Itinerary changes on expedition ships

Is it common to have unexpected changes in the itinerary? Or is it perhaps because the Discoverer is new? I liked the first set of changes since it meant that we had very little overlap on a back to back but I am not so happy about today's changes. We are giving a skip to an island I was quite looking forward to. Should I expect to see further changes?

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What island are they skipping, and what did they replace it with ?

It is not uncommon to have itinerary changes on Expedition ships of any line.You are going to places that often have little in the way of facilities.If there are changes in those facilities then the itinerary may have to change.

For example if there is a good zodiac landing site but a typhoon goes through and destroys it.Bad luck.You will often find the itinerary changes even when you are on board due to weather or sea conditions.

I doubt anyone here really knows why any particular change was made.Probably the only way to be really sure is to ask the expedition leader once you are onboard.Though then nothing can be done.

Skipping Satawal and Sorel and adding Ifalik and Lamotrek. I really was interested in Satawal.

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It seems to me that the best question to ask first ... is to simply ask SS why they are making the changes.

It seems to me that the best question to ask first ... is to simply ask SS why they are making the changes.

I did. And got a rapid response. But I also wondered how common this was.

I did. And got a rapid response. But I also wondered how common this was.

That's clearer.

To me the difference between an expedition and a cruise is that whereas on a cruise - to a slightly better extent - it is a little more about the cruise and at worst you have another drink at the pool or bar ... and if a port chages with a decent excuse then perhaps a shrug. But with an expedition you are forgoing a bit of "cruise comfort" for the destinations you've chosen. You aren't saying "here's the cash - you decide where we're going". As a matter of protocol, I think they should receive close questioning when they decide to make changes after booking even if just to ensure it isn't short-term profit motivated.

What was their reason?

Basically, one of the islands decided that they weren't going to allow the ship to port there. Something about a new marine park designation. So not much they could do about it but shuffle things around some.

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Seems fair enough. If true, it demonstrates they are choosing living dynamic destinations. Looking forward to the piccies. Enjoy the trip.

:)

I did ask as we were signing up what they had to offer the paramount chiefs of each island to get permission to being us all ashore. My guess is that is they had offered further incentives we could have visited. Although it is true the the Yapese are the most traditional of the Micronesian islanders. And thanks- certain that we will even if there are a few bumps along the way.

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If your suspicion and instinct is correct, then imho they should have paid up to discharge the expectations of their current passengers, but renegotiated for unpublished future cruises. That is the ethical and right thing to do.

Jeff

Not exactly what I meant . Working with traditional island chiefs is not just a matter of paying up. I am comfortable with the outcome.

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To answer the original question, itineraries change ALL the time on expedition ships for a variety of reasons. They often change at the last minute. If you are doing expedition cruising, it is just something you have to learn to live with.

Thanks Rachel-I know you have done a number of them . Is it allowable to have a foot stomping temper tantrum when they decide to skip your dream port?

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If your suspicion and instinct is correct, then imho they should have paid up to discharge the expectations of their current passengers, .....Jeff

I have experienced that on Orion - cutting a port to save money, but I don't believed that has happened on the Explorer. Conrad and the expedition teams bend over backwards to keep to the itinerary and if something is cut, then they explain it fully and try to replace it with something else. We have experienced on the spot changes because something spectacular as popped up and the captain and the crew accommodate it. These are new cruises and cruise ports we are now talking about, so a bit of trial and error will certainly surface. Expedition sailing on SS is our favourite and so glad of all these new places to go :)

I have experienced that on Orion - cutting a port to save money, but I don't believed that has happened on the Explorer. Conrad and the expedition teams bend over backwards to keep to the itinerary and if something is cut, then they explain it fully and try to replace it with something else. We have experienced on the spot changes because something spectacular as popped up and the captain and the crew accommodate it. These are new cruises and cruise ports we are now talking about, so a bit of trial and error will certainly surface. Expedition sailing on SS is our favourite and so glad of all these new places to go :)

Agree- do not believe it has anything to do with trying to cut costs. These islands are a world unto themselves with their own rules and island time has little to do with posting itineraries.

Thanks Rachel-I know you have done a number of them . Is it allowable to have a foot stomping temper tantrum when they decide to skip your dream port?

 

 

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Yes, totally allowed. My husband had one last year when we missed a stop in Baffin Island that he had been anticipating since he was a boy. He was seriously upset,and thought the captain was just way too cautious. But that is the nature of expedition cruising.

And I agree with dr. Ron, I don't think this was to save money. Expedition cruising is about going to unusual destinations, so flexibility is the rule.

Thanks Rachel-I know you have done a number of them . Is it allowable to have a foot stomping temper tantrum when they decide to skip your dream port?

 

 

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It certainly is allowed - if you are under age 10.

I was on an expedition ship a few years ago in which the main part of the trip was Yap and Palau. The immigration officials in Yap kept missing the meetings to allow entry. We continued on without stopping although the captain did offer one of the island chiefs a monetary benefit if he allowed us to dive and snorkel off shore. He refused. The company offered us a choice of a credit of thousands of dollars to be used for a future cruise or cash.

I was on an expedition ship a few years ago in which the main part of the trip was Yap and Palau. The immigration officials in Yap kept missing the meetings to allow entry. We continued on without stopping although the captain did offer one of the island chiefs a monetary benefit if he allowed us to dive and snorkel off shore. He refused. The company offered us a choice of a credit of thousands of dollars to be used for a future cruise or cash.

That would have been very disappointing. I do wonder how the islanders feel about these ships- especially on the little ones where there will be nearly as many of us as there are of them. I was living in Palau when the first cruise shipped stopped by. It was very odd to have this immense ship anchored off the shore and all these folks zodiac'd in. And now I am going to be one of them. I do have somewhat mixed feelings.

It certainly is allowed - if you are under age 10.

I'm certain I can find my inner 10 year old someplace!

Posting above about missing Yap brought back so many amazing memories.

Iwa Island where we watched the people fish in a very unique manner. In the morning they would collect spider webs from the jungle and roll them together. They were used as lures floating on the water and held by kites.

Snorkeling in the Trobriand Islands in the pouring rain and being greeted so warmly by the people.

Approaching Rabuul we could see ash from the volcano rising 30,000 feet. During our tour we went to view the volcano from an observation point and it began to rain lightly. We turned to mud when the ash got wet. Back to the ship and we were hosed down on the dock. The ash even seeped into our cabins.

Our turn away from Yap resulted in 2 days at sea. One of the days in the ocean was as smooth as glass. Not a fish or bird to be seen and no land either. I felt like I was in the "twilight zone".

Snorkeling along side the underwater cliff in Palau and not knowing how deep the water was underneath. And, the jelly fish lake.

I did look back to see what our refund for missing Yap was and for each person it was $3,500 travel credit or $2,100 cash. Truly, the trip couldn't have been more amazing and I would have been happy with no refund.

I am really surprised that you got any credit or refund for missing a port. We have certainly missed our share for a variety of reasons and have never received any refund or future cruise credit, either on Regent or Silversea.

Posting above about missing Yap brought back so many amazing memories.

 

Iwa Island where we watched the people fish in a very unique manner. In the morning they would collect spider webs from the jungle and roll them together. They were used as lures floating on the water and held by kites.

 

Snorkeling in the Trobriand Islands in the pouring rain and being greeted so warmly by the people.

 

Approaching Rabuul we could see ash from the volcano rising 30,000 feet. During our tour we went to view the volcano from an observation point and it began to rain lightly. We turned to mud when the ash got wet. Back to the ship and we were hosed down on the dock. The ash even seeped into our cabins.

 

Our turn away from Yap resulted in 2 days at sea. One of the days in the ocean was as smooth as glass. Not a fish or bird to be seen and no land either. I felt like I was in the "twilight zone".

 

Snorkeling along side the underwater cliff in Palau and not knowing how deep the water was underneath. And, the jelly fish lake.

 

I did look back to see what our refund for missing Yap was and for each person it was $3,500 travel credit or $2,100 cash. Truly, the trip couldn't have been more amazing and I would have been happy with no refund.

When did you do this? The Micronesian part brings back memories with me also (we lived there for 4 years), the southern part makes me more excited than ever about our upcoming trip.

I didn't realize how long ago but it is 5 years since I did that particular cruise. It was on the same ship that Silversea uses now but with the companies who leased it previously. I have expedition cruised in that area of the world for 10 years on the same ship plus one cruise on the Orion.

I am sure you will have the most wonderful trip. :)