24 January - Day's Summary

Email Contact by BBC and ABC Good Morning America. Invited to a Champagne birthday dinner party and our FIRST Brazilian...

Email Contact by the BBC

Hi Jack,

I'm a journalist with BBC East Midlands Today, the regional TV news programme in the east midlands.   I'm trying to get hold of you to ask whether you would be prepared to be interviewed over the phone about your problems on the QM2.   I understand you've already been quoted in the Telegraph.

Please contact me either via email or telephone numbers **********  or my mobile number ***********.   I can call you back if you give me your mobile number or another contact number.

Kind regards,
Sumeer

<My Reply>

ABC Good Morning America

<My Reply>

Passengers who booked NYC to Rio want 100% compensation or a replacement cruise. To me this is fair and reasonable, as many of them will have flown into NYC, boarded the ship, sailed non stop to Rio and then been transferred almost directly to Rio airport for the flight home. This was most certainly NOT what they paid for.

Passengers continuing on to Valparaiso and LA have been offered a 6 day refund pro rata, with an additional 100 or 200 dollar onboard credit. I am NOT aware that this group of passengers are pressing for 100% refund, in fact most people are OK with the compensation offered, although some would obviously like more. 

Most protest groups are urging passengers disembarking in Rio to NOT take any sit-in action or disrupt the embarkation of new passengers.

That's my take... might be wrong, but it's the best summary I can provide at this time.

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Please feel free to use any information from the www.jackatsea.com web site that my be useful for your show.

I'm generally in my cabin around 4pm every day (getting ready for the pub quiz <grin>) if you want to give me a call "off camera".

I've been asked to edit and upload some digital images and video footage (over 4 hours apparently) of the various passenger/Commodore meetings. I'll ask the owners of the material if it's OK to send you a copy along with "The Richard & Judy Show", which goes out in the UK.

Please remember that the jackatsea blog/diary started out as a personal contact point for use by my family and friends. I've attempted to publish details of the dispute in a fair and balanced way.

Best regards and good luck with your show.

Jack Coveney

Champagne Birthday Dinner Party for a "Grand" Englishwoman!

Up to now I've refrained from any mention of our dinner table partners. As most regular cruisers know, the people sitting at your evening dinner table can make or break your cruise experience. Well, we got lucky! Although the backgrounds, upbringing and life experiences are completely different for each couple, we get on famously.

Last night we were privileged to be invited to Irene's birthday bash. Irene is one of our dinner table partners. She's extremely well spoken, has exquisite manners and a really wicked sense of humour. I always try to get seated next to or opposite her, as she's great fun and is even polite enough to laugh at MY jokes!

We all met up in the Champagne Lounge on Deck 3 at 5:30 and started the night with a bottle of the house Brut and went in for dinner just after six o'clock.

There was more Champagne at the dinner table and the ships crew provided many glasses of complimentary wine. I had the Sirloin Steak with brandy sauce for my main course and it was excellent. Everyone enjoyed their meal and we all got slightly tipsy (Irene subsequently insists she was completely sober). 

About 20 of the waiters presented Irene with a birthday cake and sang "Happy Birthday". Irene sat through the singing, cake cutting and toasts with the biggest smile ever.

A truly remarkable Englishwomen.

Our First Brazilian

After the dinner party we all went our separate ways to enjoy different entertainment venues. Me and Ann went to the Commodore lounge to have a "quiet drink". While there, we met a fascinating young man from Brazil. He spoke near perfect English and gave us some good advice about avoiding street crime and where the best places are in Rio. He also went on to express his fears that if the current method of wealth distribution continued in Brazil there may well be an increase in civil unrest possible leading to the break up of the country. Quite a sobering thought. 

We then went dancing in the Queens Room and had a great time, which finished the night off nicely.

More Later...