Quick Work

[garigoun]

Booked a trip yesterday afternoon via a travel agent. This morning an email from Cunard thanking me for my booking and asking me to GO GREEN.

Obviously an automatic email but still, fairly quick off the mark.

Gari

[BigMac1953]

Gari

 

Sorry, is your's the automatic email or is it Cunard's?

 

Anyway congratulations for being quick off the mark.

[garigoun]

Gari

 

Sorry, is your's the automatic email or is it Cunard's?

 

Anyway congratulations for being quick off the mark.

 

 

Email came from Cunard. But judging from the address it was generated automatically when the booking was registered. First time I've had one of these.

Gari

[QE2 fan]

I've just had the same experience!!

[welshgirl001]

Booked a trip yesterday afternoon via a travel agent. This morning an email from Cunard thanking me for my booking and asking me to GO GREEN.

Obviously an automatic email but still, fairly quick off the mark.

Gari

 

 

I had this email too. Thank goodness after 1st accidental click it gives you a warning:eek:. I dont want to go green , i like my tours brochure in hard copy:D

 

Julie

[mollymoo12]

I also like my tours brochure in hard copy so how do I reverse my Go Green option which I clicked on by mistake whilst trying to get Cunard's very poor website to work properly?

[QE2 fan]

You can't reverse Go Green, as I have just found out. I rang them; they said they can't do anything about it. I clicked on it just to see what exactly it entailed.

[doublebzz]

Booked a trip yesterday afternoon via a travel agent. This morning an email from Cunard thanking me for my booking and asking me to GO GREEN.

Obviously an automatic email but still, fairly quick off the mark.

Gari

 

Now, if customer service would only be that responsive in replying to email inquiries. I've been waiting two days plus for a yes/no response to a routine request for early debarkation. Not holding my breath for any response, however.

[3rdGenCunarder]

Now, if customer service would only be that responsive in replying to email inquiries. I've been waiting two days plus for a yes/no response to a routine request for early debarkation. Not holding my breath for any response, however.

 

By early debarkation, do you mean early self-debark? That is arranged on the ship.

[doublebzz]

By early debarkation, do you mean early self-debark? That is arranged on the ship.

 

No, to debark at an interim port. My issue is really whether I can expect a reply.

[3rdGenCunarder]

No, to debark at an interim port. My issue is really whether I can expect a reply.

 

That can be complicated, depending on the port. I think you should call Cunard. Don't wait for an email.

[doublebzz]

That can be complicated, depending on the port. I think you should call Cunard. Don't wait for an email.

 

Wrong - because it may be complicated is exactly why it should be in writing.

[3rdGenCunarder]

Wrong - because it may be complicated is exactly why it should be in writing.

 

Eventually, having it in writing is necessary. But as Cunard isn't great about answering emails. I'd call and ask if there is somene specific you can contact. This is when a good TA can be a lot of help, but since you're contacting Cunard directly, I suppose you booked directly with them.

[Salacia]

No, to debark at an interim port. My issue is really whether I can expect a reply.

 

 

Are you asking to leave the ship at a certain port, and not return to the ship, or are you asking to leave the ship and catch up at later port stop?

 

From what I've read and experienced, Cunard takes very seriously their responsiblity to passengers, which I appreciate. Passengers also have responsiblity to the ship (i.e, the Captain, crew and fellow passengers). So if you wish to disembark the ship and not return by "all aboard time" please make your intentions known verbally, in writing and in person whilst on board as this is a serious matter and not one to rely soley on e-mail communications. Thank you.

[3rdGenCunarder]

Are you asking to leave the ship at a certain port, and not return to the ship, or are you asking to leave the ship and catch up at later port stop?

 

From what I've read and experienced, Cunard takes very seriously their responsiblity to passengers, which I appreciate. Passengers also have responsiblity to the ship (i.e, the Captain, crew and fellow passengers). So if you wish to disembark the ship and not return by "all aboard time" please make your intentions known verbally, in writing and in person whilst on board as this is a serious matter and not one to rely soley on e-mail communications. Thank you.

 

It's more than just personal responsibility. On a cruise stop, everyone is cleared by the port country's immigration as a group. Length of stay (for Immigration purposes) is set as the length of the time the ship is in port. At the end of a cruise, you clear immigration individually, same as you would getting off a plane at your destination. Length of stay depends on your travel plans. You also have to clear customs with your luggage.

 

All of this government red tape is not in place when it's just a port stop. In many countries, cruise lines are not allowed to disembark passengers at a port stop because of this. Rules and fees vary depending on the country. I suspect that the US is more restrictive than many other countries, but I'd be surprised if other countries have no rules regarding this. Doublebzz needs to be more proactive about getting in touch with Cunard and finding out if his wishes can be accommodated. I don't think simply telling the staff on board is enough.

[doublebzz]

Are you asking to leave the ship at a certain port, and not return to the ship, or are you asking to leave the ship and catch up at later port stop?

 

From what I've read and experienced, Cunard takes very seriously their responsiblity to passengers, which I appreciate. Passengers also have responsiblity to the ship (i.e, the Captain, crew and fellow passengers). So if you wish to disembark the ship and not return by "all aboard time" please make your intentions known verbally, in writing and in person whilst on board as this is a serious matter and not one to rely soley on e-mail communications. Thank you.

 

My issue here was the responsiveness of Cunard customer relations. Since it appears that some readers are interested in the substance of my email' I'll be more specific. I'm on the QV Oct 3 holy land cruise which stops in Haifa on 9 Oct and Ashdod the following day, both Israel port cities. I want to debark in Haifa on 9 Oct and rejoin the ship the following afternoon in Ashdod. Cunard offers a "night over" tour at $900 per person; a price I find excessive. I want to arrange an independent "night over." As this will still require substantial up front costs, I want to make sure I have prior authorization from Cunard in writing. Verbal approval means nothing if on board staff want to contest it and waiting until after I embark for a decision places my up front costs at risk. But, as I said, I'm not soliciting views on the substance of my request but on whether Cunard is responsive to emails from its customer base.

[3rdGenCunarder]

My issue here was the responsiveness of Cunard customer relations. Since it appears that some readers are interested in the substance of my email' I'll be more specific. I'm on the QV Oct 3 holy land cruise which stops in Haifa on 9 Oct and Ashdod the following day, both Israel port cities. I want to debark in Haifa on 9 Oct and rejoin the ship the following afternoon in Ashdod. Cunard offers a "night over" tour at $900 per person; a price I find excessive. I want to arrange an independent "night over." As this will still require substantial up front costs, I want to make sure I have prior authorization from Cunard in writing. Verbal approval means nothing if on board staff want to contest it and waiting until after I embark for a decision places my up front costs at risk. But, as I said, I'm not soliciting views on the substance of my request but on whether Cunard is responsive to emails from its customer base.

 

Sorry if you're offended. We weren't being nosy. Just trying to understand the issue because some people night have had some specific help to give. As for your question, my answer is "not very."

[doublebzz]

My issue here was the responsiveness of Cunard customer relations. Since it appears that some readers are interested in the substance of my email' I'll be more specific. I'm on the QV Oct 3 holy land cruise which stops in Haifa on 9 Oct and Ashdod the following day, both Israel port cities. I want to debark in Haifa on 9 Oct and rejoin the ship the following afternoon in Ashdod. Cunard offers a "night over" tour at $900 per person; a price I find excessive. I want to arrange an independent "night over." As this will still require substantial up front costs, I want to make sure I have prior authorization from Cunard in writing. Verbal approval means nothing if on board staff want to contest it and waiting until after I embark for a decision places my up front costs at risk. But, as I said, I'm not soliciting views on the substance of my request but on whether Cunard is responsive to emails from its customer base.

 

Here's an update on my post: After 3 weeks, I received an email response from Cunard authorizing the overnight in Israel. It appears the delay might be attributed to routing the email to exactly the right department in Cunard that handles requests of this sort. I notice the response came from the California office, not the UK home office.

 

PS - after further research, I discovered the Cunard tour was $699pp, not $900 as I previously indicated, which is actually quite competitive with private tours so I booked with Cunard. "All's well that ends well."

[Salacia]

Here's an update on my post: After 3 weeks, I received an email response from Cunard authorizing the overnight in Israel. It appears the delay might be attributed to routing the email to exactly the right department in Cunard that handles requests of this sort. I notice the response came from the California office, not the UK home office.

 

PS - after further research, I discovered the Cunard tour was $699pp, not $900 as I previously indicated, which is actually quite competitive with private tours so I booked with Cunard. "All's well that ends well."

 

Thanks for the update. Glad to hear everything worked out well for you. Just my personal opinion, but I think you made the right decision by booking the tour with Cunard. I usually book Cunard tours, but Cunard really secured my loyalty with the actions taken last March to ensure that the passengers who booked an overland tour in Japan were able to rejoin the ship safely, despite the chaos of horrific earthquake that struck Japan at that time.

 

Best wishes for a wonderful voyage,

Salacia

[Mysticalmother]

Not sure how I have managed to miss this thread before now - but I am now a little concerned. We are on Cunard's New England and Canada cruise (and on the preceding WB TA) and have arranged to dismbark "permanently" in Quebec as we are then staying with relatives until we fly (ugh!) home to the UK sometime later (arranged through Cunard). Despite numerous phone calls to both my TA and Cunard I do not actually have anything in writing to confirm that Cunard are aware that we are disembarking in Quebec, although I have received verbal confirmation from both. Should I be concerned....we depart the UK in less than 2 weeks...?:confused:

[capnpugwash]

Not sure how I have managed to miss this thread before now - but I am now a little concerned. We are on Cunard's New England and Canada cruise (and on the preceding WB TA) and have arranged to dismbark "permanently" in Quebec as we are then staying with relatives until we fly (ugh!) home to the UK sometime later (arranged through Cunard). Despite numerous phone calls to both my TA and Cunard I do not actually have anything in writing to confirm that Cunard are aware that we are disembarking in Quebec, although I have received verbal confirmation from both. Should I be concerned....we depart the UK in less than 2 weeks...?:confused:

 

As you are not re-embarking later I don't believe that you need be concerned at all. Tell them once you get on board what you intend to do and then do it. You might have to go through Canadian Immigration once you finally land but there should not be any problem from the ship's crew.

[doublebzz]

Not sure how I have managed to miss this thread before now - but I am now a little concerned. We are on Cunard's New England and Canada cruise (and on the preceding WB TA) and have arranged to dismbark "permanently" in Quebec as we are then staying with relatives until we fly (ugh!) home to the UK sometime later (arranged through Cunard). Despite numerous phone calls to both my TA and Cunard I do not actually have anything in writing to confirm that Cunard are aware that we are disembarking in Quebec, although I have received verbal confirmation from both. Should I be concerned....we depart the UK in less than 2 weeks...?:confused:

 

You case is different than mine in that you are permanently debarking prior to final destination and so the threat to denying reembarkation does not apply. I don't think you have anything to worry about. To be on the safe side, however, I would email Cunard and provide the gist and dates of phone calls you had with Cunard and your TA. Even if you don't get a reply prior to sailing, you will have a written record of what transpired previously.

[Griller]

I must say I was pleasantly surprised when applying for stockholder and retired military OBC from Cunard in US this week. I had a confirmation of a further $500 OBC in 2 days from emailing them the details.

I have been waiting a month for Princess in US to do the same thing and nothing yet, my cruise leaves in 3 days!

Last time with Princess they didn't do it until 16 days into the cruise,and then only after a few emails from on board.

So maybe Cunard are not always the worst????????

[doublebzz]

I must say I was pleasantly surprised when applying for stockholder and retired military OBC from Cunard in US this week. I had a confirmation of a further $500 OBC in 2 days from emailing them the details.

 

I thought there was a $100 OBC for military and another $100 for stockholder. How did you get $500?

[Griller]

I thought there was a $100 OBC for military and another $100 for stockholder. How did you get $500?

 

Its 14 days or more - and they combined it with a $200 cabin OBC and the future cruise reward.

 

The OBC comes to only $200 less than my total fare including taxes fees and fuel surcharge.

 

The base fare is $399 plus the extras. The OBC is quite generous when stacked.