Queen Elizabeth - Haifa

[newjoisey]

Would this shore excursion be considered a moderate amount of physical activity or a lower amount? I'd love to see what icon Cunard would use in the description. Perhaps they could have a stop for tea and souvenir shopping...

either way i am in. i will pay extra to man the 50 cal on the turret. customs might object to some of the souvenirs:D

[Bickley]

What a strange/warped sense of humour some people who write on this site have.Tour groups have continued to visit Jerusalem all this week and no one has been injured. I rest my case.

[Salacia]

PARTIAL QUOTE

...Tour groups have continued to visit Jerusalem all this week and no one has been injured. I rest my case.

 

A report in Haaretz headlined "Tourists cancel trips to Israel in wake of Tel Aviv terror attack and Operation Pillar of Defense" indicates that there has been a serious drop in tourism and cancellation of many tour groups in the past week, through to next March. See http://www.haaretz.com/business/israel-s-tourism-industry-writes-off-winter-season.premium-1.479720

[ridingfarmer]

Two friends are currently on board this trip. When I spoke with them before boarding their flight to Athens to join QE, they were well aware of the situation, had been in touch with Cunard, and perfectly well accepted that it would be utterly foolish in the then situation (before the 'cease fire') to have gone ahead with Haifa/Jerusalem. Disappointed? - yes they were. But they were also relieved and grateful for Cunard's inevitable alternative action.

[Salacia]

Two friends are currently on board this trip. When I spoke with them before boarding their flight to Athens to join QE, they were well aware of the situation, had been in touch with Cunard, and perfectly well accepted that it would be utterly foolish in the then situation (before the 'cease fire') to have gone ahead with Haifa/Jerusalem. Disappointed? - yes they were. But they were also relieved and grateful for Cunard's inevitable alternative action.

 

Hi ridingfarmer. I can't help but agree with your friends. I was taught that sailing into the eye of a storm is a dangerous decision. The people on both sides of the conflict do not need tourists at this time - they have their own self-preservation to worry about. Besides, if any foreign nationals were injured or killed, it would only complicate the situation.

 

If I was currently on the ship, I would hope the Alexandria port stop was also cancelled. BTW, what is the next scheduled port stop after Alexandria? -I miss the previous Cunard website were the itinerary for each voyage was shown in full.

 

With best wishes to all concerned,

Salacia

[Golfwidow100]

Salacia, the next scheduled port is Santorini on Monday.

 

As my youngest daughter is currently working onboard the QE, I was relieved that Cunard made the decision to avoid Haifa.

[Salacia]

Golfwidow, thanks for that info. Santorini on Monday seems like a sound alternative to Alexandria on Saturday. Best wishes, Salacia

[Golfwidow100]

Sorry Salacia I should have said that Santorini is the next port scheduled after today's (possible) stop in Alexandria. I've not looked at the webcam today so I don't know whether that's also been cancelled.

[Sail the seas]

Sorry Salacia I should have said that Santorini is the next port scheduled after today's (possible) stop in Alexandria. I've not looked at the webcam today so I don't know whether that's also been cancelled.

 

Webcam seemed to show QE at sea at 11.30 local time. Marine traffic shows QE was doing about 10 knots around midday and it is currently east of Crete. So it seems to have been slowly cruising today and to have decided to avoid the tear gas in Cairo. Passengers do seem to have been very unlucky with ports this trip but with all the turmoil in that area of the world it looks as if all cruises run the risk of ships being affected.

[Golfwidow100]

Webcam seemed to show QE at sea at 11.30 local time. Marine traffic shows QE was doing about 10 knots around midday and it is currently east of Crete. So it seems to have been slowly cruising today and to have decided to avoid the tear gas in Cairo. Passengers do seem to have been very unlucky with ports this trip but with all the turmoil in that area of the world it looks as if all cruises run the risk of ships being affected.

 

Thanks for the update Sail the seas. It must be very disappointing for the guests onboard, but better safe than sorry.

[warren peas]

Track suggests they are coming from Alexandria.

 

We were on the September cruise with the same Itinerary. Egypt, much to our disappointment, was bypassed due to rioting. The Haifa stopover with a trip to Jerusalem and the Dead sea were hilights.

 

We travelled from Western Canada, airfares alone were equal to the cruise price, so it's not easy or inexpensive for some people to just shrug and say we'll catch these itineraries another time.

That said everyone knows the whole area is volitile.

[Sail the seas]

Track suggests they are coming from Alexandria.

 

We were on the September cruise with the same Itinerary. Egypt, much to our disappointment, was bypassed due to rioting. The Haifa stopover with a trip to Jerusalem and the Dead sea were hilights.

 

We travelled from Western Canada, airfares alone were equal to the cruise price, so it's not easy or inexpensive for some people to just shrug and say we'll catch these itineraries another time.

That said everyone knows the whole area is volitile.

 

The position last night at 8.30pm was about 250 miles from Alexandria so they could not have been there yesterday. They probably did a loop around from Limassol and made the decision as late as possible and then started north yesterday morning. They appear to be in Santorini today - a day early.

[Golfwidow100]

The position last night at 8.30pm was about 250 miles from Alexandria so they could not have been there yesterday. They probably did a loop around from Limassol and made the decision as late as possible and then started north yesterday morning. They appear to be in Santorini today - a day early.

 

They are definitely in Santorini today having skipped Alexandra yesterday and are due to stop in Malta early tomorrow evening for an overnighter. They will then be back on schedule for the last 2 ports - Naples on Weds and Civitavecchia on Thurs.

[Bickley]

Thanks for updating us. Well I suppose Malta is a tad more intersting than just another Greek Island,though not much of a substitute for Egypt.Was going to say that I am pleased we could not travel but I would not wish my chest infection on other passengers let alone my worst enemy.Have been looking for a similiar cruise for next year and there only appears to be one in November on the QE, this cruise does not stop in Egypt and Balcony cabins are already sold out. Wil have to look for something else.

[Salacia]

Every time I looked at the Cunard website for updates on the position of the ship (most often completely wrong), there is a link that reads "Book a cruise like this".

 

Those website designers sure have an ironic sense of humour.

[Salacia]

Thanks for updating us. Well I suppose Malta is a tad more intersting than just another Greek Island,though not much of a substitute for Egypt.Was going to say that I am pleased we could not travel but I would not wish my chest infection on other passengers let alone my worst enemy.Have been looking for a similiar cruise for next year and there only appears to be one in November on the QE, this cruise does not stop in Egypt and Balcony cabins are already sold out. Wil have to look for something else.

 

 

Bickley, best wishes for your recovery.

 

I hope you find the cruise that goes to the ports you wish to visit. Regarding sold out cabins on the voyage for next year, if you are really interested in that voyage, you might call Cunard and ask to be waitlisted. I have a feeling there might be cabins available. Regards, Salacia

[glojo]

Every time I looked at the Cunard website for updates on the position of the ship (most often completely wrong), there is a link that reads "Book a cruise like this".

 

Those website designers sure have an ironic sense of humour.

It will be interesting to hear from the passengers regarding this cruise. Were they kept informed, were they happy with how they were treated and would they sail Cunard again?

 

I have my own thoughts on this issue but I feel it would be better getting it from those involved and this to me will let us decide what type of company Cunard really is. :)

[Bickley]

Yes I'm looking forward to seeing feedback from passengers on the cruise,it will be interesting to see how Cunard handled the situation.

 

Thanks for the tip about contacting Cunard and asking to go on a waiting list for a Balcony cabin for the next Holyland

Cruise I will do that asap

[Oliversgrandma]

Hi. We have just returned from the Holy Land Explorer on QE. It was our second cruise and our first with Cunard.

 

We fully anticipated that we would not be calling at Haifa in the light of the situation in Israel and this was confirmed to us by letter on embarkation.

 

Of course everyone was disappointed, but most people accepted that the decision was inevitable. The captain kept us fully informed of the position and we soon discovered we would be calling at Rhodes and Anatalya in Turkey instead.

 

This meant calling at Limassol a day early, meaning 5 port days in a row! We then set sail for Alexandria, only to be informed the evening before docking that in view of the civil unrest in the country that port also would be cancelled! Cue much mumbling and discontent among a section of the more unreasonable passengers. Incidentally we were told that the decision was taken after advice from the UK and US governments.

 

We then set sail for Santorini and an overnight call in Valetta, Malta, was substituted for Alexandria. Malta was brilliant - lovely weather and full of interest.

 

We then set off for Naples, our last port of call, only to run into a force 9 gale and it proved impossible for the ship to dock, so we had a day at sea instead.

 

So, it was a bit of a mystery tour really. Overall we think the captain and the crew handled things very well in very difficult circumstances. It was, as the captain said, a challenging cruise!

 

The ship itself was lovely and the staff charming and we really enjoyed our cruise.

[Salacia]

Hi. We have just returned from the Holy Land Explorer on QE. It was our second cruise and our first with Cunard.

 

We fully anticipated that we would not be calling at Haifa in the light of the situation in Israel and this was confirmed to us by letter on embarkation.

 

Of course everyone was disappointed, but most people accepted that the decision was inevitable. The captain kept us fully informed of the position and we soon discovered we would be calling at Rhodes and Anatalya in Turkey instead.

 

This meant calling at Limassol a day early, meaning 5 port days in a row! We then set sail for Alexandria, only to be informed the evening before docking that in view of the civil unrest in the country that port also would be cancelled! Cue much mumbling and discontent among a section of the more unreasonable passengers. Incidentally we were told that the decision was taken after advice from the UK and US governments.

 

We then set sail for Santorini and an overnight call in Valetta, Malta, was substituted for Alexandria. Malta was brilliant - lovely weather and full of interest.

 

We then set off for Naples, our last port of call, only to run into a force 9 gale and it proved impossible for the ship to dock, so we had a day at sea instead.

 

So, it was a bit of a mystery tour really. Overall we think the captain and the crew handled things very well in very difficult circumstances. It was, as the captain said, a challenging cruise!

 

The ship itself was lovely and the staff charming and we really enjoyed our cruise.

 

Hi Oliversgrandma. Thank you for your report. Yes, as I followed your voyage, I kept thinking...it was a challenge for all concerned. Sorry that your cruise didn't proceed as expected but I'm very happy that you arrived home safe and sound, and that you enjoyed your cruise.

 

With best wishes for a happy Holiday Season,

Salacia

 

P.S. I noticed that this was your first post: welcome to the Forum. Sorry it took such a difficult voyage to prompt your introduction.

[jonsul]

Just back from the Holy Land Explorer - sorry, the Greek Odyssey cruise - and had a wonderful time.

 

We had suspicions before we went that Haifa would be cancelled. As Oliver's Grandma has already said, we were kept fully informed throughout the cruise by the captain as to what was happening. As soon as we heard on the news about Egypt instinct told us we wouldn't be calling there either. That was El Alamein scrubbed from our visits.

 

Naples was understandable too - the sea really was very rough. So I'm probably never going to see Pompeii either!!!

 

It would appear that a petition was sent around one of the restaurants (Grills I suspect, as I heard about this second hand) to encourage the captain to turn back to Haifa when the troubles had settled, but hopefully not many signed this. It is unreasonable for passengers to question the decisions made by the captain - if you are not going to trust him, don't get on the boat in the first place.

 

Safety of passengers and crew are paramount, and Captain Burgess did a superb job and though we were disappointed, we feel he did make the right decisions under difficult circumstances.

 

So many back seat drivers must have made Captain Burgess's job more difficult.

 

The entertainments staff were brilliant - pulling full day programmes out of the hat in an instant.

 

Yes, we did choose this cruise for the Holy Land, but having cruised 3 times previously with Cunard and not yet stuck to the expected itinerary we have learned to go with the flow, and be grateful for the privilege of being able to sail with Cunard, and make the most of our time on board.

 

We met some lovely people, ate very very well for 2 weeks, and had a fabulous cruise regardless of destinations. Malta and Antalya, though unexpected, were at least warm and sunny, and very nice places to visit.

 

Now back to the washing and ironing. :)

 

Susan & John

[glojo]

Just back from the Holy Land Explorer - sorry, the Greek Odyssey cruise - and had a wonderful time.

 

We had suspicions before we went that Haifa would be cancelled. As Oliver's Grandma has already said, we were kept fully informed throughout the cruise by the captain as to what was happening. As soon as we heard on the news about Egypt instinct told us we wouldn't be calling there either. That was El Alamein scrubbed from our visits.

 

Naples was understandable too - the sea really was very rough. So I'm probably never going to see Pompeii either!!!

 

It would appear that a petition was sent around one of the restaurants (Grills I suspect, as I heard about this second hand) to encourage the captain to turn back to Haifa when the troubles had settled, but hopefully not many signed this. It is unreasonable for passengers to question the decisions made by the captain - if you are not going to trust him, don't get on the boat in the first place.

 

Safety of passengers and crew are paramount, and Captain Burgess did a superb job and though we were disappointed, we feel he did make the right decisions under difficult circumstances.

 

So many back seat drivers must have made Captain Burgess's job more difficult.

 

The entertainments staff were brilliant - pulling full day programmes out of the hat in an instant.

 

Yes, we did choose this cruise for the Holy Land, but having cruised 3 times previously with Cunard and not yet stuck to the expected itinerary we have learned to go with the flow, and be grateful for the privilege of being able to sail with Cunard, and make the most of our time on board.

 

We met some lovely people, ate very very well for 2 weeks, and had a fabulous cruise regardless of destinations. Malta and Antalya, though unexpected, were at least warm and sunny, and very nice places to visit.

 

Now back to the washing and ironing. :)

 

Susan & John

What a very nice, informative post and SHAME on anyone that would get involved in any type of petition. The captain of any ship is entrusted with not just the lives of the passengers and of course the crew, this person is responsible for the ship and not putting it into any type of danger or of course hazard.

 

Passengers should put their feet up and enjoy a relaxing cruise, the captain is paid to ensure we do this in a safe environment.

 

Was there any talk of possibly a reduced rate for any future cruise?

 

I would be disappointed at not visiting the ports I was expecting to see but common sense dictates that this will not always be possible.

 

I am so pleased to hear that you had a fabulous cruise and were able to make the best of the cards you were dealt :)

[Bickley]

Delighted to see the posts on this cruise we had to cancel at the last minute. Looks as if a good time was had by most people although you didn't visit the places you hoped and expected to visit.

We are keen to book on the same cruise next year in the hope that we will be able to visit all the ports on the itinerary.

Thanks for being so informative, really interesting.

[Sail the seas]

What a very nice, informative post and SHAME on anyone that would get involved in any type of petition. The captain of any ship is entrusted with not just the lives of the passengers and of course the crew, this person is responsible for the ship and not putting it into any type of danger or of course hazard.

 

Passengers should put their feet up and enjoy a relaxing cruise, the captain is paid to ensure we do this in a safe environment.

 

Was there any talk of possibly a reduced rate for any future cruise?

 

I would be disappointed at not visiting the ports I was expecting to see but common sense dictates that this will not always be possible.

 

I am so pleased to hear that you had a fabulous cruise and were able to make the best of the cards you were dealt :)

 

It seems to me that this petition was about as sensible as the petition to a certain italian captain to sail really close to that nice Italian island . :rolleyes:

 

People have very short memories of what can happen when a Captain does not act in the interests of passengers and exercise proper professional responsibility.

[Crusin Kelly]

Just back from the Holy Land Explorer - sorry, the Greek Odyssey cruise - and had a wonderful time.

 

We had suspicions before we went that Haifa would be cancelled. As Oliver's Grandma has already said, we were kept fully informed throughout the cruise by the captain as to what was happening. As soon as we heard on the news about Egypt instinct told us we wouldn't be calling there either. That was El Alamein scrubbed from our visits.

 

Naples was understandable too - the sea really was very rough. So I'm probably never going to see Pompeii either!!!

 

It would appear that a petition was sent around one of the restaurants (Grills I suspect, as I heard about this second hand) to encourage the captain to turn back to Haifa when the troubles had settled, but hopefully not many signed this. It is unreasonable for passengers to question the decisions made by the captain - if you are not going to trust him, don't get on the boat in the first place.

 

Safety of passengers and crew are paramount, and Captain Burgess did a superb job and though we were disappointed, we feel he did make the right decisions under difficult circumstances.

 

So many back seat drivers must have made Captain Burgess's job more difficult.

 

The entertainments staff were brilliant - pulling full day programmes out of the hat in an instant.

 

Yes, we did choose this cruise for the Holy Land, but having cruised 3 times previously with Cunard and not yet stuck to the expected itinerary we have learned to go with the flow, and be grateful for the privilege of being able to sail with Cunard, and make the most of our time on board.

 

We met some lovely people, ate very very well for 2 weeks, and had a fabulous cruise regardless of destinations. Malta and Antalya, though unexpected, were at least warm and sunny, and very nice places to visit.

 

Now back to the washing and ironing. :)

 

Susan & John

 

Thanks Susan/John and Oliver'sGrandma for your positive spin on the disaster that was Q223. But let me give a different perspective.

 

Many people onboard were unhappy... and yes the Captain did the only thing that he could do in the situations. We heard the rumors of 700 signers(over a third of the 1981 pax) on the petition to take us back to Israel on our northbound journey after missing Egypt. Rhodes, Anatalya and Malta were indeed all interesting locations, full of history and shopping. The tour companies onshore did a great job in a short period of time getting guides and busses for us. BUT it seemed to me that they were working by the seat of their pants. Wouldn't one think that in light of other cancelled ports by other ships in recent weeks/months that there would have been some pre-planning done - you know like contengency plans. While we were on the ship, we were not really sure when and where we would dock. . . a big mystery. He only made minimal announcements, there could have been much more information presented.

 

IF I had wanted a Greek/Turkey/Malta island tour, I would have booked one.

 

As for compensation. . . there had better be some. At least the difference in the port charges, at a minimum. My TA has been in contact with "customer relations" and indicated that decisions for comensation are pending.

 

 

Either way, I did not find Cunard any more special than other cruise ships that I have sailed (yes only 4 others). Examples:

• the statements that the staff were anything but average are completly over stated. Only one of our 2 dinner waiters(the assistant) and one bar waiter knew my name at the end of 12 days (ate in MDR 9 times).
  
• The food was average. Where was a ceasar salad and a steak option each night?
  
• The afternoon tea that was made out to be some sort of a big deal- was simply sitting in the Queens Room and having tea served by the same unfriendly waitstaff.
  
• The singer in the Queens roon and the piano bar struggled with the tunes of the songs they tried to sing.
  
• And what's up with the Kings Grill (Lido Cafeteria) ? Hard to find anything and alternate sides closed in the afternoons a maze to walk through.
  
• What a joke were the photographers - the price and quality of the prints
  

To be a bit positive the ship is beautiful ! and we made it back alive having visited some very interesting locations.

 

We will not be Gold level Cunarders.