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Cunard Line
Queen Elizabeth, Queen Mary 2, Queen VictoriaDavidHobart, TAS
- 4 reviews
- 2 likes
Cunard resort to bait-and-switch booking practices
After nine previous (successful) bookings with Cunard, we now find that their site has undergone a subtle but important change. After reassuring customers that they need only pay the usual 5% deposit, the page where you enter your card details defaults to FULL FARE payment! This, even though the same page still tells you that “today’s” payment will only be the deposit. And, of course, because they still haven’t got around to confirming your Future Cruise Credit from the earlier cancellations, you are hit with the full sticker-price, not the pri...Read more
ce that is net of your credit. So, you call them, explaining that you have mistakenly blown your credit limit because they took the full fare, and they acknowledge that yes, you aren’t the first to be caught this way. Will they now reimburse the fare (less the usual deposit), and reimburse the Credit that they failed to apply? Sorry, we will need to refer that to our finance people. Someone will call you, very soon, with an answer. No they won’t. Two weeks have gone by despite my own reminder calls. Our credit card is still incurring overdraft fees, and our long-standing loyalty to Cunard has evaporated. Please learn from our mistake - avoid Cunard and any other line that uses deceptive practices such as this.Similar opinion? Write a review on ProductReview.com.au!
mARJHunter Region, NSW
- 4 reviews
- 2 likes
Why Make Promises and not keep them
We were booked on Cunard’s Queen Mary 2 cruise from Fremantle to Africa on 14th March. We contacted Cunard the evening before and were told the cruise was still happening. We flew from regional NSW via Sydney and arrived at Fremantle about midday to be told the cruise had now been cancelled. We were bussed to a hotel and told to wait for a Cunard representative to arrange our return air fares. We saw no Cunard staff until late on the third day when all passengers who were already onboard were also bussed to hotels. By then, we gave up waiting a...Read more
nd arranged our own return. The Cunard representative who came to help the disembarking passengers, told us we would be reimbursed. We completed forms and sent all the required receipts, in early May, but heard absolutely nothing. Surely we should be given an acknowledgement that our documents have been received. I would never deal with Cunard again. I have recently heard that Princess clients affected by cancellations have received refunds. We paid for our own fares so the refund could not have gone to an agent.Similar opinion? Write a review on ProductReview.com.au!
JScrapSydney
- 6 reviews
- 7 likes
- Cunard Line Queen Elizabeth
- Verified customer
Reprehensible Service. Bad Form Cunard.
I endorse everything said by others about Cunard's reprehensible attitude regarding refunds.
I also have not received a refund as yet but my timeline might be of use to some.
Booked a 12 April Cunard QE cruise through Cruise1st.
When Cunard eventually cancelled the cruise, which the Australian Government had banned many weeks before, I contacted Cruise1st. They refused to help and directed me to Cunard. Really?
31 March 2020 - Claimed refund from Cunard. Cunard said they would take at least 12 weeks to make refund to agent Cruise1st rather than to me directly. Really?
Cruise 1st would not reply to phone or emails.
...Read more
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Stoffel1Perth
- 25 reviews
- 22 likes
Bad bad. Don't expect your refund.
We were booked to go on the QM2 to Cape Town from Fremantle on 14 March 2020. Aus Govt posted not to cruise on 09 March. I cancelled on 10 March and the Cruise was subsequently cancelled by Cunard on the departure date. I was promised that a refund by Cunard would be given at a later date after a phone call on 15th.
I have had 11 lengthy phone calls with them (the last few recorded with their agreement). I have been promised the refund on so many dates, from 12 weeks to 15th May etc but to no avail.
The last phone call 2 days ago suddenly in...Read more
formed me that I had to fill in an online document with all the documentation they already have. The 'application would then be assessed' and if accepted by CUNARD, I could expect the refund in 60 days from then. They sent me a letter 2 weeks ago by email noting that I had already received my refund. THIS IS NOT TRUE. BUT THEY WILL NOT ACKNOWLEDGE OR CHANGE THE LETTER. I'm simply told to fill in the online form and they won't budge. This has put us into unnecessary financial and emotional stress and concern. Their behaviour is appalling and reprehensible. They are obviously hanging on to our money as long as possible. For a company as large as CUNARD and Carnival, they are certainly putting their reputation on the line and not in a good way.Similar opinion? Write a review on ProductReview.com.au!
Terri H.
- 10 reviews
- 6 likes
Refund?
stonewalling,website doesnt work properly, no communication and still waiting for a refund for a cruise THEY cancelled 6 weeks ago. What can anyone expect now they are owned by Carnival. What a shame a grand old line has sunk to the depths of its booze cruise cousins
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Cass63Sydney, NSW
- 2 reviews
- 2 likes
Customer Service
My husband lost his job and so I had to cancel 2 planned cruises with Cunard. The Coronavirus crisis has compounded the situation and money to pay bills and put food on the table is non existent. I have contacted Cunard to try and expedite my refunds ( mind you they still withheld well over $1000 in cancellation fees even though travel was more than 6 months out) but they keep stone walling me. Their actions are deplorable and they are greedy and very unsympathetic to the needs of others. I believe these actions are appalling and needs to be reviewed.
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DavidSydney, NSW
- 30 reviews
- 47 likes
No ability to contact them regarding cancelling them
Cunard have stated that as a british national and over 70 and a British national then you can cancel but there is no way to contact them to cancel. The UK office is closed and nobody is responding on Social Media.
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DinaGreater Melbourne (Outer), VIC
- 4 reviews
- 5 likes
Disability Discrimination
In December last year we made an initial booking request for a cruise on Cunard Queen Elizabeth and encountered an extremely disappointing experience which we believe amounts to disability discrimination. The sequence of events is as follows:
Initial booking request for Cunard Queen Elizabeth Cruise NoQQ004 ExMelbourne on 26th January 2020 made with OzCruising for a BF Balcony cabin. Although this was an online booking request, I spoke to OzCruising to advise them that my husband who has limited mobility would be bringing a Disability Mobile s...Read more
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CapnbazzaPerth, WA
- 11 reviews
- 10 likes
Great ship to travel on
We had a balcony stateroom on deck 8 which was sufficient for our needs. The cabin was lovely but as with all ships the bathrooms are very small.
Food could not be better and the alternative dining areas had food as good as or better than most land based restaurants.
All staff were excellent and most could always remember your name.
The Queen Elizabeth is a beautiful ship with more activities to do than is possible to fit in in a day. All insight. lectures (as they are called)were carried out by truly professional people who were and are well k...Read more
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KarsteGreater Melbourne (Metropolitan), VIC
- 12 reviews
- 6 likes
Bad service and they don't care
Booked and paid for a cruise on the Queen Elizabeth out of Melbourne in December. A medical problem means I had to cancel the cruise. Cruiseaway took $400 cancelation fee and tell me it will be 6 to 8 weeks before we get our money back. I understand a cancelation fee but $400? 6 to 8 weeks to get the money back is just plain rude. Problem is I'm sure all the cruise lines are the same. puts you off this kind of holiday. Oh and I did have travel insurance but we did not fall under the criteria to claim it through them. five Phone calls to them an...Read more
d the attitude was the same they really didn't care. Funny how they couldn't do enough for us when we were looking to book the cruise. I contacted Cunard direct and they would not even talk to me because I booked the cruise with Cruiseaway.1 comment
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BehrozeSydney, NSW
- Cunard Line Queen Elizabeth
- Verified customer
Great ship but shame about the entertainment
Just a 5 day R&R in March 2019 around Tasmania and back to Sydney. Cabin was good, nice balcony but being on Deck 4 we could not use the balcony as the salt water had encrusted on the furniture (not the fault of Cunard but just a tip.... don’t book a deck lower than 7.
Food and service in the main dining room was good. Cabin steward polite but hardly understood English and never a smile. Not even when we gave him a good tip on the last night!!
Only 2 shows during the voyage - one show a night at 8.30 pm which was our dinner time!! We trie...Read more
d to give up dinner and go early one night to a show but the theatre was completely booked out. Although all balcony seating was empty, we were not allowed to sit there without paying US$30 each!! Ridiculous! All other shipping companies lure customers by great entertainment but Cunard expected us to pay for the privilege!!! And the shows were quite ordinary - the first was a comedian and the second one amateurish, I was told by other passengers who walked out halfway. And finally, occasionally I would like to watch a movie from my bed in the cabin but all English movies were dubbed in a foreign language and NO SUBTITLES!!! Very very annoying. Imagine watching Money Monster with George Clooney and Julia Roberts speaking in a foreign language!! Just 2 or 3 news channels were in English. When the ship is in Australian waters Cunard could at least take the initiative of making sure movies on the cabin TV are in English! The comfort and ambience of the ship was good and a welcome change from the loud raucous activities on other larger ships which cater more to younger folk. We are seniors and quite welcomed the gentle music and afternoon tea. But we won’t be in a hurry to get on board again.Similar opinion? Write a review on ProductReview.com.au!
MarionBanora Point
- 10 reviews
- 1 like
Total disappointment. We won't travel on Cunard ships again.
There is no longer any semblance of British culture or class. We found the only interest of the cruise owners was collecting dollars from us, example expecting us to pay tips for drinks and adding a service fee as well. Money changing, well, we wanted to change some pounds and euros into US$ so the euros were exchanged for pounds first, then to US$ and for every exchange, we were charged 16%. The food was not of the standard we expected from a cruise liner, in short, total disappointment.
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Stanier98Sydney, NSW
- 3 reviews
- 2 likes
- Cunard Line Queen Victoria
- Verified customer
Thought This Would be Up Market Compared to Others
Booking through Cunard directly was seamless.
I expected the Cunard product to be up market compared to Princess, Holland America and Celebrity. Unfortunately I was sorely disappointed. The only points of difference that were better was the hosted bridge, afternoon tea and thermal pool.
The food in the buffet was unimpressive. The salads in particular were tired and limp. The chef should benchmark Holland Americas great salad bar. The hot food were "stews", meat overcooked and fish inedible.
We expected the class system for some events a...Read more
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Oncebitten
- 3 reviews
- 1 like
Great for the oldies ONLY! Three & 1/2 stars
Most people would probably consider me an oldie at age 67 but I like to mix with all age groups. On the QM2 you don't really get that opportunity as the ages of the passengers are definitely 60-90 with very few younger people on-board. The layout of this ship is confusing so you need the deck plans with you all the time. The decor is more elegant than other cruise lines, the food is good, the buffet is OK but very strangely configured. We had a sheltered balcony stateroom with less storage than we've ever experienced on other lines but we d...Read more
id have a nice large shower! The entertainment is definitely for those who prefer the finer things in life - string quartets, harpist, piano concertos etc. Great crew numbering 1 for each 2 passengers! Would I go again? Yes if the price is right but not my preferred cruise line.Similar opinion? Write a review on ProductReview.com.au!
calpespainQld, 4212
- 14 reviews
- 26 likes
Cunard not up to Australian Cruise Ship Service Standards
Cunard Queen Elizabeth: 17 Day Cruise Sydney - Kobe Japan.
Short synopsis purely a personal objective.
A most luxuriously fitted out ship, wood panelled veneer everywhere you turn, ship maintained to a high standard. Ships crew were very stayed, straight laced, always formal, never a smile to greet or serve you. Cabins are smaller than other cruise lines balcony grade cabins. Bathroom extremely compact, the smallest hand wash basin I have ever encountered on any modern cruise ship/liner, small shower, has plastic curtain, no sliding persp...Read more
ex doors here. Beds are typical cruise ship quality, made to be comfy but not luxurious. Sufficient numbers of deck lounger's, no mattresses, just mesh, not comfy. Princess Grill passengers are provided with a separate deck area which has sun lounger/chair quality mattresses provided. They also benefit with other privileged areas, mere mortals are forbidden to enter. Cunard it seems, are simply pretentious by segregating passengers on cruise ships in 2014. If you like being segregated and treated as an economy passenger on a luxury liner then this could be for you, if on the other hand you dislike being class divided then look at a more relaxed and friendly welcoming line for your well earned holiday afloat. Dirty mattress protector on bed, mattress protectors not routinely changed on change over day. Check yours upon arrival, be safe and secure in the knowledge that what you are sleeping on is clean underneath the sheets. The review: A disappointing arrival at Circular Quay after our flight to Sydney, Cunard were refusing passenger's entry to the pre boarding formalities if your designated time on your ticket had not yet passed. We were 2 hours premature and were firmly told to remove ourselves from the line and simply go away. Pleased we had not travelled from the other side of the world; we left the line, departed the quayside knowing Sydney and went for lunch. Returned 2 hours later and now anyone and everyone are now being allowed in the line, 45 minutes later we are on board after being kidnapped by the youngest, lying photographer, insisting that it was compulsory for identification purposes that we must partake in this pointless exercise. Utter rubbish. This already is showing the arrogance of this ships crew and as yet we have not totally crossed the gangway. Once through another line of security we are finally on the ship. Arrived at the designated cabin where our luggage had beaten us, we immediately unpacked, small but adequate wardrobe space for our 17 nights, could not image how we could have coped with a world cruise with such tiny spaces allocated for clothes.Similar opinion? Write a review on ProductReview.com.au!
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Questions & Answers
Ann Lasked
We had our cunard cruise cancelled and we r getting refund so they say. We recived an email mid feb regarding our cancelled cruise and we hav been waiting ever since for our money which is quiet considerable. When we called cunard last week we were told they would expedite the refund but with the gentleman doing that it eould take another 6 weeks. Today is 10 weeks that we hav been waiting. Is anyone having the same problem? Many tks everyone.
No answers
Cass63asked
My husband lost his job and so I had to cancel 2 planned cruises with Cunard. The Coronavirus crisis has compounded the situation and money to pay bills and put food on the table is non existent. I have contacted Cunard to try and expedite my refunds ( mind you they still withheld well over $1000 in cancellation fees even though travel was more than 6 months out) but they keep stone walling me. Their actions are deplorable and they are greedy and very unsympathetic to the needs of others. I believe these actions are appalling and need to be reviewed.
3 answers
I'm sorry to hear this - yes I agree, they are behaving poorly and I hope they wake up and reflect on the impact this has on everyday lives.
If Cunard have canceled the cruises then you are entitled to a full refund. I realise you needed to cancel and wish you all the best but Cunard should realise what is happening to people and do the right thing. We have two cruises in October leaving Southampton and will need to cancel them together with our Qantas airfare. Qantas are wanting huge cancellation fees so we are waiting to see when borders are open. If they don't then Qantas will have to make a refund!!!
I agree. They are terrible to deal with
Barry Greenasked
We are embarking in Sydney on the QE2 on April 1 for a 11 night cruise to NZ how many formal nights are we going to have?
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Karste
Lesson here is if you are going to book a cruise DO NOT do it through a third party.