On Regatta now

[Mrs f.]

We are currently on Regatta.  Regatta Lounge filled with people waiting to hear if we'll be allowed off ...many of us got texts or emails from our tour company saying our cruise/trip/tour has been cancelled due to biohazard....what is that...   O people not saying anything. So we just sit and wait 

[shepherd really]

20 minutes ago, Mrs f. said:

We are currently on Regatta.  Regatta Lounge filled with people waiting to hear if we'll be allowed off ...many of us got texts or emails from our tour company saying our cruise/trip/tour has been cancelled due to biohazard....what is that...   O people not saying anything. So we just sit and wait 

Biohazard is a biological substance either living or waste product that poses a threat to humans or the environment.   Not a good thing at all.

[LHT28]

yes they have to remove any invasive species that can harm the reefs etc 

 

A Viking ship was recently  denied entry because their bottom was not clean enough 😉

 

[Zebra Cruiser]

Per Mrs F’s post above, outcome was not good.  Due to required hull cleaning we not only are missing today’s port but tomorrow’s as well.  Two bucket list destinations. Yes, we were informed by the private tour company via email one and a half hours before captain’s announcement. They are now scrambling to provide something to occupy us for two disappointing days.  An hour later the captain’s announcement is the only info we’ve received. We are outside Kangaroo Island 

Edited January 7, 2023 by Zebra Cruiser

[Flatbush Flyer]

6 minutes ago, Zebra Cruiser said:

Per Mrs F’s post above, outcome was not good.  Due to required hull cleaning we not only are missing today’s port but tomorrow’s as well.  Two bucket list destinations. Yes, we were informed by the private tour company via email one and a half hours before captain’s announcement. They are now scrambling to provide something to occupy us for two disappointing days.  An hour later the captain’s announcement is the only info we’ve received. We are outside Kangaroo Island 

Thanks for the detail. 
Bummer.

[pinotlover]

I believe a RSSc ship is having the same issue per news reports.

[Mrs f.]

57 minutes ago, Jancruz said:

What port are you in????

Jancruz1

We are in Kangaroo Island. Captain finally came in and cancelled both today and tomorrow. Kangaroo Island and Portland. We already had Thursday Island cancelled. Divers cleaning bottom of the hill. Today and tomorrow.  I can't always understand him.

 

Two nights ago we lost power. We stopped moving. No elevators for several hours. People in Toscana and Polo got through their soup and salad .  We were in Terrace Cafe when all these people really dressed up came in looking for food.  

 

We had private tours for both days planned.

 

 

 

 

[HilsTas]

The Regatta's next voyage is to New Zealand and it may be something to do with this:

https://www.mpi.govt.nz/import/border-clearance/ships-and-boats-border-clearance/biofouling/biofouling-management/

[Mrs f.]

7 minutes ago, HilsTas said:

The Regatta's next voyage is to New Zealand and it may be something to do with this:

https://www.mpi.govt.nz/import/border-clearance/ships-and-boats-border-clearance/biofouling/biofouling-management/

Probably.   But our tour company informed us HOURS before captain did.  The crew was handing out tender tickets.  

[Zebra Cruiser]

17 minutes ago, HilsTas said:

The Regatta's next voyage is to New Zealand and it may be something to do with this:

https://www.mpi.govt.nz/import/border-clearance/ships-and-boats-border-clearance/biofouling/biofouling-management/

Not that I don’t wish anyone on the next segment to New Zealand a seamless cruise, but if our cruise was compromised so the next cruise can go to New Zealand I would find that additionally upsetting.  As Mrs F can attest, this was our 4th port cancellation (5th if you consider we were supposed to be in Brisbane two days).  There have also been alterations in arrival/departure times and many Oceania shore excursion cancellations.

 

By the way, I was in the Polo Grill the night the power went out - we did get a full meal but it took 3 hours and came in a strange order.  At first they were only serving cold foods, but even ran out of these as everybody was ordering them.

[KS&JW]

I assume that Oceania will need to do what the Coral Princess did and have divers clean off the hull.
https://www.cruisemapper.com/news/11274-coral-princess-skips-port-calls

 

[WESTEAST]

1 hour ago, pinotlover said:

I believe a RSSc ship is having the same issue per news reports.

Yes Regent, Viking, Princess and now Oceania!  So disappointing for the passengers.

[Mrs f.]

52 minutes ago, KS&JW said:

I assume that Oceania will need to do what the Coral Princess did and have divers clean off the hull.
https://www.cruisemapper.com/news/11274-coral-princess-skips-port-calls

 

Cleaning now

[LHT28]

It sounds  like  NZ & Australia have implemented new rules   in the past 2 yrs so all vessels have to comply

 

 Passenger  getting off in NZ also have restrictions to follow

https://www.mpi.govt.nz/import/border-clearance/ships-and-boats-border-clearance/cruise-ships-and-passengers/

[Zebra Cruiser]

38 minutes ago, nigeljterry said:

Is there any sign of a dive boat alongside or close by?

 

Or the captain on the boarding ramp in his Speedo with a bucket and sponge in hand?

Yes, we could see a dive boat from deck 5 early this morning.  They have since closed off the deck on that side of the ship.  Apparently they knew about the issue yesterday but did not share this information until an hour after we were supposed to “arrive” this morning.  And the captain has not resurfaced since that original announcement- even for his daily 12 noon report.  

[nigeljterry]

You have  to admire a man of courage. "Captain last to leave the ship"... maybe.

[susiesan]

55 minutes ago, LHT28 said:

It sounds  like  NZ & Australia have implemented new rules   in the past 2 yrs so all vessels have to comply

 

 Passenger  getting off in NZ also have restrictions to follow

https://www.mpi.govt.nz/import/border-clearance/ships-and-boats-border-clearance/cruise-ships-and-passengers/

I predict with these new strict and costly requirements that many lines will stop cruising to NZ. Obviously ships are not wanted. Personally, if I wanted to go to NZ I would fly there, not interested in cruising there.

[Mrs f.]

6:15 pm ...still no update from captain.

So far we lost 2 days in Brisbane, Thursday Island, kangaroo island and Portland.  O offered us free drinks ...of course it was also the night of the repeaters gathering so there were free drinks anyway.  Not a good day on Regatta.

[GeezerCouple]

13 hours ago, WESTEAST said:

Yes Regent, Viking, Princess and now Oceania!  So disappointing for the passengers.

 

Is there a new "outbreak" of some source of biofouling (be it fauna or flora or...?) or are there new regulations, or regulations newly enforced?

 

It seems that none of the ships/lines were prepared for this or presumably the cleaning would have been scheduled and expected.

 

GC

[LHT28]

1 hour ago, GeezerCouple said:

 

Is there a new "outbreak" of some source of biofouling (be it fauna or flora or...?) or are there new regulations, or regulations newly enforced?

 

It seems that none of the ships/lines were prepared for this or presumably the cleaning would have been scheduled and expected.

 

GC

see the link in post #8

 also gives divers  more income  😉

 

[pinotlover]

We are currently booked on the 2023 OZ circumnavigation on the Regatta. After our cruise ends Jan 25,2024 the ship goes on to NZ.

 

What should be our expectations? Will we now have two sea days added to our cruise for de fouling? If this is a new known requirement, shouldn’t Oceania now tell us what our new itinerary will be? Will our 35 day cruise be cut to 33 to have this done in Sidney before our departure? What ports will be cut?

 

Shouldn’t a new schedule be released well before final payment or any cancellation charges accrue? This task is no longer a secret. BC airfare to Sidney is extremely high, if I can’t use ff miles, not sure I want to spend the money if I don’t have answers. 

[GeezerCouple]

4 minutes ago, pinotlover said:

We are currently booked on the 2023 OZ circumnavigation on the Regatta. After our cruise ends Jan 25,2024 the ship goes on to NZ.

 

What should be our expectations? Will we now have two sea days added to our cruise for de fouling? If this is a new known requirement, shouldn’t Oceania now tell us what our new itinerary will be? Will our 35 day cruise be cut to 33 to have this done in Sidney before our departure? What ports will be cut?

 

Shouldn’t a new schedule be released well before final payment or any cancellation charges accrue? This task is no longer a secret. BC airfare to Sidney is extremely high, if I can’t use ff miles, not sure I want to spend the money if I don’t have answers. 

 

 

I wasn't able to find when these regulations went into effect, or perhaps when they started to be enforced, since this seems to have caught several ships off guard.

 

I'm remembering our amazing Dec, 2019, NZ/Australia cruise, and how *very* disappointed we'd have been to miss many of those ports and sights.  And all the more so, given how far we traveled... and *especially* if this could have/should have been predictable by the cruise line, and thus the itinerary adjusted in advance...

Yes, "life happens", but that's supposed to be about the relatively unexpected problems.

 

pinotlover:  Why can't you use FF miles for this trip?  Or do you not want to?

 

GC

 

[ORV]

42 minutes ago, pinotlover said:

We are currently booked on the 2023 OZ circumnavigation on the Regatta. After our cruise ends Jan 25,2024 the ship goes on to NZ.

 

What should be our expectations? Will we now have two sea days added to our cruise for de fouling? If this is a new known requirement, shouldn’t Oceania now tell us what our new itinerary will be? Will our 35 day cruise be cut to 33 to have this done in Sidney before our departure? What ports will be cut?

 

Shouldn’t a new schedule be released well before final payment or any cancellation charges accrue? This task is no longer a secret. BC airfare to Sidney is extremely high, if I can’t use ff miles, not sure I want to spend the money if I don’t have answers. 

If I remember correctly there was another circumnavigation of OZ a couple of years ago on Regatta that everything went sideways on. Must not have been 19 as Geezer's seemed to be fine. Maybe it was 18 or 20. 

29 minutes ago, GeezerCouple said:

pinotlover:  Why can't you use FF miles for this trip?  Or do you not want to?

Not to answer for him but getting a business class on that route is a real unicorn. I was fortunate enough to be able to do it a few years ago, but I started out with my wife and I booked on separate flights, but by the time we flew things had changed to the point where we were together. 

[mnocket]

3 hours ago, GeezerCouple said:

 

Is there a new "outbreak" of some source of biofouling (be it fauna or flora or...?) or are there new regulations, or regulations newly enforced?

 

It seems that none of the ships/lines were prepared for this or presumably the cleaning would have been scheduled and expected.

 

GC

This is what I'd like to know too.  It seems all of a sudden we are hearing about a bunch of ships running into trouble.  I wonder is it because....

 

1. There is a new outbreak?
2. There is stepped up enforcement?
3. There are fewer hull cleaning crews than there used to be?
4. There is actually little increase biofouling/enforcement - there is simply an increase of press coverage?

 

It just seems weird that all of a sudden we're reading so much about ships being turned away.  Surely cruise companies would know of the hull cleaning requirements and would plan accordingly, so this leads me to believe that they are being taken by surprise.  Why?

[mnocket]

2 hours ago, LHT28 said:

see the link in post #8

 also gives divers  more income  😉

 

Thanks for the link. It explains the regulations, but I'm still left wondering why all of sudden this has become a problem.