Cunard Cruise Line & the Passengers of Queen Mary 2
January 25, 2006
Cunard Cruise Line's Queen Mary 2 has seen smoother sailings during her days. After one of Queen Mary 2's motors broke down during her latest South American itinerary, the ship ran into another series of problems, wholly unrelated to the mechanics of the ship.
The motor problem occurred when Cunard Cruise Line's Queen Mary 2 inadvertently bumped into an undersea portion of the dock. When the Queen Mary 2 was forced to return to the Port Everglades after about four miles out to sea on its first few days of a 38-day cruise, the delay meant that she would have to cancel stops in Barbados, St Kitts, and Salvador, Brazil, so that the ship could dock in Rio de Janeiro late on Thursday night as planned.
That, of course, disappointed many passengers; but when Cunard Cruise Line offered a 50 % refund instead of the entire amount, some threatened a sit-in on the ship at Rio instead of disembarking. "One of the things they have referred to is not leaving their cabins when they get to Rio," says a Cunard spokesperson.
According to Cunard Cruise Line, the majority of the 2,543 passengers are quite happy with the compensation offer, but a relatively small group is not, and they have had a number of meetings with the captain. A spokesman said: "Because of the lateness of leaving Fort Lauderdale and the necessity of arriving at Rio to pick up these passengers, they had to miss out ports in order to get there on time. The captain is meeting with the passengers by request and he is doing his best to resolve this."
This particular itinerary is having Queen Mary 2 taking a route through the frigid waters of the Cape Horn of South America and up into the Pacific Ocean. Then, she will reach Long Beach, California---the city where the original Queen Mary is docked. The ship is scheduled to complete its full journey in Los Angeles on February 22.
In fact, besides the missed stops in St. Kitts, Barbados, and Salvador and shortened stays in Montevideo and in Acapulco, the cruise ship will visit all of the scheduled ports of call as planned. So, one might wonder, "If this was a 38-day cruise, which stopped at dozens of port of call, why are people so upset about missing only three?"
The answer likely lies in the fact that Cunard Cruise Line offers passengers the option to sail with portions of a cruise; therefore, it is probable that many of the people most upset where only sailing with Queen Mary 2 for a portion of the cruise. One passenger summed up the feelings of some of the other guests: "It is not in fact a cruise now but rather a voyage by sea to Rio. Many guests are on once-in-a-lifetime holidays and I have seen several in tears."
While there's no doubt that having to miss any port of call on a cruise is disappointing, the 50% compensation that Cunard Cruise Line offered is not unreasonable in comparison to what other cruise lines offer when faced with similar situations. Also, this example is proof that purchasing cruise insurance is always prudent. Cruise insurance, which is offered by both the cruise lines and outside sources, can protect a cruiser's investment in instances like the one faced by passengers of Cunard's Queen Mary 2.
Still, one has to hope that a cruise line does everything it can to make its passengers happy; in fact, that's Cruise Network's hope as well. For every cruise that we assist you wish, our only hope is that you have an enjoyable experience. It's unfortunate when things such as what occurred with Cunard Cruise Line happen.
After all, Cunard Cruise Line, which is owned by Carnival Corporation, is a wonderful cruise line. Sailing to Alaska, the Caribbean, and other great spots around the world, its commitment to onboard service and luxury is practically unmatched. Hopefully, everyone involved---passengers and cruise line alike---will come to a happy resolution to this cruise experience.
