Just returned from Libya-less 11-5-05 sailing

[Jane110]

Port charges vary port to port, so the fact of a similar or even one more port doesn't mean that you weren't due a refund. I read that Libya was quite an expensive port since they were milking the novelty (probably need to reduce the rates now!).

 

Exactly! Which is why I'm so surprised that no refund of any port charges were given after Oceania charged pax for 3 days in Libya....an expensive port. Even MORE disappointing is Oceania not addressing the issue to their customers.

 

Re: Shrimp Cocktail.

I can kind of see both sides. I think the proper response from the staff would have been something to the effect that if the pax had requested it early in the day, or the prior day, it could have been arranged. It's just too busy during to the dinner hour to get it from another restaurant. However, if it's not available to anyone in the MDR even w/ some notice, then Oceania is slipping. Heck, on Princess I've seen pax get a shrimp cocktail that's not on the menu and our tablemates got the chef to make them a special order of coq au vin with a 24 hour notice.

 

What really distresses me is Oceania's nonchalant attitude toward the passengers on this sailing. Not even giving them an hour of free interent access or some phone time to cancel pre-arranged tours and then to have the staff WHISPER the port changes so others won't hear, shows disrespect for the people who are making them such a success.

 

Libya Lecture: Double Ouch!

[letice]

Dear Andee, I was interested in a couple of your comments....how you enjoyed the events on board. Trivia was wonderful and judging from the turnout it should have been an indicator that activities were indeed appreciated. Your enjoyment of "Name that Tune" mystifies me since on a 12 day cruise it was only played two or three times. We enjoy this game but dine early and could never participate. We were forced to listen each night to Henryk when we wanted music which was most of the time excruciating. The art auction was the focus of this trip, endless ads in our nightly schedules, announcements galore, and no activities at all which would interrupt this event which only appeals to a small group of passengers.

Your fine dining experiences regarding the doling out of bread amaze me. You could not possibly compare Oceania with fine dining. I have had fresher, hotter and tastier food at Denny's. Give me a Moon over Myhammy any day to any meal(excluding Toscana) on this cruise. Fine dining is an art, Oceania survives on itineraries alone. They take for granted repeat passengers who are accustomed to them and don't like change, and passengers who will sacrifice ship amenities for ports. This is fine, but it will not keep their ships full forever. Once you begin to take your passengers for granted, cut back on service and quality the future will yield negative results.

What do I like about Radisson? What don't I like? We did the Panama Canal, all veranda cabins, excellent food and service, multiple activities including enrichment lectures that were wonderful and daily, no constant announcements, well executed shore excursions, fine alternate dining, all inclusive. Compare the cost of a Radisson to your bill at the end of an Oceania cruise and the difference is minimal.

Well Andee, as you can see I am not one to beat around the bush. However, this is my opinion based on comparisons with other cruiselines and our own personal experiences.

[digby]

Was Nancy Bancy on your cruise ??

 

 

LOL! The same question crossed my mind!

[Andee]

Why is it mystifying to enjoy something (Name That Tune) that was only done a few times? I did enjoy it. On our Insignia cruise last year, I liked that it was played many more evenings, but found the 11 PM start late if we wanted to get up early to get off the ship the next morning.

 

We thought the food was excellent, and I would consider it fine dining--to each his own, I guess. I can't comment on your comparison to Denny's as I haven't eaten there.

 

Choosing a cruise for the itinerary doesn't seem like a sacrifice--to me, it's the most important factor.

 

I would also have liked some enrichment lectures; I love to learn about the places we're going.

[ClaudiaF]

LOL! The same question crossed my mind!

;)

mine too...

[cruiseyguy]

Something about this particular thread reminds me of "The Three Faces of Eve."

[Trece]

Here is some information about what we did in port and the guides we used, or didn't get to use as the case may be! I'll just do a few at a time and in no particular order, and I won't really elaborate about what exactly we did because all of these guides will work with you and your interests to create what you want to make of your day. However, if anyone wants more information, just let me know.

 

 

Malta - Our stop here was on or off depending on whether it was version #1 (on), #2 (on but a different day/time), #3 (off), or #4 (on) of the itinerary. Since DH and I had been to Malta several times before, I had planned a tour encompassing some of the things we had never gotten to do with Chris at info@maltatravelnet.com. Chris was great to work with & we were very much looking forward to our tour. Unfortunately, on our behalf, he had pre-bought much-in-demand tickets for us to the Hypogeum for version #1, was able to exchange them for us for version #2, but for version #3 was unable to re-sell them for us (which was puzzling considering how in-demand they are supposed to be), and for version #4, the itinerary revealed at boarding, he was totally unable to get them. We took a financial loss of about $25/couple due to Oceania's constant tinkering. We were fortunate in that a fellow cruiser took the bull by the horns upon boarding, contacted Chris by expensive internet, and managed to resurrect a tour for several couples with only a few days' notice. It was a beautiful day and a great tour. Thanks Roger!

 

Palma de Mallorca, Spain - Our day after boarding was originally scheduled on versions #1, #2, and #3 to be a sea day, but version #4 had us in Palma de Mallorca, totally unprepared in terms of planning and on a Sunday when much was closed. We were forced to improvise and ended up taking a local bus that stopped just outside the port gate into town, where we picked up the Hop On, Hop Off bus. We had fun because we made it fun; however, I think Oceania should have gone overboard in providing a LOT more port information in the ports that were sprung on us at the last moment and that was not done.

 

Alicante, Spain - This port was added in on version #3 and maintained in version #4 of the itinerary, though these arrangements were some of those I had to modify over expensive Oceania internet due to the date being changed and thankfully he was able to accomodate us. I found Ivan Llorca ivanllorca@ono.com through the tourist office. He was able to provide a tour for four of us that combined many elements from several Oceania tours. His tour included admissions but was not supposed to include food & drinks; however, one of several things that impressed me about Ivan was that because he priced our tour as including a driver as well as himself as guide, and the driver backed out, Ivan picked up the tab for food & drinks at two tapas stops that we made during the day. In other words, since he wasn't going to have to pay the driver, he basically "rebated" us that portion of his fee. This was very "upfront" of him and we appreciated his honesty.

[7continentKaren]

We just returned from the 11/17 Insignia. Dr Wong says no mutiny. Just dumb luck for the captain. Lots and lots of disgruntled passengers set the tone for the cruise. In a letter to passengers, Oceania says that Discovery gots its Americans into Libya by securing personal visas. Even with additional cost, almost all of us would have been happy to pay to retain the itinerary. Let's face it - most of us spent about $10K on the trip. A lot of money to have an unhappy time of it. All but one couple we talked to bought this trip because of Libya. Three days out of 10 would tell you something.

 

We spent 4 days in Albania before the cruise and took a morning to visit the Libyan Embassy in Tirana. The chief consul was shocked to hear of passengers being turned away and called to Tripoli to check for us. Tripoli said that the ship could have a visa and would be welcome to bring American passengers. We gave the consul the name and itinerary of the ship. I passed on the info to Soto of Oceania through my travel agent and not one word came back. The cruise director told me that no one wanted to go to Libya anyway since it was a dry nation and people wanted to drink. That was just insulting. He told us that the Egypt itinerary was set in concrete two weeks before sailing.

 

The previous cruise experienced an engine failure and missed Malta altogether. A crew member told me that we also had an engine failure which was why we were going so slowly out of Alexandria, not the phony story about not wanting us to be so sea sick. The stabilizers were so poor that they had to shut down the elevators for safety so people who had trouble with stairs were stuck in their room for about 24 hrs. However, the storm ended at 5 PM the day before we were due in Malta and still we proceeded at 14 knots. I am not impressed with the free 2 hour tour at night when we were due in at 8 AM. Again, we were late into Tunis as well. The brass would not admit to the engine troubles but it made a lot of sense when you consider the top speed is 20 knots and we never exceeded 15 even in totally calm seas.

 

The best thing about the ship was its library. Pretty sad. The food was quite ordinary considering they brag about Pepin. And breakfast was just awful, esp the pancakes. The Hollandaise on the Eggs Benedict was made with vinegar instead of lemon juice and a waiter tried to tell me I was wrong about the recipe! Plus the eggs were seriously overcooked.

 

At least Regatta had a lecturer on Libya - seems like they thought they might get there. We got a lecturer on the Da Vinci Code who was a bore at best. No one to discuss the ports. This cruise in no way compares to Radisson which we loved. Great lecturers, etc. We thought it was the most boring cruise ever during the days at sea. And I do think we deserved one more port. I notice that Regatta had an extra. We ended up with 3 instead of 2 days at sea.

 

My husband and I refused to spend another dollar on anything. Not one sou for these guys. I cheated and had 3 diet cokes! And we still do not have a refund for our Libya tours. The tour prices were outlandish. Esp the one where you spent $39 each for a bus ride to Tunis - no tour.

 

Trust me, never again. I don't know why Oceania thinks it is a good idea to let 650 passengers off a ship so unhappy (not to mention the folks from Regatta). At the Barcelona Hilton, people were still complaining.

[cruiseyguy]

Why do these totally negative posts concerning the Libyan cruise have an aside about how much better Radisson is? I'm sure there were unhappy and frustrated passengers on this cruise but, personally, I do not believe that everything was bad...tours, itinerary, food, entertainment, etc. Something about all this doesn't smell right...just my opinion.

[Jancruz]

The previous cruise experienced an engine failure and missed Malta altogether. A crew member told me that we also had an engine failure which was why we were going so slowly out of Alexandria, not the phony story about not wanting us to be so sea sick. The stabilizers were so poor that they had to shut down the elevators for safety so people who had trouble with stairs were stuck in their room for about 24 hrs. However, the storm ended at 5 PM the day before we were due in Malta and still we proceeded at 14 knots. I am not impressed with the free 2 hour tour at night when we were due in at 8 AM. Again, we were late into Tunis as well. The brass would not admit to the engine troubles but it made a lot of sense when you consider the top speed is 20 knots and we never exceeded 15 even in totally calm seas.

 

Insignia engines:

 

 

 

The Insignia’s reduced speed to Malta was indeed due to the weather. The engine ‘problem’ you mention was actually a computer glitch that was repaired in the Port of Rome on the cruise prior.

Jan

*****

[drwong]

Insignia engines:

 

The Insignia’s reduced speed to Malta was indeed due to the weather. The engine ‘problem’ you mention was actually a computer glitch that was repaired in the Port of Rome on the cruise prior.

Jan

*****

 

Once again, Jan's correct! The R-class ships draw under 20 feet of water, which makes them great for getting into shallow harbors but gives them less-than-desirable seakeeping abilities. The faster a ship moves, the higher the bow is forced out of the water, making her more susceptible to wind and wave action. Thus, in heavy seas, it's good seamanship to keep the speed down and thereby increase the stability of the vessel. Otherwise, there would have been a lot more passengers complaining about seasickness. And once the seas calmed, the Insignia did pick up speed, arriving three hours earlier than Captain Flokos' initial estimate and allowing Oceania to arrange the brief evening tour.

 

Also, the stabilizers were ineffective due to the fact that we were heading into the wind (and waves). Stabilizers work at minimizing a ship's side-to-side roll (when the wind and waves are coming from the side). It's the rolling motion that tends to make passengers seasick. (Have you noticed the orientation of the beds in all the staterooms? They're all oriented fore-to-aft to accommodate the likely forward movement of the ship while underway). When heading to Malta, we were heading into the wind, and the ship was pitching up and down, which even the best stabilizers wouldn't be able to eliminate.

 

The elevators had to be shut down to prevent their safety mechanisms from engaging. If an elevator experiences a sudden drop (such as that caused by a cable snapping), the brakes engage to stop the elevator whereever it is. If the ship is pitching and suddenly drops into a wave trough, the elevator cab brakes could engage, trapping the passengers inside. Evacuating a cabful of older passengers trapped between floors and above an open nine-story elevator shaft isn't something you'd want to do in pitching seas.

 

Concerning the Egyptian diversion, Oceania did prepare for the possibility of one weeks earlier, when there were serious concerns that the group visas would not be forthcoming and there might be insufficient time to procure individual visas for 684 passengers. But Oceania still had lined up port agents and shore excursion providers in Benghazi and Tripoli up until the date of our sailing - it was the Libyan government's short-sightedness that prevented us from using them.

 

Another factor overlooked was the additional fuel costs Oceania incurred by diverting the ship to Alexandria instead of sticking closer to the initial route and making us spend additional days in Malta, LaGoulette, Monte Carlo, or any of the other ports already on our itinerary. Oceania absorbed those costs, instead of sticking passengers with a fuel surcharge like several other cruiselines have done recently.

 

Am I disappointed we didn't go to Libya? Of course. But I have to give Oceania management credit for trying to make the best of a bad situation, and to Captain Flokos and his staff for trying to make the passengers safe and comfortable under adverse weather conditions. Besides, Oceania has four Libyan cruises on its itinerary in 2006, and they could offer a cruise credit towards one of those cruises as compensation for the missed ports on this one - after all, it's not much lost income on their part (satisfied passengers would more than make up the difference via their on-board stateroom charges) and it would help Oceania to fill those cruises a year ahead of time. Plus, if the diplomatic scene doesn't improve between now and then, you can always cancel before the deadline and get your full deposit back.

[Locamp]

Hi to DRWONG and all,

I'm new to the message boards but I've been cruising for 14 years aboard various vessels. Most recently I was ON a voyage on that didn't make it into Libya in November.

 

I have to tell you that DRWONG is right on in his (her?) message quote "Am I disappointed we didn't go to Libya? Of course. But I have to give Oceania management credit for trying to make the best of a bad situation..."

 

6 to 10 Cruise lines were denied access to Libya with American passengers. These companies that did not make it took quite a hit and in missing Libya because of the political situation they lost more than money. You can try to figure out port costs vs. fuel costs etc, but it all boils down to a loss of perceived credibility when you cannot take your passengers to a destination which a week before had been feasible. This is something that takes a long time to recover. Most EVERY cruise line that did not get in made SOME kind of recompense and granted some were better than others, but believe me, ALL of these lines are scrambling now to safeguard themselves and their passengers from further disappointment.

 

I am not exaggerating when I say that the closing of the doors to Libya happened in the blink of an eye. I have several friends in the cruise business. Some had JUST gotten into Libya with their American passengers with Group visas. Some were DENIED the ability to land their American passengers even with Individual Visas. It made no sense whatsoever.

 

The mindset of the Libyan government now is capricious at BEST and nothing can be guaranteed. Having said this however, I would urge those of you who have booked a Libya cruise to stick with it. I have actually BEEN to Libya (a land trip last year) and it is worth it. To safeguard yourself do these two things.

 

#1: Insist on getting an individual Visa. Though Group Visas were perfectly fine until Libya suddenly decided they were NOT, an individual Visa now seems to be the way to go. (Mind you this only changed in November). This is more time consuming and more expensive but it gives you a higher chance of getting in. (NOTE: Even if you HAVE an individual visa, in Libya it is forbidden to do individual excursions not arranged by the ship officially and you cannot wander on your own anywhere without an official guide and driver.)

 

 

#2: Ask what the "Plan B" is in case Libya decides not to let you in. Often a "Plan B" can be just as exciting and on our cruise we ended up doing three days in Tunisia (to include Dougga, El Jem, Kairouan, Tunis, Sousse, Carthage, Sidi Bou Said) to offset the missed Libya stops. If the "Plan B" looks good then stick with your voyage.

 

 

I've been following the Oceania message boards since I got back and there are some very valid points made. However I would not blame the cruise company for the November closing of Libya. There was absolutely no advance warning of this and there is no way ANY cruise company would wish this kind of logistical nightmare upon itself NOR upon its loyal clientele!

Thanks for listening.

Locamp

[Windrunner I]

We just returned from the 11/17 Insignia. Dr Wong says no mutiny. Just dumb luck for the captain. Lots and lots of disgruntled passengers set the tone for the cruise. In a letter to passengers, Oceania says that Discovery gots its Americans into Libya by securing personal visas. Even with additional cost, almost all of us would have been happy to pay to retain the itinerary. Let's face it - most of us spent about $10K on the trip. A lot of money to have an unhappy time of it. All but one couple we talked to bought this trip because of Libya. Three days out of 10 would tell you something.

 

Refering to "dumb luck", having sailed Discovery, I can tell you that this was a case of 'luck' as well. Discovery was carrying very few Americans on that voyage (most were Britions, Aussies and Kiwis) and has a signifigant operations staff in the U.K. (they're U.K. owned and operated) that was able to secure the indisvidual visas. A MUCH different scenario than say Oceania, Orient or Silversea trying to secure individual visas last-minute for HUNDREDS of passengers versus a few DOZEN.

 

I always get a chuckle out of people who think a cruise line can control or solve political situations or even better, those who feel that the travel industry conspries against them or goes out of their way to ensure they're disgruntled. Well, maybe the airlines actually do. ;-)

 

Travel seems to becoming a lost art, and good travelers are truly artisits and becoming a rarity in this society of entitlement. This is not a perfect world, things change and can go wrong.

 

Me, I'll travel with folks like Dr. Wong ANY DAY and wish the curmudgeons would stay home!

[pacmom]

BRAVO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Well said, windrunner. Pat

[Locamp]

To Windrunner I,

 

I second Pacmom's "Bravo" and want to say that you've renewed my faith in the fact that there are still great adventurers out there keeping the spirit of discovery alive. I applaud you AND your sense of humor!

 

I loved your quote: "Travel seems to becoming a lost art, and good travelers are truly artisits and becoming a rarity in this society of entitlement. This is not a perfect world, things change and can go wrong." In fact I think I'm going to print it up and put it on my fridge!

 

I guess I can be pretty upbeat about missing Libya because it is not the worst thing that could have happened. In my 14 years aboard ships I have been on various (different) vessels 4 times which have run aground. ( Only on one of those did we need to be evacuated.) Other ships I have been on have missed landings because of EXTREMELY bad weather - Force 11 Gales (with waves crashing THROUGH the windows on the bridge and then also the dining room-flooding the public areas.) There have been port closings due to Maritime Strikes, Political Unrest and Tsunami damage. Thankfully my life has never been threatened but a good deal of money was probably lost over the years due to all of these factors.

 

One KEY factor, brought up earlier on this message board, was how the various companies and cruise ships HANDLED things on board when passengers were disappointed. On ALL of these voyages the various crews and leaders told us the truth right away, acknowledged our disappointment and then went on to try to salvage the various voyages by scheduling new exciting places to go, putting us up in hotels and supplying buses to continue our exploration on land, or giving discounts on a future voyage.

 

The breakdown on the Oceania during Libya may have been because the company is fairly large, the clientele base greater in number, and nature of the last minute change in Libya's policy. The trickle-down of information from the top to those who were on the ship would have been slower in a company of this size. My bet is that the Cruise Directors, hosts, crew on board would have barely known what was going on themselves. They (as on our ship) were most likely JUST receiving the news and trying to scramble to put together a new itinerary.

 

I say, just chalk it up to adventure, but don't let it stop you from traveling. Life is too short!

[Jancruz]

I am so happy to see that people actually understand that travel is never perfect..I just booked the 11/3/06 for Stu and I and I emailed FDR to say I booked the mystery trip..

To us a big part of cruising (and I hate to admit we have been doing it 50 years) are the people we meet and the adventures we have had..

Jan

*****

[Trece]

Isn't it kindof odd that all of a sudden the focus seems to be shifting a little to being critical of those of us who had higher expectations of Oceania in regards to how it as a company reacted when Libya pulled its crap, when the purpose of boards like these is often to encourage us to find that perfect cruise line, that perfect itinerary, that perfect TA, that perfect guide, that perfect cabana, that perfect bed linen, that perfect dessert, that perfect cabin etc. etc. etc. Isn't it a little disingenuous to now point fingers at our disappointment in Oceania and say that our expectations of the company were too high because "nothing's perfect?"

 

Yes, this is not a perfect world, and it certainly is far from perfect when one travels. You may recall that I referred, several posts ago, to major flight issues that DH and I encountered on our way home & I don't recall ever elaborating about those in any detail because I do chalk things like that up to "things happen." We've also had misadventures, skipped ports, bad weather, injuries/illness in a foreign country, major crises at home while we were gone, etc. - all filed in my mind in the category of "things happen." On the other hand, I personally don't feel that companies are motivated to change bad policies or treatment of customers if those customers chalk everything up to "this is not a perfect world" and just let it go. I also don't necessarily appreciate the implication that I'm part of a "society of entitlement" just because I think Oceania could have handled the 11-5-05 passengers with more sympathy & class. This is the first trip (cruise, package tour, or DIY adventure) I've ever been on where I felt my patronage as a customer was as low as it was on this one, and it's also the first time I ever expressed it (OK, I'm not counting a complaint letter to Air France five years ago!). While the circumstances that created the problem were beyond Oceania's control for the most part (I still think a virgin itinerary with three days in a country headed by a flake was not necessarily smart), I still don't feel the corporate reaction was appropriate. I don't think I'm any less of a good traveler because I choose to remind my travel supplier that I have a choice where I spend my hard-earned travel dollars.

 

Also, for the record, I can't speak for anyone else who has a beef with Oceania over any of this, but I also think it's presumptuous of some to assume that because someone has a gripe with Oceania (or any company) that this necessarily means they had a terrible time OR influenced anyone else to have a terrible time while on board. DH and I had a good time, met great people, saw some wonderful ports, enjoyed a lovely ship, and took 2000 photos between us to prove it (none, of course, were of Libya - joke!!).

 

I guess what I'm trying to say is that if you are of a mindset to be accepting of everything that happens to you while traveling because "nothing's perfect," that's fine and great and you probably have low blood pressure because of it. I respect your attitude. But I don't think it's necessary to state that those of us who are less than satisfied are not good travelers or are being unreasonable or petty because we have a different attitude. :D

[PurpleCow]

Trece, I believe that there's a huge difference between those, like you, who have a specific, well earned, gripe with Oceania and those who find fault at every turn and vow never to cruise with the line again. I'm one who pretty much takes everything in stride and tends to make lemonade when handed lemons. On the other hand, if I learned, after making my final payment on the 2007 Panama Canal transit, that transit being virtually the only reason for the my booking the cruise, that Panama had arbitrarily decided to bar the ship from the canal and Oceania was substituting a train ride across the continent, I think I'd be hopping mad, too. And I'd be glad that I had this from in which to rant.

[lahore]

I completely agree with your last posting; disingenuous indeed. We all know it's not a perfect world, and to say so is patronising. I feel for your experience and am sure you were rightly disappointed. Basically; what a bummer.:(

[Pismo]

There have been a lot of valid points made about this disappointing cruise. While the itinerary shuffling was unfortunate but understandable, for our part the really bad vibes resulted from the poor service (and food) described in earlier posts. To us, that was more than a little surprising, particularly given our past very positive Oceania experience.

[Locamp]

To TRECE,

 

Locamp here. I have been avidly reading your well-written posts. I feel your pain and TOTALLY agree that from your description there seem to have been definite lapses in service and communication on your Libya-less voyage. I hope you did not misconstrue my cavalier attitude about Libya and "things happen" post to mean that your complaints were not well-founded.

 

No...no..not at ALL. We are ALL paying HARD EARNED money (in good faith) when we book with a travel agent or cruise line. REGARDLESS of whether a political situation (or strike, or bad weather) keep us from making a promised call, the responsibility lies with the cruise line to to be above all, humane, truthful, forthcoming and AT LEAST understanding of our monetary loss and EXTREME disappointment.

 

All of us can understand of course that "things happen" on ANY adventure. The point that makes or breaks an experience is HOW WE ARE TREATED as paying passengers when something like this happens.

 

My post was meant to show that indeed SOME companies respond with integrity and understanding. It seems like on your voyage this was not the case and I am truely sorry.

 

I have not traveled on Oceania so cannot speak for them, but I really abhor when ANYONE tells me "No...because it is not company policy". This always gets my hackels up and I want to say "WHY?! Cannot ANYONE just look at the situation here?!"

 

As Drwong or was it Windrunner I mentioned, this often happens with the airlines. Too bad that the old adage that "Getting there is half the fun" has been totally ruined by the airline industry these days...but it should NOT be so on board a cruise.

 

I think you brought this up with the whole "shrimp cocktail" debacle...While we may laugh about it now, this is just a perfect example of the "No...because it is not company policy" theme. Really, if the staff on the Oceania had been given leeway to make decisions on their own, I'm SURE they would have seen that "Hey, these people did NOT get into Libya, EVERYONE is disappointed, so let's live it up and BEND the rules a bit." This happened on my voyage and it SHOULD have happened on yours.

 

YOU ARE TOTALLY in the right to insist on at least being told the TRUTH!You are also right in that SOMEONE should have acknowledged that we all paid a great deal of money to have an excellent adventure to Libya! When this did not happen, Oceania needed to relax the rules a bit and let their staff communicate with passengers. Oceania themselves needed to give SOMEONE a defintive "Plan B" and to post it on their website. And SOMEONE on the ship should have been notified that special requests might be administered to with a bit more care regarding the situation.

 

Trece, you seem like a level headed well traveled person. I don't think anyone on this message board meant to infer that your complaints were not well grounded.

 

A service industry should be committed to service. It seems like someone dropped the ball on your cruise. My suspicions are that the ball dropping occurred somewhere near the top.

 

Fair winds...Locamp.

[Cecillena]

This was our first cruise with Oceania and the reason was Libya. 4 days prior to departure our TA relayed the infomation fron Oceania that the ports were no longer accessible to U.S. passport holders (us) and therefore the itinerary was changed. the reason was plausible and we accepted it; however scuttlebutt (sp) on the boat was that there were ulterior motives on the part of Oceania. I have no direct knowledge of the reason for the change other than that presented by Oceania. So be it. Our Canadian friends took this in stride, though they groused personally.

I would like to know if anyone has definitive information as to the reason for the change in schedule. Without this information I am hesitant to criticize Oceania for the changes to the itinerary.

In retrospect, If Libya were a truly sought after destination on our part we would have travelled independently on our own visas; the thought of Libya as a port of call was alluring and thus the resevation.

I would like to thank one of the many friends that we made on this voyage as to the existence of this web page. It will certainly be helpful in future plans.

[7continentKaren]

Jan, I know you are the resident expert on all things Oceania but there was no bad weather for the 24 hours prior to arriving in Malta. We still did not exceed 15 knots with a capacity for 20 knots. I believe the staff person who whispered in my ear that there were engine problems. I bought the Oceania story about the bad weather being responsible for our slow progress but there was no good reason for the ship to be going so slowly in good weather. The speed information was at all times on the TV in the room.

 

People who are frequent cruisers were amazed that the elevators had to be shut down. None of them ever heard of such a thing. Poor design, I would say. That storm did not even come close to what you can experience in the Drake Passage. Imagine what it was like for those in wheelchairs to be trapped in their rooms for a day.

 

I only had an interest in Libya, Malta and Tunisia and was disappointed in all of them because of missing one and getting in late in the others. Never again.