Workers Strike in Norway May Impact Vision OTS

State Workers in Norway Strike

May Impact Sailings

Schools, day care centers, and other public institutions are closed in Norway due to an indefinite strike called Thursday.  Striking workers include port pilots which would impact sailings.

Norway is currently experiencing a period of economic growth, and state workers are looking for their share of the pie.   Their wages have lagged behind that of the private sector triggering the work stoppage as talks broke down.

Must Have Port Pilot to Enter Harbor

According to Maritime law, a cruise ship must have a pilot onboard the vessel as they enter the port. If the strike continues, ships would not be able to dock in Norway ports, including Oslo.

Pilots & Pilot Boat Skippers Strike Over

According to Norwegian Coast Guard Web site Kystverket, the pilots reached an agreement Friday night, June 2nd, ending a week long strike which had impacted cruise line itineraries.

• Brilliance of the Seas, which departs Amsterdam today, will sail its original schedule
• Vision of the Seas is still turning around in Gothenburg today, instead of Oslo as was originally planned
• No word yet on Fred. Olsen Balmoral's altered itinerary

This is excellent news as the popular Norwegian Fjords cruise season is just getting into full swing.  Cruises typically combine the British Isles and Fjords.  Another option includes a cruise to North Cape and the Arctic Circle.

If you've never sailed to Norwegian Fjords, we highly recommend adding that to your bucket list.

Cruise Destination: 
Norwegian Fjords

Impact of Strike Widens

With all 42 of the Port of Oslo's pilots on strike, a number of cruise ships were turned away or forced to cancel calls.

These include Emerald Princess, which was forced to turn away from the port last Friday, Star Clippers' Star Flyer which cancelled a call on Saturday and Royal Caribbean's Vision of the Seas which was diverted to Gothenburg on Sunday.  

Upcoming calls in Tromsø or Alesund in the next week include:   P&O Cruises's Adonia, Royal Caribbean's Brilliance of the Seas, MSC Cruises' Magnifica and two Holland America Line  Eurodam and Rotterdam.   

Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines Balmoral will sail to Kiel Canal, Warnemunde, Copenhagen, Gothenburg, will be at sea on June 4, visit Zeebrugge June 5 and return to Southampton on June 6.

The only line that has ships in the region that isn't impacted is Hurtigruten, which sails the coastal waters year-round between Bergen and Kirkenes.  They are not required to carry a pilot.

Royal Caribbean Vision of the Seas June 2 Sailing

UPDATE:

Since the port pilots are on strike, and they are required to enter and leave the port, Vision of the Seas will be unable to dock in Oslo on Saturday, June 2, as originally planned. Because of this, it is necessary to modify Vision of the Seas’ boarding and debarking process. On Saturday, Vision of the Seas will arrive in Gothenburg, Sweden, and guests will be transported to and from Oslo via motor coach. Guests on the Saturday, June 2, sailing of Vision of the Seas should proceed to Oslo as originally scheduled.

Additional Cruise Ship Impact

Should the strike continue and include all port pilots in Norway, Brilliance of the Seas’ next sailing will be unable to call to any of the Norwegian ports of call on its itinerary. Royal Caribbean has been diligently working to prepare an alternative itinerary should the strike continue, which will include port calls to Copenhagen and Aarhus, Demark, and Berlin (Warnemunde), Germany.

We encourage guests on the Saturday, June 2, sailing of Brilliance of the Seas monitor this website for any additional updates. 

Royal Caribbean Updates:   IMPORTANT UPDATES

Royal Caribbean Vision of the Seas May 27 Sailing

Royal Caribbean International has issued an advisory that Vision of the Seas, which is currently scheduled to conclude its sailing in Oslo on Sunday, May 27, may be unable to enter the port.  RCI is currently preparing contingency plans in the event the strike continues and Vision of the Seas is unable to dock in Oslo.

They encourage guests on the Sunday, May 27, sailing of Vision of the Seas to monitor the website for any additional updates. 

Since the port pilots in Oslo are on strike, and they are required to be onboard in order for us to enter the port, if the strike continues Vision of the Seas will be unable to dock in Oslo on Sunday, May 27, as originally planned. Because of this, it will be necessary to modify Vision of the Seas’ boarding and debarking process on Sunday. Vision of the Seas will arrive in Gothenburg, Sweden, on Sunday, and guests will be transported to and from Oslo via motor coach. 

More Changes for Mexican Ports of Call

MS Oosterdam in Mexican Riviera

New Cancellations for

Mazatlan & Acapulco

Earlier this year we brought you articles about the violence in Mazatlan which prompted several cruise line changes in the Mexican Riviera region.

Holland America Line has just confirmed that the MS Oosterdam, which sails 7-day sailings to the Mexican Riviera from San Diego, will now feature two consecutive days in Puerto Vallarta instead of a visit to Puerto Vallarta and Mazatlan.

Several cruise lines, including Holland America, made modifications to schedules earlier in the year following a wave of violence, which included a shooting of a passenger in the leg and another widely publicized shooting in a hotel parking lot.  The changes were made in the abundance of  caution despite Mexican authority promises of increased security.   See our related blog posts: Carnival and NCL Skip Mazatlan Calls and   Cruise Lines Pull Out of Mazatlan   for more background.

Calls for all lines in Mazatlan have fallen from 200 in 2010 to 30 this year, with only about a third of 2011 calls in 2012.  Norwegian Cruise Line's Norwegian Star will return to the region in 2013 with, as of this writing, calls to the traditional ports of Cabo San Lucas, Mazatlan, and Puerto Vallarta during the seven-day voyages from Los Angeles.

Cliff Divers in Acapulco

Acapulco Itinerary Changes

If you were planning on seeing the popular cliff divers in Acapulco on one of Holland America's Statendam's 14-night Panama Canal Explorer cruises sailing from Fort Lauderdale to San Diego or Rotterdam's 30-night Inca Empire South America voyage departing February 3, you will be disappointed. Both ships will spend additional time in Santa Cruz Huatulco instead of a call in Acapulco.

A crime wave began in August, with a reported 148 deaths, prompting the government to  reinforce the local police force of  1500 with an additional 3000 troops from Army, Navy, and Federal Police.   The death toll has fallen since that action, but HAL and luxury line Seabourn have still cut calls in Acapulco. Oceania, Regent Seven Seas and Silversea have left their handful of 2012 calls on the schedule at this time, but all lines will continue to monitor the situation and make adjustments in the interest of safety if warranted.  For the lines that have pulled out, they will work with local authorities to determine when and if it is safe to resume calling in the port.

See our International Travel tab her or on our Facebook Fan page  for important information for anyone traveling abroad.  You need to be aware of entry / exit requirements, health concerns and precautions, and any travel advisories for any port of call that you visit.   There are general guidelines to make your vacation worry free to the extent that it can be.   Being prepared and aware of your surroundings is the best advice we can give you when traveling, even at home.

Specifically,

For those traveling to Mexico, please consult the U.S. State Department's Travel Warnings at:

Mexico Country Specific Information

Norwegian Epic Delivered to NCL

Photo by Bernard Biger

Do you remember your first car when the dealer handed over the keys to you?  You opened the door and smelled that new car smell - you were in heaven.

If you were in  St. Nazaire, France on June 17, 2010, you would have witnessed a similar event but on a much grander scale.    Norwegian Cruise Line today accepted delivery of its largest and most innovative ship to date, Norwegian Epic, from STX FRANCE SA. Norwegian Epic at 153,000 gross tons is the largest ship ever constructed in St. Nazaire and therefore represents a major milestone for STX.

“Norwegian Epic represents the next level of Freestyle Cruising with branded entertainment, more than 20 dining options and a wide range of accommodations including the largest suite complex at sea,” said Kevin Sheehan, Norwegian’s Chief Executive Officer. “Following more than four years of development and construction, we are pleased to take ownership of this beautiful ship and introduce her to the world. We are confident that Norwegian Epic will amaze our guests.” 

Epic: Spider Web

Schedule

9 PM June 17 -  depart St. Nazaire en route to Rotterdam
June 19 - travel agents & media - two-day inaugural cruise.

June 21 -  one-night preview cruise to Southampton, arriving on
June 22 -  two-day inaugural sailing
June 24 - depart Southampton on 7-day transatlantic crossing
July 1 - arrive in New York
July 2 - christened by legendary entertainer Reba McEntire followed by a two-day inaugural cruise
July 4 - host venue for the 34th Annual Macy's 4th of July Fireworks

Beginning July 10, Norwegian Epic will sail alternating seven-day Eastern and Western Caribbean itineraries from Miami through April 30, 2011. 

Ports of call on the Eastern Caribbean itinerary include Philipsburg, St. Maarten; St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands; and Nassau, Bahamas. The Western Caribbean cruises visit Costa Maya, Mexico; Roatán, Bay Islands, Honduras; and Cozumel, Mexico. The 2011 cruise season from May-October will have Norwegian Epic sailing a series of seven-day Western Mediterranean cruises from Barcelona. When she returns to Miami on November 5, 2011, she will sail a series of seven-day Eastern Caribbean cruises through April 7, 2012. 

Additional Blog Posts for Norwegian Epic  (click here)

Link for more information about Norwegian Epic and Itineraries

We will be onboard Norwegian Epic for our 2010 National Conference.   We are looking forward to sailing on this latest ship in Norwegian Cruise Line's fleet.