Oceania Marina cancels yet another port; Holyhead, UK

15:00GMT; 30th May 2015: Oceania Marina has cancelled yet another port due to "bad weather". This time Holyhead in North Wales will be the victim on 1st June 2015. Both cruise organised excursions and private operators are left in short-notice turmoil as coaches with guides are already booked, paid for and ready to give a warm welcome to this lesser visited region of the UK.

Cruise organised excursions should be credited directly. Independent excursion operators should refund in accordance with their operating terms and conditions which should be between 10% and 50%.

The balance or any shortfall may be compensated by the ship in certain circumstances or by your travel insurance.

I have been on 6 O cruises and on 5 we had ports cancelled due to bad weather and/or rough seas that prevented tendering. Always figured it goes with the territory. Your post is very angry and I sense that you distrust Oceania's motives. Can you tell us what you really want to say?

I think everyone is sad when a port is cancelled , including the cruise line... And I will probably be called a cheerleader or worse for posting this... But I am wondering. Are you on board ship? Or a tour operator?

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Just FYI, the OP didn't mention that our last 2 ports between Dublin and London were canceled.

I wonder if any of it had to do with the ports cancelling because of the Gastro issues...

I feel badly for some friends on board who were looking forward to new places to visit. I hope they are well.

Ok, so the weather really bad? Sounds very disappointing! But is the line being unreasonable, do you think? Truly curious.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

The gastro sounds like the culprit, Kathy, but they are blaming the weather. How awful is it?

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Hi Toranut97. I'm neither "angry", "on the ship" or a "tour operator". Just a travel editor that gets increasingly frustrated when whole regions are disappointed after so much preparation. Holyhead is not a tendered port and there is certainly no sign of "bad weather" on Monday!

Do you think it could be related to the gastro, then?

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

I wonder if any of it had to do with the ports cancelling because of the Gastro issues...

 

I feel badly for some friends on board who were looking forward to new places to visit. I hope they are well.

Kathy,

The letter says they are cancelling the 2 ports due to forecasted adverse weather conditions in the Irish Sea and English Channel. There is no mention of the AGE problems. We will be docked in Dublin from 8am tomorrow until 8pm on June 1. June 2 will become a sea day. Also, we are notified that Ireland requires ships to shut down all satellite communications within 12 nautical miles of Dublin, so we will have no Internet or phone service during that period.

We will miss the new places, too. Debbie

Let's say I am "suspicious". As mentioned, Holyhead is not a tendered port and I know handles vessels in winds of up to 70mph comfortably as it uses a jetty system. Although the weather on Monday is showers and winds gusting to 45mph during the time berthed, this would not (and has not) caused port abortion in isolation.

OMG

If the problem was from the G I they would not be in Belfast today or Dublin for 2 days

The Irish sea can kick up in a hurry & it is not a pleasant trip

Yes I guess Oceania is making up excuses so they do not have to pay the tour operators there or dock fees

Paranoia reigns

http://www.met.ie/forecasts/sea-area.asp

http://www.met.ie/forecasts/coastal.asp

Just FYI, the OP didn't mention that our last 2 ports between Dublin and London were canceled.

Just to be clear -- three ports have been cancelled?

I am on this cruise.Two ports are being cancelled..has nothing to do with gastro issue. Storm coming up the Irish Sea is the reason and according to the crew there is a real chance we would not be able to dock in Holyhead and would face being stuck with multiple sea days in very rough waters. We are absolutely fine with the decision. Better safe and calm in rainy Dublin for an extra day..even without internet and satelite TV.

Just to be clear -- three ports have been cancelled?

I believe Holyhead & Guernsey were cancelled & they get an extra day in Dublin

What other port was cancelled on this cruise ???

Go to the following website: http://passageweather.com/. Click on the area for the British Isles, then scroll down to the 3rd map which shows wave height. You can animate this map to see what the wave height will be in the area for the next 5 days or so. Looks rough to me...I'd take extra time in Dublin!

BTW I refer to this site whenever cruising and it is quite accurate. So when we did a TA out of Lisbon last November with Oceania, I knew the first night out would be choppy, it was. The map showed that the night before had been rough and I learned from people staying on that Oceania had left a port early in order to get into Lisbon earlier so that people disembarking at least got some sleep before leaving the ship.

I don't believe a cruise line drops ports unless it is absolutely necessary.

We have completed 16 cruises on Celebrity, Princess and Oceania; both O and R ships. These trips have included the North Sea, the Baltic, Cape Horn and the Pacific. The worst seas that we encountered were on the Crown Princess sailing the Irish Sea from Guernsey to Cork (Cohn).

Cheers,

Don

Back in June '06 we were on Insignia, traveling from Iceland to Dublin... just about the roughest seas we ever encountered.

Last year on Marina we had to miss Falmouth, UK, due to high seas. The cruise on Marina the year before also had to pass up Falmouth.

It didn't look rough to us, but while we were having breakfast in the GDR that morning we saw the ship being "fed" ... and the ship with the gas was bumping up and down. So we figured it was rough enough ...

We'd have liked a day in Falmouth but realized this is a fairly common problem.

Now the better question might be: if a port has to be routinely passed up, might there be a better route? But maybe there isn't ...

I guess this comment makes me a cheerleader as well. We've been on a dozen or so O cruises and missed maybe four ports in all of those cruises. Were we just lucky? I don't think so.

But part of traveling is going with the flow.

Mura

Back in June '06 we were on Insignia, traveling from Iceland to Dublin... just about the roughest seas we ever encountered.

 

Last year on Marina we had to miss Falmouth, UK, due to high seas. The cruise on Marina the year before also had to pass up Falmouth.

 

Mura

Back in June 04 on the Insignia we had rough seas & gale force winds from the Outer Hebrides to Dublin then still bumpy to Holyhead which at the time was a tender port

We could not go ashore safely so sailed on to Falmouth where we enjoyed a wonderful day there

You just never know what the seas have instore for you ;)

+1 Lyn!

Guernsey is notorious for being missed - the tidal range is high in the Channel Islands necessitating long tender rides increasing the likelihood of seas too choppy for the tenders. The island is used as a call on otherwise wholly EU itineraries for tax/duty reasons as much as it is a regular port of call.

Yes Holyhead is a ferry port, but the Irish ferries use a linkspan berthing system in a sheltered part of the inner harbour that enables a fast turnaround and the loading and unloading of vehicles year round.

How interesting this whole topic is. Just this week, I transferred my Nautica cruise of British Isles to the new Sirena May 2016 out of Venice. We have not been to Wales and Scotland and Holyhead stop was one of the reasons we had chosen this trip.

The seas going into Oslo were the roughest we have ever encountered and I guess we were lucky to have made it to Falmouth and Cork etc on a previous TA.

I think we may now consider a land trip with Tauck for this region because I would not want to miss these ports.

Oh no!! :( I am just now seeing this!! We have friends on this cruise. What ports got cancelled? The seas do appear pretty rough. Please bring us up to date. Thanks!!!

We were in the Caribbean on another cruise ship and 2 ports were cancelled and the 3rd one should have been, as it was so bumpy on our tour that people had to be rescued when trying to snorkel when the waves were going over their heads. No conspiracy in my opinion-just safety of the guests and the ship and crew. I guess I try to think the best of others until proven otherwise.

Where will the Marina be tomorrow? Concerned for our friends!!!!! Hopefully the will be docked somewhere!!! The winds will be terrible!!

OMG!! Am I looking at this properly on http://passageweather.com/ It is showing the seas will be horrendous on Monday!!! Where will the Marina be tomorrow? Concerned for our friends!!!!! :eek: Hopefully the will be docked somewhere!!!

They are Dublin today & tomorrow