I only booked this cruise to see the tortoise sanctuary in Corsica! What happens when a ship cannot visit a scheduled port?

I only booked this cruise to see the tortoise sanctuary on Corsica! When I heard this at the tour desk, I thought really? But then discovered that the lady ran a tortoise home for injured animals…. So yes, I got it then and fully understood her disappointment.

When a Captain decides not to visit a port it is always due to safety, whether it be because Egypt, Turkey, Thailand, or Israel are having troubles, rough seas, fog, or government warnings. (These are just a few that I have experienced) There is always a good reason for the ship changing its plans. After all the port is expecting the ship. The coaches, guides, port staff, taxi drivers and hop on hop off buses will have laid on extra staff and resources for that day, to name just a few. Nobody wants to ruin any bodies holiday and it is disruptive to the whole ships routine as waiters, house keepers, bar staff and good old reception are all asked the difficult questions as to why this is happening. People demand to speak to the Captain however, his day has been ruined too as he must plot a new course and meet a different pilot to guide the ship in to a strange port. Queen Mary 2 missed Aqaba two years running and the congestion in the Suez Canal or upset in the area can never give back this missed opportunity which for some people is a once in a lifetime chance to see the lost city of Petra in Jordan.

The best place to go is the tour desk when this happens. After the Captain, Staff Captain and Tour Manager the Tour staff are the next in line to finding out about a change and the reasons why it has happened… All the tour staff will have been up since before dawn planning where the ship is going now, organising last minute tours and getting booking forms and promotional flyers ready. After the Captain makes the announcement that the ship can no longer visit the original port, all tours for that day are cancelled and refunded back to the customer’s account. New tours are made available to book and the queue at the desk starts to grow. All the questions and alternative plans that the customers have as help and advice, will not make a difference to the outcome. There is nothing more that can be done.

With a change of port, there is also the unhappiness that goes with it. I especially feel for people who have planned a day with friends or family who live in the place we were due to visit. Plus, there is also the crew to consider, some who may have been going home that day in that port for family emergencies or missing a close relatives’ funeral because of the change.

If you have a change of port experience, share it with me, I love to hear your stories at sea!