Yemen cancelled on Deliziosa

[TRIXON]

We are very dissapointed to learn through the grape vine that Costa have cancelled the Yemen port call. This now puts us at sea for 4 days.

Do Costa often do this.

On other cruises we have always been given a reason.

We have found out about this through these pages.

Costa have not informed us nor have out TA. We are really upset about this as we were meeting family in Aden.

I believe that it is a cost cutting reason that they havn't had as many passengers booked as they would like.

It has to save them money by not having to pull inton port and incur port charges etc;

I look forward to some replies.

Maggie

[G.M.T.]

There is a lot of information here on CC some very good some just rumours. Wait until you get official confirmation from Costa or your TA.

 

If Yemen visit has been canceled then it is not out of cost cutting exercise but more for security reasons, it was only a couple of days ago that the MI5 boss stated the terrorist threat from Yemen and Somalia had greatly increased.

 

All cruise lines cancel ports of call for one reason or another and there is nothing you can do about it, just read the small print.

 

Ron

[CtheW0rld]

i agree with blu. if aden was cancelled, it was most likely for a security reason. remember, this is where terrorists blew up the USS Cole.

 

aden was very interesting. maybe you'll have a chance to get back there. until then, i have some pictures from my visit posted here.

[Capricruiser]

I agree with Ron and Ctheworld. I lucked out for Yemen in Dec. 2007 on the Costa Europa (which unfortunately is no longer with us). I was with a small group of aventurous passengers who signed up for the Costa "Sanaa' Overland" excursion. The ship disembarked us at a Red Sea port, I believe the name was Al Hodeiah or something like that. We went in several Land Rovers on an all day trip up through the mountains to Sanaa' the capital of Yemen. After a refreshing night in the Movenpick hotel, we had another all day descent to Aden where the ship had meanwhile repositioned. We saw some of wildest most unspoiled scenery and met what seemed to be some great people, as well as touring villages along the route. It was an experience I'll never forget, tiring but exceedingly enjoyable. The political climate was calm those months but changed shortly thereafter. Unfortunately cruise lines today must be cautious in landing passengers in areas where there are real threats. Hopefully Trixon, you'll be able to see Aden.

[TRIXON]

I dont know if it was for Security reasons or cost cutting. It would have been nice to have received notification either from Costa or my TA.

We have a full 10 weeks before we sail surely it would have been possible to inform us before then by Email or letter.

They sure are eager to get our money well before departure. We manageged to get a letter saying the balance was due.

[TRIXON]

I agree with Ron and Ctheworld. I lucked out for Yemen in Dec. 2007 on the Costa Europa (which unfortunately is no longer with us). I was with a small group of aventurous passengers who signed up for the Costa "Sanaa' Overland" excursion. The ship disembarked us at a Red Sea port, I believe the name was Al Hodeiah or something like that. We went in several Land Rovers on an all day trip up through the mountains to Sanaa' the capital of Yemen. After a refreshing night in the Movenpick hotel, we had another all day descent to Aden where the ship had meanwhile repositioned. We saw some of wildest most unspoiled scenery and met what seemed to be some great people, as well as touring villages along the route. It was an experience I'll never forget, tiring but exceedingly enjoyable. The political climate was calm those months but changed shortly thereafter. Unfortunately cruise lines today must be cautious in landing passengers in areas where there are real threats. Hopefully Trixon, you'll be able to see Aden.

 

The other question which springs to mind is why do they choose these ports if they are known to be potential troublespots. Also if we aint going to Aden surely there are other ports there whilst we are at sea for 4 days.

[UKBayern]

The other question which springs to mind is why do they choose these ports if they are known to be potential troublespots. Also if we aint going to Aden surely there are other ports there whilst we are at sea for 4 days.

 

There are limited options on that stretch of coast. Tourists (especially the shorts-wearing type) are not very welcome into Saudi Arabia, Somalia is a big no-no security wise. As long tourist kidnappings in Yemen are still abundant, and some even get hurt or killed in the process of the kidnapping or the liberation, I really do not see why anybody would be annoyed with the cruiseline for cancelling that port. People already jumped on the cruiselines on this forum after a tourist got killed in a gang crossfire in St. Thomas and a mugging in Nassau, asking questions why the cruiselines still go there. Much safer destinations for tourists.....The trend on the forum was "the cruiselines should not go to a port where they cannot ensure 100% safety". Well, it looks like the cruisers are getting from Costa what they asked for.....

 

You do not have any offical confirmation that this port call has cancelled, have you? Until you get a reply from Costa or your TA, stop worrying about it. If you are on the 1st December sailing from Savona to Dubai, the chances are not good: my cruise TA website sells this sailing as 4 days at sea, with no stops between Safaga and Salalah.

[G.M.T.]

The other question which springs to mind is why do they choose these ports if they are known to be potential troublespots. Also if we aint going to Aden surely there are other ports there whilst we are at sea for 4 days.

 

The planning of such a cruise and the associated logistics are planned years in advance and not just a couple of days before sailing.

 

Situation in ports of call can change overnight. The BBC is still a good source of news.

 

Ron

[TRIXON]

There are limited options on that stretch of coast. Tourists (especially the shorts-wearing type) are not very welcome into Saudi Arabia, Somalia is a big no-no security wise. As long tourist kidnappings in Yemen are still abundant, and some even get hurt or killed in the process of the kidnapping or the liberation, I really do not see why anybody would be annoyed with the cruiseline for cancelling that port. People already jumped on the cruiselines on this forum after a tourist got killed in a gang crossfire in St. Thomas and a mugging in Nassau, asking questions why the cruiselines still go there. Much safer destinations for tourists.....The trend on the forum was "the cruiselines should not go to a port where they cannot ensure 100% safety". Well, it looks like the cruisers are getting from Costa what they asked for.....

 

You do not have any offical confirmation that this port call has cancelled, have you? Until you get a reply from Costa or your TA, stop worrying about it. If you are on the 1st December sailing from Savona to Dubai, the chances are not good: my cruise TA website sells this sailing as 4 days at sea, with no stops between Safaga and Salalah.

 

I have telephoned Costa and she agreed that it had been cancelled but she could not say why.

You have just substantiated what I said. Why choose ports that are potential troublespots.

[G.M.T.]

As I said in a previous post the BBC is still good at report news:

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-11380625

 

Ron

[CtheW0rld]

As I said in a previous post the BBC is still good at report news:

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-11380625

 

Ron

 

there's the answer, then. thanks to ron.

[Capricruiser]

Costa made the right decision to cancel the port call based on this new situation.

[nijh]

I was on the Deliziosa, Dubai to Rome, in May and Aden was cancelled. We were told by Costa a day before we flew out to Dubai. A number of people didn't know until they had set sail.

 

It was for security reasons, our sailing was quite full, and they obviously left it until the last moment to make the decision so as to properly assess the situation. Maybe they may re-instate it if the situation gets better. It meant we were at sea more days followed by a run of port days instead of the nice spacing we'd planned on.

 

On the plus side they took us to Jordan instead so I managed to fuilfill a long time desire to get to see Petra.

 

If they cancel a port it will be for your safety, be it political or weather related; it's not good business to get a reputation for cancelling ports to save money.

 

Doesn't help if you were planning to meet family, as you were, but try to find out where else they will be pulling into instead - when they know they're not going to a port they usually replace it with another. Maybe you'll unexpectedly get to go somewhere new like I did.

[TRIXON]

Thank you for your reply NIJH.

I cant understand why you were cancelled Yemen back in May. We only booked in July but they were still showing Yemen as a port of call.

By the way we still have not been told about the cancellation by our TA or Costa.

I do understand that safety issues can be a problem but they should not advertise Ports when they know there is an existing problem.

My TA said they would get back to me that was 2 days since. I am still waiting.

[nijh]

Back in April/May Yemen was just beginning to go from a state of quiet unrest to one with a bit more noise going on, a few more kidnappings, a few more shootings here and there, so it was just considered prudent to do so.

 

Costa do seem to try to keep sailing to ports and areas that others shy away from, but I think it was just getting a bit too risky to dock a ship there. Even through the Gulf of Aden security became obvious on deck, rather than a quiet background activity; patrols, cameras, night vision, deck lights dimmed and curtains closed in public areas to keep the emitted light to a minimum, even the hose pipes were unfurled just in case!

 

Ports are chosen and brochures are printed quite a while before they are available for us to drool over and the websites rarely reflect much other than the brochure information.

 

Having said that there is no excuse for the lack of communication you are receiving, Costa do seem to have a bit of a reputation for non-communication, particularly their UK Customer Services. Keep on at your TA is all I can say, but I suspect they get as much joy out of Costa CS as the rest of us. :rolleyes:

[Goldryder]

I called into Aden aboard Allegra on April 25 this year without any problems and all shorex went ahead as planned.

 

As we pulled into the bay area it was very evident that there were alot of shipwrecks in the channel, but apart from that the city welcomed us with open arms and the day was very pleasant...albeit extremely hot, well over 100 degrees in the shade.

 

Several passengers went off on their own and they said that they had been treated very well by the locals and did not feel unsafe at all.

 

But as anyone who is a regular cruiser will know, an itinerary is NEVER set in stone, ports can be dropped or added and it depends on alot of issues....weather, mechanicals, safety...the list is endless.

 

On Allegra we swapped Sharm for Hurghada due to the Europa tragedy, in the same fortnight Luminosa & Deliziosa went to other ports too as a result of the accident on their repositionings from Dubai. As did all the other lines who use Sharm.

 

Fact of life in cruising, no port is ever guaranteed.

[CtheW0rld]

On the plus side they took us to Jordan instead so I managed to fuilfill a long time desire to get to see Petra.

 

i've been to both aden and petra. if i had to choose one, it would be an easy choice - petra.

[billie5]

OP seems determined to see everything in black and white. It is not a question of some ports having a terrorist or crime threat, and others being completely free of that. It is a question of the level of threat, which is continuously changing. There are few ports in the Middle East which be considered to be completely free of threat. I can not think of any. A cruise line plans ports which it believes will be of interest and which, at the time of the planning, is at an acceptable level of safety. That can change at any time for the worse, and then for the better, at all the ports. Sometimes a decision is made to drop a port altogether (as NCL has just done to its Caribbean Guatemalan port), more often a port is dropped during a period of instability and then resumed, which can not be predicted in advance. Casablanca, for example, in a very safe country, has been skipped for short periods from time to time. Heck, even a European port could be dropped for a short while, and not just from terrorist assessments -- even labor unions might threaten sufficient violence. Very recent increased lack of security is, most likely, the situation in Yemen. Perhaps there will be a rapid change in security and you might make it yet. While not likely, I hope for the sake of OP's family that she has unusually good luck in this regard.

 

Bill