Embarking from Cape Town - How Problematic ?

[ausethanol]

We are embarking on the Queen Mary 2 in Cape Town on 28th January 2014 for a Cruise back home to Brisbane. While my partner has cruised a lot, I am new to both cruises and this forum.

 

How difficult is boarding in Cape Town ? Is the QM2 likely to dock close to the V & A area ? The ship arrives in Cape Town on the 27th and we board on the 28th in the afternoon. I wonder if there are likely to be a lot of passengers boarding in Cape Town ?

 

Also I saw a comment on Cruise Critic that the last two times into Cape Town departure was significantly delayed - I assume due to weather. Is this likely to be a problem and how are the sailing conditions in the Indian ocean at this time of the year ?

 

I would appreciate any advice.

[balf]

QM certainly won't fit in to the harbour at V&A so I don't think it will be very near.

 

We have disembarked from Cape Town and it was not the smoothest one ever by any means. The tent where the luggage was held was some distance from the ship and it had to be carried on stacker trucks. Quite a few cases fell off on the way and there was a wait of an hour or so to collect. Of course we should have been held on the ship until all the luggage was ready for collection, but as always on disembarkation they wanted us off sap.

 

Things may well have improved now. There were some unhappy passengers on that day.

 

Great location though.

 

David.

[bazzaw]

A few years ago, we picked up QM2 for a short leg of her World Cruise from Sydney to NZ -- there were quite a few Aussies already onboard and I "heard" that around 1400 had boarded in Capetown for cruises of varying lengths from that point onwards.

 

I also overheard an American lady at breakfast (who sounded to me like a veteran Cunard World Cruiser) say :" I love it when the Aussies get on -- the whole ship comes alive !!" :)

 

Barry

[DDBINK1]

I also overheard an American lady at breakfast (who sounded to me like a veteran Cunard World Cruiser) say :" I love it when the Aussies get on -- the whole ship comes alive !!" :)

 

Barry

 

As opposed to when we Americans come aboard and the "jaws drop and the cheers make the deck shake."

[QE2 fan]

I have been on QM2's world cruise twice when she called in Cape Town. I overheard lots of passengers complaining about how long it took to embark the ship. I don't know what the dock is called but passengers line up in a large white tent as someone mentioned above.

[QE2 fan]

QM2 was delayed this year due to bad weather. The band played on the dockside with banners saying Bon Voyage. We moved out a few feet from the side & then went straight back in & tied up again. I think we were due to leave at 6pm but didn't leave to midnight. I heard the next day that if we hadn't gotten out then, we'd have been there for 3 more days, don't know if that's true or not.

[2irisheyes]

ausethanol - We boarded QM2 in Cape Town for the final sector of the 2013 world cruise. Because there is not a proper cruise terminal where the ship was docked embarkation took place at the Good Hope Convention Centre (from memory I think that was the name). It is an older building with domed typed roof. After being dropped off there getting into the building was fine (up steps after handing over luggage not sure if there are lifts). We then went into a large hall where tea/coffee/cookies were available free. When it came to the actual checking in process that was when the chaos was evident. It was badly organised and there appeared to be no proper system. The instructions on who should check in when was not being adhered to - a bit of a free for all. We were then bussed to the port where we went through the tented area. The parking area was on rough ground. Once we were on the ship all was well and we soon got over the chaotic process. It is possible that Cunard will have learnt something from this year's experience and will attempt to improve things for the next time. I am not telling you of our experience to depress you, I am just telling you how it was this year. Just go with a handful of patience and a sense of humour. Enjoy your trip.

[cunardaddict]

I have been on QM2's world cruise twice when she called in Cape Town. I overheard lots of passengers complaining about how long it took to embark the ship. I don't know what the dock is called but passengers line up in a large white tent as someone mentioned above.

 

I think we have to live with all local standards of service. None of us can change the world.

 

Last year disembarking was done in minutes, suprisingly easy compared the the process of getting to the tour buses on the first day...

[thetwotonys]

We are also embarking at Capetown for this cruise and I still have no idea of where we're even supposed to go! We're heading up table mountain the afternoon/evening before, so maybe I'll just look toward the water, spot a big ship, and head in that direction ;)

[ausethanol]

We are also embarking at Capetown for this cruise and I still have no idea of where we're even supposed to go! We're heading up table mountain the afternoon/evening before, so maybe I'll just look toward the water, spot a big ship, and head in that direction ;)

 

With a bit of sleuthing on the internet I have found that for the last two years the QM2 has berthed at a point directly across the water from the Convention Centre, access to which is Portside road, at the end past the tanker basin. Presumably it will do so again. We are staying in a hotel which happily, should provide a view of the ship. We are getting to Cape Town a week early to do a little pre -cruise tourism.

[cunardaddict]

With a bit of sleuthing on the internet I have found that for the last two years the QM2 has berthed at a point directly across the water from the Convention Centre, access to which is Portside road, at the end past the tanker basin. Presumably it will do so again.

 

This is the only berth large enough for QM2. All passengers will be transported from a designated meeting point outside the harbour area by bus.

[portholepete]

I was on the 2012 World Cruise on Queen Mary 2. We were delayed in Cape Town overnight because of storm force winds whipping across the area where we were docked. It was the correct decision to stay...and our "bonus" was an extra night in that bustling city. We did, however, pay a "price" - we had no time to step ashore on Mauritius which was a disappointment for me because I have always wanted to visit the island. We did stop but just to embark and disembark passengers in very rough seas I might add. The weather in the Indian Ocean that year was mixed but there were strong winds for days on end from memory but Queen Mary 2 is a proper liner, not a ship carrying a floating block of flats on her deck. It was steady as you go because it takes a lot to make Queen Mary 2 rock and roll! If I'm not having a "senior moment" I think after we left Durban we were nine or 10 days a sea until we reached Freo on our first of two visits. Have a good voyage. :)

[Pies4u]

We boarded in Cape Town for the last leg of the World cruise this year. It was hopeless. We were stuck in that weird centre, a bus ride away from the port. It was pure chaos. Very cumbersome embarkation process.

 

It was ok getting on board once we left the coach - which probably lost it's suspension on that awful unmade access area.

[ausethanol]

We boarded in Cape Town for the last leg of the World cruise this year. It was hopeless. We were stuck in that weird centre, a bus ride away from the port. It was pure chaos. Very cumbersome embarkation process.

 

It was ok getting on board once we left the coach - which probably lost it's suspension on that awful unmade access area.

 

Pies4u - Thank you for the warning - I guess I was starting to fear that it was something like that when I saw that there were only 2 cruise ships going into Cape Town between late November and the end of January - the second being QM2 - and that the only cruise ships operating out of South Africa were based from Durban. You would think that Cunard could insist on or organise something better on the basis that "you don't get a second chance to make a first impression". Did you feel that they "Washed their hands" of the process before people boarded the ship ? Anyway I really appreciate you taking the time to provide the alert.

[ausethanol]

I was on the 2012 World Cruise on Queen Mary 2. We were delayed in Cape Town overnight because of storm force winds whipping across the area where we were docked. It was the correct decision to stay...and our "bonus" was an extra night in that bustling city. We did, however, pay a "price" - we had no time to step ashore on Mauritius which was a disappointment for me because I have always wanted to visit the island. We did stop but just to embark and disembark passengers in very rough seas I might add. The weather in the Indian Ocean that year was mixed but there were strong winds for days on end from memory but Queen Mary 2 is a proper liner, not a ship carrying a floating block of flats on her deck. It was steady as you go because it takes a lot to make Queen Mary 2 rock and roll! If I'm not having a "senior moment" I think after we left Durban we were nine or 10 days a sea until we reached Freo on our first of two visits. Have a good voyage. :)

 

Portholepete, Thank you for this informative reply. We are having a week in and around Cape Town before we embark so hope we will not have any extra time there, especially as I have not visited Durban and Mauritius since 1981 !! I like your reference to the "block of flats" and your familiarity with Australia demonstrated by your "Freo" reference !! We will have to keep our fingers crossed for good weather !!

[portholepete]

You should love Durban. I took a taxi (negotiated a rate for three hours at the courtesy coach drop off point in town). He wanted to take me to markets etc; I told him I wanted to go to Durban Racecourse and then to drive around the promenade before going to the soccer stadium. He did as I requested but with much bad grace. However, for me walking the turf on the racecourse and getting a look at the stands and the private boxes and seeing the parade ring was a treat. There was no racing sadly that day and I persuaded a lone security guard to let me look around. He didn't have a problem with my request. At the soccer stadium, built for the 2010 World Cup, there is a lift to a viewing platform on top of the construction. I have no head for heights so left it to others to view from there. It cost, from memory, the sterling equivalent of a fiver. Excellent value for the views I was told. Ah, Freo! The reason I booked the World on Queen Mary 2 in 2012 was that I had always wanted to visit Australia but have a problem with long haul flights. Queen Mary 2 circumnavigated Australia one and a half times calling in Freo twice, Adelaide twice (was a gem Glenelg is), Sydney twice but also we saw the wonderful Whitsundays, Melbourne and I even liked Darwin. And NOT forgetting wonderful Brisbane. Worth every penny to visit these places. G'd day sport!

Edited December 15, 2013 by portholepete

[bazzaw]

You should love Durban. I took a taxi (negotiated a rate for three hours at the courtesy coach drop off point in town). He wanted to take me to markets etc; I told him I wanted to go to Durban Racecourse and then to drive around the promenade before going to the soccer stadium. He did as I requested but with much bad grace. However, for me walking the turf on the racecourse and getting a look at the stands and the private boxes and seeing the parade ring was a treat. There was no racing sadly that day and I persuaded a lone security guard to let me look around. He didn't have a problem with my request. At the soccer stadium, built for the 2010 World Cup, there is a lift to a viewing platform on top of the construction. I have no head for heights so left it to others to view from there. It cost, from memory, the sterling equivalent of a fiver. Excellent value for the views I was told. Ah, Freo! The reason I booked the World on Queen Mary 2 in 2012 was that I had always wanted to visit Australia but have a problem with long haul flights. Queen Mary 2 circumnavigated Australia one and a half times calling in Freo twice, Adelaide twice (was a gem Glenelg is), Sydney twice but also we saw the wonderful Whitsundays, Melbourne and I even liked Darwin. And NOT forgetting wonderful Brisbane. Worth every penny to visit these places. G'd day sport!

 

 

 

G'day mate - javagoodtime? javafewbeers?

 

Barry

[Pushka]

Embarking at any port is the responsibility of the port authorities and not the ship line. I'm lucky as I embark in Adelaide which is not a major entry point on the World Cruise. But everything works very well.

[Pies4u]

Pies4u - Thank you for the warning - I guess I was starting to fear that it was something like that when I saw that there were only 2 cruise ships going into Cape Town between late November and the end of January - the second being QM2 - and that the only cruise ships operating out of South Africa were based from Durban. You would think that Cunard could insist on or organise something better on the basis that "you don't get a second chance to make a first impression". Did you feel that they "Washed their hands" of the process before people boarded the ship ? Anyway I really appreciate you taking the time to provide the alert.

 

It is just a bit busy & frenetic. Cunard staff seemed to be mixed with port staff, they all tried but there was a lack of communication and coordination. It requires the passengers to be alert and continually asking what's hoping on. It was also very packed, a constant stream of folks arriving and we'd been hanging around for hours after arriving early am from a 12 hour London flight.

 

Fortunately, Cunard handled the am arrival superbly and we got a breakfast at a good hotel on the Waterfront and a guided bus tour of the City.

 

Have to say, the QM2 is a spectacular ship. It was our first time on board and the scale and size of the ship are magnificent - and as Cape Town is incredible, it was al worthwhile.

[ausethanol]

It is just a bit busy & frenetic. Cunard staff seemed to be mixed with port staff, they all tried but there was a lack of communication and coordination. It requires the passengers to be alert and continually asking what's hoping on. It was also very packed, a constant stream of folks arriving and we'd been hanging around for hours after arriving early am from a 12 hour London flight.

 

Fortunately, Cunard handled the am arrival superbly and we got a breakfast at a good hotel on the Waterfront and a guided bus tour of the City.

 

Have to say, the QM2 is a spectacular ship. It was our first time on board and the scale and size of the ship are magnificent - and as Cape Town is incredible, it was al worthwhile.

 

We have never heard anything but praise for QM2 when onboard, so we are really looking forward to being on it for 24 nights from Cape Town to Brisbane. Do you remember where you had to go first up in Cape Town before getting on the buses and was boarding paperwork handled at the first point or in the tents by the ship. I guess what I am really asking is where were the delays ?

 

Also do you remember roughly how many people were boarding in Cape Town ?

 

I am one of those Aussies who does not handle queues well. In my only other cruise experience a 3 day Sydney to Melbourne trip on the Carnival Spirit, there were many things I did not like but one thing that Carnival did very well was the embarkation which was quick and efficient - no more than 15 minutes from arrival at the embarkation point to being in our cabin. ( the Spirit has more passengers than QM2 and all were joining in Sydney) I am concerned from what you and others have said that Cunard is not that efficient at handling the embarkation.

[ausethanol]

Embarking at any port is the responsibility of the port authorities and not the ship line. I'm lucky as I embark in Adelaide which is not a major entry point on the World Cruise. But everything works very well.

 

Pushka, You may be right legally, but it is the first link to the Cruise company and it would seem to me that the Cruise companies have plenty of weight to throw around, telling the local authorities that unless they get it right, they will not come into that port again. I have seen it suggested on Cruise Critic that Cape Town may go off the Cunard list for similar reasons. You don't get a second chance to make a first impression !!

 

Frankly I wonder why Cunard is coming into Brisbane though it suits us, as we live in Brisbane. The Cruise Terminal is up the river at Hamilton (a good facility and convenient position to the city) but can not take larger liners like QM2. The alternative at the main port at the mouth of the Brisbane River is the "Grain Terminal Wharf" !! (the name says it all) I have never boarded there but have picked people up there and it is appalling. (actually looking at it on Google maps it looks a lot like the Cape Town berth) Last time we picked up visitors there it was raining, the berth was a sea of mud and you had to park several hundred metres away, with no cover between where you come off the ship and where you get into cars. It was predictable as it was in the wet season, so Port Of Brisbane should hang its collective head in shame, and get a new facility built immediately. But the cruise company did not do anything either. We have Brisbane friends who are travelling on the QM2 World Cruise circumnavigation of Australia and are flying to Sydney to do a Sydney to Sydney journey rather than go through Brisbane. If Adelaide has a cruise terminal that can handle large ships you are fortunate that the authorities in your state have more foresight than in Queensland.

[bazzaw]

 

I am one of those Aussies who does not handle queues well.

 

Then don't queue for embarkation!!

 

 

Arrive late(ish)-- with a book - sit on a seat in the shade (if possible) and WATCH the queue dwindle away. Be like the Queen -- arrive after everybody else has -- they will have a personal seat (on an aircraft) /cabin (on a cruiseship) waiting just for you :)

 

 

Barry

[ausethanol]

Then don't queue for embarkation!!

 

 

Arrive late(ish)-- with a book - sit on a seat in the shade (if possible) and WATCH the queue dwindle away. Be like the Queen -- arrive after everybody else has -- they will have a personal seat (on an aircraft) /cabin (on a cruiseship) waiting just for you :)

 

 

Barry

 

Thanks for the suggestion Bazzaw !! I guess we will be on the ship for 24 nights so arriving an hour or two later will not make any difference !! And at least we do not have to worry about missing out on overhead locker space !!

[bazzaw]

 

Frankly I wonder why Cunard is coming into Brisbane though it suits us, as we live in Brisbane. The Cruise Terminal is up the river at Hamilton (a good facility and convenient position to the city) but can not take larger liners like QM2. The alternative at the main port at the mouth of the Brisbane River is the "Grain Terminal Wharf" !! (the name says it all) I have never boarded there but have picked people up there and it is appalling. (actually looking at it on Google maps it looks a lot like the Cape Town berth) Last time we picked up visitors there it was raining, the berth was a sea of mud and you had to park several hundred metres away, with no cover between where you come off the ship and where you get into cars. It was predictable as it was in the wet season, so Port Of Brisbane should hang its collective head in shame, and get a new facility built immediately. But the cruise company did not do anything either. We have Brisbane friends who are travelling on the QM2 World Cruise circumnavigation of Australia and are flying to Sydney to do a Sydney to Sydney journey rather than go through Brisbane. If Adelaide has a cruise terminal that can handle large ships you are fortunate that the authorities in your state have more foresight than in Queensland.

 

There is a new terminal now at the Grain Wharf. It is vastly superior to what existed a couple of years ago when QM2 visited in the rain. We have done a full World Cruise embarkation and disembarkation there - and have also visited for the day on other ships. It is perfectly satisfactory for either purpose - and in many respects superior to MANY other cruise terminals around the World (including the Brisbane one further up the river) .

There is at least ample space for visitor parking and plenty of space for multiple buses for shuttles/shore tours to manouvre). Toilets, seating, helpful porters and Customs/Immigration Officers. Just don't talk to me about the so-called "Overseas Passenger Terminal" in Sydney -- nor the Mayflower Wharf or maybe even the entire dockyard facility at Southampton :(

 

If Cunard or the other cruiselines crossed off all ports in the World where they either berth at commercial dockyards, or which are more than an hour away from the local city of interest or which require tendering -- then half of the ports of the World would be off the charts :)) . How often does Cunard (or any other cruise lines visit Capetown) - and how interested are they in contributing something to build facilities there?

 

Barry

[cunardaddict]

In 2012 we had some 800 to 1,000 passengers embarking at Capetown, most of them Australians.