally which was wonderful to a dirty carpet, rusty balcony. 
A full week just about with only TV gets mighty hard to take. They did comp us a few phone calls as we had to make arrangements, cancel flight, that kind of thing. Also, do not rely on Cunard to do half the stuff they say they will do. We are still trying to get money refunded for Verandah reservations, out of pocket expenses while in isolation mandated by Cunard, and even after 60 days our FCC which they promise has not been handled. Not really happy with Cunard’s customer service after we landed but that is a whole different nightmare story,

My husband and I tested positive while onboard the QM2. We were tested by Cunard, told to pack up our stuff, a hazmat team was sent to pick us up and transfer us to their isolation area. We called it the Covid Walk of Shame. We were in a sheltered balcony room in a wing that was not fully renovated I think. The carpets were dirty, dingier room. Cunard medical checked on us every day. We were pretty much symptom free so it really was not a big deal. Food was delivered 3 times a day, hot and delicious right off the main menu I believe. Eating was about the only thing we looked forward to. We could be out on the balcony, but you could only enjoy any of it if you stood at the rail as the sheltered balconies are such that you can’t sit and enjoy the ocean. This was a huge disappointment to us as we had paid dearly for a full balcony room. Cunard staff was friendly and did try their best to make our stay in isolation doable. That said, they were not transparent about anything once you landed and were disembarked into isolation in NYC. They told us we could not travel, which was NOT true. They were only concerned about their interests. We were told only after we were shipped by bus to a hotel in Queens (the biggest nightmare of our whole trip) and dropped outside with no information other than a phone number of someone that would get us to the airport after our mandatory 10 days….which was the agreement Cunard had with the CDC. We were told 3 days into isolation in NYC that Cunard would not pay for our tickets home or any other arrangements until after the 10 days, neglecting to tell us that we could pay for it on our own and we could legally travel. This is eventually what we did done and would have done far sooner as we had an emergency at home. Even though Cunard knew of our situation at home they still were unwilling to give us any information except that they required us to remain in isolation. 
while I cannot say the experience will be a deal breaker with cruising with Cunard in the future I will be armed with far more information in the future.

we still after more than 60 days have not received the FCC promised by Cunard and have just gotten a string of we will check on that emails to inquiries. I get that there were many people affected by Covid on the ships, but I think Cunard’s lack of transparency does not help their “white glove service” that they hold so high. The biggest problem is it seems that there is no way to even track it yourself. We were told that we probably would not get an email or notification about it, that we just have to keep checking. 
the saddest part about this kind of situation is that word gets out about the hassles you go through and people will just stop reporting that they have Covid. This practice could result in exactly the thing they were afraid of, being shut down totally. It will happen when the ships are full of sick people again because the cruise line dropped the ball on customer service for those unfortunate enough to get Covid.

fortunately our Covid cases was mild (even for 2 high risk seniors) so I think the one thing people should do is continue to ask the cruise lines to limit sailing for fully vaccinated persons.  I think that is going to protect the cruise lines far more than testing and all of that stuff. I tested negative on Saturday and got on the ship on Sunday and Tuesday morning I self tested and had a positive test. My husband tested positive on Thursday. So, no testing does not mean you have not been exposed by someone that has been tested. There are lag time, usually a couple of days is all. 
Good luck and go in armed with information that you need to know, not just what Cunard is going to tell you, because that was zilch. 
 

Special thanks to Mysticks1 on the Celebrity Cruises forum for this idea. I would like to begin to assemble one for NCL

 

To the moderators, I would appreciate if we could make this a "sticky" at the top of the page for all to see.

 

Twice a month - I will try to post a PDF for all the ships and cabin information compiled here.

 

Please, refrain from posting cabin questions here so this can purely be an informative thread, especially for those that are first time cruisers or seasoned cruisers looking for a great cabin.

 

The template is as follows:

 

Ship Pearl

Deck - 9

Stateroom # - 9526

Stateroom Category – Balcony

Starboard or Port Side - port

 

Quiet Stateroom? (With comments on problems) –Very quiet. This room was just a few steps away from the forward elevators. We were amazed at how quiet it was.

 

Was stateroom a connecting stateroom? -yes

 

 

Balcony View - Give comments on view, noting if location of any obstructions was an issue. – no obstructions.

 

Balcony Size? Normal or oversized for class? - normal

 

Was wind a problem? -no

 

If an aft cabin, was soot a problem? -n/a

 

Any specific problems with this cabin? -none

 

Any other comments? -

Thanks for info.

am wondering if you can use the HopOn-HopOff bus for getting to the cable car and toboggan ride down. Has anyone done this?

Am not seeing current info an Mary Lou's tours. I have seen good things about them in the past, but mostly from 2010... I am wondering if people could recommend a great tour to take around Hilo. What do their prices run, can two people do a tour without costing an arm and a leg? Thanks upfront for info.

My husband and I sail in February. We are staying on in Oahu for 3 days after the cruise gets back. We are going to do it on our own travel for the most part. We are heading to the Polyn. cultural Center and doing their whole package thing there so that will be a long day. We are staying at a hotel across the road from the PCC, so let the Mai tai's roll in! Next day we will drive along the North shore and see as much as we can see, have a whole list of ideas, just not in stone which is what we want. Back to Waikiki for Sunday night. Pearl Harbor tour on Monday. We struggled with this and in the end we decided to do a Roberts tour. We will have all afternoon and evening open, so am looking toward driving along the south eastern coastline before having to be to the airport for our red eye home. There is so much information out there to read about the islands, it is not hard to figure out a game plan. We are renting cars on Maui and Kauai also and heading out for the major attractions on our own. Friends are picking us up in Kona, and we are taking the excursion in Hilo. I am like a three year old before Christmas, I just want to be in Hawaii.

I am always Leary of bad reviews. We are booked on this cruise and are "going it alone" from most ports. I am sure we will have a great time and take the criticism in stride, but seems like the ratings have dropped on this cruise lately. I wonder if NCL watches these forums. We sailed to the Bahamas on NCL and liked the experience, but not the Bahamas so much. I think it is in your expectations for most people. We just want a fun vacation. I think we will get it. It is mind boggling expensive, but Hawaii IS expensive no matter what.

Wow, this makes me nervous. What was the problem with the ship, may I ask? Sounds like the precruise stay and excursions were a disaster, but what about the POA. I hope you complained to NCL about the problems you had. I would be interested in hearing more.

Yes, we too are sort of taking big gulps of air when thinking of the cost of our cruise to Hawaii. We have never been. We are flying in the night before from MN and then going on the cruise. We booked a balcony room. We will stay 3 days after the cruise in Oahu. We have decided to wait to book excursions for the most part to see what we are feeling like and weather. We did a cruise in Bahamas and learned the ship excursions are more expensive. We have talked about car rentals and exploring on our own, but are starting to think that we don't want to be exhausted from driving all day to make the rental worth it. We are tussling with the bag storage on our last day as our flight does not leave until 10:30 at night. I have decided that 1) we want to cruise 2) we want to see Hawaii before we die 3) yup, it is expensive and 4) we will have a great time no matter what happens. I guess you just have to take the leap. Hawaii is not going to be cheap no matter how you do it. That is just the nature of the beast. Granted, I am not taking a family with me on this. What ever you decide, have fun!

I read that you should never take a cruise on a ship right before it goes in to be refurbished. I have searched to read about that but cannot come up with anything. Am wondering why that would be a problem. I can imagine the ship is showing wear and tear, but what could the other problems with it be? We are sailing POA right before its dry dock in Feb/March. Answers anyone?

We will be on POA and will be in port overnight. Do cruisers have to be back on ship at a certain time at night, or can you come in at anytime? Our plans at this time will get us back early enough to drop off the car but am wondering if there is a curfew for passengers.

This helps a lot. I do have a car with a shuttle, but will check with them closer to our cruise date. Thanks.

Itinerary says we arrive at 8 a.m. Am wondering what time people actually can get off the ship. We are renting a car and am concerned about the times I gave them. Anybody done it that can chime in to give me a true idea of how long it takes to actually get to the airport to get the cars?

:)