Merged:Outbreak on QM2 as it pulls into New York?

[Victoria2]

8 hours ago, ChutChut said:

I'm sorry for your experience. However, you cruised DURING A PANDEMIC. You should have understood the risks associated with such. I really do feel for people who are impacted by illness aboard, but your posts give the impression you expected it to be exactly like your previous ones. That was an utterly unreasonable expectation. 

I agree, however, I think less than positive comments on such an experience are in fact,  positives as they will warn all those who have unrealistic expectations of a non compromised holiday at sea during a fluid pandemic situation if 'you're ' not prepared to roll with [Cunard in this case] any cruised line punches, then think very seriously whether a cruise at the moment, is for 'you'.

[exlondoner]

10 hours ago, jgd3rdbcfd said:

Complete refund.  Nice but I would have really enjoyed what I had come to expecct for my 4th cruise w/ Cunard.

 

You travelled knowing there was a Covid pandemic, and people could get Covid. You had a cruise in effect for free. From your description the cruise itself doesn't seem bad at all, though somewhat marred by apprehension over transport arrangements, which I agree is horrid. But it really doesn't seem to me worthy of much complaint.

[Host Hattie]

10 hours ago, jgd3rdbcfd said:

Complete refund.  Nice but I would have really enjoyed what I had come to expecct for my 4th cruise w/ Cunard.

I'm guessing Cunard would have preferred you had that experience as well but Covid had other ideas.

These boards are full of stories of cancelled/curtailed cruises/quarantined and disembarked passengers. All cruise lines sailing out of the US are struggling at the moment.

[jarodt]

23 hours ago, jgd3rdbcfd said:

For Christmas, they had some 'sing alongs' but the Captain's reading, to my knowledge, did not happen.

Yes, the Captain's reading did occur.  He led the service of Lessons and Carols on Christmas day.  Staff did an amazing job of keeping everything open and running with minimal restrictions.  Overall I enjoyed the trip, but the lack of communication and vagueness did cause a LOT of anxiety.  Before I started the trip I told my travel companion to be prepared for ANYTHING to happen and I mean ANYTHING!  That is the mindset one needs traveling in a pandemic.  Turns out I get home and between work colleagues and family, I think more people got infected staying on land than in the ship!

[Interestedcruisefan]

7 hours ago, Victoria2 said:

I agree, however, I think less than positive comments on such an experience are in fact,  positives as they will warn all those who have unrealistic expectations of a non compromised holiday at sea during a fluid pandemic situation if 'you're ' not prepared to roll with [Cunard in this case] any cruised line punches, then think very seriously whether a cruise at the moment, is for 'you'.

Cruise lines themselves weighing up whether cruising is still viable right now though

 

Norwegian Cruise Lines just cancelled all upcoming cruises with immediate effect on 9 of their ships in one announcement 

 

7 of the ships cancelled all the way through until March earliest

 

 

 

 

[Victoria2]

20 minutes ago, Interestedcruisefan said:

Cruise lines themselves weighing up whether cruising is still viable right now though

 

Norwegian Cruise Lines just cancelled all upcoming cruises with immediate effect on 9 of their ships in one announcement 

 

7 of the ships cancelled all the way through until March earliest

 

 

 

 

 

I know nothing about Cunard weighing up anything as I'm not privy to their thoughts, however, if  a cruise line cancels an itinerary, then there's no 'angst' for the unsure.

[Dermotsgirl]

51 minutes ago, jarodt said:

Yes, the Captain's reading did occur.  He led the service of Lessons and Carols on Christmas day.  Staff did an amazing job of keeping everything open and running with minimal restrictions.  Overall I enjoyed the trip, but the lack of communication and vagueness did cause a LOT of anxiety.  Before I started the trip I told my travel companion to be prepared for ANYTHING to happen and I mean ANYTHING!  That is the mindset one needs traveling in a pandemic.  Turns out I get home and between work colleagues and family, I think more people got infected staying on land than in the ship!

I've been following this thread with interest as my friends are on this cruise. As far as I know, they are now still onboard, going back to Southampton.

 

Out of all the things that I've read, the thing that would concern me most is the lack of open and clear communications - it makes me uneasy that some of the information given was rather 'fudged'.

 

I'm due to sail on Queen Victoria in May for my first Cunard cruise. I'm weighing up the pros and cons about whether I should pay the remaining balance. The communications are definitely in the cons column for me. 

Edited January 5, 2022 by Dermotsgirl

[P2l]

From various posts on these forums and Reddit I don't believe Cunard are alone in keeping their communications, shall we say, concise.

 

My guess is that the industry as a whole is very scared right now and as @Host Hattie pointed out, they actually hope and want their customers to have a good experience. They probably think the more information they give out, the more it will be used as ammunition against them. They might even be right.

[Oca]

Hello --
DH and I are booked for the 19-night NYC round-trip cruise on QM2 in March 2022.  We are trying to clarify Cunard’s responsibility for handling passengers with Cunard Air arrangements for travel at the end of their cruise – in the event the cruise is terminated or passengers are required to disembark due a positive COVID test. 

We were on QM2 in March 2020 when she was terminating her world voyage and disembarking all passengers.  At that time, Cunard made flight arrangements for those passengers who, prior to boarding, had booked Cunard Air at the end of their cruise; passengers who did not have Cunard Air hand to handle booking their own flights home.  

Was this process followed on the recently terminated Caribbean cruise on QM2? Does anyone know if there is a Cunard policy such that, if the cruise were terminated by Cunard and/or we were required to disembark due to COVID test results, Cunard would handle making our air arrangements home, provided we had booked Cunard Air before boarding?  

Perhaps there is someone on this thread who was on the recent QM2 Caribbean cruise and/or others who know if this is the case.

Thank you.
 

[newcruise]

18 minutes ago, Oca said:

Hello --
DH and I are booked for the 19-night NYC round-trip cruise on QM2 in March 2022.  We are trying to clarify Cunard’s responsibility for handling passengers with Cunard Air arrangements for travel at the end of their cruise – in the event the cruise is terminated or passengers are required to disembark due a positive COVID test. 

We were on QM2 in March 2020 when she was terminating her world voyage and disembarking all passengers.  At that time, Cunard made flight arrangements for those passengers who, prior to boarding, had booked Cunard Air at the end of their cruise; passengers who did not have Cunard Air hand to handle booking their own flights home.  

Was this process followed on the recently terminated Caribbean cruise on QM2? Does anyone know if there is a Cunard policy such that, if the cruise were terminated by Cunard and/or we were required to disembark due to COVID test results, Cunard would handle making our air arrangements home, provided we had booked Cunard Air before boarding?  

Perhaps there is someone on this thread who was on the recent QM2 Caribbean cruise and/or others who know if this is the case.

Thank you.
 

Look at Post 536 on page 22. Make your own judgment. We have canceled.

[fourmile.ranch]

1 hour ago, Oca said:

Was this process followed on the recently terminated Caribbean cruise on QM2? Does anyone know if there is a Cunard policy such that, if the cruise were terminated by Cunard and/or we were required to disembark due to COVID test results, Cunard would handle making our air arrangements home, provided we had booked Cunard Air before boarding?  

Perhaps there is someone on this thread who was on the recent QM2 Caribbean cruise and/or others who know if this is the case.

Thank you.
 

I cannot speak for those 10 who were disembarked in NY due to Covid but when the cruise terminated all passengers who boarded in New York were flown back regardless of whether they had Cunard Air or not (I did not nor anyone in my party).

Edited January 6, 2022 by fourmile.ranch
Spelling

[Underwatr]

3 hours ago, kohl1957 said:

Which is rather why most travellers purchase Travel Insurance.  I appreciate that we all think all this is new, novel and quite scary... but quarantining for health reasons is as old as travel and disease.  Why there is a special signal flag for it.  Yellow.  For the last 150 years or more. 

Agree, but travelers should also confirm whether COVID is among the covered conditions. Some insurers are putting it in the same category as a "Named storm" for which coverage is excluded.

 

[johnnylikely]

Does anyone know when's the latest check in time for Southampton is?

[Victoria2]

4 hours ago, kohl1957 said:

Which is rather why most travellers purchase Travel Insurance.  I appreciate that we all think all this is new, novel and quite scary... but quarantining for health reasons is as old as travel and disease.  Why there is a special signal flag for it.  Yellow.  For the last 150 years or more. 

 

Quarantine or "travel interruption" is part of any travel insurance that is worth buying. Always has been. My travel insurance even tacked on additional coverage for it.  Without telling me after... I bought it. Indeed, the coverage for "travel interruption" is more than the total cost of my cruise. 

 

Cunard is not a parent. They are a steamship line.  They do their part. But responsible adults do their own. And why travel insurance is a wise choice. Five or fifty years ago. Or now.   

 

Oh what the world needs now are some good travel agents... after 42 years, I am content to no longer fulfill the role but clearly this "I can do it myself" just isn't working out. 

I agree, with all of it.

Cunard? Or agent?

No contest. We have probably one of the best cruise agents in the [UK] business, and we are extremely picky. He might not discount like other agents do but boy, is he on the ball for his clients. He is the epitome of the phrase 'you get what you paid for'!

 

It does help of course, that we're on the ball too, having travelled the world for decades and have the foresight to see 'things' might not always go smoothly. Not the cheapest route but definitely the best.

[Matelot70]

4 hours ago, johnnylikely said:

Does anyone know when's the latest check in time for Southampton is?

Depends on the departure time for the ship. You can do your on line check-in to get a boarding pass 21 days before departure which specifies your boarding time (important at the moment as it might be enforced if you arrive early). The same boarding pass gives the last boarding time for everyone.

Edited January 6, 2022 by Matelot70

[Se1lad]

4 hours ago, johnnylikely said:

Does anyone know when's the latest check in time for Southampton is?

On my boarding pass for the 10th Jan cruise I have a boarding time of 12.15pm, it also states that check in closes at 4pm.

[johnnylikely]

3 hours ago, Se1lad said:

On my boarding pass for the 10th Jan cruise I have a boarding time of 12.15pm, it also states that check in closes at 4pm.

Oh wow, u fancy! Lol, do you have  a suite? I'm Diamond and was given 1.45pm or something!

[Cruise NH]

14 hours ago, Oca said:

Hello --
DH and I are booked for the 19-night NYC round-trip cruise on QM2 in March 2022.  We are trying to clarify Cunard’s responsibility for handling passengers with Cunard Air arrangements for travel at the end of their cruise – in the event the cruise is terminated or passengers are required to disembark due a positive COVID test. 

We were on QM2 in March 2020 when she was terminating her world voyage and disembarking all passengers.  At that time, Cunard made flight arrangements for those passengers who, prior to boarding, had booked Cunard Air at the end of their cruise; passengers who did not have Cunard Air hand to handle booking their own flights home.  

Was this process followed on the recently terminated Caribbean cruise on QM2? Does anyone know if there is a Cunard policy such that, if the cruise were terminated by Cunard and/or we were required to disembark due to COVID test results, Cunard would handle making our air arrangements home, provided we had booked Cunard Air before boarding?  

Perhaps there is someone on this thread who was on the recent QM2 Caribbean cruise and/or others who know if this is the case.

Thank you.
 

 

What you described about the end of the March 2020 world cruise was the case on HAL not Cunard. 

 

We were on the QM2, Cunard took care of arranging EVERYBODYs air home from Perth whether they had used Cunard's air service or not.

 

Earlier in the cruise people who were switching around when Hong Kong and Singapore came off the itinerary had to make their own arrangements and that was a mess, maybe that's why when we got to Perth everyone was taken care of by the company.  

 

I think they did a great job for those of us who left right from the ship.  There was an option to stay in Perth for a few days (at Cunard's expense) and go out on later flights.  I heard that didn't work out so well since international flights quickly became more and more full.

[Megabear2]

13 hours ago, kohl1957 said:

Which is rather why most travellers purchase Travel Insurance.  I appreciate that we all think all this is new, novel and quite scary... but quarantining for health reasons is as old as travel and disease.  Why there is a special signal flag for it.  Yellow.  For the last 150 years or more. 

 

Quarantine or "travel interruption" is part of any travel insurance that is worth buying. Always has been. My travel insurance even tacked on additional coverage for it.  Without telling me after... I bought it. Indeed, the coverage for "travel interruption" is more than the total cost of my cruise. 

 

Cunard is not a parent. They are a steamship line.  They do their part. But responsible adults do their own. And why travel insurance is a wise choice. Five or fifty years ago. Or now.   

 

Oh what the world needs now are some good travel agents... after 42 years, I am content to no longer fulfill the role but clearly this "I can do it myself" just isn't working out. 

The insurance advice is sound but please remember that Cunard covers guests of very many nationalities and therefore each policy is covered under different laws and terms and conditions.  For instance on quarantine 95% of UK policies will not cover quarantine for any passenger who does not have a positive PCR covid test. Whilst this may not impact in the Caribbean or on a T/A voyage it is certainly having far reaching affects for passengers on European cruises as the permissions to sail under European rules insist on removal into quarantine hotels of positive testing passengers and any "close" contacts who could include travelling companions, table companions or even those on tour buses or aircraft.

Edited January 6, 2022 by Megabear2

[Se1lad]

1 hour ago, johnnylikely said:

Oh wow, u fancy! Lol, do you have  a suite? I'm Diamond and was given 1.45pm or something!

Queen’s Grill (Q6) - only gold atm, but this trip will move me to Platinum.  I expect Q1-Q3 have 12 noon check in.

[david,Mississauga]

14 hours ago, kohl1957 said:

Which is rather why most travellers purchase Travel Insurance.  I appreciate that we all think all this is new, novel and quite scary... but quarantining for health reasons is as old as travel and disease.  Why there is a special signal flag for it.  Yellow.  For the last 150 years or more. 

 

Quarantine or "travel interruption" is part of any travel insurance that is worth buying. Always has been. My travel insurance even tacked on additional coverage for it.  Without telling me after... I bought it. Indeed, the coverage for "travel interruption" is more than the total cost of my cruise. 

 

Cunard is not a parent. They are a steamship line.  They do their part. But responsible adults do their own. And why travel insurance is a wise choice. Five or fifty years ago. Or now.   

 

Oh what the world needs now are some good travel agents... after 42 years, I am content to no longer fulfill the role but clearly this "I can do it myself" just isn't working out. 

 

Although I book almost all train, plane and hotels myself I would never book a ship without having a good travel agent on my side. (The chance of saving 10 $ or £ has no bearing on my choice of TA.)

 

I would never leave Canada without having comprehensive travel insurance. Unfortunately, with the level four advisory - avoid cruise travel full-stop - it is impossible for us to get it at this time. From my research, some or most travel insurance would cover medical or missed-connections due to reasons other than COVID.

 

FInal payment for our next Cunard voyage in June is due in five weeks. We are hoping Cunard will reduce the final payment date to one month before the cruise as they have for voyages up to the end of April. If not, we will have to cancel due to the inability to obtain full insurance.

[BigMac1953]

1 hour ago, Se1lad said:

Queen’s Grill (Q6) - only gold atm, but this trip will move me to Platinum.  I expect Q1-Q3 have 12 noon check in.

 

All QG pax get same boarding time, then PG, then Diamond followed by Platinum.

[3rdGenCunarder]

40 minutes ago, david,Mississauga said:

 

Although I book almost all train, plane and hotels myself I would never book a ship without having a good travel agent on my side. (The chance of saving 10 $ or £ has no bearing on my choice of TA.)

 

I would never leave Canada without having comprehensive travel insurance. Unfortunately, with the level four advisory - avoid cruise travel full-stop - it is impossible for us to get it at this time. From my research, some or most travel insurance would cover medical or missed-connections due to reasons other than COVID.

 

FInal payment for our next Cunard voyage in June is due in five weeks. We are hoping Cunard will reduce the final payment date to one month before the cruise as they have for voyages up to the end of April. If not, we will have to cancel due to the inability to obtain full insurance.

 

I agree about using a TA for cruises, especially with Cunard' terrible website. My TA can get me a cabin in the location I want, even when the website is doing only guarantees. I've been with the same agent for years, and her experience and knowledge have been very helpful. 

 

Travel insurance--as the old Amex commercial said, don't leave home without it! I buy travel insurance in the first two weeks after I book the cruise because that gives me coverage for pre-existing conditions. My preferred insurer has changed the coverage for changes due to medical issues. If I get covid or my cruise ends because of an outbreak, they will cover my medical needs, but not quarantine or getting home. Most policies I looked at had the same exclusion for covid. 

 

I've got a final payment coming up soon for a June cruise and I'd like to see that payment date get pushed out. 

[hamrag]

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10374877/Passengers-Queen-Mary-2-luxury-cruise-spend-days-locked-cabins-catching-Covid.html

[Dermotsgirl]

7 minutes ago, hamrag said:

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10374877/Passengers-Queen-Mary-2-luxury-cruise-spend-days-locked-cabins-catching-Covid.html

It could have been worse, they could have been offloaded in Barbados.

 

If it'd happened in a Spanish port, they would have been offloaded, for sure.