Voyager's woes, updated

[Travelcat2]

Any word on whether the pod has been fixed and/or if the ship is sailing tomorrow, April 1st?

[Jancruz]

If pod cant be fixed in Dubai..Seven Seas Voyagers new itinerary (tentative)

 

Day Port Country Arrive Depart

 

1-Wed DUBAI UAE 6 PM

2- Thu FUJAIRAH UAE 8 AM 6 PM

3- Fri MUSCAT OMAN 7 AM 5 PM

4- Sat AT SEA

5-Sun AT SEA (SALALAH)

6- Mon AT SEA

7-Tue AT SEA

8-Wed AT SEA

9-Thu AT SEA (SAFAGA)

10-Fri SAFAGA EGYPT 9 AM

11-Sat SAFAGA EGYPT 5 PM

12-Sun AQABA (SHARM EL SHEIK) JORDAN 7 AM 9 PM

13-Mon AT SEA (SUEZ CANAL)

14-Tue SUEZ CANAL TRANSIT

(ALEXANDRIA) EGYPT 3 AM 4 PM

15-Wed ALEXANDRIA (RHODES) EGYPT 7 AM 4 PM

16-Thu AT SEA (BODRUM)

17-Fri ISTANBUL (LATE ARRIVAL) TURKEY 7 PM

18-Sat ISTANBUL TURKEY Disembark

 

Jancruz1

[mrlevin]

Maybe Voyager should reconsider and skip Oman. Here is the current weather warning for Oman including Muscat.

 

Strong winds, heavy rains, and thunderstorms to affect northern Oman March 31-April 5. Flooding, localized transport disruptions possible.

 

 

 

Locations affected by this alert: Oman

 

This alert began 03/31/09 20:08 GMT and is scheduled to expire 04/05/09 23:59 GMT.

 

 

Summary

Thunderstorms capable of producing strong winds, heavy rain, and hail are forecast in the Musandam, Al Buryami and Muscat governorates and the Al Batinah, Ad Dakhiliyah and Ash Sharqiyah regions in the northern part of the country March 31-April 5. Heavy precipitation may lead to flash flooding and inclement weather could force the closure of businesses, government offices and schools during this period. Transport disruptions, power outages and water supply interruptions are possible.

 

Background & Analysis

Desert wadis outside Muscat are prone to flooding with even light rainfall; heavy rains may cause widespread flooding and significant road damage. Tropical Cyclone Gonu caused extensive damage and killed dozens of people when it struck Muscat and the eastern coast in June 2007. There are currently no indications poor weather will affect petroleum production or port operations, but flooding could disrupt access to some key installations.

 

Advice

Limit unnecessary ground travel until the severe weather passes. Do not drive long distances without seeking updated information about road conditions and safety. Avoid low-lying areas if possible. Confirm flights.

 

Resources

Oman Directorate General of Civil Aviation and Meteorology: http://www.met.gov.*****

Oman Airports: http://www.omanairports.com

 

[Jancruz]

Maybe Voyager should reconsider and skip Oman. Here is the current weather warning for Oman including Muscat.

 

I think they may be skipping it..

Jancruz1

[Travelcat2]

I think they may be skipping it..

Jancruz1

 

My concern is not whether or not the Voyager will be skipping a port due to weather. The Captain is more than capable of making that decision. The main question that many of us have is whether or not the pod has been fixed. This surely has been determined prior to 8:30 p.m. on March 31st (Pacific time) in the U.S. In fact, the ship should be moving by now.

 

IF the pod has not been fixed, the ramifications go beyond the current cruise. As you will recall, the Mariner had to wait over a year for a new pod. This impacted all of it's itineraries. For those of us who will be sailing on the Voyager in 2009, this question is important. We need to know if there is a domino factor in effect.

[mrlevin]

Travelcat, in Post #51 you state that the Voyager is supposed to sail from Dubai on 1 April. In Post #52, JANCRUZ provides schedule showing departure at 6pm on 1 April. Now, in Post #55 you state that ship should already be sailing on 31 March.

 

I am confused; or are you confused.

 

It is currently 1 April 7:40am in Dubai. I am sure folks are getting up and about and they will report in soon.

[Travelcat2]

Travelcat, in Post #51 you state that the Voyager is supposed to sail from Dubai on 1 April. In Post #52, JANCRUZ provides schedule showing departure at 6pm on 1 April. Now, in Post #55 you state that ship should already be sailing on 31 March.

 

I am confused; or are you confused.

 

It is currently 1 April 7:40am in Dubai. I am sure folks are getting up and about and they will report in soon.

 

Excuse me for being off by 1 hour. I am fairly confident that the passengers on the Voyager knew before they went to bed a few hours ago whether or not the pod was fixed. If passengers are still not certain if the the pod is fixed, they no doubt will when they sail in approximately 7 minutes.

 

Many of us are now wondering about the future sailings of the Voyager rather than if weather will prevent it from making one port. This is a serious issue -- Regent does not have an extra pod sitting around that can replace the damaged one. If repairs were not possible in Dubai, then when do they expect to be able to make the repairs (or, do they have to complete their World Cruise at 12-14 knots?????)

 

My questions aren't really targeted at the passengers. . . . but, to TA's and Regent management that do, in fact, monitor these boards.

[mrlevin]

It is now 8:05 AM. The ship is not scheduled to depart until 6:00 PM. That is a lot more than seven minutes from now.

 

I will sail on Voyager later this year. I am sure she will be fine.

 

I was on the Mariner when she damaged her pod and we were forced to go at 5kts through a storm to Whittier. I also sailed Mariner on one of the modified itineraries. Did I know the difference, yes. We lost six hours in Hong Kong from a two week itinerary. I am sure that many of the passengers never realized that our itinerary had to be changed.

 

Travelcat, you need to relax. Neither of us are adversely impacted (yet if at all) by this situation. Let's wait and here from Regent and the folks onboard and the folks boarding in Dubai.

 

By the way, I am neither a TA nor a Regent employee so in the words of that great military hero Sgt Schultz:

 

"I KNOW NOTHING!"

[mrlevin]

Update from Photofinnish:

 

Flash update * 8 am April 01

The azipod damage was serious.

The ship is going to dry dock in Rome for 3

or 4 weeks. Regent will fly us home from

Rome. Click here for details.

 

Here are the details:

 

This morning we found a letter in our cabin door, announcing that the azipod damage from the fish net

was such that the ship will have to go to dry dock in Rome for 3 or 4 weeks, so essentially this year's

world cruise is over in Rome.

 

We were given 3 choices:

 

1) Fly home today

2) Switch over to the Mariner

3) Stay on the Voyager, and travel at a discount to Rome, skipping some, but not all ports.

 

We leave Dubai at 6 pm today.

[WesW]

Marc, thanks for the flash update...r/wes

[Wendy The Wanderer]

Is that really "for" 3 or 4 weeks, or perhaps "in" 3 or 4 weeks? That amount of time is going to seriously mess up the schedule. Wow. Poor World Cruisers, poor guys sailing in a few weeks, like the Reykavik trip.

[mrlevin]

Is that really "for" 3 or 4 weeks, or perhaps "in" 3 or 4 weeks? That amount of time is going to seriously mess up the schedule. Wow. Poor World Cruisers, poor guys sailing in a few weeks, like the Reykavik trip.

 

Wendy, I agree that that seems like a long time for drydock. Maybe your interpretation is right. It would be nice to get more reports and/or inputs from Regent.

[Chickiecruise]

I heard for 3 or 4 weeks....I feel so badly for all the people who've been anticipating joining in Istanbul, like my brother and some other friends. And the WC's having to pack and ship and fly from Rome nstead of FLL. What a shame. Wonder what they'll do with the crew? Have them stay onboard I suppose?

[Chickiecruise]

The ports they'll stop at on this leg are Safaga, Egypt; Aqaba, Jordan; Fujairah UAE and Muscat. After the Suez they go directly to Rome and the ship goes into drydock for at least three weeks.

[mrlevin]

The ports they'll stop at on this leg are Safaga, Egypt; Aqaba, Jordan; Fujairah UAE and Muscat. After the Suez they go directly to Rome and the ship goes into drydock for at least three weeks.

 

Thanks for the update. Will they at least stop for tours to Cairo?

 

Going straight to Rome instead of Istanbul will save them about a week. Maybe they can make the 8 May cruise if they steam non-stop from Rome to Ft Lauderdale.

[Chickiecruise]

The ship won't return to Fort Laud; she'll re-position for the summer cruises.

[Wendy The Wanderer]

Wow, this is a big impact on the company, and the customers.

[Chickiecruise]

I cannot imagine how much $$ this is going to cost Regent.:(

[WesW]

Do hope insurance will cover some of Regent't financial impact with this Pod

issue...

[hsimps]

This from on board this morning. Some is a repeat of the earlier info. but there are a few new things as well.---

 

"We learned an hour or so ago that the pod is not repairable outside of a floating dock and that the only available one is at Rome. So that's where we are heading. The ship will not be returning to the States - it will be 3 weeks to a month in dry dock and will then continue its European schedule.

 

We were given three options:

 

1 Fly home from Dubai with full cruise refund for the lost days, or

 

2. Continue to Rome at 13 knots, arriving there on the 19th with limited ports of call for half price, and be fully refunded for the balance, or

 

3. Transfer at no cost to the Mariner in Bali/Singapore and continue Ring of Fire cruise as far as Seward.

 

 

We have opted for option 2 - i.e. we are on board to Rome where we are due

to arrive on 19 April. We still get to have our overnight in Luxor and we still visit Aqaba (Petra) and we will probably spend a few days in Rome. So all is not bad!"

[Wendy The Wanderer]

Good for you for making good of this situation. Enjoy your excursions, and Rome!

[mrlevin]

This from on board this morning. Some is a repeat of the earlier info. but there are a few new things as well.---

 

"We learned an hour or so ago that the pod is not repairable outside of a floating dock and that the only available one is at Rome. So that's where we are heading. The ship will not be returning to the States - it will be 3 weeks to a month in dry dock and will then continue its European schedule.

 

We were given three options:

 

1 Fly home from Dubai with full cruise refund for the lost days, or

 

2. Continue to Rome at 13 knots, arriving there on the 19th with limited ports of call for half price, and be fully refunded for the balance, or

 

3. Transfer at no cost to the Mariner in Bali/Singapore and continue Ring of Fire cruise as far as Seward.

 

 

We have opted for option 2 - i.e. we are on board to Rome where we are due

to arrive on 19 April. We still get to have our overnight in Luxor and we still visit Aqaba (Petra) and we will probably spend a few days in Rome. So all is not bad!"

 

hsimps, glad to see that you are making lemonade.

 

A question about options one and two. What has Regent promised beyond refund of funds for "unsailed days" on this cruise? A full refund is the minimum they owe you under their contract. I would hope that Regent is also providing extensive future cruise credits. Has any specific amount been discussed or has Regent, at least, mentioned that additional credity would be forthcoming?

 

thanks,

[Host Dan]

Do hope insurance will cover some of Regent't financial impact with this Pod

issue...

What a blow to Regent during this economic mess! After reading the Silversea board, I'll bet the Conroy's aren't getting a good nights sleep!

 

Host Dan

[Travelcat2]

What a blow to Regent during this economic mess! After reading the Silversea board, I'll bet the Conroy's aren't getting a good nights sleep!

 

Host Dan

 

I think they could Marilyn's assistance over at Regent. You're right, though, it is a very big blow to Regent. It's too bad that they don't have a spare pod -- it could have been installed faster than fixing the existing one (wonder what happened to the pod they removed from the Mariner earlier this year???)

[kvisf]

As I recall, Regent intended to have the damaged pod that was removed from Mariner rebuilt and kept on hand as a spare should the need arise. If that in fact happened, it could explain why Voyager will be in drydock "only" three or four weeks, as I understand rebuilding a severely damaged pod can take upward of a year and off-the-shelf new replacements just don't exist.