Big Change to Itinary on A420

[Gettysburg]

Hi

 

26th July cruise to Norway on Azura has scrapped Geiranger and Flamm and changed to Olden and Skjolden.

 

Very annoyed as booked cruise specifically to visit these ports again

 

I think they are pushing it with their right to change ports when its Half of them.

 

Anyway what is Olden and Skjolden like as we are stuck with this cruise due to school hols and work commitments.

 

Thanks

[AnnieC]

Been to Olden - small village. We went on a mini train round a small lake - the Flaam railway it was not.

 

I'd also be cross, but doubtless some gloriously smug person will be along in a second or two to tell you it's all in the terms and conditions. That doesn't make it right in my book.

[Scriv]

I have also been to Olden - a pleasant little place, but not as stunning and dramatic as the approach to and the heights of Geiranger. We also went on the mini train round the lake and visited the church. Some people walked round the lake.

 

Do you know why they have changed ?

Edited December 29, 2013 by Scriv

[daiB]

Been to Olden - small village. We went on a mini train round a small lake - the Flaam railway it was not.

 

I'd also be cross, but doubtless some gloriously smug person will be along in a second or two to tell you it's all in the terms and conditions. That doesn't make it right in my book.

 

That's a good way to stop conversation Annie. That clearly make you right :)

[daiB]

I have also been to Olden - a pleasant little place, but not as stunning and dramatic as the approach to and the heights of Geiranger. We also went on the mini train round the lake and visited the church. Some people walked round the lake.

 

Do you know why they have changed ?

 

They usually have to change when there are too many ships in, on one day. The Fjords are getting very full in the summer time.

 

I would fully agree that two changes on a 4 port cruise is a bit much.

 

On Olden, we have been a couple of times and it is quite nice. There are a number of good excursions from this port.

 

The other one is new to me, never even seen it on a cruise itinerary.

 

 

Here is a link to the port TT for Flamm for July. It does not look that congested, perhaps they are not all on?? Just noticed the problem 3 ships in on the 30th July. Flamm is too small for 3 ships.

 

http://ports.cruisett.com/schedule/Norway/208-Flaam/July_2014/

Edited December 29, 2013 by daiB

[daiB]

I take it that Azura was to be in Gerainger on the 29th. Well the plot thickens. She was to be the only ship according to this port timetable.

[Thejuggler]

Olden is the starting point for trips to the glaciers. Either p&O, or lots of private options.

 

The village centre is small, there's a land train service which goes round the lake and opportunities for walks. Rib rides on the fjord, helicopter rides for those with cash to burn, but not much else.

[daiB]

I take it that Azura was to be in Geiranger on the 29th. Well the plot thickens. She was to be the only ship according to this port timetable.

 

Well a different and clearly better port timetable shows 2 ships in Geiranger:-

 

http://www.cruisetimetables.com/visitinggeirangernorway-29jul2014.html

[janny444]

I would be more than cross...I would be absolutely blazing at this decision. Geiranger and Flamm both have the most dramatic and stunning approach and sail away of any of the ports in my humble opinion so to drop both would be devastating.

What I can't understand is why are any of the ports "oversubscribed"...is there no forward planning with the Port Authorities and cruise companies...do the cruise companies think...aahhh... that will be a good itinerary lets offer that to our paying clientelle we always have our T&Cs to cover us if we have got it wrong. Or does the PA think...lets allow more cruise ships than we can handle...if we have got it wrong we can always "bump" a ship or two to another port. Do these companies not liaise between themselves

Surely the companies are more professional than that....aren't they.

 

I would contact P&O and transfer to another cruise which offered both of these POCs....with no admin charge of course.

[Thejuggler]

Companies plan trips about 2 years in advance and about 12 months in advance all port authorities should have confirmed berths are available. What can change, particularly in the fjords, is local regulations and I know some ports are reducing the number of visits, Gerainger being one of them.

 

There were three ships in port when we visited earlier this year, but the others were small compared to Eclipse, Saga Ruby and Discovery.

 

I would be asking questions of P&O as to how this has happened.

[AnnieC]

That's a good way to stop conversation Annie. That clearly make you right :)

 

Indeed no, Dai. So far no one has wandered along to joyfully rub the OP's nose in the Ts&Cs, so I am absolutely delighted to be wrong. Being wrong is an art that more should acquire.

 

Looking forward to the end of January?:D

 

Annie

[Clodia]

At Olden you can do the Briksdal Glacier walk which is well worth it, unforgettable. Do it!

 

I agree that missing Flaam is a shame. But I found the sail in and out of olden as well as the glacier trip to be superb!

[chigley]

As i see it .....in terms of Fjord sail in/sail out Geiranger is pretty amazing. The TV programs made about its possible sad future inspired me absolutely to pick a cruise with Geiranger on it for our second cruise to The Norwegian Fjords...add to that missing Flam if you are doing this as a once ever cruise. I would be very grumpy.

 

In addition, the ship tour to the glacier in Olden is strenuous and very expensive. We have all the expensive boots and clothes..... No match for the force of the water falling from the waterfall glacier. The cake and coffee at the end was shared with approx. 300 other cold and wet people waiting for the buses. We enjoyed ourselves but it was not value for money.

 

The cheap public bus to the glacier you may find talked about did not operate on our high volume cruise day. I had read about others experience of this and paid the ship tour price.

[annieuk]

My husband did the glacier trip with P&O when we were in Olden and really recommends it. I was on a cruise on Arcadia this June with a friend and we were supposed to be going to Gerainger but it was changed. We were told that there would be too many ships in Gerainger so it was altered. Gerainger is a tiny port - tender needed - and you really have to go on a trip to see anything. I'm sure there is a reason why it's been changed. When we were in Olden we were with Queen Elizabeth and they had the dock space and we had to tender - a nuisance in the tiny ports of the Fjords.

 

I'm sure you will still have a fantastic time.

[Luvs2Crooze]

We was supposed to go to Flam last year Sep 2013 this got changed because too many ships in that day. We went to Skjolden as replacement it has 1 shop 1 hotel, bar/coffee shop and a visitors centre. You can do nice walks it is very pretty.

 

Hayley

 

 

Sent using the Cruise Critic forums app

[English Voyager]

Am I alone in thinking that the trip on the Flamm railway is over rated?

 

I would be more annoyed at missing out on Geiranger, and the opportunity it provides for seeing some spectacular scenery.

Edited January 1, 2014 by English Voyager

[Jem 12]

Am I alone in thinking that the trip on the Flamm railway is over rated?

 

I would be more annoyed at missing out on Geiranger, and the opportunity it provides for seeing some spectacular scenery.

 

 

I agree with you completely.

[Thejuggler]

If we had done just the flamm railway we would probably have been disappointed, you do spend a lot of time in tunnels. when done as part of the Norway in a Nutshell tour with bus trip to voss, local train and Flamm railway it is an excellent and good value day out.

[dsrdsrdsr]

Am I alone in thinking that the trip on the Flamm railway is over rated?

Not alone, but I'm certainly not with you. We do the Flam railway every time we go there.

 

To the OP, you can (if you want to) go back to P&) - via your travel agent if applicable - and complain that the change in itinerary is so significant as to make it a different holiday from what you booked. If they agree, you'll get your money back. If they don't agree, there are other steps you can take, but they probably involve solicitors - or else you can put up with it. Only you can say which is best for you. The only time we cancelled a cruise on the grounds of itinerary change was one to "Spitzbergen and the Eclipse" with Voyages of Discovery - they cancelled the Spitzbergen landings. As it was part of the title opf the cruise, they wouldn't have had much of a case for saying it wasn't a significant part of the holiday - and they didn't try, they refunded us without question.

[daiB]

The Flam railway is fantastic. Being a railway nut anyway, I thought that the scenery was spectacular.

[English Voyager]

Perhaps I have been spoilt by the train journey to the JungFrauJoch.

[Gettysburg]

Hi everyone, thank you for your comments.

 

I have been to Geiranger and Flamm a couple of years ago and I said then that we would bring the children back to see it with us.

We are travelling with 2 children in school summer holidays and it took a

Bit of doing for both of us to be off at the same time.

So we are paying top dollar as we are going in school holidays and was looking forward to Geiranger walks and taking kids on train in Flamm.

I have spoken to P&O and all they would agree to was to allow us to change to another cruise without charge which we were unable to do as we could not organise anything else when the kids were off.

They did not seem concerned in the slightest that the holiday I had booked had been significantly changed as it was their right to do so.

I wonder how many people booked on this cruise booked because they wanted to go to Geiranger and Flamm.Now they are going on holiday to somewhere completely different which is really quite unacceptable.

I have written to them about a week ago by email and have not recieved a reply.

I told them how disappointed I was and that changing half the ports months after we booked was not on.I have asked them to explain why it was them that had to change ports.

 

We are still going as I have booked 2 cabins and will lose a hefty deposit if I were to cancel and unable to change all our holiday leave time now

Edited January 3, 2014 by Gettysburg

[kevinyork]

I would try an email to David Dingle. Some have reported successes.

 

david.dingle@carnivalukgroup.com

Edited January 4, 2014 by kevinyork

[janny444]

Hi Gettysburg...did you at the point of booking make it clear that you was booking that cruise because of those two ports of call...if you did then that becomes part of YOUR T&Cs

 

A couple of years ago I booked a land based holiday...through a major high street TA. It was a telephone booking and I made it clear that I did not do night flights. Holiday was booked then guess what ...couple of months later changed the inbound flight to a night flight and because the change was less then 12 hours and in the T&Cs that they could do that they wouldn't return my deposit. I contacted Trading Standards and they said that because I had stipulated that I wanted day flights that they had broken my T&Cs and so therefore they had broken the contract. The tour company didn't concede easily...took 6 months but I just wouldn't accept the "blurb of reasons" that they kept saying....you have to be like a "dog with a bone"...finally they did return my deposit.

 

Could be worth a try.

[English Voyager]

 

We are still going as I have booked 2 cabins and will lose a hefty deposit if I were to cancel and unable to change all our holiday leave time now

 

As I understand Article 40 of P & O's Booking Terms & Conditions, you would be entitled to cancel and receive a refund of all monies paid.