Solstice had to return to Melbourne last night

[Beanb41]

There's a number of generalisations there. Just addressing them as gogo65 suggests it causes questions with what they did onboard.

For one, not every helicopter is the same, nor does every service have the same helicopter. It sounds like yours may have come from somewhere in NZ, whereas these would likely have come out of Melbourne, since that’s where the ship returned to.

Also, the fact two came out for the same case (if it's the story I'm thinking of) implies they weren’t that large, otherwise why not have both passengers travel on the same helicopter? Having two indicates the same service sent them out (otherwise they wouldn’t split up the pax as they would be from different regions) and indicates they believed they needed two to carry, which means they weren’t large.

Lastly, what is the basis to say they can take “large”helicopters on Solstice, and how large? I doubt it would be taking Seaking size helicopters, but unless you have access to the specs for that helipad, it can’t be said.

 

Since this comment has been posted I have done some research on the different helicopters. On the basis that the Solstice would have been in the vicinity of 250 - 300km away from port when the decision to medevac was made the Melbourne based rescue helicopters are both single engine helicopters with a range of around 650 km unloaded. As they are only single engine aircraft there are limitations placed on them as to how far they can travel over open water. From my reading of the incident the helicopters would have been at the limits of the allowable duration and in fact may have exceeded it. Hence the decision to return to port was the right one. In our instance both helicopters were twin engine with a longer range hence an aerial medevac was possible. The NZ helicopeters would most likely have refuelled at Milford making a flight direct back to Dunedin more feasible.

[excitedofharpenden]

Bravo!

 

 

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+1.

 

Phil

[excitedofharpenden]

Since this comment has been posted I have done some research on the different helicopters. On the basis that the Solstice would have been in the vicinity of 250 - 300km away from port when the decision to medevac was made the Melbourne based rescue helicopters are both single engine helicopters with a range of around 650 km unloaded. As they are only single engine aircraft there are limitations placed on them as to how far they can travel over open water. From my reading of the incident the helicopters would have been at the limits of the allowable duration and in fact may have exceeded it. Hence the decision to return to port was the right one. In our instance both helicopters were twin engine with a longer range hence an aerial medevac was possible. The NZ helicopeters would most likely have refuelled at Milford making a flight direct back to Dunedin more feasible.

At the end of the day and regardless of how much research one does, it is what it is.

 

Phil

[Iamthesea]

IF, there were any compensation due to the passengers, it would be because taxes had to be paid to go through the sounds.

 

We once missed a port on a Celebrity cruise. The port taxes were refunded in a form of OBC. And no, we did not ask for that. Everyone received it! OBC suddenly appeared on our stateroom account with no explanation. We were told by Guest Services.

[Marelaine]

Many companies have stopped sucking up to "influencers" because they realize it does them no good. As evidenced on this thread, those who are used to complaining to get stuff for free just develop an attitude that is akin to blackmail.

 

The idea that someone in a suite should get some sort of compensation while everyone else is told to pound sand is also pretty appalling (and I always sail in suites). Anyone going on a cruise knows the potential for itinerary changes. Is it disappointing? Yes. Should the company pay you for the disappointment? No.

 

<3<3(y)(y):hearteyes:<3

Thank You!

[RDC1]

IF, there were any compensation due to the passengers, it would be because taxes had to be paid to go through the sounds.

 

We once missed a port on a Celebrity cruise. The port taxes were refunded in a form of OBC. And no, we did not ask for that. Everyone received it! OBC suddenly appeared on our stateroom account with no explanation. We were told by Guest Services.

 

Unlike port taxes it is unclear if the fees paid to go through the sound are refundable. The regulations that control the fjords require the schedule to be set and fees paid a year in advance with any changes to be approved by two groups in advance. Basically the fees go to a group that is responsible for environmental management of the area. Not like port fees and taxes

[The_Big_M]

Since this comment has been posted I have done some research on the different helicopters. On the basis that the Solstice would have been in the vicinity of 250 - 300km away from port when the decision to medevac was made the Melbourne based rescue helicopters are both single engine helicopters with a range of around 650 km unloaded. As they are only single engine aircraft there are limitations placed on them as to how far they can travel over open water. From my reading of the incident the helicopters would have been at the limits of the allowable duration and in fact may have exceeded it. Hence the decision to return to port was the right one. In our instance both helicopters were twin engine with a longer range hence an aerial medevac was possible. The NZ helicopeters would most likely have refuelled at Milford making a flight direct back to Dunedin more feasible.

 

Thanks for following up and looking into the differences. :)

 

Twin engines are much safer; I'm surprised they went with the single engines for an emergency role as there are more limitations with them. Seems cost won out though, as is lately often the case. Good on NZ for operating decent equipment though.

[Iamthesea]

Unlike port taxes it is unclear if the fees paid to go through the sound are refundable. The regulations that control the fjords require the schedule to be set and fees paid a year in advance with any changes to be approved by two groups in advance. Basically the fees go to a group that is responsible for environmental management of the area. Not like port fees and taxes

 

Thanks for the explanation. :) I knew there had to be some sort of fee. That's why I said "If."

[Izwalk]

Lets look at the practicality of the situation. The return to Melbourne for the repatriation of a sick person put the ship 12 hours behind schedule. It would have been planned to arrive at the entrance to Milford Sound around 8.00 am and depart Dusky Sound around 4.00pm all things being equal. Move forward 12 hours and it is now dark. Passengers on a Milford excursion could still be disembarked and then head for Dunedin. Even a bright full moonlit night there will be nothing to see in Thompson, Doubtful and Dusky sound arriving at the end of Dusky sound at 4.00 am. Still very dark and because of the distance still to travel Dunedin will have to be missed.

Sorry complainers as much as I love traversing our lovely Sounds in Fiordland this medical emergency means you will have to do them next cruise.

 

 

We passed Dusky sound at 5 pm.

[Sea Me Now]

We were as disappointed as all of you were that we missed our overnight. Of course, like many of you, we wish the person who was in medical need well. Our disappointment with Celebrity comes when Celebrity expects the 100 people who had their shore excursion cancelled expects us to be understanding....and many of us are, but we paid $600 pp for that excursion more than 1 1/2 years ago.... before sailing that excursion this cost was $800 pp. We did get our $600 pp monies refunded, however, if we were lucky enough to find a desired shore excursion available we had to now pay the increased price. Our belief is that Celebrity should have discounted the booking we had to make onboard to compensate for our other cancelled excursion. I’m sure it would be an insignificant amount but it would have showed they understood our sadness. By the way, we had to get waitlisted to get another excursion..... thank goodness someone onboard cancelled it!

[Yoshikitty]

I‘d discuss that issue with Celebrity Customerservice after the cruise.

[Taking It Easy]

It doesn’t matter why. Obviously the decision to return to port was made in the best interest of the ill passenger.

 

I just can’t comprehend the level of annoyance with people, these days.

“Ship” happens...

 

 

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Readers of this thread,

 

A BIG DITTO to Karynann's comments.

 

My wife and I were on on that Solstice cruise, the subject of this thread.

 

All lives matter!

 

It could happen to you!

 

It appears many who posted herein were not on the cruise.

 

The latter cruise was at least the 3rd time that life or death incidents occurred .

 

I recognize a few of the CC names who were on the cruise. My guess is manyposters have not had unforeseen changes on a cruise they've taken.

 

Sure, we were very disappoiunted missing the Sounds. We booked the March 5, 2018 cruise two years ao. It was our first visit to Australia and N.Z.

 

However it was OK as the delay saved the ladys life.

 

All passenger lives and health should be a # 1 priority for all cruisers.

 

Just my opinion added to the comments written, and some of the "Hot Air".

 

Bobby

[jennygeee]

I was on this cruise, and while I appreciate the decision to turn back to save the passenger's life and am thankful that turning back meant someone is still alive, I can not fathom why the captain would've made the call to completely forego the sounds so early on. I admit straight up that don't know much about sailing, but I can't imagine that it'd take much to make up 1-2 hours over 3 days to just even get into Milford Sound. We in fact passed Dusky at about 5PM, when we were scheduled to cruise Dusky at 3 - 4:30PM. We also got into Dunedin 2 hours earlier than the original itinerary, so with these 2 points, surely we could've even just made 1 of the sounds, which would've probably appeased most disgruntled passengers (I imagine?).

Arriving at Milford later in the evening wouldn't have mattered as long as we could still cruise it, as I have heard from my friends (that have cruised the sounds) that Milford is stunning at sunset, which was estimated to be around 8PM (and the sun eventually did set around 8PM as expected). Said friends also mentioned that there are maybe 10 days a year (an exaggeration?) when you get beautiful weather to cruise the sounds, so perhaps there were also other factors at play.

Anyway, I agree that the Captain's explanation was sorely lacking in clarity and execution was poor - he outlined the possible outcomes, and just pretty much said missing the ports were a bad idea (not verbatim) without much reasons given, other than for Akaroa which is too small to accommodate 2 cruise ships on the same day.

I do think that offering some OBC on next cruise as compensation would've been a nice touch to say "thanks for your understanding" and go a long way in boosting customer loyalty as it only costs the company IF the customer booked another cruise. We booked a balcony room specifically for the cruising of the sounds part of the itinerary, and wouldn'tve bothered with a balcony if the sounds hadn't been part of the itinerary, so we definitely feel the pinch. Same with the people that travelled to AU to cruise this itinerary in hopes of seeing the sounds.

 

All in all, it just felt like more could've been done by Celebrity / Captain to make up for the delay and the eventual decision to cancel the sounds (or at least better explain the decision process, such as citing the regulations around cruising the sounds, which never even came up).

[jennygeee]

I‘d discuss that issue with Celebrity Customerservice after the cruise.

Just so you know, Onboard Guest Relations refer you to Post-Cruise Guest Relations, whom also insist that it was a medical emergency, and refuse any kind of compensation.

[bEwAbG]

Had OBC been offered, the complaint would simply be "They only offered us $X in OBC and we have to book another trip to get it!!!"

 

Stuff happens. It's in the documents you read before you buy.

[RDC1]

I was on this cruise, and while I appreciate the decision to turn back to save the passenger's life and am thankful that turning back meant someone is still alive, I can not fathom why the captain would've made the call to completely forego the sounds so early on. I admit straight up that don't know much about sailing, but I can't imagine that it'd take much to make up 1-2 hours over 3 days to just even get into Milford Sound. We in fact passed Dusky at about 5PM, when we were scheduled to cruise Dusky at 3 - 4:30PM. We also got into Dunedin 2 hours earlier than the original itinerary, so with these 2 points, surely we could've even just made 1 of the sounds, which would've probably appeased most disgruntled passengers (I imagine?).

Arriving at Milford later in the evening wouldn't have mattered as long as we could still cruise it, as I have heard from my friends (that have cruised the sounds) that Milford is stunning at sunset, which was estimated to be around 8PM (and the sun eventually did set around 8PM as expected). Said friends also mentioned that there are maybe 10 days a year (an exaggeration?) when you get beautiful weather to cruise the sounds, so perhaps there were also other factors at play.

Anyway, I agree that the Captain's explanation was sorely lacking in clarity and execution was poor - he outlined the possible outcomes, and just pretty much said missing the ports were a bad idea (not verbatim) without much reasons given, other than for Akaroa which is too small to accommodate 2 cruise ships on the same day.

I do think that offering some OBC on next cruise as compensation would've been a nice touch to say "thanks for your understanding" and go a long way in boosting customer loyalty as it only costs the company IF the customer booked another cruise. We booked a balcony room specifically for the cruising of the sounds part of the itinerary, and wouldn'tve bothered with a balcony if the sounds hadn't been part of the itinerary, so we definitely feel the pinch. Same with the people that travelled to AU to cruise this itinerary in hopes of seeing the sounds.

 

All in all, it just felt like more could've been done by Celebrity / Captain to make up for the delay and the eventual decision to cancel the sounds (or at least better explain the decision process, such as citing the regulations around cruising the sounds, which never even came up).

 

A couple of points:

 

1. the times and routes in the sounds are tightly controlled and approved in March the year before. So the odds are Celebrity could not have changed their times even if they wanted to

 

2. From what I recall of this trip, when I was on the Solstice last year. The trip through the Fjords goes through Milford Sound first. Then enters north of Resolution Island, goes through the Acheron Passage, then exits through Dusky Sound. The entire route through Milford, then the Acheron Passage, exiting through Dusky takes all day. So while you were off Dusky Sound just after the time when the ship would have normally been exiting, the ship cannot just decide to turn into the sound.

 

If anyone is interested in reading the agreement concerning cruise ship access

http://www.es.govt.nz/Document%20Library/Other%20resources/Cruise%20ships/cruise-ship-deed-of-agreement-updated-august2012.pdf

[Yoshikitty]

Just so you know, Onboard Guest Relations refer you to Post-Cruise Guest Relations, whom also insist that it was a medical emergency, and refuse any kind of compensation.

 

Well, I am sure that you are woman/man enough to tell them all circumstances and that your loss has nothing to do with the medical emergency.

[TeeRick]

A couple of points:

 

1. the times and routes in the sounds are tightly controlled and approved in March the year before. So the odds are Celebrity could not have changed their times even if they wanted to

 

2. From what I recall of this trip, when I was on the Solstice last year. The trip through the Fjords goes through Milford Sound first. Then enters north of Resolution Island, goes through the Acheron Passage, then exits through Dusky Sound. The entire route through Milford, then the Acheron Passage, exiting through Dusky takes all day. So while you were off Dusky Sound just after the time when the ship would have normally been exiting, the ship cannot just decide to turn into the sound.

 

If anyone is interested in reading the agreement concerning cruise ship access

http://www.es.govt.nz/Document%20Library/Other%20resources/Cruise%20ships/cruise-ship-deed-of-agreement-updated-august2012.pdf

 

I am the OP of this thread and was on the cruise. Your point is spot-on. Thank you!

[mom2tcdx2]

Was kind of sad they had to miss the sound, my parents and my sister and her husband were on the cruise. They will probably never be able to afford a return trip to the area and spent a couple years planning this trip. Originally I was supposed to go and ended up not being able to swing the cost. Overall they were pretty disappointed with Celebrity (was their first time with Celebrity). I feel kind of bad because I was the one we talked them into the cruise and then ended up being the one not able to go. Originally they had a cruise booked with Royal instead. I was sad to hear they didn't like the food, said bar service was terribly poor and no consistency with the quality of drinks ordered.

[Wine-O]

Was kind of sad they had to miss the sound, my parents and my sister and her husband were on the cruise. They will probably never be able to afford a return trip to the area and spent a couple years planning this trip. Originally I was supposed to go and ended up not being able to swing the cost. Overall they were pretty disappointed with Celebrity (was their first time with Celebrity). I feel kind of bad because I was the one we talked them into the cruise and then ended up being the one not able to go. Originally they had a cruise booked with Royal instead. I was sad to hear they didn't like the food, said bar service was terribly poor and no consistency with the quality of drinks ordered.

 

Sorry to hear they missed the Sound, but stuff happens. We were on the cruise right before this one, and our experience about food, service, drinks, and bar service was completely different. We felt everything was much better that what we experienced on previous Celebrity cruises.

[mom2tcdx2]

I was so expecting to hear rave reviews from them about Celebrity and my sister pretty much placed them lower than her opinion of MSC. Basically the four of them said they don't think they would try Celebrity again, while I really would like to book the Edge. Not sure if any of it had to do with it being an Australian cruise or not. I was kind of shocked they didn't enjoy it that much.

[TeeRick]

I was on this cruise and service, drinks and food were all very good. But to each his/her own opinion.

[Holly2]

We missed the Sounds andDunedin. Still one of our better cruises.

[mom2tcdx2]

I was on this cruise and service, drinks and food were all very good. But to each his/her own opinion.

 

Very true, though they said their drink service was pretty bad and not at all consistent, with the bartender at the pool bar being the best one they encountered the whole cruise. There was some kind of drink with blueberry vodka that they told my sister they were out of the vodka at all bars. She found bottles of it at the top of a bar when playing trivia one day. They had the bartender from the pool bar go get it so he could keep making the drink she wanted. My mother said she had horrible margaritas to the point some weren't drinkable, margaritas are not that complicated of a drink. My BIL got a Bloody Mary with BBQ sauce in it - not hot sauce or tabasco - but BBQ. Who does that???

[TeeRick]

We missed the Sounds andDunedin. Still one of our better cruises.

 

On your cruise you missed both the Sounds and Dunedin? What happened? Weather?