QM2 making a “U” turn

[jpcello]

15 minutes ago, exlondoner said:

, but try and be patient and expect the worst.

This literally made me laugh out loud. My sister uses a mobility scooter so in our experiences cruising it can sometimes “come in handy”. We always joke about that. We’ll see and our cases are overstuffed with patience. 

[Jack E Dawson]

I will post a trip review in a few days but I wanted to post immediately on what an excellent job the Cunard staff did this morning on disembarkation. They were well organized with plenty of staff organizing the various Que. There was ongoing communication even to the point of how many passport control agents were in the terminal (14). We docked and  tied up at about 10:20AM and cleared Customs at 10:58. WELL DONE CUNARD!

[exlondoner]

14 minutes ago, Jack E Dawson said:

I will post a trip review in a few days but I wanted to post immediately on what an excellent job the Cunard staff did this morning on disembarkation. They were well organized with plenty of staff organizing the various Que. There was ongoing communication even to the point of how many passport control agents were in the terminal (14). We docked and  tied up at about 10:20AM and cleared Customs at 10:58. WELL DONE CUNARD!

That is excellent to hear - and a tiny bit surprising. 😀

[MylesS]

31 minutes ago, Jack E Dawson said:

I will post a trip review in a few days but I wanted to post immediately on what an excellent job the Cunard staff did this morning on disembarkation. They were well organized with plenty of staff organizing the various Que. There was ongoing communication even to the point of how many passport control agents were in the terminal (14). We docked and  tied up at about 10:20AM and cleared Customs at 10:58. WELL DONE CUNARD!

So great to hear! Looking forward to your trip report. Safe onward travels. 

[0493669935]

3 hours ago, Jack E Dawson said:

I will post a trip review in a few days but I wanted to post immediately on what an excellent job the Cunard staff did this morning on disembarkation. They were well organized with plenty of staff organizing the various Que. There was ongoing communication even to the point of how many passport control agents were in the terminal (14). We docked and  tied up at about 10:20AM and cleared Customs at 10:58. WELL DONE CUNARD!

My son (first Cunard voyage) is on this sailing. I told him to head to the Golden Lion for lunch.

With the delayed boarding today, do you have any idea what time the pub serves food until (usually it's 1 - 4 o'clock on embarkation day). 

[bluemarble]

On board now. We were originally assigned a 2:00pm arrival time. The two hour adjustment meant we were requested to arrive at 4:00pm. My plan was to arrive around 3:30pm via the NYC Ferry. Because of long queues and delays on the ferry we actually arrived at the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal at 4:15pm. It took 45 minutes to get through security at that point and another 35 minutes in the priority check-in queue. So, all-in-all it wasn't too bad of a check-in experience today. We've had worse experienes in the past in Brooklyn for sure. Now it's time to sit back and relax for the next 14 nights on board QM2 to Southampton and back to New York.

[BklynBoy8]

1 hour ago, bluemarble said:

On board now. We were originally assigned a 2:00pm arrival time. The two hour adjustment meant we were requested to arrive at 4:00pm. My plan was to arrive around 3:30pm via the NYC Ferry. Because of long queues and delays on the ferry we actually arrived at the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal at 4:15pm. It took 45 minutes to get through security at that point and another 35 minutes in the priority check-in queue. So, all-in-all it wasn't too bad of a check-in experience today. We've had worse experienes in the past in Brooklyn for sure. Now it's time to sit back and relax for the next 14 nights on board QM2 to Southampton and back to New York.

 

BON VOYAGE, John!

 

We have someone on board with you and they said it was a loooong day.....

 

Enjoy....

[alibabacruisers]

Bon Voyage John! 

[Host Hattie]

Thank you for the updates everyone. Have a great trip if you boarded yesterday. 

[sogne]

8 hours ago, bluemarble said:

On board now. We were originally assigned a 2:00pm arrival time. The two hour adjustment meant we were requested to arrive at 4:00pm. My plan was to arrive around 3:30pm via the NYC Ferry. Because of long queues and delays on the ferry we actually arrived at the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal at 4:15pm. It took 45 minutes to get through security at that point and another 35 minutes in the priority check-in queue. So, all-in-all it wasn't too bad of a check-in experience today. We've had worse experienes in the past in Brooklyn for sure. Now it's time to sit back and relax for the next 14 nights on board QM2 to Southampton and back to New York.

you should get your first look at QA on 23rd as you berth on QE2 terminal lwith QA on Mayflower

either on arrival if lucky or if QA departs before QM2

[bluemarble]

5 hours ago, sogne said:

you should get your first look at QA on 23rd as you berth on QE2 terminal lwith QA on Mayflower

either on arrival if lucky or if QA departs before QM2

 

Very much looking forward to the first meeting of QA and QM2 in Southampton on 23rd June.

 

Available itineraries indicate QA will be arriving at 6:00am (at Mayflower) while QM2 will be arriving at 6:30am (at QEII). So perhaps that won't pass each other on the way in. Likewise, QM2 may be departing at 5:00pm and QA at 6:00pm.

 

Nevertheless, I will endeavor to get a good look at QA that day while both ships are in Southampton.

[sogne]

4 minutes ago, bluemarble said:

 

Very much looking forward to the first meeting of QA and QM2 in Southampton on 23rd June.

 

Available itineraries indicate QA will be arriving at 6:00am (at Mayflower) while QM2 will be arriving at 6:30am (at QEII). So perhaps that won't pass each other on the way in. Likewise, QM2 may be departing at 5:00pm and QA at 6:00pm.

 

Nevertheless, I will endeavor to get a good look at QA that day while both ships are in Southampton.

Usually Mayflower arrivals go first.

. hopefully we will leave before you

[Germancruiser]

Just getting back into my routine after debarking QM2 last Sunday in Soto. All in all two wonderful weeks on board my favorite ship- a review will follow shortly.

The only strange happening really was this driffting for 8 or so hours in the midst of the Atlantic Ocean.

Some things I am sill wondering about. We have been in the middle of the Atlantic- looking out of our balcony - just when the ship stopped, we ( and many others) saw three lights in the not to far distance- two white lights- looked like postion lights of ships. One bright red light- very bright red. No explanation for that- also " Why an U- Turn" to stopp the ship? Was the last to get out of the way for other ship traffic? Well - not that we saw so many ships passing during the crossing. If anyone has any ideas... !

[Jack E Dawson]

10 hours ago, Germancruiser said:

just when the ship stopped, we ( and many others) saw three lights in the not to far distance- two white lights- looked like postion lights of ships. One bright red light- very bright red. No explanation for that- also " Why an U- Turn" to stopp the ship?

Germancruiser,

I also looked out of our sheltered balcony opening shortly after the shipped stopped but only saw fog. We were on the port side of the QM2 and had a narrower field of view than those with a glass fronted balcony. As to the U-turn, I believe that had more to due with the ocean current at that point, which I think flows west to east, therefore pushing us "backwards". We did travel back to the east a significant distance. Looking at the map on channel 45 on the in-cabin TV, i'm guessing 20 miles or more. 

Jack

[Germancruiser]

Yes - thanks - Jack- that can be the reason for the U- Turn - after the ship got slower than 9knt the TV Channel 45 stopped reporting- so I went out on the balcony at this time to see - if there is in fact something to see- and it was those lights I mentioned. , my balcony was a sheltered one also- and also on the port side of the ship.

 

[Yukon1955]

The wife and I love this ship, but I am very concerned about these power failures.  The internet says there have been 6 of them in recent years.  On the June 23 cruise to NYC, we saw the ship slow in mid ocean unexplainedly three times, followed by a late arrival.  Why can't this problem be fixed?

[chengkp75]

26 minutes ago, Yukon1955 said:

Why can't this problem be fixed?

Before you can answer this, you need to know if it is the same problem repeatedly, or different problems each time.  My lake house loses power several times a year, but sometimes it is storm damage (downed trees), sometimes it is "animal related" (according to the power company), sometimes it is an aging transformer that blows out, and sometimes it is switchgear failure at the substations.  Each of these are "power failures", but each has a different repair, and a different way of mitigating a repeat.

[Yukon1955]

Exactly, but in a complete information blackout, I find this very difficult to ascertain.

[chengkp75]

2 minutes ago, Yukon1955 said:

Exactly, but in a complete information blackout, I find this very difficult to ascertain.

So, you demand full disclosure of failures and repairs from cruise lines.  When your flight gets delayed or canceled due to "equipment failure", do you demand the airline disclose all previous problems that aircraft had?  Or a rental car, or a bus, or a train?  Even if you go to a website that lists how many equipment delays or cancellations an airline has had over the years, does it list this by airframe number and specify what the problem was?  Why is the cruise industry pilloried for not giving information that no other form of transportation gives out?  When a ride at the amusement park gets shut down, do they post a sign saying how many times, and for what reason, it was shut down in the past?

[*Miss G*]

1 hour ago, Yukon1955 said:

On the June 23 cruise to NYC, we saw the ship slow in mid ocean unexplainedly three times

 

There are mandatory (zoned) and voluntary (when spotted) speed limitations to protect right whales. Are you sure it was a power failure?

[exlondoner]

In any case it is not just QM2. QV stopped for several hours one night when we were in the Adriatic, so they could reset something or other. I imagine it happens on most ships from time to time.

[bluemarble]

3 hours ago, Yukon1955 said:

The wife and I love this ship, but I am very concerned about these power failures.  The internet says there have been 6 of them in recent years.  On the June 23 cruise to NYC, we saw the ship slow in mid ocean unexplainedly three times, followed by a late arrival.  Why can't this problem be fixed?

 

I'd be interested the learn more about the internet source that says QM2 has had 6 power failures in recent years. I found cruisemapper citing these statistics.

 

"propulsion/power loss - 2006 (twice), 2008, 2009, 2010, 2018, 2023 (4 canceled Transatlantic cruises)"

 

That accounts four 7 issues over 17 years, plus we know of one recent electrical/power issue which delayed the June 9-15 westbound crossing into New York by 4 hours. As an side, I'll note that there were only 2 canceled Transatlantic crossings during 2023, not 4 as this quote appears to suggest.

 

I imagine @chengkp75 can enlighten us as to whether 8 propulsion/power loss issues (which may or may not be related) over an 18 year period is unusual or not.

 

Furthermore, I was on the June 23-29 westbound crossing and was not aware of the ship slowing unexplainedly in mid ocean three times. I clearly wasn't keeping track of her speed at all times, so I certainly can't deny that happened. Just saying I was oblivious to any issues like that. Please do tell us more about how much she slowed and for how long each time if you can.

 

What I do know is QM2 departed Southampton one hour late on June 23, diverted south from a direct route for the first few days to avoid the worst of a weather system and had to slow a few knots while in a portion of that weather system.

 

This was one of the rescheduled 6 night crossings where there is little opportunity for QM2 to make up lost time. The way I figure it, she has to average about 23 knots on a direct route to make a westbound crossing in 6 nights. As I understand it, she has to use her turbines to sail in excess of 25 knots which she hasn't used for quite sometime.

[chengkp75]

3 minutes ago, bluemarble said:

imagine @chengkp75 can enlighten us as to whether 8 propulsion/power loss issues (which may or may not be related) over an 18 year period is unusual or not.

Again, given that there is no differentiation between a propulsion loss and a power loss, these could easily be 8 completely different systems causing problems. And, without knowing how many were propulsion and how many were power outages, I really can't say whether or not they represent an "unusual" amount of problems or not.  Cruise ships are among the most complicated ships afloat, and with complexity comes the possibility of failure.  Now, good design attempts to minimize total failure by requiring multiple failures of various systems before you get a blackout, but as is shown in the Dali/Key Bridge disaster, the part the NTSB is looking at most for the root cause of the incident is a $10 electrical connection block.  And, the Dali had a more sophisticated power generation system than most ships.

[JT1101]

1 hour ago, bluemarble said:

 

I'd be interested the learn more about the internet source that says QM2 has had 6 power failures in recent years. I found cruisemapper citing these statistics.

 

"propulsion/power loss - 2006 (twice), 2008, 2009, 2010, 2018, 2023 (4 canceled Transatlantic cruises)"

 

That accounts four 7 issues over 17 years, plus we know of one recent electrical/power issue which delayed the June 9-15 westbound crossing into New York by 4 hours. As an side, I'll note that there were only 2 canceled Transatlantic crossings during 2023, not 4 as this quote appears to suggest.

 

I imagine @chengkp75 can enlighten us as to whether 8 propulsion/power loss issues (which may or may not be related) over an 18 year period is unusual or not.

 

Furthermore, I was on the June 23-29 westbound crossing and was not aware of the ship slowing unexplainedly in mid ocean three times. I clearly wasn't keeping track of her speed at all times, so I certainly can't deny that happened. Just saying I was oblivious to any issues like that. Please do tell us more about how much she slowed and for how long each time if you can.

 

What I do know is QM2 departed Southampton one hour late on June 23, diverted south from a direct route for the first few days to avoid the worst of a weather system and had to slow a few knots while in a portion of that weather system.

 

This was one of the rescheduled 6 night crossings where there is little opportunity for QM2 to make up lost time. The way I figure it, she has to average about 23 knots on a direct route to make a westbound crossing in 6 nights. As I understand it, she has to use her turbines to sail in excess of 25 knots which she hasn't used for quite sometime.

I agree that we need to take internet sources with a HUGE grain of salt. Overall QM2 propulsion has been pretty reliable. She had a couple of episodes early which were down to the Rolls Royce Mermaid Azipod units and which actually caused a lawsuit by Cunard (Carnival) against RR. That finally got addressed and since then the only major issue was in 2023; which I suspect could be attributed to the missed 2020 refit (which happened later in the year). Now if we see a gap suddenly appear in her schedule then we can assume they are going to put her in for additional work. 

[Jim_P]

I was on during the Australian leg of the world voyage in February this year, and can confirm that there was an unexpected power loss during that trip that left the ship drifting and without air-conditioning for about four hours in the middle of the night. The captain made an announcement in the morning that they had to turn everything off and reset the system. It does seem a little unusual that the exact same thing happened again so soon.