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Queen Mary 2 - Planetarium - Out of Order ?

Cunard Rules

By Cunard Rules,
in Cunard Line

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Cunard Rules

Cunard Rules

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Thanks Moniquet and Funinhounslow for the quick reply.

 

If you find anything else out can you post it here?

 

Thanks

 

I was on the QM2 in June and the Planetarium was out of order then and as I am due back on board again next month for 2 weeks, I was curious as to whether it had been fixed.

 

Obviously not.

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hansol1966

hansol1966

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The Planeterium was working late May 2012 when we took our sons and girlfriends on a mini cruise Hamburg to Southampton (great trip) and there favourite part of the cruise was (apart from room service) was the planeterium.

I agree the broken seats are an embarrassment for the ship and hopefully the ongoing works will rectify this.

If Cunard wants repeat customers then onboard entertainment must be refreshed regularly (planetarium) as these shows are years old...good the first few times but need to be updated... yearly...biannually? just a thought

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violetta58

violetta58

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Just returned today from USA/Canada voyage and for the 25 days we were on board the planetarium was not working due to long term maintenance.We were told its a problem with the dome that drops down.It was a shame although there were so many good lecturers and films in Illuminations we did not miss it.

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retafcruiser

retafcruiser

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I have been reading a couple of threads that the Planetarium on QM2 has been out of order for a couple of months. Does anyone know if has been fixed or if there are plans to fix it?

Sadly, I think this but one example that the QM2 is far too costly for Carnival to maintain. When a ship is dry-docked and many deficiencies are not addressed, it is a sure sign of cost cutting.

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balf

balf

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Sadly, I think this but one example that the QM2 is far too costly for Carnival to maintain. When a ship is dry-docked and many deficiencies are not addressed, it is a sure sign of cost cutting.

 

Spot on, I was very surprised to find the same weary Planetarium after the refit. I have thought of QM2 for some time as the Cunard cash cow and while they can continue to fill her this will not change.

 

Standards are so much higher on the other two newer ships.

 

David.

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eroller Great Review Rare

eroller

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Deferred maintenance is for companies that are failing and in financial dire straights. This is not the case for Carnival Corp. so I don't see any reason why the Planetarium is not repaired and kept in working order, along with the rest of the ship. When Carnival Corp. built QM2 it was a great undertaking, and no doubt they realized that maintenance and upkeep would be substantially more than an average cruise ship just by nature of the ship itself and her itineraries. Don't build it if you don't plan to follow through with the maintenance. This being said I have not personally experienced anything on QM2 that I would consider deferred maintenance, which is why the Planetarium being out of order for "long term" is little surprising and disappointing.

 

Cunard likes to use the Planetarium in advertising materials all the time as an activity on crossings and a prominent feature of QM2. The least they could do is live up to their advertising and have it in working order. I do understand it's a mechanical device and these things can break down, but I don't see any reason for it to be out of service "long term", unless Carnival/Cunard just doesn't want to spend the $$ to fix it. It is close to the end of the year and perhaps they are attempting to remain within or below budget? If that is the case it's hardly an excuse for the passengers paying to sail and looking forward to this feature.

 

Ernie

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SylviaB

SylviaB

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When we were on board last month we talked to one of the technicians about it. Turns out, it is not Cunard's fault that the planetarium is not in use.

According to British health and safety regulations the planetarium needs to receive a major check up of the hydraulic system and it needs to be done by the company that installed the planetarium. Regular maintenance gets done by the ship's technicians who also ensure the hydraulics for the lifeboats is working properly. Unfortunately, the company that installed the planetarium is no longer in business so can't check the hydraulics and so it can't get the all clear for the health and safety certificate.

The health and safety people won't accept a check by the the ship's technicians, so Cunard's had to find another company that makes planetariums. That company now needs to get approved by British health and safety to do the checks and the bureaucratic paperwork is taking forever.

So despite the fact that it is technically in working order, they are not allowed to use it.

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Whitemarsh

Whitemarsh

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When we were on board last month we talked to one of the technicians about it. Turns out, it is not Cunard's fault that the planetarium is not in use.

According to British health and safety regulations the planetarium needs to receive a major check up of the hydraulic system and it needs to be done by the company that installed the planetarium. Regular maintenance gets done by the ship's technicians who also ensure the hydraulics for the lifeboats is working properly. Unfortunately, the company that installed the planetarium is no longer in business so can't check the hydraulics and so it can't get the all clear for the health and safety certificate.

The health and safety people won't accept a check by the the ship's technicians, so Cunard's had to find another company that makes planetariums. That company now needs to get approved by British health and safety to do the checks and the bureaucratic paperwork is taking forever.

So despite the fact that it is technically in working order, they are not allowed to use it.

 

Thank you for updating us. It's good to hear that the problem is not related to cost cutting or low standards.

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pepperrn

pepperrn

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Posted
When we were on board last month we talked to one of the technicians about it. Turns out, it is not Cunard's fault that the planetarium is not in use. According to British health and safety regulations the planetarium needs to receive a major check up of the hydraulic system and it needs to be done by the company that installed the planetarium. Regular maintenance gets done by the ship's technicians who also ensure the hydraulics for the lifeboats is working properly. Unfortunately, the company that installed the planetarium is no longer in business so can't check the hydraulics and so it can't get the all clear for the health and safety certificate. The health and safety people won't accept a check by the the ship's technicians, so Cunard's had to find another company that makes planetariums. That company now needs to get approved by British health and safety to do the checks and the bureaucratic paperwork is taking forever. So despite the fact that it is technically in working order, they are not allowed to use it.
I've little doubt that this could be true, thank you for posting what seems a valid reason.

'elf and safety... as a friend said, I don't know whether to laugh or cry :confused: .

My only question is (and I'm sure someone will know); what have British Health and Safety Regulations got to do with QM2?

Thanks again.

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Jim Avery

Jim Avery

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About time they sorted all those broken seats, even more so the programmes. They should put it out of it's mysery!

 

Agreed. never did buy the Planetarium on a Ship thing in the first place.:eek: sort of like a rock climbing wall for tuxedoed sophisticates.:eek::D

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AstroExeter

AstroExeter

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As an astronomer I found the planetarium fascinating but they do need new programmes (when it works again). Probably the best use of it is when the RAS are onboard and use it to illustrate the night sky. I have helped to run the Stargazing nights on the QM2 and was amazed at how many people stayed up to take part.

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