Marina November 1 “Holy Lands and Treasures” Itinerary Changes

[EJL2023]

46 minutes ago, GeorgiaPeach51 said:

Here is a general question.  Oceania has responded with the FCC amount, and they are saying, in writing, that they will not include in the FCC any of the two restricted business charges of $1899 and $1799, air differential of $1800 and custom sir fee of $175 pp for a total of $5,673 or $11,346 per family.

 

is this normal?  If so, it certainly makes me regret booking air with O rather than directly with the airlines.  
 

in addition, we paid $1,115 pp for shore excursions, and that is also not included in the FCC.

 

does anyone have any suggestions regarding these exclusions?

 

Thanks,

 

Joanie

With regard to the shore Excursions.  They are fully refundable until sail date and even later from my understanding. Did you not cancel them prior to canceling the cruise? Perhaps I’m wrong but looking at my information it states this policy. Just seems like if that is case then they would not be included in the FCC. 

[GeorgiaPeach51]

Good point, they would come back to our credit card…..sorry, we are so boggled to get one thing in writing from O one day and initiate the cancellation with our TA, only to get a different thing in writing from O the next day.  It’s like smoke and mirrors.  
 

Joanie

[Harters]

1 hour ago, Queen of DaNile said:

Tuesday's fatal attack of tourists and their guide at Queen Elizabeth National Park.

Clearly a specific reason for the UK government's advice I linked to upthread. 

[Pottsy]

To spend 5 unplanned days in the Greek islands in December when aver. Temps are 55F instead of Jordan Egypt, Saudi and Oman is a radicle change. Then 9 days at sea in the Red Sea makes it more a repositioning but at full fair is an insult. Oh the Red Sea borders all the cancelled countries so how is the Red Sea safe??  Should be offering full value FCC!

[Lastdance]

Well, we all need to be advised, as to what is happening while we comment on CC, as it is a very dynamic thread.  Cruise lines(agents) are really not known for always sharing accurate information, as communication in general depends on the person you happen to get.  Having a good TA really does help.  Sometimes information presented on all the boards is a little more about our own filters than what OP than needed, but some people enjoy the “matter of fact" and you should have known” approach.  These do not  always help either, but that’s just my two cents from many years of experience with the written word.  Sometimes, reading the meat of the information and discarding the opinionated stuff, makes for a more accurate account of what the person is saying.  Some of us love to spar, but others, like mentioned above, do not want to hear that it is somehow totally their fault.  Of course they wish that their magic 8 ball wasn’t sold in the garage sale.  Just put yourself into the OP’s situation with 27K on the line and asking for a FCC.  It’s called empathy, but with social media, blogs etc, not to mention no face to face communication, our society does not reap the benefits at all.  I may think in my little head one thing, but I try to screen it before writing because I do not walk in anyone’s shoes but my own.  Please call me out if I stray because I am not perfect with this process.

 

We all love to cruise, or would not be on these boards.  I have met people on CC who sounded one way, but were so opposite in person.  We are not the sum of our words.  I was lucky and made it into Israel on my first attempt, but thought my chances were 50/50.

 

Safe Travels!

 

 

Edited October 20, 2023 by Lastdance

[Vineyard View]

12 hours ago, susiesan said:

I just saw the article about this on TripAdvisor. I have contacted the TA who is getting in touch with the local operator. I have 3 months to think about this. The only deposit I have made so far I have pays for the gorilla trek permits which are not refundable.My airline tickets are awards so they can be cancelled and the miles re deposited at no charge. If it is still unsafe at Queen Elizabeth NP in January, where we are scheduled to be for 2 nights, I'm sure the safer operator will go somewhere else in Uganda.

I wish you the best. We loved the experiences on our safaris and I hope that you are able to do the same. 

Edited October 21, 2023 by Vineyard View

[susiesan]

18 hours ago, Vineyard View said:

I wish you the best. We loved the experiences on our safaris and I hope that you are able to do the same. 

This will be my 5th African safari. They have become my favorite type of vacation. I'm sure the safari operator will come up with an alternate itinerary if it's not safe to visit QENP in late January.  Because we have a day of gorilla trekking in the plan, and it's a bucket list item, I really really want to make the safari.

[LWRudz]

On 10/15/2023 at 12:40 PM, GeorgiaPeach51 said:

Please understand, and I think I have repeated several times, that I TOTALLY understand the need for the itinerary changes.  That is not the issue at all.  I just think an FCC is justified in this case.

 

@Pandazoo to the person who noted they were mystified by people who don’t read cruise contracts, and made the assumption that we had not….believe it or not, we have!  So did plenty of other cruisers who have received FCC’s for various cruises for a wide variety of issues, none of which were covered in the cruise contract.  I am hoping for the same good will from Oceania, even though, just as in the thousands of other cases of FCC’s being awarded, it goes against Oceania’s stated policies.

 

Joanie

I totally agree that (1) there is a justifiable reason for the itinerary change and (2) those of us who are on the cruise should have options. I purchased the "Holy Land & Treasures" cruise, not because I want to stay on the ship and eat and drink, but specifically for the advertised ports. The changes to the itinerary are not within Oceania's control, but the way they are treating passengers is within their control. Given the warning issued by the US State Department for travelers at this time, I would prefer to postpone my trip until there is an itinerary that aligns with what I'd like to see. (I've been to Greece several times and Greek Island cruises are significantly cheaper than the itinerary I signed up for.) If Oceania would allow me to postpone and reschedule later, I would be satisfied. At the moment I am packing for a trip I don't want to go on at a time of unrest in the Middle East/Mediterranean. I could do without the anxiety. (Please don't tell me not to worry, from experience, that doesn't help.)

 

Lori

[basor]

Just now, LWRudz said:

I totally agree that (1) there is a justifiable reason for the itinerary change and (2) those of us who are on the cruise should have options. I purchased the "Holy Land & Treasures" cruise, not because I want to stay on the ship and eat and drink, but specifically for the advertised ports. The changes to the itinerary are not within Oceania's control, but the way they are treating passengers is within their control. Given the warning issued by the US State Department for travelers at this time, I would prefer to postpone my trip until there is an itinerary that aligns with what I'd like to see. (I've been to Greece several times and Greek Island cruises are significantly cheaper than the itinerary I signed up for.) If Oceania would allow me to postpone and reschedule later, I would be satisfied. At the moment I am packing for a trip I don't want to go on at a time of unrest in the Middle East/Mediterranean. I could do without the anxiety. (Please don't tell me not to worry, from experience, that doesn't help.)

 

Lori

You decided not to take the FCC that was offered?  Wouldn't this allow you to postpone the trip and take a trip you would like to see?  It has been widely posted on this topic that O is offering a FCC....

[LWRudz]

23 minutes ago, basor said:

You decided not to take the FCC that was offered?  Wouldn't this allow you to postpone the trip and take a trip you would like to see?  It has been widely posted on this topic that O is offering a FCC....

I was not allowed to take an FCC because this cruise was booked with an FCC from a 2021 COVID cancelled cruise. 

[windsurfer77058]

Our pre-cruise portion in Istanbul for $2000 was not offered as part of the FCC.  Has anyone had their pre-cruise be part of the FCC?  That is a loss right off of $2000 if we changed and we booked it through Oceania.  Does anyone have concerns about being in Turkey for 3 days and visiting the tourist sights?

[basor]

Just now, LWRudz said:

I was not allowed to take an FCC because this cruise was booked with an FCC from a 2021 COVID cancelled cruise. 

I am sorry - hopefully your TA will be able to talk with O and get them reinstate your original FCC

[julia]

8 hours ago, LWRudz said:

I was not allowed to take an FCC because this cruise was booked with an FCC from a 2021 COVID cancelled cruise. 

Oh. my. gosh. 😲.  I am sooo sorry to read this, and I'm truly hoping that O will make this right for you, and the others on this thread.

[kathy49]

On 10/18/2023 at 6:05 PM, GeorgiaPeach51 said:

I started this thread and will now finish with an update, as I promised.  I feel that I owe that to at least some of you who have commented, and for those who attempted to be helpful.  You are appreciated.  I have, indeed, followed along in case anyone posted something helpful, but am glad I did not continue to deal with those of you who had so much criticism to share, especially the one person who felt it necessary to write paragraphs and paragraphs under the guise of being helpful.  You know who you are, and we will agree to disagree about whether your long winded efforts are genuine or just a chance to pontificate.  Moving on….

 

O has offered an FCC.  I am VERY grateful and appreciative of their response, and relieved that they didn’t wait until the last moment.  We are going to take the FCC, for reasons I will clarify below, along with some Odds and ends, to wrap things up.

 

1.  Why did I say from the beginning that I wanted an FCC (Future Cruise Credit)?

 

 Because I had no wish to be punitive to an already struggling cruise line by asking for a refund.  A refund further drains their already depleted funds.  At least, with an FCC they get to keep my money. The terms of the FCC are that it has to be booked by November 30 for a cruise to take place before 12/31/25.  It can be used once.  If you don’t use the full amount you will lose the difference.  This may be somewhat problematic because so many O cruises are already waitlisted.  But that is a problem for another day.  We still want to do an O cruise and look forward to it.

 

For us, $27,000 is a lot of money.  I remain astonished that so many of you would be fine with a cruise line completely changing almost your entire cruise from what you paid for with no compensation, no OBC, no FCC, not even the right to protest…because that is what some of you expressed that I should do.  Wow!  Pay for a Bentley and get a VW instead!  What a great deal!  This reflects my good luck in never having previously had these extreme port changes that some of you have suffered.

 

2.  This cruise starts in Istanbul.  The morning news in Turkey is not good, and I do not expect it to improve for a while.  Do you?  People are being told to be cautious, dress inconspicuously, etc.  My personal take on that is I may be inconspicuous but you can be sure that if there is a terrorist nearby he or she will also be inconspicuous. We all have our own comfort levels and risk to reward ratios.  I would imagine that security in Istanbul will be substantially increased in order to protect tourism.  But I don’t love the idea of looking over my shoulder and being uneasy the whole time.  And if you are caught up in a demonstration that turns into a riot, you are on your own.  Others profess to no worries and I applaud them and wish them well.

 

3.  Oceania has been radio silent.  I know they are busy and have no problem with that.  We have received one email to the whole ship with the new itinerary.  That is it.  Writing directly to Mr. Ortega elicited the responding offer of an FCC.  To my knowledge there has not been a blanket email to everyone on the ship, but it could have happened.

 

4.  The two days in Alexandria with the ship leaving port early evening to sail in circles overnight leads me to think they do not want the ship sitting in port for safety reasons….and that does not inspire confidence.  In the absence of communication passengers are left to make their own conclusions.  Those are mine.

 

5.  Mykonos and Santorini in November.  Temps in the 50’s and can be lower.  Much higher probability of rain.  Most hotels closed.  Many restaurants and shops closed. This is according to internet info, not personal experiences. It may be lovely and uncrowded but Greek Islands and wearing a winter coat don’t compute for me and will never be on my personal to do list.  Some people on the roll call are continuing on and I wish them well.

 

5.  Insurance.  Chase Sapphire is well known for their travel benefits.  One of you made statements about it without knowing what they offer.  I encourage some of you to investigate it as an alternate to a regular policy.   It MAY be of benefit to you.  Compare it to your normal purchased travel insurance.  I THINK you will find them very, very similar.  You just have to pay for your cruise with your Chase card.  You also need to weigh the benefits of Cancel for Any Reason insurance.  You still lose 50-75%, which is a lot on this $27,000 cruise.  At this point O will credit all but our air differential and custom air fees, $3,950.  Preliminary discussion with Chase Sapphire seems that they will reimburse those costs. 

 

I question if this cruise will continue to attempt to go out of Istanbul with the increase of protests in Turkey and if they will be able to hold onto Alexandria, given the proximity to the Gaza Strip.  Things certainly are not improving day by day, unfortunately, so it is hard to be optimistic, but I hope it works out.  I’m sure they won’t cancel it because they have to get the ship to Barcelona for the next leg.  May as well sail half full for those who want to go.

 

I never pictured myself being the type of person that would be reluctant to get off at ports, but that is where I am.  It would have been very stressful for me personally to undertake this trip because there are too many places passengers would be vulnerable, in my view.  Had we docked in Alexandria I do not think I would have been comfortable getting that far from the ship, to see the pyramids, even with armed guards along for the ride.  Not worth it to me.  If I have to be anxious and worried or even a little fearful, it’s not a vacation.  
 

if you have questions I will try to answer.  Now, back to our regularly schedule program….

 

Joanie

Joanie just an excellent summary and clearly a good resolution. I can't imagine just walking away from that kind of money or settling for a Greek Island Cruise totally off season. Check out the prices for Greek Island cruises in Nov. not $27,000 that is for sure! Good going Joanie.

[willidc]

On 10/22/2023 at 4:49 PM, windsurfer77058 said:

Our pre-cruise portion in Istanbul for $2000 was not offered as part of the FCC.  Has anyone had their pre-cruise be part of the FCC?  That is a loss right off of $2000 if we changed and we booked it through Oceania.  Does anyone have concerns about being in Turkey for 3 days and visiting the tourist sights?

 

I am not sure if this is an appropriate comparison, but we were in Istanbul after an Oceania Cruise ending on September 16 and spent a couple of days after the cruise.  We saw very little change compared to when we were there in 2012 other than modernization, increased security, and more traffic.  The port is new, huge, well marked, and well run when we left the ship.  We flew Turkish Airlines back to US, so can only comment on their area of the huge, new airport which had its own exit from the main highway to the airport.  

 

Speaking only of Turkish Airlines, I can say that security is greatly elevated from 2012 experience.  Checked luggage scanned twice before getting to counter to check it.  Hand luggage was scanned at least 4 times.  Before boarding at the gate, passengers get a private pat down.  Not sure if this is standard procedure or if there was an alert that day. 

 

We did not perceive much being different as far as touring from 2012. But we did notice people in public dressing in more modest or religious clothing than in 2012.  We did not revisit any of the mosques, but were told that access and dress code is now more strict.

 

We did not have concerns being there due to obvious security, but we were there mid September and now may be a different situation.  You will be in an Oceania group with your pre-cruise in Istanbul.  They have done an excellent job on pre-cruises we have taken and it would be a shame to miss that part of your trip.  We have felt safe on both of our pre-cruise tours in Abu Dhabi Nov 2022, and Thailand in 2018.  

 

Perhaps someone else has additional information for you.

[ColoradoCruiser88]

On 10/22/2023 at 2:49 PM, windsurfer77058 said:

Our pre-cruise portion in Istanbul for $2000 was not offered as part of the FCC.  Has anyone had their pre-cruise be part of the FCC?  

We just canceled our 11/29/23 Holy Land cruise and the FCC was the price of the cruise less port taxes.  The port taxes will be a refund to our credit card used to book the cruise.

 

We had 3 shore excursions booked with O (the rest were private) and we had to call Oceania and ask them to cancel the Shorex.  One excursion was in a canceled port and although they “automatically” canceled it (no longer showed in our booking), the refund to our credit card did not show up until we called them and asked.  The other 2 excursions were in Istanbul and Ephesus (not canceled-ports) and so we called to cancel them this morning.  They said the refund will show up in 3-5 days - different than the <24 hours on the first cancelation.  I guess they must be a little swamped right now.  We used a TA to book the cruise, but we called O directly to cancel the shorex.

Could it be that you need to call Oceania separately and specifically ask to cancel the pre-cruise excursion and they will refund (to whatever method you originally booked with?)  I have no experience with pre or post cruise excursions.

 

On a side note, we had also booked a pre-cruise trip to Capadocia, but private.  They will be refunding our deposit (balance was to be in cash or credit 1st day of tour) less €20 per person cancelation fee for the internal flights- Istanbul to Capadocia).  
 

Many thanks to OP @GeorgiaPeach51 for starting this thread.  Otherwise we wouldn’t have known to contact our TA to ask for a FCC.

[cruisemom42]

1 hour ago, willidc said:

 

I am not sure if this is an appropriate comparison, but we were in Istanbul after an Oceania Cruise ending on September 16 and spent a couple of days after the cruise.  We saw very little change compared to when we were there in 2012 other than modernization, increased security, and more traffic.  The port is new, huge, well marked, and well run when we left the ship.  We flew Turkish Airlines back to US, so can only comment on their area of the huge, new airport which had its own exit from the main highway to the airport.  

 

Speaking only of Turkish Airlines, I can say that security is greatly elevated from 2012 experience.  Checked luggage scanned twice before getting to counter to check it.  Hand luggage was scanned at least 4 times.  Before boarding at the gate, passengers get a private pat down.  Not sure if this is standard procedure or if there was an alert that day. 

 

We did not perceive much being different as far as touring from 2012. But we did notice people in public dressing in more modest or religious clothing than in 2012.  We did not revisit any of the mosques, but were told that access and dress code is now more strict.

 

We did not have concerns being there due to obvious security, but we were there mid September and now may be a different situation.  You will be in an Oceania group with your pre-cruise in Istanbul.  They have done an excellent job on pre-cruises we have taken and it would be a shame to miss that part of your trip.  We have felt safe on both of our pre-cruise tours in Abu Dhabi Nov 2022, and Thailand in 2018.  

 

Perhaps someone else has additional information for you.

 

Just flew home from Istanbul after the end of my Azamara cruise and had pretty much the same experience as you regarding security and touring in Istanbul and flying home.

 

Certainly plenty of tourists there!

 

[ColoradoCruiser88]

4 hours ago, ColoradoCruiser88 said:

Could it be that you need to call Oceania separately and specifically ask to cancel the pre-cruise excursion and they will refund (to whatever method you originally booked with?)  I have no experience with pre or post cruise excursions.

I stand corrected.  I just heard back from our TA regarding a confirmation on a different issue for this cruise cancelation and part of Oceania’s response addressed this very issue.

 

They state that any “non-refundable ancillary items which are under penalty (ie hotel stays, land packages, custom air fees/differentials, visas, travel insurance, etc) will not be refunded or included in the value of the FCC.”

 

WOW!  Now that I know this, I will never book pre or post cruise excursions, hotels or land tours with them.

[HilsTas]

2 hours ago, ColoradoCruiser88 said:

............

They state that any “non-refundable ancillary items which are under penalty (ie hotel stays, land packages, custom air fees/differentials, visas, travel insurance, etc) will not be refunded or included in the value of the FCC.”

............

 

 

That sounds pretty reasonable to me. 

 

Oceania has given you a FCC for their part of the cruise and you have readily accepted that the port fees etc are not going to to be included - ie something that they are actually out of pocket for.  Likewise O will be out of pocket for their pre-paid tours etc.

 

A good idea of yours though -  with your next cruise booked with the FCC - not to book the pre/post tours etc if you are concerned about a similar thing happening again.

 

[Tranquility Base]

9 hours ago, cruisemom42 said:

 

Just flew home from Istanbul after the end of my Azamara cruise and had pretty much the same experience as you regarding security and touring in Istanbul and flying home.

 

Certainly plenty of tourists there!

 

Thanks,

How much time did you allow from leaving the ship / hotel to getting to your boarding gate ?

[Tranquility Base]

3 hours ago, HilsTas said:

 

That sounds pretty reasonable to me. 

 

Oceania has given you a FCC for their part of the cruise and you have readily accepted that the port fees etc are not going to to be included - ie something that they are actually out of pocket for.  

 

I think they said (post #166) that port taxes were going to refund separately to their card, hence not included in the FCC.???

[HilsTas]

13 minutes ago, Tranquility Base said:

I think they said (post #166) that port taxes were going to refund separately to their card, hence not included in the FCC.???

Apologies ColoradoCruiser88 - I missed that.

[cruisemom42]

21 minutes ago, Tranquility Base said:

Thanks,

How much time did you allow from leaving the ship / hotel to getting to your boarding gate ?

 

I took the ship transfer (as a solo it was cheaper than a taxi). We arrived in port on a Sunday morning, so were lucky in that there was very little traffic. The bus left the port at about 8:40 am and was at the airport in about 45 minutes. 

 

I was on Turkish Airlines, so not sure it is the same for every flight, but when you arrive the first step is getting your luggage scanned as you enter the terminal. Then you locate the correct row for check in and get in line. I had a flight scheduled to depart at 1:45 pm, so plenty of time. The international check-in for Turkish Air opened at 10:00 am and there were about 40-50 people in front of me. It didn't seem like there was any separate line for premium class. At any rate, you get asked security questions and passport is checked before you get to gate agent, then your flight is confirmed and luggage checked. After that you go through passport control and then security.

 

I didn't specifically look at the time but I was at my gate (after a bit of dawdling along the way) by about 11:30. The gate has its own security check, including a manual check of all carry-on bags. Once you are inside the gate enclosure, you cannot leave, even to go to the bathroom, without having to go through that gate check again.

 

 

[Tranquility Base]

10 hours ago, cruisemom42 said:

 

I took the ship transfer ………

@cruisemom42
 

Many thanks for those details.

That is helpful.

Edited October 25, 2023 by Tranquility Base

[PhD-iva]

On 10/22/2023 at 3:49 PM, windsurfer77058 said:

Our pre-cruise portion in Istanbul for $2000 was not offered as part of the FCC.  Has anyone had their pre-cruise be part of the FCC?  That is a loss right off of $2000 if we changed and we booked it through Oceania.  

Can you try a charge back from your credit card company? Good luck!