Queen Mary II passengers warned against "polluted" Hong Kong dpa German Press Agency
Published: Saturday March 3, 2007



Hong Kong- Passengers on the Queen Mary II were warned told
Hong Kong was "extremely polluted" and had "inferior museums" before
the luxury cruise liner docked, a news report said Sunday.
They were also told dining in the city was hopeless because no
matter how carefully they studied the menu they would be served the
wrong dish, the Sunday Morning Post newspaper said.

The warnings were given to passengers last week in a lecture by
on-board British archaeologist and historian John Reich and repeated
on video screens in passenger cabins, according to the newspaper.

Passenger Donald Lam quoted the professor as saying: "Hong Kong is
extremely polluted and there is no point going up The Peak (the hill
overlooking the city centre) as you will see nothing."

Lam said Professor Reich, a classical archaeologist who has
traveled widely in Asia, also told passengers: "Hong Kong Museum of
Art is not worth visiting as it is inferior to those of Shanghai."

Lam tried to complain to the cruise director and informed the Hong
Kong Tourism Board about what he called Reich's "groundless and
misleading" remarks.

A spokeswoman for the tourism board said: "We have contacted the
ship's operator and asked why such a video was shown to passengers."

Michael Gallagher, spokesman for the Cunard Line which operates
the Queen Mary II, told the newspaper the company had no control over
what on-board lecturers said.

Pollution in Hong Kong comes mostly from neighboring industrial
southern China and has worsened considerably in the past 10 years as
China's economy rapidly develops.

Smog and related health issues are now the number one concern for
many residents of the city of 6.9 million and foreign businesses say
the problem is driving some potential investors and executives away.


This British archaeologist John Reich is pretty bias again Hong Kong.

Outrageous. It's their loss though.

Just think of it as a joke...It shows us that some so-called professional people are actually ignorant about things out of their home.

BS~~

And yet this guy still goes on the cruise to Hong Kong? What an asshole, I guess some Brits are still bitter that they lost HK.

Well, technically you can't blame HK for its pollution problem, some of the problem came from the mainland as well.

Passenger Donald Lam quoted the professor as saying: "Hong Kong is
extremely polluted and there is no point going up The Peak (the hill
overlooking the city centre) as you will see nothing."

Last time when I was there I saw a jaw dropping skyline. maybe its time to have your eyes checked professor.:no: :no:



Did a quick search...I think this is the dude:
http://www.smithsonianjourneys.org/images/uploaded/study_leaders/145_image.jpg
http://www.smithsonianjourneys.org/study_leaders/johnreich/

Yes, this is the A$$hole in the newspaper article about HK. I just wonder what else did he ever said about HK and the people of HK in his own private home.

Ironically, on the days when the ship was in HK, pollution was not a problem. The ship left Hong Kong harbour with full visibility of both sides of the harbour. Smog hasn't been a major problem so far this winter at all.

The weather was wonderful throughout my stay in late December. I was in Guangzhou, and it was honestly the first time I've photographed blue sky in mainland China. I was very happy.

Ironically, on the days when the ship was in HK, pollution was not a problem. The ship left Hong Kong harbour with full visibility of both sides of the harbour. Smog hasn't been a major problem so far this winter at all.

Yes, the sky was very clear weeks ago. But since this week, it's smoggy and rainy....

well, i think the cruiseliner itself is a big polluter, so it's better off that it sailed out of HK harbour before it starts leaking oil into the waters !

The past few weeks have been foggy, not as much smoggy.
Smog makes the skies yellow, but it is clearly clouds further on the horizon. The visibility is still there when the clouds and fog breaks.

written by a passenger who was onboard the QM2 ,to read the whole message and see their pics ,click here:http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Hong-Kong/Central/blog-135773.html
(www.travelblog.org)


"Well, the QM2's arrival into Hong Kong (HKG) was not as spectacular as we had hoped…but BEING in Hong Kong was EVERYTHING we had hoped for and MORE!!!! ...................
Our tour guide was excellent! We visited Hong Kong Island and saw its unique buildings,beaches, historical landmarks, the Stanley Market, and the beautiful Victoria harbour...................
we boarded one of the cleanest mass transit trains that we had ever seen! In Hong Kong it is called the MTR. All of the stations were amazingly clean! HKG has stiff fines for littering and smoking in public areas.........................
We made it to our hotel, got to our room, and opened the door to another fabulous view. We had a great view in Sydney and we didn’t really think it could be topped, but we opened the door on the 22nd floor of our hotel and found our beds facing two beautiful walls of windows overlooking Victoria Harbour! It was spectacular!!! I don’t think any of us cared to leave the room……"

The past few weeks have been foggy, not as much smoggy.
Smog makes the skies yellow, but it is clearly clouds further on the horizon. The visibility is still there when the clouds and fog breaks.

Foggy is a usual thing in Hong Kong around this time of year anyways. But fog traps particular matter and makes thing worse.

Acutually beseide this professor comments about Hong Kong, QMII visited did bring up an attention of building the new cruise pier in Kai Tak needs to be done.
The cruise was parked at the container port in Kwai Chung....... Tourists boarded and unboarded at an industrial port, what a shame.

Standard British BS.

「唱衰香港」 郵輪教授致歉
(星島) 03月 09日 星期五 03:30AM
(綜合報道)

廣　告



(星島日報報道)全球第二大郵輪瑪麗皇后二號上周三訪港前，船上不斷播放一段「唱衰」香港的片段，遭一名本港旅客投訴。旅遊發展局前日收到在片段中發表言論的教授John Reich回信，他強調自己無意以輕蔑態度評論香港，並為自己沒有解釋清楚深表歉意，並表示其動機是希望旅客在有限時間內遊覽香港。

　　本港旅客林先生上月二十日在澳洲雪梨登上該郵輪，準備前往香港，他指出，在抵港前一天，一名歷史及考古學家John Reich教授在船上舉辦講座介紹香港，但教授作出三大指控，包括香港空氣極度污染，根本毋須到山頂觀光﹔食肆亦經常送錯餐﹔藝術博物館水準亦差。他對此表示不滿，遂向旅發局及報章投訴。

　　據了解，事件已驚動郵輪公司最高管理層，日前亦已去信本港旅發局澄清，事件是一場誤會，希望平息風波。旅發局亦收到該名教授在船上撰寫的回信，表示香港是一個他喜愛的城市，自己無意以輕蔑態度評論香港。

　　他亦逐點解釋自己的言論，表示山頂是值得去的地方，景物亦已比以前清楚，而他最關注的，是「若旅客遊覽香港的時間太少，應盡可能有效率地遊覽香港眾多的景點。」

　　他又澄清，比較其他類型的博物館，藝術館可能較不重要﹔另外他指香港的食肆水準亦非常高，但無論怎樣高亦總有可能找到更高。他為自己沒有在講座中解釋清楚深表歉意，但他仍強調，其動機是希望旅客在有限時間內遊覽香港。旅發局發言人重申，日後會盡量安排將介紹香港的資料預先給予訪港郵輪，而瑪麗皇后二號的冠達船公司亦已答允日後盡量安排。

Any pictures of the QM2 in Hong Kong?

Nevermind I found it. Heres some photos:

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/130/408943507_7daea819f0_o.jpg

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/129/408941959_47cec1d514_o.jpg

「唱衰香港」 郵輪教授致歉
(星島) 03月 09日 星期五 03:30AM
(綜合報道)

廣　告



(星島日報報道)全球第二大郵輪瑪麗皇后二號上周三訪港前，船上不斷播放一段「唱衰」香港的片段，遭一名本港旅客投訴。旅遊發展局前日收到在片段中發表言論的教授John Reich回信，他強調自己無意以輕蔑態度評論香港，並為自己沒有解釋清楚深表歉意，並表示其動機是希望旅客在有限時間內遊覽香港。

　　本港旅客林先生上月二十日在澳洲雪梨登上該郵輪，準備前往香港，他指出，在抵港前一天，一名歷史及考古學家John Reich教授在船上舉辦講座介紹香港，但教授作出三大指控，包括香港空氣極度污染，根本毋須到山頂觀光﹔食肆亦經常送錯餐﹔藝術博物館水準亦差。他對此表示不滿，遂向旅發局及報章投訴。

　　據了解，事件已驚動郵輪公司最高管理層，日前亦已去信本港旅發局澄清，事件是一場誤會，希望平息風波。旅發局亦收到該名教授在船上撰寫的回信，表示香港是一個他喜愛的城市，自己無意以輕蔑態度評論香港。

　　他亦逐點解釋自己的言論，表示山頂是值得去的地方，景物亦已比以前清楚，而他最關注的，是「若旅客遊覽香港的時間太少，應盡可能有效率地遊覽香港眾多的景點。」

　　他又澄清，比較其他類型的博物館，藝術館可能較不重要﹔另外他指香港的食肆水準亦非常高，但無論怎樣高亦總有可能找到更高。他為自己沒有在講座中解釋清楚深表歉意，但他仍強調，其動機是希望旅客在有限時間內遊覽香港。旅發局發言人重申，日後會盡量安排將介紹香港的資料預先給予訪港郵輪，而瑪麗皇后二號的冠達船公司亦已答允日後盡量安排。
One would make up excuses if he doesn't wanna put himself into more troubles in situation like this. At least we know that it's just sb's ignorant comment but not the fact.

Any pictures of the QM2 in Hong Kong?
http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=117510&page=17

Queen Mary pushed to a far-from-royal berth out of town
20 March 2011
SCMP

It was bad enough that it was raining when the Queen Mary 2 arrived in Hong Kong yesterday from Shanghai, but things only got worse as it could not be found a berth in the harbour and had to dock out at Junk Bay in Sai Kung instead.

The world's largest transatlantic ocean liner was only staying here for one night and travels to Nha Trang in Vietnam today. For the 2,500 passengers and 1,250 crew on board, it was a far from ideal way of visiting the city. Built in 2003 by Chantiers de l'Atlantique, the Queen Mary 2 is the longest, widest and tallest passenger liner ever built.

Its captain, Commodore Bernard Warner, revealed that the ship had been offered a berth for up to 12 hours at the Kowloon container terminal, but that was not long enough because the ship was staying in Hong Kong for 24 hours.

"It's not perfect but there's just no berth available to us this year at the container terminals and we're too big to be using the Ocean Terminal. We tried all we could to get the berth but we weren't offered one in the end," Warner said.

"We're managing with it as best as we can, but it would have been great to have been in the city. Not just for us but so as the people of Hong Kong could see the ship too. It's the biggest ocean liner in the world - 345 metres long and over 150,000 gross tonnes - and is quite a sight."

Warner hoped that the new passenger terminal in Kowloon, which is due to be built by 2013, would make a big difference, but for now they would have to make do.

"It's not the best experience that our guests can have. The fact that it's raining makes it doubly worse," Warner said. "The guests are definitely surprised that we can't get a berth in Hong Kong - in fact that would be an understatement - but we have to make the best of it."

Warner first came to Hong Kong in 1966 and has been on the Queen Mary since 2005.

On the previous occasions the ship has visited Hong Kong it has had an appropriate berth in town.

While in Hong Kong the ship is being handled by the Wallem ship agency, and its operations manager, Kam-foo Chan, explained there was little that could be done.

"There were no berths available. It's a surprise but there was nothing that could be done about it. The container berths are very, very busy at the moment so nothing could be organised. It's very unfortunate. This has never happened before," he said.

The Queen Mary 2 cost £460 million (HK$5.8 billion) to build and its facilities include 15 restaurants and bars, five swimming pools, a casino, a ballroom, a theatre, and the first planetarium at sea. There are also kennels on board and a nursery.

It is also one of the few ships afloat today to have remnants of a class system on board, most prominently seen in her dining options.

After Vietnam the Queen Mary 2 will sail to Bangkok, Singapore, India and Dubai.