Disappointed in Oceania

[Capitals Fan]

I'm booked on a cruise to Cuba with Oceania in December and, like everyone else with a booking to Cuba, am concerned about whether the trip will go off as planned.  I recognize that because the coming restrictions on travel to Cuba were announced without any details, no one really knows what is to come.  That said, I would have appreciated an email from Oceania saying, in effect "We understand that you are concerned about you planned trip, at this point we don't have any more details than you do, we're doing our best to find out more, and rest assured that as soon as we know more, we'll pass it along to our valued customers."  At some point, I'm going to have to make a decision whether to cancel this trip and suck up the penalties, and honest, timely communication from the cruise line is going to play a role in my deciding when and if to pull the plug.

 

Wondering whether other cruise lines are doing a better job than Oceania, and what others are doing as they approach cancellation deadlines.

[MrMarc]

I contacted Royal Caribbean myself, but I have not received any communications from them.  I don't think they have been able to react partially because this occurred on Easter weekend.  

[wheezedr]

I’m booked for Nov on RCL but really do not expect anything from them until there is some clarification with respect to the new rules.  To send me a note that says they will later be sending me a real note would serve no purpose.  Lots of patience would be in order as this administration seems to change its rules and their enforcement on a daily basis.

[cloudninecat]

We're booked with Carnival and all I've heard is what John Heald posted on his FB page, which was basically we don't know what it means and we'll let you know when we know. 

 

[Gypsywych]

The cruise lines do not know any more than we do at this point.  Bolton's remarks were very non-specific about Cuban travel. It could take months for the administration to work out what the new policies will be.   
So what should Oceania be doing?  

[Paulchili]

4 hours ago, wheezedr said:

To send me a note that says they will later be sending me a real note would serve no purpose.  Lots of patience would be in order as this administration seems to change its rules and their enforcement on a daily basis.

Totally agree.

The kind of statement that OP is expecting from Oceania would not help him, calm him nor make a decision for him.

What he really wants is to be assured that the cruise will definitely sail or be definitely cancelled.

Nobody can say that with certainty at this point - that is the reality.

That said, OP may cancel at this point as the cruise is not till December.

We are booked in Nov (on Oceania) and will just wait until the dust settles. 

This is not an Oceania issue - we all know where and who it came from.

Edited April 21, 2019 by Paulchili

[Capitals Fan]

As i made clear in my original post, I am well aware that no one knows anything at this point.  But, at least in my mind, the cruise lines can help alleviate concerns (evidenced by certain threads on Cruise Critic, TripAdvisor and elsewhere) by being proactive in consumer communications even if they have nothing substantive to add.

[K&RCurt]

On 4/21/2019 at 12:00 PM, Capitals Fan said:

As i made clear in my original post, I am well aware that no one knows anything at this point.  But, at least in my mind, the cruise lines can help alleviate concerns (evidenced by certain threads on Cruise Critic, TripAdvisor and elsewhere) by being proactive in consumer communications even if they have nothing substantive to add.

 

Soooo...

 

It would make you feel better to be told "We don't know anything that you don't know.  When we know something we will tell you something?"

 

That is the same as not telling you anything, just expending effort and clogging up a bunch of in boxes.

 

Here's the thing, That ship will sail on the date your cruise starts.  If you arrive in Cuba on the day it was scheduled, you are going there.  Read your cruise contract, there is no guarantee you will visit any port listed on the itinerary.  Once our schizophrenic government decides what the rules will be when, the cruise line will let you know if you definitely are not going to Cuba.

Edited April 23, 2019 by K&RCurt

[scpirate]

On 4/20/2019 at 8:11 PM, Capitals Fan said:

I'm booked on a cruise to Cuba with Oceania in December and, like everyone else with a booking to Cuba, am concerned about whether the trip will go off as planned.  I recognize that because the coming restrictions on travel to Cuba were announced without any details, no one really knows what is to come.  That said, I would have appreciated an email from Oceania saying, in effect "We understand that you are concerned about you planned trip, at this point we don't have any more details than you do, we're doing our best to find out more, and rest assured that as soon as we know more, we'll pass it along to our valued customers."  At some point, I'm going to have to make a decision whether to cancel this trip and suck up the penalties, and honest, timely communication from the cruise line is going to play a role in my deciding when and if to pull the plug.

 

Wondering whether other cruise lines are doing a better job than Oceania, and what others are doing as they approach cancellation deadlines.

We are going on carnival in December .I didn't want to travel to Miami only reason I chose carnival.they haven't communicated anything other than John Heald announcing they have to wait and see.i certainly will cancel.i have 2 cabins booked.ive only paid a 1/4 of the tab so far.im going to wait until last minute if there is no announcement.ciba was my wife's idea and she's fine with not going at all if the itinerary changes.

[avgsuperheroine]

We are on NCL and didn't receive anything from them, no changes to date.

I assume this is like everything else, no matter what they do half the patrons will be upset. If they send an email saying "we don't know anything" half the people will be mad that they sent a superfluous email. If they send nothing the other half will be mad that they didn't communicate enough. Personally, I'll only be upset if there's something important we need to know and aren't told. Otherwise, I'm not concerned.

[Wyoming2010]

UGH, I wish this current administration would leave this alone and let it be!  This back and forth nonsense is exhausting.  We are booked for an extensive road trip in October to meet up in Miami for our 11-night cruise to three ports in Cuba.  If we get there and are told we are simply sailing to other Caribbean ports with no alternative or compensation, that will be another typical NCL move since they are owned by the same company!  We have stopped cruising with NCL because two of our three cruises with them were abysmal and they changed the itinerary with no compensation on port fees for sea days!  I'm hoping this type of customer service doesn't flow down to Oceania customers, too. 

[RJB]

On 4/20/2019 at 8:11 PM, Capitals Fan said:

I'm booked on a cruise to Cuba with Oceania in December and, like everyone else with a booking to Cuba, am concerned about whether the trip will go off as planned.  I recognize that because the coming restrictions on travel to Cuba were announced without any details, no one really knows what is to come.  That said, I would have appreciated an email from Oceania saying, in effect "We understand that you are concerned about you planned trip, at this point we don't have any more details than you do, we're doing our best to find out more, and rest assured that as soon as we know more, we'll pass it along to our valued customers."  At some point, I'm going to have to make a decision whether to cancel this trip and suck up the penalties, and honest, timely communication from the cruise line is going to play a role in my deciding when and if to pull the plug.

 

Wondering whether other cruise lines are doing a better job than Oceania, and what others are doing as they approach cancellation deadlines.

You are at least 6 months out. There should not be any penalties. 

[Wyoming2010]

We are sailing in October and our "final" cut off date is July 9th.  An Oceania rep told me that we will be entitled to a full refund if we don't like the new itinerary, so I think you have time and will be fine.  

[Capitals Fan]

7 hours ago, RJB said:

You are at least 6 months out. There should not be any penalties. 

I agree that there "should" not be penalties.  But the contract allows them to collect a $250 per person penalty for cancellation.  It will be interesting to see whether they try to do so when I cancel.  I'm waiting a few days to let them sort things out, but this really is a test of Oceania's public relations team.  If they collect the penalty, I know I'm stuck, but you can be sure I'll never travel with Oceania or any of its related cruise lines.  

[Wyoming2010]

11 hours ago, Capitals Fan said:

I agree that there "should" not be penalties.  But the contract allows them to collect a $250 per person penalty for cancellation.  It will be interesting to see whether they try to do so when I cancel.  I'm waiting a few days to let them sort things out, but this really is a test of Oceania's public relations team.  If they collect the penalty, I know I'm stuck, but you can be sure I'll never travel with Oceania or any of its related cruise lines.  

 

HA HA -- we had the very same strong feelings about NCL -- three strikes you are out.  We sailed our third and last time last September -- a Bermuda cruise that was changed due to the hurricane.  They gave us Port Canaveral and their really crappy island.  And even though we were promised Nassau, they took that away.  so we ended up with 5 days on the boat and two days in unpleasantly hot and awful ports with few options.  They gave us no onboard credit, no compensation or discounts of any kind (while all the other cruise lines were offering these benefits to their passengers) and worse of all, they didn't refund the port fees for the missed ports.  After booking Oceania, I found out they were owned by NCL -- so I am little hope they will do the right thing (again).  😬

Edited June 6, 2019 by Wyoming2010

[RJB]

7 hours ago, Wyoming2010 said:

 

HA HA -- we had the very same strong feelings about NCL -- three strikes you are out.  We sailed our third and last time last September -- a Bermuda cruise that was changed due to the hurricane.  They gave us Port Canaveral and their really crappy island.  And even though we were promised Nassau, they took that away.  so we ended up with 5 days on the boat and two days in unpleasantly hot and awful ports with few options.  They gave us no onboard credit, no compensation or discounts of any kind (while all the other cruise lines were offering these benefits to their passengers) and worse of all, they didn't refund the port fees for the missed ports.  After booking Oceania, I found out they were owned by NCL -- so I am little hope they will do the right thing (again).  😬

Very true.  You are probably right.  Sad

[Capitals Fan]

And here we are, 6 weeks since Bolton announced the intent to restrict travel to Cuba and four days since the restrictions were officially implemented, and still no word from Oceania.  Seems like Bolton gave the cruise lines plenty of time to figure out contingency plans, and other lines seems to have been able to announce their plans (of course, they are exercising their right to substitute the typical Caribbean ports, which is nothing I'm interested in).  I'm hoping that Oceania is taking the extra time to figure out how to make the cruise work as planned.  But I'm not optimistic.

 

[Wyoming2010]

I got this in my email at 3 p.m. today.  Keep in mind, our cruise was 11-nights compared to some other lines that were 7 or 8.  I think Oceania was trying to find the best alternatives to fill in all the days.  I like the options, but not happy with the fact they didn't make clear what the "significant savings" are:

 

Dear Valued Guest,

We would like to inform you of a change to your upcoming voyage to Cuba and the Caribbean.

As you may be aware, the U.S. government enacted new restrictions on travel to Cuba and as a result, we must adjust our itineraries to immediately remove all Cuban ports of call. Due to this change, we would like to present you with a new itinerary for your planned voyage along with significant savings off your current cruise fare. Additionally, the price of Cuban Visas that you have purchased through Oceania Cruises, will be refunded.

INS191012		Previous Itinerary					*NEW Itinerary*
Date	Day	Port	Country	Arrival	Departure		Port	Country	Arrival	Departure
12-Oct-19	Sat	Miami FL	USA	7:00 AM	6:00 PM		Miami FL	USA	7:00 AM	6:00 PM
13-Oct-19	Sun	Key West	USA	8:00 AM	11:00 PM		At Sea	At sea	--	--
14-Oct-19	Mon	Havana	Cuba	8:00 AM	11:59 PM		At Sea	At sea	--	--
15-Oct-19	Tue	Havana	Cuba	12:00 AM	11:59 PM		Gustavia, St Bart’s	French West Indies	11:00 AM	6:00 PM
16-Oct-19	Wed	At Sea	At sea	--	--		Fort de France, Martinique	French West Indies	9:00 AM	7:00 PM
17-Oct-19	Thu	Cienfuegos	Cuba	7:00 AM	11:59 PM		Castries	St Lucia, West Indies	8:00 AM	6:00 PM
18-Oct-19	Fri	Cienfuegos	Cuba	12:00 AM	2:00 PM		Basseterre	St Kitts and Nevis	9:00 AM	7:00 PM
19-Oct-19	Sat	Santiago de Cuba	Cuba	10:00 AM	11:59 PM		St. John's (Antiqua)	Antigua and Barbuda	7:00 AM	3:00 PM
20-Oct-19	Sun	Santiago de Cuba	Cuba	12:00 AM	5:00 PM		San Juan	Puerto Rico	8:00 AM	2:00 PM
21-Oct-19	Mon	At Sea	At sea	--	--		At Sea	At sea	--	--
22-Oct-19	Tue	Nassau	Bahamas	8:00 AM	5:00 PM		Great Stirrup Cay	Bahamas	12:00 PM	7:00 PM
23-Oct-19	Wed	Miami FL	USA	6:00 AM	5:00 PM		Miami FL	USA	6:00 AM	5:00 PM

We hope you find this new Caribbean itinerary and special pricing compelling. However, if the new itinerary is not to your liking and you prefer to select another voyage, our cruise specialists are ready to assist you.

If you would prefer to make any changes please contact us prior to June 14, 2019.

We appreciate your understanding and thank you for your assistance in facilitating this change to your voyage.

Sincerely,

Carlos Ortega

Vice President, Passenger Services

Oceania Cruises

Edited June 8, 2019 by Wyoming2010

[RJB]

12 hours ago, Wyoming2010 said:

I got this in my email at 3 p.m. today.  Keep in mind, our cruise was 11-nights compared to some other lines that were 7 or 8.  I think Oceania was trying to find the best alternatives to fill in all the days.  I like the options, but not happy with the fact they didn't make clear what the "significant savings" are:

 

Dear Valued Guest,

We would like to inform you of a change to your upcoming voyage to Cuba and the Caribbean.

As you may be aware, the U.S. government enacted new restrictions on travel to Cuba and as a result, we must adjust our itineraries to immediately remove all Cuban ports of call. Due to this change, we would like to present you with a new itinerary for your planned voyage along with significant savings off your current cruise fare. Additionally, the price of Cuban Visas that you have purchased through Oceania Cruises, will be refunded.

INS191012		Previous Itinerary					*NEW Itinerary*
Date	Day	Port	Country	Arrival	Departure		Port	Country	Arrival	Departure
12-Oct-19	Sat	Miami FL	USA	7:00 AM	6:00 PM		Miami FL	USA	7:00 AM	6:00 PM
13-Oct-19	Sun	Key West	USA	8:00 AM	11:00 PM		At Sea	At sea	--	--
14-Oct-19	Mon	Havana	Cuba	8:00 AM	11:59 PM		At Sea	At sea	--	--
15-Oct-19	Tue	Havana	Cuba	12:00 AM	11:59 PM		Gustavia, St Bart’s	French West Indies	11:00 AM	6:00 PM
16-Oct-19	Wed	At Sea	At sea	--	--		Fort de France, Martinique	French West Indies	9:00 AM	7:00 PM
17-Oct-19	Thu	Cienfuegos	Cuba	7:00 AM	11:59 PM		Castries	St Lucia, West Indies	8:00 AM	6:00 PM
18-Oct-19	Fri	Cienfuegos	Cuba	12:00 AM	2:00 PM		Basseterre	St Kitts and Nevis	9:00 AM	7:00 PM
19-Oct-19	Sat	Santiago de Cuba	Cuba	10:00 AM	11:59 PM		St. John's (Antiqua)	Antigua and Barbuda	7:00 AM	3:00 PM
20-Oct-19	Sun	Santiago de Cuba	Cuba	12:00 AM	5:00 PM		San Juan	Puerto Rico	8:00 AM	2:00 PM
21-Oct-19	Mon	At Sea	At sea	--	--		At Sea	At sea	--	--
22-Oct-19	Tue	Nassau	Bahamas	8:00 AM	5:00 PM		Great Stirrup Cay	Bahamas	12:00 PM	7:00 PM
23-Oct-19	Wed	Miami FL	USA	6:00 AM	5:00 PM		Miami FL	USA	6:00 AM	5:00 PM

We hope you find this new Caribbean itinerary and special pricing compelling. However, if the new itinerary is not to your liking and you prefer to select another voyage, our cruise specialists are ready to assist you.

If you would prefer to make any changes please contact us prior to June 14, 2019.

We appreciate your understanding and thank you for your assistance in facilitating this change to your voyage.

Sincerely,

Carlos Ortega

Vice President, Passenger Services

Oceania Cruises

Looks pretty good for a sub. on short notice.  If I was booked than I would take the new one.  Good job on this one. 

[Wyoming2010]

4 hours ago, RJB said:

Looks pretty good for a sub. on short notice.  If I was booked than I would take the new one.  Good job on this one. 

 

Yeah, I was pretty much jaw dropping surprised at how quickly they pulled off so many new ports.  I contacted Oceania this morning about not disclosing our "significant savings" and was told they are working on pricing now and emails would be sent out on Monday with final pricing and any other offers they may have.  

 

BTW, be aware that the Friday deadline of June 14th mentioned in the email is NOT included in the prevention of penalties.  You have to make your decisions by Thursday.  Once Friday comes, penalties start to accrue. So the email is a little deceiving about our deadline.  

[Capitals Fan]

Well, the website now shows the Insignia doing a very vanilla Caribbean cruise starting on December 18th, the day it was departing for my trip to Cuba.  And yet, still no word from Oceania about the cancellation of the Cuba trip, refund policy, discounts for the re-routed trip, or anything else.  This was to have been my first Oceania cruise, and if this is any indication of how they treat their customers, Oceania will never see me on one of their ships.  Absolutely disgraceful way to treat people who are handing over thousands of dollars, and tend to do so with great frequency.

Edited June 10, 2019 by Capitals Fan
typo

[Wyoming2010]

2 hours ago, Capitals Fan said:

Well, the website now shows the Insignia doing a very vanilla Caribbean cruise starting on December 18th, the day it was departing for my trip to Cuba.  And yet, still no word from Oceania about the cancellation of the Cuba trip, refund policy, discounts for the re-routed trip, or anything else.  This was to have been my first Oceania cruise, and if this is any indication of how they treat their customers, Oceania will never see me on one of their ships.  Absolutely disgraceful way to treat people who are handing over thousands of dollars, and tend to do so with great frequency.

 

Give them time.  Your cruise is two months after mine and it took them four days to get the final costs to me this morning, but I had to call and have someone send it to me so I wouldn't have to wait for the reserve dept.  I'm sure this is a logistical nightmare trying to make everyone happy.  I can tell you that they are only offering the 40% discount if you stay on the cruise; otherwise a full refund.  They told me they would help with air deviation fees up to $300 pp -- if the rep was correct.

 

The itinerary for your December cruise is the same one they offered us (above).  We were happy with the ports and glad we didn't get Western Caribbean or Nassau.  For the price, we are going to stick with the cruise. 

[Cienfuegos]

John Bolton made it clear months ago that penalties would be imposed on Cuba if Cuba continued on the same course. Tourism, remittances, etc.  While reasonable people can argue these terms, he didn't launch a surprise.

 

it is easy to see which cruise lines developed a contingency plan and established refund exceptions, and which did not.

[RJB]

1 hour ago, Cienfuegos said:

John Bolton made it clear months ago that penalties would be imposed on Cuba if Cuba continued on the same course. Tourism, remittances, etc.  While reasonable people can argue these terms, he didn't launch a surprise.

 

it is easy to see which cruise lines developed a contingency plan and established refund exceptions, and which did not.

Sounds very clear to me. 

[pauon]

Back to the topic...Based on how Oceania treated us on this, we will never sail with them again.  Horrible customer service.  Back to Windstar, HAL, and Princess.  Bad. Bad. Bad.