cagefreewill

As I understand it, the cruise lines did not receive federal COVID relief funds because they’re technically not US based corporations. Carnival is incorporated in Panama in order to avoid paying US federal taxes thus making them ineligible for a “bail out”.

Yes, well BA is no Emirates or Cathay Pacific but they did take off when they said they would and for us to our destination so they’re already ahead of Cunard in that regard.

Well you know how the British are when it comes to tradition. The Concorde Room at LHR was maintained for First Class passengers traveling internationally.

Yeah well , the Concorde Room at LHR has several bottles of champagne on ice that are helping me forget at the moment. So there we are.

Cunard certainly does offer a memorable time. I doubt that I’ll ever forget this experience.

Looks like my refund was processed overnight as well. I suppose that I’ll have to make a deposit to secure the re-booking that I made for April 2025. I typically pay full balance when booking a cruise because of the additional protection that my credit card offers, but I think for this one I will wait until last possible minute. I had no idea that Carnival was in such financial trouble until pointed out by several of you and now I’m worried whether Cunard will even be around in two years. I guess we shall see. Plan for the worst and hope for the best. LOL!

Yes, they were allowing international passengers to board. I was invited, but declined because it was, according to the Cunard agent on the pier, only for one night and that we would have to leave the next day. We had already extended our stay at the hotel and since we were also told that there would be no assistance by Cunard on board to aid with outbound travel didn’t see the benefit. As it turns out Cunard was helping stranded passengers on board with flight and transfers and continued to do so until at least yesterday.

Oh, one finds a connection and develops an interest. Then one rolls with it. I’m sorry that you’ve struggled.

Yeah, so I actually extended my hotel booking before I even left my hotel in Southampton (The Moxy) before I even left for the pier to try and sort things out because it’s not my first time traveling, thanks. @Insights I’m very familiar with the works of Sir Winston Churchill as he died on my birthday and I’ve spent my life studying his works. And to be clear, I did plan for the unexpected (or rather the expected) by making my own travel plans to get home. I guess missed that when you studied my previous posts. I mean. People make mistakes.

😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

Watsonbeau, I could not agree more with you that even in the best of times and with attentive maintenance, things can and do go wrong. As a hobby, I collect vintage automobiles and I can tell you that maintenance is a continuous and expensive process. In fact, my oldest car is a 1956 Lincoln and when it breaks it often means having parts custom built from scratch. Talk about expensive! That said, my beef with this whole situation is not that the Queen Mary 2 broke down, but rather it is the manner that Cunard has handled things. Mind you, I’m not a bystander watching this unfold from my iPad in the comfort of my own living room. I am a passenger that was displaced only moments prior to my scheduled embarkation time. When unable to reach Cunard customer service on the telephone, I walked straight to the pier to talk to an agent. I was told directly by the company representative that I was welcome to stay on board for one night as a gesture of good will and that staff were not able to assist displaced passengers, but rather, their role was to attend to the comfort and convenience of those passengers on the ship. I was instructed to contact my TA or the cruise line directly. Because I booked directly with Cunard, I had to wait nearly 36 hours to speak to someone. Reminder, this is not speculation. This is fact. I was there. This happened to me. Even since that time, the very first communication from Cunard not instigated by me was today, a full four days after the voyage was cancelled in the form of a refund for all of the add-on bookings that I made for the voyage (drinks, specialty dining, spa packages, etc.). While I was busy making expensive travel plans in order to both salvage a holiday that my spouse and I have been looking forward to for nearly 2 years and to repatriate to the United States, Cunard was busy attending to passengers that were on board and otherwise went about business as if it were just another day. I can’t help but recognize a distinct double standard in the practice of business on the part of the cruise line and yes it stings just a little bit. Again, this is not speculation, but fact, as published by multiple passengers across several social media platforms. I realize that there are many people on this forum that are fervent supporters of Cunard, and I respect that. But, I also understand that there are many people who, much like I, use this website as a guide when attempting to make an expensive decision regarding holiday plans, and they are entitled to fair and balanced commentary so that they can make a decision that is right for them.

Oh, I see. Thank you for confirming.

Agreed. I’m beginning to think that everyone on here either works for Cunard or owns stock in the company.

Oh they absolutely would be happy to take your money. When I called customer service to attempt to rebook my voyage, the agent instructed me that I’d have to leave an $1,100 USD deposit—for a trip that I’d already paid for. When I was able to control my laughter, I insisted that Cunard make the booking with no deposit on the good faith that they’d issue a FCC in the immediate future. After speaking to a supervisor, she obliged and finalized the booking. Voyage M509 in April 2025. I’m not certain that I want to go at this point, but at least it gives me time to think. My anger has abated at this point since I now know how I’m getting home and when. That being said, the mis-treatment by Cunard and lack of basic courtesy has left an impression on me that will never go away.

Sounds like the sinking of the Titanic. The bands played until the very end.