new and NOT-improved Cunard website

[vivavino]

I don't know if anybody has used it, but I just visited their new voyage finder. What an AWFUL site they've built.

 

The old one let me browse easily, showed pricing easily, let me log in to see personalized fares..... all simple. The new one makes you add on airfare, hotels ALL without knowing what the impact will be on the price.

 

Really the WORST website of any cruise line I've visited.

Clearly they don't want any direct bookings.

[BlueRiband]

It appears to have some major bugs to say the least. It's clunky and kept returning a message that it could not "validate" by WC number. One also doesn't see if they are getting better WC fares than the "rack rate" John or Jane First Cruiser would see. The only "improvement" was an exact date and day of the week for whether there was a sea day or port day on the itineary. In the end, I gave up and booked by calling Cunard.

 

They're going to have to get that fixed fast or lose a lot of business. One, online booking has become the predominate way a lot of people book travel. They'll give up rather than pick up the phone. Two, a bad online experience will have guests wondering if their booking will get lost or otherwise fouled up. It's one thing if your don't get the book or shoes ordered online, but a foulup for a vacation costing four or five figures is a different kettle of fish.

[bobby1119]

Ditto. I keep getting a message that my Diamond world club number is non-existent.

 

All the other cruise lines have their acts together. Cunard is consistently behind the learning (read: selling) curve, although they would have us think otherwise.

 

Shabby in comparison to the online booking capabilities of other cruise lines.

[Calliope]

I would never use the web-site to book anyway. The prices given on the Cunard site never seem to be the best tariffs available. I also think it helps to have a travel agent that sells quite a few trips on Cunard when it's time for the "Upgrade fairy" to fly.

 

In all fairness though, now information on world cruise segments can be accessed and booked online, should you so choose.

[CruznTom]

I agree with the OP - Their new Voyage Finder isn't worth the wear and tear on my keyboard. Now I have to look up 2 WC numbers and hope they work. type in 2 full names and enter 2 day, month and year birth dates and unclick 2 insurance policies just to maybe see a fare that has some gibberish typed over the actual fare. Previously an E-mail address and 5 character password would produce a fare that I could actually read and understand.

[transatlantic fan]

Tou can still use the old one.

http://book.cunard.com/find/pb/find.do

[Nick&Simon]

Maybe the crappy booking tool explains the 20+ minute wait for a sales agent to answer the 'phone yesterday (I gave up in the end). You would not expect 2.30 on a Thursday to be "high call volume"!

 

The booking I wanted was gone by the time I eventually got through. :(

[CruznTom]

Tou can still use the old one.

http://book.cunard.com/find/pb/find.do

 

Thanks, - My keyboard also thanks you

[Husband & wife who cru]

I don't know if anybody has used it, but I just visited their new voyage finder. What an AWFUL site they've built.

 

The old one let me browse easily, showed pricing easily, let me log in to see personalized fares..... all simple. The new one makes you add on airfare, hotels ALL without knowing what the impact will be on the price.

 

Really the WORST website of any cruise line I've visited.

Clearly they don't want any direct bookings.

 

 

Very poorly done and extremely un-customer friendly..I wish i could say i was shocked but Cunard these days seems to be having quality issues on every front. When you cut back on spending so much its only a matter of time before it is noticed. I love Cunard! What I am seeing lately indicates the beancounters are calling the shots.

[Salacia]

Tou can still use the old one.

http://book.cunard.com/find/pb/find.do

 

Thank you! -S

[northernsailor]

It's actually the P&O booking system - just reskinned in the Cunard colours.

 

I guess if that system works well enough for P&O and their 7 ships (read: a lot more passengers than Cunard) - then it's good enough for Cunard..

 

I agree though, it's not the best - but then aren't 90% of all cruises still booked by TA's? Looks like it's the last holiday type to fall to the Internet..

 

Chris

[Whitemarsh]

The new website will accept Cunard World Club numbers now.

 

I like that you can book segments of a world voyage, something that wasn't possible before.

[Husband & wife who cru]

It's actually the P&O booking system - just reskinned in the Cunard colours.

 

I guess if that system works well enough for P&O and their 7 ships (read: a lot more passengers than Cunard) - then it's good enough for Cunard..

 

I agree though, it's not the best - but then aren't 90% of all cruises still booked by TA's? Looks like it's the last holiday type to fall to the Internet..

 

Chris

 

Yes, Thank you for pointing that out, I read somewhere here recently in an old thread that both P&O and Princess Cruise have some sort of operational facilities in Cunard.

[northernsailor]

Yes, Thank you for pointing that out, I read somewhere here recently in an old thread that both P&O and Princess Cruise have some sort of operational facilities in Cunard.

 

It makes sense for them with Cunard having possibly the smallest fleet of all of Carnival's companies/brands they own..

 

Not always the best though - as many will point out. But it's better than Cunard just being in the history books and not at sea anymore..

 

Chris

[wotec]

Ditto on this goofy new Cunard website. While we always use the services of our travel agent (who worked in the onboard sales dept of all QE2, QM2 & QV), I use the Cunard sight to see if there is a voyage we are interested in & on the old site it was easy to compare different categories & cost. All of this I do before I talk with our TA. Try to find out info about the port while you are looking at a particular sailing. What a waste of time. It seems the people that design the websites don't comprehend what new and repeat passengers need and want. Tried to log in with my Diamond number and then go look at voyages. annoying! Cunard gets a big fat F for this website.

[Salacia]

It makes sense for them with Cunard having possibly the smallest fleet of all of Carnival's companies/brands they own..

 

Not always the best though - as many will point out. But it's better than Cunard just being in the history books and not at sea anymore..

 

Chris

 

Lunaticg, we're here because we don't want to see Cunard go down. Check out Princess website as a comparison. Why does CCL make Cunard website so much more difficult to navigate?

 

Salacia

Disappointed CCL stockholder &

World Club Platinum

:mad:

[StarFlyr]

Tou can still use the old one.

http://book.cunard.com/find/pb/find.do

 

I'm confused. On the old site, it shows a price of $3403 for the June 19 QV cruise. On the new site, it shows 3995 for the same cruise. Or maybe it was the other way around. Anyway, nearly a $600 difference or $1200 for 2.

 

Both prices were for a balcony state room.

[Salacia]

Starflyr, I can confirm that, having just done the same exercise:

 

As per the Old Website: June 20 QV Balcony $3,403.00 (my personalized fare is approximately $400 less after signing in)

 

The New Website: June 19 QV Balcony shows the fare as $3,995.

 

Not only the prices differ, but so does the voyage date.

 

Not nice.

 

Salacia

[StarFlyr]

I guess the moral is to use the old site. However, I would rather use an agent who should be looking out for my interests.

[transatlantic fan]

I guess the moral is to use the old site. However, I would rather use an agent who should be looking out for my interests.

Looks like you cant use the old booking tool for 2012 bookings.:mad:

[northernsailor]

Lunaticg, we're here because we don't want to see Cunard go down. Check out Princess website as a comparison. Why does CCL make Cunard website so much more difficult to navigate?

 

Salacia

Disappointed CCL stockholder &

World Club Platinum

:mad:

 

Yeah, I have used the Princess site before. I assume it's because Princess isn't aimed [with the majority of cruises] at the UK market. Unlike P&O/Cunard (well, X% of Cunard is clearly aimed at the American market, but you know what I mean) Like I say - if it works for P&O, it makes sense for them to use it for Cunard - no point in running multiple booking systems..

 

I assume the P&O/Cunard booking systems are run from Carnival House in Southampton whereas the Princess one is probably ran stateside at a guess..

 

Chris

[vivavino]

I suspect that the "old" site is also connected to old data - so that the most current info is going to be on the new (and grossly inferior) site.

 

Like many, I used the old site to browse, look at option, and - frankly - indulge a few fantasies that I can't afford to realize. :)

 

FWIW the vacations to go website has a VERY easy search engine. And sometimes, their prices are much lower than what I've found on the cruiseline site. You have to register, and you get one email a week, but I find that to be interesting, not spam.

[StarFlyr]

Looks like you cant use the old booking tool for 2012 bookings.:mad:

 

That may be, but Cunard should EITHER make both sites reflect their current prices or they should take down the older one. Very bad PR and shows me that someone is NOT doing their job.

[squirrelgardens]

David...I see you will be on the Miami to Southampton TA on April 16th. So are we.

 

Taking the Mary back on May 8th out of Hamburg. Agreed about the website but like shopping first before I book over the phone. Wish the Cunard representatives would be a little more snappy in a good way. So short with the callers.

[northernsailor]

That may be, but Cunard should EITHER make both sites reflect their current prices or they should take down the older one. Very bad PR and shows me that someone is NOT doing their job.

 

AFAIK I don't think the old one is linked anywhere (aside from here)

 

Chris