Does O miss more ports than other lines?

[CruseKrazy]

Some friends reported that Regatta missed Tortola in March of this year due to rough seas. They felt the captain was a little hasty in giving up after one try.

 

We missed Santorini a couple of years back on Nautica due to very windy conditions...I felt it was justified at the time.

 

Begs the question, does O miss more ports due to rough weather than other lines? Does the size of the ship impact this?

 

Dave

[caribbeansun]

Interesting question - I'd never thought about the relationship of ship size to the potential of missing a port but it does make some sense.

 

We've only been on 3 cruises:

HAL - missed their private island near bahamas

O - missed Mykonos

O - missed Grand Turk

 

We're hoping for really good weather in a months time in Italy...

[LHT28]

We missed Virgin Gorda one year but the Captain was able to get permission to dock in St Kitts

 

We missed Holyhead, Wales due to high seas

 

You can never never tell what the sea conditions will be.

They may not look bad from topside but can impact the ship when trying to dock with the wind & waves

 

I just happy to be safe on the seas

 

Lyn

[A Knitter]

Have missed Santorini but not on O. We actually took that cruise specifically for Santorini, so imagine our disappointment. Went back to the Med. the following year and able to tender in.

 

Missed Portofino but went to Genoa instead on Oceania 2007

I know there have been a few others, but can't recall so far back.

Missed Marseilles on same cruise but spent an extra day in Barcelona.

 

It happens but as Lyn said, safety is Priority.

[orchestrapal]

So far after 10 cruises on O we have only missed one port.

Personally I would prefer missing any port if the safety of the ship and passengers are at question. ,:)

[brian_uk]

What on earth is the point of this question ?

 

If a Captain decides to cut out a Port on Safety grounds what difference what cruise line it is.

 

Brian

[yorkiemomjn]

What on earth is the point of this question ?

 

If a Captain decides to cut out a Port on Safety grounds what difference what cruise line it is.

 

Brian

 

Exactly! I would rather be safe than sorry!:eek:

[calvin81]

I like to look at it from another angle -- how many ports does Oceania go to that the bigger ships can't. Maybe the smaller ships cause O to miss a port now and then, but the bigger lines don't stop at many of the ports O goes to.

[caribbeansun]

Chill, nobody's talking about compromising safety.

 

The question is are smaller ships more prone to missing ports than larger ones ie. because of the bulk of a larger ship is it less susceptible to the elements.

 

 

What on earth is the point of this question ?

 

If a Captain decides to cut out a Port on Safety grounds what difference what cruise line it is.

 

Brian

[LHT28]

Chill, nobody's talking about compromising safety.

 

The question is are smaller ships more prone to missing ports than larger ones ie. because of the bulk of a larger ship is it less susceptible to the elements.

 

I recently watched a program on the Oasis of the seas ...they had more trouble docking that smaller ships & there were no heavy seas at the time

 

So my opinion would be smaller ships are not more prone to missing ports than larger ones.

They both can hit the dock and do damage..... some just hit harder than others ;)

 

Lyn

[digby]

We missed Sete because of VERY hugh winds on a Regatta cruise, but got an extra night in Barcelona. Most people were very happy!

[Mura]

I agree with Lyn. Smaller ships may be more susceptible to difficult conditions but larger ships can't go into smaller ports.

 

You takes your choice.

 

On seven Oceania cruises (plus three Renaissance cruises since they are the same ships) we've only missed one VERY small port on a Panama Canal cruise because of weather. And the weather WAS bad and it WAS a tender port.

 

I think we're talking apples and oranges here.

 

I still prefer the smaller ships no matter what the risks are of losing a port. As I said, we haven't encountered that hardly at all!

 

And sometimes it's making lemonade out of lemons ... we've done that too, on land trips as well as on sea trips.

 

Mura

[Druke I]

Mura's attitude closely matches mine.

 

I do like the smaller ships much better than their larger brethren. Any ship that will not fit through the current locks of the Panama Canal is too big for me!

 

Yes, I know that there is current excavation to enlarge the Panama Canal, but I still don't like ships bigger than 90,000 GRT - give or take.

[billie5]

OP asks a legitimate question and deserves an answer. He was not asking about which size ship cruisers prefer.

 

I believe the answer is dependent on the port. Larger ships generally "weather" storms better than smaller craft. And their larger stabilizers can help as well. However, smaller craft are not as demanding about harbor location, and present less of a threat to ships already in port. Moreover, they may be able to reach inner harbor locations barred to large vessels and which will be far better protected against the weather. On balance, my guess is that the small vessels are less likely to miss a given port (although, as some have pointed out, they also include ports in their itinerary which are more likely to be difficult to enter), but it is only a guess.

 

Bill

[JimandStan]

Larger ships generally "weather" storms better than smaller craft. And their larger stabilizers can help as well

 

There was a time when that statement was certainly true.....

 

 

But today, larger is no guarantee of stability or seaworthiness.

.....and in case you think that this illustration is exaggerated, here is the actual ship:

"Bulk" is not always an advantage, but if the design is right, it can be

[ClaudiaF]

We missed Sete because of VERY hugh winds on a Regatta cruise, but got an extra night in Barcelona. Most people were very happy!

 

 

Sete is the most wonderful citty sorry you missed .. but if the back up plan had to be anywhere how lucky were you that it was beautiful Barcelona...

[Toranut97]

We have cruised O twice, missed two ports -- Mykonos on our Greek Islands cruise in 2006, Sochi (Russia) on the recent Black Sea cruise. No problem -- seas were rough and it was totally understandable. Maybe we were more at peace with this because our cruises were so port intensive -- we welcomed a quiet day on ship!!

[Roundtop]

We were anchored at Villefranche on Brilliance of the Seas when rough seas developed. Tenders operations were delayed for several hours so passengers were instructed to dine on shore at RCCL's expense. After a very rough tender ride much later, we sailed around midnight. Then on Jewel of the Seas we missed Holyhead, Wales and Plymouth, England because of weather. The ship then docked a day ahead in Dublin,Ireland and provided free shuttles for our unexpected overnight visit. Both of these events have proven to be some of our favorite cruise experiences.

There were passengers that grumbled, but we thoroughly enjoyed eating under the stars in an outdoor restaurant in Villefranche and visiting pubs in the evening in Dublin. Plus all passengers and ship were safe!

[CruseKrazy]

Perhaps another way to phrase the question is which ports get missed more frequently due to weather and does the size of the ship or a need to tendor have an affect?

 

I agree with others that I want to be safe first and would rather miss a port than risk an accident. And sometimes a change in itinerary brings added value and fun.

 

After a thorough internet search I cannot find any stats on this subject. Perhaps an industry wag would care to comment....I probably have too much time on my hands..

 

Dave

[LHT28]

After a thorough internet search I cannot find any stats on this subject. Perhaps an industry wag would care to comment....I probably have too much time on my hands..

 

Dave

You would have to find statistics for each port & cruise line

In any heavy seas the captain will not put the tenders in the water

 

I think you may be right ...too much time on your hands :D:D

 

Go out and enjoy the lovely fall weather

 

Lyn

[Palmetto Lady]

In most cases, it doesn't have much to do with the ship itself but rather whether the passengers can safely be tendered in. Most missed ports are tender ports.

[yorkiemomjn]

In most cases, it doesn't have much to do with the ship itself but rather whether the passengers can safely be tendered in. Most missed ports are tender ports.

 

This was the case on our Regatta cruise last April. The only port we had to miss because of rough seas was a tender port. The Captain said it was too dangerous to tender, so we went to a different port that had a dock.

[billie5]

Perhaps "most" missed ports are tender ports, but there are plenty of docking ports which are missed. I can recall only 3 ports we have missed in the past few years: Sarande, Albania, which is a tender port; Vallette, Malta, which is a docking port; and Santo Tomas de Castilla, Guatemala, which is also a docking port.

 

Bill

[Benita]

We have missed Turks and Caicos a couple of times. It is a docking port, but without shelter, so if the waves are rough, the port is canceled.

[rachel58]

on a nautica med cruise a few years ago in August we missed 5 out of 7 ports due to rough seas all tender ports,we stayed docked for 2 days in Genoa and Naples instead.Bad luck and very dissapointing but safety has to come first.One lady had come from Australia and was crying hysterically!I did feel sorry for her.