Cruise Schedule Change - Common?

[odblnt]

About a week after we signed up for the Iconic Western Med cruise, we got an email from Viking that the schedule had been changed. Instead of having two days in Barcelona at the beginning of the trip, we will be leaving Barcelona at 11pm on Day 1 (boarding day) and going to Palamós (a quaint fishing village) for Day 2. (The docks must be crowded in Barcelona.) Anyway, it's a good thing we're spending the extra time in Barcelona pre-cruise, on our own and with Viking's pre-cruise extension, instead of relying on the originally scheduled days to do what we want.

 

On the positive side, we are looking forward to the gambas (prawns).

 

Has this happened to others?

 

Pete

[SrCruizer]

We had a very similar situation. Our VO cruise was Barcelona to Copenhagen this past May. We learned that we would NOT be overnighting in Barcelona but instead would depart at 11pm and sail to the small port town of Tarragona just south of Barcelona. Fortunately for us we had already spent 3 nights in Barcelona prior to boarding. We had no idea what to expect in Tarragona but we were pleasantly surprised. It was a charming, small town with a rich Roman history and ruins to explore. Travel is an adventure and the unexpected can often happen. Wishing you a good experience in Palamos. Pam

[odblnt]

That’s what we’re hoping for. Thanks. 

Pete

[Heidi13]

We booked our next cruise in January about 20 months before departure. So far we have had 5 ports cancelled, with 3 ports added and also a couple of additional overnights. I anticipate another 2 possible cancellations.

 

When signing up for a cruise, we consider the itinerary as an estimate and every port is subject to change.

 

No issue with any of the changes, which are predominantly related to safety & security.

 

Enjoy the additional port.

[Cyber Kat]

When we originally looked at the Eastern Seaboard Explorer itinerary, Halifax was listed as one of the ports. When we booked and got our paperwork, it was changed to Portland, ME. No big deal. We have been to both and liked both. 

 

About 8 months ago, the port stop changed to a sea day. Now I like sea days, but we already have 3 on this cruise, so 4 was a bit too much. We were still a long way off, so I wasn’t too concerned, then Portland returned and all was well. 

 

I had occasion to write to tellus because they have us boarding in Montreal at an old terminal they were using while building the new one. We are the only cruise ship in port that day and the Montreal port authority site has us at dock T1 at the new terminal. 

 

Our hotel over looks the port so I hope to be able to see the ship and I will contact them if I don’t, but I thought they might like to let other people know who weren’t as research obsessed as I am. They responded that this was the information in their database. I asked when the last time anyone checked the database, but I didn’t get a response to that 🤣

 

At the same time, I also asked why we were going to Portland instead of Halifax. The response was, they didn’t know 🤣

 

Cruising is such an adventure! 🤣

Edited September 21, 2019 by Cyber Kat

[CCWineLover]

On 9/20/2019 at 2:59 PM, odblnt said:

About a week after we signed up for the Iconic Western Med cruise, we got an email from Viking that the schedule had been changed. Instead of having two days in Barcelona at the beginning of the trip, we will be leaving Barcelona at 11pm on Day 1 (boarding day) and going to Palamós (a quaint fishing village) for Day 2. (The docks must be crowded in Barcelona.) Anyway, it's a good thing we're spending the extra time in Barcelona pre-cruise, on our own and with Viking's pre-cruise extension, instead of relying on the originally scheduled days to do what we want.

 

On the positive side, we are looking forward to the gambas (prawns).

 

Has this happened to others?

 

Pete

 

I think there is something that is going on with Barcelona - either in cutting down the number of ships staying overnight or reducing the number in port at any given time.   It happened on our last cruise to Barcelona that was supposed to have an overnight and now we also got word of our 2020 cruise Rome to Lisbon that will not stay overnight in Barcelona.   A pattern is emerging here.    The Captain had told us that we were not going to be allowed to overnight so we needed to leave before midnight instead of the next day.  That means another port is needed.  For those coming on the north side, it appears that Palamos is that port and for those going south from Barcelona, it appears that Tarragona is the port (both fairly close by).   In one aspect, it does give you a chance to sample a less touristy, potentially interesting new place!  (Glass half full).

[odblnt]

That makes sense, CCWineLover and is sort of what I expected.

On our "My Viking Journey" page it describes Palamós this way:

Set on Spain’s splendid Costa Brava on the northern reaches of a large scenic bay, Palamós hosts one of the Mediterranean’s last surviving fishing fleets. The Castell de la Fosca, an excavated stone settlement, reveals that the city was inhabited as early as the 6th century BC by the Indigetes, an ancient Iberian people who predated the Romans. Palamós was founded as an official village by Peter III of Aragon in 1279 after his other royal port on the Ter River silted up. Today, this Spanish coastal city is renowned for its gambas, locally caught prawns prized for their large size, intense flavor and bright red color; the informative Fishing Museum, which chronicles its seafaring heritage; and wide, sweeping beaches.

 

I happened to get a newsletter/advertisement from a travel company that had a cruise that stops there and they described it like this:

Palamos is located at the foot of the coastal mountains in the heart of Spain's Costa Brava region. The area's seven beaches have shorelines that range from rocky to smooth and sandy. Interesting archaeological sites include the Iberian settlement at Castell beach, the Iberian archaeological ruins dating to 6 B.C. and the medieval castle of Saint Esteve at La Fosca beach. The 16th-century church of Santa Eugenia Villarroma is located in the town center.

 

When I clicked on the button that listed the cruises that stopped there, the companies were Windstar, Seabourn, Regent and Oceania, so I suspect that they cater more to the smaller ships, but they are used to the upscale cruise lines.

 

All in all, I'm feeling better about it and we're looking forward to the prawns.

 

Pete

[Squawkman]

Not sure what the criteria are for the Barcelona port change - could be seasonal. We also are going on the Iconic Western Med cruise - booked it last year and sailing this November. We booked our day 2 excursion in Barcelona, so I don't expect anything to change now. Last year, we had a port change 2 months before embarkation for political reasons, and were extremely happy with the alternative.