Source: Cruise Junkie dot Com


Events at Sea by Cunard Line

Click here for Illness Outbreaks by Cunard Line

Click here for breakdowns by ship:   Caronia     QE II      QM2      Queen Victoria


The events listed have been reported in the public domain or to cruisejunkie by passengers or crew members onboard.  The list is by no means comprehensive.  For that reason it is necessary to be cautious in drawing conclusions from the potentially limited data.  Keep in mind that some companies may be more transparent than others about things that go wrong; conversely, some companies may be better at concealing events and thereby project an appearance that is inaccurate.  With that said, the following list is still interesting, as are the patterns seen viewed separately by ship.




Date
Ship
2013
Incident
March 5 QEII The QEII Story reports the ship is without power while being "mothballed" in Dubai. This has raised concerns about the longer term impact on whether the ship could ever be used in future, and the effect on art work and furnishings onboard. For more information, see QEII Story.
Not being cared for
February 24 Queen Elizabeth The Dominion Post (New Zealand) reports a tug boat packed with pleasure seekers collided with cruise liner the Queen Elizabeth during CentrePort's open day. CentrePort has launched an internal investigation and notified Maritime NZ of the incident, which happened about 3pm on Saturday. The tug master in charge of the Toia tug was today away from work on rostered days off, marine services manager and chief pilot Charles Smith confirmed. He would not say whether the tug master had been suspended. It was ''conjecture'' to say what would happen to the ''very experienced'' tug master, he said. It was also conjecture as to say whether the incident would jeopardise future open days. Mr Smith said nobody was injured in the incident but the Toia was filled to capacity with 50 people on board. The incident happened as the Toia was motoring up the port side of the Queen Elizabeth. The tug's funnel hit the cruise liner's docking platform, which was about 12 metres above the water line. It damaged the funnel but the tug had remained in service.
Collision
Date
Ship
2012
Incident
December 5 Queen Elizabeth From a passenger: I was on Crown Princess on cruise from Venice (November 9, 2012) to Civitavecchia (Rome)(November 20, 2012). We docked on Monday November 12 at Katakolon (Olympia) two other ships were also there. Upon return from day tours our bus pulled into unloading area and I saw an elderly man laying on ground underneath another bus. Our bus parked and we unloaded. The man had apparently walked next to the other bus on its passenger side and was between the front right tire and the front bumper when the bus pulled forward in a right turn. The bus had knocked the man down and he hit his head causing it to bleed badly. Then before the driver stopped, the tire ran over the mans right leg. When the driver stopped the tire was on top of the mans left leg. People where running for help and the ambulance and rescue Tk finally arrived. The bus was jacked up and the man removed and placed in the ambulance. We heard the man was a passenger from the Queen Elizabeth.
Pax accident ashore
October 23 Queen Mary 2 The US Coast Guard reports the ship experienced a "material failure" Material failure
September 11 Queen Victoria The Daily Mail reports the ship has suffered an engine failure at sea leaving around 2,000 passengers due to sail on her next month forced to change their holiday plans. The vessel, known as 'QV', is currently sailing off the coast of Portugal and is being forced to sail more slowly than is usual due to a problem with the ship's propulsion system. The failure has forced Cunard to cancel a forthcoming Adriatic Discovery cruise - that was due to sail on October 3 - while repairs are made to the ship in Germany. Passengers scheduled to join the voyage have been offered alternative cruises or a refund, the company said. 'The work relates to one of Queen Victoria's propulsion units. Although there are no safety issues relating to this maintenance, it does preclude the ship achieving the speeds required to deliver the voyage itinerary and therefore it is necessary to take the ship out of service for a short period.' Repairs to the ship will take place at a dry dock in Bremerhaven before she is returned to sea on Wednesday 17th October.
Propulsion problems - cruise canceled
June 26 Cunard Line Sky News reports the cruise line has admitted it accidently emailed the details of more than 1,200 passengers to an undisclosed number of people. Cunard Line’s President and Managing Director Peter Shanks said: “ We had a mistake, a system issue, at the end of last week on Friday where we inadvertently and by mistake sent out an email which - didn’t contain any personal details - but had the email addresses of some customers on a number voyages. He added: “We recognised that within about 90 minutes and within two hours we sent a corrected email to all of our customers affected, we immediately shut down all of our systems and since then we’ve rebooked all those passengers with new details and we have accommodated and spoken to all of them and our systems are now up and running.” The issue first came to light after a member of an online cruise review website posted that he’d received an email with an attached file containing the names and email addresses of 1,225 passengers. Davyjones wrote: “This information would allow me to see all the information such as address, contact number and passport information that you need to enter before your cruise.” Mr Shanks has since reassured customers that no passport information or credit card numbers were sent out: “We reacted extremely quickly and to the best of our knowledge there are no issues at all, customers should not be worried and if they are then we will be well prepared to answer all the.”
Privacy breach
April 20 Queen Elizabeth II & Queen Mary 2 The Daily Mail reports a cruise ship worker who filmed himself abusing children left in his care aboard luxury Cunard liners has admitted attacks on 13 youngsters. Paul Trotter, 34, pleaded guilty to a string of sexual assaults and taking, making and possessing indecent images of children, most of whom were under the age of 13 at the time. The supervisor, who worked in the children's play zones, made films of himself abusing the children on three cruise ships, including Queen Mary 2 and its sister vessel Queen Elizabeth. He also possessed other indecent images of children he had obtained online. He admitted 12 counts of sexual assaulting a child under the age of 13, one count of sexual activity with a child under the age of 13, five counts of taking indecent images of a child, five of making indecent images of a child and one of possessing indecent images of a child. The offences were committed from November 2007 to August 2011 when he arrested by Wiltshire Police's child abuse investigation unit.
Multiple sexual assaults of children 13 and younger
March 17 Queen Mary 2 Saipan News reports anticipation and excitement over the arrival of the ship on Saipan (U.S. Commonwealth of the Northen Mariana Islands - CNMI)) turned to anxiety and disappointment Thursday after it called off its planned passenger landing at the Smiling Cove Marina due to high winds and rough seas. CNMI Homeland Security special assistant Marvin K. Seman said their team planned for all contingencies, except for this situation where they had no control over. “I know everybody was looking forward to it but it's just sad that the weather was not in our favor. I just wish Mother Nature was nicer this year,” said Seman. The ship arrived on Saipan waters at 4:45am, anchoring about a mile and a half from the shore at 5:15am but left at 10am, seven hours ahead of schedule. Seman said that Queen Mary 2's visit required 19 months of planning and preparation, including the last and most eventful three to four days needed for site preparations done by over 50 key members of the task force created especially for the ship's visit. He said the Queen Mary 2 task force stayed up until 10pm the night before to secure the Smiling Cove Marina, not only for the ship's passengers and crew members but also for the 18 food and arts and crafts vendors that set up shop in the area as early as 5am yesterday. About 13 local performing groups were also on standby at the marina but they, too, were dismayed at the cancellation. Around 9am, only task force members and one or two vendor staffers were seen at the site to put away their stuff. A food vendor manager who wished to remain anonymous said their staff prepared breakfast menu for 200 persons and brought it to the site as early as 6am. “It's disappointing because it would mean income loss for us,” said the manager. “But it was nature that caused it and nobody could have predicted that. We just have to charge it to experience.”
Canceled prot call
February 14 Queen Mary 2 The Daily Echo reports a former Cunard cruise ship worker has been charged with a sex attack on a child, police said today. Paul Trotter, 34, is accused of possessing indecent images of children and sexual assault of a child aged under 13 between December 20, 2010 and January 5, 2011. The assault was alleged to have been committed while Trotter was working for Cunard as a supervisor for a children's activity area, Wiltshire Police said. The former Cunard employee was initially arrested on suspicion of making, possessing and distributing of indecent images on August 12 last year. A force spokeswoman said: ''Wiltshire Police are contacting all of the parents they need to speak to in relation to the investigation.
Child sexual abuse (under age 13)
February 10 Queen Mary 2 Perth Now reports the ship was travelling from Port Louis, Mauritius, to Fremantle, Western Australia when power outages struck on Saturday and again on Tuesday. A spokesman for Carnival - the ship's owner - said the outages were part of routine maintenance. A passenger said he was stuck in a lift for approximately 10 minutes and had to be rescued during the first incident. He said electricity was lost to the ship for about 25 minutes with lights going out briefly and the engine stopping. He added fellow passengers peered over the side of the ship wondering what was going on when the engines turned off. “We were stuck in the middle of the ocean without any power,” he said. He said the second incident occurred at 2am on Tuesday during moderately rough seas and strong winds. The vessel “stopped dead” in the water for up to 10 minutes with the lights and TV going off momentarily and the engine failed to kick back in for up to eight minutes, according to the passenger.
Dead in the water / Power failure
February 4 Queen Mary 2 From a reader: So I'm lounging by the pavilion pool on deck 12 when the Commodore comes on the tannoy to announce that the Queen Mary 2 pride of Cunard is dead in the ocean having lost all power. We're on emergency generators so hopefully the vacuum toilets will work. Probably a temporary situation but if not you'll see us on the nightly news. We are situated halfway between South Africa and western Australia near nothing. Update one generator is now back up with three more to come on line. Brief thoughts of another Carnival nightmare at sea. Update: all are now up and running . . . And the vacuum toilets are fully functional.
Dead in the water / Power failure
January 27 Queen Mary 2 The Daily News (South Africa) reports the ship, expected to arrive in Durban on Saturday morning, would now only arrive on Sunday at about 6AM. The delay is the result of “terrible” high winds in Cape Town. And it is not known how long the ship will be in Durban because that too will depend on weather conditions and Cyclone Funso presently off Mozambique.
Delayed arrival &departure
January 22 Queen Mary 2 & Queen Elizabeth The Daily Mail reports A man who has worked on two of the world’s most luxurious cruise liners is being investigated by police over allegations he indecently assaulted child passengers. It is claimed the crew member carried out the sexual assaults over the past five years on Cunard’s flagship the Queen Mary 2 and its sister vessel Queen Elizabeth. Detectives started the investigation after a tip-off thought to be from the parents of one of the children involved, all of whom live in the UK. Police in Wiltshire, where the unnamed man lives, have contacted parents in various parts of the UK whom they want to interview. Nobody has been arrested or charged over the allegations. But police sources confirmed that the ex-cruise worker – who left the company before the police probe began six months ago – has been interviewed by Wiltshire CID. Detectives are understood to have examined photographic and computer equipment at the man’s home. The investigation, which began last summer, has taken so long because of the delicate nature of the allegations and the fact they involve young children.
Multiple sexual assaults of children
Date
Ship
2011
Incident
November 19 Queen Victoria The cruise scheduled to end today in Venice was unable to dock because of fog. It has been diverted to Trieste. It is unclear at this point what this means for folks disembarking at the end of the current cruise, and how it will effect the cruise scheduled to embark today (e.g., itinerary changes etc). From a passenger: Confirmed what you published in the events section.  More to it: we were diverted to Trieste and docked close to midnight on 19th.  Buses were used to transport all back to Venice (164 km; 2+ hours travel time).  We have been caught by highwind in Alexandria, fogged out from Venice, missed the Katakolon port. The first buses didn't leave until after 2:00 AM and passengers saw nothing of Venice.
Change in port of debarkation and embarkation
November 16 Queen Victoria From a passenger: The ship was delayed for 24 hours in port of Alexandria – the port closed and the ship couldn't leave although Boudica decided to leave the port Also now a outbreak of Norovirus on board. Missed the port of Katakolon and now heading for Corfu. UPDATE Nov 19: Now we are stuck in fog and unable to dock in Venice! Several hours later: We are now being diverted to trieste so not quite sure what will happen about onward travel
Missed port / Illness
October 17 Queen Mary 2 Posters at Cruise Critic report the ship has twice gone "dead in the water" during its current transAtlantic cruise. There are no reports from the company and no indications that any passengers or the ship was in danger.
Dead in water
October 5 Queen Mary 2 A post at Cruise Critic states: I have the following on very good authority as of 21:00 Oct 5, 2011: A gas carbine in the engine room of the QM2 caught on fire this evening. Cunard staff were given a 90 minute warning in order to prepare to deploy the lifeboats. Guests had their children dropped off and their animals picked up from the kennels. Apparently it is now under control, but people are understandably shaken up. They are currently in extremely rough seas and my source tells me that "things are flying all over the ship". In one instance a copier machine was ripped from its harnass and destroyed into 8 pieces. That's all I know at the moment. NOTE: The ship will arrive in New York City October 7th at the end of its Atlantic Canada cruise. UPDATE from Cruise Critic: I'm on the QM2 at the moment so will let you know what's being going on. Yesterday we sailed through a force 11 storm. The captain said that two other ships from Silversea and Celebrity had to turn back to safe harbour but we battled through it. It got really bad in the afternoon, plates were flying off tables and we could hear crashing crockery all over the place. I heard all the crystal in the shop smashed and a couple of windows too. I saw a couple of piles of vomit in the public areas. (lovely!). Then as we were getting ready for dinner there was the crew alarm for the crew to muster. The guests on first sitting all had to leave the dining room and guests were told to stay in their rooms. We were told later by the captain that there had been a small fire in the gas turbine rendering it useless. Everything returned to normal apart from our second sitting dinner being delayed by 15 minutes. We have been told that we will be delayed by 2 hours getting into NY tomorrow morning. A very exciting day but I heard some passengers were very upset and distraught. All ok now. From a passenger: Just got off the ship, the fire incident was a little scary,as we were outside of Halifax. We got the first notice to pickup your children from the evening care room and animals from the kennels abbot 7:45 pm. That notice kinda of sent chills up your spine.
Engine room fire
May 9 Queen Mary 2 The New York Daily News reports a Malaysian man smuggled illegal Chinese immigrants into Brooklyn aboard the ship. Five women and four men were taken into custoday last month after the ship arrived at the New Yrk Cruise Terminal in Red Hook. The immigrants boarded the ship in Dubai as passengers.
Illegal immigrants on ship
February 8 Queen Mary 2 Independent Online reports the ship left Durban harbour two hours late because a group of about 21 to 29 people from the ship had disembarked in Cape Town, and had gone on an overland tour that ended in Nelspruit. They had planned to catch a flight to Durban at about 3.10pm yesterday, but their plane was delayed, and they only arrived at 5.45pm. The passengers arrived at the harbour an hour later, and still had to go through immigration before the ship sailed at about 7.40pm. Passengers on board lined the decks and clapped and cheered when ropes were released and the ship finally began making its way to its next port of call, Mauritius.
Delayed departure
dd/mm/yy
Ship
2010
Incident
3.10.10 Queen Mary 2 The Daily Mail reports an elderly British couple were ordered off the ship after an explosive row with fellow passengers during a black-tie dinner. Frederick Evans, 91, and his Broadway producer wife Gloria Sher, 82, were told by the captain to leave at the next port following what was said to be an expletive-ridden argument over anti-Semitic remarks. The couple faced being dumped in a remote part of Quebec in Canada before fellow passengers came to their defence and asked that they be allowed to stay. The captain agreed - but only on the condition that they spend the remaining six days of their £12,000 cruise in their cabin under house arrest and handed over all their alcohol. The row erupted during dinner when another passenger at the formal dinner was said to have remarked: ‘There are too many Jews on board’. Miss Sher, who is Jewish, was appalled and apparently said back: ‘F*** you!’ and ‘How dare you insult me!’ before storming off to her stateroom. The next morning Commodore Warner knocked on their door and, citing regulations, told them: ‘You insulted a fellow passenger. I'm going to have to ask you to leave the ship’. The passenger making the antisemestic comment was not similarly sanctioned.
Pax evicted
23.9.10 Queen Mary 2 A report from the UK Marine Accident Investigation Branch indicates at 0426 (UTC+1), the ship was approaching Barcelona when one of 12 capacitors in a harmonic filter1 failed, accompanied by a loud explosion. The explosion resulted in extensive damage to the surrounding electric panels and caused the vessel to black out. There were no navigational hazards nearby, main power was restored at 0455 and the ship was able to get back underway at 0523. Fortunately, there were no staff near the equipment at the time of the explosion.
Dead in the water
16.9.10 Queen Mary 2 Metro News reports a crewmember who was found in possession of child pornography while his ship was docked in Halifax has been sentenced to 120 days in jail. Edward Mangubat, age 40 from the Philippines, was arrested on Sept. 7 and pleaded guilty on Thursday at Halifax provincial court.
Child pornography siezed
15.3.10 Queen Victoria It has been reported the ship left Shanghai yesterday evening 36 hours behind schedule dur to thick fog. She is dropping Halong Bay and going straight to Phu My.
Delayed departure - itinerary change
dd/mm/yy
Ship
2009
Incident
4.12.09 Queen Victoria From a passenger: Have just been informed by Cunard that the upcoming Winter Wonderland cruise next week will not be calling at Copenhagen, due to risks of on shore riots during the World Climate Change Conference. We shall be calling at Amsterdam instead. Itinerary change
4.12.09 Queen Victoria The Sunday Mail reports on a lawsuit in which a couple was awarded £60,000 as a result of disappointment on a cruise -- the metal floor underneath them began to flex loudly in high seas, creating an unbearable racket that kept them awake. The couple sailed from Southampton on the ship's 15-week maiden voyage in January 2009 and hit heavy seas in the Bay of Biscay when the floor began to flex loudly. They were offered an alternative cabin for the New York to Los Angeles leg then upgraded to a 'penthouse suite', complete with a butler. But they 'could not unpack' and relax as they didn't know when the couple who booked the suite would be joining the cruise, the court heard. They returned to their original cabin only to face the noise once more and were offered a mid-range suite which they rejected as it ' didn't feel right'. By now, the experience had left them feeling like 'gipsies' so they disembarked in Honolulu, Hawaii and spent six weeks in a luxury hotel before returning home on the Queen Elizabeth II. They were refunded £48,240 of the £59,052, cruise cost and pursued a damages case. A judge at Bradford county court awarded them £22,000, of which £15,000 was for 'distress and disappointment'. The cruise line said the award was likely to encourage speculative court action and the correct level was between £2,000 and £3,000. Judgment was reserved. Law suit
2.10.09 Queen Victoria The Halifax Chronicle reports the captain abruptly ended a press conference when asked, “How environmentally friendly is this vessel?" The newspaper article says he literally went off the deep end.“I’m not even going to go there. No," he snapped. He muttered a few more words and walked off in a huff. A few metres away he turned and said with disdain, “You should know better than that!" In a flash he was gone. No explanation. No apology to the other media people taken off guard by the response and obviously somewhat embarrassed. The obvious question: what information did he not want to give? Environmental
16.9.09 Queen Victoria The Gibraltar Chronicle reports some passengers were not amused yesterday when they found they had not docked as expected. Instead, the Independence of the Seas had docked. One Yorkshireman aboard called the Chronicle from his mobile and pointed to the fact that some elderly and disabled passengers were not able to come on shore aboard the tenders, especially with choppy seas. A spokesman for MH Bland, the agents, however, said that the ship had been given the option to dock alongside an inside section of the quay but had decided against this. Changed berthing
22.7.09 Queen Mary 2 Cruising Talk reports the ship broke mooring lines during gale force winds, which were said to reach force 10, at Zeebrugge yesterday. Three tugs were nearby and helped her in berthing again. The ship was reported as having some damage to her stern and was about four hours late in sailing, due to the damage, while a survey was carried out.
Breaks mooring lines
dd/mm/yy
Ship
2008
Incident
11.11.08
QE2 The ship ran aground as she came into her home port to make her final call. It touched the bottom at the Brambles sandbank near Calshot, Southampton, with three tugs attached to her stern. A spokesman for Solent Coastguard said they were alerted to the 70,000-tonne ship being aground at the entrance of Southampton Water at 5.26am today. Five tugs were sent out to assist her getting off the sandbank, he added, and she was pulled off just before 6.10am. The ship leaves Southampton for its final voyage later today.
Aground
29.10.08
Queen Mary 2 The Mirror reports a crewman was arrested last night after strangling his girlfriend in his cabin. Police said the victim, 32, was his boss and had ended the relationship. "He was drunk and didn't like what he heard," they said. The liner, in Hamburg, Germany, for repairs, is now a crime scene. A post-mortem will be held on the victim, who is from the Philippines, today while her suspected Filipino killer, 38, appears in court. The USA Today subsequently reported that "Media reports that a crew member died are false, Cunard spokesman Brian O'Connor tells USA TODAY. But "Cunard can confirm that there was a domestic incident between two crew members." O'Connor says the the crew member detained by German police has since been released.
Crew on Crew murder??
26.9.08
QE2 High winds (30 - 35 kms/hour) caused the ship to skip its port call at St. John's, Newfoundland. The ship had been scheduled to drop anchor at Foxtrap (Conception Bay South) and tender passengers ashore.
Missed port
15.08.08
Queen Mary 2 There are reports the ship lost all power at 1:30AM this morning on its transatlantic run.  She regained power about an hour later but is running slower than normal at 18 knots.  No announcement has been made as yet regarding New York arrival, if delayed or not.
Loss of power
14.5.08
Queen Victoria
The ship, on its maiden call in Malta, hit the quay of the Valletta Waterfront, denting the stern of the ship. The unofficial reason for the incident is that the throttles of the 90,000 tonnes luxury liner got stuck. In a statement later in the evening the Malta Maritime Authority officially attributed the incident to a mechanical failure in the ship. Carnival Corporation Chairman and CEO, Micky Arison, was onboard the ship when the accident happened. The ship remained in port for repairs and left the following day, having to cancel its port call in Tunisia. Carnival Corporation is reported to be considering a lawsuit against the port because a Maltese pilot was steering the ship at the time; the local government claims the accident was the result of a mechanical failure on the ship and is the fault of the cruise line. Investigations continue.
Collision with pier
dd/mm/yy
Ship
2007
Incident
27.12.07
Queen Mary 2 The Daily Mirror reports a man was thrown off a Christmas cruise in the Caribbean after he was involved in a fight; he had to leave his daughter of nine with his parents onboard. He also had to pay for his flight back from the British Virgin Islands. But he claimed he was only defending himself from a stranger's attack. He said: "I was the victim and for that I was thrown off the ship." Cunard said: "Two guests were disembarked. The circumstances are being investigated." Passengers offloaded
15.12.07
QE II
A cross-channel ferry narrowly avoided a collision with the QE2. P&O Ferries Pride of Kent had to slam on the breaks when the cruise liner failed to give way at sea off the Dover coast and sailed into the passenger ferry's path. A subsequent investigation said the QE2 was required to give way; when it became apparent that no avoiding action was being taken by the QE2, Pride of Kent reduced speed and allowed the ship to pass 0.6 mile ahead. Near-miss of collision
8.9.07
QE II
The ship set sail today following a 24 hour delay in Dubrovnik caused by a mechanical fault.  The ship was mid-way through a two week cruise of the Mediterranean.  The round trip cruise from Southampton began August 31 and will disembark September 15.
Mechanical problems -- Delayed in port
1.5.07
Queen Mary 2 A woman secured over £3,000 compensation after an anniversary cruise on the Queen Mary 2 turned into a nightmare.  In May 2006 she was on board the ship with her husband to celebrate their wedding anniversary, traveling from Southampton to Norway.  Whilst taking in the sights on her balcony one morning, a sheet of glass fell down towards her from a deck above. The glass missed her by inches but caused her to fall backwards to the ground, injuring her right wrist and right side. She explains: "I'd never been on a cruise before and I was frightened by what happened.  Whilst having rooms with a private balcony on the first morning on board I decided to go outside to take in the sights.   Out there it all happened very quickly and I saw something like a blue sheet coming towards me from above.  I moved back to try and avoid it because if I hadn’t the glass would have hit me.  See here for more information.
Personal injury suit
dd/mm/yy
Ship
2006
Incident
31.12.06
QE II
A 62-year-old female passenger from Germany, traveling with her husband on a 16 day Christmas / New Year's cruise from Southampton (London), was reported missing this morning while the vessel was traveling between Madeira and Southampton.  A search of the ship and surrounding waters proved unsuccessful.  The ship is due back to Southampton January 2.  Website for missing person -- appealing to passengers or crew on this cruise.
Passenger Missing
6.12.06
Queen Mary 2
From a passenger:  Leaving Barbados, we were advised that a door on one of the bow thrusters was malfunctioning, and we could only make 18 knots.  We arrived in  St. Kits 4 hours late, and a team from Miami flew in with divers to repair.  We were treated to a party on deck before arriving in St. Kits, with free drinks as compensation.  Divers apparently cleared the damage, and we left St. Kits on time and the rest of the cruise was on schedule.  FYI, we were 3-4 hours delayed (2 December) in embarkation boarding due to immigration (?) or computer problems.  Never did get the correct story, and ship left 2 hours late.  Restaurants onboard closed at the regular time that day, leaving many late boarding guests with little or no food until dinner. Mechanical problem
13.7.06
QE II
From a passenger:  We were on the QE2 Iceland/Norway cruise.  One evening out in the North Sea we were caught with a following sea and for a short time the wind beam on.  The result a 5 degree roll on top of a 5 degree list that lasted 20-30 minutes -- the video clip shows the result.  The rolls were very smooth and very controlled.  I've seen the old girl rolling further but the list was more than I have seen before. Needless to say no damage was caused and everything carried on as normal.  See video by clicking here.
Minor List
13.5.06
Queen Mary 2
A 40-year old crew member died after a fight with a 49-year old crew member.  Both men are Filipino.  The assailant was confined to his cabin and investigations begun. 
Crew Fight - Death
2.5.06
QE II
Transport Canada confirmed the ship had discharged 3,000 litres if what crew described as "paper pulp in Canadian waters off Cape Breton on September 9, 2005.  Investigators say it is unclear what was dumped, but there was some speculation it was primarily toilet paper. 
Environmental
14.2.06
Queen Mary 2
Cunard announced two sailing would be cancelled so a propeller pod problem can be repaired.  A 12 day Mediterranean cruise in May will be replaced with a six day Norwegian fjords voyage, and a seven night Caribbean cruise in November has been cancelled .  The propulsion problem has affected other schedules.  According to a passenger who is on a Rio to New York cruise in April (as reported in the Miami Herald), "I sought assurances from Cunard that my cruise would proceed as scheduled, and was told there were no problems.  I made my final payment last week.  I now find that visits to Salvador in Brazil and Fort Lauderdale have been cancelled and St. Thomas in the Virgin Islands substituted."
Cancellations / Itinerary changes
22.1.06
Queen Mary 2
The BBC reports that passengers have threatened mutiny over the dropping of three port calls on the voyage from Fort Lauderdale to Rio.  They complain that they weren't told of the schedule change (dropping of all port calls) until after the ship left for Rio and that they should have been given the option to not take the cruise.  Some passengers threatened to refuse to disembark when the ship arrives in Rio.  At the same time, More than 200 passengers joined in joint litigation (class action suit) against Cunard.  Shortly after an announcement on January 26 that the ship would arrive in Rio 22 hours later than scheduled, and likely in view of widespread media attention and negative publicity along with the planned legal action, Cunard capitulated and offered passengers a full refund for the cruise and airfare.  Threat of a class action suit was dropped.
Threatened Mutiny
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Class Action
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Line Capitulates
17.1.06
Queen Mary 2
The ship returned to Fort Lauderdale shortly after leaving port for a 38-day trip around South America and ending in San Francisco.  The ship departed shortly after 1 PM but soon returned because something felt wrong with one of the azipods (propulsion units).  An investigation revealed that the ship touched some sort of submerged object and one of the four motor pods was damaged.  The ship left 41 hours later than its initial departure and will operate on 3 rather than 4 motors (meaning reduced speeds.  The first segment of the cruise,which began in New York and for which Fort Lauderdale was an unscheduled stop, will skip its port calls in St. Kitts, Barbados, and Salvador in order to end in Rio on January 27.  Passengers on the first segment will  receive a 50% refund; those continuing on the second and final segment ending in Los Angeles will receive a six-day pro-rata refund.
Engine problems
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Delay
dd/mm/yy
Ship
2005
Incident
27.6.05
QEII
More than 200 passengers have signed a petition protesting a decision to anchor nearly three miles away from Tuesday's fleet review that are part of Trafalgar 200 events.  Passengers claim brochures promised the ship would be "at the heart and soul" of the festivities -- Cunard says the "slight change" in location was to accommodate the increase in the number of vessels taking part in the fleet review.  Read details here.
Disappointed passengers
30.5.05
QEII
British media report that police are investigating a woman's claim that she was sexually assaulted aboard the cruise ship on May 25.  A 25-year-old crew member was arrested in connection with the allegation.
Sexual Assault
19.4.05
Queen Mary 2
An 82 year old German passenger jumped overboard into the icy waters of the North Atlantic off Newfoundland's Grand Bank sometime in the evening.  This is the second suicide this year on the Queen Mary -- the first was in January when a US passenger killed himself while on a Caribbean cruise (further details on the latter case are not available).
Passenger  overboard - Suicide
14.4.05
QEII
One of three tapestries commissioned by Cunard in 1969 was reportedly thrown overboard by crew members.  In addition, another tapestry was damaged and crew toilets were vandalized.  Three crew members were arrested when the ship docked in Southampton April 16.
Vandalism
12.2.05
QEII
12 passengers arriving for a segment of the world cruise were "bumped" because the ship was overbooked.  Passenger bumped were transferred instead to the Sapphire Princess for a cruise to New Zealand.
Overbooked
1.1.05
QEII
According to passengers aboard QE2, the liner lost power in the early hours of New Year's Day while on her Christmas Cruise. Without power there is no propulsion, ventilation, lighting or water. Apparently, the ship drifted in this state for about an hour before power was restored. Power loss
dd/mm/yy
Ship
2004
Incident
25.6.04
Queen Mary 2
A BBC investigation led the UK's Maritime and Coastguard Agency to warn Carnival Corporation that panels in 900 of the bathrooms "do not fully meet fire regulation standards."  The ship was fitted with 1300 additional smoke alarms and there are plans to install sprinklers in the bathrooms.
Noncompliance with Fire Standards
11-19.6.04
Queen Mary 2
I received the following from a passenger:  There was a man overboard incident during the Caribbean cruise from 6-11 to 6-19-04;  the rumor aboard was that it was a suicide. There was also a delay in St Thomas because they did not have the "paperwork" in order with the USCG. This delayed disembarkation more than 3 hours. Man Overboard

Delay
1.6.04
Caronia (1)
A passenger reported that the ship "suffered a total power failure following a leak from a swimming pool that took out the main electric board.  Drifted for approximately 2 hours before partial power restored.  Incident caused delay resulting in revised itinerary.  No reports of injury (well none mentioned to passengers)."
Power failure
12.4.04
Queen Mary 2
The ship arrived in Southampton, at the end of its second transatlantic cruise, 3.5 hours late.  The ship was delayed in Lisbon while a problem with a door over a bow thruster was repaired.  It was unable to make up the time from Lisbon to England because one of the back-up engine turbines had not been working properly since the start of the trip.  Delayed arrival
6.4.04
Queen Mary 2
The ship encountered gale fore 12 winds and 70 foot seas on its maiden transAtlantic crossing.  Click here for photos. Heavy Seas
dd/mm/yy
Ship
2003
Incident
15.11.03
Queen Mary 2
Fifteen people died on Saturday when a dockside gangway to the Queen Mary 2 collapsed at Saint-Nazaire in western France. As up to 50 visitors were walking onto the liner across a gangway, the structure collapsed under them, injuring about 32 people, 12 of them seriously
Accident
12.3.03
Caronia
Three passengers arrested after British police seized 20 kilograms (44 pounds) of cocaine found in luggage.  The seizure in Southampton had a street value of US$1.8 million
Drug bust
dd/mm/yy
Ship
2002
Incident
27.6.02
QE II
Two workers airlifted (from 250 miles southwest of Ireland) after they were blasted with scalding steam from a faulty boiler valve.  See: Report of the Escape of Steam and Hot Water on Board QE2 in the mid Atlantic Resulting in one Fatality on 23 June 2002 , Marine Accident Investigation Branch Report 17/2003 Workers injured
24.5.02 QE II
Departure delayed from NYC because of a leak in a condenser.  Departs more than 13 hours late.  Arrival in England expected to be on schedule.
Delayed departure
21.5.02
QE II
A large sea water leak was discovered in the aft engine room, caused by the perforation (by corrosion) of a sea water inlet pipe.  The leak was stopped after several efforts (over 36 hours), but not before several hundred tones of sea water had to be pumped overboard so that workers could get at the leaking pipe in the engine room (which was submerged by water from the leak).  For additional details see Report of Investigation into Flooding of Aft Engine Room of Passenger Ship Queen Elizabeth 2, 21/22 May 2002, Marine Accident Investigation Branch Report 9/2003 Flooding of Aft Engine Room
23.2.02 Caronia
Detained and fined by Brazilian authorities after nearly 8000 gallons of heavy fuel oil spilled into Guanabara Bay near Rio de Janeiro.  Departure delayed one day and ship fined $410,000. Environmental
dd/mm/yy
Ship
2001
Incident
22.7.01
QE II A 28 year old crew member (reportedly a chef) went overboard while the ship was 95 miles off the south west coast of Ireland
Passenger overboard
5.4.96
Royal Viking Sun
The ship was holed as it struck a coral reef in the Gulf of Aquaba.  Passengers were evacuated and sent home.  The ship was detained by the Egyptian Government and fined $23.5 million.
Grounded - Holed
7.8.92
QE II
Grounding of the United Kingdom Passenger Vessel RMS Queen Elizabeth 2 Near Cuttyhunk Island Vineyard Sound, Massachusetts August 7, 1992.  (NTSB Report Number: MAR-93-01) Grounded
   
(1) Caronia: ex-Sagafjord (Cunard)




Illness Outbreaks at Sea by Cunard Line

dd/mm/yy
Ship
2013
March 12 Queen Elizabeth III KTLA reports after arriving at the Port of Los Angeles the QE3 is getting a thorough cleaning as a precaution. Prior to the ship’s arrival in Southern California, dozens of passengers were sickened by a virus during a 36-night South Pacific cruise. The cruise line said none of the 84 sick passengers (about 4% of the 1900 passengers) are showing symptoms anymore.
dd/mm/yy
Ship
2012
December 26 Queen Mary 2 From a passenger: We are on the Queen Mary 2 which left NYC on Dec 19th. When it came to NY from Southampton there were people already ill. Currently there is a serious outbreak of the Norovirus with more 200 people stricken a new cases still being reported. We are on red alert (per the UK and CDC standards) and no matter what they do passengers are still getting sick. Officers and crew doing their best. Dec 28: CDC reports 194 of 2613passengers (7.42%) and 11 of 1255 crew (0.88%) have reported ill with gastrointestinal illness. Two CDC Vessel Sanitation Program environmental health officers and an epidemioligist will board the ship on arrival in Brooklyn on January 3 to conduct an environmental health assessment and evaluate the outbreak and response activities. January 3: Numbers revised to 204 of 2613 passengers (7.81%) and 16 of 1255 crew (1.27%).
dd/mm/yy
Ship
2010
27.12.10 Queen Mary 2 A poster at Cruise Critic reports currently on the QM2 Dec 19th sailing, quite an outbreak on board. Many passengers quarantined to their cabins, including our 12 yr old son for xmas eve, xmas and part of next day, and a few passengers expelled from the ship in Curacao for failing to maintain their quarantine. Another poster says there was a large outbreak in October as well. The CDC subsequently reports 167 of 2,483 passengers (6.73%) and 28 of 1,234 crew (2.27%) have reported ill with gastrointestinal illness. The ship arrives in New York City on January 2 on a cruise that began December 19.
8.6.10 Queen Mary 2 From a reader: The second night of our trans Atlantic crossing, I was struck with severe vomiting and diarrhea.  We notified our room steward who inturn run called medical.  They were very nice, gave me a good exam and then gave medication to take for the vomiting and diarrhea.  I was quarantined in my cabin, for 3 full days to be sure I was better, but as I chatted with the people that took care of cleaning my room twice a day.  Was informed that it had first started during the world cruise and some people continued to get sick.  I was #2 or 3, then the numbers went up each day, by the third day they just told me a lot more were sick.  While I was sick, It was noted that my waiter at dinner was also sick for a few days and not serving.  Now I wonder if I got it from him????
27.1.10 Queen Victoria The CDC reports 19 of 983 crew (1.93%) and 168 of 1854 passengers (9.06) reported ill on the cruise running 12 - 27 January. The cruise began in New York City; CDC performed an operational inspection on January 15th in Fort Lauderdale; the cruise ended in San Francisco. This is the second illness outbreak in a row.
9.1.10 Queen Victoria The Daily Mail erroneously reports the ship could be refused entry into the U.S. after an outbreak of a winter vomiting bug. The paper said the Queen Victoria will not be allowed to dock if the virus reaches an epidemic rate, where 15 per cent of those onboard are affected, authorities warn. So far, 30 people have been confined to their cabins. The ship's captain has ordered a major cleaning operation of handrails, dining rooms and other public areas in a bid to protect the remaining 2,000 or so passengers and crew. Self-service of food and beverages has been stopped and receptions have been canceled. The ship is due to arrive at New York on Monday and on Tuesday will leave for the Caribbean for a two-week tour. Update: South Florida Business Review and the CDC reports 9.55% of passengers (179) reported ill as did eight (0.981%) of ther crew.
dd/mm/yy
Ship
2009
19.3.09 Queen Mary 2 From a passenger: We are currently on the QM2 World Cruise and the ship is in semi-lockdown with Norovirus. no idea of the numbers but the crew are going all out to contain it.
dd/mm/yy
Ship
2008
18.7.08 Queen Victoria From a passenger: tWe were pax on the Aurora departing immediately behind the QVictoria. Ventura departed behind us, completing a three-in-line ahead departure. QVictoria had cast off first and went astern in a 90degree starboard turn around the end of the main jetty (stern now towards Soton city). A 25ish knot crosswind then drove her sideways, eastwards, away from the jetty and she grounded on the sandbank at the side of the marked navigation channel. We were advised this had occurred because one of her pods had jammed when they changed from astern to ahead. She remained on the sandbank whilst the pod was ‘freed’. She then used her engines for some 15minutes, alternately to wriggle off the bank. During this operation it as easy to see her roll a degree of two from side to side.  It took some 25minutes. Aurora had already cast off and within a few hundred meters heard of the QVictoria ’s plight. We held our mid-channel station using cross/bow thrusters fairly continuously, against the crosswind. We were slowly being driven towards the jetty and had QVictoria remained in difficulty much longer we’d have moved forward to occupy the QVictoria ’s now vacant berth. Ventura had cast off her springs when Aurora advised Ventura (behind us) not to cast off completely. Therefore, due to the crosswind, Ventura remained at berth.
dd/mm/yy
Ship
2007
30.12.07
Queen Victoria
The British media reports 80 passengers (4%) onboard the ship's 16-day Christmas/New Year's cruise have contracted norovirus and are quarantined in their cabins. The ship left London December 21 and returns January 6. This is the ship's second cruise after being christened in early December. Passengers have dubbed the trip as the "cruise from hell" after complaining about poor room service, blocked toilets, a lack of Christmas decorations, cold food, and extra charges for tea and coffee.
12.1.07
QE II
The ship reported that 10 of 1002 (1.0%) crew and 136 of 1652 (8.23%) passengers had reported ill on the  8 - 22 January cruise from New York to Los Angeles.   Symptoms were consistent with gastrointestinal illness (e.g., norovirus).   Update January 15: 22 of 1002 (2.2%) crew and 243 of 1652 (14.71%) passengers reported ill.  Update January 22:  28 of 1022 (2.79%) crew and 276 of 1652 (16.71%) passengers reported ill.
dd/mm/yy
Ship
2006 and earlier
27.2.06
Queen Mary 2
Centres for Disease Control report that an elevated number of Queen Mary 2 passengers and crew were experiencing symptoms consistent with acute gastroenteritis.  On February 22, the ship’s medical staff reported that 31 of 1271 (2.44%) crew were ill and 86 of 2498 (3.44%) passengers were ill. The predominant symptom was diarrhea.  The 14 day voyage concluded on February 22, 2006, (sailing dates: 02/08/2006-02/22/2006) in Los Angeles, CA.
6.3.04

Queen Mary 2
The ship reported that 33 passengers (1.35%) and 55 crew (4.07%) were ill with symptoms consistent with Norovirus.  The CDC posted this information on its website on March 17th, which is twelve days after the ship had docked in Fort Lauderdale (from Sint Maarten); 19 days after it was first alerted that an unusual number of passengers and crew had reported being ill.
25.2.04

QE II
The ship, on a world cruise, reported five days after leaving Sydney, Australia for Guam that 82 passengers and 24 crew had reported gastrointestinal illness likely caused by Norovirus.
19.1.04
QE II
29 passengers (1.86%) and 46 crew (4.56%) reported gastrointestinal illness suspected to be caused by Norwalk-like virus.  The twelve day cruise ended in Los Angeles on January 19.
18.1.03
QE II
Outbreak investigation by CDC for gastrointestinal disease caused by Norwalk-like virus -- 75 passengers (4.52%) and 19 crew (1.96%)
30.4.02
Caronia
45 passengers (6.67%) and 2 crew (.51%) reported ill on the cruise running April 18-30.
24.3- 5.4.02
Caronia
225 passengers (and at least 15 crew) reported symptoms of gastroenteritis.  An investigation determined the cause to be e coli from water bunkered at Guatemala.  It was ingested with water and ice cubes made from the water.  See CDC for more information.
11.3 - 29.3.01
Caronia
78 passengers (19.35%) and 44 crew members (11.58%) reported ill -- norovirus.