Cancelled Cruise 29/09/24 Portsmouth UK???

[Lisa353]

4 minutes ago, jon81uk said:

For the April changes the Barcelona to Athens five night is needed to get the ship to Athens in time for the next cruise from Athens and avoids a further cancellation this May.

 

If they cancelled the October Barcelona to Athens it wouldn’t get replaced with a five night, because the ship is in Athens and would either need to go to Cape Town and onwards again, or it would do something else entirely. 

It’s more likely they would try to bump people into Scarlet Lady instead as that ship is doing Mediterranean itineraries in October. Personally that would be the worst option for me as I’ve done the Scarlet Lady entertainment options and want the new stuff on Resilient again.

Ah, thanks for clarifying that.  That makes sense now.

 

I know that Scarlet Lady is doing a Barcelona to Athens cruise also in October but it is for 11 nights instead of 9 nights and has similar ports.  This is our first Virgin Cruise so thankfully for us it doesn't matter what ship it is.

 

My hope is that they keep the Portsmouth to Barcelona and Barcelona to Athens cruises.

[Shrewsbury on Tour]

I see that Virgin Voyages have now removed the banner that explained the removal of cruises for Resiliant Lady. I truly hope that does not mean we have to wait longer than the end of February to find out if our cruise is going ahead. Time is money as they say, we just need to know. Having had cruises cancelled or significantly altered by with NCL and RC, they are far superior in their communication. Apart from a few who use this site and other forums, most other passengers are booking flights and hotels completely unaware that it looks very likely that it will or has been cancelled. I find this totally irresponsible and selfish. From my own point of view I have leave booked for specific dates. It’s a bloody nightmare. Costing up similar cruises at short notice is going to cost significantly more. 

[Shrewsbury on Tour]

I reached out to VV via X. This is their reply….

 

Thank you for reaching out, Matthew, let's dive right in. Our fabulous Resilient Lady is still set to sail on September 29th, 2024, the voyage has just been sold out. This is why it's no longer available on the website.

 

[Shrewsbury on Tour]

So in last 4 days…

 

it’s sold out

its cancelled 

it’s under review

its cancelled

its sold out…

A completely amateur operation….just going to write this off and sail with someone who can communicate with their customers. Cheers 

[jon81uk]

1 hour ago, Shrewsbury on Tour said:

So in last 4 days…

 

it’s sold out

its cancelled 

it’s under review

its cancelled

its sold out…

A completely amateur operation….just going to write this off and sail with someone who can communicate with their customers. Cheers 

It will be the same with many companies, first line call centre staff don’t know the exact reason it has gone off sale, it will just look “sold out” to them. If it was actually cancelled and you are booked then you will have been told about it directly.

It would be like asking the supermarket checkout person why they don’t have a particular item, they would just see it sold out but have no idea what is going on behind the scenes that caused it to come off sale.

 

The travel advisory page is still there (the banner still shows for me too) and I would trust the text on that update over anything the call centre say.

https://www.virginvoyages.com/travel-advisories/stories/resilient-lady-repositioning-update
 

They promise an update before the end of February, it is probably worth waiting two weeks to see what happens.

 

Edited February 15 by jon81uk

[Jamesv281117]

On 2/11/2024 at 1:23 PM, Shrewsbury on Tour said:

Hello,

After last few days of uncertainty surrounding Resilient Lady for future cruise on 29/09/24. I decided to call Virgin Voyages, because if it is cancelled I need to change leave, pay for another etc. Time is money as the saying goes. Have incurred costs already on flights and hotels all non refundable.

 

So just a few mins ago the following happened..

 

Call 1 - I was told the cruise was cancelled, I said what happens next. I will receive email detailing terms etc. I was then told the cancellation was not official. Clearly should not have told me that. Then back peddled. I asked to speak to a manager, place on hold. Line went dead.. Rage!!!
 

Call 2 - After explaining all again, was told that it had been removed because it has sold out. I said I did not believe this was case. Time for another different answer it’s now under review. Possibly going ahead. But not cancelled today….so many contradictions. 

 

First time with Virgin, I fully appreciate that the world is mad at the moment and things change. But do not lie!!! Don’t say it’s cancelled then change your mind…but if you read between the lines!!!
 

We both work, need to plan leave, etc, Making these calls has only added to the confusion.

 

If anyone has not booked flights, hotels etc relating to above cruise…I would wait!!!

 

Cheers 

Think the voyage is safe based on this announcement..

 

https://vvinsider.com/virgin-voyages-cancels-australian-2024-2025-summer-sailings/

[CineGraphic]

They accidentally sent out email claiming this voyage was affected by the changes, but have since sent out a correction. We are sailing as planned!

[Shrewsbury on Tour]

Good morning…

I truly hope so…but still not back on website yet…hopefully within few days.

I never received a email as mentioned above???
Communication has been mixed??
 Will check again in few days, will save endless hours trying to find alternative. Thanks for the update.

 

Cheers

[Jamesv281117]

1 hour ago, Shrewsbury on Tour said:

Good morning…

I truly hope so…but still not back on website yet…hopefully within few days.

I never received a email as mentioned above???
Communication has been mixed??
 Will check again in few days, will save endless hours trying to find alternative. Thanks for the update.

 

Cheers

Think the email has been sent out to all affected passengers so is further good news if sailors on this itinerary haven't heard anything 

[CineGraphic]

5 hours ago, Shrewsbury on Tour said:

I truly hope so…but still not back on website yet

 

They may consider this sailing to be "at capacity" and not offer it for sale anymore, but it's definitely sailing as planned.

 

[Tralfaz1138]

1 hour ago, CineGraphic said:

 

They may consider this sailing to be "at capacity" and not offer it for sale anymore, but it's definitely sailing as planned.

We did one of the repositioning cruises last year and it disappeared off the bookings only to come back again a couple of months before the cruise date.  I'm not exactly sure what happened.  In any case, sold out or not it seems like the trip is still on.