QA Canaries 10 May Comments

[exlondoner]

Just now, TowandaUK said:

Incidentally. We have not received a survey. Has anyone else received one?  

Not yet. Breath still bated.

[david63]

33 minutes ago, TowandaUK said:

Incidentally the promised refund of $2016 for the drink package has still not materialised and I’m getting nowhere with Cunard. Seems like I shall have to start a dispute proceeding with my credit card company. This despite being told 3 times by the pursers office that the refund was on its way, and having paid pay as you go for all our drinks.

The problem here is probably one of the left hand does not know what the right hand is doing.

 

From what you have said I am guessing that you paid for the drinks package pre cruise via Cunard shoreside but then cancelled it when onboard and both of those worked fine.

 

Where I suspect the issue is is that onboard cannot actually process the refund (unlike shore excursions that can) and all they can do is contact whoever shoreside who can be somewhat tardy at times in actioning these matters. If you have not already done so then I would contact Customer Services at Carnival House.

[Host Hattie]

27 minutes ago, TowandaUK said:

He did do 2 performances. Perhaps the content differed. I have no intention of commenting further on this one small part of my review. 
To be honest I’m more upset that I have paid for all my drinks twice and getting nowhere with my complaint to Cunard. 

I'm not surprised, have you tried this email address 

executive.correspondence@carnivalukgroup.com ?

 

 

[TowandaUK]

Thank you for your help. I originally emailed via the website. Customer services then gave me a different email address to try which they said would respond straight away, but they didn’t. I have just spoken to customer services again and this time the lovely lady I spoke to put the refund request through herself. Interestingly she said there had been no refund request from the ship despite me being told 3 times that refund was on its way!  I feel a little more confident that the refund will arrive now. 

[Host Hattie]

That sounds more hopeful, please let us know if/when it arrives. I hope this snag hasn't put you off Cunard too much.

[S1971]

4 minutes ago, TowandaUK said:

Thank you for your help. I originally emailed via the website. Customer services then gave me a different email address to try which they said would respond straight away, but they didn’t. I have just spoken to customer services again and this time the lovely lady I spoke to put the refund request through herself. Interestingly she said there had been no refund request from the ship despite me being told 3 times that refund was on its way!  I feel a little more confident that the refund will arrive now. 

Hopefully now you've had direct contact with customer service your refund will be forth coming.

[david63]

23 minutes ago, TowandaUK said:

she said there had been no refund request from the ship despite me being told 3 times that refund was on its way!

That does not surprise me one bit.

[TowandaUK]

21 minutes ago, Host Hattie said:

That sounds more hopeful, please let us know if/when it arrives. I hope this snag hasn't put you off Cunard too much.

Thank you. We actually booked a 2 night taster onQM2 while onboard so hope it’s the start of a longer relationship with Cunard. 

[Winifred 22]

3 minutes ago, TowandaUK said:

Thank you. We actually booked a 2 night taster onQM2 while onboard so hope it’s the start of a longer relationship with Cunard. 

You will enjoy that they are very good and an ideal way to see if you like QM2 I have done 4 nights as part of a 2 X2 but can highly recommend as will  many other folk on here. 

[Victoria2]

12 minutes ago, david63 said:

That does not surprise me one bit.

Nor me.

 

Our agent is our 'go to' normally but I had a 'communications issue' last week which needed sorting there and then and and luckily, after a few 'chats' with various people, found my saviour.

 

It only takes one person to know what they're doing but sadly, finding that person can be a bit of a winding path with Cunard on occasions.

Hopefully, TowandaUK  has found their saviour in this instance.

 

Edited May 29 by Victoria2

[exlondoner]

2 minutes ago, Victoria2 said:

Nor me.

 

Our agent is our 'go to' normally but I had a 'communications issue' last week which needed sorting there and then and and luckily, after a few 'chats' with various people, found my saviour.

 

It only takes one person to know what they're doing but sadly, finding that person can be a bit of a winding path with Cunard on occasions.

Hopefully, TowandaUK  has found their saviour in this instance.

 

I suspect it is particularly bad on QA at present, while everyone is finding their way, and unusually busy, and perhaps unwilling to take responsibility for anything much if they can avoid it. They certainly need someone with a more efficient and forceful personality to get a grip on the movements of large numbers on and off the ship.

[david63]

4 minutes ago, Victoria2 said:

can be a bit of a winding path with Cunard on occasions.

Not just Cunard but all Carnival brands out of the UK.

[Victoria2]

1 minute ago, exlondoner said:

I suspect it is particularly bad on QA at present, while everyone is finding their way, and unusually busy, and perhaps unwilling to take responsibility for anything much if they can avoid it. They certainly need someone with a more efficient and forceful personality to get a grip on the movements of large numbers on and off the ship.

They certainly do and although we heard announcements, others didn't and so more public announcements on any issues would help.

 

Mind you, that wouldn't stop those determined to queue and block the hallways and public rooms in their eagerness to get off.

[exlondoner]

4 minutes ago, david63 said:

Not just Cunard but all Carnival brands out of the UK.

And banks, utilities, airlines, telecoms….

 

[buchanan101]

15 hours ago, TowandaUK said:

Thank you Hattie

Seems to be the only positive review on there... 

 

Folk here on the boards seem more positive though.

 

It's not QM2...doesn't mean you can't like both, and I'm still looking forward immensely to the end of June and Norway; 25 days according to MyCunard...

 

Hopefully most of the teething problems will have been sorted by then

[exlondoner]

I am mulling a review, which will be largely positive, if not ecstatic. I’ll let you know when it has hatched - sorry, horribly mixed metaphor.

[Victoria2]

6 minutes ago, buchanan101 said:

Seems to be the only positive review on there... 

 

Folk here on the boards seem more positive though.

 

It's not QM2...doesn't mean you can't like both, and I'm still looking forward immensely to the end of June and Norway; 25 days according to MyCunard...

 

Hopefully most of the teething problems will have been sorted by then

Golly, some diverse views.

 

Just shows 'you' need to know the writer's background to really take in a review. I'll stick to the opinions of Cunard board members and in particular those who, and this is just my personal opinion, I feel have a recent Cunard experiences from which to draw on/compare/can be objective as well as subjective.

[Host Hattie]

16 minutes ago, buchanan101 said:

Seems to be the only positive review on there... 

 

Folk here on the boards seem more positive though.

 

It's not QM2...doesn't mean you can't like both, and I'm still looking forward immensely to the end of June and Norway; 25 days according to MyCunard...

 

Hopefully most of the teething problems will have been sorted by then

The review section can be rather scary ...

[Selbourne]

20 minutes ago, exlondoner said:

They certainly need someone with a more efficient and forceful personality to get a grip on the movements of large numbers on and off the ship.

Absolutely. This is only our second Cunard cruise, but we’ve done well over 20 other cruises and we have never seen queues like we’ve seen on Queen Anne at present. It’s understandable that tender operations can result in delays, but this is the second day in a row where we have been in port and yet there were massive queues snaking through the ship just to walk off both days, and then once ashore another queue well over half the length of the ship for the tours. I presume this isn’t normal?

[exlondoner]

2 minutes ago, Selbourne said:

Absolutely. This is only our second Cunard cruise, but we’ve done well over 20 other cruises and we have never seen queues like we’ve seen on Queen Anne at present. It’s understandable that tender operations can result in delays, but this is the second day in a row where we have been in port and yet there were massive queues snaking through the ship just to walk off both days, and then once ashore another queue well over half the length of the ship for the tours. I presume this isn’t normal?

Don’t recall having to queue to get off the ship at a normal port, and indeed, last week, we just strolled off. So goodness knows what is going on. I have sometimes experienced queues to board, if a couple of coaches arrive together. Last week we had no problem, but I know others did, especially in Madeira, where they were doing security scanning on board.

 

It needs someone competent to sort it, and make honest announcements too.

[buchanan101]

11 minutes ago, Selbourne said:

Absolutely. This is only our second Cunard cruise, but we’ve done well over 20 other cruises and we have never seen queues like we’ve seen on Queen Anne at present. It’s understandable that tender operations can result in delays, but this is the second day in a row where we have been in port and yet there were massive queues snaking through the ship just to walk off both days, and then once ashore another queue well over half the length of the ship for the tours. I presume this isn’t normal?

 

Hoping most ports in Norway are not tenders. Flam we share with a smaller ship so hopefully we get to dock.  Bergen must be docked (says T2 wherever that is). Olden and Haugesund only QA on the day so assume docked.

 

Are queues only at tender ports?

Edited May 29 by buchanan101

[exlondoner]

3 minutes ago, buchanan101 said:

 

Hoping most ports in Norway are not tenders. Flam we share with a smaller ship so hopefully we get to dock.  Bergen must be docked (says T2 wherever that is). Olden and Haugesund only QA on the day so assume docked.

 

Are queues only at tender ports?

At the moment, it looks as if QA can generate a queue just by existing, though this wasn’t the case really last week, except for disembarkation. 😀

[david63]

Unless there is something different about QA then surely the procedure for getting passengers off and on at ports is the same as with any other ship - and I suspect that the majority of the crew have had experience of doing this on other ships.

 

By today's standards QA is not a big ship so that should not be a problem and even so there are bigger ships in the Carnival fleet where this is not a problem.

[exlondoner]

4 minutes ago, david63 said:

Unless there is something different about QA then surely the procedure for getting passengers off and on at ports is the same as with any other ship - and I suspect that the majority of the crew have had experience of doing this on other ships.

 

By today's standards QA is not a big ship so that should not be a problem and even so there are bigger ships in the Carnival fleet where this is not a problem.

Exactly, it is completely bizarre. 

[buchanan101]

When you are visiting several ports in the same country do you have to go through immigration each time (I assume so, as they don't know you've been off at the first port)? How long does that take in post Brexit days?