Baltic cruises

[molecrochip]

29 minutes ago, terrierjohn said:

There are no Baltic cruises in the winter schedules, the summer schedules start during April and the first Baltic cruises are unlikely until May.

I expect the whole season's calls to SPB to disappear. What I'm not sure of is whether Baltic cruises will be pulled or just the SPB calls.

[tring]

29 minutes ago, molecrochip said:

I expect the whole season's calls to SPB to disappear. What I'm not sure of is whether Baltic cruises will be pulled or just the SPB calls.

 

Oh please no, we are booked on the Aurora 24th May departure and very much want to go on the cruise to The Baltic, however if P&O take the ship elsewhere entirely we will be cancelling and taking a refund.  It would be very unfair of P&O to pull a cruise which people are poised to go on soon and are both looking forward to and have made plans for other ports.  There are a lot of other port options in The Baltic itself (to replace SPB), but if need be there are also other ports, one of which could easily be called at en route to/from the area. 

 

I can see the point of some rationalisation for cruises later in the season, with possibly some cruises being re routed, but not others, along with customers given the option to change to another cruise.

 

I also see the situation could develop further, but surely that is something to be addressed at a later date, if needed.  P&O do not seem to offer Baltic cruises without SPB, which is a shame because I believe some Brits (like us) will have spent some time there in the past, so perhaps not want to go there every time they go to the region (considering the restrictions on going ashore).  The Baltic has some brilliant ports in other countries.  

Edited February 26, 2022 by tring

[tring]

1 hour ago, terrierjohn said:

There are no Baltic cruises in the winter schedules, the summer schedules start during April and the first Baltic cruises are unlikely until May.

 

The first cruise goes out on the 1st May on Arcadia John and there are two more due out from Southampton in the same month (Britannia and Aurora).  So those passengers are all now beyond the final payment date and I am sure many, like us, are really looking forward to the cruises.  IMO The Baltic is the only region where P&O do some pretty good itineraries, especially on the 16 night departures on Aurora and Arcadia, that call at a lot of ports.

 

Fred has already re scheduled a May cruise yesterday, so does not look like there is any reason P&O cannot go The Baltic at all.

 

Edited February 26, 2022 by tring

[brian1]

Back in 2014 on our Princess Baltic cruise Oslo was a port on the itinerary.It has rarely been visited since.It could be reinstated along with several other alternatives.

[tring]

I am aware that a number of people booked on the May cruises and wanted to visit SPB specifically, had already taken the option of P&O's free transfer policy before final payment date, so a lot of remaining passengers are more open to port transfers.  Though I can still see there may be some who would not be happy with changes.

 

[mrsgoggins]

2 hours ago, tring said:

 

The first cruise goes out on the 1st May on Arcadia John and there are two more due out from Southampton in the same month (Britannia and Aurora).  So those passengers are all now beyond the final payment date and I am sure many, like us, are really looking forward to the cruises.  IMO The Baltic is the only region where P&O do some pretty good itineraries, especially on the 16 night departures on Aurora and Arcadia, that call at a lot of ports.

 

Fred has already re scheduled a May cruise yesterday, so does not look like there is any reason P&O cannot go The Baltic at all.

 

 

I'm another poster who is hoping to travel on Arcadia on 1st May and have fully paid some time ago. However, given everything that is happening, I am quite happy to wait for any announcement. Apart from the obvious 'first world problem' issue, I imagine rearranging other ports of call with any number of ships trying to rearrange may be a challenge initially.

[wowzz]

3 hours ago, tring said:

 

Oh please no, we are booked on the Aurora 24th May departure and very much want to go on the cruise to The Baltic, however if P&O take the ship elsewhere entirely we will be cancelling and taking a refund.  It would be very unfair of P&O to pull a cruise which people are poised to go on soon and are both looking forward to and have made plans for other ports.  There are a lot of other port options in The Baltic itself (to replace SPB), but if need be there are also other ports, one of which could easily be called at en route to/from the area. 

 

I can see the point of some rationalisation for cruises later in the season, with possibly some cruises being re routed, but not others, along with customers given the option to change to another cruise.

 

I also see the situation could develop further, but surely that is something to be addressed at a later date, if needed.  P&O do not seem to offer Baltic cruises without SPB, which is a shame because I believe some Brits (like us) will have spent some time there in the past, so perhaps not want to go there every time they go to the region (considering the restrictions on going ashore).  The Baltic has some brilliant ports in other countries.  

Looking at our Saga cruise to the Baltic,  we are visiting Gothenberg, Kotka (Finland), Oslo and Copenhagen, all of which I suppose could be added to Arcadia's May 1st itinerary. 

[Denarius]

4 hours ago, molecrochip said:

I expect the whole season's calls to SPB to disappear. What I'm not sure of is whether Baltic cruises will be pulled or just the SPB calls.

In the travel section of my daily paper it is suggested that cruise lines will replace St Petersburg with ports in Finland or the Baltic republics.

[Denarius]

4 hours ago, tring said:

 

Oh please no, we are booked on the Aurora 24th May departure and very much want to go on the cruise to The Baltic, however if P&O take the ship elsewhere entirely we will be cancelling and taking a refund.  It would be very unfair of P&O to pull a cruise which people are poised to go on soon and are both looking forward to and have made plans for other ports.  There are a lot of other port options in The Baltic itself (to replace SPB), but if need be there are also other ports, one of which could easily be called at en route to/from the area. 

 

I can see the point of some rationalisation for cruises later in the season, with possibly some cruises being re routed, but not others, along with customers given the option to change to another cruise.

 

I also see the situation could develop further, but surely that is something to be addressed at a later date, if needed.  P&O do not seem to offer Baltic cruises without SPB, which is a shame because I believe some Brits (like us) will have spent some time there in the past, so perhaps not want to go there every time they go to the region (considering the restrictions on going ashore).  The Baltic has some brilliant ports in other countries.  

I agree with your latter points. Having been to St Petersburg once I have no particular wish to go there again. I have seen the set piece sites and wandering around on your own is not possible without a personal Russian visa. I am sailing to the Baltic with Saga this Summer on a cruise chosen specifically beacause it did not visit St Petersburg!

[jeanlyon]

7 hours ago, tring said:

 

The first cruise goes out on the 1st May on Arcadia John and there are two more due out from Southampton in the same month (Britannia and Aurora).  So those passengers are all now beyond the final payment date and I am sure many, like us, are really looking forward to the cruises.  IMO The Baltic is the only region where P&O do some pretty good itineraries, especially on the 16 night departures on Aurora and Arcadia, that call at a lot of ports.

 

Fred has already re scheduled a May cruise yesterday, so does not look like there is any reason P&O cannot go The Baltic at all.

 

If they pull a port, it will only be St Petersburg.  Unless, of course, Putin decides to attack Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.  who knows!

[molecrochip]

Whilst at present, Ukraine and Russia are the no go countries, are they the only ones? For example, with threats against Finland, is it sensible to add them as replacement calls?

 

Safety is always top priority, and if the safest option is to sail the Canaries or Fjords instead, then that will be the decision taken.

 

I’m not anticipating the outcome, just musing.

[Son of Anarchy]

2 minutes ago, molecrochip said:

Whilst at present, Ukraine and Russia are the no go countries, are they the only ones? For example, with threats against Finland, is it sensible to add them as replacement calls?

 

Safety is always top priority, and if the safest option is to sail the Canaries or Fjords instead, then that will be the decision taken.

 

I’m not anticipating the outcome, just musing.

Indeed.  History shows that the Soviet Union (aka what Putin wants Russia to be) attacked Finland prior to Germany's invasion of the USSR.  The town where my Mum's family were moved to after WW2 was actually Finnish prior to that conflict.  Finland is not a member of NATO.....

[terrierjohn]

2 hours ago, molecrochip said:

Whilst at present, Ukraine and Russia are the no go countries, are they the only ones? For example, with threats against Finland, is it sensible to add them as replacement calls?

 

Safety is always top priority, and if the safest option is to sail the Canaries or Fjords instead, then that will be the decision taken.

 

I’m not anticipating the outcome, just musing.

Surely if other lines are still sailing Baltic cruises then P&O would be shooting themselves in the foot if they pulled all theirs. Mind you they seem  have had plenty of practise shooting themselves in the foot recently.

[tring]

2 hours ago, molecrochip said:

Whilst at present, Ukraine and Russia are the no go countries, are they the only ones? For example, with threats against Finland, is it sensible to add them as replacement calls?

 

Safety is always top priority, and if the safest option is to sail the Canaries or Fjords instead, then that will be the decision taken.

 

I’m not anticipating the outcome, just musing.

 

Thanks a lot for your thoughts.

 

Yes, as I did mention, I can see there may be further developments, so appreciate the ships may be removed altogether, but had hoped that would be a further move in the future, if it became necessary.  As our cruise has three Swedish ports and Sweden is in the same position as Finland, I can see why your musings are taking that direction since one change could leave a less uncertain season for the ships.  On a more optimistic note though, as things are developing tonight, we are wondering if this may just be over relatively quickly, so may be worth waiting so Carnival's decision can possibly be made with a clearer view.  Only time will tell.

 

Oh well, we will just have to wait and see, but that idea was not what I had previously thought of as a possible outcome.  At least if The Baltic is pulled entirely, we will have a right to cancel and claim a refund, and may even be able to re book a decent Baltic Itinerary later in the year, perhaps with another cruise line.

 

Edited February 26, 2022 by tring

[wowzz]

Carnival CEO has tweeted that no Carnival brands will be calling at SPB for the foreseeable  future,  which I would assume writes off 2022.

[tring]

1 hour ago, wowzz said:

Carnival CEO has tweeted that no Carnival brands will be calling at SPB for the foreseeable  future,  which I would assume writes off 2022.

 

 Listening to the news tonight, and Moley's comment about pressure from governments to deprive Russia of tourism business, that is yet another message to Russia.  There will be a lot of Carnival SPB calls in a summer, so a lot lost to SPB.

 

Also, I am thinking it may mean they will take a bit longer than originally intended to finalise future itineraries.  That would mean they could still take a decision to divert some, if not all, cruises away from The Baltic if indeed things do worsen, but not commit to that too soon.  The British based ships are one thing, but a lot of US passengers are saying they would prefer to cancel a cruise for this year, if SBP is no go.  Although it may, at present, seem unlikely that cruises will return to SPB anytime soon, who knows what may happen in the future.  Support for their leader does seem to be diminishing somewhat, both within and outside Russia at present.

 

[molecrochip]

“We stand for peace”

 

was the key message of tonight’s announcement. 
 

Very clear that SPB off indefinitely and review of Baltic and Black Sea voyages Corporation wide.

 

This will not be a P&O call. This is a Miami call, this is co-ordinated. One out, all out.

 

 

As an aside, NCL and a as couple of smaller lines have also announced changes.

Edited February 27, 2022 by molecrochip

[Josy1953]

For the sake of the people in Ukraine I hope that peace is restored as soon as possible.

Hopefully the rest of the world will support the Ukrainians who are being displaced in this war, for me their situation is far worse than having my holiday plans disrupted. 

[Peppers mum]

Hi everyone I have followed you all for some time now but have finally taken the plunge to join in!!

I wholeheartedly agree with Josys comments. We are due to go to the Baltic on Arcadia in August but right now it's the furthest thing from my mind. 

We were lucky enough to spend Christmas and New Year on Iona, personally I think she's a beautiful ship and we absolutely loved her. We have cruised on all the current P & O fleet with the exception of Aurora. We have enjoyed them all, they each have their own pros and cons but we always feel very fortunate to be cruising and have made some wonderful friends.

Julie

[Angel57]

5 minutes ago, Peppers mum said:

Hi everyone I have followed you all for some time now but have finally taken the plunge to join in!!

I wholeheartedly agree with Josys comments. We are due to go to the Baltic on Arcadia in August but right now it's the furthest thing from my mind. 

We were lucky enough to spend Christmas and New Year on Iona, personally I think she's a beautiful ship and we absolutely loved her. We have cruised on all the current P & O fleet with the exception of Aurora. We have enjoyed them all, they each have their own pros and cons but we always feel very fortunate to be cruising and have made some wonderful friends.

Julie

Welcome Julie……

It sounds like you love your cruises. I too have made lifelong friends.
My favourite ship is Aurora but there is (currently) a ship to please most tastes and requirements in P&Os fleet.

Gill

[emam]

Just received an email from P&O with the following among other things.

 

Aurora is back!

Mrs Miller, we're excited that our fifth ship has returned and she has a packed schedule for 2022. With cruises to the Canary Islands, the Mediterranean, the Baltics, Norway, Iceland, USA and Canada, the Caribbean and Northern Europe, there are plenty of destinations to choose from, and many more adventures to come...

[emam]

29 minutes ago, Peppers mum said:

Hi everyone I have followed you all for some time now but have finally taken the plunge to join in!!

 

 

Welcome to the forum.

[emam]

  On the website: -

 

In light of the current situation evolving in Ukraine we continue to monitor this situation very closely and we will amend itineraries as necessary following guidance. Our top priority is compliance, environmental protection and the health, safety and well-being of our guests, crew members, shoreside employees and the people in the places we touch and we will advise guests of any changes accordingly as soon as possible.

[tring]

48 minutes ago, emam said:

  On the website: -

 

In light of the current situation evolving in Ukraine we continue to monitor this situation very closely and we will amend itineraries as necessary following guidance. Our top priority is compliance, environmental protection and the health, safety and well-being of our guests, crew members, shoreside employees and the people in the places we touch and we will advise guests of any changes accordingly as soon as possible.

 

That statement has been out since last Thursday. and was basically what was said in the emails sent last week to people with Baltic cruises booked.

  

Carnival has since (late last night) made clear that they are not calling at SPB for the forseeable future.  The latest, relevant statement is reported here and includes a tweet from Carnival Corporation, which applies to all their brands :-   https://www.cruiseindustrynews.com/cruise-news/26895-carnival-brands-set-to-drop-russia-calls.html?fbclid=IwAR0vAS-MqF1HyyX0UJC3SWyTiHzh6ZOj-cmZPtFW7MsRIvoeOewkMZkRir8

 

This had been first mentioned on this thread late last night by Wowzz and Molecrochip has posted this morning, referring to that Carnival statement.

 

Edited February 27, 2022 by tring

[jeanlyon]

I can't see them calling at Estonia either.  Far too close for comfort.  And there is an extra little piece of Russia between Estonia and Poland. 

Edited February 27, 2022 by jeanlyon