P&O Cancelling Baltic Cruises

[happy v]

6 hours ago, Chrish2 said:

Overnight in Liverpool ... do you think they are considering embarking passengers in Liverpool?

 

It's unappealing for passengers who see Liverpool as something you can do on a day trip to instead travel all the way to Southampton just to spend two days down the road from home.

 

Itinerary of B315N for anyone curious

1	Southampton, UK	9 Jun 2023
3	Liverpool, United KingdomOvernight	11 Jun 2023	Early Morning
4	Liverpool, United Kingdom	12 Jun 2023		Early Evening
7	Greenock, United Kingdom	15 Jun 2023	Early Morning	Early Evening
10	Kirkwall, United Kingdom	18 Jun 2023	Early Morning	Early Evening
11	Invergordon, United Kingdom	19 Jun 2023	Early Morning	Early Evening
13	South Queensferry, EdinburghTender	21 Jun 2023	Early Morning	Early Evening
15	Southampton, UK	23 Jun 2023

I can't see this being hugely popular. Two weeks to and you only visit Liverpool and Scotland

[Josy1953]

4 hours ago, Host Sharon said:

I've really enjoyed two or three round Britain cruises but that itinerary - no way! Wonder why they are tendering at Endinburgh too? I suppose the berths are already booked.

We were on a Princess round Britain cruise earlier this year and had to tender  and were the only ship in.  They are building a new cruise terminal and we were told that this was the reason for having to anchor and tender.

[ann141]

44 minutes ago, happy v said:

I can't see this being hugely popular. Two weeks to and you only visit Liverpool and Scotland

I think there will be excursions from Liverpool to the lake District and north Wales as well as places nearer to Liverpool like Chester and Southport.There is a lot to see in Liverpool as well and the fact the terminal is a short walk from the centre makes it popular with passengers and crew.

[Bill Y]

1 hour ago, happy v said:

I can't see this being hugely popular. Two weeks to and you only visit Liverpool and Scotland

Yes very poor indeed unless you like sea days, only 5 ports.

In 2017 we did 14 nights around Britain on Adonia 9 ports. Are the ships going slower to save fuel, Don’t the people that put itineraries together want to sell cruises?

[majortom10]

5 hours ago, Host Sharon said:

I've really enjoyed two or three round Britain cruises but that itinerary - no way! Wonder why they are tendering at Endinburgh too? I suppose the berths are already booked.

You cannot dock at South Queensferry you always tender in under Forth Road bridge. We have done 5 British Isles cruises with Princess and have always tendered into South Queensferry.

 

[happy v]

30 minutes ago, ann141 said:

I think there will be excursions from Liverpool to the lake District and north Wales as well as places nearer to Liverpool like Chester and Southport.There is a lot to see in Liverpool as well and the fact the terminal is a short walk from the centre makes it popular with passengers and crew.

We are going next year and the excursions are very poor. Chester is the only good thing, but we have been there a lot.

[Windsurfboy]

Lots of sea days are fine in Med and Caribbean,  but round UK you need ports.

[majortom10]

46 minutes ago, Josy1953 said:

We were on a Princess round Britain cruise earlier this year and had to tender  and were the only ship in.  They are building a new cruise terminal and we were told that this was the reason for having to anchor and tender.

Princess always use South Queensferry and tender on we have done 5 BI cruises with them over a number of years and has always been the same. Don't know if it is to do with size of ship where she docks but some cruise ships use Leith.

[terrierjohn]

1 hour ago, Megabear2 said:

Cunard have also renamed all of the cruises to this region as Northern Europe and Scandinavia. The recently released 2024 cruises on Queen Anne also have this title. It appears to be a Carnival wide decision on name, although to date no Cunard cruise has been cancelled.

But our Princess cruise in July is still called Baltic Heritage.

[Megabear2]

1 hour ago, terrierjohn said:

But our Princess cruise in July is still called Baltic Heritage.

Indeed but P&O and Cunard share offices and staff whereas Princess are a separate organisation in the UK with their own team.

[showingdiva]

7 hours ago, Host Sharon said:

I've really enjoyed two or three round Britain cruises but that itinerary - no way! Wonder why they are tendering at Endinburgh too? I suppose the berths are already booked.

 

We have two ports and two anchorages in the Firth of Forth.

 

The berths  - 

Leith (Edinburgh) is restricted to what we now know as "boutique" ships,  the locks and the need for tugs there restricts any type of ship to around 50,000t and what can fit through the lock gates.  On exiting the lock gates into the Western Harbour there is also quite a tight S-bend turn onto the berth at the cruise terminal.   The berth at Leith is around 3 miles from the city centre, and (hopefully) soon to be on the tram network.

 

Rosyth (Fife) is a bit easier to negotiate onto the berth there (usually just a bit of a shove from a tug) ... but, again is restricted, this time by the air draft under the bridges (the original road bridge in particular) to allow them to limbo under (the Firth of Forth is tidal).   Once in Rosyth, because it's a working port and a naval dockyard, transport to either Inverkeithing to the station for a link to Edinburgh or into Dunfermline, as an alternative for those who have done Edinburgh many times before.   Rosyth is around 15 miles from Edinburgh.

 

The anchorages - 

 

Newhaven - is a short distance from the main port in Leith.   Originally a fishing harbour, cruise passengers are tendered into it (around 25 minutes) to connect with their tour buses and local buses into Edinburgh.   The hop on/ off also stops at the harbour.   Like Leith, it's around 3 miles to the centre of Edinburgh.

 

South Queensferry - under the Forth Bridge and adjacent to the Hound Point oil terminal.  Cruise ships require a tug to hold on to them there due to the proximity to the oil terminal.   Train from Dalmeny Station (up a lot of steps!) and buses into Edinburgh, which is approximately 9 miles away.

 

All large modern ships are at one of the anchorages.  Each cruise company has its favourites - Princess and Holland America favour South Queensferry, whereas Viking, Norwegian and Regent Seven Seas favour Newhaven.   Both anchorages benefit from our two local excursion vessels, Forth Belle and Maid of the Forth, which help transfer passengers at around double the capacity of a tender.

 

Of the list I've seen so far (I work with cruise ships at Leith and Newhaven), Britannia is going once to South Queensferry and once to Newhaven (the logistics likely due to other ships having booked the anchorage first).

 

[Pine Man]

Just checked the website for this cruise again and as previously stated SPB has been removed from the itinerary map but look at the description given for this cruise : -

 

[Yorkypete]

3 hours ago, Pine Man said:

Just checked the website for this cruise again and as previously stated SPB has been removed from the itinerary map but look at the description given for this cruise : -

 

 

Advertising a cruise which does not exist is fraud.

 

[terrierjohn]

12 minutes ago, Yorkypete said:

Advertising a cruise which does not exist is fraud.

 

But that's covered in the T&Cs by the rider that, changes to the itinerary can be subject to changed circumstances.

[Yorkypete]

23 hours ago, terrierjohn said:

But that's covered in the T&Cs by the rider that, changes to the itinerary can be subject to changed circumstances.

No ships can go to StP and this has been the case for months. If P&O are still advertising cruising there then it is  a false advertisement and fraud as they know it is not happening but still advertise it. I don't believe that changes in itinery will cover that.

 

[terrierjohn]

7 hours ago, Yorkypete said:

No ships can go to StP and this has been the case for months. If P&O are still advertising cruising there then it is  a false advertisement and fraud as they know it is not happening but still advertise it. I don't believe that changes in itinery will cover that.

 

Where that happens is probably just down to the inefficiencies of the IT dept and the poor management of  customer service.

[Host Sharon]

On 12/13/2022 at 7:35 PM, majortom10 said:

You cannot dock at South Queensferry you always tender in under Forth Road bridge. We have done 5 British Isles cruises with Princess and have always tendered into South Queensferry.

 

Last time there we docked at Rosyth and caught the train from Inverkeithing.

[majortom10]

2 hours ago, Host Sharon said:

Last time there we docked at Rosyth and caught the train from Inverkeithing.

Yes we have always docked at South Queensferry and tender under Forth Road Bridge is an experience. Then if you can manage the steps up to railway station we catch train from Dalmeny. But local coach company also put on coach transfer into the new town (lower) part of Edinburgh.

[showingdiva]

1 hour ago, majortom10 said:

Yes we have always docked at South Queensferry and tender under Forth Road Bridge is an experience. Then if you can manage the steps up to railway station we catch train from Dalmeny. But local coach company also put on coach transfer into the new town (lower) part of Edinburgh.

 

This is the X99 Cruiselink bus from Hawes Pier at South Queensferry into South St David Street in Edinburgh (between St Andrew Square and Princes Street).   This year's price was £10 day return ticket (contactless).   Saves the >100 steps up to the station.

 

[majortom10]

24 minutes ago, showingdiva said:

 

This is the X99 Cruiselink bus from Hawes Pier at South Queensferry into South St David Street in Edinburgh (between St Andrew Square and Princes Street).   This year's price was £10 day return ticket (contactless).   Saves the >100 steps up to the station.

 

Yes that is the one but if able the steps are good exercise after a hearty breakfast and the train is cheaper.

Edited December 16, 2022 by majortom10

[showingdiva]

5 minutes ago, majortom10 said:

Yes that is the one but if able the steps are good exercise after a hearty breakfast and the train is cheaper.

 

Current train fare from Dalmeny (South Queensferry) to Edinburgh is £5.10 off peak return.   These steps are daunting to a lot of cruise passengers though.  Having done a couple of shifts at the anchorage, when standing on the pier and pointing to the height of the bridge above.   That said, South Queensferry itself - to anyone on any of these rescheduled P&O cruises, South Queensferry itself is a lovely place to wander around, enjoy the views, do a bit of independent shopping and perhaps an ice cream.

 

But the (at least) one cruise going to Newhaven Harbour ... well, I'm biased when it comes to ports and look forward to greeting Britannia's passengers when she arrives.   

 

[majortom10]

1 hour ago, showingdiva said:

 

Current train fare from Dalmeny (South Queensferry) to Edinburgh is £5.10 off peak return.   These steps are daunting to a lot of cruise passengers though.  Having done a couple of shifts at the anchorage, when standing on the pier and pointing to the height of the bridge above.   That said, South Queensferry itself - to anyone on any of these rescheduled P&O cruises, South Queensferry itself is a lovely place to wander around, enjoy the views, do a bit of independent shopping and perhaps an ice cream.

 

But the (at least) one cruise going to Newhaven Harbour ... well, I'm biased when it comes to ports and look forward to greeting Britannia's passengers when she arrives.   

 

The only time we have used the bus was in June because of the unreliable trains due to industrial action. Love Edinburgh so have to be honest have always headed there for the day and have never turned right off the pier and stayed in South Queensferry.

[wowzz]

As someone who is still booked on a Britannia Baltic cruise, I am nonplussed to see that this thread seems to now be all about Edinburgh.  Our cruise goes nowhere near Scotland,  so why all the discussion about Rosyth etc ?

Perhaps the mods could intervene. 

If you want to discuss ferries into Edinburgh,  perhaps a new thread would be appropriate. 

Edited December 16, 2022 by wowzz

[showingdiva]

Ferries don't go into Edinburgh or Rosyth or anywhere else in the Firth of Forth.  Haven't for years since the DFDS freight route closed following a fire on the ship.

 

Two of P&O Cruises' Britannia cruises  are now re-scheduled to call there in 2023.  There may be others in due course.

 

 

[terrierjohn]

10 hours ago, wowzz said:

As someone who is still booked on a Britannia Baltic cruise, I am nonplussed to see that this thread seems to now be all about Edinburgh.  Our cruise goes nowhere near Scotland,  so why all the discussion about Rosyth etc ?

Perhaps the mods could intervene. 

If you want to discuss ferries into Edinburgh,  perhaps a new thread would be appropriate. 

This thread is about the Baltic cruises that were cancelled, and quite naturally has moved onto the cruises that have replaced them, some of which have shore excursions to Edinburgh.

Seems quite  sensible thread drift to me.