Revised Epic Mediterranean Itineraries

[sailingships]

4 minutes ago, GirlWriter said:

Maybe the changes are required because of other cruises -- for example, another cruise that overlaps with yours had a stop in Jerusalem that now has to be changed to another port, and so it got moved to one of the ports you already had, which then is overbooked and exceeding the maximum ships allowed in port, which requires NCL to move yours to yet another port. So, in other words, other moving parts collided with your itinerary and created a domino effect.

Why wouldnt there be tendering in those cases?

[DCGuy64]

10 minutes ago, GirlWriter said:

So, in other words, other moving parts collided with your itinerary and created a domino effect.

That would be my guess, as well. The issue that some of these ports were chosen 2 years ago (as some have alluded to) is irrelevant given the facts on the ground. It's safe to say that ANY cruise that was planning to call on ports in Israel has to be re-routed, thus creating the domino effect to which you refer.

[8920]

Okay, thanks.  That's the factor that I was missing, considering the sister ships' (and also NCI's other brands) rerouted itineraries.  They may have had to sacrifice some of Epic's itinerary to give the slot to another ship that needed it more.  That actually makes much more sense.  I appreciate the input.

 

Edited October 18, 2023 by 8920

[8920]

29 minutes ago, GirlWriter said:

Maybe the changes are required because of other cruises -- for example, another cruise that overlaps with yours had a stop in Jerusalem that now has to be changed to another port, and so it got moved to one of the ports you already had, which then is overbooked and exceeding the maximum ships allowed in port, which requires NCL to move yours to yet another port. So, in other words, other moving parts collided with your itinerary and created a domino effect.

Thanks!

Edited October 18, 2023 by 8920

[mjkacmom]

10 hours ago, PhilRSchultz said:

Look!  Another one!  Like I said, as the paying customer I’ll be the judge of that.  What I purchased was access to various destinations.  The cruise ship was just the taxi.  And I fail to see how my original post that his highness, RD, responded to displayed attitude.  How did the earlier poster characterize your type?  Oh yeah, “snarky”.  Indeed

You are mistaken, you paid for a cruise, where destinations can change, you took a risk booking this type of a vacation. If you want to assure certain destinations, don’t book a cruise. Read your contract. 

[8920]

Ease up a bit.  Yes, seasoned cruisers know that in the end, you're booking X days and ports - and even disembarking ports it's now abundantly clear to me - are not guaranteed.  Cruise lines don't exactly advertise that fact when they sell their cruises.  You have to either dig in the fine print, or get bit by it once to know that. 

 

He sees it in a different way.  "The cruise ship was just a taxi."  Was he legally correct?  No.  But his point is that in his mind, the cruise no longer has the same value to him that it did when he booked it.  And in that, he is correct.  He is the sole judge on whether it's worth it to him.  

[SoloAlaska]

Also let’s keep in mind there are insurance companies and security consultants also having a voice in this. They have to plan for the worse right now and that involves other countries becoming part of the conflict. Also there are many more military ships now positioned in the region which cruise ships have to give a wide berth to. Also is the Navy requiring berths in the region. This is an escalating military conflict, your vacation is low on the priority list.

[sailingships]

2 hours ago, SoloAlaska said:

, your vacation is low on the priority list.

Exactly. When I called NCL this morning the agent actually admitted that our Nov Gem cruises could be cancelled. We were supposed to go to Israel, Egypt and Turkey for 7 of our POC. The cruises will be so gutted that unless they can find other ports, we will be wandering around the Med for days.

Edited October 18, 2023 by sailingships

[DCGuy64]

17 minutes ago, sailingships said:

Exactly. When I called NCL this morning the agent actually admitted that our Nov Gem cruises could be cancelled. We were supposed to go to Israel, Egypt and Turkey for 7 of our POC. The cruises will be so gutted that unless they can find other ports, we will be wandering around the Med for days.

I'm supposed to go to Italy and Greece in 2 weeks and I'm worried THAT will be cancelled or changed, too. 😟

[schmoopie17]

4 minutes ago, DCGuy64 said:

I'm supposed to go to Italy and Greece in 2 weeks and I'm worried THAT will be cancelled or changed, too. 😟

In two weeks the whole world could see many (not good) changes.

 

Fingers crossed for your cruise (and all of us)...

[RD64]

37 minutes ago, DCGuy64 said:

I'm supposed to go to Italy and Greece in 2 weeks and I'm worried THAT will be cancelled or changed, too. 😟

I truly hope things do not escalate to make that a reality. However, all passengers have to realize that these changes are possible, not just now, but into the 2024 Med season as well. You can be guaranteed that itinerary planning is working overtime these days for next Spring / Summer / Fall. If sales start to decrease on existing itineraries, changes will have to be made.

 

For those of you old enough to remember the Achille Lauro hijacking back in 1985 (ironically also in October), this destroyed the Med cruise season for 1986, with many cruise lines resorting to North American itineraries. Again may be ancient history to most, but Sun Line - a very popular Greek line at the time - offered some very unique North American itineraries that summer.

[sailingships]

23 minutes ago, RD64 said:

For those of you old enough to remember the Achille Lauro hijacking back in 1985 

Is that the one where the terrorists threw that poor American man in a wheelchair into the sea because he was a Jew? I remember hearing about that horror.

[RD64]

12 minutes ago, sailingships said:

Is that the one where the terrorists threw that poor American man in a wheelchair into the sea because he was a Jew? I remember hearing about that horror.

Yes Leon Klinghoffer - off the coast of Egypt I believe.

[DCGuy64]

18 minutes ago, RD64 said:

Yes Leon Klinghoffer - off the coast of Egypt I believe.

John Adams composed an opera based on the incident entitled The Death of Klinghoffer.