3rdGenCunarder

My insurance DID cover because we cancelled, not Cunard, so we got nothing back from Cunard. My point was that, although the overall trip was interrupted, neither cruise was interrupted, so we were reimbursed for "cancellation" of the cruises, which paid 100%, not "interruption," which would have paid more.

I agree. She can't get to NY and back in time for the next scheduled departure out of Soton. I think that's Norway? Too much of a domino effect, and too may schedule details to change.

The "trip" commences on the date you specified in your insurance. DH became ill in England before our first of two cruises. We had a few days in England, then a HAL cruise, then a day or two in England, and then QM2 home. Because the individual elements of the trip weren't interrupted, our insurance paid for the cancelled cruises (100%) but not interruption (150%). Interruption is worth more than cancellation because the extra covers the costs of re-working the interrupted trip.

Thanks for the update!

Four weeks. There was always a 3-week gap in the schedule after the 3-week cruise. So instead of two 3-week cruises, there's now a 2-week and a 4-week.

At some point, HAL may stop selling HIA for a cruise, or the specialty restaurants will be overbooked. I've seen posts about people having trouble booking Pinnacle because of limited availability of time slots.

A long time ago, in NYC security was after check-in and priority mattered from the beginning. But now, security always seems to happen first. And I've never seen priority lines for security when it's the first step. The good thing about FLL is each ship gets its own terminal, so there's no sharing of security lines. Vancouver can be awful if ships are sharing. In FLL this winter, I checked in around 11:20, and the non-priority waiting area was full (despite being 4-star, I was group C with a check-in time of 11:40). After I checked in, I went to the woman who was handing out boarding cards. She held out number 19, and I told her I was priority, and showed her the boarding pass. I got a priority card and was sent upstairs. Even at that early hour, I was priority group 2. It didn't matter because all the priority people ahead of me had just boarded. So if you are supposed to get priority embarkation and don't get it, ask.

Yes, that's what happened, although the schedule had a blank space for a while as they figured themselves out. They should have had their replacement plans settled before they did the cancellation. The 14-day itinerary is good. A nice change from HAL's usual Caribbean offerings in the winter. (But the 21-day was better)

As I read this, all anyone gets for a cancelled voyage is the refund. The 20% FCC is extra, not required in the contract. I'm not saying that's a good deal, but Cunard doesn't have to do that, much less do anything more. Terminated early includes travel expense, but whether that's to the original final port or home is up to Cunard to decide. Just as the odds are with the house in a casino, the wording is with the cruise line in the contract of passage.

Go for it!!!

People who book in the US are not required to buy travel insurance. That's done as a separate purchase. HAL offers it as an option. I don't know if Cunard does. In the post-covid startup period, I believe Cunard required insurance for UK bookings, but not US bookings. Coverage options in the US vary greatly, depending on how much coverage you want. I always buy independent insurance to be covered for medical emergencies and return to home if needed. I think my policy would pay for to fly me home (or pay some of the cost) as "trip interruption," if I were in the UK, expecting to board the ship to go home.

Has anyone having to pay for a flight back to the US (or anywhere else, for that matter) contacted their travel insurance to see if that will pay for the flight? Insurance won't pay the cost of the cruise because Cunard is giving that back. But maybe this counts as "trip interruption" or something like that.

What time does the ship sail? I would expect Group A to be the first to check in. Have you tried the port of call board to ask how strict Barcelona is about assigned times?

Good for you! I think there should be more "gala" nights, too.

If you're going right home after the cruise, take a carry-all bag of some sort to stuff the formal clothes into. I don't worry a lot about how I pack going home because clothes are going to the cleaner or in the wash, not back into the closet.

I think you're right. Even if this problem can be fixed in a few days, rushing to NY to pick up people for the EB crossing would cost a fortune in fuel. I think she might be able to do it in 5 days, certainly in 6. But 6 days empty to NY and 6 days back doesn't make financial sense, even if they could fix the problem in 2 days. Allowing "stranded" passengers to stay onboard for a night was at least a little consideration. But I'd like to know "while travel arrangements are sorted" means. Is this supposed to give people somewhere to stay while THEY make arrangements? Will Cunard help at all?

When CO was new, FLL had a special desk for CO and an orange rug to stand on at a "private" check-in desk. It was NOT very private, as it was around the back of the row of check-in stations, which meant it was in full view of the people in the waiting area. It felt VERY pretentious. If they're still doing that, I didn't see it because I wasn't in CO in January. Kiosk check in was so fast, I didn't have time to look. Once the priority passengers go upstairs to wait, 4*, 5*, CO are all called to board together. Port staff are not HAL employees, so they deal with the rules and priorities of several lines over the course of a season and they don't always quite get it right. Once, boarding a HAL ship in Boston, we were asked how many Marriott stars we had.

I agree that this is a good solution. If your husband needs a break--and it sure sounds like he does--cruising with you in questionable health may not be the break he needs. Staying on land in a quiet place will give both of you peace of mind.

I can understand tours changing on short notice. That happens for a variety of reasons. But the disembarkation/embarkation ports must require advance reservations with the local port authority. A ship with 200+ people can't just show up and look for a parking place. SOMEONE has to know the schedule. But I can't find that person. I tried emailing Port of Milwaukee, and I got a reply. But their info came from AQV, not any entity within the Milwaukee port. AQV told them of three dates in Milwaukee, and @uktog's cruise was not one of them. Nor mine. I tried emailing Navy Pier in Chicago. I haven't had a response yet. I just emailed the Illinois Central Port District. They are strictly cargo, but I'm hoping they can give me contact info for cruises out of Chicago. This is ridiculous!!!!

That would have been perfect! I miss that special dinner.

QM2 has history panels around the ship, and one is about QE2. There's a great photo like that there. I don't recall when it was taken, probably toward her last days. All former living captains were there.

Sometimes port fees turn out to be lower than the cruise line planned for, and the refund is usually returned as OBC. On my last cruise, no port was cancelled, but I got back about $25 in port fees. That was on the last day, so I did a little souvenir shopping.

I tried to search for charters, but when I entered the date and the ship name, I mostly got links to this thread or to online travel agencies, but nothing for a specific charter. It seems like an odd time for a group to charter a ship, between Thanksgiving and Christmas. And I agree with @tlund, it seems short notice for a charter. But HAL does have a history of accepting a charter and cancelling reservations. That's why I avoid 7-day cruises or B2B cruises made up of 7-day cruises. I don't trust HAL for those short cruises. I'm sorry for people's disappointment. Some people may already have done their travel arrangements to get to the ship, which adds to the trouble.

I've never seen someone try to "queue barge" for the iron in the launderette, but I agree with your comment about planning better. Many years ago, a colleague at work had a sign in his office "A lack of preparedness on your part does NOT constitute an emergency on my part." Don't remember which floor, but here is a QE launderette. My complaint about the ironing board is that it's too close to the wall.

Yes, Carinthia on QM2 is a good daytime spot. It's pleasant early in a cruise, before people discover it and it gets crowded. I like to have lunch there, especially on embarkation day, as I prefer something light and I despise the buffet on QM2. Carinthia on QE didn't have as much choice for food, and I didn't like the offerings. I often sit in a chair by a window in QM2's champagne bar in the morning after breakfast and read or catch up on my journal. Or just watch the ocean go by.