Stuck in Monte Carlo

[MaureenB]

I'm getting messages from my pal on Azura at the moment and they are marooned in Monte Carlo and have been since lunch time due to the seas picking up to the extent that the tenders cannot get back to the ship! She got back from a trip at 5pm and has been in a bar for 4 hours at the quay side, which has proved to be a little windy and chilly. They were then moved to a local sports hall and are now watching a Basketball match. Currently cheering on a game they know absolutely nothing about but being very British and getting into the spirit!! Seems there could be upwards of 1500 pax and crew stuck ashore. What a hoot!

[oldbluefox]

If you're going to get marooned ashore Monte Carlo doesn't seem like a bad choice. Hopefully they are all well and being well looked after.

[Stephen]

I'd suffer it

[david63]

The same thing happened a while ago and they ended up coaching them along the coast to an area where the tenders could operate. I suppose it will depend on how long the winds are anticipated to last.

Looks as if Mote Carlo is another tender port that will be under scrutiny in the future.

[Ian Perth]

Not a bad place to get stranded, bet they are all loving it, if you go there you can expect to have this happen. Looking forward to joining Azura next week so don’t be late home.

[Kenmo1]

It's all a bit of a laugh at first waiting for a tender especially if the weather is ok but at this time of the year the weather can change quickly and if you have gone ashore during the hottest part of the day totally under dressed then you soon realise how unprepared you are when the wind gets up and the temperature drops. In Calvi earlier in the year I got absolutely chilled to the bone even though I had quite a thick hoodie on and we only queued for about an hour or so, no where near as bad as the current situation as I understand that some people have been queuing in Monte Carlo for some hours.

Maureen

[Gill W]

I agree, Maureen, after a few hours, the novelty will wear off, and those stranded ashore will just want to get back to the ship.

Not a nice situation to be in at all.

I think Monre Carlo is prone to this sort of thing. On the Britannia maiden, the winds picked up at lunchtime in Monte Carlo. We were already aboard, but the tendering was difficult that afternoon, and we were late leaving.

This particular Azura cruise seems to have been eventful - they have already picked up a boatload of migrants.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2019/0 ... terrupted

[MaureenB]

Latest from another passenger in Monte Carlo affected by the situation:

"paramedics attending to some elderly and unwell passengers. Water, biscuits being provided. Looks like they are in for a long night"

So folks no more comments about being stuck in worse places than Monte Carlo. No longer funny for those, including my pal, stuck there.

[Stephen]

We stopped in Monte Carlo two or three years ago on Ventura, and got into port. Hopefully we can do the same this June on Azura. It was fantastic opening the curtains first thing and seeing that harbour view.

[Dancing Queen]

I wonder if it's too dangerous to dock as that would be the logical thing to do - I guess it must be !!

The last twice we have been to Monte Carlo we have been docked which has made such a difference.

[Mervyn and Trish]

We were on the Britannia Maiden too and were delayed getting back for a while as tendering was suspended. When we did finally go back it took ages to secure the tender as the swell was so big. Definitely our worst tender experience.

[MaureenB]

An update at 1am this morning from my friend

"We are having to stay in the stadium overnight and am surrounded by people in foil "blankets" sitting on hard bucket chairs or making beds on the floor. Brought water and had to source more locally when they ran out. Food was the packets of biscuits and water biscuits. Looks like some beds are being bought in now. Apparently were swells of a meter in two directions and tenders cannot dock. Ship has stayed put too. Apparently a local ferry refused to take us to another port so we are stuck here. All I can think is that there is a good reason for them to leave us like this as they would never choose to do this. Clearly the ship cannot move and there is nowhere for all of us to go Switching phone off now and going to try to rest eyes. Will update tomorrow. Now nearly 1am"

This was from inside the sports stadium, and received by Whats App.

I have never heard of the pax being unable to get back to the ship at all. I feel so sorry for my friend and all the other people too.

[MaureenB]

I am hearing from other sites that tender ops have started and breakfast is laid on in one of the MDRs.

[towny44]

The strange thing is that no other ships were in Monaco yesterday, however it is the the Monaco boat show this weekend which probably accounts for the berth not being available, unfortunately our cruise on Azura next year is the same weekend with the same yacht show so it will be tenders for us which means we won't be able go ashore, unless of course Carnival use this debacle to put pressure on the port authority.
For those of you calling at Monaco in the near future the attachments show the schedule and location of all calls for the rest of this year and 2020. Rade seems to be anchored in the bay, Digue is berthed alongside.

https://www.ports-monaco.com/docs/plann ... s-2019.pdf
https://www.ports-monaco.com/docs/plann ... s-2020.pdf

[Whynd1]

There is also a report on fb from an affected passenger. They have been given a refund for one day of their cruise p,us £50 on board credit.
This will happen more regularly with the increasing reliance of tenders for the bigger ships which will be unable to dock.

[david63]

There is also a report on fb from an affected passenger. They have been given a refund for one day of their cruise p,us £50 on board credit.

And even with that (which is probably reasonable) there will be moans and demands for more compo with threats of legal action

[Gill W]

I am hearing from other sites that tender ops have started and breakfast is laid on in one of the MDRs.

Glad to hear they are now returning to the ship.

Sounds like a very unpleasant experience, especially as there will have been many elderly people involved, not to mention those who left medication on the ship, thinking they'd only be out for a few hours

[Kenmo1]

ot to mention those who left medication on the ship, thinking they'd only be out for a few hours

So true, Gill. I always take copies of our passports ashore especially when it says passports not required and I always keep a copy of our credit cards in the safe in case anything gets stolen while ashore. However, although I keep Ken's prescription in with his tablets in the cabin, I have never thought to take the medicines ashore, always assuming we will be back on board for his evening tablets. From now on, we will be carrying a copy of the prescription plus one of the little round containers with a day's supply of tablets especially whenever we have to tender.

It must have been very worrying and most unpleasant for those concerned.

Maureen

[Stephen]

There is also a report on fb from an affected passenger. They have been given a refund for one day of their cruise p,us £50 on board credit.
This will happen more regularly with the increasing reliance of tenders for the bigger ships which will be unable to dock.

Sounds fair to me.

[Gill W]

I saw a review on cruise.co.uk, relating to the events in Monte Carlo and was wondering how Maureen's friends were feeling now they are back home.

The review is well written and clearly sets out the timetable of events, and the writer tells her story in a calm and level headed manner, well worth a read.

The writer says that the level of compensation was as follows

£16 OBC per person towards food purchased in Monte Carlo
£50 OBC per person as a good will gesture.
Refund of one days cruise fare, in the case of the writer it was £117 per person.

I don't agree with the compo culture and P&O don't control the weather. However, based on the account, it does sound like a major ordeal and £183 each does seem rather paltry for going through this tiring and sometimes frightening experience.

[Manoverboard]

We went through a hurricane and got naff all, which is exactly what we were expecting. Om another occasion we got marooned at Toronto Airport due to damage to one of the wings on the plane but we were given vouchers for food and a night in the Sheraton Hotel but no compo.

Unfortunate experience of course but they were treated vary fairly …. imo.

[Stephen]

'£16 OBC per person towards food purchased in Monte Carlo'

That'll pay for the coffee then.

[Gill W]

We went through a hurricane and got naff all, which is exactly what we were expecting. Om another occasion we got marooned at Toronto Airport due to damage to one of the wings on the plane but we were given vouchers for food and a night in the Sheraton Hotel but no compo.

Unfortunate experience of course but they were treated vary fairly …. imo.

Did you read the review?

If you'd been standing in the tender queue in hot sun for 3 hours with no water to drink, then when the sun went down had to put up with getting cold, no toilet facilities, attempt to get some food at eateries that were already full up, get put on an abortive tender ride for about 45 minutes in the dark being thrown around by the waves, eventually get to a sports centre at 22.15pm with only a few snacks for dinner, then the Red Cross arrives at 23.45 to set up beds (for the lucky ones) made of stretchers and foil to keep your self warm, be completely sleep deprived, get put on a train early in the morning and then have to stand for a further two hours before you finally got back to the ship...… I'm, guessing you might be slightly less sanguine about the situation.

This is the experience from someone who sounds fairly young and able bodied (apart from the illness she mentions in her review). Imagine how much worse it would have been for someone who was elderly and infirm.

[Gill W]

'£16 OBC per person towards food purchased in Monte Carlo'

That'll pay for the coffee then.

That point is made in the review

[GillD46]

The whole fiasco sounds utterly mismanaged and the report, which I also thought very clearly, well written, highlights this. I am not a compensation seeker usually, but I definitely think what has been offered is miserable. And you’d hope something would be learned from this chaos but sadly I fear not!