MMarianne

Ah…memories! We were on that 11/29 Istanbul to Dubai cruise. The pulling back of the offer to cancel for a FCC was just plain wrong. Oceania hid behind their legalese rather than take care of their customers. I really believe the management-level crew were silenced by the Oceania lawyers. “We are within our rights! Do not act too nice or give any perks! We don’t want to appear that we did anything wrong!” I recall looking at the Oceania website after they changed the itinerary and name. Wish I had taken a screen shot bc I clearly recall seeing incredible deals, prices, free drink packages offers for last-minute passengers. So many empty cabins to fill! But nothing special for those who paid full price. As I said earlier, we had an ok time. Just not worth even half of the price we paid.

When I checked in on Day One, I asked the Head Conciege and she gave me a # in the mid 400’s. Someone else posted that they were told 500. Ship was VERY empty. Crew member said they got extra days off, which is nice. A couple of others mentioned how bored they were. Talk about quiet sea days! Looking forward to going home. Viking only from this point on!

Thank you. We among those reluctant to board but decided not to walk away from our money. We made it through the Red Sea, the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, and are no longer between Somalia and Yemen. We will be in Abu Dhabi tomorrow. We kept up with the news and took some comfort that cargo ships were the targets (sorry, but it helped.) My thoughts now that we are safe is how boring this cruise was. We are not into all the games. The deck was sooooo windy; it wasn’t enjoyable to spend time outside walking or by the pool. (Some were, and good for them.) Paid for the private concierge spa terrace and never used it because of the wind. Met many nice people who just like to cruise. People from cold Canada who seek the sun. People who love this particular ship and will go anywhere. But we selected this cruise for the amazing itinerary and Oceania’s changes were so drastic that they even changed the name. A few perks would have helped a bit, but nope. Bottom line: Definitely not worth the money for us. But to the people who are cruise junkies, I’m not being sarcastic when I say good for you. Different strokes for different folks.

Yes, but…I don’t think anyone was more persistent than I was to try to get money back or a credit. Wonder if people maybe knew something I didn’t since the ship is so empty. (I covered my exhaustive list of everything I tried in a previous post.) The closest I got was my credit card company telling me I’d have an answer by December 4, five days after embarkation. Made our decision to board and making the best of it.

I am on this cruise and have not seen nor heard any of the negative behavior described. Every encounter I have had with other passengers and crew has been very polite. Any references to the changes has been humorous. Not sure what the goal here is with the repeated negative postings about other passengers. BTW I will disagree with the statement about no promises were broken. A promise was made to me by Oceania on October 23 and subsequently broken. Not whining, so don’t go there with another posting. Just stating a fact.

Just a reminder, Oceania offered an FCC to those of us who called. Oceania rescinded their offer. Oceania made so many changes that they even changed the name of the cruise from “Holy Land and Arabian Jewels” to “Classic Mediterranean.” Not even close to what I paid $$$$ for. On our Viking Los Angeles to Sydney cruise, we missed Melbourne, a port in New Zealand, and one South Pacific island -all because of weather. Understood. IF I had gotten the FCC that was promised to me, I’d happily be home in California enjoying family and Christmas preparations. We are definitely making the best of it. I am not complaining to other passengers, just giving information to potential Oceania passengers.

My thoughts after interacting with Riviera staff…The reception/housekeeping/dining staff are as pleasant as can be. I very politely asked if they knew of any issues with this cruise and they did not. However, the higher level (spoke to two but can’t recall titles) were aware but offered no apologies or offers. Stonefaced. (I posted earlier that one told me they were instructed NOT to make any offers on board.) Not a lawyer, but I bet the Oceania legal department directed them not to do or say anything that makes it look like Oceania did anything that wasn’t within their contractual rights. Any special perks or even verbal empathy might be given interpreted as an admission of “guilt.”

My concern for this trip is the drone attacks in the Red Sea. Although my son assures me that the Navy destroyer will take care of them 😳

Will do! BTW a few minor glitches as our embarkation day ends… Suitcases left out in the pouring rain between scanning at terminal and when they were delivered to our rooms. Suitcases, some clothes, and a couple of books soaked. Probably not Oceania’s fault. When I let them know, they did offer pressing service. Yay! Of course I just HAD to ask this person (management type) if she and others were aware of the situation with this cruise and if we were going to get any fun perks. She said her hands were tied; upper management in Miami said “absolutely not.” Not the way I would run things, that’s for sure.

We decided not to cancel unless we were 💯 sure that it would be covered. So here we are.

Hello from the Oceania Riviera in Istanbul😳 Not a happy camper, but here we are. I tried everything to cancel. No luck. There are only 400 passengers on board with a capacity of 1250! Did other people figure out a way to cancel that I couldn’t? My last ditch effort was my credit card, but despite sending them all the requested documentation and repeated phone calls, my case was pending day after day. Finally late last night they told me the insurance examiner will call me on November 30 or December 1!!! We are trying to be positive and make the best of it. Not off to a good start: just saw that they changed our shore excursion tomorrow morning to 7:00 am instead of 8:30 am. Reason: Ship is leaving Istanbul earlier than planned - at 2 pm. 😩

Banned from NCL? Bring it on! Never, ever will I cruise with any ship affiliated with them. I tried to (unsuccessfully) link an article from Independent UK that had responses from three different cruise lines regarding Middle East cruises. READ AND COMPARE! Too late for me for this trip, but hopefully others will take note. MSC Sinfonia cancelled its winter program as Haifa was a highlighted port. Passengers can claim a full refund or choose an alternate sailing. Celebrity Infinity cancelled their Eastern Mediterranean sailings for Feb-April ‘24. Passengers can cancel w full refund. Oceania “reserves the right to amend, cancel, or make substitutions for any travel component without prior notice to the guest, including hotels, ports of call, or other modes of transportation if, in its opinion, the situation requires a change of arrangements.” Likely all cruise lines have such language, but appears many try to do better than what they are allowed to do. FYI - I’ve been treated extremely well by Viking over the years, but the allure of this particular advertised cruise sucked me (and my money) in.

As said before, silence=consent/complicity. I will be not be silent. I believe it’s important to share what we know and let others (including Oceania execs— round file or not) know what we have learned. Any of you that think these comments are a waste of time do not need to participate.

Many of us board November 29 in Istanbul. WE know. I’m taking a big supply of Xanax. 😩

I sent the earlier article about drone strikes + threats of attacks to Oceania CEO and others. Could you send this one? Good for them to hear from different voices. cortega@oceaniacruises.com fdelrio@oceaniacruises.com

After sending multiple emails to everyone I could think of, I got a response from the head of Guest Services after sending the article about the Navy destroyer shooting down the drone in the Red Sea. I am one of many who were offered an FCC that was rescinded. “We recognize that you are booked on an Oceania voyage whose itinerary has been altered due to the current crisis. It is a very unsettling, destabilizing and time in our world today. The safety and security of our guests, crew, and the communities we visit remains paramount. We have made the decision to cancel all calls to the area. Because we knew that this would be a difficult change for our guests, we made an open-ended offer for Future Cruise Credits. This was offered on a first come basis. Unfortunately, this offer was oversubscribed, and a decision was made at the enterprise level to sunset the offer of FCC. Please be advised that if you decide to cancel your upcoming voyage at this time, the standard penalties will apply. We are not offering any compensation or issuing any Future Cruise Credits for any reservations that are canceled. We understand the frustration and hope you will decide to sail and we are confident that they will enjoy their voyage. Sincerely, Dayami Lazo / Senior Director, Guest Services P: +1-800-531-5658 ext. 44893 / F: +1 305-514-2222 dlazo@oceaniacruises.com | www.oceaniacruises.com Oceania Cruises 7665 Corporate Center Drive | Miami FL 33126 ­­­

Yes, I have. You’re giving me a bit of hope. I am waiting for an answer.

Apologizes to copyright regulations for cutting/pasting an article yesterday about the drone (from Yemenis) just getting shot down in the Red Sea by a US Navy Destroyer. Right on our Oceania itinerary for our November 29 sailing from Istanbul to Dubai! Yemen then stated they will attack more ships! If we have any crazy, dangerous things happen to us and our kids sue Oceania, there’s probably an exclusion for acts of war 😳😩 Thanks, Oceania. I’ve tried everything I can think of to get an FCC (gave up trying to get a refund.) Quite a way to celebrate our 50th wedding anniversary. Sigh.

I would definitely try this “chargeback” route but I’m afraid it wouldn’t get adjudicated before the cruise date. At this point we are planning to reluctantly go on the cruise and not just donate our money to Oceania. We won’t spend a dime for any extras. I’m writing about Oceania’s unethical practice for this cruise on every forum I can find.

We are having the same issue and are so upset! Our 50th wedding anniversary celebration - BOO! We typically go with Viking and love their cruises and outstanding customer service. Did an Atlantic crossing recently with Oceania and were completely underwhelmed. We only booked this trip because of the original itinerary. I called Oceania on Oct 23 and was offered an FCC if we cancelled. Told I could call back whenever we were ready; just needed to book next cruise by Nov 30. We made our decision to cancel based upon safety concerns, the revised itinerary of places we’ve been, and nine days at sea. I called back and was told NO. “Upper management” decided they would not give any more credit! The rep wouldn’t give me anyone else to talk to. I wrote to the “resolutions” email the rep finally gave me, the Exec for Passenger Relations, and the Exec for Guest Relations. No one has responded. Filed a complaint w BBB who just forwarded me Oceania’s statement about their rude, unprofessional decision. They said the FCC was “open-ended” and then also said it was “first come, first served.” How can it be both? Now to hear the people in the USA Today article were taken care of plus people with a TA? I booked straight through Oceania because I’ve had problems in past w TA’s. I wrote to Elliot Advocacy who sent me the “no credit” responses other passengers have been getting and said he might write an article. But that doesn’t help me, unfortunately. I just wrote to another advocate someone posted here. ANY OTHER IDEAS? Back to Viking once this $$$$$ fiasco is over.