Cutting corners?

[Mura]

Mura,

I agree with your sentiment (except I am sure you meant Warnemunde and not Gdansk for Berlin :D).

Changes like these can be annoying at times (especially if announced after final p\

 

Quite likely not Gdansk! When we did the Baltic tour it was with Renaissance and we didn't go to Gdansk or Warnemunde and there was NO option for Berlin! That's just an option I've seen mentioned over the years since, and once which we would not do.

 

On our first trip to Berlin we spent a week ...I just cannot imagine trying to see Berlin (or Paris or Rome or London ... fill in the blank) in one or even two days.

 

Mura

[newlondon]

DOJO466, Interested in where small town NH is. We as you might guess are in New London:)

[DOJO466]

DOJO466, Interested in where small town NH is. We as you might guess are in New London:)

 

Strafford/Bow Lake off of Rt 4 Northwood

[newlondon]

Not far and nice!

[Twiga]

On August 24th I received my cruise documents for our Radiant Retreats cruise on October 20th from Montreal to Miami. I was happily surprised to receive them so early. Then, on September 2nd, I received an email from Oceania to my travel agent with new port times. Oceania has moved up the departure time from Quebec City by two hours! That’s from 6:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.

 

Oceania arrives at Bar Harbor, Maine one hour later than scheduled (10:00 instead of 9:00 a.m.). We will overnight in New York, but have lost one hour on arrival (1:00 instead of noon) and one hour on departure (3:00 instead of 4:00 p.m.) To make matters worse, Oceania has delayed our arrival in Charleston, South Carolina from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 pm. The only time they added is in Charleston, departing at midnight, instead of 11:00 p.m., which really is unusable time.

 

Oceania waited until AFTER the cruise documents went out to change these times. Very sneaky. I have been on three Oceania cruises previously (and many other cruises) and have never had a port time changed prior to departure. This seems to be a new trend by Oceania, as attested by the posts on this thread. This is not the same as cancelled or adjusted ports once the cruise is underway. I have experienced both as a result of bad weather or a sick passenger. I understand and accept it when that happens. I am even grateful that the Captain looks out for my well-being and the well-being of the sick passenger in those situations. However, that is not what is happening now with Oceania’s wholesale shortening of multiple port times per cruise before the ship even departs the first port.

 

For my cruise these changes significantly shorten the time in port by seven hours. That is an entire port day. The only reason for this is to save costs for Oceania. Whether it’s less port charges or less fuel because the ship can go slower with the extra hour or two, Oceania stands to benefit while the passengers lose out. This is obviously a business decision on their part which, of course, they are entitled to make. However, Oceania should have waited to make such changes on future cruises, not on those already advertised and especially not well-after final payment has been made.

 

I am booked on another Oceania cruise next year for 23 nights. No changes have been made to those port times since I booked it. Will they wait again until after final payment is made to change the port times?

 

I love Oceania and have been a fan of the cruise line for eight years, but I don't like this latest trend. It’s too much like bait-and-switch. They advertise a certain amount of time in port, then shorten it later, when it is too late for the customer to change to a different cruise if desired. I am sorry to see this loss of goodwill towards Oceania’s passengers.

Edited September 4, 2015 by Twiga

[canuck.qc]

I put alot of research, reading and planning private tours before each trip. I too would not be happy about such events happening to me. I can understand a few minor changes but what you've described is maddening.

[Caroldoll]

We have one to the SP, but we will not be booking any more. We are looking elsewhere and since we have done a lot of the others, we know there is something out there.

[Paulchili]

 

Oceania waited until AFTER the cruise documents went out to change these times. Very sneaky. I have been on three Oceania cruises previously (and many other cruises) and have never had a port time changed prior to departure. This seems to be a new trend by Oceania, as attested by the posts on this thread. This is not the same as cancelled or adjusted ports once the cruise is underway. I have experienced both as a result of bad weather or a sick passenger. I understand and accept it when that happens. I am even grateful that the Captain looks out for my well-being and the well-being of the sick passenger in those situations. However, that is not what is happening now with Oceania’s wholesale shortening of multiple port times per cruise before the ship even departs the first port.

 

For my cruise these changes significantly shorten the time in port by seven hours. That is an entire port day. The only reason for this is to save costs for Oceania. Whether it’s less port charges or less fuel because the ship can go slower with the extra hour or two, Oceania stands to benefit while the passengers lose out. This is obviously a business decision on their part which, of course, they are entitled to make. However, Oceania should have waited to make such changes on future cruises, not on those already advertised and especially not well-after final payment has been made.

 

I am booked on another Oceania cruise next year for 23 nights. No changes have been made to those port times since I booked it. Will they wait again until after final payment is made to change the port times?

 

I love Oceania and have been a fan of the cruise line for eight years, but I don't like this latest trend. It’s too much like bait-and-switch. They advertise a certain amount of time in port, then shorten it later, when it is too late for the customer to change to a different cruise if desired. I am sorry to see this loss of goodwill towards Oceania’s passengers.

 

Well written post and I strongly agree especially with the parts I quoted above.

I can accept these changes as a cost saving measure - as I explained here earlier - but it should be implemented on future planned cruises and not on existing ones - especially not after final payment.

Oceania - this indeed smells fishy and is cheesy - not what we are accustomed to with O in the past. :mad:

I do hope someone from O is reading this.

Edited September 5, 2015 by Paulchili

[tilou]

Sailing on the November 3rd departure (25 day sailing from Lisbon to Cape Town) and received this from my TA yesterday (see bottom of page):

 

Ridiculous!!

To me, it shows a lack of consideration and organization less than 2 months prior to sailing, and of course, long after final payment.

A total of 23 hours of port time is now GONE. Vaporized!

Plus a lot of trouble for those of us who have arranged private tours.

And the 2 hour delayed arrivals in particular? 10 am? 1000+ passengers ALL get off at 10, right? Make that more like 10:30-10:45. So exactly how much time does that leave us?

I am NOT happy!

I've been sailing with OC for years and am at Gold level, but not feeling the Golden treatment. Perhaps they feel they can get away with this as most pax will moan and groan, but eventually just suck it up.

NO explanation, no apologies, just here it is, and btw...have a lovely day :)

I sailed on Seabourn for the 1st time last November, 39 days Monaco to Cape Town (LOVED Seabourn!) and experienced no rescheduling or changes whatsoever (and on a similar route to what this cruise is doing).

 

 

Here is what I received:

 

Itinerary Update

Dear Valued Guests and Travel Partners,

 

We would like to advise you of an update to your voyage aboard Marina on November 3, 2015.

Please note the arrival and departure time changes listed below:

 

03-Nov-2015 Lisbon, Portugal

Cruise departure time has been changed from (7:00pm) to 5:00pm

 

05-Nov-2015 Funchal (Madeira), Portugal

Arrival time has been changed from (8:00am) to 9:00am

06-Nov-2015 Santa Cruz de la Palma, Canary Islands

Arrival time has been changed from (8:00am) to 10:00am

07-Nov-2015 Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain

Departure time has been changed from (11:59pm) to 5:00pm

13-Nov-2015 Banjul, Gambia

Departure time has been changed from (6:00pm) to 5:00pm

16-Nov-2015 Abidjan, Ivory Coast

Arrival time has been changed from (8:00am) to 10:00am

17-Nov-2015 Sekondi-Takoradi, Ghana

Departure time has been changed from (6:00pm) to 5:00pm

18-Nov-2015 Lome, Togo

Arrival time has been changed from (8:00am) to 10:00am

20-Nov-2015 Sao Tome, Sao Tome and Principe

Departure time has been changed from (6:00pm) to 4:00pm

22-Nov-2015 Luanda, Angola

Arrival time has been changed from (8:00am) to 9:00am

25-Nov-2015 Walvis Bay, Namibia

Departure time has been changed from (7:00pm) to 5:00pm

 

We look forward to providing you with a memorable cruise experience.

 

Warmest Regards,

Oceania Cruises

[MVPinBoynton]

Sailing on the November 3rd departure (25 day sailing from Lisbon to Cape Town) and received this from my TA yesterday (see bottom of page):

 

Ridiculous!!

To me, it shows a lack of consideration and organization less than 2 months prior to sailing, and of course, long after final payment.

A total of 23 hours of port time is now GONE. Vaporized!

Plus a lot of trouble for those of us who have arranged private tours.

And the 2 hour delayed arrivals in particular? 10 am? 1000+ passengers ALL get off at 10, right? Make that more like 10:30-10:45. So exactly how much time does that leave us?

I am NOT happy!

I've been sailing with OC for years and am at Gold level, but not feeling the Golden treatment. Perhaps they feel they can get away with this as most pax will moan and groan, but eventually just suck it up.

NO explanation, no apologies, just here it is, and btw...have a lovely day :)

I sailed on Seabourn for the 1st time last November, 39 days Monaco to Cape Town (LOVED Seabourn!) and experienced no rescheduling or changes whatsoever (and on a similar route to what this cruise is doing).

 

 

Here is what I received:

 

Itinerary Update

Dear Valued Guests and Travel Partners,

 

We would like to advise you of an update to your voyage aboard Marina on November 3, 2015.

Please note the arrival and departure time changes listed below:

 

03-Nov-2015 Lisbon, Portugal

Cruise departure time has been changed from (7:00pm) to 5:00pm

 

05-Nov-2015 Funchal (Madeira), Portugal

Arrival time has been changed from (8:00am) to 9:00am

06-Nov-2015 Santa Cruz de la Palma, Canary Islands

Arrival time has been changed from (8:00am) to 10:00am

07-Nov-2015 Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain

Departure time has been changed from (11:59pm) to 5:00pm

13-Nov-2015 Banjul, Gambia

Departure time has been changed from (6:00pm) to 5:00pm

16-Nov-2015 Abidjan, Ivory Coast

Arrival time has been changed from (8:00am) to 10:00am

17-Nov-2015 Sekondi-Takoradi, Ghana

Departure time has been changed from (6:00pm) to 5:00pm

18-Nov-2015 Lome, Togo

Arrival time has been changed from (8:00am) to 10:00am

20-Nov-2015 Sao Tome, Sao Tome and Principe

Departure time has been changed from (6:00pm) to 4:00pm

22-Nov-2015 Luanda, Angola

Arrival time has been changed from (8:00am) to 9:00am

25-Nov-2015 Walvis Bay, Namibia

Departure time has been changed from (7:00pm) to 5:00pm

 

We look forward to providing you with a memorable cruise experience.

 

Warmest Regards,

Oceania Cruises

 

OMG that is terrible! Leave earlier and arrive later, totally unacceptable. I am shocked that O would make such drastic itinerary changes, with the only logical explanation being cost savings. The longer port times and variety of ports was a major attraction of O. This should never be done after final payment without there being a valid safety issue or something outside of the cruise lines control.

[LHT28]

This "cost cutting" has been going on now for a few months so not sure why people are shocked that their cruise would be safe from such measures

Now they are discounting cruises up to a yr in advance

all this after saying the passengers who book early get the best deal

 

I am very disappointed in the game playing of Oceania ...I expect this of the main stream lines but for the past 9 or 10 yrs this was not the case with O

 

I am really reconsidering sailing on O although it is our favourite line since we found it in 2004

I do not like playing games with my vacation time & $$

 

JMO

 

Lyn

[TrulyBlonde]

I do not like game playing either and we have close to 40 days scheduled on 2 O cruises for 2016.

The reason for these cruises was due to the ports we were visiting and the timing was ideal. We are in a PH and a VS on these 2 cruises, so not a cheap deal by any means. Reading all of this is upsetting.

[2onboardagain]

Until recently we have only cancelled one cruise because of the treatment we received from the shore-side staff of the cruise line and that cruise line was NCL. I know that every one of the Oceania Cheerleaders will say that we didn't have to worry about the NCL connection with Oceania after the merger/takeover or whatever you want to call it. But this board is starting to be populated with threads that say things are changing and not for the better. We now have to view Oceania as another cruise line whose front office seems to have forgotten the needs and wants of its passengers. So very sad!

[tommiroke]

I do not like game playing either and we have close to 40 days scheduled on 2 O cruises for 2016.

The reason for these cruises was due to the ports we were visiting and the timing was ideal. We are in a PH and a VS on these 2 cruises, so not a cheap deal by any means. Reading all of this is upsetting.

 

Don't believe this to be game playing, it is painfully obvious that the cuts are calculated to increase savings at the end of the first year of the PCH purchase and calculations of the cost savings toward the $50,000,000 bonus that will be paid based on cost savings during the first year of the purchase of PCH are not substantial enough for the previous PCH stockholders to receive the full $50,000,000 and thus management is looking for any possible savings that can be earned before the year is up thus lining the pockets of the former stockholders at the expense of the paying customers.

 

Simply too coincidental for this to be happening with 3 months to go before the end of the year after purchase.

 

Since NCLH is a public company, expect that year end financials will show how much of the $50,000,000 is actually paid out. For those of you who don't believe this bonus, all you have to do is to look at descriptions of the purchase or quarterly financials which clearly spell out the $50,000,000 however do not spell out how the bonus is earned but, it does state that it is based on first year savings with $25,000,000 of the savings having already been found by synergies of the purchase thus and additional $25,000,000 needing to be found thru other savings/cuts.

 

Google is your friend for finding this bonus and its' description.

[MVPinBoynton]

This "cost cutting" has been going on now for a few months so not sure why people are shocked that their cruise would be safe from such measures

Now they are discounting cruises up to a yr in advance

all this after saying the passengers who book early get the best deal

 

I am very disappointed in the game playing of Oceania ...I expect this of the main stream lines but for the past 9 or 10 yrs this was not the case with O

 

I am really reconsidering sailing on O although it is our favourite line since we found it in 2004

I do not like playing games with my vacation time & $$

 

JMO

 

Lyn

 

I am not shocked that there would be cost cutting; but not cutting that directly affects the passengers and is so obvious. Like you, I am not surprised that a main stream line would do it; but I didn't expect it from O. I did think they were more passenger focused than that. The only O cruise we have booked has not changed; but I will be watching.

[Dittothecat]

We are also on the Lisbon to Cape Town cruise and very upset about losing 23 hours of port time. Although I do not have a Facebook or Twitter account, I do believe that posters to those social media platforms might get actual responses from Oceania. Has anyone left comments there? I have contacted a travel advocate at the Washington Post and am seriously reconsidering an Oceania cruise we just put a deposit down for 2016.

[LHT28]

The only O cruise we have booked has not changed; but I will be watching.

It appears they change within 60-90 days of sailing

keep watching;)

[Paulchili]

It appears they change within 60-90 days of sailing

keep watching;)

 

That is the most upsetting part of this pattern to me.

[wripro]

Agree completely, Paul.

 

This is worrisome enough to me that I am crossing Oceania off my list. Much as I like the cruise line to me the ship is not enough. The ports are very important and enough time to enjoy them and explore is paramount. I think Oceania is shooting itself in the foot. They are not like Royal Caribbean where people sail in order to go on water slides and see ice shows. O passengers are travelers too.

 

And this nasty act of changing port times after final payment is a scam, plain and simple.

[Jancruz]

Agree completely, Paul.

 

This is worrisome enough to me that I am crossing Oceania off my list. Much as I like the cruise line to me the ship is not enough. The ports are very important and enough time to enjoy them and explore is paramount. I think Oceania is shooting itself in the foot. They are not like Royal Caribbean where people sail in order to go on water slides and see ice shows. O passengers are travelers too.

 

And this nasty act of changing port times after final payment is a scam, plain and simple.

 

Paul, I agree that this is completely the wrong tactic..but I have no idea what other cruise line compares to O..can you tell me which line you are considering..

Thanks,

Jancruz1

[Cruzin Terri]

I am new to Oceania. These posts are so disconcerting to me. I have finally made the move from HAL because of all their cost cutting shenanigans--especially cutting port times and their cuts in food quality and service. We are four star mariners on HAL and it was not a light decision to walk away.

 

So I have now booked what I feel is a wonderful cruise on O for next August and I am worried that I will not have enough time in port. We like to do our own thing and book private tours or drivers. We do our homework so that we know exactly what we want to do and see in each port. The posts I am reading here really give me pause and make me wonder whether we have made a mistake in booking this cruise.

 

What recourse do we have if the port times are cut after final payment?

Terri

[LHT28]

What recourse do we have if the port times are cut after final payment?

Terri

NONE, NADA , ZIP

 

Unless you want to take the hit for the cancellation penalties you are stuck with what they give you

 

https://www.oceaniacruises.com/legal/ticket-contract/

Edited September 5, 2015 by LHT28

[Twiga]

I agree with Paulchili that such drastic port time changes “should be implemented on future planned cruises and not on existing ones - especially not after final payment.” I think Tommiroke has found the reason why they are doing it now-------the huge amount of bonus money at stake.

 

Perhaps we can make Oceania’s plan backfire and make that $25 million disappear. Just a thought, but what if we all spent the missing port time onboard eating our way through $25 million worth of food? Then Oceania will not have saved any money. Just kidding………but we could have fun trying! That’s a lot of shrimp cocktails!

 

Seriously, though, I agree with Lynn about reconsidering sailing on Oceania. My cruise next year is in a PH for 23 days. I do not expect to receive notice of any time changes until after final payment is due. I will have to give some thought to whether I want to make the final payment, or look elsewhere for another cruise. As Wripro said, the ports are very important to some of us. On my Montreal to Miami cruise I will be going to ports that I am sure I will never visit again. Therefore, I want to spend as much time in each as I can. Cutting an hour is a lot when the stay is so short to begin with.

 

Nancy

[kazu]

I am new to Oceania. These posts are so disconcerting to me. I have finally made the move from HAL because of all their cost cutting shenanigans--especially cutting port times and their cuts in food quality and service. We are four star mariners on HAL and it was not a light decision to walk away.

 

So I have now booked what I feel is a wonderful cruise on O for next August and I am worried that I will not have enough time in port. We like to do our own thing and book private tours or drivers. We do our homework so that we know exactly what we want to do and see in each port. The posts I am reading here really give me pause and make me wonder whether we have made a mistake in booking this cruise.

 

What recourse do we have if the port times are cut after final payment?

Terri

 

I hear you all so well Terri ;)

 

Our cruise is approaching the 60 day mark and so far there have been no changes in our port times. Our current port times are good IMO so hopefully that doesn't happen.

 

If it does, I will certainly post.

 

Just as there is no recourse if a port has to be skipped, there is no recourse if they change port times. I think that is the case with all cruise lines.

[Paulchili]

Paul, I agree that this is completely the wrong tactic..but I have no idea what other cruise line compares to O..can you tell me which line you are considering..

Thanks,

Jancruz1

 

Jan - I sent you an e mail.

Paul