Dmgmd50 Posted June 12, 2011 #1 Share Posted June 12, 2011 On one board, I read that they were not able to tender at two ports (Amalfi and Taormina) because of rough seas. When that happens, does it mean you just get the day at sea and if so, do they schedule any extra activities? In some ways I wouldn't mind a day or two at sea since our cruise is so port intensive - but I wouldn't want to miss Cinque Terre since that is one port that I have not been to., Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare LHT28 Posted June 12, 2011 #2 Share Posted June 12, 2011 If there are rough seas & the Captain cannot safely lower the tenders then you get a sea day or sometimes they may get permission to dock someplace else If you miss a port you were looking forward to it is just bad luck ...the safety of passenger & ship come first We have missed a few ports we wanted to see ...life goes on Yes they try to add more activities to cut down on the griping of some passengers that know better than the Captain Lyn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charleylake Posted June 12, 2011 #3 Share Posted June 12, 2011 We missed Amalfi due to rough weather and instead went into Sorrento where we were also tendered. It is just more protected. The weather was rainy and miserable but we had booked a private Amalfi coast drive so off we went. Couldn't see much but I can confirm that the seas in Amalfi were much worse than Sorrento. Sorrento is a great port of call in itself if the weather is cooperating. Instead of Taormina we docked on the other side of the island at Messina. Not much there of interest but you can take a cab for about $50 to Taormina that I wish we had done. All ship excursions ran according to schedule so it's not a huge deal. Good Luck on your weather. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andee Posted June 13, 2011 #4 Share Posted June 13, 2011 When we couldn't tender in Amalfi, we docked in Naples. We had arranged for a day along the Amalfi Coast with http://www.tourofitaly.com; he knew about the change and met us in Naples. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dmgmd50 Posted June 13, 2011 Author #5 Share Posted June 13, 2011 When we couldn't tender in Amalfi, we docked in Naples. We had arranged for a day along the Amalfi Coast with http://www.tourofitaly.com; he knew about the change and met us in Naples. Actually, Sorrento or Naples would be fine for me because then we could take the ferry/hydrofoil to Capri! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TERRIER1 Posted June 13, 2011 #6 Share Posted June 13, 2011 We just got back and we missed St Jean de Luz due to choppy seas. The captain added a sea day and more activities were added to the agenda. Safety first when it comes to tendering. The ship sent a number of tenders out to test the waters and it was a no go. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nparmelee Posted June 13, 2011 #7 Share Posted June 13, 2011 Tender ports are always most at risk for weather issues, sometimes docking ports as well. O seems to be pretty good about substituting if they can, some places make it tougher because of distances involved, like Santorini. We've been lucky in both the Caribbean and Med and made it to all of our tender ports. On one of our cruises they swapped two ports after we were at sea, but that was Santorini and Rhodes and we were glad they did as this way there were only 4 ships tendering in Santorini instead of the 11 (!!!!) there would have been the previous day. Our rule of thumb is that if any port is a must stop for us, we go on a land trip there and if a cruise happens to have it, and we make it great, if it has to be skipped, it's not the end of the world. If you search through these boards you'll find plenty of examples of when these things happen and you'll see the whole gamut of responses from the pax affected. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Benita Posted June 13, 2011 #8 Share Posted June 13, 2011 Actually, Sorrento or Naples would be fine for me because then we could take the ferry/hydrofoil to Capri! The most miserable hour of my life was on a hydrofoil to Capri - the waves were crashing down all over the place - as was my stomach. If it is too rough to tender, it may be too rough to get to Capri comfortably. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare DOJO466 Posted June 13, 2011 #9 Share Posted June 13, 2011 We booked our first "O" cruise because it was going to Virgin Gorda, a place I had always wanted to see, well they closed the port due to seas and we went to St Kitts instead. Disappointed yes, end of the world no. It was the perfect excuse when we returned to book another cruise and I finally got to Virgin Gorda (a beautiful island):D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Floridiana Posted June 13, 2011 #10 Share Posted June 13, 2011 And I would go to tropical St. Kitts anytime again before I would return to pretty but tiny Virgin Gorda. :-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reggiefan Posted June 13, 2011 #11 Share Posted June 13, 2011 Some of you probably will have some idea as to the answers to these questions: How often are Taormina and Amalfi bypassed because of poor weather conditions? How bad do weather and sea conditions have to get before a port tender is called off? And what other Med ports are bypassed with some frequency because of weather and sea conditions? I am essentially trying to get some idea as to the likelihood of going to Taormina and Amalfi on a mid-October cruise. Thanks in advance for the help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimandStan Posted June 13, 2011 #12 Share Posted June 13, 2011 Some of you probably will have some idea as to the answers to these questions: How often are Taormina and Amalfi bypassed because of poor weather conditions? How bad do weather and sea conditions have to get before a port tender is called off? And what other Med ports are bypassed with some frequency because of weather and sea conditions? I am essentially trying to get some idea as to the likelihood of going to Taormina and Amalfi on a mid-October cruise. Thanks in advance for the help. You are not going to like my answer, but the later in the season that you travel, the more likely it is that you will have bad weather or high seas which will effect the ship being able to use her tenders safely. That is the very real REASON why late or early season cruises are less popular even though they are less expensive. Everything in life is a compromise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caribbeansun Posted June 13, 2011 #13 Share Posted June 13, 2011 We did a mid/late October cruise last year that took in these two ports. Amalfi was no issue, Taormina was changed en route to Messina due to weather. They added a number of extra buses to transport people from Messina to Taormina. I am essentially trying to get some idea as to the likelihood of going to Taormina and Amalfi on a mid-October cruise. Thanks in advance for the help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YoHoHo Posted June 14, 2011 #14 Share Posted June 14, 2011 We did a mid/late October cruise last year that took in these two ports. Amalfi was no issue, Taormina was changed en route to Messina due to weather. They added a number of extra buses to transport people from Messina to Taormina. We had exactly the opposite experience and that is the rub - just too unpredictable. Oct 17 2009 Amalfi - rainy, drizzly, overcast. Sea was rough. Tendering started a *little* late. Due to the lousy weather we decided to head back to the ship early (mid-afternoon.) It was a *very* rocky ride back to the ship and they decided it was not safe to continue with further tendering. The ship moved to nearby bay where it was calmer. O had busses shuttle those left behind in Amalfi to the new location. It must have been a bit of an eye-opener, and a lot of rechecking the watches, as those pax still on shore saw the ship sail away! So did they tender - yes. Had the high winds started earlier in the day - no. Two days later we were in Tamorina. Perfect day, no issue. The weather is what it is when it is and as in an earlier post, off-season is likely worse. But winds can whip up at anytime, just more likely some times of year than others. For us though the 'less popular' times are often preferred; we travel in the shoulder seasons. It is very nice were we live in the summer - why leave? Lines of tourists, yup, thats us, are often much shorter and less crowded. After visting Venice in a beautiful October I cannot even imagine what it would be like in the peak season. We do take a chance on the weather but it is one of the trade-offs as JimandStan says. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caribbeansun Posted June 14, 2011 #15 Share Posted June 14, 2011 I agree with all points and likely should have added something similar to my post. Thanks We had exactly the opposite experience and that is the rub - just too unpredictable. For us though the 'less popular' times are often preferred; we travel in the shoulder seasons. It is very nice were we live in the summer - why leave? Lines of tourists, yup, thats us, are often much shorter and less crowded. After visting Venice in a beautiful October I cannot even imagine what it would be like in the peak season. We do take a chance on the weather but it is one of the trade-offs as JimandStan says. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reggiefan Posted June 14, 2011 #16 Share Posted June 14, 2011 Thanks, friends, for the many responses. I understand that there are no guarantees with the weather. For several reasons, an October cruise was the only time period this year when I could take a cruise, and October seems like a good trade-off. I know that even if we hit some patches of bad weather, we will enjoy immensely the trip. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dmgmd50 Posted June 15, 2011 Author #17 Share Posted June 15, 2011 That is the very real REASON why late or early season cruises are less popular even though they are less expensive. Everything in life is a compromise. I totally beg to differ with your assessment. Our cruise is scheduled for 10 days in October. There was another 12 -day cruise in the summer with a very similar itinerary which was basically the same price even though it was longer. October cruises are really more prime time than the summer. We have cruised three times before in October on similar Mediteranean cruises and the weather has alawys been a delight. And I was told that our October cruise is virtually oversold; we were even offered a major upgrade if we would transfer to a cruise in November. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimandStan Posted June 15, 2011 #18 Share Posted June 15, 2011 I totally beg to differ with your assessment. Our cruise is scheduled for 10 days in October. There was another 12 -day cruise in the summer with a very similar itinerary which was basically the same price even though it was longer. October cruises are really more prime time than the summer. We have cruised three times before in October on similar Mediteranean cruises and the weather has alawys been a delight. And I was told that our October cruise is virtually oversold; we were even offered a major upgrade if we would transfer to a cruise in November. Weather is always going to be weather, and better men than I have gone down in flames trying to predict it. If you follow the trends, however, you will notice that more tender ports are missed in the non-summer months. The seas just run higher then. Comparing Summer versus Autumn prices can be tricky because you also have to throw the fact that the kids are back in school in October/November into the mix. Although Oceania does not cater to children per se, the little ones activities still effect demand. We also prefer to tour the Mediterranean in the slightly cooler "shoulder season", but then, we are typically sight seeing, as opposed to beach going, when in Europe. Those who want to combine both, will usually demand a Summer cruise. Finally, it seems that you help to prove my point, when you say that you are being offered a major incentive to switch to a cruise which is even more "out of season" than the October cruise that you booked. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dmgmd50 Posted June 17, 2011 Author #19 Share Posted June 17, 2011 . Finally, it seems that you help to prove my point, when you say that you are being offered a major incentive to switch to a cruise which is even more "out of season" than the October cruise that you booked. There is a BIG difference between October and November. In addition, the November itinerary was quite different (and for us, much less desirable). BTW: I really appreciate all the pictures you include in your posts: you really illustrate your points well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CintiPam Posted June 29, 2011 #20 Share Posted June 29, 2011 We missed our one tender port, Visby, on our Baltic cruise from which we disembarked just last week. The ship published a revised issue of its daily Currents newsletter, which added more onboard activities for this unexpected sea day. Last year, we missed our Amalfi day, staying in Sorrento; in June 2009, we missed nothing (guess because we were sailing with Jim and Stan:p), and our first cruise we missed Delos/Mykonos and went to Milos instead. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tropicalkerry2002 Posted June 29, 2011 #21 Share Posted June 29, 2011 will you be doing a review of your baltic Cruise? We are booked for next year, and I'd love to hear your positives and negatives on the ports! Thanks. Marian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jtamchay Posted June 29, 2011 #22 Share Posted June 29, 2011 we are booked for this in late July so a report of pros and cons would be nice....sounds like the ship worked out the Visby situation and we also have a tender to Visby. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CintiPam Posted June 29, 2011 #23 Share Posted June 29, 2011 Yes, I plan to write a review, although it may take a few weeks. (I still feel guilty that I did not do one for Venice to Barcelona last year.) Having only one tender port is a real plus (and, as it worked out, none!) because I like to be in full control of my port time, which is significantly cut when you must tender. We had three extra days in Copenhagen and four in Stockholm, and they both are worth any extra time you can spare for them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
no fuss travel Posted June 30, 2011 #24 Share Posted June 30, 2011 We missed Marseille due to a strike. This port had nothing to do with tendering, so it is the luck of the draw. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
meow! Posted June 30, 2011 #25 Share Posted June 30, 2011 We missed Delos in October, 2008 aboard the Nautica due to heavy seas. The captain tried very hard and did anchor at Mykonos. In May of that same year, we missed Guernsey aboard the Celebrity Century also due to rough seas. We understand the forces of nature, and that is life. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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