Compensation for Riviera Nurovirus Cruise

[Travelcat2]

If you miss ports and Oceania does not pay the port tax that money should go back to the passengers who paid it. Why should Oceania benefit when we are not getting what we paid for. Very unfair.

 

To my knowledge, there is no cruise line that pays for missed ports. I do have one question. If you were critically ill and the ship missed a port in order to get you to a hospital, would you expect them to charge you?

 

As with insurance policies, etc., "acts of God" are not covered and most missed ports are due to weather/seas. It is not the fault of the cruise line.

[kazu]

To my knowledge, there is no cruise line that pays for missed ports. I do have one question. If you were critically ill and the ship missed a port in order to get you to a hospital, would you expect them to charge you?

 

As with insurance policies, etc., "acts of God" are not covered and most missed ports are due to weather/seas. It is not the fault of the cruise line.

 

The question referred to the port taxes and yes, most cruise lines do refund them if you cannot call on the port of call. Oceania is the exception, not the standard.

 

O is the first cruise line I have sailed on where port taxes were not refunded if we missed a port.

[RJB]

To my knowledge, there is no cruise line that pays for missed ports. I do have one question. If you were critically ill and the ship missed a port in order to get you to a hospital, would you expect them to charge you?

 

As with insurance policies, etc., "acts of God" are not covered and most missed ports are due to weather/seas. It is not the fault of the cruise line.

We are not talking about insurance or act of god or any other such thing. WE are paying port taxes in our cruise fare, weather Oceania breaks it out by itself or includes in in the bottom line. It is UNFAIR for Oceania to keep our money when we are not getting what we paid for. Would you pay for 6 apples if the store ran out of them and only gave you 5? Don't think so.

[GeezerCouple]

To my knowledge, there is no cruise line that pays for missed ports. I do have one question. If you were critically ill and the ship missed a port in order to get you to a hospital, would you expect them to charge you?

 

As with insurance policies, etc., "acts of God" are not covered and most missed ports are due to weather/seas. It is not the fault of the cruise line.

 

It's not payment "for missed ports" as in "paying someone because they missed seeing something or visiting someplace".

 

Oceania collected money from each passenger for fees/taxes that O would need to pay the local authorities when they call there.

 

So... no call? no payment due.

 

But... Oceania doesn't refund that money they collected for each passenger, to turn over to the port authorities (or such).

O just keeps it.

 

That is the problem under discussion.

[RJB]

It's not payment "for missed ports" as in "paying someone because they missed seeing something or visiting someplace".

 

Oceania collected money from each passenger for fees/taxes that O would need to pay the local authorities when they call there.

 

So... no call? no payment due.

 

But... Oceania doesn't refund that money they collected for each passenger, to turn over to the port authorities (or such).

O just keeps it.

 

That is the problem under discussion.

What does travelcat not understand about that. Is he just that big a cheerleader for Oceania that common sense and reason does not come into play?

[rallydave]

What does travelcat not understand about that. Is he just that big a cheerleader for Oceania that common sense and reason does not come into play?

 

Yes, and "he" is a she.

[RJB]

Yes, and "he" is a she.

So sorry that I got it wrong. No way for me to know. Will try to get it right in the future if I need to. Forgive me.

[hypercafe]

I must say the fact that Oceania really screwed up this whole thing and their workaround the port tax agreement they signed seems to be very stressful for the Oceania/ FDR people.

[sammiedawg]

I post occasionally. Do not work for O or own stock. We've quietly accumulated considerable days and totally enjoy the loveliest travel vacations with them. Fine food, lovely service and ships in pristine condition. We have two trips booked for 2016.

 

We got off Regatta is morning and we met two couples who were on the transatlantic, at least one is following this thread. Both couples noted most all the passengers remained calm and carried on with their cruise. I won't say what one couple said about the tone of this thread but one couple noted the offensive comment made by someone here, a poster who wrote about " the criminals at Oceania".

One couple felt the onboard cough was more concerning than the Noro. Both couples said crew members were ill and therefore service levels were reduced.

Both couples complimented Ray Michaels and said a video of Ray ran frequently on the stateroom TV about how to wash hands with hot soapy water.

One couple said passengers were told the laundry closed because there is no mechanism to turn off cold and warm water cycles.

One couple decided they don't like transatlantic cruises and they cancelled their spring crossing on O. However they booked three more cruises while on board.

 

I am a consumer and also owned a business for many years. I believe some of the posters should avoid Oceania and I have no problems with that.

As a business owner I'll bet the feeling is probably mutual on the other side.

 

The core issue is Noro virus, a short term GI illness. Noro is fairly common in any environment where people are in close quarters. Cruise Ships, day care centers, schools, nursing homes, prisons, institutions are all vulnerable. I've been on several cruise ships with Noro, have not experienced it on O.

I've missed countless ports on Various cruises, I have received refunds of port fees but the dollar amounts are low, I think in the range of 5 to 10 bucks. We missed four ports in June on O, we did not receive a refund of port fees. It would have been nice but I forgot about it pretty quick.

[kazu]

I post occasionally. Do not work for O or own stock. We've quietly accumulated considerable days and totally enjoy the loveliest travel vacations with them. Fine food, lovely service and ships in pristine condition. We have two trips booked for 2016.

 

We got off Regatta is morning and we met two couples who were on the transatlantic, at least one is following this thread. Both couples noted most all the passengers remained calm and carried on with their cruise. I won't say what one couple said about the tone of this thread but one couple noted the offensive comment made by someone here, a poster who wrote about " the criminals at Oceania".

One couple felt the onboard cough was more concerning than the Noro. Both couples said crew members were ill and therefore service levels were reduced.

Both couples complimented Ray Michaels and said a video of Ray ran frequently on the stateroom TV about how to wash hands with hot soapy water.

One couple said passengers were told the laundry closed because there is no mechanism to turn off cold and warm water cycles.

One couple decided they don't like transatlantic cruises and they cancelled their spring crossing on O. However they booked three more cruises while on board.

 

I am a consumer and also owned a business for many years. I believe some of the posters should avoid Oceania and I have no problems with that.

As a business owner I'll bet the feeling is probably mutual on the other side.

 

The core issue is Noro virus, a short term GI illness. Noro is fairly common in any environment where people are in close quarters. Cruise Ships, day care centers, schools, nursing homes, prisons, institutions are all vulnerable. I've been on several cruise ships with Noro, have not experienced it on O.

I've missed countless ports on Various cruises, I have received refunds of port fees but the dollar amounts are low, I think in the range of 5 to 10 bucks. We missed four ports in June on O, we did not receive a refund of port fees. It would have been nice but I forgot about it pretty quick.

 

Sammie,

 

Indeed, the passengers were all adults and behaved in a dignified, calm manner even if they were not happy with certain things.

 

It wasn't a ship of revolting passengers, but rather many troubled passengers.

 

I agree with your travelling companions. The cruise cough crud (as I call it) was a huge concern. Many of the crew had it and were coughing in the dining areas, serving areas and at the front desk. DH had to get medical attention as it developed quickly into a sinus/bronchitis issue.

 

I don't think it is a matter of some people should not cruise Oceania. I think it's a matter that this particular cruise did not deliver for many.

 

Second hand information is always helpful, but the fact that experienced O cruisers have spoken up and posted their displeasure speaks volumes IMO.

[Travelcat2]

I think that trying to discuss issues relating to passenger illness to missed ports is confusing to many. Most missed ports are due to weather (aka "Acts of God") which, should probably be another thread.

 

When passengers on the second leg of our cruise on Regent's Mariner boarded, it sounded like the the majority of the passengers were ill. Being winter in the U.S. with colds, flu, coughs, it is not surprising that a number of Regent guests were sick. If it has spread, I have not paid too much attention but do remove myself when someone behind starts coughing or sneezing without covering their mouth. We sail this time of the year - a time where illness is almost expected.

 

In any case, Oceania apparently did not communicate issues to the satisfaction of guests and some officers were "missing" (perhaps ill?) Those of you that are adamant about compensation will remain so even though it is highly unlikely that this will happen. IMO, the odds of you getting sick (not noro - simply flu, virus, cold, etc.) is very high - especially in closed quarters with other ill guests on a cruise ship this time of the year. Whether you paid $1,000 or $50,000 for a cruise, if you get sick, it can certainly ruin your cruise.

 

Hope everyone is now home and well and are able to enjoy the holiday season.

[travelingduo]

Only those of us who were onboard can truly understand what this voyage was like. Only we can truly understand what we experienced first hand. I think there is value in this discussion, but those who were NOT onboard need to view this issue from that lens and let the rest of us vent without judgement or advice. This is a SYSTEMIC issue, not an isolated incident. Yes, illnesses can occur anywhere... That is not the issue. It is the way the issue is dealt with that matters. We were treated horribly, especially those on the B2B. O needs to get their act together if they want to maintain the loyalty of past passengers. We all have choices and these discussions can help people make informed decisions. We will not sail with O for the foreseeable future (we cancelled our future O cruises the day we arrived back in Miami); that is our choice and we should not be ostracized for that decision. Again, you had to be onboard to fully understand the impact that the poor management had on us. And it was not just the officers onboard, they were in touch with 'headquarters' throughout the cruise and it was the O administration that made many of these poor decisions. I am done[emoji16].

[The A Train]

Haven't read much of this thread, but, curious as to who the officers on-board were?

[kazu]

Haven't read much of this thread, but, curious as to who the officers on-board were?

 

Captain was Gunnar, GM - Dominique, Executive Concierge - Javier & CD was Ray Michaels.

[roger b]

Only those of us who were onboard can truly understand what this voyage was like. Only we can truly understand what we experienced first hand. I think there is value in this discussion, but those who were NOT onboard need to view this issue from that lens and let the rest of us vent without judgement or advice. This is a SYSTEMIC issue, not an isolated incident. Yes, illnesses can occur anywhere... That is not the issue. It is the way the issue is dealt with that matters. We were treated horribly, especially those on the B2B. O needs to get their act together if they want to maintain the loyalty of past passengers. We all have choices and these discussions can help people make informed decisions. We will not sail with O for the foreseeable future (we cancelled our future O cruises the day we arrived back in Miami); that is our choice and we should not be ostracized for that decision. Again, you had to be onboard to fully understand the impact that the poor management had on us. And it was not just the officers onboard, they were in touch with 'headquarters' throughout the cruise and it was the O administration that made many of these poor decisions. I am done[emoji16].

 

You have vented my feelings exactly it was the uncaring attitude that we were subjected to.

On the second part of my B2B , None of the officers were seen in the common parts of the ship and Ray Michaels did a sterling job of keeping a happy face on the situation.

 

My Main beef is lack of communication and being treated as if nothing was wrong and the insulting $200 OBC two days before the end of the cruise which I could not spend .

 

I also know that Noro can happen anywhere, but the way things were handed was not worthy of a 5/6 star cruise line.

Their attitude leaves a bad taste in the mouth !!!

 

People are talking about cancelling and I also have another cruise booked,I have been a long standing cheerleader for O for the last 13 years and all I want is a recognition of their short comings

[RJB]

Well said !!! The spice of life is to discuss contentious issues !!!

Yes, and I think we are doing it with respect for the most part. There is a lot to learn when asking the right questions and understanding the answers even though we don't always agree with them. Great day, great cruising. :)

[wristband]

I totally agree with this post. We were on board a& experience mirrors the unhappy experiences noted by Travelingduo & others. They succinctly hit the core problem with their heads.

 

It wasn't the virus. It was sloppy and shabby handling of so many things on the cruise, indifferent management, an understaffed ship from the start (well before the outbreak) and service levels that fell considerably below what O has provided guests in the past.

 

My sense is the NCL sale has had a major, negative impact. One glaring impact is the apparent reduction in competent service staff.

[kazu]

Just a reminder to post your ship experience reviews on the Cruise Critic review section. There are several up now that imho, illustrate the dismal situation that we experienced. I do think O pays attention to reviews posted.

 

Thanks to your reminder, mine is now up as well http://click.email.cruisecritic.com/?qs=314fdcb1789cf0beb4681290e12d6893767e3c096c5d0e7643303403fe0895a68944f42797417bfbc6bba8a332c12fb0

 

I was amazed how quickly it was published!

Edited December 20, 2015 by kazu

[kibutzer]

Having recently returned from TA I noticed several things. At Terrace Cafe many of the staff spent their time talking to each other rather than serving passengers. Unfortunately I also saw few cruisers avail themselves of the numerous sanitizers and often help themselves on the buffet line, and sometimes using their hands as opposed to tongs.

 

I understand that this is no excuse for poor response to norovirus. On the other hand passengers are accountble as well just IMHO.

[dibel]

Enjoyed your review, Jacqui....very factual.

[globevest]

Jacqui,

While we were lucky not to get sick our overall experience was similar to yours. Thank you for the review. Enjoyed meeting you and your DH. Best wishes on future cruises.

Barry

[njhorseman]

I totally agree with this post. We were on board a& experience mirrors the unhappy experiences noted by Travelingduo & others. They succinctly hit the core problem with their heads.

 

It wasn't the virus. It was sloppy and shabby handling of so many things on the cruise, indifferent management, an understaffed ship from the start (well before the outbreak) and service levels that fell considerably below what O has provided guests in the past.

 

My sense is the NCL sale has had a major, negative impact. One glaring impact is the apparent reduction in competent service staff.

 

"Oceania people" are still running Oceania, and in fact the former Oceania CEO is CEO of the corporation that owns Oceania, Regent and NCL. Controlling interest in the board still lies with Apollo and TPG, the companies that controlled NCLH and PCH prior to their merger.

 

Blaming anything on the "sale" doesn't hold a lot of water as it was really a merger of two companies already under common control.

Edited December 20, 2015 by njhorseman

[sail7seas]

To my knowledge, there is no cruise line that pays for missed ports. I do have one question. If you were critically ill and the ship missed a port in order to get you to a hospital, would you expect them to charge you?

 

As with insurance policies, etc., "acts of God" are not covered and most missed ports are due to weather/seas. It is not the fault of the cruise line.

 

If HAL ship misses a port, they refund port fees to each guest.

 

[StanandJim]

If HAL ship misses a port, they refund port fees to each guest.

 

 

Yet you've stopped cruising with them....

Pray, tell us more about why-

[buggins0402]

Jacqui,

While we were lucky not to get sick our overall experience was similar to yours. Thank you for the review. Enjoyed meeting you and your DH. Best wishes on future cruises.

Barry

 

Thanks for your post Globevest, I know you can take a mess of a cruise, so you provided a good compass.