Cape Town to Cape Town...currently on board Nautica

We are aboard the Nautica right now on the Cape Town to Cape Town trip. I wanted to let you all know a few things so you may not be as crushed as I am feeling right now. First, the pre-cruise tour has been the absolute highlight of this trip. Otherwise, I am feeling cheated by a line that we have loved in the past. Cheated out of the holidays as there isn't a single decoration on the ship (a first for a Christmas cruise for us....the ships are usually wonderful) which we had looked forward to in lieu of having anything up at home. Cheated out of money....promises were made about concierge class when we upgraded and the amenities they promised do not exist on this ship. We could have stayed with oceanview and been fine....can't use the balcony as they seas have been rough. The hot tubs are not hot. The food is beyond bland even in the specialty restaurants. Entertainment is the worst of any Oceania ship we have been on....we don't expect much but this has been terrible and exacerbated by several ports being cancelled. We missed Mossel Bay because the seas were too rough to tender in yet somehow despite having all that extra sailing time we were late to Richards Bay so our game drive was cut short and our guide took the fact that he waited all morning for us out on us by talking to everyone he passed on the road, stopping to watch dung beetles, stopping for a potty break nobody wanted or needed given that we has less time to tour and then said "You could have seen more if you had been on time". Seriously??? Like we had any say in the matter? Then we got to Maputo, where the last time they called there it took 5 hours to clear the ship through immigration (they want to fingerprint and photograph everyone on the ship), the customs people showed up late and then couldn't process people so we left. Got to Durbin about 1.5 hours early (again, despite having extra sailing time) and went on our scheduled coastal and city tour which was driving in a bus down the highways and interstates with no views to have a 5 minute stop at a beach and a 5 minute stop at a vacant lot in a neighborhood overlooking the city to take pictures of the city through a barb wire fence and then drove through the slums of Durbin. If you scheduled this tour, I suggest you skip it and take a shuttle to the marine park/shopping area. You cannot walk out of the port...must have a bus or taxi though there were few of those around so we couldn't go out in the evening. The tour of Tala Game Reserve was wonderful! Do this! So, that brings us to now. Last night they announced that bad weather is expected so we will overnight in New London and miss Port Elizabeth....don't know why we couldn't stay at New London all day the second day so we could do another excursion or go shopping....anything off the ship but we will leave at 10 a.m.. So, we get one more day on land and three more excruciating days at sea before we get to Namibia....unless that is cancelled too. . If you booked your excursions via O Life, you do not get any credit for ones you miss due to cancellations of ports so you cannot even use credits to drink or spa. Our much anticipated African adventure has become a feeling of being held hostage at sea. We started with Oceania on our honeymoon when then the line was new. 15years later, this will be our last trip with them. I thought this would be a luxurious way to sample Africa but all we are seeing is the inside of a ship.

Wow, sorry your cruise turned out to be such a bummer for you. I can't help wonder though how much is a result of the itinerary coupled with the timing of the cruise? Is your cruise in season or outside of prime sailing weather? So do you believe the Captain purposely wanted to arrive late at ports?

...I can't help wonder though how much is a result of the itinerary coupled with the timing of the cruise? Is your cruise in season or outside of prime sailing weather?...

OP appears to have taken the first cruise of the African itineraries 2017. OP's cruise began on December 6 (and ends December 21). There is one more African itinerary that begins in 2017: December 21

Those cruises are followed by two cruises in early 2018: January 13 and February 8.

The schedule for 2018-19 shows three -- not four -- cruises: one date in early December 2018 and one each in January and February 2019.

I don't know enough about S. African weather/sea states to know if the 6-week difference between the early December sailing and the mid-January sailing is significant.

Usually the first and last cruises are in shoulder season and not as optimal as core season on many itineraries.

We booked a November Venice to Rome cruise which we understand is past season and will most likely not have the best weather. We check the weather statistics and some warned that it will be very rainy. At least we booked with the understanding it may not be as nice. Ironically, this cruise will be on the Nautica.

Usually shoulder season cruises are priced lower to compensate for the diminished booking interest.

I wonder if this is the case for the OP?

Sorry to read about your disappointment. Seems to me that the ship might have 'converted' your unused OLife tours into a shipboard credit as a measure of goodwill.

...Cheated out of the holidays as there isn't a single decoration on the ship (a first for a Christmas cruise for us....the ships are usually wonderful) which we had looked forward to in lieu of having anything up at home.

Cheated out of a December 25 holiday because decorations aren't up on December 12? Have you asked when the decorations will be on display?

Is there a menorah in sight? Any Hanukkah decorations? Last night began the holiday for Jewish cruisers.

Cheated out of money....promises were made about concierge class when we upgraded and the amenities they promised do not exist on this ship.

Specifics? What is not available on Nautica? Concierge category is a topic that is discussed frequently. The consensus on this board is that Concierge class is not worth the money.

Sorry that things have not worked out well in certain ways for your Cape Town to Cape Town cruise. As linked below, we did an early 2016 cruise with many similar port stops. It was on another cruise line, but there were no problems with missed stops for us. Yes, that would be very frustrating!! We do cruises primarily for the itineraries and the key port stops. Missing those stops would not make me very happy and it seems that your "weather luck" was much, much worse than normal. Good luck for the future and whatever cruise lines you use.

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

AFRICA?!!?: Lots of interesting and dramatic pictures can be seen from this live/blog at:

www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2310337

Now at 36,171 views for this visual sharing including Cape Town, along South Africa’s coast, Mozambique, Victoria Falls/Zambia and Botswana's famed Okavango Delta area.

They apparently put up decorations overnight last night. Apparently I wasn't the only one missing them. We certainly didn't get a low price on this trip....then paid more for Concierge level which doesn't offer most of what we were told it did. Our port for tomorrow was cancelled yesterday evening as they said we would have a huge storm around 3 today that would make everything unsafe. We sit at dock at nearly 7 and is is still sunny and beautiful out. I am not believing the story about the storm at this point. I am thinking it is a cost saving measure as the ship didn't sell out. Locals tell us that the weather this time of the year is usually nice and they don't have any idea about a storm.

If the ship stayed all day in New London would it have time to make it to Walvis Bay?

Checking Wunderground weather there does seem to be high winds forecast for Port Elizabeth. Was this supposed to be a tender port? Perhaps that is the issue?

then paid more for Concierge level which doesn't offer most of what we were told it did. .

We have three concierge cabins booked on R class ships including the Nautica. So what specifically did they promise you in Concierge that they didn't offer? Part two; Did you ask for what you didn't get?

• You should be getting a free bottle of bubbly.
  
• Three free bags of laundry.
  
• Extra specialty dining reservations.
  
• Early embarkation.
  
• I don't believe they have a Concierge lounge on the R class.
  
• Room service from the Grand Dining Room menu during lunch and dinner.
  
• Free unlimited internet.
  
• Complimentary Oceania Cruises logo tote bag.
  

We have three concierge cabins booked on R class ships including the Nautica. So what specifically did they promise you in Concierge that they didn't offer? Part two; Did you ask for what you didn't get?

 

• You should be getting a free bottle of bubbly.
  
• Three free bags of laundry.
  
• Extra specialty dining reservations.
  
• Early embarkation.
  
• I don't believe they have a Concierge lounge on the R class.
  
• Room service from the Grand Dining Room menu during lunch and dinner.
  
• Free unlimited internet.
  
• Complimentary Oceania Cruises logo tote bag.
  

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

From our Jan. 25-Feb. 20, 2015, Amazon River-Caribbean adventure that started in Barbados, here is the link for that live/blog. Many visuals from this amazing river and Caribbean Islands (Dutch ABC's, St. Barts, Dominica, Grenada, San Juan, etc.):

www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2157696

Now at 54,439 views for these postings.

I have said this before many times but imo Oceania is the worst cruise line in terms of cancelling or aborting ports. And they usually have unsatisfactory reasons for doing so. I have yet to sail on an O cruise where some port has not been canceled. And NEVER any remuneration of port fees.

I have said this before many times but imo Oceania is the worst cruise line in terms of cancelling or aborting ports. And they usually have unsatisfactory reasons for doing so. I have yet to sail on an O cruise where some port has not been canceled. And NEVER any remuneration of port fees.

Agree 100%. Cruised lots of lines O has the most missed ports -- St Barts 3 times -- Falklands once , also East London and Port Elizabeth. We were off the ship on the East London miss supposed to rejoin the cruise a private overland Safari -- O never informed us of this miss and had to hi tail it to Durban on Christmas to catch the ship on the 26th.

I am curious also what you were promised in A Cat that you did not get?

Others have posted in other threads they did receive a $100 OBC for cancelled O Life tours ..maybe ask at Destination services if you are getting it also

I have yet to sail on an O cruise where some port has not been canceled.

H,

I don’t believe that this is entirely true.

You and I have sailed on a Marina cruise that did not miss any ports, IIRC :)

Refresh my memory - did we miss a port on that cruise?

 

 

 

• I don't believe they have a Concierge lounge on the R class.
  

You are correct only on the O class ships there is the Concierge lounge

also free use of the Spa Terrace deck is included with Concierge cabins

. If you booked your excursions via O Life, you do not get any credit for ones you miss due to cancellations of ports so you cannot even use credits to drink or spa. Our much anticipated African adventure has become a feeling of being held hostage at sea. We started with Oceania on our honeymoon when then the line was new. 15years later, this will be our last trip with them. I thought this would be a luxurious way to sample Africa but all we are seeing is the inside of a ship.

I am sorry for the frustrations you are experiencing. I can only speak from my own experience of a missed port due to rough seas. Last year I was on a Panama Canal cruise and we missed the tender port of San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua because the captain determined the sea was too rough for the tender boats. Of course we were disappointed but we did receive a 100% refund of the shore excursion we had booked through Oceania, to be used as a shipboard credit.

In 15 o cruises I have missed only 3 ports and port fees returned every time. Each time was weather related and in the interest of safety

Portofino

Madagascar (typhoon)

Esperance ( huge storm, inability to tender)

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We missed Alesund this summer. We had 3-5 foot waves, in our face, and the captain said he was slowing down and putting the stabilizers out, and would miss the port. We were suppose to be in dock at 08:00 and we slowly sailed by in calm waters at noon. We didn’t get any compensation for the missed port. The ocean was not actually rough and we just putzed around because the next days port was a short sale. O saved a lot of $$$ in port fees , we missed a booked tour!

Is the confusion on the tours because they were included OLife tours, so no refund was made. I’m surprised they didn’t allow you to substitute another OLife qualifying tour for later, if any were available. Those tours are like the OBC option, use it or lose it but no money back.

I am sorry for the frustrations you are experiencing. I can only speak from my own experience of a missed port due to rough seas. Last year I was on a Panama Canal cruise and we missed the tender port of San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua because the captain determined the sea was too rough for the tender boats. Of course we were disappointed but we did receive a 100% refund of the shore excursion we had booked through Oceania, to be used as a shipboard credit.

We have missed a few ports you do not get any port fees refunded from O

Maybe you were on a different line ? or you are getting special treatment ?

We missed Punta Cana last week, no refund

We have missed a few ports you do not get any port fees refunded from O

 

Maybe you were on a different line ? or you are getting special treatment ?

We missed Punta Cana last week, no refund

We were 100% refunded for the shore excursion we had signed up for through Oceania. It was on the Regatta in 2016. I didn't ask other passengers about it but we were in no position to get special treatment. I assume other passengers were refunded as well. This was a year and a half ago so maybe Oceania has changed their policy since then.

Oceania credited our account for $100. per excursion, per person for canceled Olife excursions. This was non refundable OBC. Since port fees are no longer shown on their invoices, no credit has been given.

We were 100% refunded for the shore excursion we had signed up for through Oceania. It was on the Regatta in 2016. I didn't ask other passengers about it but we were in no position to get special treatment. I assume other passengers were refunded as well. This was a year and a half ago so maybe Oceania has changed their policy since then.

Sorry I replied to the wrong post

my bad

Shore excursions are different than port fees & taxes

Meant to reply to BITOB

H,

I don’t believe that this is entirely true.

You and I have sailed on a Marina cruise that did not miss any ports, IIRC :)

Refresh my memory - did we miss a port on that cruise?

Paul...we were on that cruise as well and I don't recall missing any ports?? :confused: LuAnn

I was on Oceania Insignia less than 2 months ago and we missed a port of call due to bad weather and Oceania reimbursed 100% the shore excursion that we missed. It was credited back to our credit card. This was announced to all passengers that had excursions. So for us it worked out well, because we got refunded.