Queen Victoria temporarily taken out of service

[Peter Mugridge]

A tweet from Paul Clifton tonight indicates that the Queen Victoria has engine problems and is returning to Southampton, cruise canx. and then off to dry dock in Germany.  Sounds serious. 

[Lynda Bradford]

Sounds like QV has pod problems if a dry-docking is required. Engine problems do not require dry docking unless the side of the engine room is to be cut out to replace a complete engine.
Skilly

Cruise.co.uk have posted news about the cancelled cruise with a copy of the letter to be sent to all passengers who had booked on the cruise. 

http://www.cruises.co.uk/109-cruise_news/31520-cunard_cancels_queen_vic_cruise_03_10_2012_a.html

It has become apparent that we need to undertake some essential maintenance work on one of Queen Victoria’s propulsion units. Although there are no safety issues relating to this maintenance, it does preclude us from achieving the speeds required to deliver our voyage itineraries and therefore it will be necessary to take the ship out of service for a short period.

[tdickson]

It has been announced that the QV is to be taken out of service after she arrives in Southampton this thursday
after suffering propulsion problems off the portugese coast, the decision has been made as she can not run at the required speeds to complete her forthcoming intineries ,After dis-embarkation she will sail to Bremerhaven Germany for Dry Docking ,once repairs are completed she will begin a NEW cruise, a 2 night cruise before reverting back to her normal service a 23 night cruise to the Caribbean,
All passengers due on the forthcoming Black Sea and Turkish Splendours/and Adriatic Discovery 111 cruises have been offered a full refund

[cunardqueen]

All passengers due on the forthcoming Black Sea and Turkish Splendours/and Adriatic Discovery 111 cruises have been offered a full refund   

I feel sorry for the poor passengers who probably booked many months ago and are left being offered a paltry refund and some onboard credit or FCC. no doubt with some stinging terms and cond attached.

In my time when l was cruising you had your holidays sorted out a year in advance the cruise  deposit paid and you settled back to look forward to a nice Cunard cruise.
Quite how these passengers must feel right now is anyones guess, But Cunard had better get its act together or they can risk losing the goodwill of the customers.

Given how Cunard handled those of us who were booked on QE2 when she was sold and they decided to muck about with her schedules, l can only wish those passengers good luck...But that as they say is history

[tdickson]

It appears that my previous post is not strictly true, so I stand corrected, if not a little baffled.
QV is apparently due to sail this Thursday as normal with only one change to her original schedule "Vigo instead of Oporto" This means she is to embark on a 20 night cruise to the Black Sea (Turkey etc) & return on effectively one engine still calling at seven ports. How Then proceeding to Dry Dock for repairs on the 3rd Oct 2012.
I await more announcements on this one !!!

[Peter Mugridge]

You aren't the only one who is baffled.

Michael... if you are reading this thread, could you throw any light on the matter for us please?

[CAP]

Reports suggest the ship had some sort of problem on Monday (10/9/12) which has affected her ability to maintain the planned itinerary.  The cruise scheduled to depart on 3/10 has been cancelled and instead QV will head to Bremerhaven for remedial work.  She is due back in Southampton on 17/10 and then depart on a 2 day cruise to Zeebrugge.  On her return she will continue with her original planned schedule.

What is surprising is the length of time she will be dry-docked for probably 10 or 11 days.  This is quite a period to be out of service especially for something which was overhauled during her last refit in 2010.

Perhaps the putting the hamster back into its' wheel is quite a tricky task

[Peter Mugridge]

What is surprising is the length of time she will be dry-docked for probably 10 or 11 days.  This is quite a period to be out of service especially for something which was overhauled during her last refit in 2010.

Just a thought - she hasn't put a leg out of bed on one of her six engines has she?

[CAP]

This particular dry-docking will be the first visit of any of the "modern' Queens to Lloyd Werft.  All previous maintenance has been carried out in Hamburg by Blohm & Voss.  QV's last refit in 2010 was undertaken there with work being done on the pods.

I wonder if there is anything more to read into this or is the Hamburg dry-dock just too busy?

[Rob Lightbody]

Given that there's nothing remotely unique about these ships (mechanically) I'm sure its not anything exciting thats gone wrong, just something boring that needs repaired/replaced!

[CAP]

Given that there's nothing remotely unique about these ships (mechanically) I'm sure its not anything exciting thats gone wrong, just something boring that needs repaired/replaced!

I was thinking more about the choice of yard than the actual fault....

[Andy F]

As previously reported, QV encountered problems with her propulsion system (port pod if I remember correctly), that was discovered whilst en route back to Southampton following a recent Adriatic round trip. The subsequent voyage to the Black Sea departed 13 September and largely operated as programmed, with the exception of the planned call to Oporto being replaced with Vigo. The only other change concerned the planned call to Piraeus - pulled on security grounds due to industrial action planned to coincide with the intended call - and was replaced with a maiden call to Catania (Sicily). The following voyage that had been due to return to the Adriatic, was cancelled to enable the ship to proceed to Germany for dry docking.

With output around 3kts down on normal, the ship was perhaps slightly more susceptible to pitch and roll on occasion due to the reduced power, though this was certainly not a problem and all calls were reached on schedule.

Reaching Southampton early on the morning of Weds 3 October, disembarkation was particularly swift and by 1100hrs, the ship departed for Bremerhaven, where she entered dry dock the following evening. Returning to Southampton early on the afternoon of Tues 16 Oct, QV went alongside QEII Terminal, where she would remain overnight (I may be wrong but I don't recall having seen a Vista alongside QEII previously) before sailing the following day bound for Zeebrugge on a hastily arranged 2 night mini shakedown cruise.  Programmed sailings are due to recommence from 19 Oct. 

[CAP]

It seems her first port of call on her Caribbean cruise, Ponta Delgada has been dropped!  Instead she appears to be heading directly from Southampton to Antigua, a seven day crossing!

Anyone know why the stop has been dropped?

She is also delaying her arrival in Madeira on the return crossing because there are too many ships in port!!!  She is scheduled to arrive after the departure of the other vessels.  And there was me thinking these were all arranged months and months in advance, ho humm!

[tdickson]

Maybe be linked but no sure. Cunard are e-mailing everyone on cruises calling @ Madeira regarding a virus caused from mosquito bites 

[cunardqueen]

And there was me thinking these were all arranged months and months in advance, ho humm!   

...and had it been QE2 she could make up the lost time,and no doubt she had priority in ports...Times have indeed changed...
I was on one QE2 cruise in 1989 scheduled to call into Bermuda, we had word about 2-3 month before sailing that it had been changed and QE2 would now be calling at Halifax,Maine and Rhode island .The onboard view was that shoreside had forgot to book QE2 into Bermuda. it ended up a lovely cruise and an onboard credit.. but those were the days...

[CAP]

Given that QV was out of service for two weeks did Cunard take advantage of the time and bring forward any further refurbishments or additions to the ship, either interior or exterior?