A Taste of Disappointment

[Salacia]

I found the solution to the problems mentioned here by many passengers - it is simply this - don't believe the glossy expensive Cunard brochures promising wonderful perfect cruising.

Also - book the cheapest cabin and when its on a bargain basement clearance price - so your Cunard cruise costs you less than it would on the poorest other cruise line you can imagine.

 

Then everything that is good comes as a nice surprise, and everything else is much as you would have expected.

 

Hence no disappointment.

 

Hi Griller. That does make sense. Except that we have limited time off work, and so we are amongst the saps that plan our vacations in advance, with rare exception. We save up and pay up with the expectation that we will get what we paid for.

At the very least, when I booked months ago, I could not have imagined my 10th QM2 voyage would be on a ship with Hamilton registry. Anyway, I'm sure you will find even more "bargain basement clearance prices" in the future on Cunard ships, and I wish you all the best.

 

Regards,

Salacia

[Whitemarsh]

Also - book the cheapest cabin and when its on a bargain basement clearance price - so your Cunard cruise costs you less than it would on the poorest other cruise line you can imagine.

 

Then everything that is good comes as a nice surprise, and everything else is much as you would have expected.

 

Surely this is satire. Otherwise you're suggesting that Cunard is the worst cruise line in the world? And the only way to avoid disappointment on a Cunard cruise is to only book if the price is lower than the lowest price available on the next worst cruise line imaginable? And that's the only way you'll enjoy a Cunard cruise?

 

Hi Griller. That does make sense.

 

Really? Okay then.

[Salacia]

..Cunard is the worst cruise line in the world

 

 

Really.

 

Really? - See what happens when you parse someones statement?

[resistk]

This is what puzzles me too. I was on the Cherbourg two nighter and it wasn't just 'the crowd' who were the problem. The service and food were very, very substandard. In fact, even allowing for the discounted price and my first upgrade in 20 years, the trip was not good value for money. Many of those I chatted to at dinner and in the bars were first-timers, mostly not there to 'party', but regular cruisers on other lines who wanted to try Cunard. All expressed bitter disappointment and were clear they would not come again. I just don't understand a marketing strategy that generates such bad word of mouth. Interestingly, it was the first Cunard sailing where I haven't received a feed-back form!

 

QM2 pulled the bad food and service routine on my Norwegian cruise in August and then miraculously improved on the TA leg of my journey. I later learned Cunard had discounted fares and had kids sail free for the German clientele out of Hamburg, they were literally making up the loss leader by serving cheap and bad food. I suspect the same thing happened to you. Apparently under Carnival Corp. accounting rules, they are under pressure to show a net profit for each voyage. Problem is they manage to alienate huge blocks of prospective customers. We had 50 Russian high rollers on board for Norway who were disgusted by the lousy food and service from what I gathered, they'll be spending their suitcases full of Rubles elsewhere next time. Micky Arison didn't get to be on the Forbes list of billionaires for nothing but this constant nickel and diming on Cunard is ridiculous and ruins the brand for all but the most diehard Anglophiles.

[Whitemarsh]

QM2 pulled the bad food and service routine on my Norwegian cruise in August and then miraculously improved on the TA leg of my journey. I later learned Cunard had discounted fares and had kids sail free for the German clientele out of Hamburg, they were literally making up the loss leader by serving cheap and bad food. I suspect the same thing happened to you. Apparently under Carnival Corp. accounting rules, they are under pressure to show a net profit for each voyage. Problem is they manage to alienate huge blocks of prospective customers. We had 50 Russian high rollers on board for Norway who were disgusted by the lousy food and service from what I gathered, they'll be spending their suitcases full of Rubles elsewhere next time. Micky Arison didn't get to be on the Forbes list of billionaires for nothing but this constant nickel and diming on Cunard is ridiculous and ruins the brand for all but the most diehard Anglophiles.

 

Wow, okay. I didn't know they had to show a profit for each voyage. You're 100% correct in that it's a false economy to cheapen the experience as all it does is put off prospective future customers.

 

Why do they bother with huge discounts and 'kids sail free' for a particular customer group (the Germans in your case) but keep the fares near their original level for everyone else? Surely if they reduced the fares overall then people from all over would book and they wouldn't need to resort to a last minute fire sale.

 

For instance, I would book now for 2013 if I wasn't 90% sure that I'll get a better discount if I wait until much closer to the date.

[Salacia]

PARTIAL QUOTE

... they were literally making up the loss leader by serving cheap and bad food..

 

Resistk, yes, that was also my experience on one particular voyage last year (for which we paid in full in advance, but was later heavily discounted to last minute passengers). Unless you have been on one of those unfortuante voyages, the experience is so alien to many Cunard passengers that they have trouble accepting how bad it can be. From my personal experience, there hasn't much consistancy in terms of food or service on Cunard ships in the past two years. -Just my personal experience. (I didn't book Cunard voyages for the food or service anyway.) -S.

[guernseyguy]

Apparently under Carnival Corp. accounting rules, they are under pressure to show a net profit for each voyage.

 

T'was ever thus - even under the 'Cunard' Cunard which disappeared in 1971....

[Whitemarsh]

T'was ever thus - even under the 'Cunard' Cunard which disappeared in 1971....

 

So how did they do it with the QE2 without resorting to:

• Fire-sales and 'kids sail free'.
  
• Reducing the quality in the food & service.
  

 

From what I understand no one (apparently) ever had a poor experience on the QE2 and the Cunard 'bean counters' never impacted on the food, service or maintenance.

[guernseyguy]

From what I understand no one (apparently) ever had a poor experience on the QE2 and the Cunard 'bean counters' never impacted on the food, service or maintenance.

A couple of points.

 

QE2 only sailed as 'Cunard' for two years - in 1971 Cunard was taken over by Trafalgar house.

 

The QE2 of 'myth' is often just that - myth - what in her latter years was the Mauretania Restaurant was earlier 'Tables of the World' - known as 'Stables of the World' to those who had to put up with it......

 

Things change, until recently any perceived diminution in quality was laid at Carnival's door (ignoring the fact that Carnival has invested more in Cunard than anyone in over half a century). Now it will probably (and equally nonsensically) be blamed on Cunard's reflag to Bermuda.....and so it will continue...:rolleyes:

[Whitemarsh]

A couple of points.

 

QE2 only sailed as 'Cunard' for two years - in 1971 Cunard was taken over by Trafalgar house.

 

The QE2 of 'myth' is often just that - myth - what in her latter years was the Mauretania Restaurant was earlier 'Tables of the World' - known as 'Stables of the World' to those who had to put up with it......

 

Things change, until recently any perceived diminution in quality was laid at Carnival's door (ignoring the fact that Carnival has invested more in Cunard than anyone in over half a century). Now it will probably (and equally nonsensically) be blamed on Cunard's reflag to Bermuda.....and so it will continue...:rolleyes:

 

From a personal perspective, do you think that standards have fallen since the early 70's (or whichever period was the Cunard heyday)?

 

Is a Cunard cruise all that different now to what it was say 10 or 20 years ago?

 

If the QE2 did in fact experience the occasional substandard food or service, why the halo that surrounds her now? Why does the QM2 get such a bad rap, from some, do you think? I think that the size of the QM2 has a lot to do with it. I wonder if some of those who cruised frequently on the QE2 are able to adapt to the vast size difference.

[guernseyguy]

From a personal perspective, do you think that standards have fallen since the early 70's (or whichever period was the Cunard heyday)?

 

Is a Cunard cruise all that different now to what it was say 10 or 20 years ago?

 

If the QE2 did in fact experience the occasional substandard food or service, why the halo that surrounds her now? Why does the QM2 get such a bad rap, from some, do you think? I think that the size of the QM2 has a lot to do with it. I wonder if some of those who cruised frequently on the QE2 are able to adapt to the vast size difference.

 

No, Cunard standards are almost certainly a lot BETTER than any time in the past. In Cunard's heyday no one sailed for the food (French much better) but to get across quickly and safely (French not as good).

 

A Cunard cruise - for the vast majority (i.e. not liner nuts) today is almost certainly A LOT better than 20 years ago. The cabins are a lot better for starters. And while QE2 was smaller than QM2 her layout (built for a 3 class ship) was highly confusing - and reports of her 'substandard service' were far more frequent than 'occasional'....its just the rose tinted specs of times past mean people forget the bad bits.

 

I sailed with several friends on both QE2 ("old, tired, scruffy" - where I saw 'heritage, patina, charm') and QM2 ("spectacular, comfortable, efficient" - where I saw 'brash, modern, soul-less') - hands down they preferred QM2....

 

The past isn't what it used to be....

[philayl]

I personally feel that a lot of looking back is done with the rose coloured glasses syndrome, my generation do it about the sixties, and when you really think about it they weren't as good at the time as they appear now. ;)

[Louise D]

I agree the QM2 is too big to be convenient for cruising. Also, all my comments about QE2 were from the point of view of a QG passenger. The staff on QE2 really looked after the QG passenger very well, and the experience on QM2 today is no comparison. I must admit that I once walked through Deck 5 on QE2 on the way to the tender and saw into some Mauretania cabins with open doors. If I had been assigned to those cabins I would have jumped overboard at the earliest opportunity. That is why I think that the experience in Brittania cabins on board QM2 would be better than Mauretania on QE2.

 

My complaints are really confined to lowering of QG standards. Therefore, I know I am talking from the point of view of a very small minority who always travelled QG on QG. I think that part of the secret was the long-standing staff in QG on QE2. I know that many left Cunard when QE2 was sold.

[Griller]

One of those open doors on Deck 5 might have been ours, over the years we tried every level of dining and class of cabin on QE2, and the time we had a late special - and very inexpensive- tiny inside the AC in the cabin failed, and repair went undone, so we spent 2 weeks with the cabin door open during any time we were in residence.

Wasn't good, but the rest of the ship was. That was the time we were on the Hotel manager's table, all free booze, possibly the downside was sharing the table with Mrs Muller, the "resident" on the QE2.

Happy Days!

[Louise D]

One of those open doors on Deck 5 might have been ours, over the years we tried every level of dining and class of cabin on QE2, and the time we had a late special - and very inexpensive- tiny inside the AC in the cabin failed, and repair went undone, so we spent 2 weeks with the cabin door open during any time we were in residence.

Wasn't good, but the rest of the ship was. That was the time we were on the Hotel manager's table, all free booze, possibly the downside was sharing the table with Mrs Muller, the "resident" on the QE2.

Happy Days!

 

I did wonder why people were in their Five Deck cabin with the door open. You are right that it might have been the airconditioning problems. It used to get hotter the lower down you went on the ship. I even used to notice a difference between Deck One and Deck Two. On one cruise I had a Q3 on Deck Two and the airconditioning did not work properly - even though the engineers tried to repair it several times. It is fun to reminisce on some of these things now.

[bobby1119]

I did wonder why people were in their Five Deck cabin with the door open. You are right that it might have been the airconditioning problems. It used to get hotter the lower down you went on the ship. I even used to notice a difference between Deck One and Deck Two. On one cruise I had a Q3 on Deck Two and the airconditioning did not work properly - even though the engineers tried to repair it several times. It is fun to reminisce on some of these things now.

 

Louise, I kid you not on this, but on the 2007 world cruise, a very eccentric passenger, armed with a pillow from her cabin, arrived at the Caronia Restaurant and made quite a little scene (there were only a few tables lingering in the DR that night after dinner). In spite of the efforts of engineers, her cabin remained very hot, and she threatened to sleep in the Caronia which was always icy-cold. LOL. One of many zany moments that made QE2 world cruises so unique.

 

I had a great oversized Caronia single (3040) which was always well air conditioned. However, friends who joined me for part of the world cruise had a Q3 on One Deck which was always hot and stuffy. Table fans were brought in to help out.

 

Stay well and thanks again for all the advice and reassurance you offered me in 2006 (on these boards) when I was preparing for the big adventure.

 

Bobby

[Louise D]

Louise, I kid you not on this, but on the 2007 world cruise, a very eccentric passenger, armed with a pillow from her cabin, arrived at the Caronia Restaurant and made quite a little scene (there were only a few tables lingering in the DR that night after dinner). In spite of the efforts of engineers, her cabin remained very hot, and she threatened to sleep in the Caronia which was always icy-cold. LOL. One of many zany moments that made QE2 world cruises so unique.

 

I had a great oversized Caronia single (3040) which was always well air conditioned. However, friends who joined me for part of the world cruise had a Q3 on One Deck which was always hot and stuffy. Table fans were brought in to help out.

 

Stay well and thanks again for all the advice and reassurance you offered me in 2006 (on these boards) when I was preparing for the big adventure.

 

Bobby

 

Bobby - I have some sympathy with the lady who wielded the pillow as sometimes the airconditioning was very weak in the tropical latitudes. I especially remember it could not keep up with the heat in Tahiti. Speaking of eccentric characters, I wonder where they have all gone since QE2 was retired? We all have our own lists, but I recall some who turned up year after year in QG including:-

 

(a) Rosenbergs (#1 guests - everyone remembers them, but could not abide the new smoking policy on QM2)

(b) the Japanese lady whose father had chartered the QE2 in the early 90s.

© the Southampton business woman who was so enamoured of the doctors on board that she visited them several times each week for check-ups and treatment over the 4 months of the cruise, hoping to avoid the NHS.

(d) the group of (mainly elderly ladies) who seemed to run their own elderly citizens club on board, visiting each other in cabins throughout the day and grabbing the best seats in the Grand Lounge each night.

(e) the Benny Hill look-alikes (several) with their young dolly birds always dressed to the nines.

(f) the French count and countess with their grand-son and his nanny. The grandson and nanny had one of the Boat Deck Q3s and his stuffed toys looked at you from their window as you walked by.

(g) the divorcee who was so disorganised that her steward had to keep details of all her shore excursions and other bookings and place the relevant paperwork by her bedside each night so she could know the next morning what she was supposed to be doing. (I hope he got a big tip!)

 

They are just a sample - but all rather fascinating people. I went off to Silverseas for a few years during the late 2000s and never encountered such characters on Silverseas. We know they are not on QM2. So where are they? You can imagine after my break with Cunard for a few years I expected that the world cruise of QM2 in 2011 would have had some of the same colour, but it was not to be.

 

I should add that some of these people were indeed rather demanding passengers - but they were paying Cunard's bills. It used to be quite hard to book a QG cabin on the World Cruise in a good position and the Rosenbergs always had several of the best cabins - but I noticed the other day when I was looking that there is plenty of availability on line in QG and the prices are going down lower than would be usual. It does seem to me that Cunard is being deserted by the repeat customers they could rely upon in the QG each year.

[cruiseluvva]

 

From what I understand no one (apparently) ever had a poor experience on the QE2 and the Cunard 'bean counters' never impacted on the food, service or maintenance.

 

Oh we did. We took 4 friends, Cunard virgins, indeed cruising virgins, with us on a QE2 2 nighter and it was unbelievably bad.

 

The food itself was bad enough, but the service beggered belief. Breakfast took over two hours because it took well over an hour to arrive! The wine waitress was so blatantly rude we had to report her, but were fobbed off with platitudes.

 

We persevered with Cunard and have had some wonderful experiences on the QM2, including the Taste of France, which was superb in every way for us. But our friends said it put them off and they would never cruise again - and they haven't!

[Louise D]

Oh we did. We took 4 friends, Cunard virgins, indeed cruising virgins, with us on a QE2 2 nighter and it was unbelievably bad.

 

 

The 2 night voyages were almost always bad. There must be plenty of comments in buried here in the historical Cruise Critic files about the notoriously terrible experiences people had on the 2 night voyages. Many passengers went along with the intention of spending most of the 2 days and nights drunk.

[Whitemarsh]

Bobby - I have some sympathy with the lady who wielded the pillow as sometimes the airconditioning was very weak in the tropical latitudes. I especially remember it could not keep up with the heat in Tahiti. Speaking of eccentric characters, I wonder where they have all gone since QE2 was retired? We all have our own lists, but I recall some who turned up year after year in QG including:-

 

(a) Rosenbergs (#1 guests - everyone remembers them, but could not abide the new smoking policy on QM2)

(b) the Japanese lady whose father had chartered the QE2 in the early 90s.

© the Southampton business woman who was so enamoured of the doctors on board that she visited them several times each week for check-ups and treatment over the 4 months of the cruise, hoping to avoid the NHS.

(d) the group of (mainly elderly ladies) who seemed to run their own elderly citizens club on board, visiting each other in cabins throughout the day and grabbing the best seats in the Grand Lounge each night.

(e) the Benny Hill look-alikes (several) with their young dolly birds always dressed to the nines.

(f) the French count and countess with their grand-son and his nanny. The grandson and nanny had one of the Boat Deck Q3s and his stuffed toys looked at you from their window as you walked by.

(g) the divorcee who was so disorganised that her steward had to keep details of all her shore excursions and other bookings and place the relevant paperwork by her bedside each night so she could know the next morning what she was supposed to be doing. (I hope he got a big tip!)

 

They are just a sample - but all rather fascinating people. I went off to Silverseas for a few years during the late 2000s and never encountered such characters on Silverseas. We know they are not on QM2. So where are they? You can imagine after my break with Cunard for a few years I expected that the world cruise of QM2 in 2011 would have had some of the same colour, but it was not to be.

 

I should add that some of these people were indeed rather demanding passengers - but they were paying Cunard's bills. It used to be quite hard to book a QG cabin on the World Cruise in a good position and the Rosenbergs always had several of the best cabins - but I noticed the other day when I was looking that there is plenty of availability on line in QG and the prices are going down lower than would be usual. It does seem to me that Cunard is being deserted by the repeat customers they could rely upon in the QG each year.

 

Your list of ecentric characters sounds very much like the roll-call for an Agatha Christie novel. My only question is who was the murderer? Was it the Japanese lady or the Countess?

 

You've summed up one of the reasons I chose Cunard, as opposed to Seabourn et al, it's for the history and the people (that I presumed) would be attracted to Cunard.

 

On a long voyage you would more opportunity to get to know people, and their eccentricities. There may well still be similar characters on Cunard ships right now, but the shorter voyages don't give them time to 'shine' as it were.

 

I can report that the transatlantic I went on did contain a few characters. There was couple in Queens Grill that dressed like Russian émigré bohos. Somehow they managed to make this work on formal nights. Then there were the 'Crazy Grill guests' as I called them; a trio of two women and a man who were very outgoing. They referred to him as their uncle, even though one of the women was asian, the other hispanic and the 'uncle' caucasian? Usually I would hear them before I would see them.

[Louise D]

Your list of ecentric characters sounds very much like the roll-call for an Agatha Christie novel. My only question is who was the murderer? Was it the Japanese lady or the Countess?

 

 

There was an atmosphere like "Death on the Nile" at times - but without the "death". (There were some deaths, but they were all said to be natural).

 

Don't get me started on some of the crew who also qualified as extremely colourful with some of their antics. I used to have such fun with one waiter doing unusual things with my food orders that I was not expecting. Of course he usually only did it for me because the other passengers would not like this kind of cheeky behaviour and deliberate mistake. But I thought it was fun. He could do this kind of thing because most of the dishes were not pre-plated, so he could practice his evil substitutions. (He did not ruin the food but sometimes added extra things or, if I wanted strawberries he would bring one strawberry on a plate with some kind of work of art the chef concocted for him. Then he would have the real dish hidden somewhere to bring later).

[Whitemarsh]

Louise, thanks for the Camilla tip on the other thread. I went out to get dinner and when I returned the thread had gone. :eek:

 

I suspect on longer voyages the crew start to feel comfortable enough with their passengers that they will engage in humour etc. Obviously, as you mentioned, they need to be pretty smart with who will appreciate it and who won't, but I think it's a nice development. Being in the Grills, the waitstaff at your table will the people you spend quite a bit of time with.

 

I had lovely waitstaff on my TA and I hope to get the same service when I return.

[QM2 fan]

I've had an acknowledgement of my complaint from Cunard..they assure me it is receiving their best attention. I will post on here when I get an actual reply.

[bobby1119]

Bobby - I have some sympathy with the lady who wielded the pillow as sometimes the airconditioning was very weak in the tropical latitudes. I especially remember it could not keep up with the heat in Tahiti. Speaking of eccentric characters, I wonder where they have all gone since QE2 was retired? We all have our own lists, but I recall some who turned up year after year in QG including:-

 

(a) Rosenbergs (#1 guests - everyone remembers them, but could not abide the new smoking policy on QM2)

(b) the Japanese lady whose father had chartered the QE2 in the early 90s.

© the Southampton business woman who was so enamoured of the doctors on board that she visited them several times each week for check-ups and treatment over the 4 months of the cruise, hoping to avoid the NHS.

(d) the group of (mainly elderly ladies) who seemed to run their own elderly citizens club on board, visiting each other in cabins throughout the day and grabbing the best seats in the Grand Lounge each night.

(e) the Benny Hill look-alikes (several) with their young dolly birds always dressed to the nines.

(f) the French count and countess with their grand-son and his nanny. The grandson and nanny had one of the Boat Deck Q3s and his stuffed toys looked at you from their window as you walked by.

(g) the divorcee who was so disorganised that her steward had to keep details of all her shore excursions and other bookings and place the relevant paperwork by her bedside each night so she could know the next morning what she was supposed to be doing. (I hope he got a big tip!)

 

They are just a sample - but all rather fascinating people. I went off to Silverseas for a few years during the late 2000s and never encountered such characters on Silverseas. We know they are not on QM2. So where are they? You can imagine after my break with Cunard for a few years I expected that the world cruise of QM2 in 2011 would have had some of the same colour, but it was not to be.

 

I should add that some of these people were indeed rather demanding passengers - but they were paying Cunard's bills. It used to be quite hard to book a QG cabin on the World Cruise in a good position and the Rosenbergs always had several of the best cabins - but I noticed the other day when I was looking that there is plenty of availability on line in QG and the prices are going down lower than would be usual. It does seem to me that Cunard is being deserted by the repeat customers they could rely upon in the QG each year.

 

LOL, Louise. Yes, what a menagerie there was... both on the Rosenberg's table in the QG and among the passenger ranks!

 

I became friendly with one of the gentleman hosts who was very youthful and easily the best dancer. He was monopolized on the Queens Room dance floor every evening by one of the world cruise regulars and pursued (read: stalked) by her relentlessly throughout the ship during daytime hours. While reading by the pool on a sea day, I witnessed her emerge from the port side doorway to the One Deck pool area where he was sun bathing. When he saw her coming, he jumped up and ran into the ship through the portside doors. She attempted to cut him off in the Pavilion Cafe. It was like watching a French farce! It all came to a head one evening when she slapped him in the face for ignoring her and selecting other dance partners in succession. Good times!

 

I don't think any ship will ever have such a cast of characters as QE2 did on world cruises. I, too, wonder where they might have gone... I suspect Queen Elizabeth and, prior, to Queen Victoria.

[QM2 fan]

Had an expensive (3 pages) reply from Cunard today,with regard to my letter of complaint.

Having worked 20+ years in Customer services,I have to say it was an excellent response. They addressed each of the points I had made individually, and showed that they had actually read the letter, rather than just printing off a stock response. They came up with a few specific reasons for my complaints re the MDR, showing that some investigation had been done,so hats off to them .... they didn't reply to my question as to whether they read Cruise Critic though!

They also credited me with £180 off a future cruise....although as my husband flatly refuses to travel in Britannia again,that won't go far!