West Indies Explorer 9th March 2019 - Port Stop Changed?

It appears that the 9th March 2019 cruise, the West Indies Explorer, Viking have changed one of its ports of call from that advertised in its brochure, and in the website.

The stop for Pointe-a-Pitre, Guadeloupe has been changed to Roseau, Dominica.

Is any one who has been looking into this cruise know what is happening? Has all other

Viking Ocean cruises for the West Indies Explorer itinarary also changed its port of call from Guadeloupe to Roseau?

For those of have been to both Guadeloupe and Dominica, is Dominica as beautiful as Guadeloupe, or is it more attractive, or less attractive?

At least you have plenty of warning.

There will be no public explanation as to why the port was changed, so we can guess all we want--denied berthing on that date, can't get the needed ground services (tours, bus, etc). I always think that when Viking makes these changes that they are doing it for the better and not on a whim.

And, yes it seems that the itinerary on all dates has been changed:

At least you have plenty of warning.

 

There will be no public explanation as to why the port was changed, so we can guess all we want--denied berthing on that date, can't get the needed ground services (tours, bus, etc). I always think that when Viking makes these changes that they are doing it for the better and not on a whim.

 

And, yes it seems that the itinerary on all dates has been changed:

Thanks for your reply. Looks like Viking is at it again. On our last cruise which was supposed to stop in North Africa, both the stops in Algeria and Tunisia were cancelled.

Yes, we know in advance this time. Still, it would have been better if we found that out BEFORE we booked rather than AFTER booking.

From looking at images on the internet, it looks like Guadeloupe is more beautiful than Dominica - Guadeloupe has that "tropical paradise holiday-with-gorgeous-bays" look. Dominica looks somewhat "off-the-beaten-track" and less developed - probably more so since it has been badly affected by Hurricane Maria last year.

It appears that the 9th March 2019 cruise, the West Indies Explorer, Viking have changed one of its ports of call from that advertised in its brochure, and in the website.

 

The stop for Pointe-a-Pitre, Guadeloupe has been changed to Roseau, Dominica.

 

Is any one who has been looking into this cruise know what is happening? Has all other

Viking Ocean cruises for the West Indies Explorer itinarary also changed its port of call from Guadeloupe to Roseau?

 

For those of have been to both Guadeloupe and Dominica, is Dominica as beautiful as Guadeloupe, or is it more attractive, or less attractive?

We've been to both, though it was with Azamara, not Viking. Both are lovely islands. If you appreciate tropical, unspoiled nature you will enjoy Dominica very much. It's a lush island. The people of Dominica made the conscious decision that their island would never be full of high rise resorts and wall-to-wall golf courses. They are ecologically focused and bent on preserving its extraordinary natural beauty. As such it is not a glitzy island full of high end shops and restaurants. What you will find are spectacular waterfalls, hot springs, cold springs and a really cool "champagne" reef. If you like snorkeling, the latter is not to be missed!

Thanks for your reply. Looks like Viking is at it again. On our last cruise which was supposed to stop in North Africa, both the stops in Algeria and Tunisia were cancelled.

 

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Do you really think that Viking changed those ports on a whim? I don't. I don't think that they put two such difficult ports on an itinerary just so that they would have to to keep canceling at the last minute or so that they could simply attract passengers to the itinerary. I think that they truly wanted to try to visit these ports (and they have done so), to give pax an opportunity to visit these places that they might not otherwise attempt to visit.

 

When you choose an itinerary with stops in an area that has a history of being unstable (as has Tunisia over the past few years), you have to understand that you might not get there. One of the reasons that we chose to sail this itinerary with Viking is that we knew that their number one priority is, was and will always be safety, that they would not sail us into harm's way--and that is exactly what happened to us last December/January when tensions in the Middle East flared. Yes, I regret not getting to see Algiers and Tunis but I do not regret Viking's decision.

Thanks for your reply. Looks like Viking is at it again. On our last cruise which was supposed to stop in North Africa, both the stops in Algeria and Tunisia were cancelled.

 

/quote]

 

Do you really think that Viking changed those ports on a whim? I don't. I don't think that they put two such difficult ports on an itinerary just so that they would have to to keep canceling at the last minute or so that they could simply attract passengers to the itinerary. I think that they truly wanted to try to visit these ports (and they have done so), to give pax an opportunity to visit these places that they might not otherwise attempt to visit.

 

When you choose an itinerary with stops in an area that has a history of being unstable (as has Tunisia over the past few years), you have to understand that you might not get there. One of the reasons that we chose to sail this itinerary with Viking is that we knew that their number one priority is, was and will always be safety, that they would not sail us into harm's way--and that is exactly what happened to us last December/January when tensions in the Middle East flared. Yes, I regret not getting to see Algiers and Tunis but I do not regret Viking's decision.

 

No, we do not think for them having to cancel the ports in North Africa, they did it on a whim.

 

But as for changing Guadeloupe for Dominica, sure, they may have their reasons. But it would have been GOOD CUSTOMER SERVICE , don't you think to place the information on their website and HIGHLIGHT to customers that the current itinerary has been slightly changed from that advertised in the brochure. We don't blame Viking for changing ports, but they could do better in communicating to customers, don't you think?

 

Having said that, we just have to let this go, and look on the positive side of the cruise. No cruise company is perfect, even though some folks may think they (these companies) are (perfect)!

 

No, we do not think for them having to cancel the ports in North Africa, they did it on a whim.

 

But as for changing Guadeloupe for Dominica, sure, they may have their reasons. But it would have been GOOD CUSTOMER SERVICE , don't you think to place the information on their website and HIGHLIGHT to customers that the current itinerary has been slightly changed from that advertised in the brochure. We don't blame Viking for changing ports, but they could do better in communicating to customers, don't you think?

 

Having said that, we just have to let this go, and look on the positive side of the cruise. No cruise company is perfect, even though some folks may think they (these companies) are (perfect)!

 

If Viking has changed the itinerary, I am surprised you, and/or your TA were not advised of the change by email.

 

On our upcoming 2020 WC, Viking have already cancelled Tunis, a port I never expected to visit. We received an email notification, which was sent to us and our TA.

 

To date, I have found Viking's customer service to be exceptional.