Oceania Cruises Missing More

[Hanoj]

“This is your captain. Due to the overwhelming success of the newly introduced Simply More marketing campaign (designed to drive away cruise only freeloaders), I announce our new port intensive program Missing More! (designed to drive away DIY and private tour freeloaders).”

 

Presently on Vista and we just missed Stornoway due to “sea swells and weather” making tendering unsafe. I’m not qualified to assess the veracity of this reason given, but I have no loss of sarcasm for expressing my disappointment. I saw the harbor pilot leave the ship after heading back out of the port after we had entered the port and stopped (though I don’t think anchors were dropped). The sea appeared calmer than both Newhaven (Edinburgh) and Kirkwall, also tendering ports. I’ve read numerous comments about concerns over dubious reasons communicated for missing ports on Oceania itineraries. If someone wishes to provide independent information supporting this instance, I’m open to giving O the benefit of the doubt, but this is our first O cruise and they now have the ignoble honor of achieving our first missed port in 40 days of cruising. 
 

Coupled with noting 6 hours of reduced port time (across 3 of 10 scheduled calls) per the itinerary published in Currents compared to when booking the cruise (June 2023), I won’t be visiting the O Ambassador about booking any future cruise while onboard.

[tine-tine]

Possibly this tragic WWI disaster was weighing heavily on the Captains mind! https://www.nrscotland.gov.uk/research/learning/first-world-war/the-iolaire-disaster-1919

[PirateShark]

Thank you for that poignant story @tine-tine.  The seas have always been dangerous.

 

@Hanoj The wind is forecasted on my weather app to pick up later today which I have no idea if its affecting operations.  I'm not an O cheerleader but I hope this isn't a pattern emerging for this cruise.  Especially since we are on the segment after too.  Hopefully they will have some interesting activities today but I'm not holding my breath at this short notice.

[tigerfan75]

22 minutes ago, Hanoj said:

“This is your captain. Due to the overwhelming success of the newly introduced Simply More marketing campaign (designed to drive away cruise only freeloaders), I announce our new port intensive program Missing More! (designed to drive away DIY and private tour freeloaders).”

 

Presently on Vista and we just missed Stornoway due to “sea swells and weather” making tendering unsafe. I’m not qualified to assess the veracity of this reason given, but I have no loss of sarcasm for expressing my disappointment. I saw the harbor pilot leave the ship after heading back out of the port after we had entered the port and stopped (though I don’t think anchors were dropped). The sea appeared calmer than both Newhaven (Edinburgh) and Kirkwall, also tendering ports. I’ve read numerous comments about concerns over dubious reasons communicated for missing ports on Oceania itineraries. If someone wishes to provide independent information supporting this instance, I’m open to giving O the benefit of the doubt, but this is our first O cruise and they now have the ignoble honor of achieving our first missed port in 40 days of cruising. 
 

Coupled with noting 6 hours of reduced port time (across 3 of 10 scheduled calls) per the itinerary published in Currents compared to when booking the cruise (June 2023), I won’t be visiting the O Ambassador about booking any future cruise while onboard.

Also on Vista now.  After a short sail from port the seas are rough, with heavy fog and rain.  Not a weather person, but probably a weather front, which should mean clear sky on the other side.  I am glad I am not on a tender during this.

 

Given what I see, I cannot fault the Captain for being on the side of my safety.

[FlyerTalker]

One factor not mentioned is that the captain needs to consider the weather conditions, not just for the morning, but for the entire time that the ship is scheduled in port.

 

Do you want to be ashore, be on your own, and then find that the ship had to leave the port due to weather?  Or do you want to be like the passengers on the Amsterdam, who were stranded in Stanley in the Falklands because the captain risked tender operations when weather was threatening for the afternoon.  They had no problem getting ashore - but coming back was impossible to do safely.  At least there the ship stayed offshore, but hundreds of people were stranded with no where to stay.

 

Reminds me of how folks think an airline is lying when they are told their flight is delayed because of weather.  They look outside, see sunshine, and don't realize that it's all part of a bigger picture and that weather right now, right here, is not just the only factor.

 

 

[PirateShark]

At least we will be getting into Greenock (Glasgow) two hours early and we are scheduled to dock, not tender.  So at least something was added on.

[pinotlover]

There exists Cruisers and Travelers, with a ( very) few in the middle, that typically talk past one another. It constantly amazes me, even after all these cruises, the number of O passengers that rarely, if ever, get off the ship. Some that do, only do so for a couple hours and back to the ship for lunch.Totally acceptable for them to do that, and it’s their money to do as they please,; however they display zero understanding of we travelers that believe time in port or missed ports is a big deal! To them it’s no big deal to lose 2-3 hours port time, because if they chose to get off the ship it would only be for a couple hours. Brings to mind a fellow passenger on our recent Marina cruise, after another dubious port cancellation, saying “ I don’t care if we have 20 sea days, I’m just here to enjoy the ship!”

Yes, the New Oceania is missing a lot more ports and cutting a lot more port times than the old one. The double rubber surf, no turf may not be enough to pull in the travelers in the future. Time will tell. Meanwhile, the cruisers are obviously still happy, except for that SM thing.

 

[Hanoj]

So . . . we had hoped to get a tender pass in the Vista Lounge this morning to go ashore  but the cancellation announcement came before we headed down. Instead we went to the Vista Lounge for the Future Voyages Presentation and my wife won the $250 OBC raffle!
 

My cynical sarcasm was a way for me to vent. I let my disappointment go before leaving my stateroom and greeted everyone, whether guest or crew, with a smile and gracious word. I am grateful. Gratitude is bliss.

 

My “missing more” pun was largely due to what appears may be a trend, disturbing to this traveler if borne out, of missing ports and shortening durations. 

Edited August 22, 2023 by Hanoj

[PaulMCO]

There are certain Captains that I will not sail with -- why because they lie. 

One such was in the Falklands where we could not tender because of weather.

Called our private guide Patrick who said "today was the best weather all year."

Next stop was Montevideo where we witnessed the crew welding on a new anchor.

Weather hmmn... Lost an anchor so we could not tender. Real issue yes.  Honest with passengers -- no.

[PirateShark]

Congrats to your lovely wife @Hanoj!  There was a silver lining to your disappointment at least.  Considering that life happens and this maybe our only opportunity to be in Scotland, we weren't that happy either.  We'll have to have twice as much fun going forward 😁

[FlyerTalker]

6 minutes ago, PaulMCO said:

There are certain Captains that I will not sail with -- why because they lie.

 

Curious how you know who the captain will be for any particular sailing.  The only line that posted the identity of the captain for a sailing was Old Crystal.  And even if you find out through social media, wouldn't that be within the cancellation penalty window?

 

 

[PaulMCO]

I only do Oceania on short notice -- as you can see I have n

2 hours ago, FlyerTalker said:

 

Curious how you know who the captain will be for any particular sailing.  The only line that posted the identity of the captain for a sailing was Old Crystal.  And even if you find out through social media, wouldn't that be within the cancellation penalty window?

 

 

I now only do O on short notice as a filler or add in.  So I know who the Captain and more importantly the GM is.  Won't sail with particular GMs too and also will sail with gladly certain GMs.  Many good experiences with O and several more recent bad experiences.

 

More interested on the other lines I have booked.  Like RSSC, SB and SS and possibly Explora and  NC.

[halfapair]

9 hours ago, Hanoj said:

“This is your captain. Due to the overwhelming success of the newly introduced Simply More marketing campaign (designed to drive away cruise only freeloaders), I announce our new port intensive program Missing More! (designed to drive away DIY and private tour freeloaders).”

 

Presently on Vista and we just missed Stornoway due to “sea swells and weather” making tendering unsafe. I’m not qualified to assess the veracity of this reason given, but I have no loss of sarcasm for expressing my disappointment. I saw the harbor pilot leave the ship after heading back out of the port after we had entered the port and stopped (though I don’t think anchors were dropped). The sea appeared calmer than both Newhaven (Edinburgh) and Kirkwall, also tendering ports. I’ve read numerous comments about concerns over dubious reasons communicated for missing ports on Oceania itineraries. If someone wishes to provide independent information supporting this instance, I’m open to giving O the benefit of the doubt, but this is our first O cruise and they now have the ignoble honor of achieving our first missed port in 40 days of cruising. 
 

Coupled with noting 6 hours of reduced port time (across 3 of 10 scheduled calls) per the itinerary published in Currents compared to when booking the cruise (June 2023), I won’t be visiting the O Ambassador about booking any future cruise while onboard.

I don't know the full details of what happened on the Viking ship, but here's the story as it is now:

https://news.sky.com/story/man-dies-after-falling-from-viking-mars-cruise-ship-at-port-of-cromarty-firth-in-invergordon-12944467

[pinotlover]

As faith would have it, I got an email today from a couple booked on one of my shore cruises for Japan.

 

They are canceling the cruise. Said Japan is too important to them to see and too expensive to waste time and money with. To many port cancellations and shortenings. They will keep their purchased air fare and do a land program. 
 

I can, without doubt, say that Oceania is losing past customers because of the new program. I suppose they don’t care. Try to replace them and others with a future SALE!

[Flatbush Flyer]

12 minutes ago, pinotlover said:

As faith would have it, I got an email today from a couple booked on one of my shore cruises for Japan.

 

They are canceling the cruise. Said Japan is too important to them to see and too expensive to waste time and money with. To many port cancellations and shortenings. They will keep their purchased air fare and do a land program. 
 

I can, without doubt, say that Oceania is losing past customers because of the new program. I suppose they don’t care. Try to replace them and others with a future SALE!

Your or their disappointment about a tour (or two or three…) pales in comparison to the responsibility of Oceania’s Master (and Chief) to deliver a safe and secure experience to 1,000+\- passengers and crew while also protecting the ship and shoreside operations in an unusual situation.

 

And, those who don’t like the decisions can certainly use other cruiselines.

Does or should O care about your private tour(s)? Perhaps, for a moment or two. But, safety will always prevail.

 

And should you (or I) decide to move on to a promised (yet not guaranteed) “better experience,” let’s not forget that we’re rounding errors in O’s daily bottom line and will quickly be replaced by other cruisers.

[pinotlover]

FF;

 

Two things “ We are all rounding errors.

 

Oceania’s games of cutting port times, before the cruise even begins, is not a safety issue. Surprisingly that seems to be beyond your grasp.

[EJL2023]

I certainly understand the disappointment of missing a port or an itinerary change, however if you think this is isolated to Oceania I think you are mistaken.  A quick review of the first two pages of threads on pretty much every other line in a similar category as Oceania has a thread related to missed ports and/or itinerary changes.  
 

Its a different world…nothing is the same anymore.  
 

I saw someone else mention it that if there is a particular place you absolutely must see, and we all have those, that a cruise may no longer be the best option on any cruise line for a very specific location due to port and itinerary changes. 

Edited August 22, 2023 by EJL2023

[Flatbush Flyer]

45 minutes ago, pinotlover said:

FF;

 

Two things “ We are all rounding errors.

 

Oceania’s games of cutting port times, before the cruise even begins, is not a safety issue. Surprisingly that seems to be beyond your grasp.

Reread my post. I said “we’re” rounding errors.

And I seriously doubt that you understand the maritime industry sufficiently to call cutting port times (especially in those ports where utility connections are insufficient and cause a reliance on power generation that negatively impacts the ship’s carbon footprint) “games.” 

What you may not understand is that, often, the ship’s future schedule is in a constant state of flux that is dependent on the dictates of a port captain or port authority finding it necessary to make arrival/departure adjustments that don’t consider your (or my) private tours. Moreover, you may not understand that the ship’s cost of a briefly shortened port stay may actually cost O more than the original schedule (in staff et al. navigational/logistical planning/implementation work alone).

 

[redraider1966]

7 hours ago, FlyerTalker said:

Do you want to be ashore, be on your own, and then find that the ship had to leave the port due to weather?  Or do you want to be like the passengers on the Amsterdam, who were stranded in Stanley in the Falklands because the captain risked tender operations when weather was threatening for the afternoon.  They had no problem getting ashore - but coming back was impossible to do safely.  At least there the ship stayed offshore, but hundreds of people were stranded with no where to stay.

.

 

 

FWIW.  We had very good friends who were on that HAL Amsterdam cruise in late January 2005 .  The Falkland Islanders pitched in to find places for all the pax "stranded" on shore overnight.  Our friends slept in the church and tendered back to the ship the next morning.  We were on the ensuing cruise with a reverse itinerary (Valparaiso-Rio). Fortunately, the seas and weather were decidedly better and we tendered back and forth with no problem.

[Host Jazzbeau]

I love Oceania's food.  I don't like their attitude to published schedules – and this goes back many years, before Covid and before carbon footprint was an issue.  Oceania just can't be trusted to deliver the cruise you booked even when other cruise ships are docking or tendering at the same ports.

 

Oceania's marketing has emphasized two things:  "best food at sea" [was true, maybe still is] and "more time in ports" – that has become a lie.  If they really care about their carbon footprint, they should refit their ships to be more energy efficient – but it's not acceptable to change itineraries after final payment or to cut port calls when other ships are still making the port.

[ak1004]

If people believe that O cancels ports on purpose, then my question is: what is the benefit for them to do it? They lose tens of thousands in revenues of canceled excursions, not to mention hundreds of angry guests. What do they benefit?

 

Now, shortened times in ports is a different issue. Here they have clear savings. If the carbon footprint is the real reason, then why it's only O? Is O the only one caring for the environment?

 

We compared two similar itinerates, one SS and one O, both 10 nights.

 

Dubrovnik: SS 9-22 (13 hours) O 7-17 (10 hours).

Corfu SS 9-23 (14 hours) O 8-19 (11 hours)

 

On this specific itinerary, O was till 9pm only in one port, the rest 6-7pm. SS - four ports after 10pm. 

 

To me, this is huge, and it's pretty typical. At this point, "more time in ports" is just a slogan. 

 

We don't pay thousands of dollars to stay on the ship and to have more sea day.

 

No line is perfect. We love O, but ports hours becoming a real issue.

[Host Jazzbeau]

31 minutes ago, ak1004 said:

If people believe that O cancels ports on purpose, then my question is: what is the benefit for them to do it? They lose tens of thousands in revenues of canceled excursions, not to mention hundreds of angry guests. What do they benefit?

I don't know the answer to this question, but it has been noted about Oceania for a long time.  They cancel ports and sail donuts while other lines (e.g. Azamara) either don't cancel or if they must, figure out an alternative port.  One answer might be that unlike most cruise lines Oceania doesn't spell out port charges as a separate part of the fare, so they don't have to refund them when a port is cancelled.  Port charges are peanuts, but still...

 

31 minutes ago, ak1004 said:

Now, shortened times in ports is a different issue. Here they have clear savings. If the carbon footprint is the real reason, then why it's only O? Is O the only one caring for the environment?

@chengkp75 has explained elsewhere that sailing more slowly doesn't really save much carbon since the hotel energy load doesn't change.  If a port offers port power [which allows switching off the hotel generators], reduced time in port might actually increase the ship's carbon footprint.  So my own [cynical] opinion is that this is nothing more than virtue signaling.

[Host Jazzbeau]

8 hours ago, pinotlover said:

Two things “ We are all rounding errors.

 

7 hours ago, Flatbush Flyer said:

Reread my post. I said “we’re” rounding errors.

 

Uh, what?  How does a contraction change the meaning?

Or is it that you two just like to spar with each other?

Just stop.

[Flatbush Flyer]

1 hour ago, pinotlover said:

You just changed the goalposts.

 

No, the chat room group will have little influence.

1. Jacques is gone from the A Class. Only a matter of time before the same on the O ships.

 

2. The R Class ships, even according to FDR, on on their way out.

 

3. SM is here to stay.

 

4. Ports cancellations and shortening are here to stay. Captain Max, on one of our Nautica cruises gave a detailed accounting of how expensive it is by the hour staying in some of the ports. 
 

My primary complaint is#4 actually. If O is going to cut port times, then be honest and tell us before we board. O is coming out with new itineraries shortly. Tell us the Truth Oceania. Don’t wait until we board to get notice the computer algorithms have cut 4 ports short and cancelled this one to save $$$. The algorithms can tell you that today! The bait and switch technique is getting old. 
 

However, “ we’ll be quickly replaced “ according to you by those unfamiliar with the bait and switch!

 

13 minutes ago, Host Jazzbeau said:

I don't know the answer to this question, but it has been noted about Oceania for a long time.  They cancel ports and sail donuts while other lines (e.g. Azamara) either don't cancel or if they must figure out an alternative port.  One answer might be that unlike most cruise lines Oceania doesn't spell out port charges as a separate part of the fare, so they don't have to refund them when a port is cancelled.  Port charges are peanuts, but still...

 

@chengkp75 has explained elsewhere that sailing more slowly doesn't really save much carbon since the hotel energy load doesn't change.  If a port offers port power [which allows switching off the hotel generators], reduced time in port might actually increase the ship's carbon footprint.  So my own [cynical] opinion is that this is nothing more than virtue signaling.

Some folks here are still turning a deaf ear to those port changes caused by port authorities at times closer to or during their cruise and to the reality that many small, exotic ports don’t offer shore power because they don’t have it.

 

And, finally, there’s another edge to the “port fees refund” discussion: ships may still incur some of the contracted costs for a missed port while picking up added charges for a replacement port. And yet, O does not pass any new port charges onto the passengers. Go figure 🤔.

In any case, we will be replaced by the next generation regardless of what O does or doesn’t  change and it may be our own mortality that causes it.

[Host Jazzbeau]

2 minutes ago, Flatbush Flyer said:

Some folks here are still turning a deaf ear to those port changes caused by port authorities at times closer to or during their cruise

 But why does it affect Oceania so much more than other cruise lines?