Orion Cruises Cancelled - where will ship be in May?

[garycarla]

Okay... I might not have exact dates, but it looks two longer cruises in May are now cancelled since it was scheduled to be in Asia and then work it's way to Vancouver to start the Alaska season in early June.   I think some April dates are cancelled as well.

 

So - where will the ship be all this time?  Will they be adding some other cruise on the West  coast?

 

Can not imagine the ship would be empty for 40+ days.

[jacquesmm]

If they reposition to go from the US to Polynesia, I am interested.

[CCWineLover]

34 minutes ago, jacquesmm said:

If they reposition to go from the US to Polynesia, I am interested.

 

I think they are talking about maybe a reposition the other way - to Alaska from Australia area.

I would think the only way they would do the reverse is, if for some reason, Asia is still shut down due to the virus, that might be needed to get from Alaska to Australia in the fall.  If that is the situation, however, we are all in a much worse situation!  Let's hope not!

[budamom]

I just did an online chat with a viking agent who said the ship is on its way to Alaska and will be sailing empty and that they are still working on the new itineraries.

[travel09]

You can rest assured that Viking,in their organised and efficient manner ,will do the very right thing for everyone,passengers, crew, and their cruise line..I have complete faith in their decisions,disappointing for some, or not. Making quick and good decisions, already evident,gives confidence to all who are so looking forward to sailing with them in the future.

[garycarla]

1 hour ago, budamom said:

I just did an online chat with a viking agent who said the ship is on its way to Alaska and will be sailing empty and that they are still working on the new itineraries.

 

I would assume they are trying to come up with something to fill in the open dates.  You mention it is already on the way to Alaska?  They have cruises in Australia/New Zealand for another month.

 

Either way, Alaska does not seem to do cruises with anyone before mid-may - not sure if there is some particular reason for that.

[Heidi13]

20 minutes ago, garycarla said:

 

I would assume they are trying to come up with something to fill in the open dates.  You mention it is already on the way to Alaska?  They have cruises in Australia/New Zealand for another month.

 

Either way, Alaska does not seem to do cruises with anyone before mid-may - not sure if there is some particular reason for that.

Cruise ships start arriving Vancouver in early April, but the earliest to Alaska is normally early May - mostly due to weather

[Captain_Morgan]

2 hours ago, budamom said:

I just did an online chat with a viking agent who said the ship is on its way to Alaska and will be sailing empty and that they are still working on the new itineraries.

No matter the company, sailing that long completely empty can't be good for the bottom line...

[Cleopatra99]

2 hours ago, budamom said:

I just did an online chat with a viking agent who said the ship is on its way to Alaska and will be sailing empty and that they are still working on the new itineraries.

 

31 minutes ago, garycarla said:

 

I would assume they are trying to come up with something to fill in the open dates.  You mention it is already on the way to Alaska?  They have cruises in Australia/New Zealand for another month.

 

 

Orion is presently in New Zealand, next scheduled arrival in Sydney 19 March.

 

From there the original plan was to head to Bali on 20 March but that cruise has been cancelled and it seems the ship will head towards Alaska (via LA maybe?) - apparently without passengers. 

[garycarla]

Maybe they will add some west coast cruises to fill the time before Alaska.  Maybe a last minute good deal cruise?

[Elle E Kaye]

Ummm, I assure you that the next stop is neither Alaska or Sydney. We just sailed out of Port Chalmers/Dunedin and Christchurch is the next stop. According to crew, the current plan is to complete the last Auckland to Sydney cruise, then head to Vancouver. It sounds as if plans are a bit fluid.. pun may have intended. 😉

Off to the Chef’s Table!

[Captain_Morgan]

5 hours ago, Elle E Kaye said:

Ummm, I assure you that the next stop is neither Alaska or Sydney. We just sailed out of Port Chalmers/Dunedin and Christchurch is the next stop. According to crew, the current plan is to complete the last Auckland to Sydney cruise, then head to Vancouver. It sounds as if plans are a bit fluid.. pun may have intended. 😉

Off to the Chef’s Table!

 

Maybe they're trying to get a head start on securing berth space in Vancouver so as to avoid the same debacle as they had last year with the half tender / half berthed alongside turnaround...

 

Either way it sounds to me like they're flying by the seat of their pants, again not dissimilar to the reaction to having to change the now cancelled Cuba itineraries which seem to have been done in haste as well...

[jonnyz1245]

19 hours ago, Cleopatra99 said:

 

Orion is presently in New Zealand, next scheduled arrival in Sydney 19 March.

 

From there the original plan was to head to Bali on 20 March but that cruise has been cancelled and it seems the ship will head towards Alaska (via LA maybe?) - apparently without passengers. 

Out of curiosity, where are you getting your information from? 

 

We are on this cruise and per a direct conversation with Viking, the cruise is still a go.  It is also still for sale on the website.  Other cruises have been pulled from the site.  I understand this situation is fluid but as of Feb 28 and according to Viking, the cruise is still on.  You also posted on Feb 20th that the cruise has been cancelled.  I am not doubting your information but clearly there are mixed messages coming from somewhere in the Viking chain. Meanwhile there are flights and hotels that need to be dealt with if they are indeed cancelling.

 

Thanks for any insight you can provide.

[Cleopatra99]

2 hours ago, jonnyz1245 said:

Out of curiosity, where are you getting your information from? 

 

We are on this cruise and per a direct conversation with Viking, the cruise is still a go.  It is also still for sale on the website.  Other cruises have been pulled from the site.  I understand this situation is fluid but as of Feb 28 and according to Viking, the cruise is still on.  You also posted on Feb 20th that the cruise has been cancelled.  I am not doubting your information but clearly there are mixed messages coming from somewhere in the Viking chain. Meanwhile there are flights and hotels that need to be dealt with if they are indeed cancelling.

 

Thanks for any insight you can provide.

 

Which information ?

When I posted on 20 Feb which cruise was I referring to ?

 

This is the situation as I understand it.

 

Orion is definitely in New Zealand waters right now and based on post from Elle above is definitely doing the return trip from Auckland to Sydney (arriving Sydney 19 March).

 

Sydney - Vancouver on Orion was scheduled as a 79 day voyage departing Sydney on 20 March 2020, the 79 days is however broken into several segments (Sydney - Bali, Bali - Bangkok, Bangkok - Hong Kong etc).

 

I would have to go back and find the actual posts, but several CC members have posted in this forum that their upcoming 2020 cruise on Orion (ie Sydney - Vancouver) or their segment (Bangkok - Hong Kong) has been cancelled and the ship will now leave Sydney (around 20 March) without passengers and head to Vancouver. 

 

Which direction it takes and what it does when it arrives, I don't think is yet clear. 

 

I have cut/pasted the current advice from the Viking (Australia) website below.

 

So ... if I read your post correctly you are boarding Orion in Auckland on 6 March heading for Sydney. Based on the information available, that cruise is proceeding as planned (as you say, it is still open for bookings).

 

Of course it is a fluid situation and I am only making my confident statement based on what I am reading in various forums, in the Viking website, and in the press.

 

The Coronavirus situation is well contained in NZ and Australia and the risks (at this point) are low.

 

There is no restriction on travel between NZ and Australia (there are however travel warnings about travel into several Asian cities, as you are probably aware).

 

So at this point (6.30am Australian Eastern Standard time on 1 March 2020) there is no need for Viking or anyone else to consider cancelling cruises between NZ and Australia and everyone is hopeful that situation does not change.

 

I hope I have answered your question/s and I hope you have a great cruise.

 

 

Coronavirus Update, February 29

We are monitoring the coronavirus situation closely and are aware of the travel advisories issued by the Department of Foreign Affairs & Trade (DFAT) in Australia and Ministry of Foreign Affairs & Trade (MFAT) in New Zealand, in addition to updates from public health authorities including the World Health Organisation.

As the safety and security of our guests and crew is always our top priority, we have implemented enhanced health screening procedures for all guests boarding our vessels within the next 90 days. All guests will be asked to complete a health care questionnaire at the time of embarkation.

Guests who have traveled from or through mainland China, Hong Kong or Macau within 14 days of beginning their trip with Viking, will not be permitted to embark the ship.

Viking currently has two ships in Australia/New Zealand. Viking Sun will sail a modified itinerary on its way to London/Greenwich, England. Guests scheduled to embark/disembark on March 9, 2020 will now do so in Benoa, Bali – an update that supersedes any communication prior to February 14, 2020. Viking Orion will be redeployed to Alaska, where the ship was scheduled to begin sailing in late spring.

Should modifications become necessary to any upcoming ocean cruise sailing, guests and travel agents will be notified directly by Viking Customer Relations.

[jonnyz1245]

10 minutes ago, Cleopatra99 said:

 

Which information ?

When I posted on 20 Feb which cruise was I referring to ?

 

This is the situation as I understand it.

 

Orion is definitely in New Zealand waters right now and based on post from Elle above is definitely doing the return trip from Auckland to Sydney (arriving Sydney 19 March).

 

Sydney - Vancouver on Orion was scheduled as a 79 day voyage departing Sydney on 20 March 2020, the 79 days is however broken into several segments (Sydney - Bali, Bali - Bangkok, Bangkok - Hong Kong etc).

 

I would have to go back and find the actual posts, but several CC members have posted in this forum that their upcoming 2020 cruise on Orion (ie Sydney - Vancouver) or their segment (Bangkok - Hong Kong) has been cancelled and the ship will now leave Sydney (around 20 March) without passengers and head to Vancouver. 

 

Which direction it takes and what it does when it arrives, I don't think is yet clear. 

 

I have cut/pasted the current advice from the Viking (Australia) website below.

 

So ... if I read your post correctly you are boarding Orion in Auckland on 6 March heading for Sydney. Based on the information available, that cruise is proceeding as planned (as you say, it is still open for bookings).

 

Of course it is a fluid situation and I am only making my confident statement based on what I am reading in various forums, in the Viking website, and in the press.

 

The Coronavirus situation is well contained in NZ and Australia and the risks (at this point) are low.

 

There is no restriction on travel between NZ and Australia (there are however travel warnings about travel into several Asian cities, as you are probably aware).

 

So at this point (6.30am Australian Eastern Standard time on 1 March 2020) there is no need for Viking or anyone else to consider cancelling cruises between NZ and Australia and everyone is hopeful that situation does not change.

 

I hope I have answered your question/s and I hope you have a great cruise.

 

 

Coronavirus Update, February 29

We are monitoring the coronavirus situation closely and are aware of the travel advisories issued by the Department of Foreign Affairs & Trade (DFAT) in Australia and Ministry of Foreign Affairs & Trade (MFAT) in New Zealand, in addition to updates from public health authorities including the World Health Organisation.

As the safety and security of our guests and crew is always our top priority, we have implemented enhanced health screening procedures for all guests boarding our vessels within the next 90 days. All guests will be asked to complete a health care questionnaire at the time of embarkation.

Guests who have traveled from or through mainland China, Hong Kong or Macau within 14 days of beginning their trip with Viking, will not be permitted to embark the ship.

Viking currently has two ships in Australia/New Zealand. Viking Sun will sail a modified itinerary on its way to London/Greenwich, England. Guests scheduled to embark/disembark on March 9, 2020 will now do so in Benoa, Bali – an update that supersedes any communication prior to February 14, 2020. Viking Orion will be redeployed to Alaska, where the ship was scheduled to begin sailing in late spring.

Should modifications become necessary to any upcoming ocean cruise sailing, guests and travel agents will be notified directly by Viking Customer Relations.

Thanks for your reply.  The part you highlighted gives no date for Orion, only that it will be redeployed. In post 9 of this thread you say that the cruise from Sydney to Bali which departs Sydney on March 20th is cancelled.  On Feb 20th you also say that the March 20th cruise is canceled   I am only wondering where this info came from.

 

We are on the cruise from Sydney to Bali March 20- April 5th.  According to conversations with Viking, the cruise is still on and it is still selling the cruise on the website.  I understand other cruises have cancelled and they are repositioning the ship early. My post was in response to reading several posts here saying that the March 20th cruise is cancelled. Viking is saying it's not.  This is why I asked for clarification.  Thanks!

[Cleopatra99]

That is confusing.

 

I feel for anyone caught up in these changes .. I hope things work out for you.

Edited February 29, 2020 by Cleopatra99
error

[sunbrookgal]

Random PM ? Now Venice is off limits?  Reading another operators instructions. If you are coming through the Italian regions of Emilia-Romagna, Lombardy and Veneto, you are off limits to their ships. SO effects on many Viking summer Mediterranean cruises travel to from or through Venice. Ouch if true... 

[Cleopatra99]

1 hour ago, jonnyz1245 said:

Thanks for your reply.  The part you highlighted gives no date for Orion, only that it will be redeployed. In post 9 of this thread you say that the cruise from Sydney to Bali which departs Sydney on March 20th is cancelled.  On Feb 20th you also say that the March 20th cruise is canceled   I am only wondering where this info came from.

 

We are on the cruise from Sydney to Bali March 20- April 5th.  According to conversations with Viking, the cruise is still on and it is still selling the cruise on the website.  I understand other cruises have cancelled and they are repositioning the ship early. My post was in response to reading several posts here saying that the March 20th cruise is cancelled. Viking is saying it's not.  This is why I asked for clarification.  Thanks!

I have spent a few minutes searching but can't find the specific post.

 

Someone recently posted that they had been in contact with Viking (maybe in the US I think?) and they were told Orion was leaving Sydney without passengers and heading towards Alaska. That added to other comments I had read, lead me to the conclusion Sydney - Bali was cancelled.

 

I assumed that specific post to be correct but now if you have been told otherwise, I realise I should have been more circumspect in my comments and clarified how I arrived at my conclusion.

 

Although I do note Elle above wrote, the current plan is to complete the last Auckland to Sydney cruise, then head to Vancouver.

 

Very confusing.

 

Again, I hope things work out.

Edited February 29, 2020 by Cleopatra99
error

[Cienfuegos]

1 hour ago, sunbrookgal said:

Random PM ? Now Venice is off limits?  Reading another operators instructions. If you are coming through the Italian regions of Emilia-Romagna, Lombardy and Veneto, you are off limits to their ships. SO effects on many Viking summer Mediterranean cruises travel to from or through Venice. Ouch if true... 

The Celebrity update says the prohibition on accepting travelers who have been in Veneto / Venice is in effect for 30 days. Subject to review and possible extension.

 

so they have wiggle room..

[Cleopatra99]

18 hours ago, Elle E Kaye said:

Ummm, I assure you that the next stop is neither Alaska or Sydney. We just sailed out of Port Chalmers/Dunedin and Christchurch is the next stop. According to crew, the current plan is to complete the last Auckland to Sydney cruise, then head to Vancouver. It sounds as if plans are a bit fluid.. pun may have intended. 😉

Off to the Chef’s Table!

 

hello Elle - I'm not sure if you have been following this discussion, but I may have confused the situation and I'm sure jonnyz1245 would appreciate any extra info you may have re the destination after Sydney.

 

Based on your discussions with staff / crew, are you able to confirm their understanding if Sydney - Bali is going ahead ?

 

Are they certain the will be heading straight to Vancouver from Sydney ?

 

Apologies for dragging this discussion out, but you might be in the best position to gain some information from those who should know.

 

I hope you enjoyed the Chef's Table (what was on the menu ?).

 

[jonnyz1245]

2 hours ago, Cleopatra99 said:

I have spent a few minutes searching but can't find the specific post.

 

Someone recently posted that they had been in contact with Viking (maybe in the US I think?) and they were told Orion was leaving Sydney without passengers and heading towards Alaska. That added to other comments I had read, lead me to the conclusion Sydney - Bali was cancelled.

 

I assumed that specific post to be correct but now if you have been told otherwise, I realise I should have been more circumspect in my comments and clarified how I arrived at my conclusion.

 

Although I do note Elle above wrote, the current plan is to complete the last Auckland to Sydney cruise, then head to Vancouver.

 

Very confusing.

 

Again, I hope things work out.

Thanks for the reply.  

 

At this point I believe that waiting to hear from Viking is the only course of action. As of Feb 28th in the US Viking said the cruise is on. Until we hear differently, I will act accordingly. Very excited and hope its not cancelled. I for one am not the least bit worried about the CV19 issue. It is what it is.  Cheers!

[Elle E Kaye]

@Cleopatra99

i apologize. That WAS what a crew member told me two days ago but after posting last night, another crew member indicated Bali was on as far as he was aware.

I really should stick to the cruise I am on.

Chef’s table was the Lotus menu last night. I don’t Eat lamb, so the main was substituted for me - everything was really wonderful.

 

Christchurch today was gorgeous. My tip for those that on this cruise would be to ditch (after tipping and a informing your guide) the included tour post Mona Vale, then walk a mile to the Botanic Gardens. 
 

Again, so sorry to have added to the confusion.

[Cleopatra99]

16 hours ago, Elle E Kaye said:

@Cleopatra99

i apologize. That WAS what a crew member told me two days ago but after posting last night, another crew member indicated Bali was on as far as he was aware.

I really should stick to the cruise I am on.

Chef’s table was the Lotus menu last night. I don’t Eat lamb, so the main was substituted for me - everything was really wonderful.

 

Christchurch today was gorgeous. My tip for those that on this cruise would be to ditch (after tipping and a informing your guide) the included tour post Mona Vale, then walk a mile to the Botanic Gardens. 
 

Again, so sorry to have added to the confusion.

Thank you Elle .. your reply is most appreciated.

 

We missed the stop in Christchurch last year due to bad weather but have been there in the past (skiing trips). I agree the gardens are lovely.

 

Best regards

 

[garycarla]

I would GUESS they are looking at a west coast cruise to fill in some time. Even if they only sold half the cabins, it would better than sitting empty.

 

BUT - now with an outbreak in the Northwest - that idea might get shot down.  Again... just my two cents.

 

[DesertCruiser2000]

We are on the Bali to Sydney segment and Viking has told us it’s still a go. We look forward to the trip. We are bringing our sanitizers and masks and will be smart travelers. As we all should be and do every time any of us travel. 
 

Edited March 3, 2020 by DesertCruiser2000