Cruise to Mostly Nowhere--Part 2

[ak1004]

2 minutes ago, YourWorldWithBill said:

Although I've tried to keep a neutral perspective in this conversation (not having been there, but thinking about an upcoming cruise on Riviera), that remark from the concierge immediately struck me as creating a similar feeling as that described by @hankandteri in the first comments. It's putting the focus back on you, rather than taking any responsibility. Again, I empathize with the concierge, just hoping for better communication.

 

I disagree. She just described a potential alternative.

 

btw, I'm 100% sure about the exact wording. It could be "how would you respond", or "the risk was", or something similar. I don't think the exact wording really matters, what matters is the reason she provided behind the decision, which was a concern of being stuck in Lisbon and lose the rest of the cruise. 

[hankandteri]

13 minutes ago, bradpole said:

They could have, but they didn't because they don't offer those on any cruise that I'm aware of.  

I've had galley tours on two ships and visited the bridge while a ship was sailing on a sea day. I have a picture somewhere of me standing at the tiny ship's wheel. I've been in a crew bar, walked I-95, and had one of the performers give a backstage tour of the theater dressing room and stage operations. This happened on both Celebrity and Carnival, and I was a regular passenger (not media or a TA or anything) so it is or has been done on multiple lines.

[ak1004]

4 minutes ago, hankandteri said:

I've had galley tours on two ships and visited the bridge while a ship was sailing on a sea day. I have a picture somewhere of me standing at the tiny ship's wheel. I've been in a crew bar, walked I-95, and had one of the performers give a backstage tour of the theater dressing room and stage operations. This happened on both Celebrity and Carnival, and I was a regular passenger (not media or a TA or anything) so it is or has been done on multiple lines.

 

Oceania doesn't do it.

 

Again, it's important to set expectations. Some lines do certain things that other lines don't. We had a backstage tour of the theater on Princess, it was phenomenal. But I believe most premium/luxury lines don't do those things. 

[hankandteri]

3 minutes ago, ak1004 said:

 

Oceania doesn't do it.

 

Again, it's important to set expectations. Some lines do certain things that other lines don't. We had a backstage tour of the theater on Princess, it was phenomenal. But I believe most premium/luxury lines don't do those things. 

The whole galley/bridge tour idea was like my Morocco gambit (another good title for a novel, BTW). I know it's not something Oceania does and that it may not be practical for whatever reason, but it would have been nice to see a bit of initiative and out of the box thinking when things went awry. None was on display, even when they obviously had plenty of notice to organize some special events/experiences for those lost days.

[ToxM]

It’s more often than not that ships fail to tender in Guernsey. No excuses from me, just a fact I happen to know. 

 

Perhaps the reason I like O so much is that I am all for unscheduled sea days, so I am happy to get them, and we always do on cruises worth O. 

 

I can imagine for some it’s very annoying. 

 

 

[Hanoj]

4 minutes ago, hankandteri said:

The whole galley/bridge tour idea was like my Morocco gambit (another good title for a novel, BTW). I know it's not something Oceania does and that it may not be practical for whatever reason, but it would have been nice to see a bit of initiative and out of the box thinking when things went awry. None was on display, even when they obviously had plenty of notice to organize some special events/experiences for those lost days.

So … the Oceania slogan might more aptly be, “Our World, Our Way?”

[hankandteri]

6 minutes ago, ToxM said:

It’s more often than not that ships fail to tender in Guernsey. No excuses from me, just a fact I happen to know. 

 

Perhaps the reason I like O so much is that I am all for unscheduled sea days, so I am happy to get them, and we always do on cruises worth O. 

 

I can imagine for some it’s very annoying. 

 

 

No one can blame O for missing Guernsey that day. The winds were pretty stiff with two meter swells. It wasn't practical to run tendering operations in those conditions. You have to give them a pass for that one. You can even give them a pass for a third copy and paste sea day given there was no predicting that one.

[YourWorldWithBill]

37 minutes ago, ak1004 said:

 

I don't think the exact wording really matters, what matters is the reason she provided behind the decision, which was a concern of being stuck in Lisbon and lose the rest of the cruise. 

I actually have to agree with you, since you were the one who was talking with her and who felt her intent.

[bradpole]

52 minutes ago, hankandteri said:

I've had galley tours on two ships and visited the bridge while a ship was sailing on a sea day. I have a picture somewhere of me standing at the tiny ship's wheel. I've been in a crew bar, walked I-95, and had one of the performers give a backstage tour of the theater dressing room and stage operations. This happened on both Celebrity and Carnival, and I was a regular passenger (not media or a TA or anything) so it is or has been done on multiple lines.

My apologies, when I said “they” I meant Oceania. Yes, other cruise lines do offer those tours, and have taken several of them (both paid for versions and free ones)

[jonthomas]

Very interesting comments here. I'm not in any position to offer an opinion on the why's and justifications but I will add that the cruise director and all involved in management  needed to do much more for the guests. Doing nothing for disappointed guests is not a way that will promote this line. 

I really hope that the comments made here, find their way to the decision makers of the operation.

[OhState1]

I was on this cruise as well. It was my first and last cruise ever.  I'll never hand over control of my vacation like that again.  Missing ports and largely terrible tours.  Not to mention the naked passenger on his balcony as we all returned to the ship in Le Verdon (actually, that was one of the highlights of the trip. My MIL kept trying to guess the identity of the gent everywhere we went after that!) Much more entertaining than the Jenga, I must admit. 🙂

[ToxM]

32 minutes ago, jonthomas said:

Very interesting comments here. I'm not in any position to offer an opinion on the why's and justifications but I will add that the cruise director and all involved in management  needed to do much more for the guests. Doing nothing for disappointed guests is not a way that will promote this line. 

I really hope that the comments made here, find their way to the decision makers of the operation.

I think that communication and being unreactive instead of proactive hurts Oceania terribly, it’s their Achilles Heel. I am always curious about why it is the mindset, and wonder if it is because everything that deviates from the norm has to be given the go ahead by Miami and they are often tardy in their directive or something like that. 

[jonthomas]

2 minutes ago, OhState1 said:

I was on this cruise as well. It was my first and last cruise ever.  I'll never hand over control of my vacation like that again.  Missing ports and largely terrible tours.  Not to mention the naked passenger on his balcony as we all returned to the ship in Le Verdon (actually, that was one of the highlights of the trip. My MIL kept trying to guess the identity of the gent everywhere we went after that!) Much more entertaining than the Jenga, I must admit. 🙂

Thank you for the lol...

I understand how this experience will put you off cruising.

We are now in a position where we have been everywhere we wanted to be. Cruising itself is our enjoyment. Food and ambiance now superceed the ports for us.

[Harters]

2 hours ago, Snaefell3 said:

The Brits (eco-folk, excepted) tend to be oh, so civilized and scheduled  about their strikes

My understanding (which may be wrong) is that this may not be out of choice but a legal requirement to give notice of strike dates. It'd be another fairly recent imposition by the government to minimise the effectiveness of industrial action.

[DanOnboard]

6 hours ago, hankandteri said:

This is Part 2 of a three-part series reflecting on our May 22 cruise from Barcelona to London aboard Riviera.   .......

 

 

Things can go wrong when you travel, and no cruise is ever perfect. Hey, stuff can happen and plans can go sideways in ways that are outside a cruise line’s ability to control. And cruise lines are staffed by human beings who can make poor decisions, as Oceania's humans did on this voyage in truly spectacular fashion. How a company reacts to problems, especially those of its own creation, says everything about what that company values and how it feels about its clientele.

 

The management of Oceania and the senior staff of the Riviera demonstrated on this cruise that they don’t have the best interests of their guests at heart and don't even like them very much.

 

In the dozen or so cruises we’ve taken on a wide variety of lines, we had never missed a port. On this cruise we missed three. That’s quite an accomplishment on a 10-day cruise that already had one sea day built into the itinerary.

 

Two of those three ports (marquee stops in Lisbon and Porto) got skipped because someone made the ill-informed decision to sail past two wide open ports when the weather was ideal and the ship had no mechanical issues. Then we were lied to about that poor decision, which was the unforgivable sin in all of this.

 

The trouble began at the captain’s reception on the only scheduled sea day (there would be others). The captain gave the usual welcoming speech, introduced his senior officers and hustled out of the room. While Horizons was still packed with passengers enjoying their free cocktails and hors d’oeurvres, the captain came on the ship’s PA informing us that there was a port strike in Portugal and we would have to cancel two stops—Lisbon and Porto. Instead, we’d have an unscheduled overnight in Cadiz and then a second sea day. So sorry, he told us; our hands are tied, there’s nothing we can do.

 

We were all disappointed, of course, but, if there’s a port strike, then we’d just have to make the best of it.

 

The only problem was there was no port strike and within a few hours most of the passengers aboard (anyone with enough curiosity to do a one-minute Google search) knew it. We also knew that other ships were sailing in and out of Lisbon and Porto, blithely ignoring the danger they faced.

 

It’s important to understand how Western Europeans handle transportation strikes, which are pretty commonplace—in fact there was a train strike in the UK when we got there on this trip. Europeans schedule their strikes way in advance for particular days and don’t generally deviate from the preannounced strike schedule. Strikes are inconvenient, which is the point of them, but it's all very civilized as any European or experienced traveler to Europe can tell you.

 

There were strikes scheduled in Portugal both before and after our scheduled visit, but not in the window when we were supposed to be there. Those specific dates were the first thing that showed up in my “Portugal dock strike” Google search. You can Google it now. Go ahead and you'll see.

...

 

 

First, I understand your frustration and have experienced O's "communications ability."

 

Question: Have you sent a formal letter to O HQ asking for an explanation, perhaps include a cc to O's president? That's where the explanation needs to come from and probably the only place authorized to speak.

 

I do appreciate your review and input on your cruise. Hopefully, your post helps.

 

[mauibabes]

Nicely said Gary 😇

Based on all your posts that I have read, Yes you do a lot of Strategic Planning 👍👍👍. 
Regrets to OH for their experience and as you said, cruising is not for everyone, just as I would not be comfortable traveling as OH said he likes to travel. 
Keep posting and I look forward to reading of your preparation and execution of your plan. 
Since this Board has “exploded”, I am sure some how, some way it has come to the attention of Oceania and just because we may not see any specific words on this subject from Oceania, they have heard the “roar”.  
Mauibabes

[bob brown]

4 hours ago, Hanoj said:

, it seems the quality and style of senior managements, in many industries, is increasingly paternalistic. Perhaps there have become more sheep, unaware of being fleeced

Maybe it was that way in the past, but with todays social media, and instant access to information, I don’t think consumers (or most of them) are so easy to “fleece”…🤔

[Hanoj]

14 minutes ago, bob brown said:

Maybe it was that way in the past, but with todays social media, and instant access to information, I don’t think consumers (or most of them) are so easy to “fleece”…🤔

I expect it’s easier to fleece consumers than it is to convince them they’ve been fleeced. Perceptual programming is highly effective. At any rate, I was intentionally hyperbolic to add my agreement with the OP.

[bob brown]

I like the tag line of a company that advertised:

”An educated consumer is our greatest asset”🙂

[PaulMCO]

3 hours ago, ak1004 said:

 

Oceania doesn't do it.

 

Again, it's important to set expectations. Some lines do certain things that other lines don't. We had a backstage tour of the theater on Princess, it was phenomenal. But I believe most premium/luxury lines don't do those things. 

beg to differ.  Seabourn does, makes it a point an publicized it for each segment.  Crystal did.  I been on the bridge on Silversea many times.

 

@hankandteri I hope you have a good travel agent with good relations within Oceania.  I would write a concise letter on your experience and let them pass it to Miami.  At least you feelings and frustration will be recorded.

 

The aloofness of the officers and senior staff has gotten worse.  The communications to passengers has always been an issue, including bordering on outright lying by Senior Officers.  Obviously it continues.   You are correct, Oceania could have found alternative ports, they do exist.  What it takes to switch is lots of work by the Captain, Miami and other departments (like excursions).

 

We were on Seabourn two weeks again and we had major weather forcing us to miss a stop at the Greek island of Ermoupolis.  The Captain went on the horn to 6 other ports in both Greece and Turkey to see if one could take us, and they were successful -- no extra sea day.  Further, the excursion department lined two excursions for those that desired to partake.  How did I learn about all of the back story on this.  It was over a 20 minute coffee with Captain Dave in Seabourn square.  

 

Could have Oceania found at least one port to deviate to?

 

 

 

Edited June 8, 2023 by PaulMCO

[ak1004]

14 minutes ago, PaulMCO said:

 

Could have Oceania found at least one port to deviate to?

 

 

 

I think there are not too many options in this area once you eliminate Portugal. The only option I can see is Gibraltar.

 

they did stay one extra day in Cadiz.

[PaulMCO]

Just now, ak1004 said:

I think there are not too many options in this area once you eliminate Portugal. The only option I can see is Gibraltar.

 

they did stay one extra day in Cadiz.

Casablanca or Tangier to the south would also be options.  Especially if you make making 1 stop from 2 missed.

[ak1004]

8 minutes ago, PaulMCO said:

Casablanca or Tangier to the south would also be options.  Especially if you make making 1 stop from 2 missed.

Maybe. But those are pretty popular ports that are probably fully booked well in advance. And it would be a significant deviation, especially Casablanca.

[Sthrngary]

2 hours ago, bob brown said:

I like the tag line of a company that advertised:

”An educated consumer is our greatest asset”🙂

Omg, you bet the gold star for that one. You brought back my childhood in Long Island NY. It was Sims mens clothing. If I am not mistaken.

 

 

[njhorseman]

2 hours ago, bob brown said:

I like the tag line of a company that advertised:

”An educated consumer is our greatest asset”🙂

 

15 minutes ago, Sthrngary said:

Omg, you bet the gold star for that one. You brought back my childhood in Long Island NY. It was Sims mens clothing. If I am not mistaken.

 

 

It was Sy Syms, and the exact Syms company slogan was "An educated consumer is our best customer".