trina2 Posted August 17, 2011 #51 Share Posted August 17, 2011 Senior Citizen, Sorry, I didn't realise that only 1 of 3 (with similar itineraries) was being impacted. In our case, we were given tons of notice (well as soon as final payment was made:rolleyes:), and the Insignia was travelling other itineraries before and after ours with much less total distance (and none of these had any major changes). I believe in Insignia's case, they were carrying out "maintenance on one of the engines" over a space of 3 months or so (though only our cruise suffered significant changes). I do understand your frustration with this issue. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mura Posted August 17, 2011 #52 Share Posted August 17, 2011 We were booked on the August 14th Vancouver-SF cruise until Oceania bribed us to give up our reservation. But in reading through all these posts, I'm astonished at so many itineraries being impacted by changes -- some severe, some not so severe. It appears that "our" Alaska cruise isn't losing any ports (maybe some time?) but if I'd been on the next cruise and lost Victoria, yes, I'd be fulminating, too. It seems to me that Oceania is alienating more passengers than they are pleasing. (I'm not one of those in the alienated category, at least not yet. We are now on Marina in October and I'm hoping we don't see such changes on a new ship.) But this doesn't bode well for the future. I don't mean because I am afraid to travel on the "R" ships ... I mean that because of the way these changes are being handled by headquarters. I know of two couples who were on our Midnight Sun Cruise in 2010 who were loyal Oceania couples. One of those couples was always in an OS or VS. Because of unhappiness with what happened on their Amazon cruises (and I don't know if they were both on the same cruise or just on the same itinerary), and complete dissatisfaction with Oceania's non-response to their complaints, they have abandoned Oceania, cancelled the future cruises they had booked, and switched to Azamara. If it's only two couples who react this way, Oceania's bottom line isn't affected. But what if it is as more and more passengers are affected by these more recent changes? At least these changes have been announced, even if not as promptly as some would wish in some cases. But the Amazon changes happened on the fly, and Oceania has lost two good customers as a result. Maybe Oceania doesn't care? It's business is so good that losing loyal customers doesn't matter? Maybe Oceania doesn't worry, but it makes ME worry. Do I want to book a cruise on Oceania if I cannot count on the itinerary I booked? Emergencies happen, but I'm not sure all of these changes are due to emergencies. And it definitely looks like there are lots of unhappy passengers. M Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Citizen Posted August 17, 2011 #53 Share Posted August 17, 2011 Since we were cruising on the Route of the Vikings in July, I was reading all the posts about the Land of the Midnight Sun itinerary changes. I felt badly for those who were impacted. For the Vikings cruise, one of the highlights was Flam/Gudvangen. Around 9 pm the night before we were to make port, the captain came on the PA and announced that Gudvangen had been cancelled. THE NIGHT BEFORE. 9 PM. Amazing. We had a private tour booked and Benita had to take care of the cancellation. So, instead of spending half a day in Flam and half a day in Gudvangen, we spent the entire day in Flam. Flam was gorgeous and it was sunny so people hiked and biked and just enjoyed the beautiful day. DH and I jumped on a little fjord boat and cruised up to Gudvangen. The cruise up the fjord was breathtaking. It's a UNESCO World Heritage Site. But the bottom line here is that the itinerary had been planned (?) and posted and people bought into this cruise expecting to go to the places that were advertised. To cancel at the very last moment is suspect. When did the captain know we would not be going to Gudvangen? Why? We speculate that the ship was too large to get there. And nobody checked the dimensions of the ship or the capacity of the waterway or anything until THE NIGHT BEFORE????? Why didn't the mechanics see this engine problem with Regatta when it was in dry dock in January???? On August 3, the maiden voyage of the Riviera was cancelled. When Marina was put afloat with lots still left to be done, I thought I read a vow that this would not happen with Riviera. It's debut was being cautiously planned. Well... So, besides ticking people off by canceling one of the most beautiful ports on this Alaska cruise, O is placing doubt in people's minds as to whether they can deliver on their promises. I know one lady who took this cruise over another one specifically because Victoria was included. How do you disappoint people and expect them to keep coming back, especially if they aren't longtime, loyal O clients? I think the win-win is that FDR puts Victoria back in and the passengers accept that Juneau and Vancouver (another beautiful port) will be truncated. I'd love to be a fly on the wall at the decision-making meetings. Do these people even cruise? Why would they take time away from Vancouver and leave Astoria intact? Insane. I'm not knocking Astoria (or maybe I am) but I have heard Vancouver is a fantastic city. There is a way that FDR can figure out a better solution than cutting out Victoria. He's a smart man. I just hope that he spends time working on it. I know he is a busy man but let's give that 80+ year old passenger a happy birthday surprise by bringing Victoria back. He's never been to these ports before and he may never be back to them. As a matter of fact, a lot of people may never get back to them. Alaska only has a 4-5 month window and, with global warming, it won't be Alaska as we think of it much longer. Bottom line: BRING BACK VICTORIA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TERRIER1 Posted August 17, 2011 #54 Share Posted August 17, 2011 I am not on this sailing but feel the pain of those who are. What I don't understand is the $250 credit toward a next cruise. Doesn't everyone receive a $200 credit toward the next cruise just for sailing on the first? Is this in additional to the $200 and is it combineable. I still do not think this is compensation enough but I am curious. Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lyndenfa Posted August 17, 2011 #55 Share Posted August 17, 2011 I wonder the same, Terrier1. We are on this sailing. We have reserved a Riviera October 2012 and would be able to apply our $200 for this being our next (Oceania) cruise. Does that now mean we will have an additional $500 ($250 pp)? BTW, today I looked at the Victoria Port schedule and Regatta is greyed out, but still listed. Of note, it was to be the only ship in port that day according the port schedule. Is there still a chance????? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senior Citizen Posted August 17, 2011 #56 Share Posted August 17, 2011 Why don't we spend the entire day in Victoria and allow O workers to make a dent in the engine work that needs to be done? Win-win situation. I still maintain that smarter heads can come up with a better solution than cut out Victoria. And, you are right Lynne, we are the ONLY ship in town on our scheduled port day. Go back to the drawing board, O. We want to go to Victoria!!!!!!!! We had already scheduled three cruises with O this year but when O came up with an Alaska cruise that included Victoria and Vancouver, we couldn't resist. Now, we feel cheated. OBC, free booze (we don't drink), free internet (it's still slooooow)---none of this compensates for our disappointment. FDR, read Arlene's letter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MightyQuinn Posted August 17, 2011 #57 Share Posted August 17, 2011 ... today I looked at the Victoria Port schedule and Regatta is greyed out, but still listed. Of note, it was to be the only ship in port that day according the port schedule. Is there still a chance?????I wouldn't get your hopes up either way. Regatta has been grayed out on the Victoria Port Authority calendar for the entire season, not only for your affected date. A few other cruise lines are grayed out as well and VPA doesn't show links to the cruise line websites. Not that you need another reason to want to make it to Victoria ... but Oceania must know that it has an excellent shipyard that regularly performs repairs and maintenance on visiting cruise ships. And it's right across from the cruise ship pier. Just saying'. :cool::cool: http://www.seaspan.com/vicship/cruiseship_repairs.php Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wripro Posted August 17, 2011 #58 Share Posted August 17, 2011 Did all these letters about missed ports come out after final payment? If so, that's a dirty trick because I'm sure O knew beforehand what they were going to do and they should have given passengers the option of canceling. A $250 FCC as recompense is a joke imo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jtamchay Posted August 17, 2011 #59 Share Posted August 17, 2011 just a small thought...we were on the July 25 sailing of Insignia. We had gotten the letter about the "engines/generators" ;port times were altered but none dropped. The issue seemed to be resolved when we boarded in Stockholm...however, the Captain, or whomever, was asked if that meant we could have our previous port schedule and the reply was that no changes would be made. That seems reasonable on the face if it due to port fees paid etc...but and this is a very big BUT: we arrived at every port at least an hour early and I recall that one port were we allowed to disembark early. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Benita Posted August 17, 2011 Author #60 Share Posted August 17, 2011 Did all these letters about missed ports come out after final payment? If so, that's a dirty trick because I'm sure O knew beforehand what they were going to do and they should have given passengers the option of canceling. A $250 FCC as recompense is a joke imo. We learned of the changes ten days before sailing. Oceania is in a tough position- if it is indeed maintenance, this is known long in advance, and if posted, we would have had the opportunity to cancel and still book an Alaskan cruise in this timeframe with another line or tried to get on an earlier Oceania sailing. This sailing had been chosen by many of us to have an opportunity to see Victoria and Vancouver, in addition to the usual Alaska ports, so being honest about the elimination of one and the abbreviation of another would have left many open cabins. If it is not maintenance, but a problem with an engine- that is not something predictable, but to tell passengers we are going slow and eliminating ports for your sailing and the one afterwards leaves us with safety concerns. Neither scenario is particularly acceptable and when accompanied by no restitution for passengers - face it, a future cruise credit does nothing for a passenger who is not sailing with Oceania again- and offering this is telling your passengers you are only interested in them for future bookings. All this coupled with total silence on this issues from management, at the same time that Mr. DelRio is posting on this site about future Regatta plans, can't help but leave us with concerns. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amer_can Posted August 17, 2011 #61 Share Posted August 17, 2011 Yes we too are sorry, Benita, although your points are excellent, well taken and well deserved, Oceania has left us no room to make changes. We will have to make do!:mad: I am very sorry about this "trip of a lifetime" mess up. Such short notice, just over a week to sailing, is very poor planning, poor PR and shows no fore thought for passengers who will change their minds about "O". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oceans&Rivers Posted August 17, 2011 #62 Share Posted August 17, 2011 I wouldn't get your hopes up either way. Regatta has been grayed out on the Victoria Port Authority calendar for the entire season, not only for your affected date. A few other cruise lines are grayed out as well and VPA doesn't show links to the cruise line websites. Regatta is "greyed out" on the Victoria Cruise website below (which is a link from the Greater Victoria Harbour Authority website) only in the sense that there is no link to OceaniaCruises.com there. As you will note on that site, Regatta is still shown in that list to make a port call in Victoria on August 23, 2011. Even though the ship name is "greyed out," I have confirmed that Regatta is still scheduled to be in Victoria from 7:00 AM to 5:00 PM on that date. She will arrive from Prince Rupert and will then go to Astoria following her full day in Victoria. Our voyage was due to be in Victoria for a much shorter port call on August 28, 2011—only six hours—and even that has been taken away from us. :( :mad: http://victoriacruise.ca/page/cruise-schedule I want to see Victoria reinstated for the August 26, 2011 voyage and as there is still an open berth for that date available, I encourage Oceania to rethink the cancellation. IF nothing is going to be done on the August 14th voyage (????), then at the very least, choose another port to shorten or cancel other than Victoria on the August 26th sailing. Someone else suggested Astoria, and while I think it might be nice to visit Astoria, it can be very rough there and I would certainly prefer to keep Victoria to Astoria. I also enjoy Sitka, but would give it up (or shorten it) in order to keep the Victoria port call where Regatta would be the only ship in town as opposed to one of six as she is in Ketchikan. I would never have booked Regatta except for the fact that both Victoria and Vancouver are on the itinerary, and I know I speak for others on our voyage who feel the same way. The thought of cruising north four nights in a row with no port of call at all is something we really don't foresee as enjoyable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruzmaven Posted August 17, 2011 #63 Share Posted August 17, 2011 We learned of the changes ten days before sailing. Oceania is in a tough position- if it is indeed maintenance, this is known long in advance, and if posted, we would have had the opportunity to cancel and still book an Alaskan cruise in this timeframe with another line or tried to get on an earlier Oceania sailing. This sailing had been chosen by many of us to have an opportunity to see Victoria and Vancouver, in addition to the usual Alaska ports, so being honest about the elimination of one and the abbreviation of another would have left many open cabins. If it is not maintenance, but a problem with an engine- that is not something predictable, but to tell passengers we are going slow and eliminating ports for your sailing and the one afterwards leaves us with safety concerns. Neither scenario is particularly acceptable and when accompanied by no restitution for passengers - face it, a future cruise credit does nothing for a passenger who is not sailing with Oceania again- and offering this is telling your passengers you are only interested in them for future bookings. All this coupled with total silence on this issues from management, at the same time that Mr. DelRio is posting on this site about future Regatta plans, can't help but leave us with concerns. Very well put Benita. Hopefully Mr. DelRio or someone with Oceania will take notice and address these issues. We're going to be on the Marina in less than 10 days and were planning on booking a cruise for next year while on board. Frankly, I would hesitate to book a port intensive itinerary on one of the R class ships at this point. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MightyQuinn Posted August 17, 2011 #64 Share Posted August 17, 2011 ...Regatta is "greyed out" on the Victoria Cruise website below (which is a link from the Greater Victoria Harbour Authority website) only in the sense that there is no link to OceaniaCruises.com there. Yes indeed - that was my earlier point in suggesting that having Regatta grayed out on the port calendar on August 28, 2011 is of little predictive use, since it has been greyed out the entire season. Oceania and a few other cruise lines are always grayed out since they don't have live links to their home websites on VPA. I hope you get Victoria returned to its rightful spot on your itinerary! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Benita Posted August 17, 2011 Author #65 Share Posted August 17, 2011 Yes indeed - that was my earlier point in suggesting that having Regatta grayed out on the port calendar on August 28, 2011 is of little predictive use, since it has been greyed out the entire season. Oceania and a few other cruise lines are always grayed out since they don't have live links to their home websites on VPA. I hope you get Victoria returned to its rightful spot on your itinerary! I put more credence in the fact that the itinerary on the Oceania web site shows a day at sea instead of Victoria. It also shows the abbreviated stays in Juneau and Vancouver and the "glorious" 12 hours in Sitka. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oceans&Rivers Posted August 17, 2011 #66 Share Posted August 17, 2011 I hope you get Victoria returned to its rightful spot on your itinerary! Thank you very much. I hope so, too. :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oceans&Rivers Posted August 17, 2011 #67 Share Posted August 17, 2011 I put more credence in the fact that the itinerary on the Oceania web site shows a day at sea instead of Victoria. It also shows the abbreviated stays in Juneau and Vancouver and the "glorious" 12 hours in Sitka. What they have changed on the website, they can change again, and in a way that will help us all to smile again. :) I really am still hopeful that Frank Del Rio will find another solution that does not involve removing Victoria from the August 26th itinerary. There is really no fair reason for our previously scheduled six hour port call in Victoria to be cancelled, and yet leave the August 14th voyage essentially intact. Why don't they slow the ship down now and not stress the engines or get it to a port where they can work on it before the engine has further problems? If you read another post I just made, Regatta is still scheduled to call at the port at Victoria on August 23rd for nine hours. Why does the August 14th sailing get nine hours in Victoria and we get zero? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dwelsh Posted August 18, 2011 #68 Share Posted August 18, 2011 We sailed on the Alexandr Pushkin in 1974 then she was the Marco Polo in 2003 she was built in 1965Probably in the knackers yard now ;) We saw the Marco Polo in Belfast or Dublin last month. Looking great if a little old! Just like us!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare LHT28 Posted August 18, 2011 #69 Share Posted August 18, 2011 We saw the Marco Polo in Belfast or Dublin last month. Looking great if a little old! Just like us!!! I wish I was her age :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caroak Posted August 18, 2011 #70 Share Posted August 18, 2011 I also posted this on the "Open Messge to FDR" thread: We took our first Oceania cruise on the Insignia in May which we really enjoyed other than a few MDR wait staff and food issues. Fortunately, the only impact the generator problem caused was for us to arrive a few hours late in Amalfi which was a non-issue. While on the cruise the head engineer came into our cabin to adjust the air conditioning. When I mentioned the generator problems he said something that was surprising and confusing. He said very emphatically that there were no generator problems and that it was just maintenance and they are always doing maintenance. We assumed he knew what he was talking about because he was the head guy but it's hard to understand why he would say that when O publicly stated otherwise. Undoubtedly, this confuses the issue and makes one wonder what's up with O and what's the real story with the ongoing itinerary changes especially at the eleventh hour. It seems there is something else going on here. We were planning a Northern Europe cruise in 2013 but will now seriously look elsewhere. Nothing would be more disappointing than to be told at the last minute that you're cruise is not quite the one you booked and especially if it was past the refundable point. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimandStan Posted August 18, 2011 #71 Share Posted August 18, 2011 I also posted this on the "Open Messge to FDR" thread: While on the cruise the head engineer came into our cabin to adjust the air conditioning. When I mentioned the generator problems he said something that was surprising and confusing. He said very emphatically that there were no generator problems and that it was just maintenance and they are always doing maintenance. We assumed he knew what he was talking about because he was the head guy but it's hard to understand why he would say that when O publicly stated otherwise. Undoubtedly, this confuses the issue and makes one wonder what's up with O and what's the real story with the ongoing itinerary changes especially at the eleventh hour. It seems there is something else going on here. I have to say that I think that you are making a mountain out of a molehill vis a' vis that Engineers' comments. If you will permit me this comparison: I replace the tires on my car based on how many miles I have driven on them. Because I don't wait for a blow-out to change them, the procedure would be considered maintenance, rather than a repair. It would still be impossible to drive the car while the tires are being changed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leonid Posted August 18, 2011 #72 Share Posted August 18, 2011 Since a good many of my future shipmates (8/26 Alaska sailing) weighed in, so must I. 1. I believe that O decided to by pass Victoria and extend our time in Sitka for monetary reasons. I can't believe that O would have to forfeit the Victoria port charges. And port charges for Sitka must be minimal because we don't dock. 2. I also have concerns about the mechanical/propulsion integrity of the ship. Would not surprise me if we encountered a major problem on our cruise. Traveling on 3/4 power, even at a reduced speed, could put a strain on those remaining engines. 3. This whole episode just doesn't pass the smell test. Sad that O will not level with those of us who are repeat customers. Azamara is looking better every day. See all you 8/26 pax. on board. M & M. rocks:D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TERRIER1 Posted August 18, 2011 #73 Share Posted August 18, 2011 I have to say that I think that you are making a mountain out of a molehill vis a' vis that Engineers' comments. If you will permit me this comparison: I replace the tires on my car based on how many miles I have driven on them. Because I don't wait for a blow-out to change them, the procedure would be considered maintenance, rather than a repair. It would still be impossible to drive the car while the tires are being changed. Maintenance can and should be scheduled. That maintenance should not occur during a voyage unless something unexpected occurs. The maintenance should take place by adding days between passenger paid cruises or at the beginning or end of repositioning after passengers embark or disembark. Major repairs can also be scheduled and that is why ships are drydocked. Maintenance should not occur at the passengers expense or inconvenience. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare ORV Posted August 18, 2011 #74 Share Posted August 18, 2011 I also posted this on the "Open Messge to FDR" thread: We took our first Oceania cruise on the Insignia in May which we really enjoyed other than a few MDR wait staff and food issues. Fortunately, the only impact the generator problem caused was for us to arrive a few hours late in Amalfi which was a non-issue. While on the cruise the head engineer came into our cabin to adjust the air conditioning. When I mentioned the generator problems he said something that was surprising and confusing. He said very emphatically that there were no generator problems and that it was just maintenance and they are always doing maintenance. We assumed he knew what he was talking about because he was the head guy but it's hard to understand why he would say that when O publicly stated otherwise. Undoubtedly, this confuses the issue and makes one wonder what's up with O and what's the real story with the ongoing itinerary changes especially at the eleventh hour. It seems there is something else going on here. We were planning a Northern Europe cruise in 2013 but will now seriously look elsewhere. Nothing would be more disappointing than to be told at the last minute that you're cruise is not quite the one you booked and especially if it was past the refundable point. What I find most disconcerting is that the Head Engineer was adjusting the AC in a stateroom. Seems he would have something more important to do and an ordinary maintenance man could take care of this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leonid Posted August 18, 2011 #75 Share Posted August 18, 2011 Seems JimandStan have very little, if any engineering background. The analogy is ridiculous. Tire replacement is not the same type of maintenance that O is attempting to do in a SIX WEEK PERIOD. Six weeks to fix an engine? Are you kidding me! There is more to this than we will ever know.Somebody at O screwed up badly. And we have to pay. As I said, Azamara is looking better every day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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