Cancellation of Baltic cruise - rumor or fact

[HHI Cruiser1]

It's been stated that NCL (and other NCLH cruise lines) have cancelled Baltic cruise thru 2023.  Anyone seen an actual NCL letter or statement?

[HHI Cruiser1]

Searching roll calls, I found this piece of an email from NCL received by another Cruise Critic member:

 

As part of our commitment to delivering extraordinary vacation experiences around the world, and due to the escalated situation between Russia and Ukraine, we've made the difficult decision to cancel Norwegian Dawn sailings from July 2 through and including July 28, 2023. We share your disappointment and sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused, but also hope you can understand the necessity of this action.

[cassie55]

We are booked on the Jade for May23.  Starting in Athens but it includes Odessa. That is still showing available and still shows Odessa in the itinerary. 

[Kierste]

Getaway Baltic cruises have been cancelled, first this summer’s were cancelled and repositioned and then it was extended.  There has been no news on the Dawn as far as I know, and I am booked on it this summer.

[julig22]

2 hours ago, prunderw said:

Searching roll calls, I found this piece of an email from NCL received by another Cruise Critic member:

 

As part of our commitment to delivering extraordinary vacation experiences around the world, and due to the escalated situation between Russia and Ukraine, we've made the difficult decision to cancel Norwegian Dawn sailings from July 2 through and including July 28, 2023. We share your disappointment and sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused, but also hope you can understand the necessity of this action.

Which roll call?  I'm on the Dawn July 11 and haven't gotten anything.  Still showing available for booking. Plus that end date seems a little arbitrary.

Edited May 13, 2022 by julig22

[casofilia]

Here is the screen shot of the email I received directly from NCL.    If you are booked through a TA the email will have been sent to them as they "own" the booking.

 

It you find it difficult to read, click on it and then use the + that appears within the view.

 

HTH

 

Mike

 

 

[casofilia]

@prunderw

 

I have just looked at the NCL site, Dawn July 2023, no cruises available.

 

Mike

 

I have just looked and it has been removed from "My Cruise Holidays"

Edited May 13, 2022 by casofilia

[casofilia]

@cassie55

 

We are booked on the Jade for May23.  Starting in Athens but it includes Odessa. 

 

I queried the availability of this cruise with my PCC following the cancellation of the Baltic cruises, we are on both itineraries.

He said that he does not get any information regarding cancellations prior to general announcement but indicated that there would probably be a variation.

 

It is still extant on the NCL website.

 

Mike

[julig22]

@casofilia

Nothing from NCL(I booked direct) but you are hours ahead of us.  Guess we'll get our notice when Miami opens in the morning.  Thanks for the heads up - I wasn't surprised, saw on the news that Finland and Sweden may be in Putin's sights now.

I just hope they actually give me FCC and not a useless 10% coupon that I wouldn't get because I already have one.

 

However in re-reading the letter, is it possible that they mean July 2, 2023?

Edited May 13, 2022 by julig22

[milolii]

11 minutes ago, julig22 said:

@casofilia

Nothing from NCL(I booked direct) but you are hours ahead of us.  Guess we'll get our notice when Miami opens in the morning.  Thanks for the heads up - I wasn't surprised, saw on the news that Finland and Sweden may be in Putin's sights now.

I just hope they actually give me FCC and not a useless 10% coupon that I wouldn't get because I already have one.

Wait, isnt @casofilia referring to 2023?  But I agree with you, it seems like the cruises could and maybe should be cancelled.  We cancelled in early February.  

 

Edited May 13, 2022 by milolii

[casofilia]

@julig22

 

I just hope they actually give me FCC and not a useless 10% coupon that I wouldn't get because I already have one.

 

FIGHT

Read the document you get VERY carefully as mine does NOT have any statement excepting me from getting a 10% FCC certificate.

 

 

The document I have is a legal agreement between NCL and myself and I will fight to the end to get my 10% as I have previously.

 

Mike

 

 

[casofilia]

@milolii

 

The OP stated:-

 It's been stated that NCL (and other NCLH cruise lines) have cancelled Baltic cruise thru 2023.  Anyone seen an actual NCL letter or statement?

 

All my responses have have been in regard to July 2023 cruises in response to that statement.

 

Mike

Edited May 13, 2022 by casofilia

[julig22]

2 minutes ago, casofilia said:

@julig22

 

I just hope they actually give me FCC and not a useless 10% coupon that I wouldn't get because I already have one.

 

FIGHT

Read the document you get VERY carefully as mine does NOT have any statement excepting me from getting a 10% FCC certificate.

 

 

The document I have is a legal agreement between NCL and myself and I will fight to the end to get my 10% as I have previously.

 

Mike

 

 

I managed to get 2 along the way but should have way more.

[casofilia]

@julig22

 

I wouldn't be surprised that the change during late in June 2021 was a "knee-jerk" response to a challenge I put in to NCL Sydney following having two cruises cancelled early in June 2021.   It was enforced for quite a while but it disappeared from the Cancellation Notifications at some time.

 

The wording of those two Cancellation Notifications allowed a cynic (Me) to challenge the legal wording!!!   After they introduced the late June change it proved my reading of the CNs was correct.   I won!!!

 

I have so many cruises booked that I can use any 10% as soon as it appears in my account so the initial statement they used cannot apply to me.

[julig22]

9 minutes ago, milolii said:

Wait, isnt @casofilia referring to 2023?  But I agree with you, it seems like the cruises could and maybe should be cancelled.  We cancelled in early February.  

 

Could be interpreted either way, NCL isn't known for their clear and concise verbage.  Dawn has cruises on July 2 both years and it would make more sense to me anyway to be talking about this year if they are bringing Russia into the equation.  Otherwise, just say we came up with a better plan for the month of July 2023.

[milolii]

@julig22 yep, I agree, either way, communication not clear.  

[casofilia]

Note that the Dawn 2022 cruises are still going ahead but St Petersburg has been removed.   I bet that there have been so many cancellations that the bottom line is being affected!!

[casofilia]

What I find even more interesting is that the NCL website is still showing the Dawn going to St Petersburg in June and August 2023!!!!   Only July 2023 cruises seem to be cancelled so far.

Edited May 13, 2022 by casofilia

[milolii]

@casofilia agree my interpretation is that the Dawn is still sailing in 2022, but minus St.Pertersburg.  I also see how the letter could be be confusing. 

Other threads and FB postings report her Transatlantic crossing has numerous CoVID cases and that she skipped Amsterdam and Le Havre,  but heading for Southampton now.  
 

I also saw the 2023 St. Petersburg port of call and spoke with my PCC about  it last week, asking when the port may be dropped and changes made. She didn't know.  I think the July cruises were the only time the Dawn was offering trips  in the Baltic in 2023.  The Getaway was covering the other few months.  Now it appears for 2023, those itineraries for both ships are canceled. 
 

It does seem odd that “the escalated situation between Russia and Ukraine” is an issue for 2023,  but not so much for 2022.  Hmmmmm. 

[casofilia]

@milolii

 

I think the July cruises were the only time the Dawn was offering trips  in the Baltic in 2023.  

 

Not at all; check:-

 

https://www.ncl.com/nz/en/vacations?date=jun-2023,aug-2023&ship=norwegian-dawn

 

Both times show St Petersburg still

 

[ontheweb]

42 minutes ago, ChC said:

 

It is expected. As I have explained last month in one of the NCL post, now Finland and Sweden applied to join NATO, and Russia owns a chunk of land between Poland and Lithuania (the size of a small European country), while NATO had positioned heavy military presence in Lithuania, all point to possible future instability in Baltic region. All is guaranteed some form of military exercise especially navy exercise by either Russia or NATO will be taking place more than usual should Russia continues its path.

 

Here the term that the situation in Ukraine escalated could simply mean now Finland and Sweden had been forced to apply NATO membership. The escalation can be outside Russia and Ukraine. 

 

My point of view is that Baltic cruise is finished for 2022 and 2023 since beginning of April (in terms of revenue expectations). I would say if Russia can not retreat and join a meaningful peace talk, it could be another 5-10 years before any westerners are allowed to visit St. Petersburg again. 

 

The only reason some of the 2022 Baltic cruise is still running, is that NCL has no place to positioning the ship. After all, they already pulled Getaway in last minute. They did all they can to move a big ship out from this market. Plus, there are still a lot of local demand for revenge travel this summer from Northern Europe. What is more, not every passenger on these cruises care about St. Petersburg. There are still interesting places to see around Baltic sea. 

 

I will say that should any missile is fired in Baltic sea, the whole cruise industry will come to an instant halt in that region. It is unfortunate that Baltic sea will be the next battle ground if Russia do not stop its aggression in Ukraine. Personally if I am heading to that region, I would be careful to evaluate the situation and I would not book any cruise beyond 2-3 months time frame. Just my 2 cents. 

It is really a shame that the tourist industry in Finland, Sweden, Norway, Poland, Estonia, etc. will all be so negatively affected by Russia's aggression in the Ukraine.

[insidecabin]

I suspect they are staggering the changes they want to make so they can  feed them through the system.

 

Getaway 2023 got pulled completely so they may have deployment ideas that don't need the TAs.

With the Dawn if they plan to leave it in Europe the can deal with that later and leave the TA in place while they work out what to do.

 

Issue is it is getting very crowded up her around the UK.

 

Competitive pricing will be needed to get the bodies in the beds.     

 

The Dawn doing Amsterdam<->Southampton trips this year messes up UK bookings as you have to join the end points, might as well book a round trip Southampton as they are available on other lines.  

[njkate]

13 hours ago, cassie55 said:

We are booked on the Jade for May23.  Starting in Athens but it includes Odessa. That is still showing available and still shows Odessa in the itinerary. 

I doubt they will call on Odessa and replace it with either a sea day or another port

[cassie55]

45 minutes ago, njkate said:

I doubt they will call on Odessa and replace it with either a sea day or another port

I'm fully expecting Odessa to be dropped. It was the main reason we booked this itinerary though.

[susiesan]

I am booked and paid in full on Dawn Aug. 16 Stockholm-Amsterdam. In my NCL account my cruise still shows as a go. . I can't cancel at this point as I would lose all my money. If NCL cancels I will get a refund.

 

If the cruise happens, I will be on it. I just hope if NCL cancels, they don't wait until the last minute so we can cancel air, hotels, tours, etc.