Poer arrival and departure changes

[pmatawan]

Currently on Riviera. Just started another section of a grand voyage. Received notice through a revised schedule published in Currents that they have shortened port times in every port stop with the exception of 1. Later port arrival and earlier departure times. They cut 4 hour off of stop in Manila. Really screwing up private excursion bookings. Crew on board says that take direction from main office in Maimi and only get notified a day or so before start of segment so hard to plan in advance for rest of cruise.

[osandomir]

2 hours ago, pmatawan said:

Currently on Riviera. Just started another section of a grand voyage. Received notice through a revised schedule published in Currents that they have shortened port times in every port stop with the exception of 1. Later port arrival and earlier departure times. They cut 4 hour off of stop in Manila. Really screwing up private excursion bookings. Crew on board says that take direction from main office in Maimi and only get notified a day or so before start of segment so hard to plan in advance for rest of cruise.

I can imagine how disappointing this’s for everyone on board. We’re booked on the similar cruise with the stop in Manila next year. I wish Oceania would stop this practice of shortening the port times on every cruise just before the sailing or even after people already boarded the ship. We’re planning on booking ship tours using the excursion credit and also exploring some ports on our own. Such schedule changes make really negative impact on the port experiences - often our main reason for booking a particular cruise.

[Queen of DaNile]

16 hours ago, pmatawan said:

Currently on Riviera. Just started another section of a grand voyage. Received notice through a revised schedule published in Currents that they have shortened port times in every port stop with the exception of 1. Later port arrival and earlier departure times. They cut 4 hour off of stop in Manila. Really screwing up private excursion bookings. Crew on board says that take direction from main office in Maimi and only get notified a day or so before start of segment so hard to plan in advance for rest of cruise.

We are onboard as well and took note of all the changes that results in a total of 14 hours less in port - the difference between the times provided on the final docs just few weeks ago and today's Currents. The havoc this has caused for ship and private excursions is not a great way to start a cruise. 

[Hlitner]

Cutting port times means ships can cruise slower and usually save on fuel.   I do have a question for O veterans.  We are following most of the threads in preparation for our first O cruise.  We had previously tried to cruise on O but ultimately cancelled when O completely revamped the itinerary (and some port times) at the last minute.  We have friends currently on another O cruise that have also had multiple changes (after boarding) including missed ports and changed port times.

 

We have been cruising for about 50 years (17 different cruise lines) and can count on one hand the number of times we have had significant changes in ports and port times.  (I am not including last minute changes due to bad weather which is simply part of cruising).   But, after reading CC posts it seems like on O, changes are the norm and the exception is when folks actually take the cruise they booked (in terms of ports and port times).  Is this the case?  or  Is it that folks only post when these kind of things happen.  I say this because our upcoming Vista cruise has already had multiple changes (including moving the embarkation port from Istanbul to Dubrovnik).  For us, 100% of our O bookings have undergone significant changes.

 

What gives?

 

Hank

[Vineyard View]

21 hours ago, pmatawan said:

Crew on board says that take direction from main office in Maimi and only get notified a day or so before start of segment so hard to plan in advance for rest of cruise.

Is this normal?  Why would Miami be making these calls?  Shouldn’t these changes be due to the port authorities, or weather/safety decisions made by the captain? 

[clo]

13 minutes ago, Vineyard View said:

Is this normal?  Why would Miami be making these calls?

So they just do this and offer no rationale?  I'm continuing to get a creepy feeling. I haven't looked at our actual itinerary in ages. Guess I should.

[pmatawan]

2 hours ago, Vineyard View said:

Is this normal?  Why would Miami be making these calls?  Shouldn’t these changes be due to the port authorities, or weather/safety decisions made by the captain? 

Crew says Miami tells ship what speed to cruise at  and other navigational issues and this information is only provided to them a day or 2 before segment of cruise starts. On board changes due to weather conditions are made by the captain

[Vineyard View]

5 minutes ago, pmatawan said:

Crew says Miami tells ship what speed to cruise at  and other navigational issues and this information is only provided to them a day or 2 before segment of cruise starts. On board changes due to weather conditions are made by the captain

Is this normal for other cruise lines, as in standard operating procedures in the industry?  I sincerely do not know. 

[pmatawan]

2 hours ago, clo said:

So they just do this and offer no rationale?  I'm continuing to get a creepy feeling. I haven't looked at our actual itinerary in ages. Guess I should.

The only rational given in the official notifications say " Due to operational issues". If you enquire at the services desk you can sometimes  get a more detailed  explanation. As for the shortened port schedules, it's Miami  main office making these decisions. The slower the ship, the less fuel is used. I have heard elsewhere it may be for environmental reasons as faster ships injure domains and other sea creatures? What is most bothersome is the fact that these seem to be decisions with little advance notice. The " Final cruise vacation summery" supplied just prior to cruise does not reflect what happens on board.

[WNcruiser]

37 minutes ago, pmatawan said:

Crew says Miami tells ship what speed to cruise at  and other navigational issues and this information is only provided to them a day or 2 before segment of cruise starts. On board changes due to weather conditions are made by the captain

 

30 minutes ago, Vineyard View said:

Is this normal for other cruise lines, as in standard operating procedures in the industry?  I sincerely do not know. 

I have been cruising over 35 years on over 100 cruises and have never, ever heard of this. It sounds to me more like a propulsion or engine issue slowing the ship. Of course that is a complete guess in my part but can’t imagine “Miami” making these decisions. 

[pmatawan]

2 hours ago, WNcruiser said:

 

I have been cruising over 35 years on over 100 cruises and have never, ever heard of this. It sounds to me more like a propulsion or engine issue slowing the ship. Of course that is a complete guess in my part but can’t imagine “Miami” making these decisions. 

Nothing wrong with ship. It seems to be the norm lately as I have read here about these issues on cruise critic and Facebook. I'm guessing it is a cost saving issue. When I say Miami makes these decisions its a direct quote from cruise director and others on board. On a multi segment cruise, crew knows nothing about future segments. Can't even book a ship tour on next segment yet. So planning for upcoming ports is difficult without firm information of port arrival and departure times. I canceled a private excursion going to Hanoi as I anticipate we will depart 1 hour earlier than what's currently on the schedule.

[CurlerRob]

On 1/27/2024 at 10:08 PM, pmatawan said:

Currently on Riviera. Just started another section of a grand voyage. Received notice through a revised schedule published in Currents that they have shortened port times in every port stop with the exception of 1. Later port arrival and earlier departure times. They cut 4 hour off of stop in Manila. Really screwing up private excursion bookings. Crew on board says that take direction from main office in Maimi and only get notified a day or so before start of segment so hard to plan in advance for rest of cruise.

 

You may find this previous thread of interest as to the rationale offered by O ...

 

🍺🥌

[pmatawan]

3 hours ago, CurlerRob said:

 

You may find this previous thread of interest as to the rationale offered by O ...

 

🍺🥌

This confirms for me that Oceania can not effectively communicate to their guests about issues that are important to us. We are not even receiving notice on Riviera as others have. Only way to find out about port change times is to compare previously posted schedule with times published in Currents. Sad to see a Cruiseline with such great food and service fail in guest relations and communications.

[Snaefell3]

I've seen 4 categories of port schedule changes on O.   ...and until March I'm a 1-trip newbie  😉

 

• Politics closed a port (Monterey).

• Screwed up berthing: 1 dock, 2 ships, and O wasn't the regular, long-time customer.

• Fuel savings from "slow steaming".

• Fuel savings from changing track to capture better "mileage" from wind effects.

  - Yeah, even ships without sails are affected by winds.

 

(You can tell #3 from #4 by whether the changes are announced months ahead or only days.)

 

 

[Vallesan]

6 hours ago, Hlitner said:

Cutting port times means ships can cruise slower and usually save on fuel.   I do have a question for O veterans.  We are following most of the threads in preparation for our first O cruise.  We had previously tried to cruise on O but ultimately cancelled when O completely revamped the itinerary (and some port times) at the last minute.  We have friends currently on another O cruise that have also had multiple changes (after boarding) including missed ports and changed port times.

 

We have been cruising for about 50 years (17 different cruise lines) and can count on one hand the number of times we have had significant changes in ports and port times.  (I am not including last minute changes due to bad weather which is simply part of cruising).   But, after reading CC posts it seems like on O, changes are the norm and the exception is when folks actually take the cruise they booked (in terms of ports and port times).  Is this the case?  or  Is it that folks only post when these kind of things happen.  I say this because our upcoming Vista cruise has already had multiple changes (including moving the embarkation port from Istanbul to Dubrovnik).  For us, 100% of our O bookings have undergone significant changes.

 

What gives?

 

Hank

I don’t have your cruising history but have sailed on a few different lines since 2015, 14 cruises, mainly Oceania.  We have never had these changing time issues before. Strangely enough we should be on the Riviera at the moment but had to cancel. Anyway, we have only had port cancellations due to weather in the past.

 

The past is just that now, the past. Lots of cruise lines are in dire  financial straights. Added, to this we have the situation in the Middle East. Lots of ships being forced to take the long route to/back from Asia, which adds huge costs. Ships scrambling for the same ports in Europe.

 

The whole industry is in a mess at the moment and I think if you want to continue sailing, and enjoy it, you just have to go with the flow and expect these changes.

 

I don’t think there is anything sinister in what’s happening with Oceania or other lines. I just think they are trying to keep their heads above water (sorry), and recoup as much as they can in extremely trying times. There would be no point them making these changes ‘just for the fun of it’ to hack off their passengers.

 

Dark times. Things have changed and I don’t see them getting much better in the near future. The  choice is ours. …. to cruise or not to cruise?

Edited January 29 by Vallesan

[Redtravel]

Oceania skips ports and often has short visits in ports.  Not sure the explanation is legit. Once there was a replacement port. Usually a skipped port becomes a sea day.  I have been to St. Barts on several cruises. However, never got there on Oceania.  On Sirena in March 2020, St. Barts was supposed to be our first stop. We were told that the seas were too rough for tenders. Looked outside and saw flat water. On that cruise we skipped most ports because the ports closed. .  We sailed in circles.  Never on that cruise did any crew member mention Covid.  Fast forward to January 2024, on Vista. St. Barts was skipped again. We were told it was rough seas due to wind. Seas looked calm.  That port day was replaced by a sea day.  Oceania never apologized. From past experiences, they never refund port charges.  Port charges aren’t much for each guest. On other lines when we skipped ports, we were refunded port charges. It usually is about $15.  On Windstar, when we skipped ports, we were given a nice amount of OBC and FCC.  

[hamrag]

10 hours ago, pmatawan said:

Crew says Miami tells ship what speed to cruise at  and other navigational issues and this information is only provided to them a day or 2 before segment of cruise starts. On board changes due to weather conditions are made by the captain

For me, 'Miami tells ship' is crew speak for Miami has told the captain that total costs for the trip require to be within budget. At a time when the world appears more and more volatile many costs continue to rise. Slower speeds, with resultant lower fuel costs, are an easy win for the captain!

[pinotlover]

2 hours ago, hamrag said:

For me, 'Miami tells ship' is crew speak for Miami has told the captain that total costs for the trip require to be within budget. At a time when the world appears more and more volatile many costs continue to rise. Slower speeds, with resultant lower fuel costs, are an easy win for the captain!

Shortened port stays typically = less port fees. Another huge savings.

[Tranquility Base]

9 hours ago, Vallesan said:

you just have to go with the flow and expect these changes.

I think one of the legitimate questions being asked with the current example, is why no notification until the 1st day currents on a particular segment.

 

[Vallesan]

18 minutes ago, Tranquility Base said:

I think one of the legitimate questions being asked with the current example, is why no notification until the 1st day currents on a particular segment.

 

Yes I agree.

 

Maybe there are so many other pressing issues that this wasn’t considered a ‘major’ problem as only the times were shortened rather than ports being missed. I’m only guessing, but I think re-routing ships is probably the most urgent issue to be resolved by many lines at the moment. 
 

For example the Silver Moon had to stop a cruise going through the Suez Canal half way through. They turned around back to Athens, had to arrange flights for everyone, cancel a couple of upcoming cruises, sail around West  Africa towards Mumbai, arranging refuelling stops on the way. The cruise from Mumbai should have departed on February 11th and has now been rescheduled for the 14th, fingers crossed the Moon gets there, with everyone being given hotel accommodation for three nights prior to the cruise. The cruise had also been shortened by two days! It’s only within recent days that the passengers have been notified and some are still awaiting emails. 
 

All cruise lines are having issues one way or another and of course the logistics of getting these ships back from Asia in the spring is yet another conundrum to be solved!

 

In the grand scheme of things I think the Riviera problem with reduced port stops is probably not top of the list of priorities. I think there will be a lot more disruption to come over the next 6/12 months or so.

 

[MEFIowa]

14 minutes ago, Vallesan said:

... In the grand scheme of things I think the Riviera problem with reduced port stops is probably not top of the list of priorities. I think there will be a lot more disruption to come over the next 6/12 months or so.

Though it depends entirely upon your cruise.

 

Spent 20 nights on Riviera in the Med, 10/30-11/19, 2023. They did change Venice to Trieste in early 2022 and gave us OBC. The ONLY port problem for 16 ports (Istanbul had overnight both cruise) was rough weather diverted us from Livorno to La Spezia. We made all the other ports. And IIRC minimal changes in arrival and departure times when I compare the original booking from 2022 with the actual cruise more than 18 months later.

[Vallesan]

2 minutes ago, MEFIowa said:

Though it depends entirely upon your cruise.

 

Spent 20 nights on Riviera in the Med, 10/30-11/19, 2023. They did change Venice to Trieste in early 2022 and gave us OBC. The ONLY port problem for 16 ports (Istanbul had overnight both cruise) was rough weather diverted us from Livorno to La Spezia. We made all the other ports. And IIRC minimal changes in arrival and departure times when I compare the original booking from 2022 with the actual cruise more than 18 months later.

Yes it does of course. Just my feeling that this year there will be lots of changes for one reason or another. We have B2B in September/October on the Riviera with several stops in Turkey and an overnight in Istanbul. We booked this in the knowledge that the final cruise may be completely different to the one we’ve booked. We have a cruise in May on the Marina and Izmir was changed to Corfu a while ago. C’est la vie!

[MEFIowa]

42 minutes ago, Vallesan said:

... We have B2B in September/October on the Riviera with several stops in Turkey and an overnight in Istanbul. We booked this in the knowledge that the final cruise may be completely different to the one we’ve booked. We have a cruise in May on the Marina and Izmir was changed to Corfu a while ago....

We're on a 22-night B2B on Sirena from London to Stockholm and Stockholm to Copenhagen in Aug-Sept 2024. I don't anticipate any changes and so far it has all been good. Booked this back in early 2022 when the itinerary was released. The 2023 and 2024 about the same time in early 2022. 

[Tranquility Base]

1 hour ago, Vallesan said:

n the grand scheme of things I think the Riviera problem with reduced port stops is probably not top of the list of priorities.

Sure; however IF the decision has been made to sail at reduced speed, surely ONE of the  priorities is to inconvenience as few passengers as little as possible.

 

Many of us had this "one hour later on arrival ; one hour earlier on departure" situation last year.

My recollection is that this was notified by email weeks before sailing.

Not on day of boarding.

 

If major disruption is occurring elsewhere, I would have thought keeping problems on other ships as minor as possible would be smart.

Earliest notification possible to those affected is one such measure.

 

 

Edited January 29 by Tranquility Base

[Vallesan]

18 minutes ago, MEFIowa said:

We're on a 22-night B2B on Sirena from London to Stockholm and Stockholm to Copenhagen in Aug-Sept 2024. I don't anticipate any changes and so far it has all been good. Booked this back in early 2022 when the itinerary was released. The 2023 and 2024 about the same time in early 2022. 

No reason for that not to be good. Just feel that Turkey may just not be a friendly area to sail in. 
 

BTW we did Southhampton to Copenhagen in June last year and if was ‘magical’. We were blessed with wonderful weather. I just put in a couple of sun dresses at the last minute ‘just in case’ and boy did I need them. Enjoy!