Norwegian strike spreads

[aprilsp88]

Hi,

 

If our ship is scheduled to tender, will that be impacted if no pilot boat? In another word, do we need pilot boat if we're tendering to the port?

 

Thanks,

April

[lobster129]

Posted on the RCI UK website:

Vision of the Seas will call to Geiranger, Norway, today, Thursday, May 31, spend Friday, June 1, at sea and conclude its sailing in Gothenburg, Sweden, on Saturday, June 2. The sailing was scheduled to end in Oslo.

 

What a nightmare for passengers who scheduled flights home from Oslo....and end up disembarking in Sweden~ Hopefully cruise insurance will help them get new flights!

[Cotswold Eagle]

What a nightmare for passengers who scheduled flights home from Oslo....and end up disembarking in Sweden~ Hopefully cruise insurance will help them get new flights!

 

They will get transferred to Oslo by bus. Great way to end your vacation :(

[lobster129]

They will get transferred to Oslo by bus. Great way to end your vacation :(

 

But the time involved for that transfer may cause many to miss their flights! Things that you can't anticipate when you book your cruise....and the reason we always include travel insurance in our planning.

[JWinchester]

Whoa! This is not the sort of news I wanted to read, two days before leaving on a cruise for Norway! :eek:

 

And here I thought that by not vacationing in Greece or Italy (where I once got stuck due to a general strike) I'd avoid this sort of nonsense. :(

[tyrole]

A post on the P&O section says Arcadia is heading to Zebrugge instead of Stavanger.

[TLCOhio]

Whoa! This is not the sort of news I wanted to read, two days before leaving on a cruise for Norway! And here I thought that by not vacationing in Greece or Italy (where I once got stuck due to a general strike) I'd avoid this sort of nonsense.(

 

tyrole: A post on the P&O section says Arcadia is heading to Zebrugge instead of Stavanger.

 

Not good news. Agree that you might better understand and/or "accept" if it was in Greece or Italy. BUT' date=' orderly Norway???[/b'] Glad we got in our Norway fjords, Arctic Circle, North Cape, etc., adventure done in July 2010. This has to be really tough and challenging for those who have spent months planning and looking forward to these trips in such a scenic and amazing area. Hopefully it gets settled soon. Zebrugge is not a good or acceptable substitute for Norway. Some ships are shifting to stops in Scotland, etc.

 

From royal caribbean blog in the past few minutes, they have this headline: "Vision of the Seas schedule adjusted due to Norwegian strike" with these highlights: "Due to a maritime pilot strike in Oslo, Norway, Royal Caribbean has been forced to adjust Vision of the Seas' itinerary slightly. Vision of the Seas will call at Geiranger, Norway, today as planned, then spend Friday at sea and conclude its sailing in Gothenburg, Sweden, on Saturday. Vision was originally scheduled to end its cruise in Oslo but passengers will instead transported by bus to Oslo. Brilliance of the Seas will call on Bergen, Norway, today as scheduled, spend Friday at sea and conclude its sailing in Amsterdam, Netherlands, on Saturday as scheduled. The strike impacts cruise ships because pilots boats are not able to go out and meet ships, and thus ships that require a compulsory pilot to navigate within local waters cannot sail into the Norwegian ports."

 

From the Reuters newswire this afternoon, they have these highlights: "Norwegian oil refineries could close down production and petrol become scarce if a strike among government employees continues. Offshore oil and gas production is not directly hit by the

strike, but onshore ports and refineries stand to be affected as shipping pilots become unavailable. "

 

A Cruise Critic story has more details and specifics. There are also more problems with security staff personnel at the main airports, etc. Not a pretty or ideal situation.

 

Full stories at:

http://www.*****.com/2012/05/31/vision-seas-schedule-adjusted-due-norwegian-strike

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/05/31/markets-europe-gasoline-idUSL5E8GVG1Q20120531

http://www.cruisecritic.com/news/news.cfm?ID=4853

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

For details and visuals, etc., from our July 1-16, 2010, Norway Coast/Fjords/Arctic Circle cruise experience from Copenhagen on the Silver Cloud, check out this posting. This posting is now at 71,696 views.

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1227923

[Cotswold Eagle]

But the time involved for that transfer may cause many to miss their flights! Things that you can't anticipate when you book your cruise....and the reason we always include travel insurance in our planning.

 

A poster earlier in this thread said they started disembarking earlier than usual (can you believe it - might as well not go to bed), so as to get folk to Oslo in time, but absolutely this kind of unforeseen event is why I always carry insurance too :)

[Cotswold Eagle]

This has just been posted in our roll call for this weekend's Brilliance cruise from Amsterdam:

 

we are on Brilliance just now and can report that last night the Captain informed us that we would not be able to go into Bergen, however about 11.00 last night the situation changed and we did in fact go into Bergen today.

we were delayed leaving this afternoon and did not sail away until 5.45pm because we were waiting for a pilot boat, however we are still scheduled to arrive Amsterdam as normal. The situation seems to change on a daily basis.

Hope your cruise doesn't get affected by these strikes, think we were lucky to get into Bergen today.

 

Seems like a very fluid situation, I hope they decide to risk it next week, but a tricky call for the cruise lines.

[Cotswold Eagle]

A further update from someone on our roll call for Brilliance next week, who has been told by RCI that if the strike is not settled we will be doing Copenhagen/Warnemunde/Aarhus instead of the Norwegian fjords :(

 

Update: This is confirmed by an alert on RCI's website:

 

Should the strike continue and include all port pilots in Norway, Brilliance of the Seas’ next sailing will be unable to call to any of the Norwegian ports of call on its itinerary. We have been diligently working to prepare an alternative itinerary should the strike continue, which will include port calls to Copenhagen and Aarhus, Demark, and Berlin (Warnemunde), Germany. We encourage guests on the Saturday, June 2, sailing of Brilliance of the Seas monitor this website for any additional updates.

[IWORK2CRUISE]

Just read on a news site, that it is only the boat crews that take the pilots to the ships that are on strike, but not the helicopter crews.

 

We are on Brilliance on Sat, and she has a helipad, so hope they will use this instead.

 

Talked to our TA, who is in touch with RCL. No news of any changes yet. But if the Brilliance does a Balmoral, and goes elsewhere in Germany/Baltics, we will cancel, as we live in Germany and have been to all the other Baltic ports (apart from Oslo).:(

http://www.royalcaribbean.com/contentPage.do?pagename=important_updates

[Cotswold Eagle]

I can find no update from the supposed mediation last night as yet.

 

P&O have announced a revised itinerary for Azura and Adonia next week (Azura is doing Zeebrugge, Rotterdam, Copenhagen, Gothenburg), but they say they will put as much Norway back in as possible if the strike is called off. Changes and announcements may be made during the cruise.

 

https://ask.pocruises.com/help/PO/latest_news/PO_Norwaychanges

 

RCI have still not confirmed which itinerary we will be doing on Brilliance. I also see news that airports may be affected, which could further inconvenience Vision passengers, who will be disembarking/embarking 150 miles from Oslo in any case!

[shipfriend_max]

What a f...

We are going on Costa Pacifica Jun 30, 2012 and Costa Fortuna Jul 28, 2012 to Norway - does anyone know whether the strikes have stopped until these dates or are they still going in mid of July and August??? :confused::eek::mad:

Here is a list of the affected ports:

http://www.kystverket.no/PageFiles/12696/Oversikt%20ber%C3%B8rte%20losb%C3%A5tstasjoner.pdf

 

Please give me some information! ;)

[JWinchester]

What a f...

does anyone know whether the strikes have stopped until these dates or are they still going in mid of July and August??? :confused::eek::mad:

 

I doubt the strike will be last that long, the entire country and its economy will have fallen to ruin long before that. That said, there's no telling what'll happen, of course. They could lift the strike for a few days, strike again for a few days, and keep that going indefinitely. Or they could work like mad over the weekend and resolve their issues.

 

What annoys me the most, though, is this quote (translated by Google from http://www.nrk.no/nyheter/norge/1.8158244):

 

"The last requirement of the employees were at 4.25 percent salary increase, while the latest offer from the state was at 3.96 percent.

 

There is a difference of 0.29 percentage points."

 

Cause, seriously? A 0.29 percentage points difference is reason enough to throw everything into chaos? While large parts of Europe has been at 0% pay raises for several years? Tbh, right now, Norway's not exactly impressing me with its common sense... :mad: (Of course, the fact that they are messing with my hard-earned holiday--leaving tomorrow, so chances of not being affected are practically nil--may have something to do with my lack of sympathy.)

[MikaelT84SE]

Info from Princess today that Emerald skipped Oslo recently.

Also appereantly ships has been stranded there... And just now the said on news that airports are to in strike!

[MikaelT84SE]

This might be somethin

http://www.norwaypost.no/news/unions-split-over-public-sector-strike-26990.html

[tyrole]

P&O have altered their Azura itinerary for next week to Zebrugge, Rotterdam, Copenhagen and Gothenburg. I decided to cancel with a full refund.

[TLCOhio]

P&O have altered their Azura itinerary for next week to Zebrugge, Rotterdam, Copenhagen and Gothenburg. I decided to cancel with a full refund.

 

Sorry to hear you had to scrub your trip. Copenhagen is wonderful, but Zebrugge, Rotterdam and Gothenburg would not match up for what you would be missing in Norway. Hope this gets settled, soon! BUT, the costs and complexities of the Norway economy are a little different than most other parts of Europe and the USA. Because of all of the oil wealth there and a history of high labor costs, high taxes, etc., it makes things more challenging to get such labor settlements.

 

It will be interesting to see if all cruise lines offer such full refunds. For those from America, their air costs are high and might make cancelations more difficult.

 

THANKS! Terry in Ohio

 

For details and visuals, etc., from our July 1-16, 2010, Norway Coast/Fjords/Arctic Circle cruise experience from Copenhagen on the Silver Cloud, check out this posting. This posting is now at 71,814 views.

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1227923

[tyrole]

Sorry to hear you had to scrub your trip. Copenhagen is wonderful, but Zebrugge, Rotterdam and Gothenburg would not match up for what you would be missing in Norway. Hope this gets settled, soon! BUT, the costs and complexities of the Norway economy are a little different than most other parts of Europe and the USA. Because of all of the oil wealth there and a history of high labor costs, high taxes, etc., it makes things more challenging to get such labor settlements.

 

It will be interesting to see if all cruise lines offer such full refunds. For those from America, their air costs are high and might make cancelations more difficult.

 

THANKS! Terry in Ohio

 

For details and visuals, etc., from our July 1-16, 2010, Norway Coast/Fjords/Arctic Circle cruise experience from Copenhagen on the Silver Cloud, check out this posting. This posting is now at 71,814 views.

www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1227923

 

 

Thank you :) I feel awful cancelling, its not the cruise company fault!! but we paid quite a bit for a balcony to take the scenery in and would never have booked that itinerary to start with.

So sad and all that money that those little towns and villages are losing.

[Cotswold Eagle]

It will be interesting to see if all cruise lines offer such full refunds. For those from America, their air costs are high and might make cancelations more difficult.

 

THANKS! Terry in Ohio

 

RCI are offering a refund, but only in future cruise credit, or $250 OBC for the changed Brilliance itinerary (Copenhagen - 2 day stay -, Warnemunde, Aarhus). I'm still going, because the timing works for me this week - and I'm fortunate enough to be able to say I'll do the fjords another time. They are calling round today, but of course many guests from America/Canada or further afield are already travelling, so may not hear. Could be a mess tomorrow....

[kaisatsu]

A poster earlier in this thread said they started disembarking earlier than usual (can you believe it - might as well not go to bed), so as to get folk to Oslo in time, but absolutely this kind of unforeseen event is why I always carry insurance too :)

 

Yes, disembarkation from Gothenburg was pushed up to start at 5:00 am. You were welcome to stay on board until mid-morning if you wanted, but the last buses to Oslo were scheduled for around 6:30, so if you stayed beyond that you had to find your own way home (not necessarily a bad thing for the Swedish passengers).

 

The cruiseline recommended that anyone who had a flight out of Oslo before 11:00 am to rebook, and the phones/internet were made available for free so people could do so. Anyone using cruiseline-provided air was rebooked (and probably will be for any of the other affected Oslo sailings).

 

My parents had an 11:25 flight out of OSL, so they did express departure at 5am, but the bus trip took 5 hours for some reason (it should have taken around 4hrs). They arrived at the airport around 10:00 but were still able to catch their 11:25 flight to Newark.

[kaisatsu]

To address some of the other questions...

 

Even in the worst case, I doubt the strike will last more than a few weeks, so sailings in July will probably not be affected. Keep in mind that it's more than just the pilot boats. We're talking about no garbage collection in some of the cities! There's no way they'll let that go on for a month! :eek:

 

Tender ports can still be affected, because they often require navigating through narrow waterways to reach further inland. Almost none of the ports in Norway are exposed to open sea, and thanks to the fjords, some of them can be quite far inland! Flåm, for example, is around 100km from open sea! It's navigating to the ports that requires the pilot's expertise, so even if you tender once you arrive, you still need the pilot to get there.

 

Although a lot of larger ships have helipads, it's not guaranteed that the cruiseline will arrange to have the pilots air-lifted out to them. It might be possible, but it can be a very expensive procedure, and the cruiselines are typically driven by their bottom line, so in many cases it's just more affordable to skip a port, since they don't have to offer compensation. :o

 

Lastly, from the reports over the last few days, it sounds like a lot of the ports are still accepting cruise ships to some extent, because a lot of stations are operating at a reduced capacity rather than closing entirely. If your cruise is scheduled in the next two weeks, I would definitely contact the cruiseline to see if they have contingency plans and what your options are.

[JimShockz]

Thank you :) I feel awful cancelling, its not the cruise company fault!! but we paid quite a bit for a balcony to take the scenery in and would never have booked that itinerary to start with.

So sad and all that money that those little towns and villages are losing.

 

Our sister in law just finished hers from New York to the Caribbean on the way back they ran out of bevages, and had to restock at Port Canaveral ,howwwwwwwwwwww did that happen?:eek:

 

-JS

[MikaelT84SE]

http://www.kystverket.no/en/News/The-strike-of-the-pilots-and-pilot-boat-skippers-is-called-off/

[smlasp]

http://www.kystverket.no/en/News/The-strike-of-the-pilots-and-pilot-boat-skippers-is-called-off/

 

Thanks so much for your update. Now we can really look forward to our Norway cruise on 9 June. Pray that there won't be other complications.