Cunard to Refund Queen Mary 2 Passengers in Full

Cunard Line will give passengers on the Queen Mary 2 a full refund of the cruise fare between New York or Fort Lauderdale and Rio de Janeiro after the ship, which has been slowed by propulsion problems, cut three calls from its itinerary. Originally, the line had offered a 50 percent refund to passengers.

One of the QM2´s four propulsion pods was damaged on January 17 as it struck the ship channel during an attempt to depart Fort Lauderdale. The ship, which is on a cruise around South America, left Fort Lauderdale two days late and missed calls in St. Kitts, Barbados and Salvador, Brazil.

In a statement Cunard said that “we had initially hoped that all our guests would have found much to enjoy during this liner voyage, and we are sorry that this has not proved to be the case for a significant number of people.

“In particular,” Cunard added, “we recognize that the mood onboard may have further contributed adversely to our guests´ experience.”

Cunard said it would provide passengers disembarking in Rio with a full refund, including air fare charges for passengers who booked their own flights. Passengers continuing on through Cape Horn will be offered either a refund of the portion of the cruise fare between their embarkation point and the Rio stop, or a 50 percent refund and a 75 percent future cruise credit.

The line said it expects the QM2 to preserve its scheduled calls beyond Rio, albeit with shortened calls in Montevideo, Uruguay, and Acapulco, Mexico. The vessel is scheduled to arrive in Los Angeles on February 22.