Odyssey - changed itinerary Grand Pacific Voyage

[FlyingScotSailors]

Thanks.  My computer refuses to load the UK conditions, but I think you are saying US clause 8 is the same as UK clause 40.

 

If so, I do not understand the claim of Seabourn trying to evade the clause that says Seabourn can change a cruise for various reasons and, if other agencies are at least partially responsible for the change, Seabourn does not have liability.  Is the claim that Seabourn is solely responsible for the changed itinerary?

 

[DTtravelers]

1 hour ago, FlyingScotSailors said:

Thanks.  My computer refuses to load the UK conditions, but I think you are saying US clause 8 is the same as UK clause 40.

 

Hi FlyingScotSailors:

 

Not sure why you cannot see the UK version.  I go right to it when I click on it.  Same with US version.

 

Actually the language between the two is very different, but they seem to be covering the same cruise alteration/change topic.  UK passengers appear to have different rights, but I am not a Solicitor/Lawyer.

[phillipahain]

Update ....in our UK T and Cs it is clause 40 because Seabourn has made very significant changes to the cruise ...our brilliant TA was inundated with phone calls and Seabourn were soon corrected in their high handed assumption they could walk all over us ...hence we are sadly cancelling ....its very hard because from Xmas due to other half being 80 its not possible to get insurance cover for more than 31 day trips ...the pacific islands have been on my list for light years so i am devastated .

 

I would though warn anyone still contemplating the changed itinery the ports of call in NZ do not readily give access to so much that is beauty of NZ and you really cannot appreciste such a beautiful country from cruise ports or the scope of ship excursions .

 

We have no idea what we will do instead but feel pushed in a corner and disgusted that Seabourn have had our money for a year and not given a single thought to passenger feelings 

[phillipahain]

On 7/15/2022 at 5:02 PM, DTtravelers said:

Look here and scoll down to 40...  Note the -united-kingdom-  part of the URL. 

 

https://www.seabourn.com/en_US/legal-privacy-united-kingdom/booking-conditions-united-kingdom.html

 

In the US, it is Clause 8:

 

https://www.seabourn.com/en_US/legal-privacy/cruise-contract.html

The Tand Cs for USA cruisers on all cruise lines versus  UK or Europe or Aus/NZ are all very different and without doubt USA has rights way over the UK and hell of a lit mire than down under...totally unfair situation all round 

On 7/15/2022 at 5:02 PM, DTtravelers said:

 

 

[TUCHIK]

Another disappointed cruiser.

 

Not content to let matters rest, we sent emails to Seabourn and our TA. This resulted in the option to cancel for a FULL REFUND. We have until July 31 to take advantage. We are pleasantly surprised at the offer.

 

Edited July 20, 2022 by TUCHIK
Typo

[martrini]

My wife and I from the US are booked for this cruise, the full length from Vancouver to Sydney.  And while we are also quite disappointed that the second half has been substantially changed, eliminating islands we really wanted to visit for the first time, we are still committed at this point since it is too late to reasonably substitute something else.  For us anyway.  We have also been a number of times to NZ, but at least there are still a number of new island stops for us (including several new NZ ports) and Southern Tasmania we have not been to yet, only Bernie on the north before.  Plus, just shipboard life is enjoyable for us as well.  Hopefully still an enjoyable Seabourn cruise since shutting down in spring 2020 on the Sojourn in Perth due to the pandemic, as was our 45 day return to cruising on the Encore this past spring from Lisbon to Athens (via the Canary Islands, Greek Isles and Turkey)…

[Mauzac]

@martrini

We feel exactly the same as you and we are also on the complete journey Vancouver to Sydney.

Whilst being disappointed, we just worry that, if we cancel, we will not be able to do a longer cruise in the near future, this is our 'big' one.

We had a long one due April 2020 and of course we all know what happened there!

 

My husband plotted the replacement cruise on a map so we could work out what to do... the green line is the original cruise, the purple line is now where we are going.  

Whilst of course, it is different and disappointing to miss so many of the South Pacific Islands, we are looking at NZ as a bonus.  And like you, we love shipboard life and will make the most of every minute of it.  

We hope to meet you onboard! 

 

 

[BasandSyb]

After review, Seabourn has advised we can obtain a full refund. We also put to them disembarking in Auckland (20 of 38 days) given it is a usual cruise turnaround point and NZ represented the larger part of the itinerary change. The answer was no and they would not consider re-pricing if we chose to disembark at that point. This is really disappointing as we were trying to make the best of something we booked more than 12 months ago and were so looking forward to sharing with friends. The result - 3 cancelled bookings of $200k+ for  Diamond members. It does leave us feeling very let down.

 

Martrini and Mauzac enjoy your cruise. We tried to convince ourselves of the same, that once on board etc. However, we were on from Papeete after which the changes kick in, and thought that we would just be disappointed and bored with the ports when we start to deviate and also paying what was over the odds for the trip just didn’t make sense in these circumstances. It’s sad. While it was to be our first post-COVID trip it was also a celebration squeezing in group travel while we are all able and for two significant birthdays. We similarly sympathise with Phillipahain.

 

Now to haggle over accom and airfares…😪 

[Mauzac]

@BasandSyb

 

I quite understand, what a big shame for you.  Good luck with the credits, fingers x'd they all come through as they should. 🙂

[martrini]

Likewise Mauzac.  Small ship, 65 days, I’m sure we’ll meet up sometime…

[glorygaf]

Basandsyb you mentioned you live on the Gold Coast and I’d be interested to talk to you personally.

we live in Southport any chance of contacting you.

[BasandSyb]

Hi Glorygaf, we are at Surfers.

I'll be online this afternoon if you want to drop me your email or phone I'll keep an eye out. You should be able to edit and delete it within 20 minutes of posting.

[glorygaf]

Basandsyb you mentioned you live on the Gold Coast and I’d be interested to talk to you personally.

we live in Southport any chance of contacting you.  Thanks basandsyb tmarsden043@gmail.com send me your phone number and I’ll call you back

Edited July 25, 2022 by glorygaf

[phillipahain]

Not content with screwing up all the ports of call now see despite paying for Business flights they have without notice now cancelled direct flights and dumped Business passengers into premium economy on 2 or 3 legs instead of one flight ...the backlash of that will be only one suitcase per person for a 69 day trip ....dont think so ..!!.wonder if they have changed hotel bookings too 

 

Do not appreciate that before this debacle blew up we had in June   taken out extended trip insurance just a  mere £400!!! they now refuse to cover or compensate for... we booked and paid for  this cruise 18months ago ...it was dream of a lifetime that thanks now to age bar with travel insurance cannot be moved to another year and they have had use of the money too ..

Edited July 29, 2022 by phillipahain

[martrini]

Not sure if others have heard anything more, but as Seabourn stated on July 13th that we would receive an updated voyage number and a new booking number by July 31st due to the changed itinerary, since we have not heard or received anything yet, our travel agent spoke to Seabourn today.  Seabourn told her they have not yet finalized the itinerary, and therefore cannot send a new one out.  They stated that they are still working through a few details and are asking for everyone’s patience while they do.  A bit disappointing to hear that this late…

[Mauzac]

46 minutes ago, martrini said:

Not sure if others have heard anything more, but as Seabourn stated on July 13th that we would receive an updated voyage number and a new booking number by July 31st due to the changed itinerary, since we have not heard or received anything yet, our travel agent spoke to Seabourn today.  Seabourn told her they have not yet finalized the itinerary, and therefore cannot send a new one out.  They stated that they are still working through a few details and are asking for everyone’s patience while they do.  A bit disappointing to hear that this late…

We heard on 13 July with a revised itinerary and on the SB website and the SB app it shows our new booking number.  However, the revised itinerary has had a couple of changes already!

 

However, the changed stops show no excursions (except for one or two) so that is rather frustrating as we can't make plans on what we want to do. Time is marching on so I hope SB hurry up

[martrini]

Interesting Mauzac.  Thank you.  On July 13 we also were notified with a new itinerary, but at the same time the notification said we would receive final information, booking number, etc. by the 31st.  I’ll have to check online again, as last I checked we seemed to still be under our original booking number.  And, if there are additional itinerary changes, it would be nice to know.  Hope when the dust settles to see you aboard!…

[BasandSyb]

Would be interested to see the final itinerary if you could post when received please.

 

We ended up cancelling and booking for the return trip in March 2023 - more similar to the original itinerary, just no PNG or Solomons - back to the original Pacific Islands cruise without NZ. Of course in doing so we had to book prior to 31 July to take advantage of “deals”, so we haven’t been privy to where the final itinerary for Oct/Nov 2022 settled. A continuing disappointment in terms of visiting PNG and Solomons, but on the bright side the return trip is 1/2 the price. Possibly as it is being referred to as a repositioning, rather than “grand voyage” go figure. Based on this experience we fully expect further itinerary tinkering without reference/consultation/explanation.

 

Happy cruising to those who decided to stick it out despite the changes.

[Mauzac]

The email from SB on 13 July said this below.. and when you click you see the revised itinerary.  That showed just below the map and on the email from John Leibowitz, President.  I've tried to link twice, not sure it's worked or not.  Third time lucky below!

 

Please click here to review the revised itinerary in full. Each destination has been carefully hand-picked to provide once-in-a-lifetime experiences and live up to the spirit and standard of a Grand Voyage. 

 

 

The best way to see it is to log into the SB website and it shows on itinerary and excursions.  I think there has been one small change since the 13 July email.

But SB really do need to get the excursions sorted for the latter part of the cruise.  

It is now renamed 'Grand Pacific Voyage'

 

@BasandSyb  I could not get over the difference in price for the March 2023 cruise, very disappointing as far as we're concerned, because I do feel we've been mucked about but are paying twice the price for the privilege.  Yes, we could've changed but we were psyched up for this cruise, we've never been to NZ and won't again, and we couldn't face all the rebooking, refunds etc.  This cruise better be good with what we're paying for it!  

 

@martrini We certainly will see you onboard, it'll be worth it once we're there.  👍🙂

 

 

SBNODY_GPVItin.zip

[phillipahain]

Well right now Seabourn have made such a total and utter hash up of flights out of UK they clearly should not be even trying to run a cruise line ....supposed to be Non stop Business Class London Heathrow to Vancouver ..9.45 hours .HA Ha Ha

 

Latest booking  is a Business flight Gatwick to Toronto( provide your own food if you have allergies )  which arrives well after its connecting Economy flight has already left Toronto to Calgary  then a 4 hr layover before furthur Economy flight Calgary to Vancouver ....even if the connections would actually work that would be 14.5 hours ....unbelievable that they have not worked out Calgary plane leaves Toronto before London flight even arrives  oh and add on a good 2 hr drive to Gatwick plus a 3 hr check in time ....20 plus hours of travel when there are direct Business Class flights Heathrow to Vancouver available and guess what the flight is supposed to be Non Stop Business because thats what was paid for !!! .......Right now Seabourn just dont get it at all ......just who do they think they are kidding ?

[TUCHIK]

20 hours ago, BasandSyb said:

Would be interested to see the final itinerary if you could post when received please.

 

We ended up cancelling and booking for the return trip in March 2023 - more ` to the original itinerary, just no PNG or Solomons - back to the original Pacific Islands cruise without NZ. Of course in doing so we had to book prior to 31 July to take advantage of “deals”, so we haven’t been privy to where the final itinerary for Oct/Nov 2022 settled. A continuing disappointment in terms of visiting PNG and Solomons, but on the bright side the return trip is 1/2 the price. Possibly as it is being referred to as a repositioning, rather than “grand voyage” go figure. Based on this experience we fully expect further itinerary tinkering without reference/consultation/explanation.

 

Happy cruising to those who decided to stick it out despite the changes.

We also cancelled the 65 day cruise and booked the 53 day return trip. Even with bus class air fares costing twice as much,  we still saved a bundle.

Discounts for club membership 5%, FCD 5% and early payment 10% add up. Don't know if you guys get similar deals to the US, but full payment by August 31 gives us the 10% discount........and they already have our cash!

 

Being cautious, we booked the more expensive refundable flights through Flightease. If we have to cancel because of Seabourn we`ll get a full refund.

 

Making the best of a bad deal. Our 50th wedding anniversary is next month. The cruise was a major part of the celebration. Not to worry, we're now trying to spend our savings in Europe 2023!!

[BasandSyb]

Yes, we had the same deal going in Australia and took advantage of it.

It's always a shame when celebratory events roll around and planning is thwarted. Same for our group of travellers so we are also on the lookout for something to fill the gap. 

We generally only book directly with airlines/hotels etc it reduces the hassles with refunds and changes in not dealing with agents, third-party aggregators and insurance companies. COVID shutdowns only reinforced this for us.

 

Phillipahain - I understand your frustration and hope that mess is resolved quickly. 

[Mauzac]

I spoke to our TA today.  It's been a couple of weeks since my flights have shown on FlightEase, they disappeared on there, even though they still show on BA.  I'm hoping the flights stay as shown as we are also, like Philip, Business class LHR to Vancouver.   I'm sorry to hear of your troubles Philip.

 

Apparently SB are working hard on the excursions and all this was promised this last Monday.  Now tomorrow or next week.  Which really doesn't give us long for our research (especially as we are away for 3 weeks before the cruise)

 

I suppose these drastic changes means we're left a bit in limbo, hoping it will all be sorted very soon.  

[phillipahain]

Mauzac    i thought you lived in Canada ?   Are you saying SB booked you on BA ...LHR to Vancouver ? They  have been trying to fob us off with West Jet out of Gatwick yet and the stupid economy bits

 

we are just 25 minutes from Heathrow and have set an ultimatum 

 

  Will you be in the UK before the cruise ?  

 

Our TA was promised all would be sorted by tomorrow ....cancellation is still in pipeline together with a claim for extended trip insurance if this debacle is not sorted tomorrow

 

Like you say tours etc not sorted all seems to be back of fag packet notes......their months grace ends tomorrow 

[Mauzac]

24 minutes ago, phillipahain said:

Mauzac    i thought you lived in Canada ?   Are you saying SB booked you on BA ...LHR to Vancouver ? They  have been trying to fob us off with West Jet out of Gatwick yet and the stupid economy bits

 

we are just 25 minutes from Heathrow and have set an ultimatum 

 

  Will you be in the UK before the cruise ?  

 

Our TA was promised all would be sorted by tomorrow ....cancellation is still in pipeline together with a claim for extended trip insurance if this debacle is not sorted tomorrow

 

Like you say tours etc not sorted all seems to be back of fag packet notes......their months grace ends tomorrow 

 

Oh dear, I feel for you.  We booked this back in Feb 2021 18 months ago when it was 'Grand Pacific Voyage' to include Business Class flights, Gala Dinner, Luggage Forward, transport to and from airport etc (at a cost of course)   Yes, we are in UK beforehand and fly from LHR on 29th Sept.  Flights still show us on BA website, but not now showing on FlightEase and haven't been since the big changes.