Oceania's Action Plan for Coronavirus

[Desert_Boomer]

March 18 Hong Kong to Tokyo changes just came in today - other than 6 sea days not too bad:  

 

Important Itinerary Update

Dear Valued Guests and Travel Advisors,

 

We would like to inform you of some very important itinerary modifications that have been made to Nautica’s March 18, 2020 voyage from Hong Kong to Tokyo.  This itinerary update also applies to guests on our March 18^th Extended Journey voyage.

 

To ensure the continued health and safety of our guests and crew, and in an abundance of caution with the current outbreak of Coronavirus, we will now be sailing from Singapore to Tokyo and bypassing all ports of call in mainland China, specifically Shanghai, Beijing, and Dalian. 

 

In their place, we have crafted a revised itinerary that includes a bevy of remarkable ports including Saigon, Manila, Ishigaki, Naha, Jeju, Nagasaki, Jeju, Hakata, and Hososhima. 

To thank you for your understanding with this prudent change, you will receive a refund of 25% of the cruise fare paid, along with a Future Cruise Credit equal to 25% of your cruise fare paid. We will be processing the refund directly to the credit card on file by February 14^th and should reflect on your credit card statement within the next two billing cycles.  The future cruise credit will be issued and added to your Oceania Club profile.  You will have until February 10, 2021 to redeem your future cruise certificate on any Oceania Cruises voyage departing by February 10, 2022.

 

The revised portion of the itinerary is detailed below for your reference: 

 

DATE	PORT	COUNTRY	ARRIVE	DEPART
18-Mar	Singapore	Singapore		9:00 PM
19-Mar	At Sea
20-Mar	Saigon	Vietnam	9:00 AM	Overnight
21-Mar	Saigon	Vietnam		2:00 PM
22-Mar	At Sea
23-Mar	At Sea
24-Mar	Manila	Philippines	8:00 AM	6:00 PM
25-Mar	At Sea
26-Mar	Ishigaki	Japan	8:00 AM	5:00 PM
27-Mar	Naha	Japan	9:00 AM	6:00 PM
28-Mar	At Sea
29-Mar	Jeju	South Korea	8:00 AM	4:00 PM
30-Mar	Nagasaki	Japan	8:00 AM	6:00 PM
31-Mar	Hakata	Japan	8:00 AM	7:00 PM
1-Apr	Hososhima	Japan	10:00 AM	8:00 PM
2-Apr	At Sea
3-Apr	Tokyo	Japan	8:00 AM  Disembark

 

Any shore excursions you had reserved for Shanghai, Beijing, and Dalian will be refunded to your credit card on file, where applicable. Shore excursions for the newly added ports will be available online shortly.

 

Important Notes:

 

Guests who have made their air arrangements independently are solely responsible for ensuring that none of their flights route through mainland China, Hong Kong or Macau and the arriving flight is changed to arrive into Singapore.  Oceania Cruises will pay up to US$300 per guest in the form of a shipboard credit for any change fees incurred by the airline.  Please forward copies of the airline’s change fee charges prior to the cruise to the attention of specialservices@oceaniacruises.com for review.

 

Any guests having traveled through mainland China, Hong Kong or Macau within 30 days of the voyage will be denied embarkation. In addition, guests that presents a Chinese, Hong Kong, or Macau passport will be denied boarding. 

 

Should you have any questions, please do not hesitate to call your travel advisor or Oceania Cruises.

 

We thank you for your understanding of this prudent and important change.                     

 

Sincerely,

Carlos Ortega

Vice President, Guest Services

Oceania Cruises

Edited February 11, 2020 by Desert_Boomer
Personal Info

[PaulMCO]

2 hours ago, irr said:

This is unlikely to be resolved by May. 

 

I know the issues will not.  I hope Oceania will make their inevitable change of ports SOON.

..

Edited February 11, 2020 by PaulMCO

[Flatbush Flyer]

3 hours ago, PaulMCO said:

 

Everyone on Nautica and Insignia that has port docking in Hong Kong/Singapore are still in suspense. Regent cruisers are in the same situation.

 

We are still booked to Hong Kong in May.   Last week Oceania sent a reminder to us to get our China visas.  Kind of sad.

 

Someone just posted the new itinerary for Nautica's March 4 cruise, which now begins AND ends in Singapore. O is providing up to $300/person for independently made air changes and a future cruise credit of 25% of the fare paid.

 

We've yet to get the details of our Nautica disembarkation in Singapore on March 4 and all planned stops on this current cruise from Cape Town remain unchanged to date.

 

FWIW: The crew is constantly spraying/wiping down every surface that may be touched by human hands. Passengers are fine with (even pleased) that there are all sorts of preventative food safety measures like paper menus, salt/pepper packets, ZERO self-service of food and condiments everywhere. There's an "army" of hand sanitizer stations and crew manning them to issue reminders. 

 

Elevators have constantly changed plastic over all button surfaces and rails are wiped/sprayed many times throughout the day.

Except that some folks "without a clue" use their hands, the vast majority of passengers cover any sneezes/coughs with their arm sleeve. 

 

That said, we are still waiting for an update on our upcoming two Insignia world cruise segments in May/June and the compensation details for the itinerary changes. For us, the key items there will be to have no changes to starting/ending in Singapore/Tokyo (to spare us air changes). We're disappointed about no overnight in Hong Kong. But, we'll get back there  at some point in the future.

[irr]

I feel compelled to make the following comments after Oceania's change to Singapore to Singapore from Singapore to Hong Kong. I am a physician and have recently done a presentation on the Coronavirus. Those of you contemplating still going on this trip because Oceania has refused to give a full refund or full credit on a future cruise need to know the following 

1. Singapore currently has more cases of Coronavirus than Hong Kong and is on orange alert asking its citizens to work from home whenever possible.

2. Singapore is the country with the second most cases of coronavirus after China if you exclude the "country" of Diamond Princess which has 135 cases and has doubled the number of cases during the past day.

3. There are reports that things are deteriorating with the crew and passengers on the Diamond Princess with deteriorating conditions on the ship related to increased stress related to the rapid spread of the virus and ongoing room confinement. 

4. There is a traveler who traveled from Singapore to France to England who has infected at least 11 people making the Oceania decision to financially pressure people into taking this trip a significant public health concern for the communities that travelers are coming back to (as well as those on the airplanes they fly in.) 

5. Many people are contagious when asymptomatic further increasing risk of spread. 

6. If you do go make sure you take at least 2-4 weeks of additional medication in case you are quarantined along the way. Have a plan for boarded pets and family members who may be dependent on you to arrive home on time  if you are delayed coming home due to quarantine or changing airline routes due to cancellations. 

7. I have already contacted my congressman about my public health concerns about putting pressure on people to go to such a high risk area that has already demonstrated to be a potential concern for spread of the infection. Whatever risks we are willing to take for ourselves we need to think about the risk that is being imposed on others. The  only way this virus will be contained is to minimize unnecessary travel to high risk areas.

8.There is no treatment.  If they want to continue the cruise despite the risk that is one thing. However, to financially pressure people to go who may be at high risk of a complication or at risk of transmitting the disease to others if they get sick is another. 

9. Trip cancellation insurance will not cover cancellation just because you are high risk if you get sick. They will only cover you if you get sick before or during your trip. 

[StanandJim]

59 minutes ago, irr said:

I feel compelled to make the following comments after Oceania's change to Singapore to Singapore from Singapore to Hong Kong. I am a physician and have recently done a presentation on the Coronavirus. Those of you contemplating still going on this trip because Oceania has refused to give a full refund or full credit on a future cruise need to know the following 

1. Singapore currently has more cases of Coronavirus than Hong Kong and is on orange alert asking its citizens to work from home whenever possible.

2. Singapore is the country with the second most cases of coronavirus after China if you exclude the "country" of Diamond Princess which has 135 cases and has doubled the number of cases during the past day.

3. There are reports that things are deteriorating with the crew and passengers on the Diamond Princess with deteriorating conditions on the ship related to increased stress related to the rapid spread of the virus and ongoing room confinement. 

4. There is a traveler who traveled from Singapore to France to England who has infected at least 11 people making the Oceania decision to financially pressure people into taking this trip a significant public health concern for the communities that travelers are coming back to (as well as those on the airplanes they fly in.) 

5. Many people are contagious when asymptomatic further increasing risk of spread. 

6. If you do go make sure you take at least 2-4 weeks of additional medication in case you are quarantined along the way. Have a plan for boarded pets and family members who may be dependent on you to arrive home on time  if you are delayed coming home due to quarantine or changing airline routes due to cancellations. 

7. I have already contacted my congressman about my public health concerns about putting pressure on people to go to such a high risk area that has already demonstrated to be a potential concern for spread of the infection. Whatever risks we are willing to take for ourselves we need to think about the risk that is being imposed on others. The  only way this virus will be contained is to minimize unnecessary travel to high risk areas.

8.There is no treatment.  If they want to continue the cruise despite the risk that is one thing. However, to financially pressure people to go who may be at high risk of a complication or at risk of transmitting the disease to others if they get sick is another. 

9. Trip cancellation insurance will not cover cancellation just because you are high risk if you get sick. They will only cover you if you get sick before or during your trip. 

 

There is inherent risk in every trip, from tripping over your doormat whilst leaving the house to unforeseen diseases springing up.   

Hopefully, your Congressman will explain to you that decisions which are the very best thing for you (i.e. not going on the Cruise) sometimes come at a cost.

Savvy travelers already know this.

 

 

 

 

Edited February 11, 2020 by StanandJim

[Flatbush Flyer]

1 hour ago, irr said:

I feel compelled to make the following comments after Oceania's change to Singapore to Singapore from Singapore to Hong Kong. I am a physician and Blah Blah Blah.....

........9. Trip cancellation insurance will not cover cancellation just because you are high risk if you get sick. They will only cover you if you get sick before or during your trip. 

I figured it wouldn't take long for you to get back to your diatribe.

Don't you realize that many (if not most) of us cruising with Oceania in this region are fully aware of the risk we have decided to take?

 

As for insurance claims for cancellation/interruption where the CDC and/or State Dept. has issued a "no go" advisory, you may want to use Nationwide's Luxury Cruise comprehensive policy next time.

[StanandJim]

33 minutes ago, Flatbush Flyer said:

I figured it wouldn't take long for you to get back to your diatribe.

Don't you realize that many (if not most) of us cruising with Oceania in this region are fully aware of the risk we have decided to take?

 

As for insurance claims for cancellation/interruption where the CDC and/or State Dept. has issued a "no go" advisory, you may want to use Nationwide's Luxury Cruise comprehensive policy next time.

Perfectly stated.

Would that I were that eloquent...

[Flatbush Flyer]

44 minutes ago, Flatbush Flyer said:

As for insurance claims for cancellation/interruption where the CDC and/or State Dept. has issued a "no go" advisory, you may want to use Nationwide's Luxury Cruise comprehensive policy next time.

In all fairness however, Nationwide works for us in this case since we're on the trip right now and could get some reimbursement if we cancelled the rest of our travel due to a CDC advisory increase.

 

[PaulMCO]

If it was so dire in Singapore the government would have shut down the big Air Show.  This would be the perfect place to spread the virus --10,000 people in a large exhibition center.  Did they-- no...

 

For those on Insignia ---

 

 

 

 

Important Itinerary Update Dear Valued Guests and Travel Advisors, We would like to inform you of some very important itinerary modifications that have been made to Nautica’s May 24, 2020 voyage from Hong Kong to Tokyo.  This itinerary update also applies to guests on our May 24th Extended Journey voyages.         To ensure the continued health and safety of our guests and crew, and in an abundance of caution with the current outbreak of Coronavirus, we will now be sailing from Singapore to Tokyo and bypassing all ports of call in mainland China, specifically Shanghai, Beijing, and Xiamen. In their place, we have crafted a revised itinerary that includes a bevy of remarkable ports including Manila, Salomoague, Ishigaki, Naha, Jeju, and Busan. To thank you for your understanding with this prudent change, you will receive a refund of 10% of the cruise fare paid, along with a Future Cruise Credit equal to 25% of your cruise fare paid. We will be processing the refund directly to the credit card on file by February 17th and should reflect on your credit card statement within the next two billing cycles.  The future cruise credit will be issued and added to your Oceania Club profile.  You will have until February 10, 2021 to redeem your future cruise certificate on any Oceania Cruises voyage departing by February 10, 2022. The revised portion of the itinerary is detailed below for your reference:   DATE PORT COUNTRY ARRIVE DEPART 24-May Singapore Singapore   6:00 PM 25-May At Sea       26-May At Sea       27-May At Sea       28-May Manila Philippines 7:00 AM 5:00 PM 29-May Salomague Philippines 10:00 AM 6:00 PM 30-May At Sea       31-May Ishagaki Japan 8:00 AM 5:00 PM 2-Jun At Sea       3-Jun Jeju South Korea 8:00 AM 5:00 PM 4-Jun Busan South Korea 8:00 AM 6:00 PM 5-Jun Nagasaki Japan 8:00 AM 7:00 PM 6-Jun Kagoshima Japan 7:00 AM 3:00 PM 7-Jun Hiroshima Japan 10:00 AM 7:00 PM 8-Jun Kobe Japan 9:00 AM Overnight 9-Jun Kobe Japan   3:00 PM 10-Jun Shimizu Japan 12 Noon 8:00 PM 11-Jun Tokyo Japan 8:00 AM  Disembark Any shore excursions you had reserved for Shanghai, Beijing, and Xiamen will be refunded to your credit card on file, where applicable. Shore excursions for the newly added ports will be available online shortly. Important Notes: Guests who have made their air arrangements independently are solely responsible for ensuring that none of their flights route through mainland China, Hong Kong or Macau and that your inbound flight is correctly routed to Singapore. Oceania Cruises will pay up to US$300 per guest in the form of a shipboard credit for any change fees incurred by the airline.  Please forward copies of the airline’s change fee charges prior to the cruise to the attention of specialservices@oceaniacruises.com for review. Any guests having traveled through mainland China, Hong Kong or Macau within 30 days of the voyage will be denied embarkation.  In addition, guests that presents a Chinese, Hong Kong, or Macau passport will be denied boarding. Should you have any questions, please do not hesitate to call your travel advisor or Oceania Cruises. We thank you for your understanding of this prudent and important change.                       Sincerely, Carlos Ortega Vice President, Guest Services Oceania Cruises

 

Edited February 11, 2020 by PaulMCO

[irr]

There is a difference between risk to ourselves alone, which we all take, and risks to the general public which has already happened in Europe with a traveler from Singapore who has inadvertently infected 11 other people so far because he was relatively asymptomatic while contagious. That is why the congressman has expressed concern as well. 

[BenMurphy]

1 hour ago, PaulMCO said:

If it was so dire in Singapore the government would have shut down the big Air Show.  This would be the perfect place to spread the virus --10,000 people in a large exhibition center.  Did they-- no...

 

For those on Insignia ---

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Important Itinerary Update Dear Valued Guests and Travel Advisors,       We would like to inform you of some very important itinerary modifications that have been made to Nautica’s May 24, 2020 voyage from Hong Kong to Tokyo.  This itinerary update also applies to guests on our May 24th Extended Journey voyages.               To ensure the continued health and safety of our guests and crew, and in an abundance of caution with the current outbreak of Coronavirus, we will now be sailing from Singapore to Tokyo and bypassing all ports of call in mainland China, specifically Shanghai, Beijing, and Xiamen.   In their place, we have crafted a revised itinerary that includes a bevy of remarkable ports including Manila, Salomoague, Ishigaki, Naha, Jeju, and Busan.       To thank you for your understanding with this prudent change, you will receive a refund of 10% of the cruise fare paid, along with a Future Cruise Credit equal to 25% of your cruise fare paid. We will be processing the refund directly to the credit card on file by February 17th and should reflect on your credit card statement within the next two billing cycles.  The future cruise credit will be issued and added to your Oceania Club profile.  You will have until February 10, 2021 to redeem your future cruise certificate on any Oceania Cruises voyage departing by February 10, 2022.       The revised portion of the itinerary is detailed below for your reference:         DATE   PORT   COUNTRY   ARRIVE   DEPART   24-May   Singapore   Singapore     6:00 PM   25-May   At Sea         26-May   At Sea         27-May   At Sea         28-May   Manila   Philippines   7:00 AM   5:00 PM   29-May   Salomague   Philippines   10:00 AM   6:00 PM   30-May   At Sea         31-May   Ishagaki   Japan   8:00 AM   5:00 PM   2-Jun   At Sea         3-Jun   Jeju   South Korea   8:00 AM   5:00 PM   4-Jun   Busan   South Korea   8:00 AM   6:00 PM   5-Jun   Nagasaki   Japan   8:00 AM   7:00 PM   6-Jun   Kagoshima   Japan   7:00 AM   3:00 PM   7-Jun   Hiroshima   Japan   10:00 AM   7:00 PM   8-Jun   Kobe   Japan   9:00 AM   Overnight   9-Jun   Kobe   Japan     3:00 PM   10-Jun   Shimizu   Japan   12 Noon   8:00 PM   11-Jun   Tokyo   Japan   8:00 AM  Disembark       Any shore excursions you had reserved for Shanghai, Beijing, and Xiamen will be refunded to your credit card on file, where applicable. Shore excursions for the newly added ports will be available online shortly.       Important Notes:       Guests who have made their air arrangements independently are solely responsible for ensuring that none of their flights route through mainland China, Hong Kong or Macau and that your inbound flight is correctly routed to Singapore. Oceania Cruises will pay up to US$300 per guest in the form of a shipboard credit for any change fees incurred by the airline.  Please forward copies of the airline’s change fee charges prior to the cruise to the attention of specialservices@oceaniacruises.com for review.       Any guests having traveled through mainland China, Hong Kong or Macau within 30 days of the voyage will be denied embarkation.  In addition, guests that presents a Chinese, Hong Kong, or Macau passport will be denied boarding.       Should you have any questions, please do not hesitate to call your travel advisor or Oceania Cruises.       We thank you for your understanding of this prudent and important change.                             Sincerely,   Carlos Ortega   Vice President, Guest Services   Oceania Cruises

 

 

We are flying from the U.K directly to Tokyo. where we have a one night hotel stay before joining Insignia for (East West Explorer) for it's cruise to San Francisco.

Our cruise starts when this one ends. So far we haven't heard from O or our travel agent so fingers crossed that it will go ahead as planned. This is a 'leg' of the current RTW cruise. Insignia does call at a number of Japanese ports before Tokyo.

I am hoping that Japan is on top of this as the Olympic games are held there this year.

best wishes

Josie

[Shawnino]

9 hours ago, StanandJim said:

 

There is inherent risk in every trip, from tripping over your doormat whilst leaving the house to unforeseen diseases springing up.   

Hopefully, your Congressman will explain to you that decisions which are the very best thing for you (i.e. not going on the Cruise) sometimes come at a cost.

Savvy travelers already know this.

 

 

 

 

 

Seriously? 

You're going with the reductio-ad-absurdum argument that hey, there's a risk of tripping over your doormat?

*smh*

 

Look, I'm a shareholder of NCLH, I get it, but, c'mon man.

[Debbers]

4 hours ago, irr said:

There is a difference between risk to ourselves alone, which we all take, and risks to the general public which has already happened in Europe with a traveler from Singapore who has inadvertently infected 11 other people so far because he was relatively asymptomatic while contagious.

Bingo.  Our upcoming cruise is on the other side of the world (South America), but we can't know which of the crew or passengers may have already been infected by someone like the person you referenced.  Add to that, our cruise ends with a visit to our pregnant daughter.  How do we balance the risks here?

[Mura]

12 hours ago, PaulMCO said:

If it was so dire in Singapore the government would have shut down the big Air Show.  This would be the perfect place to spread the virus --10,000 people in a large exhibition center.  Did they-- no...

 

 

 

 

But from what I have seen since you posted, they did.  It could have been (if so) because so many participants cancelled precisely because of the virus.  My husband was particularly interested because when he was working as an aerospace analyst on Wall Street, we went several times to the Paris show and once to the English version.  He would have LOVED to have had the excuse to go to Singapore ... I don't know if Singapore had an Air Show while he was still working, however.  He retired in June 1990.  (He was a VERY young retiree!)

[Mura]

6 hours ago, Debbers said:

Bingo.  Our upcoming cruise is on the other side of the world (South America), but we can't know which of the crew or passengers may have already been infected by someone like the person you referenced.  Add to that, our cruise ends with a visit to our pregnant daughter.  How do we balance the risks here?

How upcoming?  I admit that I'd be very concerned about causing risk to a pregnant daughter!

[PaulMCO]

13 minutes ago, Mura said:

But from what I have seen since you posted, they did.  It could have been (if so) because so many participants cancelled precisely because of the virus.  My husband was particularly interested because when he was working as an aerospace analyst on Wall Street, we went several times to the Paris show and once to the English version.  He would have LOVED to have had the excuse to go to Singapore ... I don't know if Singapore had an Air Show while he was still working, however.  He retired in June 1990.  (He was a VERY young retiree!)

They did -- (formerly Asian Aerospace) my first one was in 1988. But Paris and Farnborough were the Kings.  Today it is Dubai that has the most influential show.  The show did open on Monday, about 20% of the exhibitors did not show. Our stand was manned by our local staff.

 

Edited February 12, 2020 by PaulMCO

[Mura]

3 minutes ago, PaulMCO said:

They did -- (formerly Asian Aerospace) my first one was in 1988. But Paris and Farnborough were the Kings.  Today it is Dubai that has the most influential show.

 

Good to know!  We had wonderful times at Paris and Farnborough since we were invited to clients' chalets (think Ratheon) and were even able to invite a couple of guests when we were at Farnborough.  Some of the most wonderful travel times of our existence!  Wonderful food, free flowing wines, and perfect views of the airfield.

[tocruiseguy]

12 hours ago, irr said:

There is a difference between risk to ourselves alone, which we all take, and risks to the general public which has already happened in Europe with a traveler from Singapore who has inadvertently infected 11 other people so far because he was relatively asymptomatic while contagious. That is why the congressman has expressed concern as well. 

 

Your comments are bang on....it is clear from what is happening on that Princess ship in Japan that cruise ships with their passenger demographics are excellent places for this virus to spread.  Approximately 5% of the passengers and crew have tested positive for the virus so far, (4 are in intensive care) relative to the spread in China this a massive infection rate.  Until the virus spread subsides substantially, which it may, anyone going on a cruise ship out of any port in Asia is playing Russian roulette, especially if you have some sort of pre-existing medical condition.   It is shocking that Oceania is not allowing passengers to cancel like airlines have done.  How a company reacts in a crisis is very revealing.  

[corpkid]

We are joining the ATW cruise on Insignia boarding May 5 in Singapore.  We were supposed to disembark in Hong Kong on the 24th, but as everyone knows, we'll be disembarking in Singapore instead.

 

I am OK with that as things happen when you travel (see our 2015 cruise out of Beijing on Nautica). However, I'm perplexed how to handle the flight situation. We're booked on United, but they are only doing waivers, etc for flights to/from HKG through March 31. Can I assume that will window will expand?  What I'm worried about (perhaps unreasonably so) is that miraculously travel restrictions will drop by May (so no flight waivers) but our cruise will still be departing from Singapore. 

[bbqoug]

Azamara's updated travel advisory includes the following:

 

• Guests presenting with fever or low blood oximetry in the specialized health screenings will be denied boarding.

All guests who are denied boarding due to these restrictions will receive full refunds.

 

Here is the full advisory https://www.azamara.com/travel-advisory

 

It seems that Azamara's policy of giving full refunds to those who are denied boarding is the right approach. It is human nature that people will be more truthful in reporting any health issues if they know they won't be left off the ship without a refund.

Sorry to post this in the O forum, but I believe it should be OK to show the contrast between O's current policy & that of their competitor.

[Flatbush Flyer]

1 hour ago, bbqoug said:

Azamara's updated travel advisory includes the following:

 

• Guests presenting with fever or low blood oximetry in the specialized health screenings will be denied boarding.

All guests who are denied boarding due to these restrictions will receive full refunds.

 

Here is the full advisory https://www.azamara.com/travel-advisory

 

It seems that Azamara's policy of giving full refunds to those who are denied boarding is the right approach. 

You may want to read through this thread. The advisories from Oceania tend to focus on a main point like itinerary change but then abbreviate other items.

In any case, several of the notices did state that:

·         Guests who are denied boarding will be issued a refund when they provide proof of travel.

That would appear to be the same deal as Azamara.

[Desert_Boomer]

This starting to get a bit concerning - now it seems that Thailand will not allow the Westerdam to disembark there even though they claim to have no coronavirus incidents onboard and Singapore is denying the Celebrity Millenium to dock even though they started out from Dubai and claim to have no coronavirus px as well.  Westerdam which left Hong Kong on February 1 has already been denied landing rights at ports in Taiwan, Japan, the Philippines and Guam leaving the passengers and crew in limbo. Seems that once your ship sails you have no assurance of where you will end up or when.

[Flatbush Flyer]

20 minutes ago, Desert_Boomer said:

This starting to get a bit concerning - now it seems that Thailand will not allow the Westerdam to disembark there even though they claim to have no coronavirus incidents onboard and Singapore is denying the Celebrity Millenium to dock even though they started out from Dubai and claim to have no coronavirus px as well.  Westerdam which left Hong Kong on February 1 has already been denied landing rights at ports in Taiwan, Japan, the Philippines and Guam leaving the passengers and crew in limbo. Seems that once your ship sails you have no assurance of where you will end up or when.

There must be something going on (that is not being publicized) with that Holland America ship such that it keeps getting turned away.

 

In any case, everyone currently aboard Nautica received a note from the ship's master this morning (2/12/20) stating that: 

 

"As of this moment, the Nautica is scheduled to arrive in Singapore as originally planned and the local authorities have confirmed our berth. ....we are following all guidance from the U.S., Department of State, the C.D.C. and Workd Health Organization. ....At this time, the authorities above have not implemented any travel restrictions for Singapore...."

[manuwolf]

35 minutes ago, Desert_Boomer said:

This starting to get a bit concerning - now it seems that Thailand will not allow the Westerdam to disembark there even though they claim to have no coronavirus incidents onboard and Singapore is denying the Celebrity Millenium to dock even though they started out from Dubai and claim to have no coronavirus px as well.  Westerdam which left Hong Kong on February 1 has already been denied landing rights at ports in Taiwan, Japan, the Philippines and Guam leaving the passengers and crew in limbo. Seems that once your ship sails you have no assurance of where you will end up or when.

Where as I am following the Westerdam episode very closely (and feel extremely sorry for the people onboard) I haven't heard about Celebrity's problem in Singapore yet - where could you read this? At this point we haven't replaced our non-refundable Hongkong flights yet for Nautica March 18 departure from Singapore- we want to wait as long as possible before we commit to another flight. Don't trust the present situation too much & we are really wondering how long OC can keep up with their strict "no refunds" policy. 🤔🤔

[cruiseaholic78]

I decided to look up the guest’s contract:

This is from the US site

If the scheduled port of embarkation or final destination is changed, We will arrange transportation to the new port from the originally scheduled port.If the Cruise is terminated early due to an unresolved mechanical failure, We will make a proportionate refund of the Cruise Fare. In such event, You are also entitled at Our option to transportation to the Ship’s scheduled port of disembarkation or Your home city at Our expense. Additionally, when such disembarkation caused by mechanical failure of the Ship at an unscheduled port requires an overnight stay, You are also entitled to lodging at the unscheduled port of disembarkation at Our expense.

 

 This is from the European one

 If the scheduled port of embarkation or final destination is changed, We will arrange transportation to the new port from the originally scheduled port.

 

Now I am of course no expert but I seriously tried to find the small print that allowed Oceania to change my port of embarkation to Singapore without anything thing other than a $300 credit and couldn’t that doesn’t mean of course that it isn’t there.

 

I am sure there are plenty of legal eagles who can check this. In the meantime we are still waiting for Oceania to confirm the revised part of our cruise before we decide to alter our flights, we are also looking for confirmation that the compensation will be for the full 43 day fare as this is what we paid.

Rosalyn