We will be cruising again with Oceania, this time on sister ship, Regatta. After a few days of fun and food in New York, we will embark Regatta at the Manhattan Cruise Terminal Midtown on October 24th, cruise down the Hudson River, out past the Statue of Liberty, under the Verrazano Narrows Bridge, and off to adventure in the Atlantic Ocean. Over the next 27 days, Regatta will take us to the islands of the Caribbean, and up the Amazon River to Manaus, where we will battle the river and the jungle in a test of wills. If we survive this journey of darkness, we will be rewarded with more island breezes and white sand beaches in the Caribbean before disembarking in Miami on November 20th.
We are so excited to be setting out on another expedition, tropical and exotic, so different from our last great voyage. And, we are thrilled to be sailing in a different direction with Oceania. But, with every journey there is sure to come some disappointment. This time, it came early.
We booked this trip last spring. On August 26th, less than two months prior to departure, and well past final payment and the cancellation deadline, Oceania advised that they have had to change the itinerary:
"As part of our preventative Vessel Operations Program, we have scheduled maintenance to one of the four engines that power Regatta. This is a process that is labor intensive but does not hamper guest and crew safety, ship operations or the seaworthiness of Regatta. However, the cruising speed must be reduced, which based on the distance between ports causes some timing issues. Regrettably, the call at Grand Turk on November 18 has been cancelled. Please accept our apology for this unfortunate schedule change."
But, that's not all. The entire itinerary has been changed, arriving late in some ports, departing early from others. In all, we are losing a total of 15.5 hours of port time in 7 ports of call.
We understand and respect that cruise lines reserve the right to change itineraries. This has happened to us before on several occasions with other lines and we graciously accept that unforeseen circumstances can arise that require itinerary modifications: acts of God, mechanical failure, port disruption, etc. However, preventative maintenance is not an unforeseen circumstance. It is, by definition, foreseen. Based on hours of operation and nautical miles at sea, values known for years out, preventative maintenance should be scheduled into itineraries from the beginning.
What happens if the maintenance does not go as planned, if one of the other four engines goes down, if Regatta has to outrun a storm? Will stops in other ports be shortened or eliminated?
We have yet to receive a satisfactory response to our concerns from either Sales or Customer Service.
We are profoundly disappointed with Oceania, but this is not the end of the world. We are still looking forward to an incredible trip and we are confident that ship-board service will be exactly what we have come to expect from Oceania: outstanding in every way.
When we reached the end of the Route of the Ancient Traders, we knew it would not be our last voyage with Oceania. This one may be.
Check back with AirDiane and we will keep you posted.
It should be a wild ride!!!
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