Port change

[rundent]

I'm booked on the Regatta for a Panama transit on 1/17/17. It's all waitlisted so Ive gotten a few move over requests to pretty empty earlier similar cruises with healthy $ rewards. I've recently checked and the earlier cruises are still offering lots of vacancies and ours is waitlisted. Today I got an email from my TA notifying me that the first port of call has been changed from San Diego to Catalina Island. As pleasant as Catalina is, esp. in the summer, it doesn't compare to all the interesting things that San Diego offers [i've only been there fleetingly for a wedding years ago].

So I called O to see why. The young man, after checking, told me that it had to do with port availability of things like electrical connection, etc. I checked to see how many cruise ships are scheduled to be in port that day.......only one, Regatta.

Is it that O wants to make the cruise less desirable to urge people to switch? Nothing I've seen them do in the past would make me think this is so, but why else?

[bitob]

Less desirable? For some Catalina island would be preferable to a larger city like San Diego

[ellbon]

I much rather be in SD than anywhere South of LA. There is so much to see and do there. Sorry this has happened to you.

[LHT28]

Do you still have time to cancel without penalties?

 

Can you take one of the "move over" offers that go to the ports you want ?

[rundent]

Pretty sure that I could take the move over offers. But they are during Thanksgiving or Christmas.... I don't want the extra crowds during those times. There's a reason why my cruise is closed out and they are wide open.

Disappointed with O for not coming clean on their reasoning. After 6 cruises with them this is the first real failure on their part. Where's the old DelRio reading these boards and setting things straight?

[wripro]

I'd be willing to bet the port charges for O at Catalina are far less than for San Diego.

[Kinkajou]

Signed up for September 20, 2017 San Francisco to Miami a week ago. a few days later, San Diego port was also changed to Catalina. Had been looking forward to seeing friends and visiting the zoo. Not pleased with the change. But changing to a later cruise will not help Rundent.

[SD_Traveler]

We're on the Dec 22 Miami to LA on Regatta and were also notified that San Diego is cancelled. I would like to know why. We were given permission to disembark in SD (where we live), but now we have a sea day and disembarkation in LA at 8:00. Now an extra expense to get home from LA port.

[nvgal]

We're on the Dec 22 Miami to LA on Regatta and were also notified that San Diego is cancelled. I would like to know why. We were given permission to disembark in SD (where we live), but now we have a sea day and disembarkation in LA at 8:00. Now an extra expense to get home from LA port.

 

I, too, am on the holiday sailing through the canal. The reason given for missing SD is that there would be too many ships in port that day. I would rather they switch Acapulco for some other port in Mexico. The sailing does seem to be undersold. That is fine by me - the fewer the better.

[LHT28]

I wonder if the new development plans for the waterfront area are going to impact the cruise port ??

 

https://www.portofsandiego.org/central-embarcadero.html

[tanny18]

We're on the Dec 22 Miami to LA on Regatta and were also notified that San Diego is cancelled. I would like to know why. We were given permission to disembark in SD (where we live), but now we have a sea day and disembarkation in LA at 8:00. Now an extra expense to get home from LA port.

 

The answer is that "there are other ships in San Diego and no room for the Regatta!" That's what I got from Oceania in response to my query about San Diego. We were going to book this cruise, but 8 days at sea is one more than we want and we did want to see San Diego. Arlene

[wripro]

I wonder if any other of "the too many ships" is cancelling San Diego or just O.

[SD_Traveler]

The cancellations are for multiple cruises so the too many ships answer appears to be questionable.

[Mura]

As a native Los Angeleno (although not for many years now) I, too, would be unhappy with the substitution of Catalina for San Diego. I spent frequent weekends in San Diego and there were always interesting things to do, especially in the summer time. (The Zoo, the Animal Park, the Old Globe ... etc.)

 

My sympathies to SD-Traveler who now has to go home to San Diego from L.A. rather than leaving the ship in S.D.! We've taken several cruises that either depart from or end up in NYC, where we live. I wouldn't want to be diverted to Boston or Philadelphia! One big plus for any of these cruises is that at least on one end of the cruise we have an easy trip, either home or to the ship.

[rundent]

They can't claim too many ships in port because as I stated, we were to be the only ones there. It ain't just Denmark where things smell! They've got a sold out ship so they shouldn't skimp on port charges.

[JimandStan]

They can't claim too many ships in port because as I stated, we were to be the only ones there. It ain't just Denmark where things smell! They've got a sold out ship so they shouldn't skimp on port charges.

 

As you were told from your first inquiry to Oceania, a cruise ship berth is more than just a parking spot.

 

Ships are incessantly planning ahead to see what type of provisions and supplies they can take on at their next port, therefore berths in a Port are set up differently to enable that ever morphing supply process.

 

Almost every berth provides access to Fuel Oil, Fresh Water and a land based electricity link, but provisions such as paper products, liquor and food require specialized systems, hardware and employees.

 

Removal and disposal of environmentally sensitive waste materials is yet another issue which not every port is willing to handle, and the ships don't have unlimited storage facilities.

 

I appreciate your disappointment at the change of ports, but given the complexity of finding an appropriate berth, assuming that the change happened for economic rather than logistic reasons is a bridge too far.

[wripro]

All of which Oceania should have known before they even scheduled any stops in San Diego. So it's either greed or ignorance, neither of which speaks well for the company.

[JimandStan]

In a World where Cruise Lines didn't have to publish the cruise schedules two years in advance, your statement might have some validity.

 

In reality, they have no way of knowing when there will be a run on Gin in the bars, or when the lettuce will wilt earlier than expected.

 

-I haven't even mentioned those infamous berries in the Terrace Buffet, but we all want "what WE want" to be there and available at all times, so perhaps a little forbearance is warranted.

[Fetchpeople]

When making changes from San Diego to Catalina Island for more than one ship, Oceania advised booked passengers that the need to do so was due to California regulations relating to where Oceania could dock in the state.

[Travelcat2]

When making changes from San Diego to Catalina Island for more than one ship, Oceania advised booked passengers that the need to do so was due to California regulations relating to where Oceania could dock in the state.

 

This makes sense until you read the port schedule for San Diego in January '17. While many days there is only ship in port, on the 16th, the Regatta will be docked with Regent's Explorer. On January 21st the Insignia will be there on her own and on the 21st the Insignia will be there alone.

 

The possible reasons listed above make sense but the port isn't crowded in January and if other ships can dock, why not Oceania on that particular day?

 

Note: One of the dates I mentioned could be the one that was changed. I did not check that out and it still shows on the San Diego Port schedule.

[pinotlover]

1. Scheduled pier or dock maintenance that needs to be done.

 

2. Oceania is a relatively young cruise line. In most ports in the world, berthing rights is based on seniority up to a given cut off date. If with everything going on, a cruise line with senior rights makes the docking request, by the cut off date, they get the berth. It's not a money issue!

 

I have seen Oceania have to change entire cities of port before, in Europe, because of this.

[DavidTheWonderer]

There are stories from time-to-time on the Regent board of port changes that have a smell of bait and switch. Regent and Oceania share ownership.

 

I'm not saying the stories over there are necessarily an example of this tactic, just as the Catalina instead of San Diego switch in this thread may have a valid reason. But, there are grumblings here and on Regent.

 

That said, when cruising it is true that "ship happens".

Edited August 16, 2016 by DavidTheWonderer

[rundent]

The day before the previously scheduled San Diego stop the ship will be in L A till 9PM. The lettuce isn't going to wilt and the gin's not going to run out in a few hours and certainly Catalina Island isn't a great place to provision a ship.

I just made my final payment so I'm going along with this, but disappointed.

[wripro]

In a World where Cruise Lines didn't have to publish the cruise schedules two years in advance, your statement might have some validity.

 

In reality, they have no way of knowing when there will be a run on Gin in the bars, or when the lettuce will wilt earlier than expected.

 

-I haven't even mentioned those infamous berries in the Terrace Buffet, but we all want "what WE want" to be there and available at all times, so perhaps a little forbearance is warranted.

 

Yet is seem like Oceania has a far higher incidence of skipped ports, missed ports, shortened time in ports than most other cruise lines and all lines have the same limitations.