whats happened to aurora?

[seabourndt]

heard she has been delayeed

[Globaliser]

Is she on her way in to Southampton? If so, first guess is that she was staying out of the way of yesterday's winds.

[Globaliser]

Funny - a database glitch stopped my previous post registering on the index board!

[LEESRE]

According to people on board she has engine problems and is due to arrive Southampton 10pm tonight.

It has been announched by P & O that she is due to sail 24 hours late

[ladikara]

I actually was just going to sign online and ask if anybody here knew what happened to her. I noticed she is still in port in Southampton.

 

So if she is to sail 24 hours late, what time should she be leaving? I thought she was suppose to be leaving yesterday (the original ontime) around 9am.

 

I was thinking she was delayed due to weather, since it looks really foggy/rainy in Southampton.

[ladikara]

Well I finally found P&O's update. Here's what it says.

 

P&O Cruises can confirm that Aurora’s scheduled arrival in to Southampton on the morning of Sunday 9 January has been delayed for technical reasons. She is now expected to arrive late on Sunday. As a result, disembarkation and embarkation for the following cruise will be delayed by 24 hours.

 

Passengers are being offered a free phone call and email access as well as assistance with their onward travel arrangements.

 

Aurora’s revised itinerary means that she will visit Madeira on Thursday 13 January rather than Wednesday 12 January, omitting her scheduled call in St. Vincent. The remainder of the itinerary is unaffected. Passengers due to join this cruise are being notified.

 

Which is the same as what LEESRE said. I just wonder what time was the original scheduled departure.

[ladikara]

Well per P&O's message board on their website. Aurora actually doesn't have an engine problem...it's a propeller problem. It limits the ship to move at 15 Knots max.

 

There was also a link to the Southampton Port's website. Aurora has given them a time of 1159AM Jan 11th for a departure. I feel so bad for those people who are waiting for the ship to leave so they can start their vacation. It can't be fun just sitting there. :(

 

Hopefully it's fixed and in great working condition by the time it gets to Hong Kong. I guess everything "breaks" at one point or another. :(

[Bollinge]

Check out http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2005/01/12/ncruis12.xml&sSheet=/news/2005/01/12/ixhome.html

 

John

[Globaliser]

Oh, dear - that is all very unfortunate. We'll have to keep watching for news, I suppose.

[ladikara]

Yeah I hope they get it fixed....and soon. They are already 3 days late. :(

 

Even though we don't board the ship until March, I will note that i'm more then a little worried. Everything I read doesn't sound "good". I even said a little prayer this morning for this ship to be fixed. Not for me...but for everybodies sake.

 

Keep your fingers crossed.

[ladikara]

Well here's the latest. Isn't good news one bit for any of us passengers who are on or will be on the ship...

 

This is from the BBC. Time was around 2100 UK time:

 

***

'The ship returned to Southampton on Wednesday evening. Repairs will now take until Sunday, with the trip itself not beginning until Tuesday.

 

Compensation offered

 

Passengers have been invited to stay on board the ship until that time, with a full entertainment programme laid on.

 

They will be free to come and go as they please.

 

Those returning home will be kept fully informed of when the ship is ready again.

 

A P&O spokeswoman said: "Once the repairs have been concluded, the company will be in a position to confirm the revised grand voyage itinerary."

 

P&O said passengers would be reimbursed for the trip's lost days and compensation offered.'

 

***

 

To say the least i'm a little :eek: about it. I guess I can't really do anything until Tuesday and see what the new itinerary is. But still. :(

[Globaliser]

Well here's the latest. Isn't good news one bit for any of us passengers who are on or will be on the ship...

I'd look at it like this. Clearly, the problem is more serious than could be speedily fixed, hence the longer period for repairs. Suppose they hadn't discovered the extent of the problem during this sea trial and they'd sent her out today ... and she'd broken down again in three weeks' time. Everyone would really be up the creek then! At least this way everyone has a choice about how to spend the time between now and then, and those who are on board are still having a cruise - just a cruise temporarily to nowhere.

[ladikara]

Oh I FULLY agree with you!!!

 

I work for an airline...so I understand how things can break unsuspectingly.

 

I was just stating that the ship went out and did it's sea test and came back and it wasn't fixed like they were hoping it would be. So now it's going to take longer to fix. Which isn't good news for anybody.

 

I'm just interested to see what is going to happen come the begining of next week!

[robynp]

Globaliser - nice to see your usual balanced views :). Thank you!

 

There has been so much 'hysteria' in the press (most of it nonsense)! Dragging up the Norovirus situation which has hit so many ships, not just Aurora - even the BBC got it wrong - 35 tennis courts????? Wow, they must have added an extra deck since I was last on her, to fit them in! Insisting it's a jinxed ship because Princess Anne didn't crack the champagne bottle open the first time at the christening !!!!! Oh, puleeeeze! :( Reports like that get me really :mad:

 

I agree it is much better to get the problem fixed now rather than say half-way through the voyage and being stuck in a foreign port waiting to move on. Ships, like cars, planes & trains do not run perfectly and problems do occur.

 

I understand from passengers onboard that they are having a great time....the sense of camaraderie is high, drinks in the bars are free :D, full entertainment and all the usual facilities (except the motion of the ocean) are being provided.

 

Apparently also - one person onboard who is delighted with the situation is a comedian Tom O'Connor (?) - he is having a field day, and no doubt probably can't remember when he had so much 'fresh' material to work with. :p

 

ladikara - don't panic yet! At the moment I'm not - hopefully the repairs will be successfully undertaken by Sunday, the second sea trial will go well (I assume this will be Monday?) and she sets sail on Tuesday. When Aurora is up to full speed she can easily make up time. That combined with a revised itinerary should ensure that she will be in Sydney in 6-1/2 weeks (27 February) to collect me and in Hong Kong in 8-1/2 weeks (14 March) to board you and your family.

 

Cheers....think positive!!!!

[ladikara]

I'm trying to think positive! I have a feeling they will cut out a lot of their South America stops, since there are so many! My stepdad is worried they will cut out Midway Island. I think that is one of the stops he is REALLY looking forward to, since he was stationed there when he was in the Army way back when.

 

I have decided I won't really worry about it at all. Nothing my worrying will help! We will just have to wait and see what P&O gives as the new schedule and plan from there.

 

But i'm thinking positive about the Tueday "push" time. Sounds like they know the problem...and know how to get it fixed. Just cross your fingers the Monday sea trails go well. :)

 

Glad to hear people on the ship are staying positive. I read somewhere that only 7 people have actually left the ship and are not going on the cruise. So it sounds like it's not effecting anybodies spirits. We were joking around here at home stating we want our free drinks!!!

[robynp]

Yes, I wouldn't mind being onboard with the free drinks either!

 

There are indeed a lot of South American ports and I believe (but don't know for certain) that those 7 pax who have left the ship were booked on the first sector Southampton to Rio. The South American itinerary is what made this year's World Cruise so popular, so I bet P&O are really having difficulty deciding what to do.

 

No use worrying,fingers crossed and hope we have better news in a few days :D

[Bollinge]

More news: http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/this_britain/story.jsp?story=600696

[mufi]

Makes me think this could be a great marketing trial for a new type of cruise. Three months on a luxury cruise ship tied up in Southampton. The money saved by the company could buy free drinks for all the passengers and they could spend happy days viewing films of exotic locations they won't be seeing for real.

Seriously this is bad news for P&O. lETS HOPE THEY SORT IT OUT SOON.

 

David.

[transat_jon]

All shipping lines do have occational problems with their ships.

 

P&O, owned by the Carnival Corporation seem to be having some recent problems with getting their ships to go anywhere. All this week I have been able to look out my window at Aurora sitting at the dock.

 

On new years night QE2 was without propulsion power for two hours, drifting off the coast of Bermuda. Add to that QE2's air condiioning has been giving cause for concern.

 

Last year HAL's Rotterdam was left powerless in a hurricane leaving many passengers with injuries.

 

Is this bad luck or is Carnval cutting back on maintanance costs?

[Bollinge]

http://www.yorkshiretoday.co.uk/ViewArticle2.aspx?SectionID=55&ArticleID=919879

[transat_jon]

I am looking out my office window and....Aurora is still sitting there.

 

They say she is to sail on Monday, I will be watching expectently

[ladikara]

Oh I hope she leaves and gets under way. P&O called us today just making sure they have the right contact numbers in case they need to call us.

 

Keep your fingers crossed they get her fixed. :) Keep us posted on what you see!

[Kiwi Kruzer]

I have my fingers

 

AND TOES CROSSED

[Heads !!!!]

Last year HAL's Rotterdam was left powerless in a hurricane leaving many passengers with injuries.

 

I know. The ship I was on (Seabourn Pride) was moored up next to it in Quebec. I saw passengers and crew staggering off with slings, bandages, bruises etc. I also saw them taking off what was left of 2 grand pianos by crane. Not a pretty sight.

 

Phil

[ladikara]

Okay rumor mill is stating Aurora is suppose to go to sea trials this evening. Not sure if that is true or not...but keep your fingers (and toes..and whatever else) crossed that she goes to sea trials and is sucessful and able to get under way!

 

I don't see anything in Southampton ship movements yet, but people are reporting she is going to do her trials today/tonight. So that's why I say it's a rumor.

 

:rolleyes: Thinking good positive thoughts:rolleyes: