Covid x 2.

[Victoria2]

14 minutes ago, majortom10 said:

Certainly issues were not sorted out completely as she did say that the letters were still not correct and that she "had given up the will to live". She does not know whether documentation provided will cause problems when claiming off insurance. We all hope it is good enough if it doesn't or even if it does the stress caused is down to Cunard and their incompetence in the last 48 hrs which is not good enough. The staff should by now be well trained on how to deal with COVID and provide right documentation for their insurance claim which they are clearly not. Sorry to upset people especially those that won't have a wrong word said against Cunard but gives the impression they don't care and just want you off the ship and not bothered about your insurance claim.

 

.

How many reports of this have you come across? I have to admit, I only know of anything if reported on this board so, a genuine question.

[exlondoner]

30 minutes ago, exlondoner said:

Like @baw53I had Covid onboard, when we were on QM2 in the summer. I am eternally grateful that it was only for a few days, which was quite tiresome enough. Like her, I felt the service I received, both then and when I was well previously, was excellent, and I was treated with great kindness. That said, I can see nothing can make up for being confined for the vast majority of a holiday, and this makes stupid administrative cockups all the more infuriating. However, I have really not seen an overall deterioration in what Cunard provides. I can for instance remember frequent complaints about the service at the Purser’s desk at the time of my first voyage in 1997.

 

I have noticed that negative reviews often turn on one of two issues, such as rust, a less than efficient staff member, or, in one case, whether pineapple should be hot or cold, and reviewers allow those faults to ruin their view of the whole voyage, even though they actually comment on other aspects that were wonderful. It seems to me to allow the fact that your QG cabin bottles didn’t arrive until the second day, for instance, to create a negative overall impression of the whole voyage is grossly unbalanced. But this is what many people do, and Cunard should be aware of the dangers of a negative first impression.

And I should have added, sometimes, even more so, a negative last impression.

[Victoria2]

8 minutes ago, exlondoner said:

And I should have added, sometimes, even more so, a negative last impression.

True and people should also learn to look beyond the nit picks when reading passenger impressions of their experience. Sadly, many don't which is why although I recognise Cunard has its problems, I also recognise  there are  many thousands of happy campers who do not ''do'' social media and  post of their positive experiences which means it's the problems which grab most of the attention.

[Minnie29]

I have just got home from the same QV cruise and have to say we certainly believe that Cunard standards have slipped since our cruise last year. 
Our cabin on deck 5 was tatty in places. The wardrobes were chipped on the corners with marks on the insides. The balcony furniture had paint peeling all over it and the bathroom shower curtain situation is ridiculous!!! 
Our cabin steward wasn’t friendly at all. We have had wonderful stewards in the past and I wonder if they are understaffed now. 
it didn’t feel anywhere near as special as previous Cunard cruises have been. 
Some of the crew in the Chart Room were less than friendly too. 

[majortom10]

1 hour ago, Victoria2 said:

How many reports of this have you come across? I have to admit, I only know of anything if reported on this board so, a genuine question.

There are many complaints on various Faceache pages and also another cruise forum I use. Many people are not happy with Cu ard at the moment There is even one who has a cruise booked with Cunard on QE from Aus to NZ in QG. He has been informed by Cunard that because of overbooking he will be downgraded to Britannia Club. He is not happy and don't blame him.

 

[majortom10]

15 minutes ago, Minnie29 said:

I have just got home from the same QV cruise and have to say we certainly believe that Cunard standards have slipped since our cruise last year. 
Our cabin on deck 5 was tatty in places. The wardrobes were chipped on the corners with marks on the insides. The balcony furniture had paint peeling all over it and the bathroom shower curtain situation is ridiculous!!! 
Our cabin steward wasn’t friendly at all. We have had wonderful stewards in the past and I wonder if they are understaffed now. 
it didn’t feel anywhere near as special as previous Cunard cruises have been. 
Some of the crew in the Chart Room were less than friendly too. 

We were in 5100 in November and we were not impressed with poor overall standard of our cabin, sorry PG suite.

[Victoria2]

3 minutes ago, majortom10 said:

There are many complaints on various Faceache pages and also another cruise forum I use. Many people are not happy with Cu ard at the moment There is even one who has a cruise booked with Cunard on QE from Aus to NZ in QG. He has been informed by Cunard that because of overbooking he will be downgraded to Britannia Club. He is not happy and don't blame him.

 

For the purpose of balance, is every single comment on these forum/Fb sites, in the  negative or are there happy passengers too?

[sogne]

12 minutes ago, Victoria2 said:

For the purpose of balance, is every single comment on these forum/Fb sites, in the  negative or are there happy passengers too?

We have spent 60 n on QM2 this year and no problems. Perhaps being at sea professionally I am easily satisfied at being afloat again just for pleasure or just possibly I understand the fragility of the human mind.  Needless I am looking forward to another 62 n in 23.

[baw53]

Had an excellent nights sleep in my own bed  after a stressless drive home , hardly any traffic holdups  ….M3,A34,M40,M42 and M6 , journey time of 3 1/2 hours …now looking forward to  Christmas..I still believe I did the right thing after self testing positive and having it confirmed .I like to think I am  a decent human being and could not have mixed with others knowing I had  covid and could give it others that could easily have had it much much worse than I did and become seriously , if not dangerously Ill with it.I  could  have worn a mask , tried hard to keep my distance  removed it at mealtimes but the very thought as the  waiters bent low  over me ….’ did I just give you covid, I know I could have because I have got it ?’No, that’s not the sort of person I was brought up to be.The isolation was tedious , our covid steward was excellent .The management not so.The debacle re getting the necessary documents was disgraceful.We never received one phone call throughout  our 9 days of quarantine to ask after our health or well being ..not 1, not from management nor medical officers.We were given written instructions of what we could and couldn’t do and a thermometer and that was that .The message was clear ‘ get on with it’ .We did.I cleaned our cabin , bathroom and toilet.I changed our bed linen .I asked for complimentary internet , it took a while and several phone calls to get it.That was all we got.Everyone on board had food and drink and free room service so nothing special there.We saw 2 shows , never got an afternoon tea, nor lunch in the Golden Lion .My lovely outfits for Masquerade and Roaring Twenties remained in the wardrobe …if we had received just 1 phone call from someone other than our covid steward throughout it really would have made a difference .I don’t think that’s a lot to ask from Cunard.Oh , I forgot …just when we thought it couldn’t get any worse as 9.30am approached ( the time we were told to be ready to leave ) it did ….we had been forgotten….We waited and waited …I phoned and was told they were busy but someone would come …We waited ….I phoned at 10am ….at 10.10am a young female ‘ maskless ’ crew member arrived and escorted us to the lift 50 yards away.In it there was an elderly lady wearing a mask .She had had covid since last Saturday and she too confirmed that she had not had any phone calls from management and she had been all alone in her cabin.I. could see how sad she was from her eyes.My heart sank , I felt so selfish for complaining about anything as I had had my husband of 55 years with me the whole time .Our covid steward arrived and escorted us down to the  depths of the ship.We 3  walked off together from then on feeling even more alone as there was no further ‘ assistance ‘( lol)  .We 3 collected our cases…the only 3 left in the building…we walked out together , she got in a taxi and we walked through the drizzle the couple of hundred yards to the  only car in the middle of the vast car park .I said to my hubby ‘ Home James and don’t spare the horses’ I never even turned my head to look back at the ship.I can assure you we will never sail with Cunard again , not just because of our covid experience but the cabin is very dated , with a very small bathroom ( don’t bring a cat, you can’t swing it) The TV is just a screen for showing very old films of their choice ,not yours, and is in the wrong place , it is fixed to the wall difficult to watch in comfort…I know, I know ….who watches TV on a cruise? With Saga we could watch all the shows from our cabin …Saga are way, way in advance of Cunard technically, their cabins are sooo comfortable ( and their managerial staff are wonderful too)We do have a Celebrity cruise booked but only held with a minimal ‘ future cruise’ deposit of £85 booked on our last sailing with them .I said never ever again but my hubby says  at least we would have modern technology and comfort in the cabin and the views of the Fjords would still be amazing from the balcony…..the jury’s out! Hope you all have a lovely Christmas ….I know we will .

[Victoria2]

baw53 bearing in mind, I am a devoted Cunard client, find this so depressing and sad a post. I would copy this to the Cunard CEO or President etc.

 

It won't do you any good but it just might focus the attention on how a teeny bit of tlc such as picking up the phone and enquiring  after health/do you need anything etc would make the ill passenger feel part of the human race.

 

I am so glad you're safe at home and had a good sleep. Best wishes for your continuing recovery and for ''the'' day tomorrow.

 

 

[Host Hattie]

I'm sorry to hear that you were neglected by the medical staff. I'm quite surprised as there were a lot more cases when my husband caught Covid in October but they checked up on him every day. We were separated but we both had contact from the Purser's office as well. 

Did you have the MDR menus to choose from? You should have had extra food and drink options. 

I hope your insurance claim is settled smoothly and you enjoy your future holidays. 

Thanks again for sharing your experience with us. 

[Windsurfboy]

now you mention  Saga , a couple we got to know well on our Eastern Mediterranean cruise, caught covid. Only she had it, mildly, but he also went into isolation with her. Never asked about what compensation hey got.  But treatment was completely different. The doctor or nurse popped in every day to check on them, management also rang every day . They said food was hot, and they could choose from any menu in any restaurant what ever they fancied they got. Even offered to set up mini bar with whatever they wanted.  Of course all cabins are decent sized balcony cabins , and it was 30 degrees. Luckily out after 5 nights,  6 days.

 

Only similarity, seems to be that cabin stewards on both lines were great, difference was in the ships management who seemed to care, and fact the Saga ship had plenty of  staff to spare.

Edited December 24, 2022 by Windsurfboy

[Craigrlewis]

4 hours ago, baw53 said:

I still believe I did the right thing after self testing positive and having it confirmed .I like to think I am  a decent human being and could not have mixed with others knowing I had  covid and could give it others that could easily have had it much much worse than I did and become seriously , if not dangerously Ill with it.I  could  have worn a mask , tried hard to keep my distance  removed it at mealtimes but the very thought as the  waiters bent low  over me ….’ did I just give you covid, I know I could have because I have got it ?’No, that’s not the sort of person I was brought up to be.

I agree with this.

I picked up covid on QE in Alaska in June.3 days cabin isolation then 7 days in a hotel in Vancouver.

At times I wished I hadn't tested and then reported it etc but I ended up saying almost word for word what you have just said.

 

My manager says to me “one can do the morally right thing and rest easily at night”.  This you did.

 

We took a QV trip this November and returned covid free.

 

Don't be put off.

 

[techteach]

@Craigrlewis “My manager says to me “one can do the morally right thing and rest easily at night”.  Thisyou did.” Exactly.

 

[Windsurfboy]

What you do is a personal choice but also depends on time of year.

 

In summer or warm climate.

One can eat in cabin,  but then sit outside on deck , or walk around outside at port. It has been shown risk of transmission outside especially on sunny days is absolutely negligible, ie so small you don't have to worry about it.

 

Stuck inside in  European winter cruise is another scenario,  but one we never will face.

 

Before judging the morality of the decisions of others,  what if Cunard made it easier for people to do what you call the right thing, by offering better service to those in isolation and automatic FCC, for the time in isolation,  or the full cruise if majority spent in isolation. 

[exlondoner]

3 minutes ago, Windsurfboy said:

What you do is a personal choice but also depends on time of year.

 

In summer or warm climate.

One can eat in cabin,  but then sit outside on deck , or walk around outside at port. It has been shown risk of transmission outside especially on sunny days is absolutely negligible, ie so small you don't have to worry about it.

 

Stuck inside in  European winter cruise is another scenario,  but one we never will face.

 

Before judging the morality of the decisions of others,  what if Cunard made it easier for people to do what you call the right thing, by offering better service to those in isolation and automatic FCC, for the time in isolation,  or the full cruise if majority spent in isolation. 

If they are going to continue to quarantine the honest, why not set aside a quarantine lift, and have a quarantine lounge - perhaps the boardroom, and allow those quarantining to wander outside when the weather is suitable. This would make the experience more palatable, increase the number admitting to it, and perhaps reduce overall risks. I would also be in favour of proper test before embarkation.

[Wonky]

So should we do the same with Flu?

[Windsurfboy]

4 minutes ago, Wonky said:

So should we do the same with Flu

 

Logically yes

[Wonky]

14 minutes ago, Windsurfboy said:

 

Logically yes

Really?? So you’re suggesting that Cunard give FCC to everyone who has Flu or Covid? Don’t think they would be around for very long!

[Host Hattie]

There is no FCC for Covid isolation. You can be isolated for various reasons including Norovirus, you will be able to

claim from your travel insurance. 

[Victoria2]

38 minutes ago, Wonky said:

So should we do the same with Flu?

I've had flu once and lifting my head off the pillow was a stretch and no way was I up to walking around.  I'd be self quarantining in order to sleep and be totally miserable on my own! 😄

[exlondoner]

15 minutes ago, Victoria2 said:

I've had flu once and lifting my head off the pillow was a stretch and no way was I up to walking around.  I'd be self quarantining in order to sleep and be totally miserable on my own! 😄

Yes, I think, generally speaking, you know if you have flu, which makes it easier to deal with from the transmission point of view?

[Windsurfboy]

We are talking about two viruses that are now equal in their impact on individuals and mortality. 

 

I never heard in past of people being put into isolation for Flu, it was up to people to make sensible choices, which is normally a few days in bed, but you were free to get up and leave once you felt up to it and you wanted to. That is why there have never been FCC for Flu.

 

However when a cruise line, puts you into isolation and keeps you there even once you feel better,  "voluntary or perhaps involuntary imprisonment" , then that is different. Telling you its your responsibility to claim on insurance is passing the buck. Isolation is a cruise line policy , not a legal requirement.  

[exlondoner]

6 minutes ago, Windsurfboy said:

We are talking about two viruses that are now equal in their impact on individuals and mortality. 

 

I never heard in past of people being put into isolation for Flu, it was up to people to make sensible choices, which is normally a few days in bed, but you were free to get up and leave once you felt up to it and you wanted to. That is why there have never been FCC for Flu.

 

However when a cruise line, puts you into isolation and keeps you there even once you feel better,  "voluntary or perhaps involuntary imprisonment" , then that is different. Telling you its your responsibility to claim on insurance is passing the buck. Isolation is a cruise line policy , not a legal requirement.  

And I believe with flu the incubation period is very short, so you feel ill almost the entire time you are infectious, which makes everything much easier.

[Wonky]

47 minutes ago, Windsurfboy said:

Isolation is a cruise line policy , not a legal requirement.  

It’s actually a bit more than policy, the CDC’s guidance is to isolate pax so I think they would be ill(!) advised to ignore that.