Missing Le Havre due to weather ?

I know it's impossible to predict the weather, etc., but can anyone give me a "guesstimate" as to how frequently cruise ships are unable to get into Le Havre due to weather/rough seas? I'm asking about the late October time frame.

I have a private Normandy D-Day tour booked and the tour company says that if our ship misses the port the total cost of the tour will be charged to my credit card :eek:

Le Havre is a major commercial port with a lot of shelter from the elements. But high winds can cause any ship to skip any port. Odds are very good that you will make the port but there are no guarantees.

We were there last summer and as Hank says, it is a pretty big port, I can't imagine a ship not making that port.

You still might want to invest in travel insurance. Decent policies will cover costs related to missed ports.

Thanks for the replies--very reassuring. After my original post yesterday, I emailed the tour company and asked them to reconsider their policy. Surprise, surprise--they did! They won't charge my credit card as long as I notify them before their guide leaves on his way to pick us up at 6:00 the morning of the tour. Guess I'll be getting up early that morning just to make sure we're bound for Le Havre.

I wasn't going to mention names but I want to publicly thank Overlord Tours for taking a more reasonable approach to this situation.

hubofhockey--We're definitely getting travel insurance; always do :)

Good insurance policies cover charges for missed ports. But I agree. Who needs the hassle of putting in a claim. Overlord is good, but expensive. Also, if you're sitting in the 3rd row of the van, it's not easy to hear driver. Maybe it was just our van. But they ought to equip those things with speakers.

I am surprised Overlord ever asked for upfront payment, we used them last year and did not have to pay if we missed. They do a great job, hopefully you will get Oliver!

I am surprised Overlord ever asked for upfront payment, we used them last year and did not have to pay if we missed. They do a great job, hopefully you will get Oliver!

Hi, Kirk - Nothing has been charged to me. When I was checking their cancellation policy online, I didn't see anything addressing what would happen if the ship couldn't get in to the port, so I emailed them and asked that specific question. The reply was that if we missed the port, they would charge my credit card for the total amount of the tour (for 8 people) and provide me with documentation to submit to my travel insurance provider.

Because of their excellent reputation I decided to take the risk, thinking I would be able to submit a claim and get the whole amount back. WRONG! The 5 insurance providers that I contacted all said they could only cover my husband and me; the other 6 people on the tour would have to work through their own insurance companies. That then made me start thinking about the hassle involved for everyone, not to mention the time involved for everyone to get their reimbursement and (hopefully) send me the money so I can pay my credit card bill. I plan to get everyone's Euros the day before the tour, which is the day we embark in Southampton, so I suppose I could just keep that money, but for me that would be really awkward. This is probably more information than you wanted or needed--sorry! :o:o It's all worked out now and I do appreciate Overlord's reasonable response to my request.

And BTW, I requested Olivier to be our guide. Overlord said no guarantee but they've noted in my reservation that I asked for him.

In August 2009, the Crown Princess was unable to get into Le Harve. I know because we were on the cruise. One of the principle reasons we had taken the cruise was for their stop in Le Harve. We were notified the evening before our arrival that we weren't going to make it into port. We're now planning a 2 week land tour of Normandy to make up for the miss. We dealt with disappointment but I'll never take another cruise because we want to go to one specific port. Glad Overlord was so cooperative and hope that you won't have to deal with the issue at all.

Carol

I was researching Le Havre, regarding missing the port as we are looking into disembarking there instead of Southampton so we can have more time in Paris.

I do have trip insurance so I'm not worried about that aspect.

When Princess Cruise Line misses Le Havre due to weather - do they turn it into a sea day? Or do they dock elsewhere? I've read on some tour websites that some of the cruise lines will instead dock in Cherbourg when they can't get into Le Havre - so was curious if Princess had a "normal" procedure.

I've booked a tour with Overlord for August 2014.. The email I received re cancellation due to not making port says I must notify them by 6pm. I'm guessing this is the night before. The email said this would be the policy as of 01/01/14. Do you recall if your cancellation stated night before or day of?

I was researching Le Havre, regarding missing the port as we are looking into disembarking there instead of Southampton so we can have more time in Paris.

 

I do have trip insurance so I'm not worried about that aspect.

 

When Princess Cruise Line misses Le Havre due to weather - do they turn it into a sea day? Or do they dock elsewhere? I've read on some tour websites that some of the cruise lines will instead dock in Cherbourg when they can't get into Le Havre - so was curious if Princess had a "normal" procedure.

Le Havre itself is very reliable in poor weather, so I'd rate porting in Cherbourg instead as a rarity.

But the weather has been responsible for it being missed by cruise ships on a few occasions, due to a delayed departure from the previous port or a revised itinerary to miss the worst of the weather at sea, or simply slow progress due to high seas.

Coming at the end of the cruise, if the ship is well behind schedule due to weather or mechanical issues, missing Le Havre allows the cruise to finish at Southampton on schedule.

Late into October isn't a good time for reliable weather.

And strike action in French ports (blockading a port with fishing vessels is a favoured French tactic) can mean missing Le Havre - though the French seem well-behaved lately.

That said, the risk is low & a number of passengers opt to do exactly the same as you & end their cruise at Le Havre, then fly home a few days later from Paris.

I'd be inclined to stick with your plan, but it's worth researching the best way from Southampton to Paris as a Plan B, & checking whether your insurance covers resulting Southampton-to-Paris transfer & hotel costs in the event of the ship failing to port at Le Havre for whatever reason.

JB :)

Interesting that this thead came up again. As luck would have it, we DID miss Le Havre (and Vigo, and Ponta Delgado) due to the storm that hit the UK in late October 2013. We stayed docked in Southampton for the first three days of what was supposed to be our cruise. We left Southampton and went directly to Lisbon where we got enough fuel to get us across the Atlantic to Bermuda and then finally to Ft Lauderdale. In spite of missing three of our five ports, we had a good time and believe the Captain made absolutely the right decision when he chose to remain in Southampton. This was a severe storm!

I did have a tour booked with Overlord in Le Havre, as did several others on our roll call. I had been told by my (very nice, very helpful) contact at Overlord that as long as I contacted them before their guide was on his way to Le Havre my credit card would not be charged for not showing up for the tour. As soon as we boarded and got to our cabin I sent an email telling them we were not going to Le Havre as originally planned. The weren't aware of the change yet and asked me to phone them, which I did. By the time I got through to them, they had been able to confirm with someone at the port that the Crown Princess really wasn't gong to Le Havre. My credit card was not charged, but it was disappointing for everyone involved, including Overlord.

Interesting that this thead came up again. As luck would have it, we DID miss Le Havre (and Vigo, and Ponta Delgado) due to the storm that hit the UK in late October 2013. We stayed docked in Southampton for the first three days of what was supposed to be our cruise. We left Southampton and went directly to Lisbon where we got enough fuel to get us across the Atlantic to Bermuda and then finally to Ft Lauderdale. In spite of missing three of our five ports, we had a good time and believe the Captain made absolutely the right decision when he chose to remain in Southampton. This was a severe storm!

 

I did have a tour booked with Overlord in Le Havre, as did several others on our roll call. I had been told by my (very nice, very helpful) contact at Overlord that as long as I contacted them before their guide was on his way to Le Havre my credit card would not be charged for not showing up for the tour. As soon as we boarded and got to our cabin I sent an email telling them we were not going to Le Havre as originally planned. The weren't aware of the change yet and asked me to phone them, which I did. By the time I got through to them, they had been able to confirm with someone at the port that the Crown Princess really wasn't gong to Le Havre. My credit card was not charged, but it was disappointing for everyone involved, including Overlord.

Sorry you missed those ports and particularly the Overlord tour, which I'm sure you would have loved. I hope you have the chance to do it one day, and I'm glad you still had a good time on your cruise.

You must have been scheduled to leave Southampton a day or so after we left Harwich on the Infinity TA (which was Oct. 24), because we sailed south and west into the approaching weather and had a pretty rocky first couple of days heading into the Bay of Biscay, and I know England got slammed just after we left...

Sorry you missed those ports and particularly the Overlord tour, which I'm sure you would have loved. I hope you have the chance to do it one day, and I'm glad you still had a good time on your cruise.

 

You must have been scheduled to leave Southampton a day or so after we left Harwich on the Infinity TA (which was Oct. 24), because we sailed south and west into the approaching weather and had a pretty rocky first couple of days heading into the Bay of Biscay, and I know England got slammed just after we left...

Yes, we were supposed to leave Southampton on Oct 26. When we actually left three days later we, too, had some rocky days. I was glad we had already started taking our anti-seasickness meds! :D

Interesting that this thead came up again. As luck would have it, we DID miss Le Havre (and Vigo, and Ponta Delgado) due to the storm that hit the UK in late October 2013. We stayed docked in Southampton for the first three days of what was supposed to be our cruise. We left Southampton and went directly to Lisbon where we got enough fuel to get us across the Atlantic to Bermuda and then finally to Ft Lauderdale. In spite of missing three of our five ports, we had a good time and believe the Captain made absolutely the right decision when he chose to remain in Southampton. This was a severe storm!

 

I did have a tour booked with Overlord in Le Havre, as did several others on our roll call. I had been told by my (very nice, very helpful) contact at Overlord that as long as I contacted them before their guide was on his way to Le Havre my credit card would not be charged for not showing up for the tour. As soon as we boarded and got to our cabin I sent an email telling them we were not going to Le Havre as originally planned. The weren't aware of the change yet and asked me to phone them, which I did. By the time I got through to them, they had been able to confirm with someone at the port that the Crown Princess really wasn't gong to Le Havre. My credit card was not charged, but it was disappointing for everyone involved, including Overlord.

WOW! Talk about bad luck...that truly sucks. In over forty years of extensive cruising we have only had a single cruise where our ship was held in port...but that was only for 1 day. What happened on your cruise is quite rare...but stuff sure does happen.

Hank

I wonder how often the ship(s) are unable to dock for embarking passengers? Is there a website that gives this sort of information?

My wife and I are booked for a round trip British Isles cruise out of Le Havre (Paris) in August 2019. We are planning to spend a few days in Paris prior to the cruise.

We have Platinum travel insurance with Princess. The idea that we might possibly not be able to embark and have to catch up to the ship really worries me.

I wonder how often the ship(s) are unable to dock for embarking passengers? Is there a website that gives this sort of information?

 

My wife and I are booked for a round trip British Isles cruise out of Le Havre (Paris) in August 2019. We are planning to spend a few days in Paris prior to the cruise.

 

We have Platinum travel insurance with Princess. The idea that we might possibly not be able to embark and have to catch up to the ship really worries me.

We are embarking at Le Havre in less than 2 weeks for the same cruise on Royal Princess.

Because there is always the (slight) possibility of the ship not being able to dock at Le Havre, we have

chosen to book our transfers from Paris through Princess Cruises.

This makes it THEIR responsibility to get us to Southhampton should this occur.

We are embarking at Le Havre in less than 2 weeks for the same cruise on Royal Princess.

Because there is always the (slight) possibility of the ship not being able to dock at Le Havre, we have

chosen to book our transfers from Paris through Princess Cruises.

This makes it THEIR responsibility to get us to Southhampton should this occur.

Royal Princess sails out of Southampton on 29th August & most passengers will have boarded there.

So you're in the second tranche of passengers and will be boarding next day in Le Havre, right?

I'm guessing that since those sailing from Le Havre bought their tickets as a cruise starting at Le Havre, rather than simply being permitted to join at Le Havre, it's Princess' responsibility to get all of them - not just those on transfer buses - to the next port if the ship fails to berth at Le Havre.

But, that said, the "belt and braces" of booking a Princess transfer isn't a bad philosophy in the circumstances :)

And you'd be very very unlucky to have to put it to the test.

Have a safe flight and a great cruise

JB :)

Thank you John Bull.

We actually embark the day BEFORE Southhampton on Aug 28th.

(and disembark one day earlier as well).

Over on the Princess Forum is a thread entitled: "Royal Princess Misses April 30th Disembarkation at Le Havre".

300 or so passengers getting off in Le Havre after a TA, as well as the same number embarking for their round trip UK cruise from Le Havre, were stranded. Folks had to make alternate plans ON THEIR OWN, unless, for those disembarking, their return flights had been booked through Princess. And for those embarking, they had to make their OWN way to Southhampton by next day unless they had purchased Air, and/or Transfers from Paris through Princess.

It was a mess!

And it is because of that thread, that I went to the extra expense of booking the Princess transfer to Le Havre for our

embarkation instead of taking the train from Paris.

That thread is still active over there and it sure is an eye-opener...........

Found that thread.

https://boards.cruisecritic.co.uk/showthread.php?t=2630384

12 pages!!!!

Read the first few and agree - that was awful customer-service.:mad:.

It's certainly made me very very wary of booking with Princess again despite having had several excellent cruises with them.

A lot of that thread was about Princess' terms & conditions, which they have used to deny assistance or compensation.

Experience tells me that many "terms and conditions" of any business in any industry are inserted merely to dissuade folk from pursuing their lawful rights - in the UK customers can't contract out of their legal rights, and I suspect it's the same in most countries.

And those who booked in the EU were probably entitled to compensation under EU law - it's not the same as missing a port-of-call.

For air travel, passengers' rights (enshrined in law) include travel on all aircraft, regardless of the country in which the carrier is registered, which fly from or to an EU airport.

I wonder if that's restricted to air travel?

I also wonder how many took their claims further, and how they got on? :confused:

Court action is complicated and expensive, and with no guarantee of the right outcome - but with potentially up to 300 folk affected I'm surprised that no-one has sought others to join in a "class action". Even if the action failed, splitting those costs between hundreds of people would make it a very worthwhile punt.

Fortunate thing with those ports is that due to the timings they'd have been able to cross from Le Havre to Portsmouth by ferry then train or bus or taxi the 20-odd miles to Southampton in good time to join the ship.

No doubt Brittany Ferries were pleased to get the extra trade. :D

Hopefully lightning won't strike twice, but that makes your belt-and-braces even more understandable. ;)

JB :)