I try to stay positive with these posts, but this one is going to be a bit of a gripe, so feel free to skip it.
We knew coming into this cruise that there was no way the full itinerary would go unchanged. There are just too many variables in play for that to happen. And sure enough we’ve had a number of changes. What has started to bother me a bit is that with one exception, all of these changes have had a negative impact. It’s not like we’re swapping one good thing for another, we’re simply losing things. The one change that I don’t consider negative was the very early change to eliminate Yangon as a port of call. With the turmoil in Myanmar this stop never seemed likely, and it got swapped out well before we sailed. We were supposed to be in Yangon for two nights, but those were replaced with a stop in Mangalore, India, andHambantota, Sri Lanka. That is all very reasonable IMO: Yangon
was out, so we got some new and different ports. Fine!
Other changes have not been so great. We lost both early Western Australia ports, Broome and Geraldton. These were replaced with a new stop in Waingapu, Indonesia, and an extra day in Perth.
The new Indonesia stop might be nice, I don’t know. But I do know that we’re unlikely to ever get to northwest Australia now, which is a bummer. The beaches at Broome looked pretty cool.
In Vietnam we were supposed to dock at Nha Trang, but the dock had some sort of problem and we were redirected to Cam Ranh. Cam Ranh itself was decidedly ‘meh,’ but worse was the trickledown effect. We lost an hour and a half from our stop at Hue/Da Nang and our Shanghai stop got changed so that we arrive at 11:30 PM Sunday night and leave at 11:30 AM on Tuesday. The nighttime arrival is no big deal ,but the 11:30 AM departure means we really only have one day in Shanghai.
The Hong Kong stop was shortened so that we left at 4:00 PM instead of 9:00 PM. That meant not only losing time in the city, it meant missing the nighttime light show. I have no idea what the reasoning for this change was.
We’ve also missed stops at Tristan da Cunha and Mossel Bay, South Africa, due to weather. These were both tender stops and the cancellations were understandable. We also had Mayotte, French Comoros, replaced with a sea day due to typhoon damage in Mayotte. Again, all understandable,
and too short notice to provide any kind of alternative. In summary, here’s what we’ve missed:
• Tristan da Cunha – scrubbed due to weather. Bummer as this was a really unique port of call.
• Mossel Bay - scrubbed due to weather.
• Mayotte – canceled due to storm damage.
• Nha Trang – switched to Cam Ranh due to dock damage.
• Hue/Da Nang – shortened by 90 minutes, presumably due to Nha Trang switch.
• Shanghai – departure moved from 5:00 PM to 11:30 AM.
• Hong Kong – departure moved from 9:00 PM to 4:00 PM.
• Broome, Australia – canceled due to “port congestion.”
• Geraldton, Australia – canceled due to “port congestion.”
I’m not listing Yangon there as it did get swapped out for other very reasonable ports. This is all probably par for the course. It does feel like this segment has been especially affected, and if I were on only this leg I think I’d feel pretty hard done by.Read more
Two to TravelUnderstandable that you feel bummed out … especially when there is no real explanation given and you’re left to wonder at the reasons for the change.
TravelerThe reasoning behind the Hong Kong, Shanghai, and Western Australia ports was definitely vague. The Australian ports were labeled as changed due to "port congestion." I don't get that as the original itinerary was put out 2 years ago. It's not like we just decided to go to these ports last week. The weather-related changes are just the way it goes. Overall we've been very lucky with the weather.
TravelerClimate change has been addressed very frankly by the guides on several of our excursions. It's nice to hear it presented as a simple fact, not a matter of opinion. If you live on an island or cost that is being submerged it's a real thing.
East China Sea27°26’26” N 122°40’29” E
East China Sea27°26’26” N 122°40’29” E
Two to TravelUnderstandable that you feel bummed out … especially when there is no real explanation given and you’re left to wonder at the reasons for the change.
TravelerThe reasoning behind the Hong Kong, Shanghai, and Western Australia ports was definitely vague. The Australian ports were labeled as changed due to "port congestion." I don't get that as the original itinerary was put out 2 years ago. It's not like we just decided to go to these ports last week. The weather-related changes are just the way it goes. Overall we've been very lucky with the weather.
TravelerThe impacts of climate change - one which the current US leadership continually ignores. What does that ship say in response to these?
TravelerClimate change has been addressed very frankly by the guides on several of our excursions. It's nice to hear it presented as a simple fact, not a matter of opinion. If you live on an island or cost that is being submerged it's a real thing.