laspetzia

It should be noted that as of today the Oceania Marina leaving Istanbul NOV.1st that has drastically changed their itinerary ( although not updated the original sailing map) is not longer overbooked! 2 Penthouse suites are available along with Concierge level A1,A2 and A3 as well as B2. People have abandoned the voyage due to safety concerns and Oceania’s inability to come up with a new itinerary of interest. Understandably Israeli ports were cancelled, but so was Antalya and Cyprus..the company needs to do what is right and offer an alternative cruise in the future.

The Alexandria port stop including the “in and out” arrivals and departures are posted on my email from Oceania. They occur in two stages leaving at night and returning for the second go around the next day... I am scheduled on that cruise. Hope that clears up what you think is a discrepancy. The US State Dept. has issued “Reconsider Travel” to Egypt , this prior to three Israelis being killed a few days ago by an Egyptian policemen. Tunisia: State Dept. recommends exercising increased caution due to terrorism. Oceania will not respond to inquiries, just asking passengers to get their boarding passes for this totally scuttled itinerary whether you like it or not….just like good sheep. It should be noted that a number of cruise lines have offered FCC’s not so Oceania whose holding company is NCL.

So as of this AM the itinerary for Oceania’s Marina is scheduled to dock in Alexandria Nov.7th.@ 8:00AM.and leave at 6:00AM. It will sail around offshore then return Nov.8th for the same time period 8:00AM -6:00 PM. Obviously this is out of concern for the growing tensions in the region. Cairo and the Pyramids are no longer a possibility as time does not allow. Tour companies are stating that passengers are NOT getting off the ships out of safety concerns. The ports of Antalya, Limassol, and understandably Haifa and Ashdod and Port Said are no longer listed as ports of call. Not doubt the stop in Tunis could be next. The original tour looks like nothing I would have chosen particularly with the Uber stops on the beaten paths of Mykonos, Piraeus and Santorini. The Oceania Cruise Lines and their holding company Norwegian Cruise Lines need to consider alternatives such as credit for another cruise or FCC’s. That’s if they wish not to have the experience of alienating their customer base…worldwide.