Legend Holiday Cruise: Very disapointed and annoyed

[Flamin_June]

I am alarmed to discover, while browsing the Seabourn website, that there appears to have been a change to the itinerary for the Legend's 20th December Dubai to Mumbai sailing. Bangaram Island (a tropical and more or less uninhabited Indian Ocean island, one of the Lakshadeeps) has been replaced by Tuticorin, with a change to the date of the day at sea. Tuticorin is a large container port in Tamil Nadu. This is a MAJOR change, and I am NOT very happy, as the day at Bangaram was one of the highlights of this leg, as far as I was concerned, and one of the main reasons for booking this cruise.

There is an excursion on offer from Tuticorin, but paying for a five hour trek to see a couple of temples does not appeal to me. The alternative, a day at a large cargo port, whether on shore or on board, is a far cry from being at anchor by a 'dessert island' and coral reef.

 

Also not very happy to find this out through browsing the website. I would have expected to be notified by email, with some sort of explanation.

 

This is no longer the cruise I thought I was purchasing.

[3418ahl]

Did you book through a TA? I have not experienced Seabourne yet (leaving in six days), but on our other lines, the line notifies the TA of itinerary changes, and he, in turn, notifies us. The first thing I would do is contact your TA and ask why he did not notify you.

[Flamin_June]

Yes, the booking is through a TA (UK, based in Reading). Not a word from them - I will be contacting them shortly.

[phillipahain]

If you booked in the USA you would be able to cancel the entire cruise without penalty

 

HOWEVER those booking cruises etc outside of the USA are forced to pay a hefty deposit up front and then are stung by increasing costs of cancellation

 

Since Cruise Lines will simply refer you to the small print that they can change itineries at will this leaves non USA people with a major dilema and a very very unfair situation

[NEOPHYTUS]

Since cruise commences in almost 4 months isn't it possible to cancel now with full refund of all payments ?

[Flamin_June]

If you booked in the USA you would be able to cancel the entire cruise without penalty

 

HOWEVER those booking cruises etc outside of the USA are forced to pay a hefty deposit up front and then are stung by increasing costs of cancellation

 

Since Cruise Lines will simply refer you to the small print that they can change itineries at will this leaves non USA people with a major dilema and a very very unfair situation

 

Yes, exactly. The first impulse is to think about cancelling, but we have already paid almost £1000 upfront and will incur penalties, and we have booked flights, hotels etc elsewhere, so a major hassle.

 

On the other hand, we were looking forward to the whole cruise and this is only one change of port day. BUT the point is, it is a very big change and the opportunity of a day at the Lakshadeeps was a key factor in persuading us to choose this, in fact I would say it was one of the highlights of the cruise as far as any passenger is concerned and a major selling point. The alternative now offered is a very poor substitute and turns the whole cruise into a rather meaningless and pointless wander up and down the coast of India.

 

There were other cruises with other lineswhich we could have chosen, and might well have done if this had been the original itinerary.

 

GRRRRRR!:mad:

[Flamin_June]

Since cruise commences in almost 4 months isn't it possible to cancel now with full refund of all payments ?

 

No the penalyty at this stage is 10% of the gross. basically we loose our deposit.

[lincslady]

Have you thought of emailing Seabourn Seattle to ask why they are missing this port? I note it was to be a marina day, so can understand your disappointment completely. Could be that they have what might be seen as a legitimate reason for changing which would make you feel less aggrieved about it. Or of course you might just get a load of waffle!

[phillipahain]

Its the TA who should be dealing with Seabourne

 

But the real fault lies with the way cruises are sold in the USA versus the UK and the get out clause Cruise Lines have about changing itineries without any consideration of passengers

 

We had the same agro with Oceania they completely change 3 ports of call during a Far East cruise and instead of 2 full days in Shanghai which was the reason we booked as we planned a day in Souchow they shortened it to 1 1/4 days leaving at midday ........utterly useless and spoilt the trip but not even an apology was forthcoming from Oceania ......just "we can do what we like " so tough

[phillipahain]

Its the TA who should be dealing with Seabourne

 

But the real fault lies with the way cruises are sold in the USA versus the UK and the get out clause Cruise Lines have about changing itineries without any consideration of passengers

 

We had the same agro with Oceania they completely changed 3 ports of call during a Far East cruise and instead of 2 full days in Shanghai which was the reason we booked as we planned a day in Souchow they shortened it to 1 1/4 days leaving at midday ........utterly useless and spoilt the trip but not even an apology was forthcoming from Oceania ......just "we can do what we like " so tough

[Flamin_June]

Yes, I have emailed Seattle (last night) - waiting for reply. TA says this is the first they have heard - are phoning SB and will get back to me.

 

To give you an idea of the scale of the disappointment here is a photo of Bangaram Island, followed by a recent snap of the Tuticorin Port area.

I don't think one can say this is a comparable substitution. It completely alters the entire character of the cruise, in my opinion.

[lincslady]

I agree in principle that it is your TA's job to deal with Seabourn. However, I have had fairly recent dealings by email with Seattle, and found them prompt to reply and fairly helpful. To me, this is more satisfactory than going through a third party even it is officially their job.

[Flamin_June]

Yes, I agree, Lincslady.

Best to go direct, as I have done.

I hope they will come up with a sound reason, though I have a nagging suspicion that it is financial. Having done a little research I see that Tuticorin is offering big discounts to cruise ships to berth there. Also, no opportunity to sell excursion at inflated price if the ship calls at Bangaram whereas there is at Tuticorin. The fact that the change appears with an excursion included indicates there has been some planning, rather than a sudden change due to circumstances.

The annoying thing is that it is basically selling something under false pretences. It is like being told you will have a Port day in the Channel Islands, and then having it changed to Sunderland, or Felixstowe.

Bah!!

[Flamin_June]

Have just heard from TA, - Seabourn say the change is due to "operational reasons".

 

Also informs me that if I cancel I will forfeit deposit

 

Hah!

 

Waiting to hear back from Seabourn Club. Perhaps they will be able to let me know what these operational reasons are.....

[JaneBP]

>"Perhaps they will be able to let me know what these operational reasons are....."

 

My bet is waste removal. That's why the stop in Casablanca is so frequent.

[shipmix]

One very important thing to remember here is this. All cruises no matter which cruise line, which ship , etc will always have the chance of a schedule change. This can also happen of course during the cruise. All cruise lines make this very clear in their printed information as well. ( Subject to change). No one of course likes to have these changes but they can happen. Recently on a cruise for one week two of the four ports were missed because of serious weather conditions. Again, of course not nice but it happens. Many people have their heart set on schedules and so many things can change this is the game of travel. Make the best of it and do not look back otherwise you should indeed cancel even if you pay a penalty instead of making the entire trip the topic of missing this port.

 

All the contact with Seabourn, your travel agent, etc will not change the fact. Try not to dwell on this.

 

Enjoy your cruise

[Flamin_June]

I fully accept that itineraries can change. And once I get my head around this I won't spend the whole cruise bemoaning the fact.

But in this case the weather is not an issue. There have been no revolutions, terrorist outrages or outbreaks of violence directed at westerners. The economy of the Lakshadeeps is not in crisis. There are no Volcanoes nor outbreaks of pestilence. Gadaffi has not taken up residence. Sea levels have not changed dramatically.

 

And the change is not a trivial one. It is not like substituting one charming Adriatic port with another. It is a long trawl around the horn of India and back for no good reason, and a call in a port that has very little to attract the traveller.

 

It would have been better , in my opinion, to call at Colombo instead. Many more potential excursions, lots of five star hotels with excellent food for a lunch out and a swim and plenty of high quality local produce for shopping.

[kiskadee]

If you hadnt booked through the UK then you could have cancelled. I think perhaps it might be better to book through the U. S. in future as ,at least ,you can cancel without penalty. There are often ports where one wonders why the ship had gone there. Bari in Italy is one and Mangalore in India was a waste of time---we didnt leave the ship as those who did and returned advised us not to bother.

[Flamin_June]

Here is the reply from Seabourn

We are sorry for your disappointment; we can only apologize and let you know that these itinerary changes are never taken lightly and are out of our control. We are at the mercy of the port authorities and if they tell us, after we have published the sailing, that we cannot dock in their city due to operational reasons or port congestion we have no choice but to find the best alternative option. We have 400 people of all nationalities and have to look at customs etc…

Here is a link to a tourism site for Tuticorin http://www.tripadvisor.com/Tourism-g793693-Tuticorin_Tamil_Nadu-Vacations.html Hopefully you will find something exciting to do there J

Thank you and again we are sorry for the changes.

Debbi

Seabourn Line

PHONE: 800 929 9391

http://www.seabourn.com

 

It is prompt and superficially apologetic, but otherwise wholly inadequate.

 

There is no explanation, but rather a series of general assertions about reasons why cruise lines have to alter itineraries. Bangaram Island is not a city, and there is unlikely to be any 'port congestion' (see attached photo in previous reply). Again the mysterious 'operational reasons' rear their heads. I can not fathom the relevance nor pertinence of the last sentence in the first paragraph (highlighted in bold). Who are these 400 people?

 

The link to Trip Advisor opens a typical 'dead-end' page that has virtually no information at all (check it out for yourselves, dear readers). I can assure you I have found nothing exciting to do there. I find the second paragraph to be condescending and insulting. I am not cruising with Seabourn in order to find exciting things to do at the fourth largest cargo port in India. I am a University professor and a seasoned traveler, perfectly capable of researching any destination in depth. In fact, the simple step of googling Tuticorin produces dozens of pages with far more information than found on the miserable Trip Adviser page.

 

My dismay about all that is that the day at Bangaram Island was clearly the highlight of this package. Most of the other ports of call in India are quite nondescript and mundane, as a previous poster has noted. We were prepared to put up with that for the quite unusual opportunity to visit the Lakshadeeps. Take that away and the cruise is far less attractive, and in its current form it is quite possible that we would not have chosen it at all. There were other options with Seabourn, Regent and Silversea, but the Lakshadeeps was the deal clincher for us.

 

I just feel short changed, promised oranges but now told it is going to be apples. I need some considerable further persuasion that Tuticorin is the best alternative option. And I need a credible explanation of why this change of schedule is necessary. I need a reason why I should ever trust Seabourn again with my custom. For the kind of money we are paying for this trip I need more than a 'we can do what we want, take it or leave it' reply.

[JaneBP]

>" I need some considerable further persuasion that Tuticorin is the best alternative option. And I need a credible explanation of why this change of schedule is necessary. I need a reason why I should ever trust Seabourn again with my custom. For the kind of money we are paying for this trip I need more than a 'we can do what we want, take it or leave it' reply."

 

Good luck, but it ain't gonna happen. Drinks on me at the skyBar if you get further explanations.

[kiskadee]

The reply from Seabourn is not acceptable. I would be very upset. The ports in India are terrible---a lot of passengers did not even get off the ship on the world cruise. If you cancel you are going to lose a lot of money. Seabourn cruises are expensive and guests should not be treated in this fashion.

[lincslady]

I can't agree that the Indian ports are 'terrible'. Some, probably, and almost certainly the unfortunate substitute for the island, but there is quite a lot of interest in Goa, Cochin, and certainly Mumbai for the enquiring mind. If you have not been to India before, it is a must to see this very different life. However, if Flamin June has visited India before, then obviously to visit Bangaram island would have been the highlight.

 

However, have to agree that the email is mostly the usual company-speak, and it is a pity they do not feel able to give a real explanation.

[kiskadee]

I can't agree that the Indian ports are 'terrible'. Some, probably, and almost certainly the unfortunate substitute for the island, but there is quite a lot of interest in Goa, Cochin, and certainly Mumbai for the enquiring mind. If you have not been to India before, it is a must to see this very different life. However, if Flamin June has visited India before, then obviously to visit Bangaram island would have been the highlight.

 

However, have to agree that the email is mostly the usual company-speak, and it is a pity they do not feel able to give a real explanation.

 

I agree that Mumbai and Cochin are well worth visiting to see the different lifestyle but if you have been to these ports and have your heart set on visiting Bangaram Island it must be very disappointing . You should ask for a better explanation as to why the ship is not going there.