As of: February 20, 2024, 4:08 p.m
By: Karolin Schaefer
Comments
Press
Split
Originally it was supposed to be a relaxed trip around the world.
But unexpected events complicate the cruise experience for the many passengers on board.
Munich – Cruises don’t always run smoothly.
A former employee reported scandals on a cruise ship.
There are also currently problems with the 2023/2024 world tour by the German tour operator Phoenix Reisen - probably to the annoyance of the vacationers on board.
Cruise cannot take place as planned: ship exchange fails several times
The MS Amera was to be used on the planned cruise.
There is space for up to 835 passengers.
But things turned out differently than expected.
The ship was in a Polish shipyard in Gdansk for months.
Participation in the world tour was delayed due to a lack of deliveries of necessary components, as the
Ships and Cruises
industry portal reported.
The cruise ship MS Amera.
© Evija Trifanova/imago
So the Celestyal Journey took over the first stages of the journey.
The replacement ship was then to be exchanged with the MS Amera in Cape Town.
But this plan failed.
Another ship swap was supposed to take place in the Seychelles in mid-January, but that didn't work either.
Not all components had still arrived.
However, the trip around the world could not continue as planned with the Celestyal Journey.
This had already been booked for another cruise in the Mediterranean, the tour operator wrote in a letter to those affected, which is available to the industry portal.
After a considerable delay, the MS Amera was finally able to leave the shipyard on February 9th.
Cruise dilemma for numerous passengers: world tour leg is canceled
Due to the delay, the leg from the Seychelles to Peru had to be canceled.
In addition, due to the current situation in the Red Sea, the ship is not able to travel through the Suez Canal.
There were recent attacks there by the Houthi rebels.
My news
Daylight Saving Time 2024: Is the time change this weekend?
read
2 hours ago
Cause of death of Andi Brehme: These are the symptoms of a sudden cardiac arrest
Persistent cough after respiratory infection is quite common
Fees against beach rush: Italian coastal town now wants to charge holidaymakers read
Turning point in the Rebecca Reusch case?
Video shows sensitive moment on the day she disappeared
“You can’t imagine it” – Influencers shocked by conditions on cruise shipsread
That's why the journey continues to Gran Canaria.
The final ship swap is scheduled to take place there on February 24th.
A day later, the world tour continues towards South America, including Brazil.
Further stops are planned beforehand, including again on the island of São Vicente (Cape Verde).
The continuation of the itinerary booked by holidaymakers is scheduled for mid-March and the end of the world trip is scheduled for May 12th in Bremerhaven.
“Unprecedented challenge”: World cruises become a dilemma
The guests on board were informed about the dilemma by the organizer.
Specifically, it says: “We can very well understand if you are disappointed that the ship change does not take place in the Seychelles and your round-the-world trip does not continue as booked.” But: “There is no other way,” said the managing directors Johannes Zurnieden and Benjamin Krumpen in a video.
Phoenix Reisen is faced with an “unprecedented challenge and great financial loss”.
The procedure is said to have cost over nine million euros.
But what does this mean for cruise vacationers?
You can stay on board and continue the changed itinerary.
The partial route until February 25th is free of charge, while the new route around South America only costs half the cabin price.
As an alternative, you have the option to cancel your trip from Gran Canaria and travel home by plane free of charge.
The price for unused travel days will be refunded.
If you still want to continue your journey, you can look forward to a renovated ship.
Not only are there new ship engines, but cabins, corridors as well as the spa and pool area have been modernized, the tour operator announced on its website.
A woman who previously sold her house and made a large down payment experiences a cruise nightmare.
The editor wrote this article and then used an AI language model for optimization at her own discretion. All information has been carefully checked.
Learn more about our AI principles here
.