Reduced port stays

[sofietucker]

22 minutes ago, BWV said:

We were on the Marina in early June, and we docked in Bordeaux - beautiful sail up the river and beautiful view from the ship. Fortunately, it was easy to walk around from the ship.

Us too--on the Prinsendam, awhile back. Got there the day the St. Emilion harvest opened--spectacular. Apparently the decision is driven by the tide tables--and likely, as with river cruises, the water levels given the weather, etc. (We've been fortunate ourselves not to have been bussed from one point to the next due to low rivers, but certainly droughts have done that to many trips.)

[ak1004]

3 minutes ago, sofietucker said:

Us too--on the Prinsendam, awhile back. Got there the day the St. Emilion harvest opened--spectacular. Apparently the decision is driven by the tide tables--and likely, as with river cruises, the water levels given the weather, etc. (We've been fortunate ourselves not to have been bussed from one point to the next due to low rivers, but certainly droughts have done that to many trips.)

 

Interesting. Our cruise from Barcelona to London docks in Le Verdon, but the next one docks in Bordeaux. Same ship (Riviera). Go figure..

 

[MEFIowa]

1 hour ago, susiesan said:

Look on the O web site for the changed port times for your sailing and compare to what your itinerary shows now.

Though the e-mail my wife got from O showed different initial times from what we actually signed up for almost a year ago. It is as if there was an unpublished or unannounced change first and now this, too.

[susiesan]

9 minutes ago, MEFIowa said:

Though the e-mail my wife got from O showed different initial times from what we actually signed up for almost a year ago. It is as if there was an unpublished or unannounced change first and now this, too.

I guess this is the new Oceania. Advertise an attractive itinerary to get people to book then change it after you've got their money.

[MEFIowa]

1 minute ago, susiesan said:

I guess this is the new Oceania. Advertise an attractive itinerary to get people to book then change it after you've got their money.

I cruise for an itinerary. Not just to cruise. After the two Med cruises we've got scheduled for 2023 and the Baltic in 2024, I doubt I'll do much cruising. For just like my 2-week trip to Paraguay in 2022, I'm planning 2025 to Madagascar and a 2026 to the old British and Dutch Guianas (Guyana & Suriname). Cruising is too limited for the unique places I want to see.

[susiesan]

5 minutes ago, MEFIowa said:

I cruise for an itinerary. Not just to cruise. After the two Med cruises we've got scheduled for 2023 and the Baltic in 2024, I doubt I'll do much cruising. For just like my 2-week trip to Paraguay in 2022, I'm planning 2025 to Madagascar and a 2026 to the old British and Dutch Guianas (Guyana & Suriname). Cruising is too limited for the unique places I want to see.

I'm with you. I have a safari in Botswana and a week in Capetown coming up in May, then the Sirena cruise Sept. 2. After that cruise, I'm going to concentrate on land trips. I'm eyeing Japan, Turkey, and Ireland for 2024.

[bob brown]

My “two cents worth opinion”:

I can’t say for certain either way, as I can’t eavesdrop on NCLH or Oceania strategy meetings, but I would rather believe that they do not set out to deliberately deceive prospective passengers, but simply make these changes to react to rapidly evolving adverse environmental and political realities around the world, in the interests of first keeping their passengers safe, and at the same time seek out the best alternative plans to satisfy the majority of those booked.

And yes, they also have to consider the impact on their “bottom line”, if they wish to sustain themselves economically.

[MEFIowa]

12 minutes ago, susiesan said:

I'm with you. I have a safari in Botswana and a week in Capetown coming up in May, then the Sirena cruise Sept. 2. After that cruise, I'm going to concentrate on land trips. I'm eyeing Japan, Turkey, and Ireland for 2024.

Yes, Namibia is on my list. The Caprivi Strip that runs hundreds of miles east into Africa along Angola & Botswana, ending at the Zambezi River. Some fascinating places to see in this area, including the Okavango delta into Botswana.

[ABoatNerd]

Bottom of the hull line, Oceania is lying.

It has 0 to do with the environment.

Suffice it to say, my friends cancelled their next 0 cruise. I have none with 0, and at this point, none planned.

 

[osandomir]

5 minutes ago, ABoatNerd said:

Bottom of the hull line, Oceania is lying.

It has 0 to do with the environment.

Suffice it to say, my friends cancelled their next 0 cruise. I have none with 0, and at this point, none planned.

 

Not too many companies are transparent nowadays. Better to learn how to read between the lines. If you have no interest to sail on Oceania why even bother to complain posting here?

[susiesan]

1 hour ago, MEFIowa said:

Yes, Namibia is on my list. The Caprivi Strip that runs hundreds of miles east into Africa along Angola & Botswana, ending at the Zambezi River. Some fascinating places to see in this area, including the Okavango delta into Botswana.

I did a 10 day safari in Namibia June 2021. Amazing country. E mail me if you want information of the company who ran the private safari  susiesan8 at gmail.com

 

Our May Botswana safari is 8 days in Okavango Delta, then we fly down to Capetown for 5 days.

[oskidunker]

1 hour ago, osandomir said:

Not too many companies are transparent nowadays. Better to learn how to read between the lines. If you have no interest to sail on Oceania why even bother to complain posting here?

I appreciate his opinion and am glad he posted. Everything is not Rosey, although Inthink Oceania is still the best bet for cruising n

[Psoque]

12 hours ago, osandomir said:

I don’t believe that complaining will do anything good at this point. When people don’t agree they can cancel if outside of the cancellation penalties or stop booking their future cruises with the line. Only if Oceania see fewer bookings as the result of their “strategy” then they can decide to offer longer port time or do something else differently.

 

We also cruise for the itineraries first and we are not happy with their decision. As with a lot of others products we have a choice where to buy. We’d like to continue cruising, and for now we don’t see any other cruise line that offer us better combination of value, quality and longer port stays. 

I agree that Oceania will only respond to booking or lack there of.  However, if none of us complain about it, Oceania will have no idea why the booking was affected.  If you read my post again you might understand exactly what I meant.

[Psoque]

2 hours ago, bob brown said:

My “two cents worth opinion”:

I can’t say for certain either way, as I can’t eavesdrop on NCLH or Oceania strategy meetings, but I would rather believe that they do not set out to deliberately deceive prospective passengers, but simply make these changes to react to rapidly evolving adverse environmental and political realities around the world, in the interests of first keeping their passengers safe, and at the same time seek out the best alternative plans to satisfy the majority of those booked.

And yes, they also have to consider the impact on their “bottom line”, if they wish to sustain themselves economically.

The reduction of time in port has nothing to do with the politics or passenger safety.  And there are other (more effective) ways to reduce the environmental impact of cruising than just cutting an hour of port stays per day.  However, we all know that reduction in port stays results in monetary savings for Oceania.  The whole “explanation” Oceania gave us about the reason for shortened port stays are inaccurate, disingenuous, and deceptive.

 

And the whole ranting about the environment in the e-mail actually backfired on Oceania.  Now we are convinced that Oceania is not really serious about the environment.  It just uses that to (poorly) justify cuts in favor of the bottom line.

 

It would have been much better for Oceania to say that they are reducing port times as a cost-saving measure, and follow that with a sincere apology to those affected by these changes.

[JeffElizabeth]

On 1/23/2023 at 9:48 AM, sofietucker said:

I came here to say just that. We choose our cruises based on itinerary, because we want to visit those places.

Exactly! I had four ports canceled by Oceania on our last 28 day cruise. Bermuda, Azores, Madiera, and Marseille. They blamed it on bad weather but I really wanted to see Marseille.  Seen the other ports plenty of times. Did add up to a very long time at sea in the Atlantic.  

[ak1004]

Which lines (except Azamara) have longer port times than Oceania after the reductions?

[LHT28]

1 hour ago, Psoque said:

I agree that Oceania will only respond to booking or lack there of.  However, if none of us complain about it, Oceania will have no idea why the booking was affected.  If you read my post again you might understand exactly what I meant.

Are you writing to Oceania?

I am not sure posting here is going  to work  best to write or email  corporate with your complaints

JMO

 

[Jancruz]

51 minutes ago, LHT28 said:

Are you writing to Oceania?

I am not sure posting here is going  to work  best to write or email  corporate with your complaints

JMO

 

Nope Lynn that wont work either..

Jancruz1

[Psoque]

2 hours ago, LHT28 said:

Are you writing to Oceania?

I am not sure posting here is going  to work  best to write or email  corporate with your complaints

JMO

 

You also did not read my original post well enough.  Sigh.

[Jay19]

Our upcoming Alaska cruise also has shortened port times, 5 hours over 6 ports as far as I can see.  For this cruise it doesn't bother us as we have been lucky enough to visit these ports several times, however we do have 3 other O cruises booked where port times are very important.    We usually cruise for itinerary and length of time in port and in the past have sailed both Azamara and Oceania.    Since it seems we can no longer be sure that port times will not be shortened on Oceania, I have located replacement cruises on Azamara and will be swapping.    We are are also looking at Explora Journeys.

[HHI Cruiser1]

Doesn't matter what O does with port times if O excursions are not adjusted/reduced/dropped.  Out of 4 ports so far on this O cruise, delayed twice due to late returning O excursions.  O excursions which travel far away from port are impacted by traffic and have been planned to allowed adequate time at each site so passengers don't feel rushed.  Once O adjusts or drops this longer O excursions, maybe reduced port times can be met.  Of course, passengers may not like the reduced O excursions, or of course, the O excursions can burn a lot of fuel to go faster returning to port (just more carbon footprint for O).

[YoPhilly]

10 hours ago, LHT28 said:

If you used  a TA it is their booking  so  it is up to them to inform you

 

 

JMO

Not so.  I'm booked with a TA but received my email directly from O.

[sofietucker]

1 hour ago, HHI Cruiser1 said:

Doesn't matter what O does with port times if O excursions are not adjusted/reduced/dropped.  Out of 4 ports so far on this O cruise, delayed twice due to late returning O excursions.  O excursions which travel far away from port are impacted by traffic and have been planned to allowed adequate time at each site so passengers don't feel rushed.  Once O adjusts or drops this longer O excursions, maybe reduced port times can be met.  Of course, passengers may not like the reduced O excursions, or of course, the O excursions can burn a lot of fuel to go faster returning to port (just more carbon footprint for O).

Yes, an important consideration. And therefore we actually went back and cancelled private tours and rental cars, etc., in some of the curtailed ports and booked O tours instead. (A funny thing: "Bruges on Your Own," for either 4 hours or 8, costs exactly the same, Guessing there will be shuttles all day, lol.)

[LHT28]

3 minutes ago, sofietucker said:

Yes, an important consideration. And therefore we actually went back and cancelled private tours and rental cars, etc., in some of the curtailed ports and booked O tours instead. (A funny thing: "Bruges on Your Own," for either 4 hours or 8, costs exactly the same, Guessing there will be shuttles all day, lol.)

They had  2 pick up times when we were there

We booked a  taxi  for a group from the roll call 

 

[sofietucker]

1 minute ago, LHT28 said:

They had  2 pick up times when we were there

We booked a  taxi  for a group from the roll call 

 

Great suggestion!