Cunard Can you Please Explain?

As you can imagine, it has been a busy week at Cruise.co HQ with the Cunard 175th Anniversary sailings going on sale. All the Cunard die-hards had pre-registered to ensure they could be a part of this historic occasion and as usual we did our clients proud – well most of them…….
Five sailings were released, three voyages which will include a call into Liverpool on 25th May 2015, this was originally Cunards home port. Another sailing, on 2nd May 2015, is to commemorate the sinking of the Lusitania 100 years ago on 7th May 1915, and the final sailing, the one that has been most popular is the re enactment of the very first Cunard transatlantic crossing on 2nd July 1840 from Southampton to Halifax then Boston.

From the off this has been promoted as an opportunity to sail from Southampton or Liverpool but whilst there are still plenty of staterooms available on the Southampton departure, the Liverpool availability disappeared in the blink of an eye.
We were told that only a certain number of cabins would be sold to Diamond and Platinum members last Tuesday and Wednesday and that there would be plenty left for other people wishing to book when these sailing went on sale for everyone else last Thursday – not so! There were no insides left and the remaining cabins just flew out. It was only afterwards that we learned that Cunard had only actually released 100 cabins for the Liverpool departure – why? The explanation we have been given is that they are worried that the Port of Liverpool cannot cope with embarking more passengers that that. Absolute rubbish! Fred Olsen and Cruise & Maritime use Liverpool as an embarkation port regularly and I know for a fact that their ships take more than 200 passengers!
Cunard, you have plenty of cabins available and lots of disappointed guests, why don’t you release some more cabins for Liverpool embarkation when you know the port can handle it? Or would you rather sell the unsold cabins for next to nothing at the last minute next Spring? It’s your call Cunard but I know what I would do if I were you!
Answers on a postcard please – or you can call me on 0800 408 6084. I look forward to hearing from you.