Missed Ports

[stjohnrocks]

To all you frequent Regent cruisers (or other lines too), what are the most frequently missed ports due to rough seas in the Mediterranean?

 

Thanks

[Carol From California]

We missed Mykonos on our cruise last summer. It was too choppy to use the tenders. I think it varies on which ports are missed depending on conditions. I had been there before many years ago but it was still sad we missed it.

[Travelcat2]

Missed ports are obviously based on the conditions of the seas and tend to occur in tender ports. Easter Island and some other tender ports in that area have had issues with heavy seas. Even the Caribbean, especially St. Barts has it's iissues. I'm a bit surprised to learn that Mykonos has had difficulties as it is not a tender port. However, I do recall that the Voyager had a small incident with the area it was suppose to dock in. I've only heard of Santorini a few times (and will be visiting that port -- hopefully -- in a couple of weeks).

[room010]

Ports are not only missed because of bad weather. We missed our high tide "window" at Sandarkan due to the late arrival of pax at the previous port. Grrrrrrr :mad: It's an unavoidable hazard of cruising that we are ultimately at the mercy of the weather and sea conditions on any given day. Look on the bright side, a missed port is another sea day. Yay.

[nana541]

Missing Satorini was a huge disappointment but the Sea day was very welcome...Santorini is so beautiful....but the raining nasty weather we incountered would have not meet anyones expectations!

[ChatKat in Ca.]

Portofino is a tendering port. We missed it in November

[rarin2go]

We too missed Santorini last year - better luck this year we hope :)

[Hambagahle]

Bit further north but we missed Gotland in the Baltic and St Barts (couldn't get the sea anchor down in both cases). We also missed Ketchikan in Alaska the time that the Mariner hit the Growler in the Tracey Arm and we had to limp back to Vancouver...

[JPR]

We just missed Wilmington, NC due to a storm that created big swells even as we skirted en route to Bermuda on the Navigator. Unusual because it's not a tendering port.

[dfb]

Sorrento is a tender port that is missed frequently. The good news is that Naples is a docking port across the bay and that means that if you can't anchor and tender at Sorrento, you can usually sail across and dock. That means you usually get to have your same sights but with a shortened day and possibly a long commute.

[RachelG]

I have been REALLY lucky in that in all my cruises, we have only ever missed one port, and that was Marsailles due to a strike (in France, imagine that!) rather than weather. Since they knew about it ahead of time, we were able to spend an extra day in Monte Carlo, which was fine by me.

[TheSeaAroundUs]

I missed three ports in my first two (~14-day) Regent cruises -- two of them I was looking forward to as highlights -- I thought it was the norm!!

[hondorner]

Not Regent, but Oceania Marina missed Malaga, Spain on her Maiden Voyage last year. Not a tender port, I think, but the harbor was so rough they wouldn't let us get close to the dock. Besides the passenger disappointment, it was unfortunate in a couple of ways -- the CEO, Frank Del Rio, was scheduled to leave the ship in Malaga because of meetings, but had to stay aboard until Casablanca; and the singers and dancers had to re-arrange the oprder of their performances because their costumes and seamstresses were waiting at the pier in Malaga.

[NCCruzQueen]

Some years ago, we also missed Mykonos due to high winds. So glad I had a chance to get there about 10 years later! We also missed Halong Bay, but that was due to engine troubles.

[stjohnrocks]

This is really interesting, I guess there are a variety of reasons to miss ports. I was curious if we would see the same port mentioned alot. Of course it would take alot more people responding to really see any patterns. So far looks like Greek Isles are taking top billing.

[Wendy The Wanderer]

Let's see. I think we've only ever missed two ports, and one was cancelled months before the cruise because the cruise port was destroyed by a hurricane (Costa Maya, now rebuilt.) The other was Antigua, and that was cancelled because Voyager had some engine problems that were fixed in San Juan and caused a delayed departure.

 

The only other place that we've cruised where there are routine cancellations because of weather and tendering issues, is the Marquesas Islands, and we managed to get to all four islands on our cruise there. Since all ports but a couple on the Paul Gauguin in French Polynesia are tender ports, it can happen anywhere--we once left anchor early in Bora Bora to escape an impending storm that might have made it difficult for us to get out through the pass into open sea.

[mythologist]

Kathy -

Did you miss Portofino due to the weather?

[ChatKat in Ca.]

Rough seas. This was when there were heavy rains that did major damage to Cinque Terre

[2old4this]

Just got off Navigator after a wonderful cruise along the South coast and over the Triangle. Bad weather kept us out of Wilmington and St. George. A big loss since we missed Savannah, too. But we made up for it with added time in Bermuda. This gave Freda and I ample time to celebrate her birthday - twice. The first time was with TahoeTraveler Tami and her husband Mike and we did this one in Prime 7. A super couple we have cruised with six times. The second time was with JPR, otherwise known by confidants as Peter and his bride, Liz. As good fortune would have it, Liz and Freda discovered their birthdays were the same - 14 April. Peter brought several precious wines he had acquired earlier from the ship's wine cellar to our Compass Rose dinner table. Always the thoughtful one, he had ordered up a most delicious chocolate cake with candles and had the four of us serenaded by everyone including the wine steward, restaurant overseer and several of his servers. The singing wasn't anything to write home about and I give them a solid 'B' for giving it their all. Peter's selection of fine grape and his generous sharing contributed to the quality evening.

 

Regarding missing the ports, I recall now that very few of our fellow travelers made comment one way or the other. I like port calls but not in hurricane weather. Freda and I were content to stay on board, let Butler Hari tend to our needs, and enjoy the ride. Little Navigator performed well and she looked like a white jewel when nestled between two cruise behemoths. We were the center of attraction for the thousands of kids, teenagers, and adults, all staring and pointing down at us as we came into view at Nassau. I felt fortunate to have selected my ship instead of theirs. Jack Morris

[Travelcat2]

Just got off Navigator after a wonderful cruise along the South coast and over the Triangle. Bad weather kept us out of Wilmington and St. George. A big loss since we missed Savannah, too. But we made up for it with added time in Bermuda. This gave Freda and I ample time to celebrate her birthday - twice. The first time was with TahoeTraveler Tami and her husband Mike and we did this one in Prime 7. A super couple we have cruised with six times. The second time was with JPR, otherwise known by confidants as Peter and his bride, Liz. As good fortune would have it, Liz and Freda discovered their birthdays were the same - 14 April. Peter brought several precious wines he had acquired earlier from the ship's wine cellar to our Compass Rose dinner table. Always the thoughtful one, he had ordered up a most delicious chocolate cake with candles and had the four of us serenaded by everyone including the wine steward, restaurant overseer and several of his servers. The singing wasn't anything to write home about and I give them a solid 'B' for giving it their all. Peter's selection of fine grape and his generous sharing contributed to the quality evening.

 

Regarding missing the ports, I recall now that very few of our fellow travelers made comment one way or the other. I like port calls but not in hurricane weather. Freda and I were content to stay on board, let Butler Hari tend to our needs, and enjoy the ride. Little Navigator performed well and she looked like a white jewel when nestled between two cruise behemoths. We were the center of attraction for the thousands of kids, teenagers, and adults, all staring and pointing down at us as we came into view at Nassau. I felt fortunate to have selected my ship instead of theirs. Jack Morris

 

Do you have any comments regarding the black "something" coming out of the stacks on the Navigator on this cruise that stained bathing suits? I read on another board that the white covers were not put on lounges because of this "problem". Sounds quite "icky" to me. I know that the Navigator is due for refurbishment next month . . . . but are people having to put up with this gunk? (Again, all of this is heresay).

[TheSeaAroundUs]

... I like port calls but not in hurricane weather...

I LOVE storms, hurricanes particularly! Though, if you asked me, I'd guess I'd have to say that I'd prefer not to have my ribs crushed between a tender and a jetty; seems a bit of an inglorious death in some measure ... but, absent that, it could be very exciting!!

[2old4this]

Do you have any comments regarding the black "something" coming out of the stacks on the Navigator on this cruise that stained bathing suits? I read on another board that the white covers were not put on lounges because of this "problem". Sounds quite "icky" to me. I know that the Navigator is due for refurbishment next month . . . . but are people having to put up with this gunk? (Again, all of this is heresay).

 

Not really, Travelcat2, but Tami, aka TahoeTraveler, will have a few words on this black rain. She came on board Navigator with a yellow swimsuit and sun tan to kill for and assured me she'd be wearing it at the pool. She wore it when I wasn't looking, I guess, and she found the yellow had turned a funny color. She was really upset and took what was left of it to Deck 6 to reveal the damage. She'll go into greater detail, I'm sure, but the drift of it was it denied her the use of the swimsuit from that day forward. I managed to get her to wear the suit one more time in private and I have to tell all you CR readers, that skimpy suit of hers looked just fine to me. But then, I'm no expert on funnel rain so you'll have to just accept my word when I write that her tan and that yellow suit contributed a whole lot to my trip. Jack Morris

[RachelG]

Sounds like the chimney needs to be cleaned!

I have walked the top deck of Navigator many times, and I haven't encountered this. So it should be something that is fixable (and it needs to be fixed for sure).

[2old4this]

Sounds like the chimney needs to be cleaned!

I have walked the top deck of Navigator many times, and I haven't encountered this. So it should be something that is fixable (and it needs to be fixed for sure).

 

Whatever it was, RachelG, it was invisible to anyone walking the deck. I saw many of the same faces on the pool deck day-after-day and none seemed to be bothered except those with light colored swim suits and shirts. It is my belief it came from the ship's funnel and probably while we were docked. A little dry dock scrubbing by Regent's resident chimney sweep should correct the problem. Jack Morris

[JPR]

I thought the real problem was from heavily chlorinated water...in the bathroom faucet and shower as well as the hot tubs and pool. I wouldn't be surprised if that was the real culprit in the swimsuit discoloration...