QE Cruise to nowhere

[Ray66]

In case any of you are wondering why the QE is still at sea and not in Amsterdam, the port call has been cancelled due to high winds and it wouldn't be safe for us to enter the sea lock and canal. So we are now heading south down the North Sea to an area of better weather. It was lovely and sunny yesterday with blue skies. Very busy in the area of Dover/Calais.

 

Will be making some notes to put on at a later date.

[Lynnewob]

We have parents on board and they're absolutely livid as they have never been to Amsterdam before and were really looking forward to it. They love cruising with Cunard but not so much that they didn't want to go anywhere. If they'd have wanted ship time alone, they'd have done a transatlantic.

 

They were really looking forward to this and going to Anne Franks' house.

 

Apparently there's going to be another announcement at 4pm ship time, so let's wait and see.

 

There have been a lot of complaints about this - apparently 4 pages long. They're in PG and are gutted that they've pad this sort of money to go on a "ship to nowhere".

 

If anyone hears any more, please post here.

Edited December 21, 2014 by Lynnewob

[DreamflightPat]

We have parents on board and they're absolutely livid as they have never been to Amsterdam before and were really looking forward to it. They love cruising with Cunard but not so much that they didn't want to go anywhere. If they'd have wanted ship time alone, they'd have done a transatlantic.

 

They were really looking forward to this and going to Anne Franks' house.

 

Apparently there's going to be another announcement at 4pm ship time, so let's wait and see.

 

There have been a lot of complaints about this - apparently 4 pages long. They're in PG and are gutted that they've pad this sort of money to go on a "ship to nowhere".

 

If anyone here's any more, please post here.

No one can determine the weather. Surely you would rather your parents were safe.

[Glenndale]

We've just returned from that area on Adonia.

We had force 9 winds and it wasn't safe to get into Amsterdam.

Fortunately we were able to find a berth in Zeebrugge, maybe that's what QE will be able to do.

People on our cruise had booked tickets for the Anne Frank house but it just wasn't possible.

Hardly the fault of Cunard or P&O.

[Mysticalmother]

We have parents on board and they're absolutely livid as they have never been to Amsterdam before and were really looking forward to it. They love cruising with Cunard but not so much that they didn't want to go anywhere. If they'd have wanted ship time alone, they'd have done a transatlantic.

 

They were really looking forward to this and going to Anne Franks' house.

 

Apparently there's going to be another announcement at 4pm ship time, so let's wait and see.

 

There have been a lot of complaints about this - apparently 4 pages long. They're in PG and are gutted that they've pad this sort of money to go on a "ship to nowhere".

 

If anyone hears any more, please post here.

 

I am sorry for your parents that the planned Port of call was cancelled - but unfortunately it happens. In the past we have missed St Peter Port, Kristiansand and Amsterdam due to the weather and had other whole days curtailed by a half a day several times. (And we won't talk about the Ukraine....we cancelled that cruise).

It is one of the hazards of the weather and cruising - sometimes they just don't mix!

 

But if I had been in PG I would have at least got my money's worth!!:D

[turquoise 6]

In case any of you are wondering why the QE is still at sea and not in Amsterdam, the port call has been cancelled due to high winds and it wouldn't be safe for us to enter the sea lock and canal. So we are now heading south down the North Sea to an area of better weather. It was lovely and sunny yesterday with blue skies. Very busy in the area of Dover/Calais.

 

Will be making some notes to put on at a later date.

It's because of the stormy weather?

You can always go to Amsterdan from UK

Enjoy the QM2 at sea

[Shallwe123]

Oh dear, sorry to hear about this, but hope your parents are making the most of their time onboard. We have been watching out for information on this cruise, as we are on QV for New Year... ( Thought the web cam strange - showing open sea !!! )

 

Agreed its so frustrating when this happens and it seems to happen quite a lot with Cunard.

 

Our cruise in September on QE, Mykinos was cancelled due to high winds, it happens regularly at this Port, apparently ! ( So why go there ??) So, the Captain put full speed ahead to Athens, arriving a whole night and day earlier.

 

Passengers were a little grumpy but the crew were very, very happy, as that meant that they could get off the ship and party the night away in Athens. We know this happened as we shared the port coach into the centre of Athens with them.

[MawganTr]

I can understand the disappointment of those on board but you have to be safe. If they'd tried heading to Amsterdam and there'd been an incident I'm sure there would have been even more to complain about. On the QV Baltic trip in August and had to miss Warnemunde due to high winds. Gained a sea day which is no bad thing in my book (especially on a 2 week trip).

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

[Happyboating]

Looking at the wind forecast for the next few days - I have picked the midway point between Dover and Calais as the QE is somewhere in the English Channel - I would say that the right decision has been made:

 

http://www.windguru.cz/int/index.php?sc=36647

 

We were on the QE last Thursday, when she was at Zeebrugge, and two tugs had to be used, all day, to keep her pushed onto the quayside and a third tug was clearly on standby to also assist. When we departed the wind actually helped us get off the quay but as soon as we turned out of the harbour to make our back towards Southampton the ship was listing due to the strength of the wind. The sommelier in QG removed the wine buckets from their stands and placed them on the floor. It can actually be quite difficult to manoeuvre such a large object - such as a high ship - in strong winds and safety for passengers and crew will be paramount.

Edited December 21, 2014 by Happyboating

[bobby1119]

Sorry for the poster's disappointment. These weather conditions are often to be expected at this time of year in coastal UK and USA waters.

 

With the exception of a rough wintertime crossing which can be exciting (have done several with QE2, QE and QM2), I often wonder why aren't QV and QE - even QM2 - deployed to warmer climes at this time of year? I read so many reports of skipped ports, closed-off decks, strong winds, high seas, etc.

 

It seems quite peculiar of Cunard to have two cruiseships (QV, QE) bouncing around during the winter months in European waters and calling at grey, raw and windy ports in Northern Europe or the Med. These are the cruises that historically have been hard-sells and are often heavily discounted. Perhaps cruises to more wintertime-friendly regions and ports would be less prone to bad weather conditions and would perhaps sell better.

 

I recall that once November and December arrived, QE2, for example, would do line voyages from Southampton to Cape Town via the Canaries, cruises to the Caribbean from New York and/or Southampton, even a cruise to Rio, before embarking on her traditional world cruise in January.

 

As much as I love visiting the major cities of Europe, I would rather be in sunnier and warmer places at this time of year.

 

:)

Edited December 21, 2014 by bobby1119

[Ray66]

The latest news is that we were supposed to have technical work done on the ship in Amsterdam. That work still needs carrying out so we will be arriving in Southampton a lot earlier, i.e. Monday night instead of Tuesday morning to enable them to do this work in Southampton.

 

So that will be novel spending the night onboard ship in Southampton.

 

Apparently they enquired at other ports (presumably Zeebrugge and le Havre) but it's too windy there too and forecast to get worse.

 

Today has been too windy to go out on the promenade deck (deck 3) but we managed a short time on decks 9 and 10. Some people were in the outdoor hot-tubs and the swimming pool.

Edited December 21, 2014 by Ray66

[zider]

Sorry for the poster's disappointment. These weather conditions are often to be expected at this time of year in coastal UK and USA waters.

 

With the exception of a rough wintertime crossing which can be exciting (have done several with QE2, QE and QM2), I often wonder why aren't QV and QE - even QM2 - deployed to warmer climes at this time of year? I read so many reports of skipped ports, closed-off decks, strong winds, high seas, etc.

 

It seems quite peculiar of Cunard to have two cruiseships (QV, QE) bouncing around during the winter months in European waters and calling at grey, raw and windy ports in Northern Europe or the Med. These are the cruises that historically have been hard-sells and are often heavily discounted. Perhaps cruises to more wintertime-friendly regions and ports would be less prone to bad weather conditions and would perhaps sell better.

 

I recall that once November and December arrived, QE2, for example, would do line voyages from Southampton to Cape Town via the Canaries, cruises to the Caribbean from New York and/or Southampton, even a cruise to Rio, before embarking on her traditional world cruise in January.

 

As much as I love visiting the major cities of Europe, I would rather be in sunnier and warmer places at this time of year.

 

:)

Next Year they are doing a 24 day cruise from to Southampton to the Caribbean Starting on the 18th Nov & Ending on the 12th Dec so they are considering changers MAYBE!!

[Chunky2219]

Earlier this month aboard QV, the weather forecast at our next sheduled ports (Barcelona, Toulon) was dismal with high winds and heavy rain expected.

 

The itinerary was turned back to front so that we could miss all the bad weather and we got good days in Livorno, Ajaccio, Barcelona (eventually on the way back) and La Coruna. Only Gibralter was a bit grim, but that's no great loss. We had to miss Toulon, but personally, I'd have had no interest in looking out of the window of a bus at constant rain.

 

Full marks to Cunard and Commodore Rynd for the change. A few people were unhappy about the new route but if you need guaranteed weather in December then Australia and the South Seas is the only place to be.

 

.

Edited December 21, 2014 by Chunky2219
typo

[dan dan]

Earlier this month aboard QV, the weather forecast at our next sheduled ports (Barcelona, Toulon) was dismal with high winds and heavy rain expected.

 

The itinerary was turned back to front so that we could miss all the bad weather and we got good days in Livorno, Ajaccio, Barcelona (eventually on the way back) and La Coruna. Only Gibralter was a bit grim, but that's no great loss. We had to miss Toulon, but personally, I'd have had no interest in looking out of the window of a bus at constant rain.

 

Full marks to Cunard and Commodore Rynd for the change. A few people were unhappy about the new route but if you need guaranteed weather in December then Australia and the South Seas is the only place to be.

 

.

 

yes but we lost a port with all those around the med and up the cost of Portugal to choose from as an alternative, but instead the commodore gained extra sea time to crawl along saving fuel and port fees, an overheard conversation between members of crew suggested that the commodore and his team discussed options but the commodore chose not to take an alternative port. (just comments around the ship at the time. Did not spoil it for me was a brilliant cruise)

Edited December 21, 2014 by dan dan

[Austcruiser84]

High winds prevented entry of the QE into Rhodes back in late June. Cunard took us to Marmaris in Turkey instead and even managed to scrounge up quite a decent shore excursion that ended up being one of the best days of the cruise.

 

That said, with only 4/14 days at sea, I wouldn't have said no to an extra sea day - love them.

[fantasy51]

Safety first! I have missed two days in Egypt for safety reasons and several days in port because of the weather. Two years ago we missed Rhodes because the weather was so bad that the pilot boat could not get out of the harbour. It turns out that if we HAD managed to get into the harbour, we would have been stuck there for four days or more because of the weather. That has to be as much a consideration as getting in: Will the ship be stuck there if she sails in?

 

We can express our disappointment, but there's no point in getting angry about it. Cunard has to consider the safety of their passengers and their ship.

[Underwatr]

You do know that QM2 is currently headed to the Caribbean via New York, right?

[Shallwe123]

The latest news is that we were supposed to have technical work done on the ship in Amsterdam. That work still needs carrying out so we will be arriving in Southampton a lot earlier, i.e. Monday night instead of Tuesday morning to enable them to do this work in Southampton.

 

So that will be novel spending the night onboard ship in Southampton.

 

Apparently they enquired at other ports (presumably Zeebrugge and le Havre) but it's too windy there too and forecast to get worse.

 

Today has been too windy to go out on the promenade deck (deck 3) but we managed a short time on decks 9 and 10. Some people were in the outdoor hot-tubs and the swimming pool.

 

Rayy66 - any update for us ?

[cunardaddict]

Rayy66 - any update for us ?

 

It's a cruize - destination is the homeport. We will dock today 8:30pm. Embarkation will be tomorrow morning as scheduled.

 

Everything is OK on board.

 

I feel sorry for all those passengers having had to meet friends at Amsterdam - as I planned. But I accept the master's decision not only because _he_ decided. He had good reason to do so. The thrusters wouldn't have enough power to control the ship in the Ijmuiden locks nor in the berths of Rotterdam or Zeebruegge.

 

Casino will be shut tonight. 75$OBC are returned per adult.

 

Next year at Amsterdam?

[Mrs_Susy_T]

Shame that we have been sailing up and down the channel for hours. The captain could have docked back at Southampton but decided to offer everyone $75obc/pp regardless of grade - that's not even the price of a 1st class train ticket from Southampton to Amsterday.

 

Safety - yes; but failing to keep the passengers updated is exceptionally poor and not what one expects from Cunard. :mad:

[Mrs_Susy_T]

It's a cruize - destination is the homeport. We will dock today 8:30pm. Embarkation will be tomorrow morning as scheduled.

 

Everything is OK on board.

 

I feel sorry for all those passengers having had to meet friends at Amsterdam - as I planned. But I accept the master's decision not only because _he_ decided. He had good reason to do so. The thrusters wouldn't have enough power to control the ship in the Ijmuiden locks nor in the berths of Rotterdam or Zeebruegge.

 

Casino will be shut tonight. 75$OBC are returned per adult.

 

Next year at Amsterdam?

 

We were told Rotterdam was full. If you are correct, shame they cut costs on the thrusters, after all they would have planned where they would be sailing in advance.....

[MawganTr]

So, does this mean that you've not been to any port at all on this trip? I can appreciate the disappointment but at least life on board is fabulous!

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

[Ray66]

There's just been a near mutiny here with hundreds of passengers in the grand lobby demanding some sort of action! We just happened by. A passenger then read out a statement which ended in saying the captain would make a message soon. The captain then came on explaining the work that needed to be done on the ship and it had to be in port to do it. He said they had asked about docking in Rotterdam and Zeebrugge and that we would needs tugs to hold the ship into the pier at Zeebrugge (which is what they did last week) and he said this was not safe to do. So he said there would be compensation of $75 put on each account. A lot of passengers were not impressed by this but we thought it was good and unexpected.

 

After this meeting, we noticed there was still a lot of passengers in line at the pursers desk. I hope they weren't all asking for the auto tips to be removed!

[cunardaddict]

We were told Rotterdam was full. If you are correct, shame they cut costs on the thrusters, after all they would have planned where they would be sailing in advance.....

 

The power of thrusters is physically limited. It is not a matter of money.

[cunardaddict]

I haven't noticed any close to riot. Few obviously very simple minded people used their lessons on afternoon tv to complain in order to make some money. 2.000 passengers did not complain, some of the missing out important meetings or activities at Amsterdam.

 

It's a cruise - and we are still on. It is not the ferry to Amsterdam. You better take a train or plane next time.