26 January - ABC Good Morning America Lead Item

Email sent to me today at 1:45 AM

Hello Jack:

Your blog is excellent reading – I followed a link to it from www.Worldhum.com . You are gaining some notoriety in light of the QM2’s problems.

Be advised the QM2 passenger “mutiny” is getting global coverage. You all were a lead item on ABC breakfast television in the USA this morning (Weds). They put together a basic narrative with file footage of the ship and the onscreen title, CRUISE FROM HELL. It is all disastrous PR for Cunard, the exec they put in front of the cameras was evasive and a bit dismissive of the passengers’ complaints… you might gently point out to the Commodore and onboard management that however much additional compensation they are not putting forward, the bad press has undoubtedly already cost them many times as much in lost future bookings. 

You can imagine thousands of potential passengers watching this story and mentally crossing the CRUISE FROM HELL off their shopping lists… what a great business-school story to tell about poor service recovery.

Much good luck at sea, esp. at the casino tables, and I hope there’s an exciting showdown for the TV cameras that will certainly greet you at Rio. 

Cheers and keep blogging

Tom

SOLID STATE INFORMATION DESIGN
Tom Farmer
www.SolidStateID.com 

Thanks for the "heads up" Tom.

During the Art Class today, some of the students and Diane expressed surprise and dismay that the cruise is being describe as a "CRUISE FROM HELL". A very elderly American lady who attends the classes has asked me to post a rebuttal, mainly because her daughter (who's at home) is concerned about her mums welfare.

CRUISE FROM HELL - Example of a Day Onboard QM2 While at Sea!

6:30 Get up, pull on swimsuit and shorts. Grab coffee and toast from the early breakfast buffet on the way to the indoor pool on deck 12. Swim 20 laps of the pool and spend 15 minutes in the hot tub. Shower taking advantage of complimentary clean towels, shampoo and soap.

7:30 Arrive back in cabin in time to great the room service waiter and sign for Ann's breakfast in bed, which was ordered the night before. Make the tea, butter the toast and generally make sure Ann wakes up in the best possible mood (grin, that's a ritual I'm not going to get out of come rain or shine!). 

Decide which of the lectures, creative classes, quizzes, auctions, games or special music events we want to attend during the day. There's also the option to do nothing and just go back to bed for a lay-in or maybe sunbathe on the open decks.

9:00 Activities start.

12:30 Lunch in the Golden Lion - Today's special: Poached Salmon with crisp salad and rye bread rolls.

1:30 More activities.

4:30 Pub Trivia and Cocktail-of-the-day - Today's cocktail: "Chocolate Banana" made with Kahlua, Banana, Cream with Chocolate Syrup.

6:00 Sit down to a 4 course deluxe dinning experience in the magnificent Britannia Restaurant. Last two days have been designated complementary wine nights by the ships master and crew.

8:45 Go to the first show in the Royal Court Theatre - Tonight it's Cabaret staring The Royal Cunard Singers & Dancers

10:00 After theatre drinks and then on to the Queens Room for some dancing and great music.

Midnight Attend the free buffet in the La Piazza restaurant. Options to either go to bed (early) or perhaps go on to the casino or disco or both!

Now, if that's a typical daily schedule in "CRUISE HELL"... knock me on the head and send me to hell!!

Some passengers are rightly upset that ports-of-call have been missed out on the NYC to Rio segment of the 'round Americas 38 day cruise. In some cases the extended non stop cruise has caused trauma because of personal circumstance and events ashore that in normal circumstance would have resulted in compassionate repatriation from St Kitts or one of the other ports-of-call. 

The fact is, Cunard should have consulted with the passengers before setting out from Fort Lauderdale to Rio on what they must have suspected to be a non stop sailing.

They then announced the compensation they were prepared to "hand out" and expected everyone to say "Aye aye, SIR". This high handed and slightly mean approach infuriated most passengers regardless of nationality.

The passengers who booked NYC - Rio have been particularly badly treated by Cunard and have every right to seek redress. Most of the passengers traveling on to Valparaiso and Rio would probably accept the compensation package offered to them with fairly good grace.

It's been a "cock-up" that's left nobody satisfied. The WHOLE of Cunard's PR team should be immediately sent on re-training courses, because there performance to date has been piss poor.

Possible Protest Action

It is almost certain that there will be some form of visual and verbal protests from a number of passengers disembarking at Rio tomorrow. I really hope there's no sit-in or protest action that would delay the ship from sailing on time tomorrow night. 

More Later...