Why I'm unlikely to ever "Cruise" (At least on a large ship)

[RooFlyer]

suprised no mention of it here for at least 5 pages back (didn’t bother to check further)

It only became news a few days ago, and only berthed today or last night.

was wondering if if anyone knew how much notice the pax actually got of the change in itinerary (if any); didn’t want to rely on the media spin and quotes from pax

I expect you'll see it on the news tonight, as unhappy passengers have been talking to the media here (I suspect that's all we are going to hear from). I believe they had just entered NZ territorial waters, or about to, and they got 'turned around'.

NZ Herald

'Turd covered in glitter': Cruise blocked at NZ border leaves guests fuming

'Get me off this boat and give me a full refund.'

www.nzherald.co.nz

Thousands of Aussie travellers excited for a two-week cruise around New Zealand have been left gutted after their itinerary was flipped and the ship was rejected by border control.

P&O Cruises Australia told 9News the 13-day Kiwi Adventure voyage aboard the Pacific Adventure had a change of plans and instead set sail for Tasmania after the ship was turned around in New Zealand waters.

Pacific Adventure left Sydney on Monday and was on its way to the Bay of Plenty, where it was set to get its hull cleaned, when the weather disrupted its journey, a spokesperson has revealed.

“We apologise that the itinerary has had to be amended,” the representative said.

“A change in the forecast conditions made it too dangerous for divers, and therefore we are unable to gain clearance to enter New Zealand,” the spokesperson said.

As you say @XWu , likely spin there.

From a radio report I heard, initially pax got told when turned around (hard to conceal that!) and initially got offered an on-board credit and a future cruise credit. Passengers not happy!! I think its now a 50% cash refund on their fare this cruise. I wouldn't be happy with that! Basically cruise abandoned - full refund please.

However, older demographic for number of reasons prefers the "floating hotel" option which is cruising.

Plenty, plenty of 'young' (say <30) cruisers. For a start, ~5 nights in Sth Pacific a popular 'schoolies' choice in Sydney, I've been told by someone who did such . Parents, don't even think about it. And all those other 'Party boats' that ply the south pacific and the Med. Quite affordable as they are big, 'mass market' endeavours.

Older demographic tends to kick in on the quality lines and those with smaller (<300 pax) vessels, where the cost rises substantially (I've found!)

 

[woodyren]

As a person with well over 50 cruises on mass market lines I would also not recommend it s a way to visit places and see them at their best.

For us though who both travel on a budget and enjoy land travel at a more leisurely pace Royal Caribbean in particular offer us great value.

Just like many on AFF the perks and friendships we have made in board make it a an easy decision for us to book a lot of cruises when the price is right.

We get lounge access, alternative dining, free internet, 6 drinks each per day, priority boarding and tenders, free laundry and are looked after superbly by staff.

At this very moment I am sitting in an almost empty lounge chatting with some Singapore cruise friends.

We are on a ship that has missed the Sounds and Dunedin due to a medical emergency then Wellington due to high winds today. Six sea days in a row. Luckily I like sea days.

So it's easy to see after reading most replies on here that cruising on a large ship wouldn't be a great choice.

It also can be a great for others who have different preferences.

 

[latawiec]

As a person with well over 50 cruises on mass market lines I would also not recommend it s a way to visit places and see them at their best.

For us though who both travel on a budget and enjoy land travel at a more leisurely pace Royal Caribbean in particular offer us great value.

Just like many on AFF the perks and friendships we have made in board make it a an easy decision for us to book a lot of cruises when the price is right.

We get lounge access, alternative dining, free internet, 6 drinks each per day, priority boarding and tenders, free laundry and are looked after superbly by staff.

At this very moment I am sitting in an almost empty lounge chatting with some Singapore cruise friends.

We are on a ship that has missed the Sounds and Dunedin due to a medical emergency then Wellington due to high winds today. Six sea days in a row. Luckily I like sea days.

So it's easy to see after reading most replies on here that cruising on a large ship wouldn't be a great choice.

It also can be a great for others who have different preferences.

Woody-ren,
Agree, because we are individuals at at different age, different health conditions and different preferences.

Therefore, nobody should say never-never, because with ageing are preferences are changing.
I decided to contribute to this thread because some strong opinions, from tourist that maybe never took any cruises.

When I was young my preferences were completely different, engaging in taking all chances to travel, by bike, kayak, hitch-hiking, hiking and even sailing on river, lakes and seas.
My father once said that probably I will not die of any natural causes.
However, as a young male I liked various challenges and even finished my tertiary study.

Occasionally I also was taking an additional work from some travel agencies as a tour director or a travel guide.

And in 1982 migrated from Europe to Australia because I didn't like the European political Cold War tension.

Seeing other cultures, tasting foreign foods, seeing historical afterfacts was and still is my passion.
The climate change activism pushed me to travel to see places like Athabasca Glacier, Greenland, or even second time the Norwegian fjords to verify some facts (ie melting of glaciers or slowing of the Golfstrom current) that I had some doubts about.
We have been (with my wife) very independent travelers but with aging our travelling ways were changing and also preferences.

Although my 3 cancer encounters and the Covid-19 restrictions, that both significantly sabotaged my retirement's traveling plans, we are re-adjusting our preferences and also way to travel.

Individual traveling requires a lot of headwork planning, but cruising is very easy. Therefore, I am a great supporter for the aged demographic taking cruises because these might be the last and the only way to travel for them.

I also would like the younger generations to understand that their choices and preferences are different, and that they may dislike cruising, but with maturing their preferences may change like mine.

Thanks for all who reached the end of this my opinion on preferences for cruising.

 

[woodyren]

It's also quite obvious that there is a large discrepancy between the travel budget of many who have contributed to this thread and ours.

The smaller five star ships are way outside my budget. Sure I would love to experience some of the suggested travel on here.

But I also have to admit that the places I have seen on our, comparatively, somewhat limited resources are far above what I would have imagined as a younger person. A mass market ship is still a luxury to us. Points earned after discovering AFF around 8 years ago have allowed us to fly in premium cabins on numerous occasions. Still thrilled to be able to do both.

 

[RooFlyer]

P&O vessel that diverted from New Zealand is still in Hobart for its third day. And now their (re)scheduled stop at Port Arthur has been cancelled because of weather.

i’m not sure if the emissions coming fromthe ship in dock comes from the engines idling or from the passengers steaming.

 

[tgh]

You may already know this roof-lyer but The Cloud disembarked folks on South Georgia in the last few days

 

[jb747]

You may already know this roof-lyer but The Cloud disembarked folks on South Georgia in the last few days

Did it pick them up again, or just abandon them?

 

[Pushka]

P&O vessel that diverted from New Zealand is still in Hobart for its third day. And now their (re)scheduled stop at Port Arthur has been cancelled because of weather.

i’m not sure if the emissions coming fromthe ship in dock comes from the engines idling or from the passengers steaming.

Sometimes when a cruise goes wrong it does end up in the toilet. I expect they should get a full refund plus a whole lot more compensation. At least they are in the media spotlight and will make the cruise line jump.

 

[drron]

Another cruise ship snafu in Brisbane 2 days ago.

Royal Caribbean Cruise Ship Overbooked, Guests Left Behind

Quantum of the Seas was overbooked for a sailing but guests weren't notified until they reached the terminal on embarkation day.

www.cruisehive.com

 

[Lynda2475]

Given P&O have experienced same issue entering NZ you'd think they would better plan maintenance whilst in ports. They only offered customers partial refund and a future credit, understandably that wasn't warmly received by the passengers who missed their own NZ wedding, or have wasted hard secured leave on a ship unable to see sights promised.

I Noticed this article re RC overselling cruise and not telling passengers until they tried to board https://www.news.com.au/travel/trav...e/news-story/9fa154d210df073801a252ff66e69d67 inexcusable.

In Australia it is a breach of consumer law to knowingly sell a product you know you can't supply. Given they know exactly how many cabins there are in each class, can't be anything but a deliberate decision.

At least on the small ship cruise I did, cabin was allocated at time of booking,you didn't book a class, but a specific room therefore no ability to bait n switch.

 

[woodyren]

Currently on Royal Caribbean Ovation of the Seas. We had to turn around on day 2 and head back to Sydney due to a medical emergency. This caused us to miss sailing through the sounds which is a highlight for many. We also skipped Dunedin as a result.

High winds then prevented us from docking in the next port, Wellington.

We have been given $100-$200 USD refundable credit as a result. The missed ports were outside the ships control.

The natives on board are restless with some noisy encounters at guest services. There is also a petition being organised.

It's a good data point for this thread. Don't ever rely on a ship to end up in every port on it's itinerary. It's a regular occurrence for weather or medical related diversions.

 

[Cruiser Elite]

You couldn’t give me a cruise either to go along with Sparkling Shiraz

 

[Pushka]

Given P&O have experienced same issue entering NZ you'd think they would better plan maintenance whilst in ports. They only offered customers partial refund and a future credit, understandably that wasn't warmly received by the passengers who missed their own NZ wedding, or have wasted hard secured leave on a ship unable to see sights promised.

I Noticed this article re RC overselling cruise and not telling passengers until they tried to board https://www.news.com.au/travel/trav...e/news-story/9fa154d210df073801a252ff66e69d67 inexcusable.

In Australia it is a breach of consumer law to knowingly sell a product you know you can't supply. Given they know exactly how many cabins there are in each class, can't be anything but a deliberate decision.

At least on the small ship cruise I did, cabin was allocated at time of booking,you didn't book a class, but a specific room therefore no ability to bait n switch.

What cruise lines are doing these days, and previously, is sell a Guarantee Booking where a specific cabin isn't assigned. You are guaranteed at least the cabin level you are booked at, and sometimes an upgrade. They are cheaper than booking a cabin and the entire model assumes people back out closer to cruising. However the trend since Covid is that not enough people are backing out so cruises are oversold.

Our cruise for last May was oversold, and US cruisers were offered a full refund, a free new cruise up to 30 days at a higher cabin level, plus $5000 USD. Plus another $1000 USD for any air cancellation penalties. Enough people took up the offer to avoid bumping anyone.

 

[Quickstatus]

Another cruise ship snafu in Brisbane 2 days ago.

So another company just selling a bundle of rights?

 

[Pushka]

Currently on Royal Caribbean Ovation of the Seas. We had to turn around on day 2 and head back to Sydney due to a medical emergency. This caused us to miss sailing through the sounds which is a highlight for many. We also skipped Dunedin as a result.

High winds then prevented us from docking in the next port, Wellington.

We have been given $100-$200 USD refundable credit as a result. The missed ports were outside the ships control.

The natives on board are restless with some noisy encounters at guest services. There is also a petition being organised.

It's a good data point for this thread. Don't ever rely on a ship to end up in every port on it's itinerary. It's a regular occurrence for weather or medical related diversions.

Yes, we fully expected not to get into Israel this May and we were all playing a guess game as to which port would be substituted. We were thinking either an overnight in Cairo port, or Malta (love Malta) or Cyprus (new one for us). As it turned out we did get into Israel. Just five months later and well, tragedy sadness for all in that part of the world.

 

[RooFlyer]

Another cruise ship snafu in Brisbane 2 days ago.

Royal Caribbean Cruise Ship Overbooked, Guests Left Behind

Quantum of the Seas was overbooked for a sailing but guests weren't notified until they reached the terminal on embarkation day.

www.cruisehive.com

In Australia it is a breach of consumer law to knowingly sell a product you know you can't supply. Given they know exactly how many cabins there are in each class, can't be anything but a deliberate decision.

Well, the cruise lines are learning something off the airlines, it seems . Cruise overbooking works exactly the same as airlines - they expect some not to to board, so they sell extra in anticipation. When everyone shows up, the poo hits the fan.

Although, the compensation Pushka described upthread looks very attractive. Would have been bloody inconvenient, but two free long cruises plus that cash would do it for me. Airline overbooking and bumping is a lot less inconvenient than cruise ones, but as we know, the airline compo for being bumped is rather ... sparse and the consequences (possible missed international connection) can be very disruptive.

 

[RooFlyer]

You may already know this roof-lyer but The Cloud disembarked folks on South Georgia in the last few days

Oh! Thanks - that's encouraging. I mean, if the disease is brought in by migratory birds, and since the cruise lines have strict disinfectant protocols on re-boarding every time, its probably fair enough.
____________

My TA went to a SilverSeas function in Melbourne recently; attendees got $300 off their next cruise and they managed to snaffle same for me. Yeah, not much overall, but appreciated.

 

[Pushka]

Well, the cruise lines are learning something off the airlines, it seems . Cruise overbooking works exactly the same as airlines - they expect some not to to board, so they sell extra in anticipation. When everyone shows up, the poo hits the fan.

Although, the compensation Pushka described upthread looks very attractive. Would have been bloody inconvenient, but two free long cruises plus that cash would do it for me. Airline overbooking and bumping is a lot less inconvenient than cruise ones, but as we know, the airline compo for being bumped is rather ... sparse and the consequences (possible missed international connection) can be very disruptive.

Agree and for retired people it's a no brainer. I think the other half here was hoping we'd get that offer for Sunday week . Lucky for me I get all the emails.

 

[Lynda2475]

Agree and for retired people it's a no brainer

Sure but anyone of working age who has had to arrange leave (often 6-9 months in advance) and likely has other arrangements before/after, is left in a no win situation; a gaping hole in an itinerary and last minute very expensive scrambling to resume rest of their trip by other means.

With airlines you can generally avoid getting bumped by checking in the second OLCI opens, and also if it happens (and has never happened to me, but when I've seen it happen in the US they call for volunteers, offer cash compensation and guarantee you the next flight) there are usually other flights that day (or within 24 hours) to get you where you need to be without significant disruption; however it is not like there are other cruises with the exact same itinerary and dates that can fill a gap within 24 hours.

Even for a retiree, if the cruise starts and ends in your home port fine, but unless you have fully flex airfares it could lead to huge out of pocket for last minute changes to international J flights, prepaid hotels etc.

Personally I do not think they should be allowed to oversell flights or cruises, but if they do oversell cruises surely they should have some sort of reasonable notice (weeks out at least) and not wait until people have flown in to the departure points and try to board.

 

[Pushka]

Sure but anyone of working age who has had to arrange leave (often 6-9 months in advance) and likely has other arrangements before/after, is left in a no win situation; a gaping hole in an itinerary and last minute very expensive scrambling to resume rest of their trip by other means.

With airlines you can generally avoid getting bumped by checking in the second OLCI opens, and also if it happens (and has never happened to me, but when I've seen it happen in the US they call for volunteers, offer cash compensation and guarantee you the next flight) there are usually other flights that day (or within 24 hours) to get you where you need to be without significant disruption; however it is not like there are other cruises with the exact same itinerary and dates that can fill a gap within 24 hours.

Even for a retiree, if the cruise starts and ends in your home port fine, but unless you have fully flex airfares it could lead to huge out of pocket for last minute changes to international J flights, prepaid hotels etc.

Personally I do not think they should be allowed to oversell flights or cruises, but if they do oversell cruises surely they should have some sort of reasonable notice (weeks out at least) and not wait until people have flown in to the departure points and try to board.

Yes. That's why I stated for retired people it's virtually a no brainer. I agree about the rest but in all my years I've never heard of this situation of complete overbooking before on a cruise ship. The cruise line I was referencing was prepared to pay for cancellation costs of flights, as I mentioned. In the situation I know of, there was an advance notice of two weeks. The offer was taken up in enough numbers and extremely quickly so people who didn't contact them as soon as they got that email, missed out. So obviously the strategy works. And no one missed out on their cruise. So it was a win win I guess.