OCEANIA CRUISES HAS DONE THE PASSENGERS OF RIVIERA AND NAUTICA VERY TERRIBLE IN CHANGING CRUISES FOR iSTANBUL TO DABAI

[geoacs]

We are booked on the 40 day cruise from Barcelona to Singapore. Being Canadians, we have been informed by Oceania that we will not be able to disembark in India due to that country's suspension of Canadian visas.  Since that notice in mid October, India has resumed issuing visas to Canadians, but O has not notified us of the change.  We already obtained our visas prior to the suspension, but wondering if O will allow us to disembark in India???

[Spudd]

4 minutes ago, geoacs said:

We are booked on the 40 day cruise from Barcelona to Singapore. Being Canadians, we have been informed by Oceania that we will not be able to disembark in India due to that country's suspension of Canadian visas.  Since that notice in mid October, India has resumed issuing visas to Canadians, but O has not notified us of the change.  We already obtained our visas prior to the suspension, but wondering if O will allow us to disembark in India???

Given you have visas, there's nothing to stop you getting off in India. I don't know why O would have said you couldn't, if you already had visas. I would check with them again if I were you.

[geoacs]

Yes, thanks, I am adding that question to my ever growing list of deficiencies I must discuss with O on my next phone call. We are now less than to weeks from sailing and still unable to make new bookings for most of the cancelled shore excursions.  Dining reservations platform is malfunctioning, unable to complete bookings. Despite canceling ports in Luxor, Petra and two in Oman, O has not yet canceled our shore excursions for those ports.  Are they hoping that by the time we get there, those ports will be open again?  Very doubtful.

[Jayne E]

24 minutes ago, RetiredLifer said:

The aircraft carrier and the two smaller ships were repositioning.  They just happened to be in the queue with the QE2 to go through the Suez Canal.  Aircraft carriers don’t do escort duties. 

This is how alarming rumors begin.  We had similar rumors in Egypt some years ago and only 6 of us left the ship in Alexandria and returned next day to Port Said. Wonderful 2 days and felt safe everywhere. We didn’t have armed guards escort the van either as rumors insisted wete needed. 

Edited November 5, 2023 by Jayne E
Typo

[brdgplay22]

On 11/2/2023 at 9:31 PM, brdgplay22 said:

https://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/cruises/2023/11/02/oceania-cruise-refunds-israel-hamas/71406253007/?fbclid=IwAR36z5-_bsLqDUeNBGVWF76cbTVJupRKE0r83StKdbPRu45UzUs2Obup1K

 

New story from USA on our cruise from Istanbul to Dubai Nov 29, 23.  We need all the publicity we can get to get Oceania to change and give us FCC or a full refund,   Thanks  Joe & Janet

We, Janet and Joe received a full refund for our cruise of Istanbul to Dubai  Nov29 thru Dec. 19.  Friday the day the USAToday article was posted Friday Nov 3rd, one of the managers of customers customer service, called and asked if we would like a full refund.   I told him yes of course.  I said great. I asked if other customers were going to get a full refund also.  He stated it was not that easy.  They were doing it on a case by case basis.  He assured me that we were not getting a refund because we were the ones responsible for the article in USA.  I was waiting for the credit to my credit card to clear before I posted anything else.  I do not know if doing the charge back with American expressed helped are not.   He did not want to talk about the reasons.  I was happy with the full refund and decided not to push the issue.  I just hope everyone else does not quit trying.  Who knows you can get a refund also.   Good luck to everyone.  

 

Joe & Janet Sherwood. 

[bocagem]

On 11/1/2023 at 12:03 PM, Mexfolkart said:

Last evening, after 6 pm we received two emails from Oceania..

The first was that due to the political unrest our stop in Tangier, Morocco

was being cancelled on our upcoming (Nov 6)  Nautica trip to the Canary Islands and being replaced with Cadiz Spain (a nice enough substitute)

THEN a few minutes later we also got this...that for our Riviera trip Dec 19-29 Mid East Meandering, they were deleting four of our eight stops and replacing them with more time in Dubai and Abu Dhabi and an extra day in Doha, Qatar and Sir Bani Yas.  We also have the pretrip with 3 extra days in Dubai and we are flying in a day early  (on Qatar Airways) so we won't be exhausted thus we now have SEVEN days in Dubai and three in Abu Dhabi. Having been to Dubai and Abu Dhabi five times already we were taking this cruise for the "other" ports. Our TA called first thing this am to a completely uninterested Amanda who offered nothing.

However, we are completely confused how if Tangier, Morocco is NOT deemed safe, how can Qatar and Dubai be deemed SAFE? Plus you others have to come THROUGH the Suez Canal to even get TO Dubai.

We are holding our course here but certainly hope they do re-offer the Future Cruise Credit so we can ALL have lovely cruises with our Oceania ships and not be put at risk.

Any one else on our segment of the Riviera cruise feel the same?

 

We are booked on the December 19 cruise as well-Mid East Meandering-and are quite concerned with the massive unrest in that region.  Furthermore, we booked a New Year's Eve post cruise for 4 nights  Dubai and Abu Dhabi which is in addition to the extra time in Dubai and Abu Dhabi.  We were really looking forward to visiting Bahrain and Oman.  It is very puzzling why these were cancelled yet the other areas are in close proximity in which we are visiting.  I spoke to my cruise consultant and he too mentioned there was a short window of FCC being offered.  We booked  several excursions and have not received the refund of the excursions on our AMEX however it shows the credit on the booking.  It certainly doesn't look like the customer is "King" anymore.  We were long time Regent cruisers and are no longer traveling with them.  I have written emails about our concerns with an American ship in those regions and the abundance of  religious animosity.  We too received a form letter stating there would be strict penalties in cancelling within a 45 day window.  Very frustrating.  We totally agree with your viewpoints.

[cruisemom42]

3 hours ago, brdgplay22 said:

We, Janet and Joe received a full refund for our cruise of Istanbul to Dubai  Nov29 thru Dec. 19.  Friday the day the USAToday article was posted Friday Nov 3rd, one of the managers of customers customer service, called and asked if we would like a full refund.   I told him yes of course.  I said great. I asked if other customers were going to get a full refund also.  He stated it was not that easy.  They were doing it on a case by case basis.  He assured me that we were not getting a refund because we were the ones responsible for the article in USA.  I was waiting for the credit to my credit card to clear before I posted anything else.  I do not know if doing the charge back with American expressed helped are not.   He did not want to talk about the reasons.  I was happy with the full refund and decided not to push the issue.  I just hope everyone else does not quit trying.  Who knows you can get a refund also.   Good luck to everyone.  

 

Joe & Janet Sherwood. 

 

First, let me say that I am very happy to hear that Oceania has refunded your cruise fare.

 

The way in which this entire situation has evolved has me completely baffled -- and to be honest disgusted -- at the way Oceania has chosen to handle things. At every step along the way it seems they have chosen almost the worst possible response and then doubled down on it.

 

How can they think that a strategy of refunding only those few passengers who go to extraordinary lengths, while ignoring the requests of others with the same impacts on the same voyage(s) is anything but a recipe for horrendous public relations and disintegration of any trust that may have been built up in the past?

 

It is capricious, arbitrary and (IMO) indefensible.

 

Is Oceania's new marketing slogan going to be along the lines of "Oceania -- do ya feel lucky, punk? Well, do ya?"

[Vineyard View]

41 minutes ago, cruisemom42 said:

 

First, let me say that I am very happy to hear that Oceania has refunded your cruise fare.

 

The way in which this entire situation has evolved has me completely baffled -- and to be honest disgusted -- at the way Oceania has chosen to handle things. At every step along the way it seems they have chosen almost the worst possible response and then doubled down on it.

 

How can they think that a strategy of refunding only those few passengers who go to extraordinary lengths, while ignoring the requests of others with the same impacts on the same voyage(s) is anything but a recipe for horrendous public relations and disintegration of any trust that may have been built up in the past?

 

It is capricious, arbitrary and (IMO) indefensible.

 

Is Oceania's new marketing slogan going to be along the lines of "Oceania -- do ya feel lucky, punk? Well, do ya?"

100%

[mumcat]

10 hours ago, geoacs said:

We are booked on the 40 day cruise from Barcelona to Singapore. Being Canadians, we have been informed by Oceania that we will not be able to disembark in India due to that country's suspension of Canadian visas.  Since that notice in mid October, India has resumed issuing visas to Canadians, but O has not notified us of the change.  We already obtained our visas prior to the suspension, but wondering if O will allow us to disembark in India???

India is still not issuing tourist visas. They have begun issuing visas to Indian nationals in Canada who need to visit India. 

[mumcat]

10 hours ago, Spudd said:

Given you have visas, there's nothing to stop you getting off in India. I don't know why O would have said you couldn't, if you already had visas. I would check with them again if I were you.

Oceania's visa department don't seem to know much. They have told people on another cruise that they must have a visa for Indonesia otherwise they will have to leave the ship before it reaches port! This is so untrue as its possible to get a visa on arrival at the port or, just stay on the ship.

[mybagsarepacked]

4 hours ago, cruisemom42 said:

 

First, let me say that I am very happy to hear that Oceania has refunded your cruise fare.

 

The way in which this entire situation has evolved has me completely baffled -- and to be honest disgusted -- at the way Oceania has chosen to handle things. At every step along the way it seems they have chosen almost the worst possible response and then doubled down on it.

 

How can they think that a strategy of refunding only those few passengers who go to extraordinary lengths, while ignoring the requests of others with the same impacts on the same voyage(s) is anything but a recipe for horrendous public relations and disintegration of any trust that may have been built up in the past?

 

It is capricious, arbitrary and (IMO) indefensible.

 

Is Oceania's new marketing slogan going to be along the lines of "Oceania -- do ya feel lucky, punk? Well, do ya?"

Absolutely spot on.

Stacy

 

[Vineyard View]

7 hours ago, Damicom said:

If you’re sailing in the Middle East, you’ll see military vessels. Always. It’s not new. You really need to take a deep breath. You’re starting dangerous rumors.  I can understand that you’re upset about the cruise. I agree that Oceania should allow people to cancel. But you know, the cruise companies don’t operate in a vacuum. If the Suez Canal is considered a threat, they won’t let ships in. Travel through the Suez Canal and into the Gulf of Eden is always risky.  
If you’re afraid there’s danger, you should stay home. Your life and peace of mind are worth more than the price of the cruise.  If you’re upset about 9 sea days, pack a bunch of good books, learn to play bridge, take a cooking class, go to the gym, make lemonade.

 

 

There is a lot of truth in here regarding the area this trip was booked - we have always felt it a bit dicey and particularly so after a dangerous situation we were caught in while in Egypt. 
 

That said, I do wonder how you, and others who are not personally affected by this, would feel. Easy to be armchair quarterbacks. We can all fall into that role from time to time, but just step back and think about how you would feel if FCC were offered, then rescinded. Of some people received FCC, and others did not. If some people, likely because they were able to get this story into the NYT (and good for them), were refunded their monies. Yet you, who are no different than these others on this same cruise, are met with silence. 
 

I am 100% in with Cruisemom42 comments post #100. I have followed her for years, and she doesn’t make these types of posts lightly. 

[S4POPO]

On 11/4/2023 at 7:00 PM, Beagle5 said:

Just curious- do you book through a Travel Agent? This  happened on our two previous O cruises (big drops 2 weeks after final payment). In each case our Melbourne TA was able to get O to offer us a choice of either cabin upgrade, OBC, and in one case a FCC. 
still annoying, but it kept us loyal (for now).

This sounds like simple supply and demand to me.  You can always risk it and book your vacation inside of the penalty window and roll the dice on getting a lower price.  You have to pay a premium when you want a guaranteed cabin on a specific deck at a price reasonable to you.  Same applies to airfares.  Do you think airlines would survive if every passenger was expecting to pay the lowest airfare onboard?

[roninman]

42 minutes ago, S4POPO said:

ou can always risk it and book your vacation inside of the penalty window and roll the dice on getting a lower price.  You have to pay a premium when you want a guaranteed cabin on a specific deck at a price reasonable to you. 

Sounds like a worthwhile risk, given that contracts with customers are so strongly one-sided.   Trade off a risk of not having a guaranteed cabin with the risk of not having one (or many!) guaranteed ports (or multiple extra days at sea).

 

Since cruises are strongly advertised- and even named- by their itineraries, and since customers overwhemingly choose cruises based on advertised itinerary, the risk of missing ports without compensating credit or refund can be very troubling to those with limited funds.

 

Customers waiting until the final weeks before sailing seems like a very viable strategy.  If they miss the cruise, or fail to get the cabin, at least they're not out any money.  And they can just catch the next cruise, or cruise line that comes along.   Or not.  Worst case, they pay more for last minute airfare, hopefully balanced by the last minute sailing discount.

[Damicom]

23 hours ago, geoacs said:

We are booked on the 40 day cruise from Barcelona to Singapore. Being Canadians, we have been informed by Oceania that we will not be able to disembark in India due to that country's suspension of Canadian visas.  Since that notice in mid October, India has resumed issuing visas to Canadians, but O has not notified us of the change.  We already obtained our visas prior to the suspension, but wondering if O will allow us to disembark in India???

India decides if you can get off. Not Oceania.

[kathy49]

13 minutes ago, FlyerTalker said:

 

Take a cruise out of San Diego.  You'll be sailing by war ships for sure.

 

Says enough.

 

 

I think there is no question anyone booking these cruises are clear on the inherent dangers of that area of the world. What has created issues is that in some cases over 50% of the cruise ports are not possible and cancelled.  In some cases these ports were the headline for the cruise ie HOLY LAND EGYPT  and would attract a different cruiser than those just looking for a Greek Island or Med cruise.   It is a very unique situation and not like missing a port while sailing due to weather etc. One impacted saiing has become a repositioning cruise with 9 sea days....so very different. Some cruise lines have handled this very well notifying passengers and offering options...some have not.

[Damicom]

3 hours ago, Vineyard View said:

There is a lot of truth in here regarding the area this trip was booked - we have always felt it a bit dicey and particularly so after a dangerous situation we were caught in while in Egypt. 
 

That said, I do wonder how you, and others who are not personally affected by this, would feel. Easy to be armchair quarterbacks. We can all fall into that role from time to time, but just step back and think about how you would feel if FCC were offered, then rescinded. Of some people received FCC, and others did not. If some people, likely because they were able to get this story into the NYT (and good for them), were refunded their monies. Yet you, who are no different than these others on this same cruise, are met with silence. 
 

I am 100% in with Cruisemom42 comments post #100. I have followed her for years, and she doesn’t make these types of posts lightly. 

You’re unfair making assumptions about me. I am directly affected. I’m boarding the Riviera on Dec 29 in Abu Dhabi. Also, I’m Jewish.

I do think that Oceania should allow people who feel uncomfortable about the 11/29 cruise to reschedule .  If was offered to me as an option I might take it.  However, I can’t wholly blame Oceania for the situation.  They’re stuck between a rock and a hard place. They did not go to Israel  and start a war intending to inconvenience passengers and keep their money. I do believe they’re struggling to find the right solution but the situation in the Middle East is day by day. I don’t believe Oceania is anymore evil or money grubbing than any other large business and in fact, in my experience they’ve been more generous than some other cruise lines. I’m offended by the insults being hurled at them and don’t believe it’s productive.

I travel quite a bit and I know that the world is unpredictable. That’s why I buy insurance, get vaccinations and do what I can to feel comfortably safe. I also take responsibility for my own decisions. I booked the cruise. Read the contract. Agreed to the contract.
When the war broke out my husband and I agreed that if we were uncomfortable, we’d walk away from the cruise. It would be an unpleasant financial hit but possibly better than the alternative.

In looking back over these postings, initially when the war broke out, most posts were still about finding  bridge partners and other cruise related activities. It was only when ports got cancelled that people got upset. So, it the problem really the war and safety or the disappointment in the itinerary?
Now, I’ve been on cruises where ports that were special to me were cancelled. some in advance of the cruise. Some on the day off. I certainly understand that it’s very disappointing. I’ve been on tropical vacations where it’s rained every day. I’ve been on ski vacations where there’s been no snow. I’ve had theater tickets and come down with a fever. Nobody owed me a refund for these things. I’m a grownup and can accept disappointment and responsibility. 
The temper tantrums and mudslinging we’re seeing here are not the route to problem solving. If I were Oceania I’d have stopped listening by now……and in fact….I’m tired of it and will be signing off too. 

 

 

Edited November 6, 2023 by Damicom

[bocagem]

10 minutes ago, Damicom said:

You’re unfair making assumptions about me. I am directly affected. I’m boarding the Riviera on Dec 29 in Abu Dhabi. Also, I’m Jewish.

I do think that Oceania should allow people who feel uncomfortable about the 11/29 cruise to reschedule .  If was offered to me as an option I might take it.  However, I can’t wholly blame Oceania for the situation.  They’re stuck between a rock and a hard place. They did not go to Israel  and start a war intending to inconvenience passengers and keep their money. I do believe they’re struggling to find the right solution but the situation in the Middle East is day by day. I don’t believe Oceania is anymore evil or money grubbing than any other large business and in fact, in my experience they’ve been more generous than some other cruise lines. I’m offended by the insults being hurled at them and don’t believe it’s productive.

I travel quite a bit and I know that the world is unpredictable. That’s why I buy insurance, get vaccinations and do what I can to feel comfortably safe. I also take responsibility for my own decisions. I booked the cruise. Read the contract. Agreed to the contract.
When the war broke out my husband and I agreed that if we were uncomfortable, we’d walk away from the cruise. It would be an unpleasant financial hit but possibly better than the alternative.

In looking back over these postings, initially when the war broke out, most posts were still about finding  bridge partners and other cruise related activities. It was only when ports got cancelled that people got upset. So, it the problem really the war and safety or the disappointment in the itinerary?
Now, I’ve been on cruises where ports that were special to me were cancelled. some in advance of the cruise. Some on the day off. I certainly understand that it’s very disappointing. I’ve been on tropical vacations where it’s rained every day. I’ve been on ski vacations where there’s been no snow. I’ve had theater tickets and come down with a fever. Nobody owed me a refund for these things. I’m a grownup and can accept disappointment and responsibility. 
The temper tantrums and mudslinging we’re seeing here are not the route to problem solving. If I were Oceania I’d have stopped listening by now……and in fact….I’m tired of it and will be signing off too. 

 

 

We are also on that cruise and contacted management about our concerns as well.  If you wish to discuss with me please feel free to contact me.  Thank you.

[roninman]

21 minutes ago, Damicom said:

However, I can’t wholly blame Oceania for the situation.  They’re stuck between a rock and a hard place. They did not go to Israel  and start a war intending to inconvenience passengers and keep their money.

 

Very true.  Nor did customers purchase the service from the corporation expecting the inconvenience.

 

Nevertheless, at the end of the day, the customer is the one inconvenienced.   And the corporation is the one not inconvenienced.   Hard to feel sorry for the party who keeps the money, and not for the party who is without it.

 

If only there were some other way the corporation could have handled things.  To maybe even kind of show hey we're all in this together.

 

 

Edited November 6, 2023 by roninman

[cruisemom42]

2 minutes ago, roninman said:

 

Very true.  Nor did customers purchase the service from the corporation expecting the inconvenience.

 

Nevertheless, at the end of the day, the customer is the one inconvenienced.   And the corporation is the one not inconvenienced.   Hard to feel sorry for the party who keeps the money, and not for the party who is without it.

 

If only there were some other way the corporation could have handled things.

 

 

 

Very well said.

 

And if Oceania had decided to act compassionately (contract limitations notwithstanding), they would have garnered more positive publicity for themselves than printing a million glossy brochures...

 

 

[Damicom]

7 minutes ago, roninman said:

 

Very true.  Nor did customers purchase the service from the corporation expecting the inconvenience.

 

Nevertheless, at the end of the day, the customer is the one inconvenienced.   And the corporation is the one not inconvenienced.   Hard to feel sorry for the party who keeps the money, and not for the party who is without it.

 

If only there were some other way the corporation could have handled things.  To maybe even kind of show hey we're all in this together.

 

 

I never said I think Oceania is right in not allowing FCC. I said I think they should. I also think there is a shared responsibility. When passengers are calling them crooks and thieves, the “we’re all in this together” argument doesn’t hold up. I just think there are more mature and successful ways of dealing with adversity than throwing a tantrum

[Damicom]

17 minutes ago, roninman said:

 

Very true.  Nor did customers purchase the service from the corporation expecting the inconvenience.

 

Nevertheless, at the end of the day, the customer is the one inconvenienced.   And the corporation is the one not inconvenienced.   Hard to feel sorry for the party who keeps the money, and not for the party who is without it.

 

If only there were some other way the corporation could have handled things.  To maybe even kind of show hey we're all in this together.

 

 

At the end of the day it’s the Israelis and Palestinians who are “inconvenienced “. And some people here should have some perspective and empathy. 

[roninman]

10 minutes ago, Damicom said:

When passengers are calling them crooks and thieves, the “we’re all in this together” argument doesn’t hold up. I just think there are more mature and successful ways of dealing with adversity than throwing a tantrum

 

Those who are out a lot of money after saving years for bucket list stops are understandably concerned.   When they see the concern is not shared, or is first shared and then snatched away, such folks are understandably upset.   After all, they are the victims here.  Their upset in part was spawned by the fact that clearly all were not all in this together, not the other way around.  Other than that, I don't recall anyone calling the corporation who kept their money thieves and crooks, or throwing a tantrum.  Or at least, not in this forum! 🙂

Edited November 6, 2023 by roninman

[roninman]

3 minutes ago, Damicom said:

At the end of the day it’s the Israelis and Palestinians who are “inconvenienced “. And some people here should have some perspective and empathy. 

Again very true.  But really irrelevant in the discussion between consumer and corporation, unless the intent is to guilt trip a consumer into silently accepting his unfortunate lot.   That disappointed consumer giving his money to the corporation helps neither Israeli nor Palestinian, although it admittedly does help the corporation.

[Damicom]

3 minutes ago, roninman said:

Again very true.  But really irrelevant in the discussion between consumer and corporation, unless the intent is to guilt trip a consumer into silently accepting his unfortunate lot.   That disappointed consumer giving his money to the corporation helps neither Israeli nor Palestinian, although it admittedly does help the corporation.

Irrelevant? Listen to yourself. It’s the crux of this issue. Thank you for making my point.