Bedruthen

Sorry to say that Internet on recent QM2 cruise was difficult. Even getting logged on was troublesome, the it kept dropping. Much better when you could buy minutes, as it least then you only paid for what was used, under the new system you buy a package which works maybe 20% of the time. Didn’t even help that we were only cruising just off the coast of England, so goodness knows how it fares on a transatlantic 

The recent last minute QM2 cruise was 5 nights and we certainly received a complimentary bottle of something fizzy, put in the fridge. It was pretty awful so a slug of orange juice mixed with it helped to deaden the taste. Unfortunately there was also two complimentary glasses of said offering at dinner, one on Gala night and one to toast the king, neither of which were imbibed. Its a nice touch, but I do wish Cunard would listen to the feedback and work on finding a more palatable alternative.

I have to second the internet experience. We each had $80 credit towards the cost of internet, which was $90 for the entire cruise or $24 per day, basic access only. It was dire. We upgraded to the premium package for the last two days, but still struggled to get on line. If we had been paying, we would not have been happy! I also agree that the dining experience was disappointing when compared to our transatlantic last November. Poor quality cuts of meat, beef and lamb and a disorganised and slow dinner waiter, meant our food was often only lukewarm when served. For the first time ever we chose to eat in Kings Court for the last two days, where at least we could get hot food, instead of Britannia. We enjoyed the entertainment provided by The four D's and The Little Opera company, but thought the production shows had fallen victim to budget cuts. In the cabin, no shower caps ( were they previously provided?) and no writing paper, envelopes or postcards. We did however have a great cabin steward, Ting, who was very attentive. We didn’t attempt afternoon tea or the Coronation street party, as both events appeared to be a mad scramble. As someone else has suggested, 800 first time cruisers trying to experience everything made for a hectic schedule. Having said all that we did have the quickest embarkation and disembarkation ever. On board by 11.15 am and straight off to collect baggage at 8.00am. Overall not the best QM2 experience we have had, but considering the price it was fine.

We are just off QM2. No combining of credit allowed. There was a 5 day cruise package for $90 or a daily rate of $24 for 1 device. The internet was horrible. Difficult to join and frequently dropped off. We took the enhanced connection for the last two days but didn’t notice that it was any more reliable 

Sold out in 90 minutes I believe.

Daily Gratuities will be automatically added to your onboard account. There is no expectation for you to give any additional amount in cash. The same with drinks, there will be an automatic gratuity. 

Nobody scammed you. You tried to take advantage of a pricing error and couldn’t. That’s life. You either book it or move on, not worth getting stressed.

When you book a guarantee cabin it is exactly that. A guarantee that your accommodation will be at least at that grade. It doesn't guarantee you a specific location on the ship. I have never seen the option to select no upgrade on a guarantee and doubt it exists, as the whole point of the guarantee is so that Princess can move you at will. 

Just checked the 'my details' and there is no indication of WC status

I had exactly the same problem. It was to do with the settings on my iPad, but sorry, I can’t remember the solution. It needed a lot of googling.

Are these upgrade bid offers been sent to everyone? I was wondering if you have ticked no upgrade box at time of booking whether they would send you an upgrade offer to an unknown cabin. Which is kind of what you were trying to avoid in the first place by going select fare! 

1 hour ago, the penguins said:

In which case you have totally misunderstood the situation.

From the outset the Captain made it clear that the circumstances did not constitute a reason for compensation but the company would be making a gesture.

The offer has generally been accepted by the vast majority of the passengers - unlike on other cruises when passengers ( including ourselves) have been involved in a mass protest.

The Roll Call of the sailing itself provides a more balanced review.

The other examples quoted were without content - I.e.  were the circumstances weather related,  ship failure, etc all of which have a bearing on the amount offered.

We are now in the theatre for the final show of the cruise and I can assure you that the matter under discussion here is a complete "non issue".

 

If it’s genuinely a non issue for you, then it’s difficult to understand why you feel the need to defend anything. You are in the theatre yet still checking this thread…. Enjoy the show.
 

1 hour ago, the penguins said:

Interestingly texasjones nor yourself or any other passenger raised any of these issues at the Q and A session held by the Captain in the main theatre. Indeed the response at that event was 100% in support of the actions taken by the Captain. As I write this there are still no lines of passengers at Guest Relations demanding further action and nor have there been any on any of last few days when I have visited GR on other matters. 

 

Why would there be?  I haven’t seen a single post on this thread which criticises the decision and actions taken by the Captain and I have nothing to say on that. You are confusing the role of the Captain with the decision taken thereafter by the Princess management.  I speak on here as something of an outsider, I am not a passenger, I haven’t cruised with Princess for many many years, but I do have an upcoming cruise with them. I joined the Princess boards for reassurance that I have made a good decision to return and I am one of the many people that Princess will need to convert in to repeat customers, if they want to grow their future passenger base. Instead of reassurance, I am reading complaints, which are not necessarily about the onboard ship experience, but are about the way passengers feel that they are treated when things do not go according to plan. As was previously pointed out, other companies do it better and recognise the value of repeat business.  If you are happy with your treatment then that’s great, but not all people would feel the same.

2 hours ago, david63 said:

Never known P&O refund port fees in the 20+ years of cruising with them.

We first cruised on Oriana in 2001. They were having problems with the propulsion system and as a result we missed a port. We were given a refund, of £50 per person for the inconvenience. Port fees were not mentioned back then. Ah the good old days…

1 hour ago, david63 said:

I would take a different view. On the basis that Princess refund port charges when a port is missed is not reasonable that when another port is added that passengers should be charged the additional port charges? You can't have it both ways.

But of course, you can have it both ways! Princes did not have to give with one hand and take with another, they could have taken the pragmatic view that the passengers had already missed 2 out of 3 ports and that a bit of goodwill goes a long way. But no, the bean counters won the day

1 hour ago, the penguins said:

 

Has it?

we managed to spend our goodwill gesture payment without difficulty. It was made very clear when the shops and casino would be closed.

no one is trapped on the ship - Princess are providing a free all day shuttle service into the town.

Where is the evidence of the extra port tax?

Whatever price you paid we all suffered the same changes and received the same “gesture”. 
We have suffered no really bad weather and with exception of yesterday have used our balcony every day.

 

 

Yes

The reply from Texasjones has completely nailed everything which is wrong with the offer from Princess. As long as people believe that each soft lowering of the offering is acceptable, then Princess will continue to lower the boundaries as to what their customers will tolerate. The losers will ultimately be the people who defend them the strongest, as the rest of us will have already voted with our money and jumped. As for charging passengers for the additional dock charges for the night in Southampton, I am speechless. I only hope that it is an error. 

In most circumstances, if a port has to be missed the cruise line will try and adjust the ongoing itinerary, either with an additional port or perhaps an extended stay in the next scheduled port. That has been my experience. It appears that on this cruise, that wasn’t possible and passengers are ending their cruise in an embarkation/ disembarkation port, not a destination port. I can therefore understand the disappointment of the passengers on board. It is a little harsh to criticise the passengers for cruising at this time of year. You could equally argue that it is irresponsible of the cruise line to sell cruises where there is a high risk of port cancellation. Compensation of $100 does seem low, given the savings in port fees and the fact it is given in the form of OBC, on a cruise where passengers may have already paid for drinks packages etc. 

We do a transatlantic crossing each year with an extended road trip in between crossings. We have little spare capacity for any evening wear as we are in and out of hotels almost nightly. Trial and error and I can now happily dress up with one column style black dress, mid calf length and 3 silk overshirts/ jackets plus a pair of lightweight strappy sandals.

I have learnt that we can manage well by thinking in 7 day units and making use of laundry facilities. We can now pack for a 6 week holiday with two 23kg cases and a carry on case. I also use packing cubes and my evening wear is packed easily in to a separate cube. 

We looked at this recently. If you are transiting without stops then no vaccine is required. However if you stop, depending on the countries you then visit, you may be asked to provide evidence of vaccination. If I recall correctly, not all of Panama is deemed a yellow fever risk. Over 60's are advised against the vaccination (U.K.) as there is a risk of serious adverse reaction. On the other hand, do you want to risk yellow fever if you are not vaccinated. We decided against travel ultimately.

Am off to buy a dozen fridge magnets, 6 pairs of novelty socks and a handful of pens. That should cheer the crew up no end. 
 

4 hours ago, david63 said:

That is a concept that I am having a problem with. Having Googled it apparently it is bits of paper and chunks of metal that people back in the day used to exchange for goods - I doubt that it will ever catch on🤣🤣

 

Seriously I think this shows another divide between the US and many other countries. For all its perceived progression the US is backward in many respects - especially where money is concerned. Last time I was in the US (2019) there were virtually no places that used contactless payments yet in the UK almost everywhere accepts them and in New Zealand they have been virtually cash free way before the UK.

Yet when we stayed in a hotel in Georgia last year, they couldn’t take cash. and wouldn’t take our U.K. card. We actually had to go to a local store and buy a cash value gift card for the hotel, which they would accept. 

12 hours ago, devonuk said:

I’ll I put it out there as I have in the past… my stateroom attendant on the Sky Princess informed me that as she was now salaried that it made no difference whether we paid the Crew Appreciation or not 🤷‍♂️ This was from September 2022. 

That is also the case on some other lines now. It was explained to me in detail by a crew member. There is an amount that they are guaranteed to earn, which includes an amount that they are expected to receive for gratuity. If they don’t receive the gratuity anticipated, then the cruise company guarantees to make up the difference. However they are also not expected to hand in cash tips. So as a result, the crew much prefer you to pay their gratuities directly as cash rather than a pre paid gratuity on your stateroom charge.

On 3/4/2023 at 12:50 PM, frankp01 said:

I'll throw my preferred overnight into the mix. We stay in the financial district. If it's a weekend the rates can be quite good. Granted, there's not as much touristic activity. But you can walk past the Cunard building. And the Museum of the American Indian is in a customs house with beautiful murals of steamships and port activities. And there's the WTC. On departure day simply walk to the Wall Street ferry dock and approach the QM2 by water... The best way.

 

We arrived at Penn, got in the taxi queue and took a taxi to the financial district where stayed at the Hilton Garden Hotel overnight. It was an easy short walk to the Pier, maybe 10 minutes, then onto the ferry and you get off right outside the cruise terminal. We will do the same again on this years crossing. It really is that easy. No stress, just a lovely easy start to the day. 

Looking at this in the app, it costs £81. It doesn’t seem to say how many dollars that gives as OBC. Would it be correct to assume it is $100 for £81?