Baltic itinerary changed AGAIN

[Tampa Girl]

13 hours ago, arosetti said:

I guess people haven't heard there is a war in that part of the world, soon could be a WWIII, maybe you could understand that it MIGHT be dangerous to get close to Russia right now. Cancel the damned cruise and stop complaining about a missed port and educate yourself when you call "small" cities, major and beautiful cities in that particular country.

 

Thank you!  My thoughts exactly.  A war is going on in the vicinity and there is a question of why some ports are being cancelled?  Common sense should prevail.

[cruisequeen4ever]

If I were someone booked on a Baltic cruise, I’d cancel and wait til the war is over, and it’s safe to visit the main Baltic ports. We did it in 2019, and it was spectacular.

[LindaJ+]

Well, it's no longer a Baltic cruise ... just Scandinavian, I guess you'd say.  You're right, I haven't researched those cities ... because I'd been researching the other countries!  OK, back to the Rick Steves book.

[Lindancer]

On 4/13/2022 at 1:41 AM, LindaJ+ said:

Less than 4 weeks out.  Cancelled Latvia, Estonia, Finland.  Added Oslo and a couple small towns in Sweden

 

St. Petersburg was cancelled before ... OK, special circumstances.  Are they anticipating a Russian attack on the Baltics?

 

It's like ... you sign up for a cruise that sounds interesting and had places you want to visit ... and then they can change things around any which way.  It's like ... what's the point of going on a cruise?  I certainly don't find being on the boat all that wonderful.

 

Tangential question:  if we paid for an excursion and they change the date we are in that port, will our reservation be automatically transfered to the new date?

Tell me about it!  My Aug. 9 cruise from Venice to Venice is not going to Venice at all now.  They changed the embarkation and debarkation to Trieste, which is 90 miles away and are "doing us the favor" of busing us to and from the Venice airport directly to the ship.  The itinerary on this cruise used to include a day in Venice (the day before the cruise ended) but no longer does.  I have been to Venice before but wanted my grandson to see it.  Now it won't happen.  HAL has us over a barrel.

[LindaJ+]

Yeah, I kind of suspected that about Venice with articles I've read recently.  But HAL must have known this for some time ... the whole "keep the cruise ships out" was a topic before COVID.  If you had known you could have included an extra day in your plans.

 

[ontheweb]

2 hours ago, Lindancer said:

Tell me about it!  My Aug. 9 cruise from Venice to Venice is not going to Venice at all now.  They changed the embarkation and debarkation to Trieste, which is 90 miles away and are "doing us the favor" of busing us to and from the Venice airport directly to the ship.  The itinerary on this cruise used to include a day in Venice (the day before the cruise ended) but no longer does.  I have been to Venice before but wanted my grandson to see it.  Now it won't happen.  HAL has us over a barrel.

I think it is more of a case of Venice (maybe technically Italy) has the cruise lines over a barrel.

[Heartgrove]

3 hours ago, Lindancer said:

Tell me about it!  My Aug. 9 cruise from Venice to Venice is not going to Venice at all now.  They changed the embarkation and debarkation to Trieste, which is 90 miles away and are "doing us the favor" of busing us to and from the Venice airport directly to the ship.  The itinerary on this cruise used to include a day in Venice (the day before the cruise ended) but no longer does.  I have been to Venice before but wanted my grandson to see it.  Now it won't happen.  HAL has us over a barrel.

 

Is it before the Cancellation Date or Final Payment date?

[Heartgrove]

4 hours ago, LindaJ+ said:

Well, it's no longer a Baltic cruise ... just Scandinavian, I guess you'd say.  You're right, I haven't researched those cities ... because I'd been researching the other countries!  OK, back to the Rick Steves book.

 

Don't you still sail on the Baltic Sea?

[silversneakers]

On 4/13/2022 at 2:41 AM, LindaJ+ said:

Less than 4 weeks out.  Cancelled Latvia, Estonia, Finland.  Added Oslo and a couple small towns in Sweden

 

St. Petersburg was cancelled before ... OK, special circumstances.  Are they anticipating a Russian attack on the Baltics?

 

It's like ... you sign up for a cruise that sounds interesting and had places you want to visit ... and then they can change things around any which way.  It's like ... what's the point of going on a cruise?  I certainly don't find being on the boat all that wonderful.

 

Tangential question:  if we paid for an excursion and they change the date we are in that port, will our reservation be automatically transfered to the new date?

Acquaintances in Estonia tell they are building bomb shelters so I would say that is dangerous territory that HAL does not want to enter.  Don't be surprised if Sweden and Finland are eliminated as cruise ports. I believe there is a real threat to those countries

[Taters]

20 hours ago, silversneakers said:

Acquaintances in Estonia tell they are building bomb shelters so I would say that is dangerous territory that HAL does not want to enter.  Don't be surprised if Sweden and Finland are eliminated as cruise ports. I believe there is a real threat to those countries

The Rotterdam cruise departing May 8th added 2 ports in Sweden - Visby and Gothenburg, and we already have 2 days in Stockholm.  Maybe they will cancel those and take us to more places in Norway (we are already going to Oslo), or take us farther west to Scotland?  I am mentally prepared for an announcement of change in plans when we board the ship in a few weeks.  I'm okay with wherever they take us.

[LindaJ+]

5 hours ago, Taters said:

The Rotterdam cruise departing May 8th added 2 ports in Sweden - Visby and Gothenburg, and we already have 2 days in Stockholm.  Maybe they will cancel those and take us to more places in Norway (we are already going to Oslo), or take us farther west to Scotland?  I am mentally prepared for an announcement of change in plans when we board the ship in a few weeks.  I'm okay with wherever they take us.

Ha!  Funny!  If they suddenly decide to go up the coast of Norway ... when we have already gone up the coast of Norway on the May 1-8 cruise ... this will be my last cruise ever!

[StLouisCruisers]

3 minutes ago, LindaJ+ said:

Ha!  Funny!  If they suddenly decide to go up the coast of Norway ... when we have already gone up the coast of Norway on the May 1-8 cruise ... this will be my last cruise ever!

 

You never know!  One of the very best cruises we've ever taken was almost all Norway.  Fourteen Norway ports, Copenhagen, and roundtrip out of Ijmuiden, the Netherlands.  Spectacular scenery!

[SeeSun&Sea]

On my boarding pass, the May 8th Rotterdam cruise is no longer Jewels of the Baltic -- it is Jewels of Scandinavia. And yes, we need to have a medically viewed covid test 24 hours before boarding. So my purchase of 6 emed tests is not a waste!

[LindaJ+]

I'll just go with their tests at the pier.   Maybe test at home before getting on the plane.

[Heartgrove]

 

12 hours ago, LindaJ+ said:

Ha!  Funny!  If they suddenly decide to go up the coast of Norway ... when we have already gone up the coast of Norway on the May 1-8 cruise ... this will be my last cruise ever!

 

Where do you propose they go instead?

[Tampa Girl]

15 hours ago, LindaJ+ said:

Ha!  Funny!  If they suddenly decide to go up the coast of Norway ... when we have already gone up the coast of Norway on the May 1-8 cruise ... this will be my last cruise ever!

 

Have you considered postponing this "Baltic" cruise until the world is a little quieter?

[rotjeknor]

15 hours ago, LindaJ+ said:

Ha!  Funny!  If they suddenly decide to go up the coast of Norway ... when we have already gone up the coast of Norway on the May 1-8 cruise ... this will be my last cruise ever!

I’m glad the HAL is making the effort ( of course they need the revenue) of putting a worthwhile and safe cruise together. They would of course have very much preferred the original itinerary as the people in Ukraine would have very much to be spared the horrors of war in their country.

I would suggest to just take it as it comes. Good for your blood pressure as well. Who knows what happens between now and may 22 when we dock in the Netherlands again. They may have to change the route again. But I consider myself lucky just to be able to cruise again.

[Dismomx5]

2 hours ago, rotjeknor said:

I’m glad the HAL is making the effort ( of course they need the revenue) of putting a worthwhile and safe cruise together. They would of course have very much preferred the original itinerary as the people in Ukraine would have very much to be spared the horrors of war in their country.

I would suggest to just take it as it comes. Good for your blood pressure as well. Who knows what happens between now and may 22 when we dock in the Netherlands again. They may have to change the route again. But I consider myself lucky just to be able to cruise again.

This is one of those times when I wish that there was a LOVE button along with the LIKE. 💙  Such wise words. 

[LindaJ+]

I guess I am so used to my own [okay - obsessive-compulsive] travel planning that it is upsetting to have no control over the changes.  But I'm sure we'll have a nice time and see many interesting things.

[ShipWalker]

It's gotten to the point that if there isn't at least one port change on my cruise I now get suspicious. 😂

Edited April 17, 2022 by ShipWalker

[rotjeknor]

12 hours ago, Dismomx5 said:

This is one of those times when I wish that there was a LOVE button along with the LIKE. 💙  Such wise words. 

Thank you 😊

[Tampa Girl]

23 hours ago, LindaJ+ said:

I guess I am so used to my own [okay - obsessive-compulsive] travel planning that it is upsetting to have no control over the changes.  But I'm sure we'll have a nice time and see many interesting things.

 

I completely understand since I am much the same.  My way of dealing with it - forget cruising until this is past and we are not subject to frequent testing.  The Baltic would be next on my list, but that will obviously have to wait until, to quote someone (whom I cannot remember), "all this recent unpleasantness is over."  

[LindaJ+]

Probably wouldn't have thought of it but we've never visited any of Scandinavia and our local TA promoted this B2B opportunity over a year ago ... when we thought oh, COVID will be over by then!  Plus the group booking benefits a local charity.

[CATandSQUID]

On 4/12/2022 at 11:41 PM, LindaJ+ said:

Less than 4 weeks out.  Cancelled Latvia, Estonia, Finland.  Added Oslo and a couple small towns in Sweden

 

St. Petersburg was cancelled before ... OK, special circumstances.  Are they anticipating a Russian attack on the Baltics?

 

It's like ... you sign up for a cruise that sounds interesting and had places you want to visit ... and then they can change things around any which way.  It's like ... what's the point of going on a cruise?  I certainly don't find being on the boat all that wonderful.

 

Tangential question:  if we paid for an excursion and they change the date we are in that port, will our reservation be automatically transfered to the new date?

 The world cruise industry is worried about the Russians mining the coastline or just firing missiles at random ships in retaliation of the sunken missile cruiser Moskva.  The Russians are very unstable at this time. It is good to stay clear of this area.

[Wendy-Europe]

Moreover, the shipping companies of the world are worried, not without reason, that a Western ship that would dock in St. Petersburg would also be chained as "revenge" for the seizure of Russian goods in the world.
And this is not a hypothetical concern.

And as you can see, the Russian government is not squeamish about civilian "collateral damage."

 

It could easily happen that passengers are used as a bargaining chip to push an agenda. I guess no passenger wants to be a forced "guest" of the Russian government for a longer period of time?

Edited April 19, 2022 by Wendy-Europe