cunard.co.uk Reviews 40

Had to cancel Queen Mary 2 cruise in September due to illness and sorting out having been scammed, so they are sending to scammed account my refund, not to my new account nor by cheque, so now lost just under £3k as its their policy to only send to how you paid them or if you paid them from a closed account. Its down to you to track the funds so if you have changed bank accounts like I had you have to trace the funds yourself or when things go wrong for their potential clients like it has me, then there is nothing you can do. Cannot find a copy of their cancellation policy either as not received that as yet for September cruise booked last year. And that took around an hour on wasted phone call costs as well

We booked a cruise from Barcelona to Rome going on the 17th of June 2024 . We received a email saying the ship will be staying in the port of Barcelona for the first two nights then sailing for three days direct to Rome and not stopping at the places we planned to visit and had day trips booked.
All the offered was $100 dollars on board spending for totally ruined holiday !
We tried to phone them only to be on hold for 45mins . by the time they answered my blood was boiling, then they only offered us to cancel the trip , which we found we had to .This meant we then had to cancel our flights to and from and hotels .
DO NOT under any circumstances book with this company .
Chris Bideford Devon..

So disappointed thst a British cruise line could treat a British citizen so badly. My son, who recently survived a massive heart attack and I, a 77 year old recovering from a stroke, booked a bucket list trip on queen Mary 2, from Singapore to my home port Cape Town but I was refused boarding because they wouldn’t accept my emergency British passport. It was issued by the British consulate in Cape Town specifically for the cruise and details both the ship and every port on the itinerary. Not good enough for Cunard although they don’t tell you this anywhere on the literature. I assume if you lose your passport en route and are issued with an emergency passport that they wouldn’t allow you back on the ship. I tried to get my renewed passport, which had arrived the day after I left, sent to me so I could catch up with the ship at one of the stops but the courier company lost it and it’s now too late so I’m stuck in Asia with a passport not intended for air travel but issued for a cruise I wasn’t accepted on. Cunard made no offer to help me when they refused me boarding in Singapore. No offer of a hotel, ticket, taxi, lunch, coffee or even a tissue for my tears. I insisted my son board without me although he was reluctant . He has been told another heart attack could kill him. I have had unimaginable stress from this whole episode but no offer from Cunard who even told me South Africa wouldn’t accept me with an emergency passport. I’m a South African permanent resident so that’s unbelievable that they should think that. My passport was handed to me at the British consulate in Cape Town. It seems Cunard don’t respect their own governments documents. They have not made one offer to redeem themselves but have taken a high and mighty line. They forget that it’s their clients that keep them afloat. I can’t comment on the cruise however as I never got to go on it. I just got to spend a fortune getting stressed and stranded miles from home.

I will never cruise with them again! I’m a gold member which really doesn’t mean anything these days, I’ve recently been on a 28 day cruise to the Panama Canal on Queen Victoria. A few issues arose firstly with the weather (obviously nothing Cunard could do about that) but once the ship was rolling around in stormy seas, the cabin creaked, shook, leaked, bed vibrating, you couldn’t sleep. Then Nora Virus broke out and that was 2 days lost - over 200 people were sick so Cunard stopped the self service of food and beverages, crew served you and although most were helpful & pleasant, some were not🥴. On route from Florida to Aruba, again rough seas, arrived in Aruba on a Bank Holiday so nothing to do unless you like the ‘kiss me quick’ stalls that greeted you in the port. Couldn’t fault the Panama Canal, well worth seeing. We were due to stop in Cabo San Lucas but for reasons unbeknownst to us we couldn’t. However, all that aside, my main grievance with Cunard was billing….. I had asked the purser to remove the service charges as we were giving our cabin boy a direct tip. This was agreed with their Finance Manager Vicky. On the day of disembarking, I received the final bill which still had the service charges on it, when questioned with purser about this, they had already charged my credit card. But they did offer to add the charges of $464 as on board spend, on the last day of our cruise….are they kidding me. After a while, the Finance Manager agreed to refund the charges, even writing the instructions on the bill & signing it. I have been home now for 3 weeks and after sending 2 emails to customer services, I’ve not had one response nor a refund. I’ve contacted BBC Watchdog in the hope they can help me. Cunard, this is not the first time I’ve had issues with you, so get your act together and prioritise your customers, don’t p..s them off 🫣.

No chance of getting through on phone -why don’t they say what position you are in the queue!
Can’t book any trips etc online under my Cunard, I’m tech savvy but it’s not functioning- says my booking ref is wrong when I fill out an online contact form- umm how can it be when I have logged in!
Very bad from a supposedly high class cruise line.

Booked a cruise and flight. Cunard booked me to fly out of Gatwick but back into Heathrow! useless, what am I supposed to do with my car! When challenged Cunard confirmed there was actually a return flight to Gatwick, but would cost an extra £80 per person! Why wasn't this flight booked in the first place! Cancelled cruise at cost of £500 and they have ruined my anniversary holiday

Was on the Queen Victoria for the Christmas and New year extravaganza?
Discovered when at sea that Itinerary had been altered due to the need to change a faulty propellor, and would require 3 days in a dry dock in Cadiz. Repairs had been attempted on previous cruise unsuccessfully.
Lost Lisbon and time adjustments meant stuck on board and fewer opportunities to go on shore. Cruise ruined.
Food good , ship tired and noisy due I suspect to the propellor. The atmosphere on board subdued.
Contacted Cunard immediately on return,first contact ignored, second contact giving set time for response answered by phone call from , in my perception, a rather aloof and patronising individual.
The 3 days in a dry dock was achange in the published itinerary, and Cunard were treating it as covered so in their terms. £ days in a shipyard is not an itinerary change ?
Timing was decided by shipyard availabilty which was at short notice. The Captain knew before we sailed? Even if Queen Victoria had bee on it's way to New York 9 the next cruise was around the world) she would have been brought back to Cadiz for replacement, and that if I had a problem then Cunard would send us a letter for our travel Insurance ?????
I will never again book Cunard and have doubts about Carnival in general.
Once you pay they move into "We are Cunard you lucky people" mode.
Great Ship names and good history, but not as good as any other cruise we have been on.

Went on Queen Elizabeth the cruise was OK but not special.
They had a "concealed" draw under the bed which I put my very best & very expensive clothes.
I left the ship in Southampton but on the way back to London realised I had not collected my clothes from the "concealed" drawer. I contacted Cunard when I arrived home but was told -- ALL clothes left behind are IMMEDIATLY incinerated when one leaves the ship!
There was no prior warning/notice of this alleged "policy" of destruction.
After numerous letters Cunard found and returned two of the items in the drawer previously claimed as incinerated.
They then instructed me to claim on my insurance for the others items in the drawer
The insurers say I must obtain compensation from Cunard as the illegally destroyed my clothes.
Now I am in the middle of a battle between two companies
CUNARDS DISMISSIVE ATTITUDE HAS LOST THEM A CUSTOMER THAT NORMALLY DOES 2 or 3 CRUISES A YEAR!

I left a review for Cunard.com and now see there is also a separate site for Cunard.co.uk.
Same outfit!
How any Company can simply ignore their Trustpilot rating, without any response whatsoever, I cannot fathom.
Avoid any Company with 1-star ratings of 74% or 64%.

I have just returned from the norther lights cruise & I have many complaints during that trip.
Trips off the boat were sold out weeks prior to the holiday, if you have over 2000 people on the boat you can I guess a good number of them will want to go the see the lights
The boat was full, that contributes to the staff simply do not have the time to be pleasant, the food was far from special as a result. The bar staff/waiters told me that Bell whisky was not available, so I had another dearer brand, when walking passed the bar there it was. The cabin staff never once replaced all the used teas/coffee & the duvet cover had a 50cm ripped seam. I get the opinion that you're now just chasing the money, the Cunard reputation/dream has well & truly been passed over for cash

this is probably a waste of time, because Cunard customer service is so dire [3 e mails sent, none replied to] but here’s hoping a spark of the former Customer care still exists. Unfortunately I booked a cruise with
Iglu Cruises - a mistake. It turned out that I was tied into 2 lots of terms and conditions with 2 different companies [16 pages] and Cunard refused to budge when I asked to roll over my deposit to another cruise to be taken at some time for some amount, Cunard said it had to be within a year and for the same or higher amount. I thought I was going nuts, because I knew I had looked online under frequently asked questions section and the advice was the deposit could be rolled over to any cruise at any time for any amount. I took photos of the site in September. Turns out however that Cunard changed the t’s and c’s in August, so were deliberately misleading people a month later. After my complaint the site information was changed. Anyway, am writing a report both about Cunard and
Iglu [I got a copy of my phonecall with them, so know what I was and more importantly was NOT told] and am forwarding it to ABTA. Yes, we have travelled with Cunard previously [and P&O, the same company] and I believe there has been a change of management since Covid? Cunard need to remember that there is a big cruise company choice available now and they need to nurture their clients if they want to keep their business for the future. As for me, profoundly disappointed at
Cunard - used to be 5* and now…….? Iglu ref 1092986

Recently we booked a 4-day mini cruise on the Queen Mary 2 in a Princess Suite – not a budget holiday!
On arriving in our cabin my wife notice that the toilet was dirty, with faeces around the rim. When we complained, the steward did then clean away. During the voyage we notice various other cleaning issues: smears on bathroom tiles, a rogue medical tablet on the carpet. On disembarkation, the reason for these issues became apparent: during breakfast the steward had cleaned our cabin. After breakfast we spent a further 2 hours in our cabin, as instructed, waiting to disembark!! Without further cleaning (clearly not in our experience!!), if any passenger had a transmissible disease, such as Covid or monkeypox, the next passenger in that cabin could possibly catch that disease! We felt violently sick when we discovered this.
But this was not the only health issue. Though we had informed Cunard on 2 separate occasions of my dietary requirements, this had not been forwarded to the QM2, which severely limited my food choice. My dream of a ‘carefree luxury cruise’ was certainly not what I experienced – the cruise was extremely stressful as we tried to rectify all the issues!!!
On our return, I informed Cunard ‘Complaints’ and the Cunard CEO. Because I wanted Cunard to investigate and revise their cleaning regime without causing a furore, I have waited 4 weeks for a response. Unfortunately, apart from email acknowledgements to my various emails, there has been no response. Now, with thousands of other passengers being potentially exposed to infection, as we were, I cannot wait any longer.
We are disgusted not only by the total disregard Cunard has shown to us, but that Cunard are potentially content to allow this health hazard to go uncorrected.

Beautiful cruise ship QUEEN ELIZABETH. Exemplary Cunard crew. The Dining experience is remarkable including menu choice. The service received on board was efficient and Impressive.

My husband and I were both impressed with Cunard that we booked another voyage whilst onboard for 2024. In less than 10 minutes our cruise was booked and the booking conformation immediately received by email.

(( The beauty of on board booking is that Cunard already have you details therefore you just advise on your chosen date, choice of destination including your choice of stateroom and Dining times.. really as easy as 1-2-3 )).

Excellent selection of shore excursions. Also for all who enjoy exploring a well organised and efficient port transfer service..

THE CUNARD FINE LINE
LUXURY VOYAGE’S
GREAT DESTINATION’S
FANTASTIC ITINERARY’S
SPECTACULAR CHOICE OF SHORE EXCURSIONS.

It was very sad to read the reviews posted previously. I am also a previous P and O customer and decided to switch to Cunard. Oh how I wish I hadn’t. Their web site is woeful! Don’t even try printing e-tickets or luggage labels you will be wasting you time. Trying to speak to someone on the phone is impossible, an hour waiting time. TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE!
Oh for the days when this company was independent. Since the advent of the Carnival corporation they have totally trashed this once proud cruise company (together with P and O)Only to be expected I suppose, did anything good ever come from America.

Returned from a mini cruise Southampton to Hamburg on the Queen Mary 2.
Expectations were running high as this was Cunard.
Had read that afternoon tea was not available on the first day of your cruise so asked for cake at the Kings Court. We were offered a plate of cream crackers and not directed anywhere else. Coupled with a cup of tea from the machine made an inauspicious start to proceedings! Not very Cunard.
We were supposed to set sail at 5pm but this didn’t happen until getting on for 7pm. Apparently we were waiting for passengers to embark arriving on a coach from London. This was according to a cruiser I spoke to afterwards. Complete lack of communication meant we ended up waiting and waiting (mostly in wet swimwear) to see the main event, the ship setting sail. As it happened so late we were left with minimal time to get ready for dinner.
On the first morning of our mini cruise we received a letter asking us to pack that evening and place our cases outside our room between 5 and 11pm. That evening was a Gala evening and we had planned to dress for the occasion. It meant that this was compromised as was our embarkation/travel attire for the following day. It felt rushed from the get go. Once again, not very Cunard!

NOTE - unless you’ve booked a Cunard experience, your Hamburg experience will be extra time at the airport as it’s impossible to tour Hamburg with a huge, heavy suitcase! The port to airport transfer ticket included in the cruise price was only valid when taken immediately anyway apparently.
There were positives to our cruise and these included the afternoon tea we enjoyed on Saturday and the beautiful dinners in the Britannia restaurant both evenings. These were more like the Cunard experiences we had been led to expect. What a shame there weren’t enough to leave five stars!

We were on the ill fated Covid Queen Elizabeth cruise Q213C from Fort Lauderdale to Vancouver in May and early June 2022. The ship was half full in order "to control Covid" if it broke out. Cunard assured us that their Protocols would keep us safe.

Aside the "atmosphere less" theatre and bar areas through the lack of guests the problems really started when my wife and I got Covid. Hundreds of others were also affected as Covid ran rampant at the same time. I was moved to a Stateroom aft of the ship - "the Covid Prison wing" - while my wife who despite having symptoms kept testing negative (not on the fourth day though) was kept in our original cabin.

The crew informed many people that the Protocols could cope with 10% of the passengers getting Covid but it was clear the numbers were much higher than that. The staff could not cope with delivering individual meals to cabins etc.etc.

We, and many others, were forced off the QE in Los Angeles and put into isolation in three different hotels in Long Beach and "grounded from flying" under US rules for an additional week. The mistakes Cunard made were horrendous, e.g. trying to fly us home in breach of US law (they forgot my wife!!!). The list goes on.

I made a formal complaint directly to Cunard after we got back to England but have yet to have any response to the points made despite also writing to the Cunard President's and Managing Director's offices.
They are clearly in breach of ABTA standards but refuse to return calls nor communicate.

We have had several Cunard cruises in the last 15 years - all were five star. This last one was and remains a shock that Cunard's "White Star Service" is a sham. The company no longer appears to care if it loses customers. Its current contempt of passengers who were abandoned in LA shows that Carnival, Cunard's owner, are having on going major management failure (a loss of $7 billion was reported recently). We understand that staff are quitting working for Cunard in Southampton.

As former loyal customers we are disturbed that Cunard Southampton is total disarray.

We would not recommend sailing with Cunard until its former professional levels of service are reinstated.

Wow!
We have not long returned from our first ever cruise. 29th May-6th June. We chose the Queen Mary transatlantic trip as it was on my bucket list to do.
Right off from the start Nicola at the booking office was amazing, all through our cancellations due to covid to the flights. She is a credit to you.
Life on board was quiet just what we needed. We were lucky to have a upgrade which led us to eating in the Britannia club restaurant. Here is where we met the most attentive staff Luis our maitre d, Teo, Eduard who waited on us and not forgetting Harry the sommelier. These guys were so friendly and on the ball at all times. So a big thank you to them. We loved getting ready to go to dinner to see them.
The ship itself is full of splendour it was like stepping back in time. Fresh flowers everywhere, all the staff were always courteous. Loads to do plus plenty of time to chill. Food was always wonderful.
Many thanks Cunard for a wonderful trip.
Lucy and Paul

Booked to return from New York City 03/01/22 on what I thought was one of the flagships of a nation that made use proud the QM II. Now this company Cunard has destroyed the flagship. Cancelled the one-way trip on 30/12/21 without warning - that's it. The Cunard reputation was built on service, but this is todays Cunard - one word CUNARD UNRELIABLE. 2 MONTHS ON & STILL NO REFUND - TOLD TO CLAIM ON MY INSURANCE FOR THEIR FAILINGS. PEOPLE BEWARE OF CUNARDS TRADING STANDARDS - they will cost you money

What has happened to Cunard? They are impossible to get through to on the phone, they ignore emails and do not keep their promises. My travel agent is having the same problems. After a disastrous cruise on Queen Mary where a refund was promised pro rata and a full refund of the return flight as we did not return to New York we received a partial refund. Now we are being totally ignored, no one is phoning back as promised. They cannot do their maths as the amount promised is very different to the amount received. As previously very good customers of Cunard we are appalled at the treatment we have received . They are happy to take your money but don’t want to know when things go wrong.