GeorgiaPeach51

I started this thread and will now finish with an update, as I promised. I feel that I owe that to at least some of you who have commented, and for those who attempted to be helpful. You are appreciated. I have, indeed, followed along in case anyone posted something helpful, but am glad I did not continue to deal with those of you who had so much criticism to share, especially the one person who felt it necessary to write paragraphs and paragraphs under the guise of being helpful. You know who you are, and we will agree to disagree about whether your long winded efforts are genuine or just a chance to pontificate. Moving on…. O has offered an FCC. I am VERY grateful and appreciative of their response, and relieved that they didn’t wait until the last moment. We are going to take the FCC, for reasons I will clarify below, along with some Odds and ends, to wrap things up. 1. Why did I say from the beginning that I wanted an FCC (Future Cruise Credit)? Because I had no wish to be punitive to an already struggling cruise line by asking for a refund. A refund further drains their already depleted funds. At least, with an FCC they get to keep my money. The terms of the FCC are that it has to be booked by November 30 for a cruise to take place before 12/31/25. It can be used once. If you don’t use the full amount you will lose the difference. This may be somewhat problematic because so many O cruises are already waitlisted. But that is a problem for another day. We still want to do an O cruise and look forward to it. For us, $27,000 is a lot of money. I remain astonished that so many of you would be fine with a cruise line completely changing almost your entire cruise from what you paid for with no compensation, no OBC, no FCC, not even the right to protest…because that is what some of you expressed that I should do. Wow! Pay for a Bentley and get a VW instead! What a great deal! This reflects my good luck in never having previously had these extreme port changes that some of you have suffered. 2. This cruise starts in Istanbul. The morning news in Turkey is not good, and I do not expect it to improve for a while. Do you? People are being told to be cautious, dress inconspicuously, etc. My personal take on that is I may be inconspicuous but you can be sure that if there is a terrorist nearby he or she will also be inconspicuous. We all have our own comfort levels and risk to reward ratios. I would imagine that security in Istanbul will be substantially increased in order to protect tourism. But I don’t love the idea of looking over my shoulder and being uneasy the whole time. And if you are caught up in a demonstration that turns into a riot, you are on your own. Others profess to no worries and I applaud them and wish them well. 3. Oceania has been radio silent. I know they are busy and have no problem with that. We have received one email to the whole ship with the new itinerary. That is it. Writing directly to Mr. Ortega elicited the responding offer of an FCC. To my knowledge there has not been a blanket email to everyone on the ship, but it could have happened. 4. The two days in Alexandria with the ship leaving port early evening to sail in circles overnight leads me to think they do not want the ship sitting in port for safety reasons….and that does not inspire confidence. In the absence of communication passengers are left to make their own conclusions. Those are mine. 5. Mykonos and Santorini in November. Temps in the 50’s and can be lower. Much higher probability of rain. Most hotels closed. Many restaurants and shops closed. This is according to internet info, not personal experiences. It may be lovely and uncrowded but Greek Islands and wearing a winter coat don’t compute for me and will never be on my personal to do list. Some people on the roll call are continuing on and I wish them well. 5. Insurance. Chase Sapphire is well known for their travel benefits. One of you made statements about it without knowing what they offer. I encourage some of you to investigate it as an alternate to a regular policy. It MAY be of benefit to you. Compare it to your normal purchased travel insurance. I THINK you will find them very, very similar. You just have to pay for your cruise with your Chase card. You also need to weigh the benefits of Cancel for Any Reason insurance. You still lose 50-75%, which is a lot on this $27,000 cruise. At this point O will credit all but our air differential and custom air fees, $3,950. Preliminary discussion with Chase Sapphire seems that they will reimburse those costs. I question if this cruise will continue to attempt to go out of Istanbul with the increase of protests in Turkey and if they will be able to hold onto Alexandria, given the proximity to the Gaza Strip. Things certainly are not improving day by day, unfortunately, so it is hard to be optimistic, but I hope it works out. I’m sure they won’t cancel it because they have to get the ship to Barcelona for the next leg. May as well sail half full for those who want to go. I never pictured myself being the type of person that would be reluctant to get off at ports, but that is where I am. It would have been very stressful for me personally to undertake this trip because there are too many places passengers would be vulnerable, in my view. Had we docked in Alexandria I do not think I would have been comfortable getting that far from the ship, to see the pyramids, even with armed guards along for the ride. Not worth it to me. If I have to be anxious and worried or even a little fearful, it’s not a vacation. if you have questions I will try to answer. Now, back to our regularly schedule program…. Joanie

When a cruiser, never on Oceania, like me has never had a cruise so drastically altered, and has no experience with so many port changes it seems logical to ask questions, get input, and make adjustments in expectations. Apparently not. In all my years of cruising I have had the good luck to only have one port changed prior to a cruise and a few missed ports here and there due to weather or wind while on the cruise. I regret posting at all due to the criticisms and backlash; even a negative comment about how I express myself. I guess I am not very thick skinned and have found this to be emotionally difficult and stressful. I’m just not a tough person, not tough enough to shrug all this off, keep attempting to answer and explain, perhaps I came across entitled or something. That wasn’t my intention, but whatever the cause for what I perceive to be just too much sarcasm, and negative response, rather than a little kindness, or even empathy. I’m over it. This is a perfect example to me, of things people say in print but would hopefully never say to your face. I am bowing out of this board and this post and anyone who has comments, just carry on, but I will not see them. I assume I will get additional criticism for even this comment, to be honest.

This cruise is still going to Alexandria which is Reconsider Travel status. That doesn’t thrill me, especially for two days. Getting blown up in Egypt is not on my bucket list. It’s not just a case of just don’t get off the ship with the ship sitting solidly in s Reconsider Travel country. I checked with my TA this morning and Egypt is still listed. I posted, in part, having never been on Oceania, to get input from more experienced passengers re adjusting my hope for a FCC. Based on feedback, my current expectation has been ratcheted down to zero.

LOL! It was definitely a sincere compliment! You are right about the real meaning of Bless Your Heart, though, and the inflection with which it is said. That’s the REAL nuance and you have to listen carefully to know where you really stand! 😍. Thanks for the laugh! Joanie

Well, aren’t you clever! Would never have thought of it! Thanks so much. I’ll let you know if it works! Joanie

@cruisemom42 Thank you for a post that is helpful rather than critical! A breath of fresh air! We contacted our TA two days ago requesting a FCC for the full cruise just to see what would happen. He called O for us and that is when we got the response, “It is a hard no.” We also wrote to C. Ortega and Oceania Public Relations requesting an FCC. Got no response except an out of office response, nor did we expect a response. Not sure what else we can do, but really appreciate the suggestion. We have not thought to find an alternate booking. That is a great idea! We will give that a try. @Vineyard View yes, thanks. We will be on the phone with them tomorrow morning. It is confusing….we use Chase Sapphire to cover things like trip interruptions, cancellations, etc. their list of benefits is confusing. On the one hand they say acts of terrorism are covered if they affect your cruise. There are five different parameters that must be met and this situation meets all of them. On the other hand, they say acts of war are not covered. So it is anybody’s guess what that means regarding this conflict which seems to me to be a combination of both. I’m guessing they will call this an act of war, but will post what we find out. Thanks to you both for helpful suggestions. Much appreciated. Joanie

@Sthrngary “I think you posted so you could getothers to support your position.” “Your approach and how your outlined your disappointment was what they were addressing.” Hmmm, you don’t know me, so I guess you can presume anything you want. However, you are wrong! I do not care if others agree or not. This is my cruise and my money, not theirs, and they are not invested in this cruise as I am, so I do not expect people to agree. And, in addition, I am now being critiqued by how I expressed myself and my approach!? Really? 😵‍💫🙄. This, I find very offensive, quite honestly. That statement is the only one in this long communication that I find truly, truly offensive. I am stunned that you would say such a thing. I wanted this on the “record” for Oceania to see, if they will. If they don’t, they don’t. Nothing lost but a little time. And I wanted to see how others with greater experience responded so I could adjust my expectations based on their input. Calling our TA and O, which we, of course have long ago done, yields no attempts for strategy or discussion, just a flat NO, and refusal to discuss anything.

Nothing personal. I just have no personal experience with FCC’s. I’m sure others can weigh in on their FCC experiences. See @Flatbush Flyer’s post. Maybe that will help. I am trying to ratchet my expectations down to ZERO based on feedback on this thread.

No idea, no experience with FCC’s. I want something other than “a hard no”, to start. Loaded question the way you phrase it, but you have made your stance pretty clear. You are entitled to your opinion, and I am entitled to mine. If I put out a number you will come back to attempt to debate me on it, I would imagine, so I will not be drawn into that with you, respectfully. I can think of no other reason you would want to know my number….and since I have zero input on it, there’s no reason to discuss it. Joanie Joanie

Please understand, and I think I have repeated several times, that I TOTALLY understand the need for the itinerary changes. That is not the issue at all. I just think an FCC is justified in this case. @Pandazoo to the person who noted they were mystified by people who don’t read cruise contracts, and made the assumption that we had not….believe it or not, we have! So did plenty of other cruisers who have received FCC’s for various cruises for a wide variety of issues, none of which were covered in the cruise contract. I am hoping for the same good will from Oceania, even though, just as in the thousands of other cases of FCC’s being awarded, it goes against Oceania’s stated policies. Joanie

I certainly don’t think this is a problem unique to Oceania. I have read this week that Celebrity has offered FCC’s, so I certainly don’t think it is fair to call me selfish if I have a problem with my cruise line provider! That is my right as a buyer! Sheesh, are we not allowed to even say a peep over our issues on this forum that is called Cruise Critic?! To me, and apparently ONLY to me, there is a difference in O, or any cruise line, having time to make substitute ports, which, believe it or not I understand, and them reaching out to passengers with an FCC offer that allows passengers so severely affected by their changes that gives an option other than shut up and sail, regardless. I fully recognize that they are scrambling and that is not my point. well, thanks to all who responded. My intent was to put this out where O may see it, since they probably don’t read the roll calls, where there is ample unhappiness and dissatisfaction, along with some who are happy campers because they have never been to the Greek ports. In addition to contacting the top folks, which I have done, this board can be used to voice opinions that are sometimes noted by the cruise line, so we will see if there is any effort at all from O. From your adamant responses, I expect that will not be the case. If they do respond, I will let you know. Joanie

I have never before purchased a cruise and had the itinerary changed BEFORE sailing. Not once in more than 25 cruises. I said this but remembered that the last Regent cruise we took did change one day from their private island to Freeport, Bahamas. Didn’t change the fundamental cruise.

“@FlatbrushFlyer And, finally, you have no idea what Onis going to eventually do (if anything) in terms of compensation for your situation.” Of course. That is obvious! But all I can deal with is what O is telling me NOW. My hope is that they will eventually do something before it is too late. “Whether you like it or not, a cruise is more than just the ports.” This is far from fact, though you state it to be fact. That is your opinion, and you are entitled to it, but it is not a fact. For many people a cruise is ALL about the ports, whether you like it or not. @GeezerCouple….. I have never before purchased a cruise and had the itinerary changed BEFORE sailing. Not once in more than 25 cruises. So this is a totally new and unexpected and very unwelcome surprise. For those of you who have more experience, or perhaps less luck than I, obviously this wouldn’t bother you in the least, but I am not among you. Joanie

I have an issue with the changes that have been made to this cruise itinerary. Yes, we lost a day in Haifa and a day in Ashdod. For many, myself included, this was the reason for the trip. But tragedy struck and I’m sure everyone is accepting and moving on. my problem is the additional changes, to the point that this cruise now resembles nothing of the original cruise. I will post the previous itinerary, which is yellowish, and the supposed new itinerary, which is white. You can see the changes for yourself. It is still unknown if Alexandria remains and that could very well be removed as well. Here is where I have an issue with cruise line escape clauses regarding port changes. Our cruise is two weeks away. Oceania is well aware in advance that this cruise is definitively NOT the cruise we purchased due to the unavoidable Israel port changes, and Oceania’s subsequent port changes. This is a very different thing than being at sea and suddenly running into high winds or fog that prevent docking. All cruisers know this is an acceptable risk of cruising. Or, if you don’t, you learn it sooner or later. However, at this point Oceania is well aware that they are providing a cruise that is NOT remotely what was ordered and paid for. And they know it WELL in ADVANCE. Our requests for a FFC, not a refund, have been met with a response of “It is a hard no.” How is this not illegal……to force passengers, two weeks prior, to accept going on a cruise that is significantly altered, paying the same fees and have no recourse? How is this not fraudulent on the part of Oceania? There may be people who are okay with having the Greek ports substituted. Fine. Let them sail and let me not sail. I have been to the Greek ports multiple times. If I had seen a cruise with this itinerary in a brochure, I would never have booked it. Now, as the situation currently stands, I am being forced to go on a very expensive cruise I don’t want and didn’t purchase or cancel and lose all of my money. Oceania is not doing the right thing for passengers on this cruise because they know WELL IN ADVANCE that they are providing what the customer did not buy, but expecting us to just go along with this con game. They still have time to save the situation. I hope they do. Joanie

The difference, for me, is that when a ship is at sea and encounters for or high winds or even civil unrest, anyone with common sense knows it is unavoidable and not the fault of the cruise line, so you carry on. But, in our case, the cruise is clearly ALREADY nowhere near what we purchased. That this is known by Oceania well ahead of time calls for them to err on the side of passengers who wish an FCC. And I would say the same to every cruise line regarding cruises that are grievously altered. So, @Pcardad, I so hope you are right. Your wisdom far exceeds mine! Thanks for your post. It gives me hope! Joanie

I have been following this with interest because we are in the same boat, but on Oceania. Someone posted that they were curious what other cruise lines were doing, so here it is. Our first O attempt, so unimpressed. I will attach our two itineraries for our Nov. 1 cruise. Basically, in this “Holy Land and Treasures” cruise, we lost 2 days in Israel, of course. We also lost Antalya, Turkey; Limosoll, Cypress; and Cairo. They added an overnight in Alexandria, and Athens, Santorini and Mykonos. So, not even a shadow of what we paid huge bucks for. Whether Egypt remains is anyone’s guess, but I am not hopeful. Maybe. So, currently, five of eight ports lost. If Egypt goes, it will be six out of eight. The only unchanged ports are the ones in Tunisia and Malta. 🙄 We requested an FCC and the answer came back that it was “a hard NO.” The original is the yellowish one. The new one is the white one. Joanie

I hate that this is over! It has been such a pleasure to read and look forward to each morning. I hope I get to meet you both someday on a ship somewhere. Thank you for the time it took to write, upload photos and post so those of us on dry land could enjoy! Joanie

I have really enjoyed your trip report, the pictures and your amusing commentary. Thanks for taking the time to entertain us! I looked forward to catching up with you every morning! Joanie

Jim, really enjoyed reading about this different kind of adventure! As usual, your photos were a treat to see. Change is good for us all, don’t you think? Keeps us young, or at least, young at heart! I’m glad you had a good time. Joanie

Excited to see this! I love reading live threads! Yay! Hope you have a wonderful time! Joanie

Whew! So much stress! I can relate to the visa issue. I once neglected to make sure my ticket and passport showed the exact same name and it was caught by the gate security people. That led to a dash to the ticketing counter and stress up the wazoo. An experience I never care to repeat, and I tremble even thinking about it. So, your visa issue gave me so much empathy for that kind of sudden realization. Hoping for a great cruise after the slightly chaotic start! Joanie

@bebop bonnie Hi! We were on that cruise with you, and that is one of the best photos I have ever seen posted on CC! LOVE it! Joanie

Wow! Loving this review and the great photos! Thank you for taking the time to do it. You are making me look at Mariner for a cruise somewhere down the road. Joanie

FWIW, here is my lengthy report on our first Regent cruise on Explorer after way too many on Celebrity. This might help you, since you are a former Celebrity fan, as we were. You sound similar to us, so I hope it helps you. Keep in mind that it was the first cruise after the COVID restrictions ended. I wrote another one for our second cruise, which was on Splendor, and that cruise was more typical. https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2835144-first-time-on-regent—boarded-explorer-today/ I can tell you briefly, that we think Celebrity doesn’t begin to compare to Regent. No contest. Regent, by a mile. We are taking our first Oceania cruise in November, only because my sister and her husband prefer Oceania, so I cannot give you any info on Oceania. Good luck with your decision. Joanie

@FeliciaLee Awww, thanks so much! I appreciate your perspective, having found that there is no such thing as a perfect cruise line. We always try to go in with basic expectations and really enjoy the wow factor when it pops up here and there. Joanie