Mutiny on the QM2?

[Mebert]

Joanandjoe,

That's a great idea. They should try to fix the pod problem immediately. Some passengers have invested too much for this long journey. If they wanted days at sea they could have done some transatlantic cruises. A major part of a cruise like this is the itinerary.

It's different when the itinerary has to be changed as a result of weather. But when it is because of a ship that's too slow as a result of a broken pod more drastic measures should be made to get the ship back up to speed.

I can't imagine paying all of that money looking forward to all of those distant lands and then having to do days at sea. I love cruising but too many days at sea is not fun. I would join the Navy first.

[Joanandjoe]

Lisa63, I have the same question as JohnG, since there are ships that sail from Seattle to Alaska with a minimal 2 to 4 hour stop in Victoria (which certainly isn't distant) or Prince Rupert (which might be distant).

[Lisa63]

Because I inadvertently left out one very important fact.

Stopping at a "nearby foreign port" is OK for passage between two different U.S. cities so long as there is no permanent disembarkation. If passengers had disembarked in Ft. Lauderdale, there would have been a violation.

Sorry about that...

This article explains it all, and is the best I've ever seen on the subject:

http://www.sealetter.com/Oct-99/alancol.html

[Lisa63]

Actually, I've been there. In nearly two dozen cruises, we have had our share of deviations, cancellations, mechanical breakdowns, power failures, and the like. Sure, there were irate passengers, but we chose to get as much out of our vacation as possible. In doing so, it never even crossed our minds to ask for compensation. We knew the risks going in.

[Mebert]

I wonder what Carnival/Cunard would do if it were a Round-the-World Cruise, be at sea for 180 days with a few stops to restock. They'd be better off to make repairs.

[JoeyandDavid]

I am sorry I have held my fingers as long as I could.

This is another example why WE don’t sail with Carnival Brands anymore,,, they say %$%^$^&$ trickles down, but in the case of this Cruise Industry Conglomerate it flows in every conceivable direction.

From the automatic tipping to “the sorry we screwed up but thanks for sailing with us again†attitude Its all driven by the bottom line dollar.

Cunard looked at the costs and instead of admitting mistakes or doing the right thing the in my humble opinion did what Mother Carnival said and $%&%* the guests. And so it shall be.

Don’t think I save all the bashing for Carnival Brands.. Rccl and Celebrity are just as guilty of the how to nickel and dime you to death, it is a very seductive art to fleecing ones guests.

I guess the bottom line of this vent is why the heck cant companies just do the right thing.. I ran 3 companies .. always did the right thing and always turned a nice profit. Sometimes I feel as if the world has passed me by!

Thanks for the use of your eyes and mind!

<]

[Mebert]

JoeyandDavid,

You're right. Doing the "right" thing is always best for everyone in the long run. It also promotes good will.

I love Carnival, but I think it's a bad decision to take a slow cruise for 38 days.

[JoeyandDavid]

Mebert thank you for that .. it's not a matter of being right or wrong.. Its a matter of this isnt the first time I have noticed, this type of behavior.. and as they say ....if it walks like a duck.... quacks like a duck.. you better duck!! cause its comming. well.. let me be correct "they dont say that" I do<]. LOL.. but you know what i mean. :smiley:

[jbond]

I've also done a lot of travelling, cruises and many, many airline flights. I've had my share of deviations, cancellations, mechanical breakdowns, power failures, and the like. Like you, I knew the risks going in, things happen. That's one reason we purchase travel insurance. However, one of the risks I didn't anticipate was being deliberately misled and lied too by a major cruiseline. That is unacceptable, at least to me. We don't know the full details about the QM cruise and will probably not get the straight scoop, but from the BBC report it sure sounds as if someone pulled a fast one.

Fortunately in our situation, we were only inconvenienced and treated poorly by RCI, but financially we broke even, we had insurance. If we hadn't broken even, I would have been asking for RCI to ante up some cash, as their negligence caused us to loose several hundred dollars. I don't look at that as compensation, but fair play.

[Lisa63]

We need to agree to disagree on this one.

As I said in my first post on this thread, we do not know that Cunard or Carnival Corp. lied to anyone. Yes, that would make a difference, but we simply do not know that. For now, passengers are upset that they missed ports. I can understand that. But maybe I'm more carefree than most. I have a cruise coming up, and if we didn't make any of our ports, I would live with it. I wouldn't accuse a line of lying unless I have proof.

With this, I'm going to let this rest. I have better things to do...