Scenic Eclipse

[smoothCs4us]

So do I, we will be soooo disappointed ☹️ 

[Lord Haw Haw]

Dear Boccenana, I hope I have come to the wrong conclusion as I hate to be a naysayer but based on the way Scenic dealt with the situation last time and the lack of updates its hard to be optimistic. Lets hope we can give each other a wave when we get off the ship and you get on as it does look amazing.

[carefreecruise]

13 hours ago, smoothCs4us said:

So do I, we will be soooo disappointed ☹️ 

Only good news I can make of it is; Scenic took all the available rooms of the marked while in Antarctica to be used for workers to repair anything in that remote area....  Really scary to take a new ship with labor trouble during construction straight to the most secluded area on earth... 

[rojaan19]

We are booked on the  August 2019 Reykjavik  to Canada cruise.  I have just been on the  Australian Scenic website - and it is hopeless to navigate  !   -  is  there a list of all cruises  by date  -  if so  I  cant find it !!   The first cruise I  have found for 2019  is 25 May Dublin to Bergen.

Obviously Glenn Moroney  has a lot of problems on this hands,  but not telling us what is going on is not doing the company any good either.

I will be contacting our agent ASAP  to see what she can find out.

[towel-animal]

4 minutes ago, rojaan19 said:

Is  there a list of all cruises by date  -  if so I cant find it! The first cruise I have found for 2019 is 25 May Dublin to Bergen.

 

https://www.scenic.com.au/eclipse/calendar

[rojaan19]

Thanks Towel Animal for that.     We have just been  through Silverseas cancelling our 33 day cruise from Honolulu to Easter Island,  so I  am now watching  what is happening to Scenic more closely  !!!!!

[drron29]

When you look at that Scenic Eclipse Calendar the first cruise that you click on that gives a 2019 date rather than 2020 is the cruise Barcelona to Dublin on 12/5/2019.

https://www.scenic.com.au/tour/jewels-of-iberia-ireland/4565

Clicking on the voyage before on the calendar comes up with this message - Sorry, there were no departures that matched your filter options. Please try changing your selection.

So I am reading it as the maiden voyage will now be on 12/5/2019.

Scenic you must come clean.

[towel-animal]

5 hours ago, drron29 said:

When you look at that Scenic Eclipse Calendar the first cruise that you click on that gives a 2019 date rather than 2020 is the cruise Barcelona to Dublin on 12/5/2019.

https://www.scenic.com.au/tour/jewels-of-iberia-ireland/4565

Clicking on the voyage before on the calendar comes up with this message - Sorry, there were no departures that matched your filter options. Please try changing your selection.

So I am reading it as the maiden voyage will now be on 12/5/2019.

Scenic you must come clean.

 

Could it possibly be though that the first several months of voyages are just indeed sold out? It would seem pretty normal for cruises that close in (especially inaugurals), on a ship that small, to be fully booked. 

 

Not saying you’re wrong here. Just trying to think of other possible explanations.

[carefreecruise]

I like the power of positive thinking but there were way too many rooms available to all be takes up in two weeks, filling five voyages... 

[boccenana]

When we booked in January our April 5 2019 cruise was booked except one spa suite.

 

[cruising kirby]

The idea that Scenic would take a new ship to one of the remotest places on earth seems implausible to me.  If they do, it will surely come with huge risk.  

 

I remember being in the Falkland Islands and hearing about an engine fire on a a Ponant ship.  They had to evacuate all passengers to the island and it had insufficient infrastructure to adequately cater for the influx.  Passengers were accommodated in the homes of the locals! If that happens in Antarctica it would be a disaster.  I understand the Ponant situation was blamed on human error but it illustrates how much we rely on seaworthy vessels when in remote areas.

 

Didn't I read somewhere that Scenic would have the Eclipse in sea trials in December?  If they were on track for that, why hasn't Scenic proudly posted progress on its website to allay the concerns of all booked passengers, and those considering booking?  

[goorawin]

4 hours ago, cruising kirby said:

The idea that Scenic would take a new ship to one of the remotest places on earth seems implausible to me.  If they do, it will surely come with huge risk.  

 

I remember being in the Falkland Islands and hearing about an engine fire on a a Ponant ship.  They had to evacuate all passengers to the island and it had insufficient infrastructure to adequately cater for the influx.  Passengers were accommodated in the homes of the locals! If that happens in Antarctica it would be a disaster.  I understand the Ponant situation was blamed on human error but it illustrates how much we rely on seaworthy vessels when in remote areas.

 

Didn't I read somewhere that Scenic would have the Eclipse in sea trials in December?  If they were on track for that, why hasn't Scenic proudly posted progress on its website to allay the concerns of all booked passengers, and those considering booking?   

Scenic has shown over this issue, to be far more interested in their own ego than passengers uncertain plans and concerns.

I believe they will do everything they can to get that ship down to Antarctica. Why, because they want to make a big statement to the world, just how good the ship is. To this end no doubt they will have a full film crew onboard to record the event.

Mind you, it may still be out of their hands to be able to achieve that aim.

The way things are looking at the moment I will be very reluctant to pay additional money, due soon, for our cruise in August. Unless of course Scenic gives a guarantee that they will fully refund the whole fare in the event that the cruise is delayed or does not go ahead at all. Passengers should not have to accept a credit for future cruising with Scenic, under these circumstances.

[wripro]

My final payment on the March 22nd crossing was due yesterday but I am not making it. After months of showing availability win all categories it comes up fully booked as do all other cruises until May. Something is going on and they are not communicating with booked passengers. Now it looks like I will have to make other plans.

 

A question. The Deposit protection plan does not return the deposit if you cancel, it on;y allows you to transfer it to another cruise. What about a situation like this where Scenic is obviously canceling the cruise? Shouldn't the deposit be refunded?

[boccenana]

They HAVE refunded all monies, including hotels and any upgrades for flights  to those whose cruises THEY cancelled.

[carefreecruise]

1 hour ago, boccenana said:

They HAVE refunded all monies, including hotels and any upgrades for flights  to those whose cruises THEY cancelled.

That's not correct, they still have not paid us for hotel and airlines canceled for an Oct voyage 

[boccenana]

Oh no, I didn't know that. So sorry. I only know what has been reported on this thread.

[cruising kirby]

2 hours ago, wripro said:

My final payment on the March 22nd crossing was due yesterday but I am not making it. After months of showing availability win all categories it comes up fully booked as do all other cruises until May. Something is going on and they are not communicating with booked passengers. Now it looks like I will have to make other plans.

 

A question. The Deposit protection plan does not return the deposit if you cancel, it on;y allows you to transfer it to another cruise. What about a situation like this where Scenic is obviously canceling the cruise? Shouldn't the deposit be refunded?

Wripro please be careful.  If you booked through a travel agent, call them for advice.  If you booked through Scenic, speak to them.  My concern is if you fail to pay your final on the due date (without Scenic notifying of cancellation at THIS stage), you might be locked into the deposit protection plan terms and conditions.  That is, you would have to transfer that deposit to another cruise, you wouldn't be able to get your deposit back.  Last time, Scenic kept taking final payments when they must have known cancellations were imminent.  Once cancellations were announced, that is when offers of refunds and transfers of deposits to new cruises (with discounts in some cases) were made.  I am also one of those people who are out of pocket after the first cancellation and I have experienced first hand the very poor customer service of Scenic.  Don't fall into the trap of believing they will care about you.  The $ is king to them, not the customer.

[carefreecruise]

3 hours ago, wripro said:

My final payment on the March 22nd crossing was due yesterday but I am not making it. After months of showing availability win all categories it comes up fully booked as do all other cruises until May. Something is going on and they are not communicating with booked passengers. Now it looks like I will have to make other plans.

 

A question. The Deposit protection plan does not return the deposit if you cancel, it on;y allows you to transfer it to another cruise. What about a situation like this where Scenic is obviously canceling the cruise? Shouldn't the deposit be refunded?

If your plans have changed then it's OK to not make the final payment and deal with the terms and conditions. But if you think they may cancel the voyage it's better to pay because they will refund the full amount with a check. We got ours within a week of them canceling. 

[CassCruise]

I am another out hundreds of dollars and one of the things that really annoys me is they rang my TA for final payment on the Friday which was due on the Monday and on the Monday they cancelled my cruise!!!!!!!!!!!!!! apart from the appalling treatment and "goodwill" that really really gets me - I agree seek clarification in writing that your cruise is going ahead prior to making final payment as I am sure you will forfeit your deposit otherwise as per their terms and conditions

[Lord Haw Haw]

One day after final, payment - Shame on you  Scenic and Glen Moroney   13 November 2018 Dear XXXX   We are writing to inform you that the launch of Scenic Eclipse, the World’s First Discovery Yacht, has been amended to 13 April 2019.   This means your Scenic Eclipse sailing departing on 22 March 2019, South America to the Canary Islands, will not proceed as planned. We sincerely apologise for this delay and share your disappointment.   Due to the continuing financial issues at Uljanik shipyard and the resultant strike by specialist engine and systems commissioning workers, this stage of the ships completion has been delayed.    Scenic has been in constant contact with the shipyard, workers representatives and the Government to ensure the completion of the ship as soon as possible. Due to those efforts over 600 workers are still on board each weekday. Progress on interior and other areas of completion have seen far less impact and continue to progress at good pace.   The specialist commissioning team returned to work progressively last week however it will not be possible to catch up the six weeks lost due to workers strikes.   Refund and future bookings Scenic has committed to providing you with a full refund for the cost of your Scenic Eclipse cruise and consideration of any other reasonable associated costs incurred with travel plans. Our priority is to ensure that you are provided with every possible assistance.   We recognise the inconvenience this will cause you and in addition to the full refund, the Scenic team are committed to working closely with you to reschedule your voyage to another departure.  Scenic will also provide you a future cruise credit of 25% of the cost of your rebooked cruise.   We will be in contact with you or your travel agent as a matter of priority to assist in amending your travel arrangements.   We have set up a dedicated phone number with a highly efficient and well trained team to handle all enquiries (1300 569 2589). We do ask for your patience with call volume on this line. To assist in managing some queries please refer to our media statement and FAQ section scenic.com.au/media-centre   Yours sincerely     Mr Glen Moroney Scenic Luxury Cruises & Tours Founder and Chairman

[Carol From California]

12 minutes ago, Lord Haw Haw said:

One day after final, payment - Shame on you  Scenic and Glen Moroney   13 November 2018 Dear XXXX   We are writing to inform you that the launch of Scenic Eclipse, the World’s First Discovery Yacht, has been amended to 13 April 2019.   This means your Scenic Eclipse sailing departing on 22 March 2019, South America to the Canary Islands, will not proceed as planned. We sincerely apologise for this delay and share your disappointment.   Due to the continuing financial issues at Uljanik shipyard and the resultant strike by specialist engine and systems commissioning workers, this stage of the ships completion has been delayed.    Scenic has been in constant contact with the shipyard, workers representatives and the Government to ensure the completion of the ship as soon as possible. Due to those efforts over 600 workers are still on board each weekday. Progress on interior and other areas of completion have seen far less impact and continue to progress at good pace.   The specialist commissioning team returned to work progressively last week however it will not be possible to catch up the six weeks lost due to workers strikes.   Refund and future bookings Scenic has committed to providing you with a full refund for the cost of your Scenic Eclipse cruise and consideration of any other reasonable associated costs incurred with travel plans. Our priority is to ensure that you are provided with every possible assistance.   We recognise the inconvenience this will cause you and in addition to the full refund, the Scenic team are committed to working closely with you to reschedule your voyage to another departure.  Scenic will also provide you a future cruise credit of 25% of the cost of your rebooked cruise.   We will be in contact with you or your travel agent as a matter of priority to assist in amending your travel arrangements.   We have set up a dedicated phone number with a highly efficient and well trained team to handle all enquiries (1300 569 2589). We do ask for your patience with call volume on this line. To assist in managing some queries please refer to our media statement and FAQ section scenic.com.au/media-centre   Yours sincerely     Mr Glen Moroney Scenic Luxury Cruises & Tours Founder and Chairman

I am so sorry that your cruise has been cancelled! I booked a cruise on The Eclipse 2 and since they haven't even started construction on it I am going to cancel it immediately.  There is no way the second Eclipse can be built and completed by July, 2020 if it's anything like the problems with getting the first Eclipse built. 

[carefreecruise]

1 hour ago, Lord Haw Haw said:

One day after final, payment - Shame on you  Scenic and Glen Moroney   13 November 2018 Dear XXXX   We are writing to inform you that the launch of Scenic Eclipse, the World’s First Discovery Yacht, has been amended to 13 April 2019.   This means your Scenic Eclipse sailing departing on 22 March 2019, South America to the Canary Islands, will not proceed as planned. We sincerely apologise for this delay and share your disappointment.   Due to the continuing financial issues at Uljanik shipyard and the resultant strike by specialist engine and systems commissioning workers, this stage of the ships completion has been delayed.    Scenic has been in constant contact with the shipyard, workers representatives and the Government to ensure the completion of the ship as soon as possible. Due to those efforts over 600 workers are still on board each weekday. Progress on interior and other areas of completion have seen far less impact and continue to progress at good pace.   The specialist commissioning team returned to work progressively last week however it will not be possible to catch up the six weeks lost due to workers strikes.   Refund and future bookings Scenic has committed to providing you with a full refund for the cost of your Scenic Eclipse cruise and consideration of any other reasonable associated costs incurred with travel plans. Our priority is to ensure that you are provided with every possible assistance.   We recognise the inconvenience this will cause you and in addition to the full refund, the Scenic team are committed to working closely with you to reschedule your voyage to another departure.  Scenic will also provide you a future cruise credit of 25% of the cost of your rebooked cruise.   We will be in contact with you or your travel agent as a matter of priority to assist in amending your travel arrangements.   We have set up a dedicated phone number with a highly efficient and well trained team to handle all enquiries (1300 569 2589). We do ask for your patience with call volume on this line. To assist in managing some queries please refer to our media statement and FAQ section scenic.com.au/media-centre   Yours sincerely     Mr Glen Moroney Scenic Luxury Cruises & Tours Founder and Chairman

So much for the sea trials in December i guess. You would think paying the workers overtime, working three shifts would be a lot cheaper than canceling voyages....

[wripro]

Cruising Kirby,

 

Thanks for your concern. My TA spoke to two different agents at Scenic today and no one there had any information. But he was assured that I can hold off making final payment and the booking would still be valid. So I will wait another day or so and see what I will do. What a mess!

[gkhin]

We don't know whether to be happy or sad. We are booked to sail on the Eclipse on 13 April 2019 with 2 friends and received the following letter via email today from our travel agent. 

 

If this ship ever sails on the 13 April then this will be our 3rd and final trip ever with Scenic.

 

I feel very sorry for all those people who have had their trips cancelled and have paid in full only to go through the painful process of trying to claim a refund. I expect we will be doing the same in a couple of months as I have no confidence we will sail on the Eclipse as planned on the 13 April.

 

Hearing that Scenic are taking the final payments from loyal customers and then cancelling the cruises the following day once the money is received, is unethical and disgraceful.

 

Customer loyalty and goodwill is hard to earn and unfortunately easy to destroy as Scenic are demonstrating.

 

Our final payment is due on the 4th December and if Glen Moroney is seriously concerned for his customers as he states he should defer our payment as well as the other 226 passengers booked to sail from Barcelona on the 13 April with us. I'm not holding my breathe. 

 

 

13 November 2018 Notification of Scenic Eclipse Launch Delay

The management of Scenic Luxury Cruises & Tours today announced that the scheduled launch of Scenic Eclipse, the World’s First Discovery Yacht, has been amended to 13 April 2019.             However, please be advised that your sailing and scheduled itinerary is not impacted by this delay.   Due to the continuing financial issues at Uljanik shipyard and the resultant strike by specialist engine and systems commissioning workers, this part of the ships completion has been delayed.  Scenic has been in constant contact with the shipyard, workers representatives and the Government to ensure the completion of the ship as soon as possible and due to those efforts, over 600 workers are still on board each weekday. Progress on interior and other areas of completion have seen far less impact and continues to progress at good pace.   Please be assured we are working hard to complete the delivery of Scenic Eclipse - a whole new benchmark in design, innovation and luxury - to bring you this amazing cruising experience.   We acknowledge that you may have questions, however appreciate your patience as we focus on working with our guests affected by the delay as a matter of priority. For further information please refer to our media statement and FAQ on scenic.com.au/media-centre   We look forward to welcoming you on board Scenic Eclipse.   Yours sincerely     Mr Glen Moroney Scenic Luxury Cruises & Tours Founder and Chairman

 

[Expat Cruise]

3 hours ago, gkhin said:

We don't know whether to be happy or sad. We are booked to sail on the Eclipse on 13 April 2019 with 2 friends and received the following letter via email today from our travel agent. 

 

If this ship ever sails on the 13 April then this will be our 3rd and final trip ever with Scenic....

 

Hearing that Scenic are taking the final payments from loyal customers and then cancelling the cruises the following day once the money is received, is unethical and disgraceful.....

 

Our final payment is due on the 4th December and if Glen Moroney is seriously concerned for his customers as he states he should defer our payment as well as the other 226 passengers booked to sail from Barcelona on the 13 April with us. I'm not holding my breathe. 

 

 

 

 

The answer here is very simple, if you make your payments on a international  credit card any: MasterCard, Visa, Discover,  or Amex. Under the merchant agreement to accept these cards the merchant ie Scenic must provide what they advertise and represent.   The cruise contract is meaningless becasue the merchant agreement comes first. If they do not provide the cruise, move the dates or cancel it, do not even wait for a refund. Dispute the whole amount with your credit card and they will refund in full. Nothing the cruise line says will change this and no wait, most cards refund at the start of the dispute and then make the refund final a few weeks later.

 

No reason to allow the cruise company to have any control. They have now changed the date 3 times and they will again. This ship will not be ready when they say it will.