P&O Cancelling Baltic Cruises

[Yorkypete]

3 minutes ago, ace2542 said:

But there is no baltics cruises without SPB? The demand appears not to be there?

I am sorry I cannot continue this discussion accept to finally say that it is only P&O where there is less demand than usual and your posts are creating a false fear of visiting the area.

[ace2542]

10 minutes ago, Yorkypete said:

I am sorry I cannot continue this discussion accept to finally say that it is only P&O where there is less demand than usual and your posts are creating a false fear of visiting the area.

So why are P&O being affected by less demand and others line not? Perhaps the P&O brand itself is in trouble? I doubt you will ever get an answer from P&O as to their decision which is unfortunate.

Edited December 23, 2022 by ace2542

[terrierjohn]

46 minutes ago, ace2542 said:

But there is no baltics cruises without SPB? The demand appears not to be there?

There is not just P&O doing cruises to the Baltic, all the other lines are doing them as well, so there seems plenty of people happy to do an SPB free Baltic cruise, including us.

[Fionboard]

Riga,Visby, Tallinn, Skagen, Fredericia - need I go on?! Baltic and Scandinavia are wonderful without SPB. Just left Copenhagen, now in Oslo on Arcadia.  Americans are very scared of risk. Shame. 

[Ulsteinvik]

1 hour ago, ace2542 said:

But there is no baltics cruises without SPB? The demand appears not to be there?

Look first at P&Os itineraries for 2023 and 2024 before writing this. There are still Baltic cruises planned, they didn't cancel all. Compared to other cruise lines there are still a lot Baltics from P&O.

[Host Sharon]

P&O are not the only line cancelling Baltic cruises as Saga have too, but in both cases it is only around half the cruises that have been cancelled so I am sure it down to over capacity. If it wasn't safe they would have cancelled all Baltic cruises. I sailed there last August, choosing the itinerary because it never did have St Petersburg on it. Have been there, I wanted to explore other ports and there are so many other wonderful ports in the Baltic to visit - Visby, Bornholm, Copenhagen, Skagen, Saaremaa, Tallinn, Riga, Helsinki, Kemi, Gothenborg, Stockholm, Gdansk and, I am sure, more. It is a beautiful part of the world. 

[Fionboard]

2 minutes ago, Host Sharon said:

P&O are not the only line cancelling Baltic cruises as Saga have too, but in both cases it is only around half the cruises that have been cancelled so I am sure it down to over capacity. If it wasn't safe they would have cancelled all Baltic cruises. I sailed there last August, choosing the itinerary because it never did have St Petersburg on it. Have been there, I wanted to explore other ports and there are so many other wonderful ports in the Baltic to visit - Visby, Bornholm, Copenhagen, Skagen, Saaremaa, Tallinn, Riga, Helsinki, Kemi, Gothenborg, Stockholm, Gdansk and, I am sure, more. It is a beautiful part of the world. 

Absolutely agree. Did August Arcadia Baltic this year too  and it was one of the best cruises ever. In fact would not fancy cruises with SPB as have done it six times and did not even get off there the last time! 

[kruzseeka]

4 hours ago, Host Sharon said:

P&O are not the only line cancelling Baltic cruises as Saga have too, but in both cases it is only around half the cruises that have been cancelled so I am sure it down to over capacity. If it wasn't safe they would have cancelled all Baltic cruises. I sailed there last August, choosing the itinerary because it never did have St Petersburg on it. Have been there, I wanted to explore other ports and there are so many other wonderful ports in the Baltic to visit - Visby, Bornholm, Copenhagen, Skagen, Saaremaa, Tallinn, Riga, Helsinki, Kemi, Gothenborg, Stockholm, Gdansk and, I am sure, more. It is a beautiful part of the world. 

Absolutely. Some really excellent ports.  Oslo isn't often included but is a fabulous port of call too and the sail-away through the archipelago shouldn't be missed - 3 hours and if you are lucky enough to get a sunset over the stern, a very memorable experience. 

[wowzz]

On 12/9/2022 at 10:59 AM, terrierjohn said:

Just had a glance at the replacement cruise for B315, it is a 14 nt round Britain cruise with 5 ports including 2 days in Liverpool, and the same grade cabin is higher priced than our launch booking.

Glad I didn't wait for an expected great deal ss we have booked a 14nt Sky Princess Baltic cruise which has 9 ports, most of which are new to us, and although the Princess plus price is higher than our original cruise, we are looking forward to seeing what Princess have done with their Britannia equivalent ships.

Quite surprised, but very pleased  that a 2023 cruise still had accessible cabins available.

John - not sure if I should thank you or blame you, but ever since you wrote this I have been mulling over the  Princess July 2023 Baltic cruise,  versus our Britannia Baltic cruise, booked for September 2023.

After much toing and froing, we finally took the decision to cancel Britannia, and today we have booked on Princess. Our prevarication has probably cost us, with a higher final cost,  but we now have a better cabin,  and a more interesting itinerary.  Quite port intensive, but some of the ports are small enough to just stroll around, and of course we have the new "improved" Princess Plus.

All we have to do now is see if we can find a P&O cruise that sails prior to September 2024,  to which we can switch our deposit (admittedly only just over £200). Think we'll wait and hope for some price drops next year.

 

[Ardennais]

On 12/23/2022 at 7:31 PM, kruzseeka said:

Absolutely. Some really excellent ports.  Oslo isn't often included but is a fabulous port of call too and the sail-away through the archipelago shouldn't be missed - 3 hours and if you are lucky enough to get a sunset over the stern, a very memorable experience. 

I agree. Some pics leaving Oslo last June on Enchanted Princess. 
 

 

[Josy1953]

1 minute ago, Fionboard said:

I do not miss them. Surely the ones relying on tourist visitors are missing us.

The lack of tourists is hitting their economy but just because you don't feel that you are missing them doesn't  mean that others aren't missing the opportunity to visit Russia.  I have been fortunate enough to vist 3 times.

I get really upset when I see what is happening  in Ukraine because on our first visit to Russia Ukraine was part of the Soviet Union and we went to Kiev and it is heartbreaking to see how the Russians have destroyed it.

[tring]

3 hours ago, Josy1953 said:

The lack of tourists is hitting their economy but just because you don't feel that you are missing them doesn't  mean that others aren't missing the opportunity to visit Russia.  I have been fortunate enough to vist 3 times.

I get really upset when I see what is happening  in Ukraine because on our first visit to Russia Ukraine was part of the Soviet Union and we went to Kiev and it is heartbreaking to see how the Russians have destroyed it.

 

Our son did a school exchange with a boy from Odessa, just after there was the failed coup against Gorbachev and his school group had to fly to Moscow, then take a 24 hour train journey south to Odessa as it was in Soviet times.  Having the boy stay with us was quite an experience, seeing his reaction to our lives - e.g. such well stocked shops, supermarkets and getting money from a hole in the wall.  Sad to think that as a 46 year old now, he will have been involved in all that has gone on.  He was obviously a very capable, confident lad, so I often wonder what became of him.

 

Our son gave up Russian the following school  year so did not keep in touch with him.

[sogne]

13 hours ago, tring said:

 

Our son did a school exchange with a boy from Odessa, just after there was the failed coup against Gorbachev and his school group had to fly to Moscow, then take a 24 hour train journey south to Odessa as it was in Soviet times.  Having the boy stay with us was quite an experience, seeing his reaction to our lives - e.g. such well stocked shops, supermarkets and getting money from a hole in the wall.  Sad to think that as a 46 year old now, he will have been involved in all that has gone on.  He was obviously a very capable, confident lad, so I often wonder what became of him.

 

Our son gave up Russian the following school  year so did not keep in touch with him.

much same with us wife was modern language lecturer at nearby FE college  and we hosted female  Russian students twice just after  iron curtain came down. Both were children of doctors and could be consider part of the \Russian elite. Even so they too were amazed at the difference in living standards  etc. They both thought  that conditions would improve  with more freedom etc. We kept in touch for a few years but it came increasingly difficult.

[Host Sharon]

Ace2542 says no US ships have entered Russian waters - well of course not since they are not permitted to due to sanctions. However, it hasn't stopped many US and other cruise ships sailing the Baltic in 2022 - on my 3 week cruise there in August I saw Sirena, Sea Cloud Spirit, Marina, Clio, Poesia, Norwegian Dawn, Grandiosa and Arcadia along with us on Spirit of Discovery.

[tring]

2 hours ago, sogne said:

much same with us wife was modern language lecturer at nearby FE college  and we hosted female  Russian students twice just after  iron curtain came down. Both were children of doctors and could be consider part of the \Russian elite. Even so they too were amazed at the difference in living standards  etc. They both thought  that conditions would improve  with more freedom etc. We kept in touch for a few years but it came increasingly difficult.

 

An eye opening time for our son who was only 13 at the time.  He was never going to be a linguist, continuing with compulsory French was an effort as the school did not stream for languages and some other junior schools had given their pupils a head start.  I think that broke his confidence in languages as he was a bright lad otherwise.

 

The exchange school in Odessa was a specialist English language school, so their pupils managed well with English and the schools had done exchanges with each other for a number of years.  The children considered themselves Russian, rather than Ukrainian, though again I am sure all pupils will have had parents who were party members then, or they would not have been allowed to leave the country.  The boy who partnered with our son has a father who had been a Russian Naval Officer, Odessa being on the Black Sea of course.

 

We did a River cruise from SPB to Moscow in 2019 and some interesting talks were given by the guides on the ship regards how things were during the transformation and different views of it all from the guides.  We also did a cruise from Bucharest to Budapest a few years earlier and speaking to our guide from Bucharest, she be did mention that before the revolution, all had the very basics, but that was not always the case since then.  The effects are very different for different people in society.  Being able to speak to people who have lived through such times is what makes travel so enlightening and worthwhile in our opinion.

 

 

Edited December 29, 2022 by tring

[wowzz]

3 hours ago, Host Sharon said:

Ace2542 says no US ships have entered Russian waters - well of course not since they are not permitted to due to sanctions. However, it hasn't stopped many US and other cruise ships sailing the Baltic in 2022 - on my 3 week cruise there in August I saw Sirena, Sea CLoud Spirit, Marina, CLio, Poesia, Norwegian Dawn, Grandiosa and Arcadia along with us on Spirit of Discovery.

Careful Sharon, don't confuse people with facts !

[yorkshirephil]

1 hour ago, wowzz said:

Careful Sharon, don't confuse people with facts !