Regatta delayed in Vancouver

[vlthom]

Onboard Regatta now for the 77-day itinerary to Sydney.  We are currently in Vancouver where it is Thanksgiving and everything is closed.  The captain came on the PA system and said we will not be departing tonight as planned and he hopes that we will be able to do so tomorrow night.  The reason was not given; however, I inquired and learned that there is a problem with the ship’s refrigeration that they need to fix before we can depart.  No telling yet how this delay will impact our itinerary.  I’m thankful that we are in port and safe but hoping that this delay will only be for one day.

[RD64]

Ship happens!

[pinotlover]

Regatta has had on going maintenance issues over the years.

 

Will Regatta be the first R ship out?

 

Over/Under! 😎

[jackdeb]

It is a shame your cruise is delayed, Regatta has been good over the years but there is only so much patching you can do before saying goodbye. Try and enjoy our fair city, unfortunately it is raining now, how unusual 😂.

 

[Tranquility Base]

On 10/10/2023 at 11:10 AM, vlthom said:

The captain came on the PA system and said we will not be departing tonight as planned and he hopes that we will be able to do so tomorrow night.  The reason was not given;........

Any update ?

[vlthom]

3 hours ago, Tranquility Base said:

Any update ?

We are still in Vancouver but will supposedly depart in the next hour.  Our itinerary had to be adjusted, obviously.  We arrive in Ketchikan a day later than originally planned and we will miss Sitka entirely.  We’ll see how it goes.  The captain announced that the issue had been repaired, but as we are heading into a more remote area, they have brought onboard two spare chillers, “just in case”.  

[Tranquility Base]

1 hour ago, vlthom said:

We are still in Vancouver but will supposedly depart in the next hour.  Our itinerary had to be adjusted, obviously.  We arrive in Ketchikan a day later than originally planned and we will miss Sitka entirely.  We’ll see how it goes.  The captain announced that the issue had been repaired, but as we are heading into a more remote area, they have brought onboard two spare chillers, “just in case”.  

Thanks,

I just checked the AIS and see you are on your way; now just passed Lions Gate Bridge.

Enjoy your run to Sydney.

[vlthom]

Unfortunately, we will also miss Hubbard glacier, too. We made it to Ketchikan today, a day later than originally scheduled but it coincided with Norwegian Bliss’ visit.  Shuttle service to/from the port and town meant standing in very long lines since we were sharing with the Bliss’ passengers.  It wasn’t the best situation.  We look tiny by comparison.

Edited October 12, 2023 by vlthom

[AMHuntFerry]

1 hour ago, vlthom said:

Unfortunately, we will also miss Hubbard glacier, too. We made it to Ketchikan today, a day later than originally scheduled but it coincided with Norwegian Bliss’ visit.  Shuttle service to/from the port and town meant standing in very long lines since we were sharing with the Bliss’ passengers.  It wasn’t the best situation.  We look tiny by comparison.

Ugh! If walking is something you enjoy, the totem park and car museum are about two miles away (turn left when you get to the road). There are also trails up to a lake (turn right when you get to the road). GPS is your friend 🙂

[vlthom]

And now, as of this morning we are skipping Dutch Harbor, AK, which was to be the lasp port prior to the long slog to Japan.  For anyone sailing on this segment, I would imagine that they are disappointed.  So far, we missed Sitka, Hubbard Glacier, and Dutch Harbor.  Visits in Victoria and Vancouver were marred by holidays and the Marathon which shut down the port for most of the day spent in Victoria.  We’re onboard until Sydney so are hoping for improvement as we continue.

[roberts2005]

3 hours ago, vlthom said:

And now, as of this morning we are skipping Dutch Harbor, AK, which was to be the lasp port prior to the long slog to Japan.  For anyone sailing on this segment, I would imagine that they are disappointed.  So far, we missed Sitka, Hubbard Glacier, and Dutch Harbor.  Visits in Victoria and Vancouver were marred by holidays and the Marathon which shut down the port for most of the day spent in Victoria.  We’re onboard until Sydney so are hoping for improvement as we continue.

Why did you miss Dutch Harbor.

[vlthom]

17 minutes ago, roberts2005 said:

Why did you miss Dutch Harbor.

Motion of the ocean…..and 40 knot winds.

[roberts2005]

How is that Northern Pacific crossing?  Is it normally that rough?

[vlthom]

Just now, roberts2005 said:

How is that Northern Pacific crossing?  Is it normally that rough?

Not sure.  This route over to Japan is a first for us so I have nothing to compare with.

[bobolz]

Good luck to you. We left Regatta in LA  where your journey to Japan began. Just now,  passageweather.com indicates rough waters  approaching Alaska . So I am wondering if the captain is cancelling those ports to keep you all safe and avoid having you thrown about. 
 

safe journeys and hopefully smooth sailing…🙏

 

p.s regatta looks like a tugboat next to Bliss. 😳 

[vlthom]

39 minutes ago, bobolz said:

Good luck to you. We left Regatta in LA  where your journey to Japan began. Just now,  passageweather.com indicates rough waters  approaching Alaska . So I am wondering if the captain is cancelling those ports to keep you all safe and avoid having you thrown about. 
 

safe journeys and hopefully smooth sailing…🙏

 

p.s regatta looks like a tugboat next to Bliss. 😳 

I am sure that it’s safety first, though we missed some because of our unplanned extra day in Vancouver.  Seas and weather have not been especially cooperative since then.

[Kristal Blade]

Sorry to read you have missed so many ports.

We are doing a circumnavigation of Australia on Regatta, leaving in December next year.

 

We have sailed with Celebrity from Vancouver to Japan and we missed Dutch Harbour which was disappointing. 
 

But… as you sail you have the opportunity to see Russian islands which are volcanic and we got some great views and photos of steaming volcanoes. Our Celebrity captain did a great job of keeping us informed of his navigational choices to shelter between these islands to avoid the motion of the ocean. We really enjoyed the cruise in spite of the fact that I am not the best sailor and often have to resort to popping a pill to calm my stomach.

 

Best of luck for a smooth crossing.

Edited October 19, 2023 by Kristal Blade
Missing info

[Hlitner]

On 10/17/2023 at 6:46 PM, roberts2005 said:

How is that Northern Pacific crossing?  Is it normally that rough?

Like most parts of the world, it is a mixed bag and conditions can vary from very nice to darn awful.  On our April/May crossing from Yokohama to Kodiac island we had the bad luck to cruise during a time when there were two major storms in the Bering Sea.  The result was 5-6 consecutive days with seas around 8 meters (25 feet).  On the Westerdam they had to drain the pools (which would have sloshed on the deck) but otherwise, it was just business as usual (except for those that suffer from mal de mer).

 

We tell friends, who ask us about cruising, that rough seas are simply a part of cruising and folks that constantly ruminate about the issue might be better off taking land trips.

 

Hank

[vlthom]

Captain has just informed us that we will miss our 2 days in Shanghai due to difficulties being imposed by the government.  We were to be the first cruiseship calling in Shanghai since COVID.  Details regarding what the Chinese government wanted was not disclosed.  Two additional days in Japan are being substituted but we have not been informed of the details yet.

[roberts2005]

We will be joining the Regatta in March.  How is the ship overall?  Have been on the other R ships, but not the Regatta

[susiesan]

13 hours ago, vlthom said:

Captain has just informed us that we will miss our 2 days in Shanghai due to difficulties being imposed by the government.  We were to be the first cruiseship calling in Shanghai since COVID.  Details regarding what the Chinese government wanted was not disclosed.  Two additional days in Japan are being substituted but we have not been informed of the details yet.

Consider that change a win. Japan is far more preferable to visit than China.  What 2 ports in Japan were added?

[vlthom]

23 minutes ago, susiesan said:

Consider that change a win. Japan is far more preferable to visit than China.  What 2 ports in Japan were added?

It’s now the next morning and we still have not been told where we will be going for two days.  We’ve already been in Japan for 12 days so That’s already a fair amount of time.  Japan has been beautiful, though.

[vlthom]

4 hours ago, roberts2005 said:

We will be joining the Regatta in March.  How is the ship overall?  Have been on the other R ships, but not the Regatta

Regatta is beautiful.  If you like the R ships, you will like it.  We had the one issue that kept us in Vancouver for the extra day but no other problems since then.  I am not sure that we would have been stuck for the extra day had it not been for the fact that it was Thanksgiving in Canada.  

[roberts2005]

Thank you for responding.  We will be going the other way. Sydney to Tahiti.  And yes, we love the R ships.

[vlthom]

Instead of Shanghai, we’re now spending an extra day at Naha and are going to Miyakojima and Ishigaki, both of which are in the Okinawa prefecture.