Seumas20

FYI - By chance, I have just seen a post on Royal Caribbean Anthem of the Seas - November trip Rome to Dubai through Red Sea cancelled for safety reasons. Next leg is Dubai to Singapore but those people haven’t been notified yet if the ship will sail around Africa to meet them.

I agree with what you say, FWT, and thanks for posting an update. It’s very helpful. I heard that operators continue to sell rooms even when they know a cruise will be cancelled because they then have ‘captive’ passengers who are more likely to rebook with them. It sounds plausible.

No, you’re not wrong. We checked too. It’s utterly mad to consider that this cruise will go ahead as currently planned. I don’t know what they’re playing at but I wish they’d stop - soon! It reminds us very much of their slow response to Covid when they were well behind the curve then too. If it helps, when our cruise was cancelled by them due to Covid, after we’d paid the final balance, we were all offered 125% to carry forward. It’s impossible to say if they’ll do that again.

Another cruise ship company sees sense. Posted today on another forum.

Exactly! Which means those of us on the Mumbai leg will have our cruise cancelled and should be told, unless they’re thinking of rerouting us to pick up the ship at Cochin, where the world cruises docked. We have the 5 day pre tour booked so that adds another complication. Also, where are those due to leave the ship in Mumbai disembarking? It would still be a tall order logistically, even if your idea works. At least a third of the passengers on the world cruises have left their ships because they don’t want to sail down the coast of Africa. It’s not what people signed up for, even if there are those who would find it exciting!

Exactly! Which means those of us on the Mumbai leg will have our cruise cancelled and should be told, unless they’re thinking of rerouting us to pick up the ship at Cochin, where the world cruises docked. We have the 5 day pre tour booked so that adds another complication. Also, where are those due to leave the ship in Mumbai disembarking? It would still be a tall order logistically, even if your idea works. At least a third of the passengers on the world cruises have left their ships because they don’t want to sail down the coast of Africa. It’s not what people signed up for, even if there are those who would find it exciting!

We understand the logistics, Wolfie, but it’s simply not possible for the ship to sail to Mumbai from Athens on time for our cruise. The Viking world cruises currently being rerouted went to Cochin instead of up to Mumbai and a look at their timetable makes it clear that logistically it’s not possible for the Venus to sail down the coast of Africa and up to Mumbai in time. Good to hear they’re ’working on it’ though.

Well said, FWT. According to the UK website, the Marco Polo voyage is sold out for October 2024 and for both dates in 2025. That seems less than credible. It’s not easy to find that cruise now. You have to put it into search as it isn’t listed in October departures which is strange. This will be, if it happens, our 5th Viking cruise so we’ve been loyal customers for quite a few years now. That loyalty is diminishing quickly the longer this goes on, however.

pmfne - I’ve just noticed that your cruise, ie the leg before Mumbai, has disappeared off the UK Viking website. I don’t know if that is significant but thought I’d flag it up.

pmfne - that’s really interesting. I’ve just checked on the UK Viking site and Across the Bay of Bengal in November is still open for booking. Frankly, the response we had from UK customer services the other day is ludicrous, if not insulting. They seem to think passengers live in a bubble and can’t see what’s happening in the world or indeed on their own website or current voyages. As you say, it would be nice to know what’s happening so that we can all plan ahead.

Soundcruiser - I’ve been following some other posts on here and it seems Viking are being less than transparent and have certainly not been proactive (see current World Cruisers). Unless they sail the Venus around Africa and up to Mumbai - or across to Cochin which is where they had to dock on the World Cruise - it’s highly unlikely our cruise will go ahead. Who knows when they’ll get around to telling us but I would imagine the guests due to leave from the Med in Oct will be asking questions.

Sorry you’re missing your trip. It’s interesting that the same trip, on the Viking Venus, due to leave in October 2024, has not yet been cancelled and according to UK Customer Services today, there are no plans to do so at present. Saturn was apparently redeployed due to increased demand for Mediterranean cruises in January 2025! We’re due to join the cruise in Mumbai in November so had asked what was happening and that’s what we were told. Hard to believe but there you are!