Thye've cancelled my cruise

[Cruising Librarian]

Also sorry to hear about this-I've been considering the Prince Albert for a future cruise in French Polynesia--we've been on the Paul Gauguin 3 times and have loved it, but we'd like to try something else.

 

However, my husband was put off by the expedition ship-he was concerned it wouldn't have enough outdoor common areas to enjoy the warm weather. And there's no pool, either. I understand that it is an expedition ship, my point is that the type of ship SS was offering for the South Pacific doesn't match up with what cruisers want for that itinerary. IMO, of course:)

[DebbieH103]

The spring SS Seychelles is a very good deal, especially if you are a past guest on SS and can get the $1000 off pp.

[canadagal]

Also sorry to hear about this-I've been considering the Prince Albert for a future cruise in French Polynesia--we've been on the Paul Gauguin 3 times and have loved it, but we'd like to try something else.

 

However, my husband was put off by the expedition ship-he was concerned it wouldn't have enough outdoor common areas to enjoy the warm weather. And there's no pool, either. I understand that it is an expedition ship, my point is that the type of ship SS was offering for the South Pacific doesn't match up with what cruisers want for that itinerary. IMO, of course:)

 

These were some of our concerns also. We too have been on the PG and wanted to try something else. We were booked on the Silver Shadow crossing to Tahiti this past October and were not ready yet to head back to Tahiti on another cruise or the Prince Albert. Unfortunately we had to cancel the Shadow just before embarking and put in an insurance claim. We were interested in possibly booking the Prince Albert in the future if reports came back that she was a suitable ship for this location. As I said before, I hope this is only a temporary move away from this area of the world and that they will try again when the economy improoves. I can't blame Silversea for doing whatever it is they need to do to stay viable in these uncertain times. I know people are disappointed and I would be too if my cruise was cancelled but no one anticipated the downturn to be this deep and this global when the Tahiti itinerary was set so I can see why they have cancelled all these cruises. Better they cancel now then 1 month before sailing. I certainly have my doubts about booking the PG again either when she is not managed by Regent come 2010. Just can't see the standards being upheld but I could be wrong.

Pat

[eroller]

I never understood the reasoning behind buying this ship to begin with?? Silversea is already a small brand, and it didn't make sense to have a "brand within a brand" for something that is already so small. Of course the PAII is no where near the standard of the other Silversea ships which creates a huge problem. If you label something with your logo you really have to have it up to the brand standard, not below. Also, all the Silversea ships are pretty small to begin with so any one of them could partake in exploration style cruises, although perhaps not to Antarctica.

 

Silversea also dropped the ball with marketing. No one really knew about the ship and no one knew where it was going. When itineraries were finally announced, they had no time to market it. It's not like it was going to sell itself. Then of all places they announce Tahiti?? What where they thinking? How is that considered an "exploration" cruise? Any of the Silversea ships would be better suited for that itinerary. The PAII doesn't even have a pool. Bad decision.

 

Silversea has bigger fish to fry with the SILVER SPIRIT coming online. This is a ship they will truly need to market and promote to compete with Seabourn's new ships which look wonderful.

 

Unfortunately the luxury market is suffering right now, and it's not the time to experiment.

 

Ernie

[lord of the seas]

That old saying springs to mind "stick to what you know"

[wripro]

I agree with many of the posters here. The only reason to sail on PAII as opposed to other SS ships is for the adventure exploration aspect which imo means Antarctica not Tahiti where there are so many other options. I'm guessing the higherups are doing a lot of rethinking now.

[lord of the seas]

Might I suggest "walking the plank"

[MrsWaldo]

We looked seriously at PG, but there is no itnerary that ticklesmy fancy, for us it wasn't tahiti that was the big attraction. From here Tahiti is hard to get to. It involves two flights most of the time and these are around $1200pp one way AUD (that was before the $ crashed) so now around $5000 airfares if we do a PG from Tahiti, and the PG Brisbane finish which we considered, is a mass of sea days.

 

the attraction for us was the cruise we had booked was not Tahiti based but did a number of small islands difficult to get to via air, one website referred to them as Ocean Dots..Nuie, Alofi, etc

 

The lack of a pool was not an issue as snorkelling was on offer almost everyday, having stayed on Lizard Island several times I've only ever used the pool there once, so other than on a sea day I wasn't too worried.

 

We have decided to go on True North, "Adventures in Paradise", which does small places in the area around Papua New Guinea not serviced by other means. It doesn't have a pool either. They have 3 other cruises which look attractive in Coral areas as well.

[wpbfjr]

I had booked an Austral Islands expedition on a solo fare after my friend said he couldn't go because he was

hit by the financial markets--he is ten years closer to retirement than I am. So I agree with ducttape--don't shoot the messenger.

I feel sorry for myself to miss this fun trip. I sympathize with the frustrations of gemhk who even had air travel booked that now must be cancelled. And I feel sorriest of all for Silversea--to us it is a vacation, to them it is their livelihood--they obviously had the highest hopes. And I can't help wondering if there are more Silversea clients like canadagal who says she was interested in a Prince Albert II itinerary but "didn't want to be on the first few voyages." An expedition ship depends upon a spirit of adventure; a willingness to forge ahead into new territory.

BRAVO!!

 

well put...

[duct tape]

Yea, I liked it too.

[canadagal]

A news report about the cancellations.

Pat

Tourism : 18/11/2008 à 11:02

Silversea's Prince Albert II cruise ship not coming to Tahiti

 

- Silversea Cruises announced Monday that it has cancelled plans to base the 132-passenger expedition ship Prince Albert II in Tahiti next year, deciding instead to begin an Arctic cruise program on June 1.

 

 

Three Internet travel industry Web sites, a Los Angeles tour operator and a Tahiti tourism industry official who requested anonymity confirmed Silversea Cruises' decision.

 

No one, including Silversea Cruises, explained why Tahiti is not longer included in next year's Prince Albert II cruise program. However, the Tahiti tourism industry official said the reason was due to not enough forward passenger bookings for the Tahiti cruises due to the current global financial crisis.

 

The closest Silversea came to confirming that reason was a comment attributed to its president and CEO, Amerigo Perasso. Travel Mole and Travel Today reported from Australia Monday that Perasso said the new plans to operate the Prince Albert II in "Northern Europe, in easy proximity to several of our major markets (U.S., U.K. and Continental Europe), is all the more justified in the present economic times".

 

The Silversea Cruises' decision will have an important impact on Tahiti's struggling tourism industry. With the scheduled end of the year departure of the 670-passenger Tahitian Princess, the Prince Albert II was the only new regularly scheduled cruise ship operation on the horizon for Tahiti.

 

The four InterContinental resorts in French Polynesia had an exclusive contract with Silversea for pre- and post-cruise stays for Prince Albert II passengers.

 

In the U.S., California tour operator Tahiti Legends and Silversea recently announced they had teamed up to provide an exclusive partnership. That called for a free night in an overwater bungalow at the InterContinental Resort Tahiti to passengers booking Vista or View Suites for any one of three different Prince Albert II cruise programs.

 

The Prince Albert II, the refurbished and modernized former World Discoverer II was scheduled to spend six months based in Papeete beginning in late March. This was originally announced as a trial season. If it proved successful, it would mean the ship would cruise in French Polynesia waters for six months each year.

 

However, the Web site Seatrade Insider reported Monday that the Prince Albert II was no longer due to sail from Santiago, Chile, to Easter Island and then to Papeete, arriving in late March to begin a program of 16 voyages.

 

Although two Australian tourism Web sites and e-mail newsletters also reported Silversea's decision to abandon Tahiti, only Seatrade Insider provided specific details about the Prince Albert II's new schedule.

 

In Monday's statement, Silversea President Perasso announced that the Prince Albert II is now scheduled to make "an exclusive journey through the Channel Islands, with select stopovers in Cornwall, Brittany and Normandy and another itinerary to some remote parts of Scotland and Ireland", Seatrade Insider reported.

 

All three tourism industry Web sites quoted Perasso as saying, "I am confident that Prince Albert II's revised 2009 deployment will be a great success, given the extremely positive response from our 2008 Arctic cruisers and the strong market demand for this type of product.

 

"With her ice-strengthened hull, Prince Albert II is quite naturally associated with polar sea ice regions, rather than other attractive, exotic destinations."

 

Seatrade Insider reported that Karen Christensen, Silversea's regional director for Australia and New Zealand, said people with bookings for the cancelled Tahitian itineraries will receive 100% refunds if they do not choose to transfer to any other 2009 Silversea sailing.

 

Ms. Christensen also was reported saying she believed many of the former Tahiti-bound passengers would want to book passage on the Papeete-Lautoka leg of the Silver Shadow's Grand Pacific Voyage, which leaves Los Angeles on March 7.

 

The Prince Albert II had been scheduled to operate five 11-day Austral Island Adventures cruises, four 14-day Journeys to the Marquesas Islands and five 10-day Tuamotu Expeditions.

[duct tape]

There is a press release on the Silversea site.

[meow!]

Along the same line of economic reasoning, Silversea ought to try what it can to negotiate with the shipyard to delay the commissioning of the newbuild Spirit next year! With this sour economy for all foreseeable future, it will be difficult to find so many new passengers.

[MrsWaldo]

 

 

Ms. Christensen also was reported saying she believed many of the former Tahiti-bound passengers would want to book passage on the Papeete-Lautoka leg of the Silver Shadow's Grand Pacific Voyage, which leaves Los Angeles on March 7.

 

.

 

But with this itinerary why woudl you bother

 

23 Mar 2009MonPapeete, Tahiti, French Polynesia 6:00 PM 24 Mar 2009TueBora Bora, French Polynesia8:00 AM 25 Mar 2009WedBora Bora, French Polynesia 4:30 AM 25 Mar 2009WedRaiatea8:00 AM 2:00 PM 26 Mar 2009ThuDay At Sea 27 Mar 2009FriDay At Sea 28 Mar 2009SatApia10:00 AM 6:00 PM 29 Mar 2009SunDay At Sea 30 Mar 2009MonCrossing The Date Line 31 Mar 2009TueLautoka1:00 PM 7:00 PM

 

 

 

The above is only a segement of the Papeete to Sydney Cruise..which is where they are directing us.

 

Against what was on offer before

papeete

Bora

Maupihaa'

Atiu

Aitutaki

Palmerston

Sea Day

Alofi

Vavaú

Niuatoptapu

Apia

Savai i

Day at Sea

Sawa-i-Lau

Lautoka

 

No comparison really..

 

I did look at the Arctic Options this morning and given cruises start from around $3000US then I'm sure the lower $$ will appeal to more people.

[canadagal]

Mrs. Waldo, I have to agree with you. The cruise they are directing people to is part of a crossing and does not go to islands that were on the Prince Albert so I really find the statement a bit of media spin. The only thing that interested us about booking the Prince Albert was the fact that they were going to try and land on tiny islets and motus that no other cruiseline offers. That to me was the big draw and that they were transporting people into these remote islands by zodiac which can go where ship tenders can't.

Pat

[adhoneywood]

They are no longer taking prince Albert through Tahiti after June. Instead they are doing the Arctic.

 

Despite the offers og 20% off an alternate cruise there is nothing that even comes close to the itinerary which was why we booked in the first place.

 

I suppose I should be pleased to not have any extras booked which were in the pipleine for the next few weeks..

Try Regent, Paul Gaugain, they have great cruises.

[wripro]

First of all the Paul Gaugin does not visit the smaller islands that the PAII was supposed to. And secondly, and more important, after next year Regent will no longer be operating the Paul Gaugin.

[MrsWaldo]

I got my refund today...made $400 profit:p

 

The new itineraries still aren't released though on the web unless anyone has anything via snail or email??

[duct tape]

Have a look at the Press Releases on the website.

[duct tape]

oops...wrong information. The itineraries are on the website. Check the Cloud in 2009.

[MrsWaldo]

Duct,

 

Not looking for an alternative, just what they decided to do instead

 

I can't find anything on PA from Mar through to June.

 

They told us the replacement intineraries would be released on Nov 20..

[Louise22]

I had my cruise next fall from Papeete to Easter Island canceled. I received a refund but only the amount deposited. Fortunately, I was just short of booking air. But, my insurance was purchased and I am having to go through a bit of an ordeal to get my premium back. Hopefully, once the insurance company gets a letter from me and a copy of a letter from Silversea about the cancellation I will have that returned. But, at this point, the insurer wants to keep my almost $1,000 on deposit for a future trip. That is completely unsatisfactory.

 

If anyone is really interested in that particular cruise and has been disappointed, there are alternatives - the Clipper Odyssey does the trip with Zegrahm and also with Noble Caledonia in the fall.

[Louise22]

Should have added you can check the cruise also at www.alvoyages.com.

[MrsWaldo]

Lousie,

 

we got $400 extra becuase we paid in AUS $. it was 90c something when we booked and now its 64c

 

I looked at all those options but still doesn't fit the bill...

 

orion, which run similar cruises to True North which is where we are currenlty leaning, is also on the link you gave

[canadagal]

I hope the Pres is right and that they will re-think Tahiti at another time.

Pat

 

Silversea Cruises to re-look at Tahiti?

24/11/2008

French Polynesia President Gaston Tong Sang remains upbeat despite Silversea’s decision to cancel its plans to position the 132- passenger Prince Albert II in Tahiti next year.

Tong Sang is hopeful that another Silversea ship will be based in Tahiti in 2011.

 

According to the weekly newsletter of Tahiti Tourisme, the destination marketing arm for French Polynesia, Tong Sang has indicated the possibility of two ships eventually being based in Tahiti had been discussed in the original negotiations with Silversea executives.

 

Tong Sang, who is also Tahiti’s minister for tourism, believes that, apart from the global financial crisis and Silversea’s decision to cater for what it claims is a strong market demand for more Arctic itineraries, the company did not have enough lead time to launch its inaugural Tahitian operation.

 

‘The deadlines were very short for marketing this new product,’ he said. The ‘new product’ was a programme of cruises to rarely visited destinations in French Polynesia -- the southernmost Austral Islands, the northernmost Marquesas Islands and the lesser-known atolls of the Tuamotu Archipelago.