Possible shipyard delay

[Diane&4girls]

Oh boy, what a mess this will be today!!!!!!!! Good luck to all that are booked.

[LaCroisiereS'amuse]

My travel agent here in the UK forwarded this email to me today......I guess they're phoning all those affected as I type..... :(

 

 

Dear Valued Travel Partner,

 

 

In recent weeks, you may have read in the news about the labour strikes at the Fincantieri shipyard where our newest ship, Riviera is being built. While Fincantieri had been assuring us that Riviera would be delivered on time despite the construction delays, they advised us late last week that the strikes lasted longer than they anticipated and will now result in a late delivery of the ship. As a result, we are forced to reschedule Riviera's maiden voyage to May 16 and to cancel her 24th April and 6th May cruises.

A press release announcing this news will be issued (and will be sent to you as well), but we wanted you to be among the very first to know, and to hear it directly from us before then.

We will begin notifying everyone with bookings on these two cancelled voyages today. Guests will have the option of transferring their payments to another cruise or receiving a full refund. All guests will receive a future cruise credit, which ranges from $250 to $1,000 per guest depending on their category of accommodation.

While we are deeply disappointed with the late delivery of Riviera, it is critical to us - as we know it is to you and your clients - that the shipyard fully and satisfactorily completes its work to ensure that she is every bit as spectacular as her sister ship, Marina.

Please feel free to contact us should you have any questions regarding the above information.

 

Best regards,

 

Bernard Carter

Managing Director

Oceania Cruises, UK & Europe

[DawnellC]

We "were" booked on Riviera sailing from Istanbul to Venice on 6 May 2012. "Greek Glory" - this is the second scheduled sailing for Riviera.

 

Our travel agent just called and said that Oceania has cancelled that sailing and we will be receiving re-booking options soon.

 

We are being told that we will be offered other itineraries on Oceania during that time period.

 

The reason for the delay was that the ship won't be ready for its first sailing date because of shipyard strikes in Italy. No details on the extent of the delay - as in days, weeks or even months.

[wripro]

I hope they will also assist with those who have made flight arrangements to get to those cancelled cruises.

[First Time 2008]

http://www.genova24.it/2012/01/fincantieri-incidente-sul-lavoro-operaio-cade-da-ponteggio-grave-26879/

 

Summary: a worker fell from scaffolding while working on the Oceania ship. Fell from a height of 2 meters (7 feet), several broken bones, not life threatening. He not an employee of Fincantieri, but a foreigner working for an outside firm.

 

The good news: someone is working on our ship

The bad news: somebody got hurt, and now one less worker to work on the ship

The truly scary possibility: was it just a rogue accident, or a picketing action?

[DawnellC]

Looks like the first two cruises are being cancelled.

 

Oceania Cruises today announced that the debut of its next ship, the 1,250-passenger Riviera, has been delayed due to recent strikes at the shipyard in Italy where it is being built.

 

The Miami-based company says the maiden voyage of the 66,000-ton vessel has been pushed back to May 16 from April 24. Two cruises scheduled to take place between April 24 and May 16 are being canceled.

 

"We sincerely regret any inconvenience that this may cause our guests," Oceania President Kunal Kamlani says in a statement accompanying the announcement. "We are working very closely with the shipyard to ensure Riviera is completed to meet Oceania's high standards of quality and service."

 

Today's announcement marks the second time in six months that Oceania has delayed the maiden voyage of the Riviera. The line announced in August that the ship's debut was being pushed back from April 14 to April 24.

 

A sister ship to the 1,250-passenger Marina, which debuted last year, the Riviera is being built at the Fincantieri shipyard near Genoa, Italy.

 

Oceania says customers on the canceled cruises will be contacted by the line or their travel agents to discuss alternative cruise dates. Those who choose to rebook onto a later voyage will receive a credit ranging from $250 to $1,000 per person, depending on category of accommodation. Those who do not wish to rebook will receive a full refund.

[CintiPam]

I am so very sorry to read this news. I know many of you who were booked on the maiden voyage, and all of you were so eagerly anticipating this unique experience. I hope you find an itinerary later in the year that is attractive to you.

 

Best wishes,

Pam

[First Time 2008]

Article in Italian. Click anyway, as there is a picture of "our" ship in the article.

 

In a nutshell: union (Fiom) members voted for a 3-week truce, during which they will return to work and continue negotiating in good faith. A meeting is scheduled with the ministry for February 27 (not sure how that plays with the 3 weeks, but oh well). The ship is scheduled to be delivered at the end of March.

[eddmel]

Thank you, FT2008. I used a web translator on the article and get the same sense ... a little bit of optimism. Much appears to depend on the promise of future work for that shipyard.

[TKS]

After the delays getting first Marina done (remember O took possession only three days before the Maiden Voyage - nearly a month after they were supposed to) and now Riviera (where two cruises have had to be cancelled so far, causing bad PR for O, even though O is not to blame), those workers are NOT helping either the company, or themselves, be guaranteed any future work from O, or from any other cruise line either.

 

From what I've read, the capacity of cruise lines has mushroomed the last few years. With the current economic downturn looking to be here for a while, those workers are just going to have to face reality. Their lives may have to change to accommodate the current world climate, just like the rest of us.

[JanJuc]

Hey -any news on the May 26 sailing? We're travelling from Aussie in a group of ten and hoping that all is well with the vessel. As first time travellers would welcome any advice on cruising the Mediterranean.

[JimandStan]

The May 16th cruise has now been definitively SET as being the maiden voyage, and the ship is even doing a promotional cruise before that, so you can be sure that your cruise will be sailing as scheduled.

 

Your fellow passengers have a very active Roll Call running, follow this link to see what they are up to:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1490053