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QM2 Luggage overboard during boarding


bluemeadow
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Just back from our first timer QM2 transatlantic crossing 27July and subsequent week in New York. Had a fantastic time including the renewal of our wedding vows (20 years). The only ‘incident’ marring the two weeks was the tear jerking moment our cabin steward informed us to check two of our three bags for wet items to be dried as there had been a crane incident during loading. After the initial laughter and relief it wasnt one of the bottles of wine that had broken, the reality hit that the two of our three soft bags had gone for a proper dunking in sea water having fallen onto the safety nets during loading. There was not a single item in one of the bags that was dry. The second bag only the bottom layer was wet which was fortunate as this had my 3 silk dresses in including the wedding style dress, all in the top layer. The cabin steward was met with me distraught and we were left for an hour on our own to sort the wet clothing. We missed the Southampton sail away following the 2 hour slow boarding process. And spent the next couple of hours trying to get hold of a customer service manager to discuss what to do. Had we boarded earlier I would have left the vessel at this point but it wasnt an option. We got our meeting with the CSM after a visit to the pursers office by me in tears and a call taken in the room by my husband from the Event manager, who was truly concerned. At this point the only dry clothes and shoes my husband had were those he was stood in, three suits he had carried on and his shirts that had been in the top layer with my dresses. My renewal ceremony shoes also drenched along with a few other items. In the haste to resolve, the 50 plus items were laundered and returned the next day, shoes a day or two later. Unfortunately the haste to resolve caused shrinkage or loosening of elastic due to tumble drying of all items. We had to itemise those that were damaged, damaged beyond re-use etc. I was gutted that with less haste this could have been avoided. Luckily for us we had labels still attached to most of the items as I had done a lot of pre cruise shopping for my husband. We were given an internet allowance in an attempt to try to sort replacement items for our teenage children to bring out when they met us in New York. This proved impossible to arrange due to the slowness of the internet connection and the change in stock for the autumn season (confirmed by a phone call I eventually made to the department store having given up on the internet) so my husband not gets to wear the shrunk/baggy clothes or wait till next season :-(

I don’t know if there is any precedence for this situation out there and I know another couple were impacted in the same way on our trip but I don’t have any details. Cunard are covering the cost of the itemised damaged items to be replaced including all the shoes and luckily only one electrical item (hairdryer) which does actually still work now we are home but I suppose it will likely suffer saltwater corrosion at some point. We also agreed a partial refund based on time lost at the beginning of the cruise. At some point during the conversation they misunderstood and thought we wanted a full refund. I put them right as we still had an enjoyable cruise after the initial drama. The ceremony was lovely. The learning that I hope they take up is the way we were informed of the incident and the way the cabin steward was left to just stand there and see me distraught with a bed full of wet belongings. We both really feel the wet luggage should not have ever made it to the room. We should have been taken to it elsewhere to sort through with a CSM present. The laundering process should have been much better. In hindsight I would have preferred to launder the items myself in the self use laundry and request line drying somewhere for the items that needed it. I personally would not now ever use the laundry service on a ship going forward. Any one else ever had a similar situation? We are on NCL Bliss doing Alaska in a couple of weeks and I’m already concerned about our luggage, which incidentally we carried off ourselves in New York! Can’t wait to recount this story to our friends who I am sure will not believe us for a second. I’m glad we can laugh about it now but I really pity anyone this happens to going forward. Really not nice.

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I am so sorry to hear about this. Your points are very valid. Cunard could have done better in its customer service. They got it wrong in the beginning and then tried too hard to fix it, causing more issues.

 

I'm glad you still enjoyed your cruise and I hope you cruise Cunard again.

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I'm sorry that this happened, but accidents happen, and luckily, only stuff and not you are damaged. You need to be clear headed in how you want to deal with Cunard about this. Moaning about how the cabin staff/CSM/event manager, etc dealt with you may make you feel better, but does nothing to compensate you for the losses and damages.

 

You don't say whether you have any travel insurance; if so, what damages can be covered by the insurance? Over and above the insurance coverage, you should clearly spell out what you think Cunard should do to alleviate your sense of loss, and lay these items and amounts on Cunard, and begin the negotiating process.

 

If this had happened to me, I guess what I would do is demand 100% replacement of items damaged; if my travel insurance covered let's say 60%, then Cunard should cover the 40%. If out of a 7 day crossing, I had spent the first two days sorting all this out or being inconsolable about this event, I would ask Cunard to refund 2/7 of the cruise portion of the fare. How to deal with the OBC and port fees/taxed etc are minor items to be discussed. The refund could be in the form of a credit for future cruise, which might make it easier for Cunard to accept your demands.

Edited by tangoll
Added last paragraph.
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I always wondered how long it would take until a few bags were accidentally dropped into the (not so deep) blue sea.

Now I know, thanks.

 

Treating water damage is a difficult process and most often not worth the hassle for industrially produced items which can be replaced. In archives and museums they tend to freeze the wet items if air drying is not an option.

https://www.archives.gov/preservation/holdings-maintenance/wet-records

I don't think that the QM2 has any facilites for either laying out wet items or freezing them.

 

Who was the MC for your ceremony?

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I am so sorry to hear of this awful mess, and your stress.

 

It does bring to mind, the "Apple" event that we watched, from the deck, at some long forgotten foreign port.... as supplies were being loaded. Many boxes of foods were dropped on the pier and several boxes of green apples split open and an incredible amt. of apples rolled everywhere.

Those doing the loading didn't miss a beat...… They Just Kept On Working and the apples rolled wherever gravity took them. We never did see the clean-up ~~~~ I recall it made us hungry for apple pie so we headed to the Kings Court....hoping to find 'apple-something'.

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It doesn’t surprise me that these things happen. I was shocked by the state of our cases after our 1st cruise. Wheels were missing, straps were snapped, the side of 1 was buckled, to name but a few things that had occurred to them between being collected outside the cabin & collecting them at Southampton. After speaking to seasoned cruisers it seems it was the norm! I am now looking for a case that looks like it was in the Mad Max films & after reading this I want it made out of wet suit material aswell!

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Bluemeadow: I am so sorry to read about this. As Hattie wrote, what a terrible way to start a holiday.

 

About 8 years ago in Southampton, we ran into a couple of women we had met on board. We were headed to an excursion as we were continuing with the next segment of the QM2 cruise. These weeping women had disembarked at Southampton, but their luggage had been dumped in the water. At that point it was not clear if the bags could be recovered. They were headed to London for a week or 2 and did not know what they would do about all of their clothes and things. Definitely scary and and not a good way to start a London holiday.

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