London Hotel to Ship Transfer Incompetence

[SeaCrews]

We stayed in the Sheraton Towers in mid-town before and after a QM2 cruise last fall. Our transfer from JFK - midtown was smooth and unremarkable.

 

From NYC to the port, we came down with our luggage in the timeframe on our paper and found the bus had just started driving down the street! The rep got the driver to stop and get us loaded. Other passengers were very annoyed with us for the delay -- but then it took us 45 min. to go around 3 sides of the block to get into the one-way street system in the right direction. So, we could have just stood at the front door of the hotel for 40 min. and climbed on when it finally passed by.

 

The good service experience was at the return from the cruise. We had a long slog on a very hot day to get our luggage out to the bus, and got some lip from the driver about how heavy it was. Had to wait quite a while until he gave up on getting more passengers, and had an uneventful trip back into NYC. But when we got out at the hotel and organized our luggage, we discovered that we'd left a suitcase behind at the custom's shed! We were traveling with two young children and there was no way we could have gone back out to the port to retrieve the luggage. The rep contacted another Cunard rep at the port and arranged for our luggage to be delivered on the next mid-town bus, so it caught up with us in 2 hours. That was impressive, and a huge relief.

 

So, sometimes they can get it right. I think we were very lucky to have a kind, experienced woman who didn't have any language or cultural issues interfering with communication.

 

We're off to England in 2 weeks for a few days outside London before boarding the QE2 for an Iceland/Norway itinerary. I'm glad to have the recommendations about hiring a car!

 

Cheers,

Carol

[Girl Guide]

Blazerboy

 

 

 

The one rep I finally found in NY on embarkation morning admitted she was a "temp" I do not believe she had ever taken a cruise.

 

??? Why would a temp have taken a cruise? Surely you don't think the cruise lines would provide familiarization cruises for sub contractors on a temporary basis?

[Jimsgirl]

No Girlguide, I do not think Cunard should provide "free" cruises for NY meet and greet Reps, however after over 50 yrs in the business world I do think that an employer would and should hire workers who have experience in the product or service they are providing.

 

When my car needs servicing, and I take it to the repair shop .

I expect the repair shop to be staffed by mechanics trained on my kind of car, I would not expect my car to be repaired by someone who has spent all his working life as a short order cook. and whose only qualification is that he is alive and breathing. That appeared to be the only "qualification" the Rep had.

 

My grandson in law is a short order cook, a very good short order cook in fact, as a cook he is great, but I would not trust my brake repair to him.

 

It is because the agency hires "temps" working "for cash by the day" that passengers are left stranded, and without the promised transport since the person hired has no "loyalty" to the agency, or to Cunard and feels no responsibility towards the passengers he/she is supposed to assist..If he/she does not feel like working that day he/she simply does not fulfil the assigned duty.