Stormy weather!

[Underwatr]

I think this goes to prove that Cunard does care, and takes action if at all possible. Perhaps some of the one-time posters on this site who whinge that Cunard does nothing for passengers once they have the money, will take head at these arrangements (if they can be bothered to log-in again to this site).

This is Cunard's biggest sailing day, on which some of their their biggest customers (in terms of previous days and current ticket monetary value) will be boarding and which things must go in an acceptable manner. Of course they care that today goes well.

 

Would they lay on as much support for a hypothetical two-week sailing out of Los Angeles?

Edited January 10, 2015 by Underwatr

[durante]

If the weather was as bad in LA and a big turnaround for passengers as well as crew,as it was for docking in Southampton today, probably the answer is yes.

[rafinmd]

Looks like QM2 is just leaving now. Should have been time for a quick transfer of passengers from QE. I wonder if they get a break on the dress code tonight.

 

Roy

[cunardaddict]

If the weather was as bad in LA and a big turnaround for passengers as well as crew,as it was for docking in Southampton today, probably the answer is yes.

 

As for Feb 2011 - NO

[Underwatr]

If the weather was as bad in LA and a big turnaround for passengers as well as crew,as it was for docking in Southampton today, probably the answer is yes.

OK, maybe. :)

 

I've been involved in two late disembarkations from Brooklyn (one was six hours late) and as far as I know nothing special was laid on for embarking passengers. Red Hook is somewhat isolated from New York amenities and there are no food vendors on site.

 

I'm not criticizing Cunard's handling of any particular incident but I don't think one should assume that what they're doing for World Cruise passengers in Southampton today is what normally would be done.

Edited January 10, 2015 by Underwatr

[cunardaddict]

I would like to mention that we noticed a new way of communication. Probably the result of a serious assessment of the Amsterdam desaster in December 2014.

[Fifer]

I would like to mention that we noticed a new way of communication. Probably the result of a serious assessment of the Amsterdam desaster in December 2014.

 

One should always keep in mind that the ship and shoreside are very separate. The communication over 'the cruise to nowhere' was handled, for good or ill, by the ship.

 

Cunard's efforts over the last couple of days have been led by the shoreside resources and do seem to have been exemplary. The use of social media, the active involvement of senior management and the execution of a clear, coherent and comprehensive plan have, to my mind, been very impressive.

 

Of course there are many more, expert and experienced resources available ashore. The ship does not carry such expertise and it cannot be expected that professional sailors will operate in the same way as Carnival House can. For what it's worth, I suspect the challenge for Cunard is to work how to augment the ship's ability to communicate using some of these techniques.

[Chunky2219]

Um, the difference is that the ocean liner can brave the rough seas due to her hull design / construction than a cruise ship can. Ever do 26 knots on force 10-12 seas? QE2 and QM2 can do that.

 

Ever get hit on the bow with an almost 100' high rogue wave? QE2 did that, and Cunard didn't bother to replace the dented bow beck plating for over a year.

 

When mother nature strikes, I'll take the liner any day over your lowly cruise ship, which you aptly described! :D

You have to help me here. I really am struggling to understand the attraction of doing 26 knots in a force 10 in seas that you could navigate around. If I wanted thrills and spills I'd go on the waltzer at Blackpool Pleasure Beach.

 

 

.

[cunardaddict]

You have to help me here. I really am struggling to understand the attraction of doing 26 knots in a force 10 in seas that you could navigate around. If I wanted thrills and spills I'd go on the waltzer at Blackpool Pleasure Beach.

.

 

The faster a ship ploughs through the rough waves the smother the ride. I'm still remembering Dec 19/20 2009.

 

I can't detect any pleasure at Blackpool Pleasure Beach.

[Salacia]

One should always keep in mind that the ship and shoreside are very separate. The communication over 'the cruise to nowhere' was handled, for good or ill, by the ship.

 

Cunard's efforts over the last couple of days have been led by the shoreside resources and do seem to have been exemplary. The use of social media, the active involvement of senior management and the execution of a clear, coherent and comprehensive plan have, to my mind, been very impressive.

 

Of course there are many more, expert and experienced resources available ashore. The ship does not carry such expertise and it cannot be expected that professional sailors will operate in the same way as Carnival House can. For what it's worth, I suspect the challenge for Cunard is to work how to augment the ship's ability to communicate using some of these techniques.

 

Fifer, with all due respect, the ship was in contact with the Head Office. Any directives from shoreside to the ship regarding what to communicate to the passengers would have been received. Either the directives from the Head Office were not followed (which I doubt), or the Head Office fell down on the job and was ill-prepared to deal with the situation (which I suspect was the case).

 

My guess is that Cunard shoreside learned from past experiences (the communication debacle regarding the cruise to no where might have been the breaking point) . Hopefully, we are seeing a new direction with more open communication. -S.

[pepperrn]

I went to Southampton yesterday with two passengers about to join the Queen Elizabeth for her entire World Cruise.

 

They told me that they felt they had been kept fully informed over the preceding two days by Cunard via email of the last-minute change of plans due to the late arrival of the Queen Elizabeth. They told me that, under the circumstances, they didn't feel that Cunard could have done more to keep them updated.

 

We arrived by train shortly at 11 am and took a taxi to St Mary's Stadium as directed. At the stadium there was quite a reception waiting outside. Clear lanes marked out for cars to pull in and drop passengers, loads of people to immediately take luggage and load it straight onto waiting vans. Inside there were many Cunard representatives to direct people and provide information. My friends said how impressed they were by the whole organisation and information provided, given how last-minute the whole thing had been set up.

 

My friends had already decided not to wait at the stadium, but to spend the hours until the suggested boarding time (approx 6pm) in Hythe. After dropping the cases we walked to the Hythe Ferry and then had a leisurely lunch and drinkies in the Lord Nelson in Hythe. At approx 3 pm we saw, from the garden at the rear of the pub, the Queen Elizabeth arrive.

 

We made our way back to a pub/restaurant in Oxford St in Southampton (waiting is thirsty work ;) ) and eventually arrived at the Ocean Terminal at 5.30 pm. There were many cars, taxis and coaches unloading passengers. In the entrance hall there was a Brass Band playing and many "Cunard people" to welcome everyone.

 

The terminal was full of waiting passengers, but no-one that I over-heard seemed to be grumbling or complaining. Very shortly after we arrived they started boarding the "Grills" Passengers, and soon after that, they called out for "Passengers with cards Blue A" to come forward. While we waited a fireworks display could be seen and heard beyond the southern windows of the terminal (set off alongside the QM2 at the QEII Terminal).

 

The vastly expanded security area seemed to make a huge difference to me, only very short queues/lines formed as people were processed quickly, in contrast to my several experiences at the Ocean Terminal last year.

 

My friends had "Blue R" cards and were called forward at approx 7.30 pm. By 8 pm they were on board, had been to their cabin and were walking the promenade deck. By that time the Ocean Terminal was virtually empty.

 

Later that evening a large floral display was delivered to their (Britannia Grade) cabin courtesy of "Cunard World Club". They were also informed that they had each been given $50 on board spend as an apology for the inconveniences of the day. When I left the Ocean Terminal at around 8.15 pm there were still a few coaches arriving with passengers from the stadium.

 

As an observer I can only add my comments to their own, namely that "Cunard could not, under unavoidable circumstances, have organised things better or done more to assist arriving passengers" (their words). I hope that everything went as smoothly for all passengers, as it did for my friends.

 

Sincere best wishes to all passengers on board QM2 and QE :) .

Edited January 11, 2015 by pepperrn

[DreamflightPat]

I went to Southampton yesterday with two passengers about to join the Queen Elizabeth for her entire World Cruise.

 

They told me that they felt they had been kept fully informed over the preceding two days by Cunard via email of the last-minute change of plans due to the late arrival of the Queen Elizabeth. They told me that, under the circumstances, they didn't feel that Cunard could have done more to keep them updated.

 

We arrived by train shortly at 11 am and took a taxi to St Mary's Stadium as directed. At the stadium there was quite a reception waiting outside. Clear lanes marked out for cars to pull in and drop passengers, loads of people to immediately take luggage and load it straight onto waiting vans. Inside there were many Cunard representatives to direct people and provide information. My friends said how impressed they were by the whole organisation and information provided, given how last-minute the whole thing had been set up.

 

My friends had already decided not to wait at the stadium, but to spend the hours until the suggested boarding time (approx 6pm) in Hythe. After dropping the cases we walked to the Hythe Ferry and then had a leisurely lunch and drinkies in the Lord Nelson in Hythe. At approx 3 pm we saw, from the garden at the rear of the pub, the Queen Elizabeth arrive.

 

We made our way back to a pub/restaurant in Oxford St in Southampton (waiting is thirsty work ;) ) and eventually arrived at the Ocean Terminal at 5.30 pm. There were many cars, taxis and coaches unloading passengers. In the entrance hall there was a Brass Band playing and many "Cunard people" to welcome everyone.

 

The terminal was full of waiting passengers, but no-one that I over-heard seemed to be grumbling or complaining. Very shortly after we arrived they started boarding the "Grills" Passengers, and soon after that, they called out for "Passengers with cards Blue A" to come forward. While we waited a fireworks display could be seen and heard beyond the southern windows of the terminal (set off alongside the QM2 at the QEII Terminal).

 

The vastly expanded security area seemed to make a huge difference to me, only very short queues/lines formed as people were processed quickly, in contrast to my several experiences at the Ocean Terminal last year.

 

My friends had "Blue R" cards and were called forward at approx 7.30 pm. By 8 pm they were on board, had been to their cabin and were walking the promenade deck. By that time the Ocean Terminal was virtually empty.

 

Later that evening a large floral display was delivered to their (Britannia Grade) cabin courtesy of "Cunard World Club". They were also informed that they had each been given $50 on board spend as an apology for the inconveniences of the day. When I left the Ocean Terminal at around 8.15 pm there were still a few coaches arriving with passengers from the stadium.

 

As an observer I can only add my comments to their own, namely that "Cunard could not, under unavoidable circumstances, have organised things better or done more to assist arriving passengers" (their words). I hope that everything went as smoothly for all passengers, as it did for my friends.

 

Sincere best wishes to all passengers on board QM2 and QE :) .

Totally agree with your comments. I spent the day at the Stadium with some 10 of the world cruise passengers that I was seeing off. There was so much laughter and fun with bands and magicians entertaining. I met up with the Chief Executive (I used to know him when he worked for BA) and he was chatting to everyone. Other senior members from management where there also. I felt all the staff, both Cunard and the Stadium staff did all they could to make the delay as comfortable as possible. Well done Cunard

[Scrapnana]

Rafinmd - dress code was quite relaxed - pretty much "come as you are". Angus Struthers actually mentioned the dress code when he popped on our coach to welcome us to the terminal and apologize once again.

 

I quite agree with pepperrn and DreamflightPat about Cunard's handling of the situation. I cannot think of anything more they could have done. The $50 OBC was a nice touch.

[Fifer]

Fifer, with all due respect, the ship was in contact with the Head Office. Any directives from shoreside to the ship regarding what to communicate to the passengers would have been received. Either the directives from the Head Office were not followed (which I doubt), or the Head Office fell down on the job and was ill-prepared to deal with the situation (which I suspect was the case).

 

My guess is that Cunard shoreside learned from past experiences (the communication debacle regarding the cruise to no where might have been the breaking point) . Hopefully, we are seeing a new direction with more open communication. -S.

 

Salacia, I fear that, not for the first time, I failed to make my point clear. Good communication is not about following instructions or reading from a script; it is about empathising with your audience, identifying and then addressing their concerns. When I read about how things were handled yesterday, it is obvious that there was a great deal of very effective communication going on. No doubt directed and guided by those in Carnival House whose job it is to do just that and who were present in force at both the Ocean Terminal and St Mary's Stadium.

 

The Senior Officers on the ships are there to ensure our safety and deliver us from A to B to C, etc. Passenger interaction is, of course, an important element of their job but not their priority. Whilst aboard, I would rather be looked after by an experienced professional sailor than a communications professional. Perhaps there is room for more Communications expertise aboard, much as the ships now seem carry an HR Manager amongst the management cadre. For example, consider the 'cruise to nowhere'. I was on board QE for Christmas and New Year and talked to many people - passengers who were there and staff, including some Senior Officers - about what went on. As always, there are two sides to every situation. Without delving into the detail, it seems to me that the ship might have benefited from some on board communications expertise. From the outset this might have helped to manage passenger expectations - some of which were both unrealistic and heightened by the pre-Christmas party spirit.

 

One thing is clear, over the last few days Cunard deserve great credit for showing what can be done to deal with the unexpected. I am sure we all hope that lessons are being learned. We will have to wait and see how things develop.

[fg_hb]

Looks like QUEEN ELIZABETH takes a very southerly way to New York to avoid the worst of the storms.

[LadyL1]

Great Report Pepper. Thanks.

[loubetti]

You have to help me here. I really am struggling to understand the attraction of doing 26 knots in a force 10 in seas that you could navigate around. If I wanted thrills and spills I'd go on the waltzer at Blackpool Pleasure Beach.

 

.

 

Okay, a true ocean liner, as opposed to a cruise ship can handle this weather better, and at higher speeds, due to, in part, her hull design and greater sturdiness, unlike a cruise ship can. In other words, why go around it when you can go through it? Ocean liners are all about dispatch reliability, and avoiding delays and diversions.

 

Good reading for you would be John Maxtone-Graham's book, "The Only Way to Cross".

 

Believe it or not there are many of us who enjoy being on an ocean liner as she tackles mother nature, despite some rocking and rolling. For others, only "smooth as silk" works. We once had a packed Queens Room on QE2 for afternoon tea during force 12 seas. We all had a good time, obviously you would not have been there. :rolleyes:

[Oahucruiser]

Fabulous, positive and very thorough report, Pepper, as always. Cunard did an outstanding job with everything that was involved. Very impressive.

[Cats2010]

Fabulous, positive and very thorough report, Pepper, as always. Cunard did an outstanding job with everything that was involved. Very impressive.

 

Yes, Pepper is the greatest! :cool:

 

JE SUIS CHARLIE

Edited January 12, 2015 by Cats2010

[pepperrn]

Great Report Pepper. Thanks.

Thank you LadyL1, very kind of you :) . I forgot to mention, a couple of times during the day they received text messages (or emails) on their 'phones keeping them up-to-date about the expected time of QE's arrival, and when boarding was likely to commence. Thank you again :)

[pepperrn]

Fabulous, positive and very thorough report, Pepper, as always. Cunard did an outstanding job with everything that was involved. Very impressive.

Thank you Oahucruiser for your generous words :o .

A few of the photos I took on Saturday can be seen via the link at the bottom of this post under

"Southampton 10th Jan 2015"

or via this:

 

 

Luckily the rain stopped mid-morning, although it was windy.

Thank you again :)

Edited January 12, 2015 by pepperrn

[Salacia]

Salacia, I fear that, not for the first time, I failed to make my point clear. Good communication is not about following instructions or reading from a script; it is about empathising with your audience, identifying and then addressing their concerns. When I read about how things were handled yesterday, it is obvious that there was a great deal of very effective communication going on. No doubt directed and guided by those in Carnival House whose job it is to do just that and who were present in force at both the Ocean Terminal and St Mary's Stadium.

 

The Senior Officers on the ships are there to ensure our safety and deliver us from A to B to C, etc. Passenger interaction is, of course, an important element of their job but not their priority. Whilst aboard, I would rather be looked after by an experienced professional sailor than a communications professional. Perhaps there is room for more Communications expertise aboard, much as the ships now seem carry an HR Manager amongst the management cadre. For example, consider the 'cruise to nowhere'. I was on board QE for Christmas and New Year and talked to many people - passengers who were there and staff, including some Senior Officers - about what went on. As always, there are two sides to every situation. Without delving into the detail, it seems to me that the ship might have benefited from some on board communications expertise. From the outset this might have helped to manage passenger expectations - some of which were both unrealistic and heightened by the pre-Christmas party spirit.

 

One thing is clear, over the last few days Cunard deserve great credit for showing what can be done to deal with the unexpected. I am sure we all hope that lessons are being learned. We will have to wait and see how things develop.

 

Perhaps I also neglected to make my point clear: while at sea, it is up to the Master of the ship to communicate the situation on board to crew and passengers. That is the maritime tradition that exist to this day. Admittedly, some captains are more apt at communicating than others.

 

There are staff members in place that should be trained in assisting passengers with issues. I fail to see how the addition of yet another staff member with "communication expertise" would be of any benefit since existing measures should be effective. Consider that on-shore resources are readily accessible in the event that the captain needs a consult on what to announce to passengers. And no doubt shore side is not short on a suggested script.

 

Ultimately, it is up to the captain of a ship at sea to communicate with the crew and passengers. That responsibility can not and should not be replaced by a 'HR manager' or a PR flack - in my opinion. Salacia

Edited January 12, 2015 by Salacia

[Chunky2219]

Okay, a true ocean liner, as opposed to a cruise ship can handle this weather better, and at higher speeds, due to, in part, her hull design and greater sturdiness, unlike a cruise ship can. In other words, why go around it when you can go through it? Ocean liners are all about dispatch reliability, and avoiding delays and diversions.

 

Good reading for you would be John Maxtone-Graham's book, "The Only Way to Cross".

 

Believe it or not there are many of us who enjoy being on an ocean liner as she tackles mother nature, despite some rocking and rolling. For others, only "smooth as silk" works. We once had a packed Queens Room on QE2 for afternoon tea during force 12 seas. We all had a good time, obviously you would not have been there. :rolleyes:

I think I'll stick with the waltzer and the tin can cruise ships.

 

I've spent far too many hours being thrown around the sky all over the world because a pilot has a schedule to keep or is being measured on how little fuel he can use. Several consecutive days of it holds no attraction, even though I have no propensity to sea-sickness.

 

.