Reduced port stays

[pinotlover]

Used them twice in Spain last Oct & Nov. did a terrific job! Highly recommended.

[ak1004]

1 minute ago, sofietucker said:

Spain Day Tours: We've used them 5-6 times across Spain and Portugal and always found them excellent. Small groups, fluent in English, very knowledgeable AND enthusiastic. Their sister/parent company, Day Tours, did a very nice job in Monaco and Nice. 8 of us in a van. Ditto in Italy, to Siena and San Gmigniano (sp?).

 

That being said, we tried to hire them for a day in A Coruna next month (Campostela) and everyone on our roll call had trouble getting in touch with them. Maybe due to the pandemic and staffing? I think it was weeks later--even a month--before we heard from them. Chose to cancel. YMMV, of course.

 

We booked two tours with them on our upcoming cruise in May, Bilbao and Cadiz. Very responsive, never waited more than 48 hours for a response.

 

Maybe different areas are handled by different people, not sure. Our contact person was Emilia.

[susiesan]

3 hours ago, sunlover12 said:

I'm on a cruise in August that is still showing quite a bit of availability.   OLife Ultimate has not been added to it and the price is higher than when I booked it last year.  Port times have been slightly reduced since I booked it. I have no idea how they decide which cruises will have benefits attached to it if it's not selling well. 

My cruise is Sept. 2, Canary Islands Explorer Barcelona to Lisbon on Sirena. Life Ultimate is not on it. Most categories are open including insides, outsides, and verandas. I lost 3 hours in 3 ports of time so far. Final payment is due May 2 and I expect more changes after that date when we are locked in.

I just booked a cruise on Azamara for Sept. 2024 instead of on O mainly due to O's reduced times in port.

[AMHuntFerry]

4 hours ago, sunlover12 said:

I'm on a cruise in August that is still showing quite a bit of availability.   OLife Ultimate has not been added to it and the price is higher than when I booked it last year.  Port times have been slightly reduced since I booked it. I have no idea how they decide which cruises will have benefits attached to it if it's not selling well. 

I'm pretty sure from recent (post-Covid) data analys is that O looks at the percentage of cabins in a single category that have sold as well as the overall bookings, and they only have a sale if x% of the category are unsold. That's why you sometimes see, for example, PH included in a sale for one cruise and not another cruise during the same sale. While there may appear to be availability in many of the categories on your cruise, if there are only a couple of cabins available in each category, they don't need a sale. I could be completely wrong though, and O may change it up in the future, so I'm just speculating and not stating fact.

Edited April 1, 2023 by AMHuntFerry

[IWantToLiveOverTheSea]

Not all cruises have a lot of availability.  Mine on Sirena has been completely sold out for several months now.  But perhaps the smaller ships sell out faster than the larger ones.  And the ones with rather unusual itineraries are always popular.

[osandomir]

26 minutes ago, IWantToLiveOverTheSea said:

Not all cruises have a lot of availability.  Mine on Sirena has been completely sold out for several months now.  But perhaps the smaller ships sell out faster than the larger ones.  And the ones with rather unusual itineraries are always popular.

We’re probably on the same cruise with you coming this month. I agree, it all depends on what you are looking to book. We normally book cruises well in advance when they become available for booking. “Unfortunately” our cruises almost never listed on any sale later on as they tend to be sold out well before the sailing date.

 

Definitely, not all the cruises are booking that fast now. That being said, I think Oceania won’t be able to continue sailings at a loss for much longer, and it will lead to a price increase no matter of any sales. 

Edited April 1, 2023 by osandomir

[the more ports the better]

Spain day tours have always been great for us.  
 

Reduced port times are a non starter.  I also don’t cruise to sit on the ship.  I’m usually the first one off in port and the last one back on.  I have always been a huge O cheerleader but lately, they been pretty secretive and almost shady.  RCCL seems to be much better positioned than NCLH so maybe it’s major financial issues on O’s part.

 

I just booked two SS sailings.  The cruise only costs about the same as O in a PH.  The SS door to door with air is about 2000 more than O life with air but the business upgrade is only $1000 each way with SS.  Plus everything is included so a much better deal.  OBC is useless on SS unless you want to go to the spa.

 

I was burned $24,000 from O as I risk losing all my federal contracts if I go to Myanmar for three days next month and violate treasury sanctions but O refuses to cancel the port.  I’m sure they will cancel last minute once everyone is already in Singapore getting ready to board but I can’t take that risk so I have to cancel.  They said no refunds for not wanting to visit a port, even though it is a civil war zone with a do not travel warning and sanctions from the entire free world!

 

I’ll sail my remaining bookings on O over the next 18 months but hopefully, I’ll like the SS sailings and that will be my new home going forward.  

Edited April 1, 2023 by the more ports the better
Misspell

[Furball83]

On 1/22/2023 at 10:15 PM, Cruzin Terri said:

Received notice for every single cruise we are on.

On one cruise notice was received the day after final payment was made.

Not too concerned about Caribbean ports, but certainly am annoyed about European ports where every minute counts.

 

Me too! Motril and one other port next week curtailed by two hours in each place!

[IWantToLiveOverTheSea]

On 3/30/2023 at 6:59 PM, BWV said:

On the July 12 Marina Baltic cruise, Gdańsk is being replaced with Ronne, Denmark. 

Oh, I loved Ronne!  But it's best to get out into the countryside to see the best of it.....very old, very pretty white round churches, smoke houses, interesting architecture. We rented a car and had a wonderful time. I realize renting a car is not for everyone.  But on Bornholm island, it was easy.

[susiesan]

20 hours ago, the more ports the better said:

 

I was burned $24,000 from O as I risk losing all my federal contracts if I go to Myanmar for three days next month and violate treasury sanctions but O refuses to cancel the port.  I’m sure they will cancel last minute once everyone is already in Singapore getting ready to board but I can’t take that risk so I have to cancel.  They said no refunds for not wanting to visit a port, even though it is a civil war zone with a do not travel warning and sanctions from the entire free world!

 

How would anyone know you went to Myanmar unless you told them? You must have some sort of job that requires a US State department security clearance. Can't you just stay on the ship? travel insurance should cover civil war. I was stuck in Thailand during a civil war and couldn't fly out for 7 days. My travel insurance covered all our extra expenses. I had to do battle with the insurance company and turn it over to my state attorney general, but I did get a refund.

[tigerfan75]

23 hours ago, the more ports the better said:

Spain day tours have always been great for us.  
 

Reduced port times are a non starter.  I also don’t cruise to sit on the ship.  I’m usually the first one off in port and the last one back on.  I have always been a huge O cheerleader but lately, they been pretty secretive and almost shady.  RCCL seems to be much better positioned than NCLH so maybe it’s major financial issues on O’s part.

 

I just booked two SS sailings.  The cruise only costs about the same as O in a PH.  The SS door to door with air is about 2000 more than O life with air but the business upgrade is only $1000 each way with SS.  Plus everything is included so a much better deal.  OBC is useless on SS unless you want to go to the spa.

 

I was burned $24,000 from O as I risk losing all my federal contracts if I go to Myanmar for three days next month and violate treasury sanctions but O refuses to cancel the port.  I’m sure they will cancel last minute once everyone is already in Singapore getting ready to board but I can’t take that risk so I have to cancel.  They said no refunds for not wanting to visit a port, even though it is a civil war zone with a do not travel warning and sanctions from the entire free world!

 

I’ll sail my remaining bookings on O over the next 18 months but hopefully, I’ll like the SS sailings and that will be my new home going forward.  

Is it possible to approach O about an exception...get off the ship prior to Myanmar, and rejoin the ship later?  Certainly will cost less than the out-of-pocket cancellation.

Good Luck.

[the more ports the better]

Tiger, I did ask O for an exception and they said they would consider it but no guarantees.  Hopefully, they will do the right thing but I’m not holding my breath.  If they don’t, I’ll just complain with the appropriate agencies and file a suit.  I live in FL so there are a handful of cruise lawyers in Miami.  I practiced law for the first 20 years of my career so it won’t be a big ordeal and it’s a fairly cut and dry case.
 

If I got off the ship to miss the Myanmar port, I would have to disembark in Phuket then fly to India and reboard 8 days later as that is the next port after Myanmar.  I’ve been to Singapore and all other ports in Asia except southern India so the Bagan temples in Myanmar plus India were the reason for booking the sailing.  

 

Susie, I own an  AI company in nuclear energy so yes, the question of what countries I visit is asked. Even when getting global entry you have to list all countries visited, plus Myanmar would be stamped on my passport.  I’m not going to lie or omit something on a contract anyway. Company reputation is everything and certainly a vacation is not worth ruining it.

As for travel insurance, there are exclusions on most every policy for voluntarily traveling to a country where there is a level 4 do not travel alert issued.  Everyone’s travel insurance will be invalid while there.  The US pulled consular services quite awhile ago and there is no support in country if something were to happen.

 

Sorry for hijacking the thread but waiting until the last minute and skipping ports is becoming common place along with shortening ports.  Just sounds like financial trouble all around.

 

 

[Guest ldtr]

54 minutes ago, the more ports the better said:

Tiger, I did ask O for an exception and they said they would consider it but no guarantees.  Hopefully, they will do the right thing but I’m not holding my breath.  If they don’t, I’ll just complain with the appropriate agencies and file a suit.  I live in FL so there are a handful of cruise lawyers in Miami.  I practiced law for the first 20 years of my career so it won’t be a big ordeal and it’s a fairly cut and dry case.
 

If I got off the ship to miss the Myanmar port, I would have to disembark in Phuket then fly to India and reboard 8 days later as that is the next port after Myanmar.  I’ve been to Singapore and all other ports in Asia except southern India so the Bagan temples in Myanmar plus India were the reason for booking the sailing.  

 

Susie, I own an  AI company in nuclear energy so yes, the question of what countries I visit is asked. Even when getting global entry you have to list all countries visited, plus Myanmar would be stamped on my passport.  I’m not going to lie or omit something on a contract anyway. Company reputation is everything and certainly a vacation is not worth ruining it.

As for travel insurance, there are exclusions on most every policy for voluntarily traveling to a country where there is a level 4 do not travel alert issued.  Everyone’s travel insurance will be invalid while there.  The US pulled consular services quite awhile ago and there is no support in country if something were to happen.

 

Sorry for hijacking the thread but waiting until the last minute and skipping ports is becoming common place along with shortening ports.  Just sounds like financial trouble all around.

 

 

So you signed up for a cruise that went to Myanmar, even knowing how sketchy things have been there.  Things were getting somewhat worse even before you were in penalty period.  Now because things have gotten worse it is Oceania's fault.  So you do not think that your judgement in booking the cruise might have some impact.  

 

As I learned a number of years ago when I was in a position where I had to inform the government anytime I left the country for 5 years after I left the position.  If you book trips to unstable countries, you take your chances and hope that conditions do not change.

 

It looks like that you booked a trip to one of the more unstable countries, did not cancel before the penalty period, and are now upset because Oceania will not announce a decision that may or may not have been made yet to bail you out.

 

On exactly what grounds are you going to try and sue them.

 

 

[ak1004]

44 minutes ago, ldtr said:

So you signed up for a cruise that went to Myanmar, even knowing how sketchy things have been there.  Things were getting somewhat worse even before you were in penalty period.  Now because things have gotten worse it is Oceania's fault.  So you do not think that your judgement in booking the cruise might have some impact.  

 

As I learned a number of years ago when I was in a position where I had to inform the government anytime I left the country for 5 years after I left the position.  If you book trips to unstable countries, you take your chances and hope that conditions do not change.

 

It looks like that you booked a trip to one of the more unstable countries, did not cancel before the penalty period, and are now upset because Oceania will not announce a decision that may or may not have been made yet to bail you out.

 

On exactly what grounds are you going to try and sue them.

 

 

100% agree.

 

And the problem is that you don’t really need a reason or grounds to sue anyone. People will sue just because they can, especially if they know the system and it won’t cost you much, and you hope that the other side will prefer to settle instead of wasting their time and money. There should be significant fines for bogus lawsuits, but this is probably not going to happen.

 

It’s much easier to blame others than to take responsibility for your own actions and failures.

Edited April 3, 2023 by ak1004

[pinotlover]

10 hours ago, ak1004 said:

100% agree.

 

And the problem is that you don’t really need a reason or grounds to sue anyone. People will sue just because they can, especially if they know the system and it won’t cost you much, and you hope that the other side will prefer to settle instead of wasting their time and money. There should be significant fines for bogus lawsuits, but this is probably not going to happen.

 

It’s much easier to blame others than to take responsibility for your own actions and failures.

Actually this case is so flimsy, if winnable, there probably won’t be any punitive damages. How many hours do believe a lawyer would dedicate to get 1/3 of the possible award based on Cruise costs? Attorney fees could easily outpace any potential judgment, and that’s if you win.

[susiesan]

the more ports the better: I visited Myanmar in 2018 as a private land tour. I used a local company Myanmar Shalom to put our trip together. We flew into Yangon, then flew to Bagan, Mandalay, and Inle Lake, then back to Yangon. Fascinating trip. I'm glad I got there when I could as I doubt we'll ever be able to go back. Myanmar Shalom is still in business so maybe one day you can just go there without the cruise.

Interestingly, I looked at the TA forum for Myanmar, apparently some tourists are going there. There's a lot of paperwork requirements for the visa, covid testing, vaccine requirements. Sounds like a real PITA.

Edited April 3, 2023 by susiesan

[the more ports the better]

Susie, I agree, a future land tour is the way to go.  Bagan was the entire reason for booking the trip.  I would love to go there eventually but now is not the time.

 

I kind of laugh to myself when hearing posters defending O for pushing people to violate US treasury sanctions which is a felony and sailing their ships and passengers into a war zone.  Since I made a $24k final payment, of course I’m expected to commit felonies and dodge IED’s.  How silly of me to think otherwise.  

 

Realistically, O is not permitted to spend money in Myanmar therefore they cannot pay port fees hence they will be forced to cancel and have 8 sea days in a row.  O just won’t admit it until everyone has already travelled to Singapore and boarded.

 

Kind of funny that these kinds of business practices are peachy with so many people but I guess I expect a bit more honesty from companies I do business with.  I doubt they will change, however, as the amount of people who accept and defend these practices is astonishing.

[sofietucker]

More ports: have you checked out conversation in your roll call? Oddly, in all of the Asia--that is, about 1/5 of the world, lol--ports of call board, there is exactly one mention of Myanmar, and it's about an Oceania cruise in 2024. The title is "Distance between Yangon..." They are speculating that the port will be cancelled due to unrest (state dept do not travel, etc.) and you'll have 8 sea days instead.

 

The crazy thing is O's plan to dock in this consistently volatile country--which was having ongoing coups at least back into the 80s--compared to every single cruise line choosing to cease travel, to both "safe" Russian ports such as St Petersburg and pretty much all of Eastern Europe, at the start of the Ukraine invasion. Seems like all the rest of the world cruise itineraries have a way to cross from India to SE Asia without having to stop there... HAL and Celebrity go from Phuket or Singapore straight across to Sri Lanka (bypassing the chance of encountering fierce Andaman pirates too, lol).

Edited April 3, 2023 by sofietucker

[Guest ldtr]

44 minutes ago, the more ports the better said:

Susie, I agree, a future land tour is the way to go.  Bagan was the entire reason for booking the trip.  I would love to go there eventually but now is not the time.

 

I kind of laugh to myself when hearing posters defending O for pushing people to violate US treasury sanctions which is a felony and sailing their ships and passengers into a war zone.  Since I made a $24k final payment, of course I’m expected to commit felonies and dodge IED’s.  How silly of me to think otherwise.  

 

Realistically, O is not permitted to spend money in Myanmar therefore they cannot pay port fees hence they will be forced to cancel and have 8 sea days in a row.  O just won’t admit it until everyone has already travelled to Singapore and boarded.

 

Kind of funny that these kinds of business practices are peachy with so many people but I guess I expect a bit more honesty from companies I do business with.  I doubt they will change, however, as the amount of people who accept and defend these practices is astonishing.

What exactly has changed in Myanmar since final payment date. The Coup occured in 2021. Sanctions were put on in over many years, including in 2021 and 2022. The most recent addition of sanctions in March was tied to provision of jet fuels to the military. The Civil War has also been going on for years.

 

It is up to the individual to avoid sanctions and follow the terms of there contracts, not Oceania.

 

So what exactly changed between the final payment date, when you could have canceled, and today. Most restrictions have been in place for quite a while. At least until right after the Coup.

 

Or was it a case that you booked the cruise and did not catch that it would have violated the terms of your government contracts until after the payment date.

 

It is not a case of Oceania forcing you to violate treasury sanctions. It is either on you for booking the cruise with all of the sanctions and conditions related to Myranmar  

 

Or if there was a recent change then it is on the government for making the change 

 

Your company, your contracts, your responsibility. Again it sounds like you messed up booking the cruise and want Oceania to bail out you mistake.

 

Oceania is not a US company. They can do business there as long as they do not interact with anyone or company on the sanction list. The sanction list in mostly the military and individuals at top levels of the government. 

 

 

Edited April 3, 2023 by ldtr

[shepherd really]

41 minutes ago, the more ports the better said:

the amount of people who accept and defend these practices is astonishing.

And yet completely expected from certain folks who think any criticism of their chosen cruise company amounts to blasphemy.  It does get tiresome but the ignore feature makes it much less annoying.

[Guest ldtr]

1 hour ago, shepherd really said:

And yet completely expected from certain folks who think any criticism of their chosen cruise company amounts to blasphemy.  It does get tiresome but the ignore feature makes it much less annoying.

Just as some people blame the cruise lines even when they are not at fault. While I do cruise Oceania, I also cruise other lines more frequently ranging from from Elixir (a small Greek company sailing a 50 passenger ship), HAL, Princess, Celebrity, Silver Sea and Regent

 

I am not defending Oceania.  I am just raising the questions as to why Oceania bears any responsibility.  This is not like the war in Ukraine where the situation changed very dramatically in the space of a week. The situation in Myanmar has been going on for years and changed little since the last Coup.

 

I asked the question exactly what has changed that would have allowed them to travel to Myanmar before the final payment date and after?  As far as I can see not much has changed in the past 9 months.  Most of the restrictions were put in place before that time.  

 

1. They certainly signed up for a cruise that included Myanmar.  

2. They certainly paid the full amount prior to the final payment date.

3. They certainly agreed to Oceania's terms and conditions.

 

Now they are upset because Oceania has not canceled the visit and it violates terms and conditions of contracts their company has.  So what materially has changed. Oceania has certainly not added a visit to Myanmar. Did they not realize that the cruise would violate their government contract?  Did someone only point it out after the final payment date was passed.  In which case it is certainly not the cruise lines fault. 

 

The poster would certainly benefit by knowing if Oceania is going to cancel that port.  However, there is no certainly that the decision has even been made or well be made until just before the cruise departure.  Cruise lines tend to error on the side of trying to make the itinerary and will go in that direction until they are absolutely certain that it has to change.  Even in the cases of countries where there has been media reports that the laws have changed such as Venice, the cruise lines only changed when they were officially informed that the port visit would not occur.

 

If nothing has then why did they sign up for a cruise that violates contracts their company has.  In which case it is not the fault of Oceania or of any other cruise line in similar circumstances. Why should Oceania make an exception for them, if they would not do so for anyone else that wanted to cancel after final payment date.

 

Cruise lines have enough issues that they can be criticized for, in this case it seems like someone is criticizing them when the cruise line has not done anything wrong.

 

So exactly what has Oceania done wrong here?

Edited April 3, 2023 by ldtr

[Pizzasteve]

removed

Edited April 4, 2023 by Pizzasteve

[vaitape]

Why offer a cruise with a port where the State Department will not protect your pax, where travel insurance and evacuation insurance won't cover your pax?

We, being the naïve folks we are, booked this trip thinking the cruise line would not knowingly take us to a Do Not Travel country. 

We will stay on the ship if we port in Myanmar.

And we will always monitor the US Department of State's Travel Advisory before booking any cruise in the future.

Lesson learned.

 

 

[vaitape]

2 minutes ago, vaitape said:

Why offer a cruise with a port where the State Department will not protect your pax, where travel insurance and evacuation insurance won't cover your pax?

We, being the naïve folks we are, booked this trip thinking the cruise line would not knowingly take us to a Do Not Travel country. 

We will stay on the ship if we port in Myanmar.

And we will always monitor the US Department of State's Travel Advisory before booking any cruise in the future.

Lesson learned.

 

 

WTH? Is this the correct thread for the above posts regarding Myanmar? SORRY!

[osandomir]

17 hours ago, the more ports the better said:

 

Realistically, O is not permitted to spend money in Myanmar therefore they cannot pay port fees hence they will be forced to cancel and have 8 sea days in a row.  O just won’t admit it until everyone has already travelled to Singapore and boarded.

 

Kind of funny that these kinds of business practices are peachy with so many people but I guess I expect a bit more honesty from companies I do business with.  I doubt they will change, however, as the amount of people who accept and defend these practices is astonishing.

Well, my point isn’t to defend Oceania You have all your rights to blame the cruise line now… but I still don’t understand why you booked this cruise at the first place if you knew all that from the begging. You booked the cruise because of the Myanmar. I can see just two possible scenarios. First, O continue with the original itinerary and you can’t go to Myanmar, and second, O cancel the port, even well in advance, and you still won’t be able to get there. Why even bother to book?

Edited April 4, 2023 by osandomir
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