Seabourn Sojourn departed early. We were stranded!

We are on the Egyptian Gems Tour leaving Mumbai at 11:00pm on March 31, 2015. The one where Seabourn had cancelled all the Egyptian ports. We arrived in India almost a week early to visit the Taj Mahal, Kathmandu and Mumbai. We scheduled our trip so that we would arrive in Mumbai the day before the Sojourn was to leave.

On the day we were to arrive in Mumbai, our airline, Jet Airways, cancelled our flight because of bad weather. We called Seabourn’s emergency number the next day once we had tickets and a schedule. The new flight would get us to Mumbai around 8:00 pm, three hours before the scheduled eleven pm departure. The person we talked to checked the distance between the airport and the dock. They are close together so arriving three hours before departure should not have been a problem.

Once the plane landed in Mumbai and I turned on my phone, it went beep, beep, beep. I had three voicemails. The first one was from someone onboard who said to get to the ship as soon as we could. The second one was from a local who said he represented Seabourn and was waiting outside the baggage pickup. My first thought was that Seabourn was looking out for us and was going to assist us in getting to the ship. Then I listened to the third voicemail. It was from the guy onboard who said the ship had decided to leave early and had left Mumbai! The local took us to a hotel. We checked in and we were having a drink trying to comprehend what had happened. It was a little after nine.

The cruise was scheduled to spend four days sailing before getting to its first port in Salalah, Oman. That amounted to more than 20% of our entire cruise. The local guy said he had a travel agency and he could look up the cost of flying to Salalah. We told him we were too shocked and exhausted to make any decisions. We would talk to him the next day. The next morning, we decided to fly on to Salalah and told the local Agent. He was hard to understand and kept telling us that he would call back. He didn’t. At least he didn’t until late in the evening after I had talked to Seabourn several times. I called the Seabourn emergency line and talked to Tom Fletcher who was the only bright spot in this whole affair. After several conversations with Tom, it was decided that we would be flown to Salalah, Oman courtesy of Seabourn and be put up in a hotel until the Sojourn arrived. The flight was in economy and the hotel was decent although not the quality that we were used to. We are now on board. This is our third day on board. No one has offered us an explanation or an apology.

This is only our second cruise. The first one arrived and departed on time. I don’t know if the Sojourn sees the schedule as a recommendation or if Seabourn regularly changes the schedule without notice. All I know is that changing the departure time a few hours before departure gives one pause. I have scheduled land excursions and am now worried that the Sojourn will decide to depart early and strand us again. Can we depend on them not doing that? I don’t think we can with any peace of mind.

Imagine if our airline was scheduled to take us back to the USA at 10:00 but on the day of departure decided to leave at 07:00 and left us at the airport? If you can imagine that then you know what we have been through. Fore warned is fore armed.

That all sounds quite bizarre and "unSeabourn". Maybe there was a cost issue with sailing later so they took the cheapest option. It's not unusual for a ship to depart on time and leave guests who are late. The same won't happen where there are passengers on excursions. It could really only occur because there was a scheduled late departure and all of the others must have been there.

Really feel for you - what a rotten experience. Yes, it is not unusual for a ship to depart on time and leave guests who are late, but to depart early without guests who would have been there on time is something else.

I am disappointed that you have not been able to get any apology or explanation - I assume you have actually asked for them, not just waited in vain! And I agree that it sounds very 'unSeabourn', normally everyone is as helpful as possible.

Let us know if there are any developments, and hope you are able to enjoy the rest of the cruise and to some extent put this behind you and relax.

If Seabourn has a Twitter account I would use that to try to get an explanation and/or Facebook...it works wonders with major airlines when passengers have been cancelled.

you get compensation for that whole mis adventure ,along with apology and explanation.

I have been on SB once where they did leave missing passengers behind,but left later from port waiting for them. They did manage to get to next port by train,but that was THEIR fault.This was NOT YOURS.

Makes you aware to always have mobil phone,all ship info,passports,ex.when you leave ship,or on way there like you.

Will be interested in how this ends up, let us know.Sounds VERY Poorly handled.:confused:

I would have never accepted a rebooked flight that got me to the embarkation port three hours before departure. Jet Airways had alternatives. I just would not have accepted that one, even if I was inconvenienced in doing so - out of the way connections, long layover, whatever. If they couldn't have, I would have looked at other airlines. I just would not have been comfortable cutting it that close. No margin for recovery. Ships sail at the mercy of the weather, including tides. You are owed an explanation, but you also need to own some of the responsibility.

You say what if your flight departed early? We had just that happen when we got off Paul Gauguin and were flying back to Bora Bora. Air Tahiti rescheduled our 10AM departure for 9. We ate a leisurely breakfast and arrived at the a/p an hour early - to miss the flight. Sat in the terminal until 2:30. They called the tour organizer who didn't call our travel agent. Oh, well.

I will reserve judgement until the whole story is known re the sailing of the Sojourn.

Why you chose to arrive in port with no margin for error is beyond me.

Always arrive the day before a cruise is the plan that most cruisers will adopt.

Enjoy the trip and learn by this experience.

Mr L - the original post says they had arranged to be in Mumbai the day before. However, I do agree that judgment should be reserved until the whole story is known - but the Captain or someone in authority does owe them an explanation, and to my mind it needs to be pretty convincing.

Mr L - the original post says they had arranged to be in Mumbai the day before. However, I do agree that judgment should be reserved until the whole story is known - but the Captain or someone in authority does owe them an explanation, and to my mind it needs to be pretty convincing.

Yes,I have read it again.

I have never had a ship leave port any earlier than half an hour before the scheduled time and that is only after all guests were aboard.

Captains often do this so that fuel is saved by going slightly slower.

As the ship's scheduled departure was 11 PM.....the OP was in communication with Seabourn......their rebooked flight landed at 8 PM (of which SB was aware) and were apparently collected and checked in to a hotel by a little after 9 PM ........isn't it conceivable they also could've been checked into their cruise by a little after 9 PM???

It does not make me want to cruise on this line......it wasn't even a case of the party arriving AFTER departure or even as they were releasing the lines at scheduled departure......they had time to make this sailing!

I guess the Captain could've decided to save some $$ on fuel but now SB has engendered other expenses getting party to FPOC to meet ship and housing them until then......not to mention the negative media!

There must be more to this story than has yet been told. We know of people who have been left behind when they failed to return to a ship at the designated departure time and they were on private tours. We have never been on a cruise which left early unless everyone was accounted for. On one cruise we took a ship's tour which got us back four hours later than expected and the ship was waiting for us.

Jet Airways had alternatives. I just would not have accepted that one, even if I was inconvenienced in doing so - out of the way connections, long layover, whatever. If they couldn't have, I would have looked at other airlines.

There are some airports where weather completely shuts down all flights (this was the reason for Jet Airways delay) and it can happen for several days. The OP clearly had no choice in taking the flight offered.

Is it possible the same weather pattern may have been going to influence SB departing?

There must be more to this story than has yet been told. We know of people who have been left behind when they failed to return to a ship at the designated departure time and they were on private tours. We have never been on a cruise which left early unless everyone was accounted for. On one cruise we took a ship's tour which got us back four hours later than expected and the ship was waiting for us.

On Marinetraffic.com and sea scanner.com....the actual departure time is 21:59 Local Time.

I agree with being early....I'd rather spend the night at an airport hotel than miss a flight.

That was a good catch Julie about the message that the ship left at 8pm which would've made it leave 3 hours earlier than published departure!

At that point there would've been no way for other party to make the ship and Agree that if it didn't.....it would've been tight but they might have had a shot since SB knew their dilemma and their flight arrival time.

Don't have a clue about the departure time on MarineTraffic's site showing time as 21:59..... Still an hour earlier than scheduled departure of 11 pm.

If they made it to the hotel and checked in and having a drink by a little after nine...I'd have to wonder why they couldn't have made the ship.

Where was your TA throughout all of this??

There are some airports where weather completely shuts down all flights (this was the reason for Jet Airways delay) and it can happen for several days.

Do you know that, or are you guessing?

I just wouldn't have sanguinely accepted a three hour window - for the very reason this bore out. What would have happened had there been weather in Mumbai? Bad traffic? I would have been in Jet Airways ear from the moment they cancelled my flight telling them to get me moving ASAP, even if it wasn't a direct flight, had a bad layover, etc.

Even with perfect weather, no flight delays, light traffic, etc, allowing only 3 hours between arrival at the airport and scheduled ship departure is cutting it way too fine. Even more so if the ship is going to be at sea for several days before arriving at the next port. I'm sure there were good operational/safety reasons why the ship departed early and I'd be interested to know what they were for future reference.

In any event it's wise to build in a very large margin of error when making any travel plans in that part of the world where the concept of schedules can be rather "flexible" to say the least.

Do you know that, or are you guessing?.

it says due to weather…….. usually weather affects the airport, not just one airline.

I love watching people jump up and down and yell at airline staff when they want an alternative flight but the airport is closed….

I'm currently on board Sojourn and have been since Singapore. I can add a couple of tid-bits. First, we were told the day before arrival in Mumbai that the ship would be departing at 8.00pm rather than the scheduled 11.00pm. Second, the captain gave the reason as a decision by the port authority. Third, what ever Marine Traffic's site says the ship definitely departed a lot earlier than 9.59pm. I can't be precise but I think it was before 9.00pm.

Good luck to the OP in getting a decent explanation.

Finally, an aside. Knowing what I now know and with the benefit of hindsight hell will freeze over before I would embark or disembark in Mumbai or probably any Indian port.

Finally, an aside. Knowing what I now know and with the benefit of hindsight hell will freeze over before I would embark or disembark in Mumbai or probably any Indian port.

Turtlemichael....... You are missing something special in life!!! There is no place in the World like Mumbai to depart for a cruise from, look at it from a completely different perspective. You have never ever seen organised anarchy like it....you will look in total bewilderment of what it is like!! Last year we departed from Mumbai, it was a whole new education in itself. The vast army of friends that will help you every step of the way is amazing....and you cant really trust any of them!!

I was just as concerned as you and unlike the OP we decided to arrive 3 days pre cruise and had the most amazing experience at the Oberoi.....staying there was another world when you were inside the property. Well, was there a solution to actually finding the cruise terminal and the correct entrance.....that was the quandary. I was like you but I came up with the answer and if you do decide to ever take a cruise from Mumbai this is my advice.

Easy really, rather than take a Taxi which is about £2 or $3, use the Hotel car and Driver, it is expensive at about £10 or $15 !!.... I gave the Concierge the address details and the Port Agents phone number and they arranged everything.......nothing could go wrong could it........you guessed...yes it could!! Even a Mumbai resident couldn't find it first time and of course it was a different Gate than what we were told..... but the point was that The Oberoi owned the problem and Oberoi's do not let their clients down, he sorted everything and we calmly arrived at the correct place, nice and early for a leisurely lunch. He waited to be sure that we were in the boarding system at the Terminal, an Oberoi guest is never left stranded.

So the moral is, arrive 3 days early, stay at the Oberoi, ditch a standard Indian Cool Cab Taxi and slope shoulder the problem on to the Oberoi staff, I guarantee that you will not be let down and as a Big Bonus you will not believe the experience that will await you.

So much so we will do the same cruise again, my wife and I have never enjoyed a travel experience as much as Incredible India!!!

From everything I have read so far, I guess that not much will be said to the OP until Seattle have decided what to do about it, and for them. I would hope they will get back the cost of the three days they missed, plus obviously extra for the distress and problems caused - maybe rather more if taken in discount off future cruises?

Hope to hear the resolution in due course. I agree India is fascinating, and should be visited by everyone for lots of reasons, but when you are looking for a relaxing trip, being looked after, it would be simpler to my mind to avoid India if possible. Just IMO.

From everything I have read so far, I guess that not much will be said to the OP until Seattle have decided what to do about it, and for them. I would hope they will get back the cost of the three days they missed, plus obviously extra for the distress and problems caused - maybe rather more if taken in discount off future cruises?

 

Hope to hear the resolution in due course. I agree India is fascinating, and should be visited by everyone for lots of reasons, but when you are looking for a relaxing trip, being looked after, it would be simpler to my mind to avoid India if possible. Just IMO.

My fault for my "aside" comment. Perhaps it is for another thread. This thread is about the treatment and resolution of the OP's issue.

My fault for my "aside" comment. Perhaps it is for another thread. This thread is about the treatment and resolution of the OP's issue.

Maybe, turtlemichael, but 'India' was certainly part of the problem here, I think.

it says due to weather…….. usually weather affects the airport, not just one airline.

 

I love watching people jump up and down and yell at airline staff when they want an alternative flight but the airport is closed….

So you are guessing. Weather CAN affect only one airline, if the weather was at the originating airport and meant they cancelled the outbound portion, meaning no equipment was available for one flight. Happens all the time where every airline in an airport is operating - weather clear as a bell - except one that has bad weather at one of its hubs.

And one doesn't have to "jump up and down and yell at airline staff" to not be booked for twenty four hours.

That's more of a US thing than other places in the world… Many places don't have so much of a hub thing going…

It certainly doesn't operate that way in Australia… nor in many other places I have been too including Kathmandu (personal experience on that one being cancelled)

I'm heading off later this week to a destination that is renowned for weather cancellations (and would not consider going there within 2-3 days of a cruise) There are no alternatives.

There are quite a few locations in India where this is also the case

if there are no flights, there are no flights….. IME if an airline can get you an alternate route they will… (caveat, not in the US though) as they don't want the backlog caused by cancelled flights.