Regent Seven Seas Explorer cruise from Auckland to Sydney, January 12-January 26 2023, ran afoul of the biofoul mess. As a dissatified customer, it is obvious that Regent knew the preceeding cruise had run into multiple days of hull-cleaning time and trouble and that there was a distinct possibility that the trouble was not definitively addressed on a ship the size of the Explorer during the previous days. My husband, best friends and I traveled nearly 10,000 miles to board a cruise that then floated maddeningly offshore from New Zealand for several days and was then denied entry into the fiords, even after “cleaning”. Along with the three fiord locations, we missed highlights/ports which Regent had showcased in their descriptions of our cruise. No Napier, Bay of Islands, Burnie Tasmania or Geelong. We had no desire to call on, nor was there anything planned to see in Timaru, to which we tendered and which was substituted at the last moment, nor Gisbourne, another last minute addition. We also missed one day in Melbourne, undoubtedly due to some of this, where we had independently purchased (and subsequently forfeited) Australian Open tix. Hundreds of passengers, through a petition, asked for Regent to compensate them for something which was not the passenger's fault and which the cruise line was all too well aware. So far, we have been offered a small amount for what was to be an unforgettable cruise of a lifetime but instead turned into something unforgettable for a wholly different reason. Very sad that Regent has taken this customer-unfriendly position.
https://maritime-executive.com/article/fourth-cruise-hit-with-biofouling-as-new-zealand-and-industry-meet