SD2 Looks Underway on Crossing to Lisbon Today???

[Ragnar Danneskjold]

Anyone notice that the stock market recovered significantly when ho-hum was posting?  Coincidence?

[ho-hum]

1 hour ago, ho-hum said:

Oh dear, oh dear,

 

SD have informed us directly of our voyage cancellation in an email entitled;

 

Re:  IMPORTANT and URGENT UPDATE - Your SeaDream I Voyage Cancellation 3/21/2020
 

That our voyage in 5 days time has been cancelled BUT note the title and then the content of the message.
In one they refer to SDI but in the body of the email refers to SD2.

 

Dear Valued Guest,

We regret to inform you that as a result of the government restrictions announced late last week due to Covid-19 corona virus and travel restrictions impacting communities around the globe, we have been forced to cancel your upcoming voyage aboard SeaDream II sailing 3/21/2020.  We truly apologize for this inconvenience but the safety of our guests and crew is our highest priority. 

Working closely and in partnership with local, state, federal and global agencies, we are committed to taking all appropriate steps and actions to combat the spread of COVID-19.

We encourage you to immediately contact your insurance, travel and airline providers as appropriate.  We are pleased to offer you a 100% voyage credit to be used towards a future sailing through the end of 2021 on SeaDream I or II. The entire team at SeaDream wishes you a safe return home and we look forward to welcoming you on a future voyage aboard SeaDream.

If you any questions, please contact our reservations department at 1-800-707-4911.

 

Regards,

SeaDream Yacht Club

 

How can they get this so wrong ?
Years of practice.

Ho-Hum

 

Apology received (from Oslo HQ) ....... quite rightly too, dammit !

Suppose HH should be grateful.

HH is.......

We all make mistakes.
HH has a lot of sympathy for shoreside management......it must be very challenging.

But dumb mistakes like this don’t help them......oh and they weren’t actually prompt notifying cancellation were they ?

Make up your own thoughts why they were slow......oh you cynical lot.

Oh stop Hum !

Get a perspective.

Perspective restored.

 

As JES4845 posted......true Sea Dreamer’s concern and sympathy are for the crew......and come to that for all cruise company crew, management and owners.
 

And of course the dear guests that lost their payments.
 

 

[ho-hum]

32 minutes ago, Ragnar Danneskjold said:

Anyone notice that the stock market recovered significantly when ho-hum was posting?  Coincidence?

Hum can’t take all the credit ........ but he will !

 

But , in truth....it was his forward buying of toilet paper due to a tip off by a chum in Southern California who was the first to see toilet paper as the future must have.

 

 

[Reunionmama]

We are pleased to offer you a 100% voyage credit to be used towards a future sailing through the end of 2021 on SeaDream I or II. 

 

Wait a minute, what????  They cancel and you only get a voyage credit?  No refund?

[ctbjr1309]

3 hours ago, ho-hum said:

oh and they weren’t actually prompt notifying cancellation were they ?

 

For what it's worth, I just emailed SD and asked about the status of our April 11 voyage.  Their response:

 

"We are currently still planning for your voyage from Marigot to Bridgetown on SeaDream I, April 11th to go as planned. If there are any changes to the voyage, we will contact your travel agent (in copy)."

[DWhit]

21 minutes ago, ctbjr1309 said:

For what it's worth, I just emailed SD and asked about the status of our April 11 voyage.  Their response:

 

"We are currently still planning for your voyage from Marigot to Bridgetown on SeaDream I, April 11th to go as planned. If there are any changes to the voyage, we will contact your travel agent (in copy)."

That's basically the same thing they told me over the phone this morning regarding our April 5th voyage.   I guess its not over till its over, but I think its getting really close to over.

[ctbjr1309]

22 hours ago, ho-hum said:

 

Apology received (from Oslo HQ) ....... quite rightly too, dammit !

 

H-H, just to confirm - your March 21 SD1 voyage has been cancelled.  Is that correct?  Has anybody else out there received any information about subsequent voyages?

[clubrudee]

Oh My Gosh!! I was on the sailing that ended on 3/14. As we left the yacht the crew was setting up the check-in desk for the next voyage! They were just telling us that half of the passengers had cancelled. Wonder what happened to those that hadn't?

[DWhit]

I was doing some checking today just to get a lay of the land, and I am beginning to get a bad feeling about this.  Sea Dream told me would not offer me any options at present regarding refunds or rescheduling, and to wait to see if the cruise is cancelled.  As mentioned in other posts, it seems that our BVI stop is not available, so when they  mentioned something about changing the departure country for my trip from St. Martin to Barbados, I was concerned.  That would bring in possible hotel canceIation fees in St. Martin, increased flight expenses, etc., plus paying a good bit for a trip to places I may not be that excited about.  I asked if that was not reason enough to offer something at this time, and was again told nothing can be offered, and was advised to wait.

 

So I will wait, and hopefully things will work out.  But I hope if worse comes to worse, they would come through with some similar offers of credits or refunds similar to every other cruise company I know of.  I certainly know the risks when you book a cruise, but I was hoping not to have to go through my credit card trip insurance.  I have a feeling it might not address a "pandemic-related cancelation".  

 

Has anyone got any knowledge/experience with how SeaDream has handled this kind of thing recently or in the past?  

Are they reasonable and helpful, or is just "Buyer Beware!"

 

[TrapperZimmy]

While not the same as this situation, we had a cruise cancelled in favor of a charter.  They refunded the fare and offered us another booking at a substantial discount.  They also covered airline change fees.  We weren't happy about having to change our vacation, but we thought we were treated well.  As others have noted, there is a difference between SeaDream making the changes and the passenger deciding to cancel.  We have a cruise scheduled for late June, and right now we are just going to sit and wait to see what happens.  I can envision a situation where the cruise sails, but we can't find an airline to get us there or back home.  I hope that doesn't happen, but if it does I'm sure we will take a hit.  Not sure if travel insurance would cover that.

[DWhit]

3 minutes ago, TrapperZimmy said:

While not the same as this situation, we had a cruise cancelled in favor of a charter.  They refunded the fare and offered us another booking at a substantial discount.  They also covered airline change fees.  We weren't happy about having to change our vacation, but we thought we were treated well.  As others have noted, there is a difference between SeaDream making the changes and the passenger deciding to cancel.  We have a cruise scheduled for late June, and right now we are just going to sit and wait to see what happens.  I can envision a situation where the cruise sails, but we can't find an airline to get us there or back home.  I hope that doesn't happen, but if it does I'm sure we will take a hit.  Not sure if travel insurance would cover that.

Thanks for the info TrapperZimmy.  Sounds like they treated you well, and that makes me feel better.  I hope your cruise goes off without a hitch!

[Ragnar Danneskjold]

Why does anyone think any cruises will happen this year?  And how about flights to the cruises? IMO all cruise ships are headed to where they can be mothballed.  Please let me know if I am missing something.

[Jim Avery]

10 minutes ago, Ragnar Danneskjold said:

Why does anyone think any cruises will happen this year?  And how about flights to the cruises? IMO all cruise ships are headed to where they can be mothballed.  Please let me know if I am missing something.

You are not Raggy.  In fact, just heard of groceries closing.  We shall have to hunt for our food.  Have any Idea where Tostitos live or which cows give Velveeta??🍸

[Ragnar Danneskjold]

We’re starting to view “the pony” as a reserve protein source...  As stringy as he is.

[DWhit]

I confirmed on the Sea Dream website this morning that our April 5th Round Trip from Marigot, St. Martin has been changed to an April 5th Round Trip from Bridgeport, Barbados.  None of the stops from our original itinerary are on the new one, nor do the new stops especially appeal to us.   Of course our plane tickets and hotel reservations are no longer applicable.

 

No contact direct from SeaDream yet.   😞  

[JES4845]

DWhit - thanks for keeping us posted - same to others here.  We all love SD but ... it is particularly tone deaf if not worse that earlier today I received this happy go lucky “champagne & caviar” tweet ... as if everything in the world is just fine, when it isn’t as we all know.   As noted on an earlier posting, those of us who have been around the SD block for a decade or more recall this same lack of communication during the financial crisis 2008-2010.  We all survived that including SD but it wasn’t pretty.  One would have hoped some lessons would have been learned.

Edited March 18, 2020 by JES4845
Grammar

[curiousx]

From a friend on Bequia 19 minutes ago, Sea Dream is currently at anchor in Admiralty Bay.  Hope this helps.

Edited March 18, 2020 by curiousx

[DWhit]

As of this morning, all of the remaining SeaDream 1 itineraries have been changed to Round Trip Barbados, with all stops being in St. Vincent and the Grenadines.  I understand and appreciate SeaDream would like to still provide some kind of cruise for those previously booked who are happy with that itinerary, and that is great.  But I think it is only ethical and fair to offer some kind alternative to those who are not interested.   There are people who booked to depart out of Marigot in four days who may be just learning about the changes.

[DWhit]

Just had a good call from Eden at Sea Dream.  She said that Sea Dream fully intended to offer some sort of compensation or offer to those customers who, if they were to cancel would be in the 100% loss of funds category.  This was very well received by me, since I am in that category.  

 

The only major problem/issue is she could not say what that offer was or might be.  

So my choices at present are

1) Go on the Barbados trip as scheduled

2) Cancel now and take whatever Sea Dream offers

3) Wait for a while to see if Sea Dream has to cancel the Barbados trips, and (in my opinion) maybe get a slightly better offer.

 

For now I picked #3.  

[ctbjr1309]

9 minutes ago, DWhit said:

Just had a good call from Eden at Sea Dream.  She said that Sea Dream fully intended to offer some sort of compensation or offer to those customers who, if they were to cancel would be in the 100% loss of funds category.  This was very well received by me, since I am in that category.  

 

The only major problem/issue is she could not say what that offer was or might be.  

So my choices at present are

1) Go on the Barbados trip as scheduled

2) Cancel now and take whatever Sea Dream offers

3) Wait for a while to see if Sea Dream has to cancel the Barbados trips, and (in my opinion) maybe get a slightly better offer.

 

For now I picked #3.  

We're playing the same game of chicken and at this point, our plan is the same as yours.  Thanks for keeping us posted.  My TA called SD this morning at my request and also was told that communication from SD on this point is forthcoming.  Will report back when we hear from them.

[vandrefalk]

And, latest update — a (former) sales director says all sales directors have been terminated.... US, Europe, all?  Don’t know but this was a good gal.  What are they thinking?

vandrefalk

[abenaki]

1 hour ago, vandrefalk said:What are they thinking?

1 hour ago, vandrefalk said:

What are they thinking?

 

They are thinking that until the world is vaccinated, no one is flying, no one is getting onto a cruise boat, and no port is going to let a ship anyway.

[JES4845]

NEW FROM U.S. STATE DEPT. -  AMERICANS SHOULD NOT TRAVEL ABROAD

 

Per POLITICO news flash a few minutes ago I feel compelled to share, the  U.S. State Dept. is about to issue a Level 4 Warning Worldwide today - its most serious travel warning level.  It will say if Americans are overseas they should come back to the USA ASAP or prepare to shelter in place overseas (not sure for how long).  Americans now in the USA would be instructed NOT to travel out of the country - period.

[TheFrenchGuy]

Sad about the circumstances but happy to see Ho-Hum back here!