Live from qv adrift in north sea!

[Ray66]

Turned up right on time at 1.00pm but didn't get on board until after 3 o'clock. We didn't get our photos taken at the check-in desk, but instead had it taken by looking down at a camera on the ship. You can imagine what everyone's picture looked like! :)

I also meant to say we even had to queue all the way along the gangway and were herded on like cattle. We never got the "welcome onboard" like we've had on the QM2.

[capnpugwash]

I think that is the result of it being a 4 day cruise, I am not justifying the problems just suggesting a cause.

[Oslo Dutch]

This skipping ports seem to happen a lot on these short cruises. Same happened to me when we were with the QE2 in Guernsey. I really didn't mind that much. But as most of us sat on a windless deck in the sun all day I was really wondering if Carnival Corp doesn't do this on purpose at times in order to increase on board revenue.

[balf]

This skipping ports seem to happen a lot on these short cruises. Same happened to me when we were with the QE2 in Guernsey. I really didn't mind that much. But as most of us sat on a windless deck in the sun all day I was really wondering if Carnival Corp doesn't do this on purpose at times in order to increase on board revenue.

 

Interesting point. I wonder what the trade off is between port charges, extra fuel used for day at sea, extra revenue received aboard and loss of excursion fees?

 

I have been aboard ships that have docked in really difficult conditions when several attempts have been made before tying up.

 

David.

[Saligo]

We should have called into Zeebrugge an hour ago on our Gallic Getaway.

 

Unfortunately the captain aborted the attempt "due to bad weather".

 

 

No-port McNaught strikes again!

[Ray66]

No-port McNaught strikes again!

I hope it's not "no port". :)

More like "miss a port McNaught".

[Ray66]

I think that is the result of it being a 4 day cruise, I am not justifying the problems just suggesting a cause.

 

Last year we did a 4 day cruise on the QM2 and went straight through with no waiting in the QE2 terminal and got welcomed aboard.

[Seachase20]

I've been simmering away about some of the replies/remarks here for a couple of days now, but feel I must add my two cents in. Please remember that "bad weather" covers a multitude of things. It may look like a beautiful sunny day out there, but you won't necessarily know what the winds and more importantly the wind gusts are like, particularly within the harbor. You have to take into account the size of the ship and the space in which she has to maneuver, and what other obstacles may appear in her path - other ships, for instance. And you have to take into account that while it may be possible to get IN to the port, the weather could deteriorate at a moment's notice and then you might get stuck there, missing the next port, or missing the disembarkation times if that is the next day, for instance. NO Captain will ever keep his job if he is "lazy" in any way. And no Cunard captain would ever skip a port because he can't be bothered to go in. He is there to guard the safety of his passengers and crew, and then of the ship. And to try, unless he considers it unsafe, to get the ship where she's meant to be each day according to the voyage itinerary. Full stop. Onboard revenue has nothing to do with it either. Consider the potential loss of good will among those passengers who blame the company or the captain and who finally go grumbling down the gangway saying they'll never sail a Cunard ship again! And finally, perhaps it would be kind to give a thought to those men and women who do their best, working long hard hours every single day for months on end in order to provide each passenger with a memorable cruise - memorable in a positive sense! - and who perhaps themselves would love to be able to get ashore for even half an hour!!! They too are disappointed when a port is missed.

[luv2krooze1791]

This skipping ports seem to happen a lot on these short cruises. Same happened to me when we were with the QE2 in Guernsey. I really didn't mind that much. But as most of us sat on a windless deck in the sun all day I was really wondering if Carnival Corp doesn't do this on purpose at times in order to increase on board revenue.

 

I too have missed Guernsey in this way, sitting on a stable QE2 basking in the sun. So much so that we spent the afternoon on the balcony.

 

It was only when the pilot boat came that we realised how rough it actually was - it was being thrown everywhere. The tenders would have had the same problem.

 

At that point we realised that the loss of Guernsey (we anchored all day) was the right decision.

[luv2krooze1791]

I've been simmering away about some of the replies/remarks here for a couple of days now, but feel I must add my two cents in. Please remember that "bad weather" covers a multitude of things. It may look like a beautiful sunny day out there, but you won't necessarily know what the winds and more importantly the wind gusts are like, particularly within the harbor. You have to take into account the size of the ship and the space in which she has to maneuver, and what other obstacles may appear in her path - other ships, for instance. And you have to take into account that while it may be possible to get IN to the port, the weather could deteriorate at a moment's notice and then you might get stuck there, missing the next port, or missing the disembarkation times if that is the next day, for instance. NO Captain will ever keep his job if he is "lazy" in any way. And no Cunard captain would ever skip a port because he can't be bothered to go in. He is there to guard the safety of his passengers and crew, and then of the ship. And to try, unless he considers it unsafe, to get the ship where she's meant to be each day according to the voyage itinerary. Full stop. Onboard revenue has nothing to do with it either. Consider the potential loss of good will among those passengers who blame the company or the captain and who finally go grumbling down the gangway saying they'll never sail a Cunard ship again! And finally, perhaps it would be kind to give a thought to those men and women who do their best, working long hard hours every single day for months on end in order to provide each passenger with a memorable cruise - memorable in a positive sense! - and who perhaps themselves would love to be able to get ashore for even half an hour!!! They too are disappointed when a port is missed.

 

Hear Hear.

[Cosmic Rays]

Don't you mean "Here, here"!!

[Norfolk Brit]

Don't you mean "Here, here"!!

 

No, I think he means 'hear hear'!

 

Mary

[luv2krooze1791]

Don't you mean "Here, here"!!

 

Since you ask, no.

 

http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/1489/why-do-people-say-hear-hear

[Leucothea]

Well, Bill W co-founded Alcoholics Anonymous. "Friends of Bill W" is a discreet way of announcing an AA meeting, basically!

 

And Dorothy is, of course, the spangly shoe clad girl in The Wizard of Oz, played by Judy Garland who became a gay icon...

 

Thus, a meeting of the friends of Dorothy should be pretty clear to you now!

 

 

Pip-Pip!

 

 

And all this time I thought "Friends of Dorothy" was Al-Anon, for some reason. It would have been a bit silly if I'd gone to one of their meetings and began talking about an ex-husband's vodka addiction. I've learned something new.

[Host Sharon]

I think that is the result of it being a 4 day cruise, I am not justifying the problems just suggesting a cause.

 

 

More probably the issue with the sky walk. I got a lovely welcome on board on this voyage - but I was a bit earlier arriving than Ray66. They also seemed to be using only one camera to register the cards as you walked on board, reserving the other one for priorty embarkation guests, as when they saw my card, I got pulled over to use it. Up till then it was standing empty. This was adding to the queues I would think.

[Saligo]

I've been simmering away about some of the replies/remarks here for a couple of days now, but feel I must add my two cents in. Please remember that "bad weather" covers a multitude of things. It may look like a beautiful sunny day out there, but you won't necessarily know what the winds and more importantly the wind gusts are like, particularly within the harbor. You have to take into account the size of the ship and the space in which she has to maneuver, and what other obstacles may appear in her path - other ships, for instance. And you have to take into account that while it may be possible to get IN to the port, the weather could deteriorate at a moment's notice and then you might get stuck there, missing the next port, or missing the disembarkation times if that is the next day, for instance. NO Captain will ever keep his job if he is "lazy" in any way. And no Cunard captain would ever skip a port because he can't be bothered to go in. He is there to guard the safety of his passengers and crew, and then of the ship. And to try, unless he considers it unsafe, to get the ship where she's meant to be each day according to the voyage itinerary. Full stop. Onboard revenue has nothing to do with it either. Consider the potential loss of good will among those passengers who blame the company or the captain and who finally go grumbling down the gangway saying they'll never sail a Cunard ship again! And finally, perhaps it would be kind to give a thought to those men and women who do their best, working long hard hours every single day for months on end in order to provide each passenger with a memorable cruise - memorable in a positive sense! - and who perhaps themselves would love to be able to get ashore for even half an hour!!! They too are disappointed when a port is missed.

 

Seachase20 makes some very good points, and if I was not still feeling extremely disappointed to have missed two ports out of only nine scheduled for a 24-night cruise I might have been more hesitant about criticising Captain McNaught, a very likeable person who I believe to be very well respected by his crews. In the case of our cruise, when the Captain has not taken the ship anywhere near the vicinity of the ports in question to make an on-the-spot assessment of conditions, and when we subsequently learn that Caribbean Princess tendered her passengers ashore at one of those two ports on the day we were scheduled to be there, apparently without difficulty, then I hope it is understandable that we feel somewhat aggrieved.

[MARIANH]

Seachase20 makes some very good points, and if I was not still feeling extremely disappointed to have missed two ports out of only nine scheduled for a 24-night cruise I might have been more hesitant about criticising Captain McNaught, a very likeable person who I believe to be very well respected by his crews. In the case of our cruise, when the Captain has not taken the ship anywhere near the vicinity of the ports in question to make an on-the-spot assessment of conditions, and when we subsequently learn that Caribbean Princess tendered her passengers ashore at one of those two ports on the day we were scheduled to be there, apparently without difficulty, then I hope it is understandable that we feel somewhat aggrieved.

 

Interesting. Would it be indelicate to ask if Cunard compensated you for the disappointment - given the saving in port fees etc?

 

My experience is that Cunard is reluctant to discuss, never mind respond positively to any such issue. In fact they seem to go into denial whenever there is a suggestion that customers have had a less than satisfactory experience on their ships.

[Cosmic Rays]

Since you ask, no.

 

http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/1489/why-do-people-say-hear-hear

 

I stand corrected!! Sorry..................

[Host Sharon]

My experience is that Cunard is reluctant to discuss, never mind respond positively to any such issue. In fact they seem to go into denial whenever there is a suggestion that customers have had a less than satisfactory experience on their ships.

 

I must say Cunard responded very positively to my comments about the noise outside my stateroom that I experienced on three nights of this four night voyage and not just with a very speedy reply.

[Cosmic Rays]

I must say Cunard responded very positively to my comments about the noise outside my stateroom that I experienced on three nights of this four night voyage and not just with a very speedy reply.

 

Dare we ask how?

[pris993]

Don't they refund them? Princess always does when you miss a port - they're refunded back to your room folio.

 

I've never missed a port on Cunard, but then I've only ever done transatlantics with Captain McNaught. My cruising has been with other masters.

 

We missed Monte Carlo on the Ruby Princess TA last Spring. Many passengers were very unhappy because they did not think the weather or seas were rough enough to skip the port. We would have had to tender and we have been in this port when the seas changed and it can get very tuff getting folks back in rough seas. The Captain became aware of passenger unrest and came over the intercom at the noon report and explained his decision. Some folks still were unhappy but at least they knew better why the port was missed.

 

Princess did rebate to our credit cards the port charges a few months later.