Greg Mortimer

[resistk]

Cruise embarked March 15 and inevitable happeed:

 

https://www.cnn.com/2020/04/07/americas/greg-mortimer-cruise-ship-coronavirus-intl-hnk/index.html

 

[sunnies]

We were due to set sail from Lima on Oceania on same date. Cruise cancelled 36 hours before departure. Clearly the decision for Greg Mortimer to sail has had disastrous consequences. A decision based on the dollar and not the well-being of passengers and crew. 

[Host Jazzbeau]

2 hours ago, sunnies said:

We were due to set sail from Lima on Oceania on same date. Cruise cancelled 36 hours before departure. Clearly the decision for Greg Mortimer to sail has had disastrous consequences. A decision based on the dollar and not the well-being of passengers and crew. 

 

20-20 hindsight.  Ponant has 12 ships, only stopped sailing when forced to, and has had – wait for it – 0 cases of coronavirus among any passengers or crew.  Were they driven by the  'dollar' [they would actually be more outraged by that noun than the charge...]

[sunnies]

Passengers from the Greg Mortimer March 15 cruise have just returned to Melbourne with 70% testing positive for COVID19. Medical authorities describe the decision to sail after a global pandemic had been declared by WHO as “irresponsible”. 

[resistk]

On 4/11/2020 at 9:26 PM, Host Jazzbeau said:

 

20-20 hindsight.  Ponant has 12 ships, only stopped sailing when forced to, and has had – wait for it – 0 cases of coronavirus among any passengers or crew.  Were they driven by the  'dollar' [they would actually be more outraged by that noun than the charge...]

 

Ponant barely was able to disembark some of their passengers and only after a lot of hassle and detour did they get home.  It was not a smart move IMO and based on not wanting to cancel and refund.  Any line that embarked after March 12 or tried to continue cruising made a wrong call.

[sunnies]

One of the passengers in 14 quarantine in Melbourne commented that 4 days before departure some passengers wished to cancel but were told by Aurora Expeditions that there would be no refund or future credit and the cruise would go ahead as Antarctica is the “safest place on earth”. 

[gnld]

On 4/13/2020 at 2:40 PM, sunnies said:

One of the passengers in 14 quarantine in Melbourne commented that 4 days before departure some passengers wished to cancel but were told by Aurora Expeditions that there would be no refund or future credit and the cruise would go ahead as Antarctica is the “safest place on earth”. 

"famous last words"

[Stickman1990]

and I hear that they’re now refusing to refund deposits on future cruises that they’ve cancelled! What sort of scurrilous behaviour is that? 
 

Caveat emptor

[pully8]

https://www.smh.com.au/national/give-limited-information-truthfully-the-extrication-of-a-cruise-ship-20200519-p54uct.html This was an account about was happening behind the scenes.

Fascinating account from the doctor on board and instructions of how the company wanted his cooperation to liaise with authorities to facilitate managing the situation.  

[Host Jazzbeau]

5 hours ago, pully8 said:

https://www.smh.com.au/national/give-limited-information-truthfully-the-extrication-of-a-cruise-ship-20200519-p54uct.html This was an account about was happening behind the scenes.

Fascinating account from the doctor on board and instructions of how the company wanted his cooperation to liaise with authorities to facilitate managing the situation.  

 

Quite a contrast to our Ponant cruise of New Zealand, which was cancelled on March 15 [the same date the Greg Mortimer sailed].  The prior cruise, which had already sailed on March 12, was aborted at that time and all passengers returned home safely (and uninfected).