Coronavirus

[lasvegaswinner1]

 

 

2 hours ago, yogagal47 said:

The Journey is due to arrive Singapore on April 11. This is 8 1/2 weeks away so we can hope they hold off on cancellation and our Singapore-Dubai cruise goes as scheduled. 

New York Times  Feb 13

When a ship’s itinerary is changed, “passengers have little recourse as a practical matter,” said Jim Walker, a maritime lawyer who represents people suing cruise lines. “Cruise lines are able to freely alter their itineraries and if you don’t have insurance you’re just stuck, and the trouble with insurance is it often has exceptions for pandemics and things like this.”

Edited February 13, 2020 by Host Grandma Cruising

[sunlover33]

Changes before departure

If changes to your itinerary are made before departure then regulation 12 and 13 of the Package Travel Regulations should apply.

If the changes are significant and you're no longer happy with your cruise - for example you're booked on a Mediterranean cruise and it can no longer travel around the Mediterranean - you have three options.

You can either:

• Request a refund
• Request a substitute package of equal or greater value
• Request a substitute package of lower value with a price adjustment

I think it all depends of what the interpretation of significant is. 
 

https://www.which.co.uk/consumer-rights/advice/a-change-was-made-to-my-cruise-itinerary-can-i-get-a-refund

[Riocca]

2 hours ago, sunlover33 said:

Changes before departure

If changes to your itinerary are made before departure then regulation 12 and 13 of the Package Travel Regulations should apply.

If the changes are significant and you're no longer happy with your cruise - for example you're booked on a Mediterranean cruise and it can no longer travel around the Mediterranean - you have three options.

You can either:

• Request a refund
• Request a substitute package of equal or greater value
• Request a substitute package of lower value with a price adjustment

I think it all depends of what the interpretation of significant is. 
 

https://www.which.co.uk/consumer-rights/advice/a-change-was-made-to-my-cruise-itinerary-can-i-get-a-refund

Unfortunately that’s from the 1992 Package Travel regulations which were replaced in 2018 with the “The Package Travel and Linked Travel Arrangements Regulations 2018” this is a much wordier document but regulation 15(8) says something similar:

8) Where the organiser is unable to provide a significant proportion of the travel services as agreed in the package travel contract, the organiser must offer, at no extra cost to the traveller, suitable alternative arrangements of, where possible, equivalent or higher quality than those specified in the contract, for the continuation of the package, including where the traveller’s return to the place of departure is agreed.

[sunlover33]

Thanks for the updated version. 

[hubofhockey]

On 2/13/2020 at 8:53 AM, yogagal47 said:

The Journey is due to arrive Singapore on April 11. This is 8 1/2 weeks away so we can hope they hold off on cancellation and our Singapore-Dubai cruise goes as scheduled. 

 

Wow, if I were fully paid for that one, I would hope they would cancel it.  You're risking being stuck at sea and it's also possible that it will be more difficult to get to Singapore than you thought. These ships are breeding grounds for viruses and really should leave the region until this thing gets figured out. 

[Covepointcruiser]

I am surprised this law applies when the change of ports is due to a pandemic or something else that is not the fault of the cruise line.   If the cruise line instead would intentionally expose passengers to the corona virus,  what would then be the liability of the cruise line?   Shouldn’t the cruise line do it’s best to keep its current and future passengers from danger?   Cruises have been drastically changed because of storms, New England cruises taken instead of Caribbean because of dangerous storms.   I only hope the cruise lines will continue to protect their passengers even if UK law penalizes them for doing so.

[BBMacLaird]

2/17/2020

It’s important to us to be as communicative as possible during this very fluid novel coronavirus situation.

We will be issuing communications to all guests sailing on the Azamara Journey March 24th and April 11th tomorrow with the latest updates as we continue to consult with local health authorities as well as the WHO and US CDC.

If you have specific questions, please reach out to your Travel Advisory immediately or contact us directly at 1-855-AZAMARA. 

[corvus]

9 hours ago, BBMacLaird said:

2/17/2020

It’s important to us to be as communicative as possible during this very fluid novel coronavirus situation.

We will be issuing communications to all guests sailing on the Azamara Journey March 24th and April 11th tomorrow with the latest updates as we continue to consult with local health authorities as well as the WHO and US CDC.

If you have specific questions, please reach out to your Travel Advisory immediately or contact us directly at 1-855-AZAMARA. 

Really do need this information as soon as possible. We are due to sail on the 24th from Sydney to Singapore but we are actually due to depart home some 2 1/2 weeks before to take in New Zealand. So with two weeks to go we are in limbo, are we going....are you cancelling, are we docking in Singapore?

[sunlover33]

5 hours ago, corvus said:

Really do need this information as soon as possible. We are due to sail on the 24th from Sydney to Singapore but we are actually due to depart home some 2 1/2 weeks before to take in New Zealand. So with two weeks to go we are in limbo, are we going....are you cancelling, are we docking in Singapore?

Just had a e mail from Azamara, looks like we are still on to dock in Singapore providing the situation doesn’t change. Great news, let’s just hope it stabilises or improves. 

 

The Journey is currently not sailing in the Asia region. It is now in Australia and New Zealand, then sailing through the southernmost parts of southeast Asia in a westerly direction. We do not see a reason to change course at this time. We have avoided providing guidance given there are still many weeks until the Journey is in the Singapore area and all indications are, we will have no change; however,we understand an interest in having communication from us. Please understand, we may reach out with updated guidance should the environment change; this is not something we can predict. Our teams are in constant contact with national and global health and safety organizations to ensure we are taking the best decisions for our guest and crew.

[uktog]

A sensible outcome at this stage. Hope this gives reassurance to those needing it 

Edited February 18, 2020 by uktog

[katiebeth]

We are on the 3/24 Azamara sailing out of Sydney.     We disembark in Singapore on 4/11and booked a 2 night post cruise stay.     While we are not alarmists, my husband and I have concerns about Singapore, given the fact that several major cruise lines have pulled out, including Celebrity and RCCL (Azamara's parent company).

 

Why would Celebrity and RCCL pull-out of Singapore and allow Azamara (a cruise line they own) remain?      It definitely is cause for concern and makes one wonder ...why?      It defies logic IMHO.      Nancy

[Grandma Cruising]

Other cruise lines are pulling their ships out of Asia altogether. Azamara has one ship, Journey, which has to get from Sydney to Dubai. If the cruise doesn’t disembark in Singapore there’s really nowhere else. If it went on to India everyone would need Visas and there’s probably not enough time for all the passengers to get them.

[larhode]

3 hours ago, Host Grandma Cruising said:

Other cruise lines are pulling their ships out of Asia altogether. Azamara has one ship, Journey, which has to get from Sydney to Dubai. If the cruise doesn’t disembark in Singapore there’s really nowhere else. If it went on to India everyone would need Visas and there’s probably not enough time for all the passengers to get them.

 

So basically Azamara will still call on Singapore, and expose passengers to danger because choosing an alternate port (like India) would be difficult.   That doesn't seen like a responsible thing to do. 

[sunlover33]

I am more than happy to travel to Singapore and feel the risk is very small, and we are in fact staying for a week before embarking on this cruise. Although Singapore has 81 cases as reported yesterday, the numbers don’t always tell the full story. They are very active in tracking and reporting numbers, which may not be the case for other countries. Most of the cases reported are clusters. Singapore have been praised by the WHO for their approach to managing this outbreak. I’m really pleased that  they have not yet changed their itinerary and hope it remains this way. 

https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/se-asia/singapores-response-to-coronavirus-outbreak-praised-by-experts-and-observers

[larhode]

Here's some light reading, an excellent article on what Corona virus does to the body. 

It's not just a common cold on steroids. 

 

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/2020/02/here-is-what-coronavirus-does-to-the-body/

[hamptonroads]

today I received a call from Singapore airlines to tell me they would not be flymg from NY to Singapore for several months

I am so distressed  I emailed CEO's assistant and she will have someone call me tomorrow....I would no spend  any more money on things that might not be refunded....................it would be a long swim from Virgfinia Beach I

[larhode]

1 hour ago, hamptonroads said:

today I received a call from Singapore airlines to tell me they would not be flymg from NY to Singapore for several months

I am so distressed  I emailed CEO's assistant and she will have someone call me tomorrow....I would no spend  any more money on things that might not be refunded....................it would be a long swim from Virgfinia Beach I

You can fly to LAX on Jetblue and then nonstop to Singapore from there on Singaore airlines, the fare from LAX is much cheaper than out of NY. 

[hamptonroads]

are you sure they are going out of LAX in  April??????  

 

 

 

[MNgardens]

Sad news from Japan. Two Japanese passengers on the Princess ship have passed away from the virus. My thoughts are with the family and. All the passengers. 
https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2020/02/20/national/coronavirus-deaths-diamond-princess/

 

[excitedofharpenden]

3 hours ago, MNgardens said:

Sad news from Japan. Two Japanese passengers on the Princess ship have passed away from the virus. My thoughts are with the family and. All the passengers. 
https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2020/02/20/national/coronavirus-deaths-diamond-princess/

 

Very sad. Apparently they were in their 80s and had underlying health conditions. 

 

Phil 

[lasvegaswinner1]

 Coronavirus cases surge in South Korea as first death reported; mayor tells residents to stay indoors

[larhode]

19 hours ago, hamptonroads said:

are you sure they are going out of LAX in  April??????  

 

 

 

I am booked on a nonstop from LAX to Singapore and they haven't canceled it.  In fact, they have two flights that day.  One at 11:30am and another departing around midnight. 

[nordski]

This story was posted by the NYT yesterday.

 

Interesting reference to Singapore.

 

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/20/travel/coronavirus-advisory.html

[Baynanno1]

Updated travel advisory on Azamara website :

https://www.azamara.com/en-au/travel-advisory

[Janet&David]

A quick note to Uk-based travellers. If there are 'significant' changes to the holiday you've booked you have additional rights under UK law if you booked it as a 'package'. 'Significant' isn't defined but in the case of a cruise would probably include changes to more than a couple of ports or a change to your destination/disembarkation port. If you booked the cruise as a package (i.e. the cruise itself, flights not booked with the cruise company, transfers, pre-/post-cruise hotels) through a travel agent then the TA is obliged by law to refund all costs and then recover them from the cruise company, airline etc. We tested this with the cancellation of our recent cruise booked for the Far East when China, Hong Kong and Taiwan were all removed from the itinerary (albeit for obvious reasons beyond the control of the cruise line). This should also apply if you booked directly through the cruise line as long it was through their UK offices and priced in GBP (and includes flights as well as the cruise, as otherwise it's not a 'package') - they are effectively operating as their own TA.

Hopefully it won't come to this but its worth knowing your rights/options. We've re-booked on an Azamara cruise late April/early May from Dubai to Athens and will be hoping to stay one step ahead of the virus but who knows! We wouldn't hesitate to exercise our rights and cancel again if the situation warranted it.

Here's a link to the Citizens Advice information on this:

https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/consumer/holiday-cancellations-and-compensation/cancelling-a-package-holiday/?fbclid=IwAR2jQIHWx2dpYxDH96qaLtN6M48M6l6KyOA5RagfAmmJu27PVfJPzCJWK2k#h-if-you-booked-your-holiday-on-or-after-1-july-2018