Pacific Jewel Melbourne Cup Cruise Cancelled

[Kiwi_cruiser]

From P&O Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/notes/po-cru...36383943080999

Hi everyone, at 9 o’clock this morning our technical team laid out the options for Pacific Jewel’s repair. Unfortunately, the Jewel’s engine fault is extremely uncommon – so rare the experts say it’s in a piece of equipment normally expected to last a lifetime. Despite our technical team’s around the clock work, there’s no easy solution.

After having weighed up the possibilities including a partial repair, we decided a fuller repair is the responsible choice to ensure our passengers’ safety and security. A full works team is flying out from France, where the engine was made, to assist us.

We never like having to announce cancellations, but withdrawing Pacific Jewel from service for a number of weeks means having to cancel one our most popular cruises, the Melbourne Cup Cruise J033 on October 30, and also J035, the November 13 cruise to Fiji.

We will ensure P&O Cruises’ staff will be at Flemington Racecourse on Tuesday to distribute entry tickets to the Melbourne Cup to passengers of J033 who have their photo ID. We will of course provide further updates on the location of our staff on the day.

A communication program to all passengers affected by the two cruise cancellations has already started at 12pm – however we wanted to notify you in the most direct channels available first. We are of course making a full refund of cruise fares paid and offering future cruise credits as a gesture of goodwill to acknowledge the disappointment and inconvenience that this difficult decision involves.

We urge you to have faith in us and Pacific Jewel for the future and ask you to take advantage of rebooking before the end of 2010, to have the best choice of cabin allocation for cruises departing up until November 2011.

Once the full repair is complete, Pacific Jewel will return to normal service to again deliver great cruise holiday memories to thousands of passengers. We couldn’t be sorrier about cancelling cruises but at P&O Cruises your safety and security must always come first.

[nzguy]

I have just been advised by P&O that the following cruise J035 scheduled to leave Sydney on 13 November has also been cancelled.

Apparently, the first cruise that will now be operated is J037.

[sharri34]

Wow....It must be a lot more severe than thy thought They were convinced that they'd be back working by Melbourne Cup when we disembarked I wonder if the crew will stay in Sydney while they fix the ship up? If they do, I might make a trip down to Star City to see if I can bump into them

[Sandielle]

Originally Posted by sharri34

Wow....It must be a lot more severe than thy thought They were convinced that they'd be back working by Melbourne Cup when we disembarked I wonder if the crew will stay in Sydney while they fix the ship up? If they do, I might make a trip down to Star City to see if I can bump into them

Yes Sam, it was. As they said in the announcement Kiwi C posted above...

Quote:..........Unfortunately, the Jewel’s engine fault is extremely uncommon – so rare the experts say it’s in a piece of equipment normally expected to last a lifetime. Despite our technical team’s around the clock work, there’s no easy solution.

After having weighed up the possibilities including a partial repair, we decided a fuller repair is the responsible choice to ensure our passengers’ safety and security. A full works team is flying out from France, where the engine was made, to assist us........................End Quote.

As usual, they will be "damned if they do and damned if they don't"!

[nzmatt]

hi,

mmmm i wonder if the next cruise 037 which is the tassie cruise hope that to does not get cancelled.

we are on that trip,i hope they get it sorted before then.

matt

[thied]

Originally Posted by sharri34

Wow....It must be a lot more severe than thy thought They were convinced that they'd be back working by Melbourne Cup when we disembarked I wonder if the crew will stay in Sydney while they fix the ship up? If they do, I might make a trip down to Star City to see if I can bump into them

I would say they would stay on the ship as they do when dry dock when in brisbane.

[thied]

know they /P&O can do all there repairs . as they have plenty of time to do it now

[Sandielle]

Originally Posted by nzmatt

hi,

mmmm i wonder if the next cruise 037 which is the tassie cruise hope that to does not get cancelled.

we are on that trip,i hope they get it sorted before then.

matt

According to P&O at this stage it is planned to go ahead. Cruises J033 - J035 are cancelled.

P&O Cruises Australia: We don't anticipate an impact on other scheduled cruise departures. Once the dedicated team from France arrive and progress has been made on the full repair, we will be able to provide an update.

[stanc61]

Originally Posted by nzmatt

hi,

mmmm i wonder if the next cruise 037 which is the tassie cruise hope that to does not get cancelled.

we are on that trip,i hope they get it sorted before then.

matt

J036 to NZ is due to be the first cruise before yours. One of my work colleagues is booked on that one.

[haha789]

Originally Posted by Sandielle

According to P&O at this stage it is planned to go ahead. Cruises J033 - J035 are cancelled.

P&O Cruises Australia: We don't anticipate an impact on other scheduled cruise departures. Once the dedicated team from France arrive and progress has been made on the full repair, we will be able to provide an update.

So is the november 27th cruise going to go ahead or maybe not

[Sandielle]

Originally Posted by haha789

So is the november 27th cruise going to go ahead or maybe not

I just looked up the number of your cruise - didn't you know it? It should be on your cruise personaliser. It is J036, so according to P&O's latest advice above it is going ahead at this point.

It is in the hands of the French engineers and the lap of the gods - I would have Plan B in place, just in case.

Hope this answers your question.

[TAN066]

According to P&O JO36 to New Zealand will be the first cruise back running out of Sydney (27november). I hope so as we will be on this cruise!
Tania

[Sandielle]

Originally Posted by TAN066

According to P&O JO36 to New Zealand will be the first cruise back running out of Sydney (27november). I hope so as we will be on this cruise!
Tania

Fingers (and everything else) crossed for you Tania and all others booked on this one.

[haha789]

Originally Posted by TAN066

According to P&O JO36 to New Zealand will be the first cruise back running out of Sydney (27november). I hope so as we will be on this cruise!
Tania

Lets keep our fingers crossed

[haha789]

Originally Posted by Sandielle

I just looked up the number of your cruise - didn't you know it? It should be on your cruise personaliser. It is J036, so according to P&O's latest advice above it is going ahead at this point.

It is in the hands of the French engineers and the lap of the gods - I would have Plan B in place, just in case.

Hope this answers your question.

I did know it

[rugbypopsie]

I thought it pretty responsible for the CEO herself to go online and give the explanation...so much more personal than a bland media release.

Sorry for the disappointed cruisers though..hope you all had your travel insurance in place.

[nzmatt]

hi,

4 weeks should be enough to fix the problem i hope?

i guess we will keep monitoring the news and find out more next week hopefully.

matt

[kiwi sailor]

Originally Posted by thied

I would say they would stay on the ship as they do when dry dock when in brisbane.

The crew have been sent home.

[Lizard©]

I feel for evey single person on this cruise!! It's very depressing to have your cruise cancelled......on the upside, the Jewel will be in tip top order in July for hubby and me to hopefully cruise on her.

[dougo in oz]

It's very disappointing for any cruise to be cancelled and very disruptive to passenger's plans as well as P&O.

I do feel those booked on the Melbourne Cup cruise - it would be hard to get reasonably priced airfares not to mention accommodation at this late stage if passengers still wanted to go.

Let's hope the engine gets fixed properly and soon.