pinkpanther52

On 3/26/2020 at 4:07 AM, vettprincess said:

I called Cunard in Calif and had a lovely chat with the agent working at home. We talked about the nasty people so I tried to cheer him up. It did work and he felt better even though I did not get around to cancelling my cruise. We bonded over our pets.

All agents in the cruise industry have to be having nightmares cause of the mean calls they get. 

Be careful out there........

What a lovely thing to do, I am planning to do much the same myself at the weekend 

Its a big challenge working in any customer service job at the moment some people are understanding but others are just so so selfish being called “a baby killer” was a low point ☹️ 

Be mindful folks 😀

And NO not Cruise Line related in any way 

Just a general plea 😀

1 hour ago, davekathy said:

Unacceptable by that (those) CS agent(s) no matter what the circumstances are. They are still getting paid to do their job in a professionally manner as they are representing the cruise line they are working for. I would have reported this unprofessional abuse you experienced. Hopefully it was recorded for the so called "training purposes". Unless of course you were rude and inconsiderate with the CS agent first which caused the CS agent to treat you as you said they did. But even then...

Yep all our Senior Staff are on it Big time 

My boss has been outstanding 😀

Hi all 😀

No,I don’t work in our call centre on normal duties but all that can have been seconded to this 

We made a pretty controversial decision based on UK guidelines so our phone lines have been ringing all day 

To be fair all my bosses are virtual in tears every night BUT we have set up a fantastic group chat to support everyone 

Stay Safe Everyone And be NICE😌

5 minutes ago, sparks1093 said:

Thank you for the timely reminder, hopefully people will act on it.

Thanks we are all upset and worried about our cruises but be NICE folks 

Yes clo that is what I have done as well 

Unfortunately the Customer Service line I am helping manning ( not my normal job ) Is just mental. I was called a baby killer today 😥😥😥 as we are on reduced services 

Please can I ask ALL our members to be respectful of all the Customer Services lines you are calling.

I have literally spent the last two days be shouted at, sworn at and generally abused.

No I don’t work for any cruise line 

But PLEASE PLEASE remember call centre staff are human as well.

I understand it is super frustrating for everyone who as a cruise coming up (as did I) But please treat people with respect the person on the other end of the line is human to and just as concerned as you are 

15 hours ago, Host Hattie said:

That sounds awful Jackie, I hope you're having a more relaxing evening.

 

2 hours ago, hypercafe said:

Hi Jackie, sorry you had such a bad day. Right now my focus is on staying healthy fore and my family. Although a vacation is fun and costly I can't think of it as a top issue now. I can always take another.

Thanks folks things are a lot better today 😀

To all Cunard Cruisers our there Can I just say please please be mindful when speaking to customer helplines 

Just had the most awful day at work with folks screaming and shouting at me, We are not even front line so god knows what it is like for our brave frontline workers 

I am sure anyone here won’t hassle any of Cunard’s helpline staff because they are sensible folks but please just remember the staff answering the phones are human too 😥

Jackie

And stay Safe everyone 🙂

Hello from Edinburgh 

Also working from home until further notice. Work in customer services for the Civil Service But our enquiry lines are pretty quiet and quite a few IT issues so maybe just as well. It’s very strange not being in a busy office.

I live under the flight route for Edinburgh airport and noticeably much quieter than normal.

Managed to get some supplies but struggled with milk, bread and dishwashing liquid. 

Have set up a help group through our neighbourhood watch for all our vulnerable neighbours.

Jackie

Now confirmed they are heading to Cuba where they will organise repatriation flights.

Jackie

Now confirmed they are heading to Cuba where they will arrange repatriation flights.

Jackie

Fred Olsen has taken the very sensible decision to cancel all cruise until the end of May.

Not sure why P and O will not do the same unless the management at Carnival don’t think UK cruisers are important. 

Thankfully I cancelled having only paid my deposit I can use it for up to a year on a new cruise but at the moment have absolutely NO inclination to do so.

Think P and O have lost a future customer 😡

Thanks Lottie 😀

P.s. Like your Avatar 

 A very sensible and brave decision made by Fred.

I applaud them now and assuming everything plays out with refunds they now have a loyal customer 

Lottie your voice of reason has been great on this forum and I truly hope you get a refund from Azamara 😌

Looks like you can now have the chance to switch to a later Cruise in certain circumstances.

If your cruise is before the end of May and you are under 70 to any other cruise this year or if you are over 70 any 2020 to one in 2020/21/22.

Sorry do not know now to post a link when on my phone 

Jackie

9 minutes ago, Lottie A said:

I’m so sorry if you are financially affected Jackie. I am too, having just cancelled my Azamara cruise. 
Let’s hope this awful situation improves soon...but I do think we are in for a few months of great uncertainty and hard decisions. 
The cruise companies who do right by their customers now will benefit from their loyalty after this awful time is over. 
 

Hi Lottie SO Sorry you are financial affected by cancelling you cruise! Your opinions and  thoughts have made for some  interesting insights even though we may disagree on a plan of action in these dreadful times they are much appreciated

40 minutes ago, Lottie A said:

Jackie, cruising  is till one of the safest ways to travel, not perhaps advised right at this moment but the same is true for any event where lots of people are gathered in close proximity. I would not go to the theatre or a sporting event at the moment. We could be infected with Covid-19 in work just as easily as on a cruise ship. 

I can understand you feel that Japan and Princess made victims of the Diamond Princess passengers but actually their actions probably saved lives. It was Japan making the decisions anyway and Princess has very little power to do anything other than comply with the Japanese authorities rules and in my medical opinion that was the correct thing to do. I wish Fred Olsen were as brave as Princess were. The fact that passengers are still wandering around Braemar and presumably will soon be on a commercial flight home, potentially infecting many others, quite frankly appals me. 

I hope the government quarantines all the passengers for 14 days when they arrive home but they may have infected others by then. I’m sorry for them but it is a fact that people cannot be trusted to self isolate in these circumstances. 
 

Hi Lottie I appreciate your insight as a Medical expert which in a way makes me even more concerned!!

But I do think in the 21st Century NO commercial organisation should be prepared to sacrifice thousands of people’s lives for monetary reasons. (Ok maybe living in cloud cuckoo land on that point ☹️) Their is no reason the poor souls should be put on a commercial flight that would be madness and I never meant that. What I would want to be done is for a special chartered flight to be laid on as an evacuation measure. 

If Fred are as “brave” as Princess well that is my cruise gone with a huge loss of money but at least I will still have my job and life. 

Lets hope it does not come to that, but at the moment I think cruising is an extremely high risk activity although only in relation to forced exposure to the virus in all other aspects it IS very safe but the prospect of forced detonation and deliberate exposure to the virus makes me very very wary of going on a cruise 

33 minutes ago, Lottie A said:

Well you might disagree pinkpanther52 but medically speaking, the risk to others being affected is considerable if FRed fly home a shipload of potentially infected passengers! If they remain onboard Braemar in isolation then the risk is much less. 
Princess and Japan did the right thing in keeping people onboard Diamond Princess and isolated in their cabins. Sadly there were deaths, but there could have been many more if those infected passengers were allowed to fly home infecting goodness knows how many others en route. 

Sorry Lottie but I can NEVER agree that Princess and Japan did the right thing.

I do understand you have more experience than I do, Did I read you were in the medical profession? but to the layman’s eyes they simply made all the passengers sacrificial lambs with No regard to their safety or  wellbeing.

If cruising does this then many many lines will cease to exist. Come on a cruise and have your life ruined. Maybe a bit of a of a hyperbole but not too much I feel.

Jackie

2 minutes ago, Pentlands said:

But flying people home and allowing more cruise ships to keep crusing and then having to fly more people home and finding adequate quarantine is just nuts. Sorry but time to say that crusing must be quarantined for 3 months.

 

Would not completely disagree with your point that cruises should possibly stop for sometime but cannot see this happening unless the Government orders a NO travel warning but quarantining people on cruise ships is madness, the isolation facilities are not there.

I have a cruise booked for May which is a long time away in this fluid situation incidentally with no flying envolved. The only thing that would worry me is the fact I may be involuntary confined to my cabin with No evidence I am ill possibly for 3 weeks then confined AGAIN when I am released. 

It it is completely unsustainable. People need to be brought home as soon as possible and self quarantine at home if required with all extra travel expenses paid by the cruise line or Government. If that is not sustainable then Maybe the cruise company WILL decide to halt cruising for a period of time. 

1 hour ago, Lottie A said:

Also now reading that Braemar passengers are to be flown home today. The rate of Covid-19 infection on Braemar is increasing daily. These passengers are potentially going to infect a lot of other people on their way home...the airport, the plane, trains, coaches etc. Will they all self isolate on returning home? Given that Covid-19 symptoms can take up to two weeks to develop I would hope they would be placed in quarantine immediately on returning to the U.K. Passengers on the previous cruise denied berthing in The Dominican Republic tested negative onboard but developed symptoms after returning home. 

 

Personally I think that the passengers should remain onboard Braemar and it should sail back to Southampton from The Caribbean. This would give about 7 days for any virus symptoms to develop in the passengers and crew onboard and if they do develop then the ship should be placed in quarantine in Southampton. This just seems like common sense to me. To fly potentially infectious people home today with all the dangers of infecting others en route does not. 

I am sorry but I must disagree Lottie, if you look at the Diamond Princess debacle keeping people on the ship is the worst possible thing you could do.

Fred Olsen need to get them off the ship as soon as possible.

20 minutes ago, Daveuj said:

Hi All Looking at the above post can I cancel Iona balcony June20th then rebook same cabin if available. (if things improve later)This will put off my payment till later.May get better price ?

Yes that is my understanding.

I guess the risk is the price may be higher or the cabin not available!!

23 minutes ago, Eglesbrech said:

It’s just a pity they won’t put this kind of policy out in writing to reassure all passengers. Glad you were successful.

Thanks Yes I do think they should make that policy clearer but then again I am a Customer Services Manager and can understand why they are being cautious to avoid being inundated with calls but yet again they might be if they don’t mention that.

Darned if they do and darned if they don’t comes to mind 😌

Well there is now a free spot on the Iona on the 6th June - single balcony cabin as I have just cancelled!!

With the caveat that this was BEFORE Final Payment I think P & O were very generous. They took my concerns very seriously and were understanding once I explained I did not want to be stuck in Southampton unsure how to get back North and I felt their policy of not refunding if I was denied boarding was very unfair.

They have cancelled my cruise and I can use the deposit to rebook any time up to a year from today for any cruise from two years from today.

Not bad in my opinion.

of course I do really feel for people that are past final payment but I don’t think it was too shabby treatment 

3 minutes ago, sndral said:

It’s been years since I quit that nasty addiction - but when I traveled as a smoker I usually carried enough packs to get me through my travels and a little extra but not enough extra for 14 days & the ship stores are closed so no resupply. So @ some point most smokers, whether they obey the no smoking edict or not, will become @ least temporary non smokers if only because they’ve run out of cig.s.

I always take a cross stitch project and knitting mostly to do on long plane flights, but at least I’d have that to occupy me if I was sentenced to solitary confinement on a cruise ship. Someone upthread wondered about solo travelers, IME most solos are comfortable with solitude - maybe not 14 days worth - but still they have experience w/ it, I’m more concerned with those in packed cabins or cabins w/ children needing to be entertained. Not being able to excercize except for pacing in the very small space of the cabin would be hardest for me, I think.

 

I would say the exact opposite. I travel solo as my friends do not like cruising but I am a social butterfly and being detained in a cabin with nothing to do would drive me literally insane.

At least with others you can talk, play games a get to bond