Industrial action in Cadiz - December cruise cancelled

[Cliffholl55]

Gatwick airport offers PCR on return for approximately £59 each with result next day. You need to book them. 
Martin Lewis has details of these and other airports on his well known site if this is any use to you. 
Not holding much hope with a Marella Med cruise now so may have to look at PO from Southampton.

[ferretktf]

UPDATE

 

Cruise Cancelled - email just received

[ferretktf]

Due to recent industrial action in Cadiz, we had to make some adjustments to our sailing schedule.

 

Marella Explorer 2 moved to the Canaries to cover Marella Explorer while dry dock work was completed following the major disruption which had brought essential maintenance to a standstill.

 

Unfortunately, Marella Explorer 2 now won’t arrive back in Malaga in time for your cruise. As a result of this, we’re very sorry that we’ve had to make the difficult decision to cancel your sailing.

 

While the challenges we’re facing are beyond our control, this isn’t a decision we’ve made lightly. We understand how disappointing this news is.

Edited December 1, 2021 by ferretktf

[colint17]

Thanks ferretktf,

 

By coincidence, 20 minutes before I received the cancellation email I manged to cancel my cruise on the 16th, due to PCR tests ruining Christmas, and book for Canarian Flavours cruise on 4th Jan with outside cabin with no additional charges.

 

Thanks for all your hard work keeping us informed of changes as they happen.

[ferretktf]

I have re-booked for the trip leaving December 30th (two weeks later)

Taking a bit of a punt what with the Omicron and the Dry Dock ... so might get cancelled again but happy to take the chance as wanted to see Gibraltar and this was the last sailing on that itinerary.

Worse case scenario I am then switched to a Canary cruise in the New Year

Edited December 1, 2021 by ferretktf

[howmuch!]

4 hours ago, colint17 said:

Thanks ferretktf,

 

By coincidence, 20 minutes before I received the cancellation email I manged to cancel my cruise on the 16th, due to PCR tests ruining Christmas, and book for Canarian Flavours cruise on 4th Jan with outside cabin with no additional charges.

 

Thanks for all your hard work keeping us informed of changes as they happen.

I do hope its third time lucky for you as we are on the Jan 4th Canarian Flavours as well😎

[Medeba]

7 hours ago, ferretktf said:

I have re-booked for the trip leaving December 30th (two weeks later)

Taking a bit of a punt what with the Omicron and the Dry Dock ... so might get cancelled again but happy to take the chance as wanted to see Gibraltar and this was the last sailing on that itinerary.

Worse case scenario I am then switched to a Canary cruise in the New Year

So , I assume that the Christmas and New Year cruises are still going ahead as planned?

 

[ferretktf]

50 minutes ago, Medeba said:

So , I assume that the Christmas and New Year cruises are still going ahead as planned?

 

Currently yes ..... but with Explorer *still* in dry dock who knows?

 

Explorer should not still be in dry dock if the only issue was the industrial action - hence it is clear she is having some remedial work done - question is how long that takes I guess?

 

Clearly Explorer is not going to make it to the Canaries in time for the 13/14 Dec itineraries which means they don't think it will be ready to make the journey until 12th Dec at the earliest (2 days to get from Cadiz to Gran Canaria)

 

With TUI having given up on getting her there by 13th,  my current thinking is that Explorer will now head to the Canaries on/around 17th December - but I would like to see her out of dry dock and moored up in Cadiz well before then.

 

 

 

 

 

Edited December 1, 2021 by ferretktf

[Mashpotato]

20 minutes ago, ferretktf said:

Currently yes ..... but with Explorer *still* in dry dock who knows?

 

Explorer should not still be in dry dock if the only issue was the industrial action - hence it is clear she is having some remedial work done - question is how long that takes I guess?

 

Clearly Explorer is not going to make it to the Canaries in time for the 13/14 Dec itineraries which means they don't think it will be ready to make the journey until 12th Dec at the earliest (2 days to get from Cadiz to Gran Canaria)

 

With TUI having given up on getting her there by 13th,  my current thinking is that Explorer will now head to the Canaries on/around 17th December - but I would like to see her out of dry dock and moored up in Cadiz well before then.

 

 

 

 

I am due to go on explorer 14th December for caneries,we have had no mention of ships changing and have been given our cabin numbers. Hope it don’t get cancelled as it’s been a headache sorting tests and forms that need filling in 48 hours before etc 

 

[ferretktf]

2 hours ago, Mashpotato said:

I am due to go on explorer 14th December for caneries,we have had no mention of ships changing and have been given our cabin numbers. Hope it don’t get cancelled as it’s been a headache sorting tests and forms that need filling in 48 hours before etc 

The Canaries itineraries are 100% guaranteed to go ahead - its just a case of which ship you will be on.

the itineraries do make it tricky to manage the ship transfer because the Canaries ones overlap …. 7 days starting Gran Canaria and 7 days starting Tenerife … there is never a gap with nobody on the ship….so at some point both ships are going to have to do part of the circuit at the same time in order to achieve the cut over.

 

Based on what we currently know, these are my expectations.(this is a correction from what I posted earlier on this thread)

 

30th Nov - 7th Dec (Gran Canaria) : currently underway EXPLORER 2 (EX2)

1st - 8th Dec (Tenerife) : currently underway EX2

 

7th - 14th Dec (Gran Canaria): EX2

8th - 15th Dec (Tenerife): EX2

 

14th - 21st Dec (Gran Canaria) : New passengers embark on EXPLORER 

(both ships will need to travel same itinerary on 14th and 15th December, as EX2 finishes its cruise and EXPLORER starts hers)

 

15th - 22nd Dec (Tenerife) : EXPLORER …. all remaining Canaries itineraries will be on EXPLORER as scheduled.

 

Marella had hoped to switchover a week earlier, but the Cadiz situation means that EXPLORER cannot get to Gran Canaria by 7th December.

 

15th (pm) EX2 free to return to Malaga ….sail duration 46 hours (minimum) so would not arrive until late on 17th (more probably early morning 18th)

 

this meant that today they had to cancel the Malaga cruise starting 16th but the Christmas (23rd) and New Year (30th) are currently safe …. Assuming that they can get EXPLORER out of Cadiz and down to the Canaries by 15th.

 

 

Edited December 2, 2021 by ferretktf

[ferretktf]

21 hours ago, colint17 said:

Thanks ferretktf,

 

By coincidence, 20 minutes before I received the cancellation email I manged to cancel my cruise on the 16th, due to PCR tests ruining Christmas, and book for Canarian Flavours cruise on 4th Jan with outside cabin with no additional charges.

 

Thanks for all your hard work keeping us informed of changes as they happen.

Hi @colint17

 

Just wondered if you had received full and final confirmation of your transfer, with the outstanding balance showing zero.

 

My transfer has gone through but is showing an outstanding balance of £460 (£280pp) due to the current price of the cruise i have switched to being more expensive than the one i booked earlier.

 

Customer Service yesterday morning said that it had to go to a manager to approve the price match and that she would phone me back "shortly".  I guess they may have quite a few of these to manually authorise.

 

Did your change require a price match to be approved?

Edited December 2, 2021 by ferretktf

[colint17]

Hi ferretktf

 

Funny you should ask this as I have only just got it sorted !

 

When I rebooked yesterday morning the agent assured me there would be nothing extra to pay. But when I looked online the outstanding balance is £1755, and, although I can see the new cruise booked, I received no booking amendment email to confirm changes.

 

Thought I would leave it 24 hours but as still no email or price correction so I phoned them up this morning to insist there should be no more to pay and the outstanding balance should be £0.

 

The agent looked into it and told me the previous agent had omitted to apply the price match option. He agreed price would be matched and would pass it to his team leader to authorise. Half an hour later when I check the price breakdown online I can see the balance is now £0, with a whopping £1755 incentive discount been applied.

 

Still waiting for the amendment email but I was told this may take 24 hours. 

 

Good luck with your issue, hope you get it sorted soon.

 

 

[ferretktf]

24 minutes ago, colint17 said:

a whopping £1755 incentive discount been applied.

WOWSER!!!  

[colint17]

That was for two people, but can't complain 😎

[lovetoholiday]

On 12/2/2021 at 12:11 AM, ferretktf said:

14th - 21st Dec (Gran Canaria) : New passengers embark on EXPLORER 

(both ships will need to travel same itinerary on 14th and 15th December, as EX2 finishes its cruise and EXPLORER starts hers)

 

15th - 22nd Dec (Tenerife) : EXPLORER …. all remaining Canaries itineraries will be on EXPLORER as scheduled.

Where are the Explorer's crew during all this?  

[ferretktf]

No idea, but good point ..... almost certainly remaining where they were when Marella docked in Cadiz.  Extended shore leave ?!?

[ferretktf]

Weekend Update

Explorer still in Dry Dock

 

"Aljubail" the ship that was intended to go into the dry dock last week - is now scheduled to enter today - whether that means alongside Explorer, or replacing Explorer, is unclear, but the fact that its entry has been delayed 5 days is hopefully a sign that Explorer might be ready to leave

Edited December 4, 2021 by ferretktf

[Cliffholl55]

Not sure if Explorer about to leave dry dock as on Marine app it has moved to opposite side of dock so they may of flooded the dock. Hopefully out on water soon.

[howmuch!]

1 hour ago, Cliffholl55 said:

Not sure if Explorer about to leave dry dock as on Marine app it has moved to opposite side of dock so they may of flooded the dock. Hopefully out on water soon.

Cruisemapper and Marinetraffic still show her in dry dock? Perhaps not updated her position

[Cliffholl55]

1 hour ago, howmuch! said:

Cruisemapper and Marinetraffic still show her in dry dock? Perhaps not updated her position

It’s one of the biggest dry docks and if you been looking everyday it has actually moved from one side of dock to other since yesterday. There fairly precise on the satellite. So not really sure 

Edited December 7, 2021 by Cliffholl55

[ferretktf]

It's looking very postive - appears to have logged a route to ALGECIRAS to arrive there tomorrow morning - where presumably it will re-staff and prepare for departure to the Canaries.

 

Fingers crossed that's the plan anyway

[ferretktf]

1 hour ago, Cliffholl55 said:

it has actually moved from one side of dock to other since yesterday. 

and here is the visual - the red line is the movement history (last 24 hours)

Edited December 7, 2021 by ferretktf

[ferretktf]

curiously it moved between 2am and 3am

[Cliffholl55]

6 minutes ago, ferretktf said:

and here is the visual - the red line is the movement history (last 24 hours)

Thank you. Thought I was imagining then 😂
so must of flooded dock

Edited December 7, 2021 by Cliffholl55

[ferretktf]

3 minutes ago, Cliffholl55 said:

so must of flooded dock

or toppled over 😱