If Israel Ports get cancelled?

[Ronniewales]

We are on Nautica in November 2014 sailing from Istanbul to Dubai. How much notice would O give us if they decide to cancel the 3 days in Israel.

 

From the original itinerary they have already cancelled the 3 ports 4 days in Egypt and if they cancel the 3 days in Israel we will end up with 11 sea days out of a 20 day cruise unless they can find 3 interesting ports between Istanbul and Dubai. They have already added a meaningless port on a Greek island.

 

By now everyone will have paid for the cruise so would we be offered a refund if they cancel Israel?

[hypercafe]

We are on Nautica in November 2014 sailing from Istanbul to Dubai. How much notice would O give us if they decide to cancel the 3 days in Israel.

 

From the original itinerary they have already cancelled the 3 ports 4 days in Egypt and if they cancel the 3 days in Israel we will end up with 11 sea days out of a 20 day cruise unless they can find 3 interesting ports between Istanbul and Dubai. They have already added a meaningless port on a Greek island.

 

By now everyone will have paid for the cruise so would we be offered a refund if they cancel Israel?

 

AIDA has canceled all Israel ports for the rest of the year because of rocket pieces falling on one of their ships. With that in mind I would not want to go no matter what Oceania does. If they cancel I really do not think they will give you a refund for the cruise if after final payment. Check your travel insurance as some talk about terror attachs.

[Paulchili]

We are on Nautica in November 2014 sailing from Istanbul to Dubai. How much notice would O give us if they decide to cancel the 3 days in Israel.

 

From the original itinerary they have already cancelled the 3 ports 4 days in Egypt and if they cancel the 3 days in Israel we will end up with 11 sea days out of a 20 day cruise unless they can find 3 interesting ports between Istanbul and Dubai. They have already added a meaningless port on a Greek island.

 

By now everyone will have paid for the cruise so would we be offered a refund if they cancel Israel?

 

We were on this very itinerary 2 years ago. Our Israeli stops got canceled just after we left Istanbul (the cruise before us had stopped in Israel) - talk about poor timing.

They substituted 3 other ports (2 in Greece and Cyprus).

Good luck

[Caroldoll]

I would not go on this cruise. I would not want to miss all of the ports that are important.

 

I would cancel before final payment. Things are escalating now. It isn't a good time in those parts of the world.

[Ronniewales]

Surely they can't expect us to put up with 6 Greek Islands and lose 7 interesting days.

 

 

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[wripro]

Yes, they can. And the cruise contract allows them to do just that.

[hypercafe]

Yes, they can. And the cruise contract allows them to do just that.

 

Yes this is true. If you read the contract they can just about do what they want in the name of safety and it does seem prudent now. If the ship got hit by a missile it would be a disaster. I would rather be on a Greek beach than a war zone.

 

 

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[Arusha]

Here is Oceania's policy about itinerary changes, from the 2014-15 Winter Brochure https://www.oceaniacruises.com/emags/2014-15-Winter-Brochure/index.html#/162/

 

Itinerary - All itineraries, including points of embarkation and debarkation, are at the discretion of Oceania Cruises and may be modified up to and during the voyage. Oceania Cruises reserves the right to amend, cancel or make substitutions for any travel component without prior notice to the guest, including hotels, ports of call or other modes of transportation if, in its opinion, the situation requires a change or cancellation of arrangements. Oceania Cruises does not assume responsibility or liability for any loss, inconvenience, or expense incurred by guests as a result of any changes or cancellations as detailed in the Guest Ticket Contract. When practicable, Oceania Cruises will promptly notify guests or their Travel Agent of a cruise itinerary change.

 

Here is Oceania's policy on changes as detailed in the Guest Ticket Contract as of January 1, 2013:

 

-Cancellation by Oceania Cruises, Inc.: Oceania Cruises, Inc. reserves the right to withdraw and/or cancel a cruise or cruisetour or to make changes in the itinerary and hotel accommodations whenever, in its sole judgment, conditions warrant. In the event of charters of the vessels, truces, lockouts, riots or stoppage of labor from whatever cause or for any other reason whatsoever, the Owner or Operator of the vessels identified in the current brochure may, at any time, cancel, advance or postpone any scheduled cruise or cruisetour and may, but is not obligated to, substitute another vessel or itinerary and Oceania Cruises, Inc. shall not be liable for any loss whatsoever to guests by reason of any such cancellation, advancement or postponement. Oceania Cruises, Inc. shall not be required to refund any amount paid by any guest who must leave the cruisetour prematurely for any reason, nor shall Oceania Cruises, Inc. or the owners or operators of the vessels identified in Oceania Cruises’ brochure be responsible for the lodging, meals, return transportation or other expenses incurred by such guest.

[Ronniewales]

Do you think they will wait until everyone is onboard before announcing an itinerary change?

 

 

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[Mura]

That depends on the situation. When Libya was cancelled in November 2005 many passengers didn't know about the itinerary change until they boarded. (Passengers who were involved with message boards on the internet were NOT surprised, but many computer-illiterates were.)

 

I'm sure they let you know as soon as they can, but sometimes there are surprises.

 

I wouldn't want to be looking at the current Gaza-Israel situation and have to make the decision just as to when a change should be made. (Personally, I'm with Hypercafe.)

 

 

 

Mura

[hypercafe]

I see where you are coming from. We have looked at these trips for years as we would love to go to the holy land. These trips are not cheap and the hilight is the holy land. We also decided years ago it was best to see it on the history channel. I would call Oceania and ask them what was their plan moving forward. Good luck.

[Ronniewales]

I see where you are coming from. We have looked at these trips for years as we would love to go to the holy land. These trips are not cheap and the hilight is the holy land. We also decided years ago it was best to see it on the history channel. I would call Oceania and ask them what was their plan moving forward. Good luck.

 

Thank you, as when the Itinerary was first published it was Holy land and Egypt which made it a very nice cruise, but now if the 2 main areas of attraction are taken away it makes it an Eastern Med cruise with a trip down the Suez Canal, Aqaba, Oman and Dubai.

 

That makes it nothing like the published itinerary so they must find some other interesting ports but I cannot see where.

[StanandJim]

Thank you, as when the Itinerary was first published it was Holy land and Egypt which made it a very nice cruise, but now if the 2 main areas of attraction are taken away it makes it an Eastern Med cruise with a trip down the Suez Canal, Aqaba, Oman and Dubai.

 

That makes it nothing like the published itinerary so they must find some other interesting ports but I cannot see where.

 

If you are not going to be happy without the ports which are in a state of flux, I would suggest that you cancel now and be done with it.

Getting a Cruise ship into a Port requires a great deal of logistical forethought, so when plans require changing late in the game the Front Office must consider practicality before "interesting".

 

Is the wharf long enough?, is the water deep enough? Are shore-side electricity and fresh water to be had? More importantly, if the ships' larder is running low on raspberries, band aids, or Maraschino cherries, will a sufficient supply of the proper quality (none of this local muck, mind) be available for purchase?

 

For these reasons, and hundreds more which we civilians could never think of, the larger, busier Ports in an area almost always handle the overflow when other Ports must be cancelled.

 

Don't hold out and expect something exotic or unusual...

Edited July 11, 2014 by StanandJim

[Ronniewales]

If you are not going to be happy without the ports which are in a state of flux, I would suggest that you cancel now and be done with it.

Getting a Cruise ship into a Port requires a great deal of logistical forethought, so when plans require changing late in the game the Front Office must consider practicality before "interesting".

 

Is the wharf long enough?, is the water deep enough? Are shore-side electricity and fresh water to be had? More importantly, if the ships' larder is running low on raspberries, band aids, or Maraschino cherries, will a sufficient supply of the proper quality (none of this local muck, mind) be available for purchase?

 

For these reasons, and hundreds more which we civilians could never think of, the larger, busier Ports in an area almost always handle the overflow when other Ports must be cancelled.

 

Don't hold out and expect something exotic or unusual...

 

We have already paid in full as our deadline date was a few weeks back. Reading earlier posts looks like we cant cancel so will have to go with the flow, but it will make for many unhappy cruisers when on board.

[CAG]

We have already paid in full as our deadline date was a few weeks back. Reading earlier posts looks like we cant cancel so will have to go with the flow, but it will make for many unhappy cruisers when on board.

 

Look at your invoice. You could cancel now and just be out a % of the total cost rather than the whole amount. I just made final payment on the World Cruise (yes 180 days out) and we could cancel if necessary in the next month for a 25% cancellation charge. If you are truly going to be unhappy, you might want to take a 25% loss now rather than be miserable and upset for the entire trip.

 

We were on this itinerary last year out of Barcelona and when the trouble started in Egypt, we just knew that Safga (Luxor) would eventually be cancelled and it was. When the announcement was made so also was the new itinerary, this was in August. Sometimes it takes the Home Office awhile to figure out alternatives. It is not like just choosing a new city and a new hotel, there are lots of variables involved and many things have an effect on other things.

 

Wouldn't it be great if everyone in the world could be at peace!

Cenia

[buggins0402]

As long as rockets aren't flying they will probably port. We were on a cruise during the November 2012 situation. Our ship ported, stayed in Haifa and did not continue to Ashdod as planned. We were the last ship to port during the conflict. It had started the day before we were due to port and the seriousness of the situation was not clear until we were there (rocket attacks into Ashdod are not infrequent and ships scheduled for both ports were frequently staying in Haifa, so I guess our Captain thought it was that type of situation). As soon as a cease fire was brokered, ships resumed calling on the ports. Actually, we did not notice much while traveling around Israel, except for UN vehicles and military around Jerusalem.

[LHT28]

We have already paid in full as our deadline date was a few weeks back. Reading earlier posts looks like we cant cancel so will have to go with the flow, but it will make for many unhappy cruisers when on board.

well you could proceed & make the best of it or you can continue to grouse about it and ruin the trip for you & anyone you meet

The decision is yours to make

 

Cancel & take the hit if you feel so determined to be miserable

Check your insurance first

 

The area is always in a state of flux ...sometimes you get lucky sometimes you do not

 

JMO

 

Lyn

Edited July 11, 2014 by LHT28

[dmacp]

Like those of us on the Black Sea cruise that cancelled 3 ports in Ukraine (after the 100% penalty phase was entered) you are screwed. Don't expect on board credit, free internet, drinks, future discounts, penalty waivers, or any other adjustment or compensation. You. Are. Screwed. Period.

[Mura]

Even if rockets weren't flying three weeks ago, tensions were clearly high after the murders of the four teens. (I acknowledge that this may still have occurred AFTER your final payment date.)

 

But things happen ... and we can never predict, especially when we book many months in advance. Our last 3 cruises were booked 18 months out. (Okay, none of them were to excitable areas ... but New Foundland could have decided to move for secession from Canada, I suppose.)

 

I am one who really doesn't want to do Israel as a cruise stop, even if you have 3-4 days there. We had two weeks with my husband's cousin who is a licensed tour guide, so we are biased towards a land trip. But even with that bias, we wouldn't plan on going there any time soon!

 

Try to make lemonade out of those lemons. You never know -- you might just love the alternate ports. (No, I'm not a Polyanna but I do try to make the best of things. When we lost Libya, we did get a couple of unexpectedly delightly Spanish ports in their place. When on a land trip we ended up going to Paris without hotel reservations, it turned out to be our best trip to Paris that we ever had.)

 

Mura

[A Knitter]

At the time it didn't look like it would last more than a few weeks as the troubles in Israel come and go quite quickly. By November it might have stopped and there is a period of peace again. One can pray that the region will get peace and the two sides can live together in harmony. Been to Israel before and its such a beautiful country.

 

I know what I have to say won't help your situation but this is the VERY reason we did a land tour to Jerusalem before embarking on the cruise Istanbul to Athens. We followed the Insignia that missed the Ukraine Ports. While planning this trip in 2012, I saw Paulchili's post that Israel Ports had been cancelled. We decided that trouble could occur anytime. If we did stop at the scheduled port, then it was a win-win and we got to see the Northern Israel. If not, a Holy Land trip was not in vain and happy to have seen what I did. I agree with others, take a small hit now and reschedule at a later time. You will be miserable. A lot of passengers on our cruise did a BB, with a substantial savings for both cruises which is why they did not cancel.

[Mura]

Knitter, I cannot disagree with what you said.

 

I'm wondering ... was the point of OP's booking this cruise precisely for the Israeli ports or was Israel an added bonus to an itinerary that enticed?

 

If it was booked because Israel was on the "A" list, then yes -- cancelling, even with a penalty may be the best thing.

 

If it was a strong incentive but not the "be-all and end-all", then you should consider whether you want to take the cruise, knowing that you may miss Israel.

 

(In case I sound unsympathetic, I am not! I myself wouldn't really want to substitute several Greek islands for the Israeli ports -- OTOH, I'm sure we'd enjoy them.)

 

Mura

[Hawaiidan]

I see where you are coming from. We have looked at these trips for years as we would love to go to the holy land. These trips are not cheap and the hilight is the holy land. We also decided years ago it was best to see it on the history channel. I would call Oceania and ask them what was their plan moving forward. Good luck.

 

I am with you decision 200%. Having watched the mid-east situation for 50+ years...its gotten worse each and every year, now to the state of outright war and terrorist attacks. Egypt, Israel, Libya, Lebanon are all in a defacto state of active armed conflict on a daily basis. Too the Jihad Muslims have announced they are heading to Jordan with the expressed intent of creating a giant terrorist state.....

 

Sadly, I must agree with Hypercafe that there are now many places in the world that are best "seen on the history channel or A&E, because the honest reality is we, you and I, will not see any let up in this region in our life time.

I may be wrong, but I have a century of history on my side.

 

There are becoming fewer and fewer places to see without serious risk to ones life...let alone safety ( see the recent attacks on tourists in Kenya and Mombassa)

[fg159]

It is very unfortunate that there is conflict world wide and especially in the Mid East and the Ukraine

Having traveled to many parts of the world often there is always danger. Just like when you visit any American city.

I refuse to ket the terrorist win just like I refuse to ket the thugs in our country to determine pwhere I travel. I will of course tske pre caution no natter where I go .

I am schedule to be on a cruise that does stop in Israel. I am hoping that the ports are not cancelled

[Paulchili]

It is very unfortunate that there is conflict world wide and especially in the Mid East and the Ukraine

Having traveled to many parts of the world often there is always danger. Just like when you visit any American city.

I refuse to ket the terrorist win just like I refuse to ket the thugs in our country to determine pwhere I travel. I will of course tske pre caution no natter where I go .

I am schedule to be on a cruise that does stop in Israel. I am hoping that the ports are not cancelled

 

Ditto

[wripro]

Yes, but the decision will not be yours. It will be Oceania's so you can either be proactive or reactive.