Second Open Letter to Frank Del Rio

[alimerid]

We also booked this cruise and are very upset over the changes. We think your itinerary proposal is great. It would put some trust back into Oceania's planned itinerary. This is our fifth trip with Oceania and because of these changes we are ready to look at other cruise lines. I did call my agent and Oceania direct. I hope someone is paying attention and fixes this itinerary. We are also booked on the back to back cruise and so far it has not changed.

Sherry Mendelson

[moggyhill]

My husband and I are booked on this cruise. Based on Oceania's many port changes we will be looking closely at other lines to sail on. It is a shame because we really enjoy the port intensive stops. Ohhhh,,,, only when we know and agree with the ones that the ship stops on:(. Alot of time and money goes into our decision on our vacations. We WILL be voting with our pocketbooks on future cruises. Considering the financial straits that many cruise lines are in Mr Del Rio would be wise to consider what those of us who are so upset are saying.

[wripro]

Much as I like Oceania they do seem to change or eliminate ports more frequently than other lines. Of the four cruises I have taken on O three of them have had ports either shortened in time or eliminated completely due to one reason or another. Of the thirty or so cruises I have taken on Seabourn and Silversea it has never happened once.

[Paulchili]

Much as I like Oceania they do seem to change or eliminate ports more frequently than other lines. Of the four cruises I have taken on O three of them have had ports either shortened in time or eliminated completely due to one reason or another. Of the thirty or so cruises I have taken on Seabourn and Silversea it has never happened once.

 

Henry,

Those are very impressive comparisons and probably statistically significant.

[lovetocruise16]

We have three cruises booked: on Marina (twice) and Nautica (30 days). We are getting concerned that important ports that we expect to visit will be dropped for unexplained reasons. Yes, we realize that the captain has the final say concerning safety of the passengers. But there are all too many threads popping up about this subject. We, too, will be searching for alternative cruises in the future, and final payments aren't yet in for two of the Oceania cruises for next year. Anything can happen.....

[Paulchili]

We have three cruises booked: on Marina (twice) and Nautica (30 days). We are getting concerned that important ports that we expect to visit will be dropped for unexplained reasons. Yes, we realize that the captain has the final say concerning safety of the passengers. But there are all too many threads popping up about this subject. We, too, will be searching for alternative cruises in the future, and final payments aren't yet in for two of the Oceania cruises for next year. Anything can happen.....

 

There are essentially 2 types of itinerary changes:

1 Captain deems it necessary to change port(s) due to weather/sea conditions/political situation, etc during the cruise. We all agree that these are necessary for our own safety and the safety of the ship/crew and we have no control over them; nor do we object to them if they are reasonable.

2 Changes of itinerary by the cruise line prior to sailing - due to any number of reasons. We all would prefer if these changes were announced before final payment so that we can make decisions whether the cruise is still what we want. Sometimes this is not possible due to sudden, unexpected changes - this is understandable.

The types of changes discussed in this thread fall into the latter category but many of the changes were made after final payment and the need for those changes is not obvious. This is what people get most upset about.

Oceania, please clarify the need for these latest changes so we all can understand them better. Specifically, what has changed in Myanmar in the last month or two that now makes it unsafe to visit it, whereas it was deemed safe to visit in September, before final payment.

[LittleRedJohn]

We had a problem with delayed arrivals and last-minute port switches or cancellations on our Amazon/Caribbean cruise aboard Regatta this past spring. I wrote after that, and will write again, that something odd is going on with Oceania. There are way too many reports of cruises where the itinerary changes at the last-minute. I'm surprised how non-critical some passengers can be when they spend a great deal of money for a specific cruise and then don't get what they paid for. I think anyone who books Oceania at this point is taking a risk. LittleRedJohn

[doggylover]

Last year we took this cruise and the MAJOR HIGHLIGHT OF THE ENTIRE 35 days was our stop in MyANMAR. I do hope the cruise line will take your comments to heart and reinstate this port. We were warned about the political situation but found the country to be calm and our three days were magical.

We also had changes to our itinerary after final payment and many passengers were upset about the three ports of call in Kenya being cancelled for security reasons.

I wrote a detailed letter to Mr Del Rio upon my return home from this cruise

and suggested the name of the cruise should be changed since we visited too many islands.

Good luck to all and enjoy your cruise wherever it may take you on this voyage.

[A Knitter]

I have mentioned this in other threads that this is the very reason I chose to do East Africa with a custom tour company rather than risk the Port(s) canceled with Oceania. Since I travel alone and pay 200% for my cabin, I would jump ship if the thousands of dollars I spent on a cruise in a lifetime to Kenya were suddenly canceled. I had planned to take the same cruise as Arlene this December but decided against it. If I were to do a port intensive cruise with destinations I have on my bucket list, and chose Oceania, I would get the travel insurance of "cancel for any reason". I am disappointed that passengers aren't given a chance to cancel after final deposit when Oceania has canceled a popular destination Port. Next year I am sailing with other cruise lines.

[JimandStan]

Oceania, please clarify the need for these latest changes so we all can understand them better. Specifically, what has changed in Myanmar in the last month or two that now makes it unsafe to visit it, whereas it was deemed safe to visit in September, before final payment

 

That kind of transparency is not always feasible in the real World, Paul. Oceania cannot afford to put itself in the position of appearing to criticize a regime which is still in power simply to placate a few irate ticket holders.

 

Such a statement could cause problems for Oceania employees who are natives of that region, and/or make it difficult for Oceania to return to the region once things have settled down.

 

Now, the problems with the Alaska port changes were a different thing entirely, but as I understand it, those issues had more to do with Oceania being "the new kid on the block".

[Paulchili]

That kind of transparency is not always feasible in the real World, Paul. Oceania cannot afford to put itself in the position of appearing to criticize a regime which is still in power simply to placate a few irate ticket holders.

 

Such a statement could cause problems for Oceania employees who are natives of that region, and/or make it difficult for Oceania to return to the region once things have settled down.

 

Now, the problems with the Alaska port changes were a different thing entirely, but as I understand it, those issues had more to do with Oceania being "the new kid on the block".

 

I understand that part J&S.

But is this regime any different now than it was last year (when O visited Myanmar) or even this July or September (when O was still planning to visit Myanmar)? Did something new happen that I am not aware of?

I hope not because we are on a 8 day land tour to Myanmar this January and if something new did happen I should cancel as well.

[LHT28]

Did something new happen that I am not aware of?

I hope not because we are on a 8 day land tour to Myanmar this January and if something new did happen I should cancel as well.

Paul

the Canadian & Australian government have a "high degree of Caution" alert & "AVOID ALL TRAVEL" advice for Canadians

 

I guess it is a personal choice whether you go or not

 

Maybe there is no risk for U.S. citizens:rolleyes:

 

Lyn

[Paulchili]

Lyn,

I appreciate your concern but I cheked the US Dept. of State website for travel warnings:

http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/tw/tw_1764.html

According to the statement there:

Travel Warnings are issued when long-term, protracted conditions that make a country dangerous or unstable lead the State Department to recommend that Americans avoid or consider the risk of travel to that country. A Travel Warning is also issued when the U.S. Government's ability to assist American citizens is constrained due to the closure of an embassy or consulate or because of a drawdown of its staff. The countries listed below meet those criteria

 

There are 33 countries on that list and Myanmar is not one of them. The list is quite "liberal" and if anything it is overcautious as it includes Philippines and Mexico, where many people will/would travel.

I know that things can happen anytime/anywhere but Myanmar didn't even make this list :confused:

[tanny18]

I appreciate that so many CC people have read my letter and some have responded with their own comments and I thank you all for your support! Just to clarify a few items, if you didn't read my entire letter. The reasons given to cancel Burma had something to do with the Treasury Department NOT State or Defense or Homeland Security!! That was the only explanation, so it had nothing to do with security or unrest in this country -- but obviously money. We were never given the real reason and unfortunately, we all accepted that. Hindsight is always 20/20 and we should have made our feelings known at that time. The real reason for my letter was the fact that the substitution port was being substituted for a bad one. That's what made us all angry. The port in place of Chennai leaves very much to be desired. And the lame excuse was that Oceania could not get good berthing or tendering in Chennai. They really should have thought about this 3 months again!! We all know that all cruise lines cancel ports because of various reasons -- unrest, weather, etc. As for Alaska (my first open letter), and the cancellation of Victoria, it was not that Oceania was the "new kid on the block" as someone suggested. The reason was that an engine had to be repaired and we had to "slow down." With an uproar that was worthy of demonstrators in the Middle East, Oceania decided that it was much better to put Victoria back. It had to rearrange all the other ports, but we got what we wanted. I think we can now put to rest all of the other comments and postings and hopefully Oceania will do the right thing again and make, not only the passengers on this cruise happy, but all the other Oceania passengers, past, present and hopefully future. We intend to sail with Oceania again -- we've sailed since 2003 when they were taking baby steps -- but will probably wait a little longer to book and see any other ports are cancelled. Arlene;)

[LHT28]

Lyn,

I appreciate your concern but I cheked the US Dept. of State website for travel warnings:

Paul

I am glad you are checking into the situation

 

Other Countries seem to have travel warnings

 

Like I said it is a personal choice

have a safe trip

All the best to you & Marsha

 

Lyn

[Paulchili]

Paul

I am glad you are checking into the situation

 

Other Countries seem to have travel warnings

 

Like I said it is a personal choice

have a safe trip

All the best to you & Marsha

 

Lyn

 

Thank you Lyn.

Can we call you from the jail in Yangon if we need help? :D

[LHT28]

Thank you Lyn.

Can we call you from the jail in Yangon if we need help? :D

Take the phone numbers of the American embassies just incase;)

[Paulchili]

Take the phone numbers of the American embassies just incase;)

 

That is good advice Lyn - shall do.

Paul

[ozdroggy01]

Lyn,

I appreciate your concern but I cheked the US Dept. of State website for travel warnings:

http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/tw/tw_1764.html

According to the statement there:

Travel Warnings are issued when long-term, protracted conditions that make a country dangerous or unstable lead the State Department to recommend that Americans avoid or consider the risk of travel to that country. A Travel Warning is also issued when the U.S. Government's ability to assist American citizens is constrained due to the closure of an embassy or consulate or because of a drawdown of its staff. The countries listed below meet those criteria

 

There are 33 countries on that list and Myanmar is not one of them. The list is quite "liberal" and if anything it is overcautious as it includes Philippines and Mexico, where many people will/would travel.

I know that things can happen anytime/anywhere but Myanmar didn't even make this list :confused:

 

Thanks for that research Paul. Adds considerable weight to our argument that the original cancellation of Myanmar was ill conceived. Probably nothing more than penny pinching by Oceania's bean counters.

 

There is a simple answer for Oceania in all this. Give us an acceptable reason for the cancellation or admit their error, cancel to crap in India and Sri Lanka (Mangalore & Trinco), if necessary cancel Galle and reschedule Yangon, Problem solved - mostly happy passengers :D

 

Bring Back Burma :mad:

[victoriasailor]

Since we also booked this cruise based on Oceania's "itinerary based" model we feel that we have been misled. As someone already stated the explanations for itinerary changes provided by O. with removal of Myanmar and substitution of India before final payment were accepted grudgingly. The reasons for itinerary changes after final payment have been flimsy and the substituted ports (Mangalore, Tincomalee) of little or no interest. The substitutions including Myanmar account for about 15% of the ports visited. If Myanmar cannot be reinstated then the substituted ports need to be of greater interest than those now scheduled. How O. handles the displeasure of many of their repeat clients regarding the itinerary changes will affect their future business volume. To support Arlene's efforts I am writing a note both to my travel agent and to Oceania to express my disappointment and displeasure.

[cbb]

Are any of the port changes occurring on Marina itineraries or are they all on the smaller ships? (Just trying to figure out if there is anything in common with these changes.)

[tanny18]

Are any of the port changes occurring on Marina itineraries or are they all on the smaller ships? (Just trying to figure out if there is anything in common with these changes.)

This thread was really just about this Cape Town to Singapore cruise and I'm sure if there are any changes to your cruise, I'm sure you TA will let you know. Changes happen for a variety of reason!! Arlene

[cbb]

Sorry for the misunderstanding. We are not currently signed up for any future O cruises. I was just trying to figure out if the changes in the cruises discussed were only on the small ships. Other threads and comments on this thread have mentioned engine problems and port costs so I was just wondering if this was a small ship situation and hasn't affected Marina.

[les221b]

Similar changes were made on the Regent Voyager December Dubai to

Singapore cruise and the return March Singapore to Dubai route.

 

Burma was dropped back in December 2010 and replaced by Chennai and

two ports in Sri Lanka. Last week Chennai was then replace by Cochin

and Mangalore.

 

Les

[BillPizzaiolo]

I was wondering if any of you got a response back from Oceania regarding this topic yet? I recall last year when we wrote a letter about a missed port on the Maiden Voyage of Marina we got a very nice letter explaining everything and a credit towards a future cruise. This just seems a little one sided right now. Have you heard anything?