Our Cruise Was CANCELLED After 4 Hours Onboard
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- Опубліковано 19 гру 2022
- I’ve just disembarked what may be the shortest and weirdest cruise in history on a ship that was planned to be scrapped in 2020. She was saved from the scrapyard by a new British cruise line and I booked a 3 night mini break onboard the ship.
Our cruise was cancelled 4 hours after we boarded and in total we were onboard this ship for about 8 hours, and during that time we had more problems than we would usually on a full two week cruise. The way that everything was handled was so bizarre I honestly think I’m still in shock.
We boarded the ship in London Tilbury and were planning on heading to Bruges to the Christmas markets. Embarkation was pretty easy and despite the bad weather we were really excited to get onboard.
I picked up my cruise card which is the thing you use to get into your room, to buy drinks, pretty much everything onboard it’s very important. But my friends Justin and Tristan were told that they’d have to get theirs onboard as they weren’t ready yet, no big deal we thought, that isn’t uncommon on a cruise for things to be a bit delayed. The problem was much bigger than that but at this point we didn’t realise how widespread the problem was.
As soon as we embarked the ship we were in the middle of this beautiful Atrum, the ship was decorated for Christmas and looked amazing. Despite the ship being from 1991 everything here looked very new and I hoped that the rest of the ship would be as nice as this area. I didn’t have particularly high expectations after reading review after review online about broken toilets, broken air conditioning but this area definitely surpassed what I had expected.
Cruise Buoys Vlog: • Ambassador Ambience -(...
Sail Away With Dan and Jay Tour: • Ambassador Ambience FU...
One of my favourite things about cruising is that feeling when you first get onboard a cruise ship and you run around exploring as fast as you can. Looking back I’m so glad that I did because I wouldn’t have a chance to later. We found a big pub area called The Purple Turtle which I’ve since found out used to be a casino. In the UK we don’t gamble as much as other places so if a British cruise line buys an American or Australian ship, they normally replace the big casino with one thats much smaller.
The ship was originally launched in 1991 for Princess cruises as Regal Princess and spent most of her life as Pacific Dawn for P&O Australia. As I was wandering around the main public areas I thought wow Ambassador have done a great job renovating these spaces, I’ve since had a look at P&O Dawn ship reviews and I think I should be giving a lot of the credit to P&O instead of Ambassador because most of the inside spaces haven’t changed, even the picture frames are the same in the big lounges. Not that that’s a bad thing, they didn’t need to be changed, P&O did a great job with these areas when they refit the ship back in 2017.
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Helloooo! Thanks so much for watching this video and reading this message. I will be getting a refund for the cruise fare but this is a great example of why you NEED travel insurance when you cruise. If you haven’t got it yet, here’s my guide: emmacruises.com/cruise-travel-insurance-why-you-need-it-and-how-to-get-it-step-by-step-guide/ 🥳🥳
If you'd like some more info about this ship or cruise my friends Tristan and Justin have put together a vlog of the day and my friends Dan and Jay have a great ship tour of the ship. 😀💕
Cruise Buoys Vlog: ua-cam.com/video/k8gPqPTbFgw/v-deo.html
Sail Away With Dan and Jay Tour: ua-cam.com/video/XBCVVW75SGk/v-deo.html
I seem to attract drama lately don't I? It wasn't long ago my cruise was interrupted by a WW2 bomb, now this! Ha ha, it's all good content I say and I love having you to share this story with. Appreciate you lots! Have a great day. 🥳🙌
Ty
Insurance or not company should refund
Glad you are getting a refund. If your cruise videos, including this one, have taught me anything, it is that you never do know what is going to happen on a cruise. It's better when the unexpected turns out to be a good thing though.
Hi Emma, this is a useful comment. Pin it to the top if you can! Best wishes, excellent video.
Glad you got refunded!!!
Hi Emma, sorry to hear that your cruise had been Cancelled. I work as a PSC officer, so I conduct inspections on foreign flagged Merchiant vessels. It is not known by the Company, nor the ship that A Port State Control Inspection is going to be carried out until the PSC officers arrive on board. In this case, the inspection that took place in May, a total of 20 deficiencies were found. Two of these deficiencies were detainable which is why your cruise had to be cancelled. Although there were some deficiencies with Life Saving appliances (you mentioned the lifeboat), these deficiencies were not what caused the detention. In this case there were two detainable deficiencies that were picked up in the Engine room.
I understand that it must be frustrating to have your cruise cancelled before you have even set off to sea, however PSC inspections are a safety mechanism to ensure the vessel is being operated safely. Unfortunately in this case, the vessel fell short of its minimum safety standards.
Oh yes, I’d much prefer to not sail! Thanks for your insight. ❤️❤️
Just curious but What were those 2 deficiencies about exactly?
Retired US Navy sailor here - we have a saying, "Safety Regulations are written in someone elses blood". It definitely is better to stay pierside than get underway and have an engineering failure that puts passengers (or crew!) in danger. Since they went to the shipyard, I'm guessing there was an electrical, fuel system or fire-fighting issue, and that they couldn't just get parts 'off the shelf' due to the age of the ship.
@@jeffcraig4006 Very true. I'd much rather have a cruise cancelled than sail away, THEN find out about the ship's problems as we are being lowered down in a lifeboat in the middle of the ocean!
If the inspection was held in May then why the hell did the cruise line schedule cruises over the Christmas period? Or does it take that long for the results to be communicated to the line?
You were smart to take the refund rather than a credit. That cruise line could easily be out of business a year from now.
Such a good point too! Hey Jim!! :)
I hope not lol. I'm booked to sail with them to Iceland from Liverpool in July. Even got COVID jabbed last month to meet their conditions.
Is that still a requirement? The jabs?
@@LilyGazou Seriously? Do you think you're edgy by calling it the jab?
@@pamrobinson4350 Aww it someone scared of the word vaccine?
I was a sailor of 27 years, six as a Merchant Marine and 21 in the United States Navy. If the ship needs a shipyard, she had some serious Engineering issues, it was NOT a lifeboat issue. Probably for the best that the cruise was cancelled, you avoided a major disaster at sea.
Yeah it’s bizarre! Thanks for watching 😀👏🏼
Yeah but they still drove it to the ship yard so it couldn't have been too bad
Especially with these cruises departing Britian there is a high probability it was a giant turd stuck in one of the toilet pipes. This can cause an entire block of rooms toilets to overflow when flushed which is obviously a critical issue that would warrant cancellation. Also it's british cuisine to blame for frequent rock hard stools. Emma has more than likely pushed a few big logs into a ship's toilet pipes.
@@jlo7770 Rules and regulations for ships in passenger traffic is extra strict. a ship being able to move to a shipyard dont mean it could stay safe over time or handle unforeseen events.
I know next to nothing about ships; but my thought watching this video was, “The cruise line must have way underplayed the reasons they failed the inspection to the passengers.” They were hoping maybe some of them would take the credit instead of the refund. Plus, they had to try to mitigate the bad PR from this situation as best as they can.
I really appreciate how this video is not just raging anger. It's a good model for all travelers.
Haha, no point being angry 😂
i agree
if you watch a "behind the scenes" programmes you see what a cruise ship has to do ok it is a established routine but hell s**t happens and you DO NOT WANT TO TRAVEL ON A BROKEN SHIP (ex merchant navy so trust me on that)
but nice to see your British aplomb come out
Bit like when an airliner has an issue with something after it has passengers on board, and flight gets delayed or cancelled. People get so angry and I don't know why. Better to be safe than dead.
Loved the laugh during the announcement. Life can be messy and we might as well laugh at these circumstances.
Well, they at least got a free meal and show out of it.
I appreciate your consideration of how issues like not having working cards to access one’s room can affect people with disabilities differently than those who are able-bodied.
I appreciate you appreciating it! Ha ha. Thanks for watching 😀👏🏼
Yes! That's something that so many people don't think about.
I was writing to thank you as well. I have been at airports requested wheelchair transport and was told to walk up the ramp to get the wheelchair.
@@deewhitman2812 OMG! I mean I suppose it isn't quite as bad as when someone says something like walk up the stairs I guess (yes, stuff like that does happen. Seriously! Or the "but can't you just...?" *shakes fist)
In response to the OP comment, yes I also was going to add something to that effect. That the whole situation as described in the video may adversely or more severely impact upon people who have disabilities, and of so many types in so many ways... As many as there are different people I guess!
And it can also affect people who may have "invisible illness", or other factors that people might not recognise, or might not realise how that could affect somebody. All these people as well as those who use mobility aids etc &/or who are generally seen by society as 'conventionally disabled'.
Regarding illnesses and health conditions, not having access to their cabin even for a short time could be extremely problematic for (and this is just a fraction of the various reasons, just to hopefully help and educate) eg People with Diabetes, who may need to test blood glucose levels and perhaps administer insulin injection would want a clean and privaye place; People who have a Stoma of some kind (most often probably colostomy or ileostomy) who would require facilities to private sanitation facilities. There are so many unique reasons.
As for Disability the whole situation would likely be so much more difficult and stressful,
e.g. Somebody who is Blind or Partially Sighted would also be disadvantaged, not able to read the print letter put in the cabin, and not yet have a good orientation and idea of the layout of the ship etc;
People with hearing difficulties of various forms would not necessarily hear announcements especially somewhere with a lot of background and other noises particularly unfamiliar ones;
Individuals who are Neuro-divergent/Neuro-atypical, such as autistic people, can really struggle with sudden changes in circumstances and have difficulties adapting, thinking clearly, dealing with extreme anxiety, processing what's happening and what they need to do, and all that is so much worse if it is public and there's no private place to move to in order to calm and avoid a meltdown - which you mentioned some people never actually even got a room key at all.
So yes, thank you for considering and mentioning such things in your video, one of if not the first random travel channel I have seen that gave any mention at all TBH! Hence my probably over long comment nobody will read.
@@theinvisibleneonrainbowzeb2567I ready it!! It’s much appreciated. Thank you! 😁❤️
I've never been on a cruise and I assume the algorithm just pushed this to me and others because the circumstances are so crazy, but that aside it's a really well done review so I guess I'm about to sub and learn more about cruises
I love this! Thanks so much 😀❤️
@@EmmaCruises did a lot of passangers got angry at the Cruise line for cancelled the cruise ship trip.
that was me! I've ben on one cruise when I was about 8, not much interest to go on another (a bit claustrophobic) but I watch nearly all of Emma's videos! They're so well produced and edited and a nice bit of escapism
@@EmmaCruises I tend to watch ship videos from another era, but you were flagged up on my algorithm too.I would never go on a cruise {a ferry is enough for me!} but your vids are interesting.
This one especially so, as it followed an Estonia video, and one on how ships are made 'Safer' {Touch wood} these days, after that disaster.
Edit..The ''Rat tail'' handles in your cabin were gross! Maybe they were made of actual Tilbury Rat tails?
If that BrightSunFilms video posted a few months ago about the Disney Cruise Line's Disney Wish is anything to go by, if it's a Disney Cruise you must do...stick with the older ships and skip the newer ones. I've only even gone on the Magic and Wondrr, but I hear good things about the Dream and Fantasy admittedly.
Disney Cruise Lines is a ton of fun though from my previous experiences pre-2020 but I haven't settled Auth then in a while. You should give a Cruise line a try though they can be a ton of fun! I am a particular fan of cruising up to Alaska, the sights are absolutely gorgeous and the ports of call are quaint and interesting.
I don’t do cruises, I don’t follow the channel, I have no idea how this video found me. But I appreciate greatly how you made so many positive remarks out of a bad experience. Made for a really interesting video.
Hahaha, thanks so much. Lovely to meet you. 😅❤️
You will soon be booking a cruise Chris! I promise you.
@@EmmaCruisesyou would be a good traveling companion! nothing ruins a vacation faster than a crabapple on a cruise
Thank you Emma. It really goes to show that it's not so much what happens to us, it's what we bring to the party. You came with a great attitude and made the most of it. Wish the world were filled with more people like you...best regards
Shocking that this could happen but I am very impressed that passengers were still fed, entertained and allowed to stay on the ship overnight, giving people a chance to make travel arrangements for the next day. The compensation package looked quite generous as well, so based purely on your video and no other information, I wouldn't have a problem booking a cruise with this company in the future. It's how they handle issues that matter not the fact that they have them, especially on a 30 year old ship and in my eyes they handled the issue well.
As opposed to a riot?
I feel sorry for the crew, entertainers etc - spoke to one girl from the Philippines who didn't mind as she was going to see London Bridge to fulfil an ambition! Although we were disappointed, it was better to cancel than take a risk with safety. Most people took it very well - we had a meal, show etc, then bed and breakfast, then left the ship without any real problems - everything was nice and orderly. We have been advised that we will receive a full refund, and all our bar bill will be covered. They also offer generous discounts (25 to 50%) on a future cruise. For a new company this must represent a severe financial blow - I do hope they can recoup their losses.
Yep must be so expensive. Thanks for watching 😀👏🏼
It makes me wonder if what they saw was more then just a lifeboat situation. To have to go back to the Cruise Yard sound like something pretty significant, esp cancelling a 15 day Cruise. Be glad for that inspection.
Blimey, London Bridge?
It's a 60s eyesore of a bridge! ;)
Hello Emma, I have sailed as an officer onboard vessels and failing an annual inspection is pretty serious. In America, the Coast Guard conducts "Certificate of Inspection" and if the vessel isn't able to correct the deficiency with the ships workforce, then a shipyard is the only way to to get the work done, especially if it's on a lifesaving device. A very costly mistake, which shown with the poor interior maintenance seems to be reflected in the rest of the ship as well.
Yeah :/ Thanks for watching 😀👏🏼
This young lady covers a lot of info ground with excellent narration to give her a major win as great You Tuber.
Thanks so much, try my best! 😀❤️
This had a knock on effect and the sailing to the Canary Islands (the one after this one ) got cancelled too 😬 so home I stayed 😂 The ship is now in Germany (Bremerhaven) for repairs and testing though.
But yeah this was a justified call in my opinion. For those who are curious as to what the exact issue was :
“During an inspection of the lifeboat stations on Sunday 18th December, the Surveyor observed a slight movement of one of the sheaves used for guiding the steel wire ropes that move and hold the lifeboats in position. When checking on this movement further, the inspection brought to light a hairline crack on the bracket holding these sheaves in position, and more of these were found in a similar position on other brackets. while the issue was not critical at this time the cracks could have potentially caused issues in the future or at an potentially wrong time”
Taking the full refund is a smart move, it's a new cruise line which might not be around in a year (if it has to keep cancelling cruises) so your money is now safe with you again
Very true! Thanks for watching 😀👏🏼
Yes, as they say, “a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.” Is that an Americanism, Emma?
@@jackiebyers3424I thought that was a Bible verse
Thankfully it is still around and very good too, based on our experience.
It's depressing to get a trip cancelled like this - but I'm glad to hear that it happened while docked at the departure port instead of on the water. These are the kinds of things that you're thankful they don't happen in worse situations.
(I once experienced an aircraft engine failure on the ground at the airport. We ended up getting another aircraft after three hours.)
Oh gosh! Yes. Thanks for watching 😀👏🏼
Better than experiencing engine failure at 40,000 feet! I used to work for Amtrak in the U. S. and the inside joke was, "When our engines fail you won't fall 30,000 feet!" There have been times when Amtrak had a rash of enroute locomotive failures.
I experienced the same thing in 1989. We were delayed from leaving the dock on our way to Mexico from Tampa, FL. The next morning we woke up and were still at the dock. The ship failed engine inspection, as we later learned. We were offered full refund or we could stay on the ship for the duration of the cruise stuck docked. Since I only lived 45 minutes away I choose the refund. Many people stayed on board as they had flown in or traveled long distances and had no place to go or a way to get back home.
Thanks for sharing this story. I have never heard of a cruise being cancelled after everyone has already embarked the ship.
Thanks for watching 😀👏🏼
Mike, many years ago P&O Aurora was cancelled after 3 attempts to depart on their Line Voyage out of Southampton to Australia via Rio and South America. 3 times it only got as far as the Silent but reassured all 2000 passengers everything had been fixed and due to sail for Sydney with a revised itinerary with a couple of less Caribbean Ports. My mate from Australia who flew over on his own flight presumed in the morning he was steaming across the Bay of Biscay in the North Atlantic only to wake up with a letter under his door advising the 7 week voyage had now been completely Cancelled. P&O let the passengers stay on board for the remaining weekend and issued cash refunds in Pound Sterling on the Wharf to all pax. They offered free alcohol drinks and normal dining meals but all had to be disembarked by 9am on the Monday. The only problem apart from the immense disappointment of the cancelled voyage was P&O told my friend that because he made his way to UK independently and not on a scheduled P&O flight he had to find and pay for his own way home to Australia. He had six days on the Aurora for free but only seen the Isle of Wight. He was 84 years old and had wasted 2 air tickets to and from UK for the experience.
I'm SO sorry your trip was interrupted by these unfortunate events... but I'm VERY happy this happened to you because you're literally the best person on the planet to document everything and make it into such great content. Again, I'm sorry/yay!
Thanks so much that’s very kind ☺️
I got engaged on Pacific Dawn and it's so heartbreaking to see her struggling like this! I was so excited when I saw she had been saved and had high hopes for her rebrand and journey ahead, but this is just horrible and I'm sorry you had such a terrible experience on her!
Awwhh, she was a much loved ship! ❤️❤️❤️
My sincerest condolences for you, Emma.
I recently went on my FIRST ever cruise last month and holy cow, every possible thing that could go wrong, including a canceled flight, almost kept me and my friend from making it. I didn't breath til my tired self was ON that ship and we set sailed.
I don't know what I would've done something similar like this happened and the powers that be ultimately decided I didn't get to cruise when I originally planned.
I actually discovered your channel as I was looking up cruise info videos when I got back. I hope and wish more grand adventures ahead for you! Again, I'm really sorry this happened, I'm glad you got your refund at least :)
Thanks so much, yep hopefully within 2 weeks it should be back in my bank 😀❤️
I have never been on a cruise in my life but something about Emma and her content just soothes me ❤️
I was on this cruise and 2 tables down from you and your friends when the announcement came. You were right, the atmosphere was let's make the most of it. However, we found the service on ship, particularly to get drinks was awful, shipwide. We were never glad to have a holiday calcneled so early before.
We also noticed, that overnight many passengers complained about the uncontrollable heat in their rooms, particularly inside cabins. Lots of people complaining to reception at early hours.
Oh really! Interesting. Oh yeah the service was slow, I cut out my bit complaining about that in the video because I thought maybe they gave up when the cruise was cancelled. Ha ha. Apparently they’re fixing the air conditioning too in the dry dock…. ❤️❤️❤️
Went on the inaugural cruise of the Regal Princess in September of 1991. We were on our Honeymoon. We had purchased an inside cabin but were upgraded to an outside cabin. We went on back-to-back cruises (western and eastern) Caribbean. Since we were on our honeymoon and on for 14 days we were treated like royalty! Really enjoy your channel.
Awwhhh that sounds lovely! Thanks for watching. 🥳👏🏼
We got married in September 1991 too, but had to wait for our first cruise honeymoon until our 25th wedding anniversary. Was definitely worth the wait and we’re trying to work out another cruise now - anywhere, anytime! I love your channel Emma and it’s helping our dreams. I want to cruise asap!!
This was a very strange happening. I can’t imagine a ship getting ready to sail and have issues with their lifeboats at that late date. Just imagine if something horrible had happened and they didn’t work! You’re very right when you say you have to go by the safety rules they are important! But I’m glad you get to upgrade on your next cruise to a balcony. That’s nice and something to look forward to!
Yep definitely prefer not to sail! Thanks for watching 😀👏🏼
It's too bad, not only about your trip, but how quickly ships are scrapped...this vessel had character and a soul, which not every boat has. :( Sorry your cruise was canceled, I've learned so much from your videos.
I liked the "curtain to nothing." It was someone's idea to alleviated claustrophobia in some passengers.
Thanks so much, is it really? That's kinda cool! Thanks for watching 😀👏🏼
I put up a poster of a window overlooking a garden on the wall of my basement office.
It seemed to brighten up the space while causing confusion in some of my coworkers.
@@EmmaCruises you should look up "are there cruiseship laws that protect a passenger rights"
most countries have "Airline passenger BIll of rights" for instants if, the airline cancels your flight for other then weather and you are at a connecting airport (not your take off airport) then the airline must give you a hotel room free. If your fight is delayed for other then weather for so many hours (4?) the airline must buy you food. If your luggage is delayed then they need to provide money for you to buy clothing. It's very important that passengers know this because the Airlines will never tell passengers they have Legal Passenger rights.
In addition if your flight is cancelled you have a right to "Sell your ticket" to another Airline to hop on their flight to get home/vacation spot quicker VS waiting for your present airline aircraft scheduled. If their is a price difference between the old flight and the new flight on a different airline then the first ticket airline will pay the difference NOT the passenger. I wonder if this is the same with Cruise ships that are cancelled??
In the US our Senate creates these Airline Passenger Bill Of Rights. Most countries have these.
I wonder if, the cruise ship industry has passenger Bill of Rights also?? Maybe look into this. You might have been given more gifts for your cruise being cancelled.
Sorry your cruise was canceled that is extremely disappointing after weeks/months of excitement to go on your trip
Merry Christmas🎄❄ & Happy New Years to you!! 🎉🥳🍾
here is one yt vid titled: " Cruise passenger Bill of Rights"
on yt ch FOX 35 Orlando
Im sure there are more vids & articles.
You normally know if the room has a window or not when you book your trip. The cheapest rooms don't have windows.😺
I can only imagine what is to prepare before, choosing the clothing for travelling, packing suitcases, boarding the ship, only to find out hours later you have to come back home… at least you’ll have some interesting things to tell people hehe
@9:35 I would do the same 😂😂
Yeah! It was so depressing unpacking again, ha ha. Thanks for watching 😀👏🏼
I've been on quite a few Disney cruises and I can tell you if I had to unpack after all the energy and time I put into it I'd be pissed but Disney is great at not doing that😂😂
It would be a pretty boring story if it all went as planned.
It happened to us right at the beginning of Covid on the Royal ship that came into Bayonne with sick people. They held the ship for 2 days before finally deciding to set sail. We had to go home and come back. Thankfully it was only a 90 minute drive.
This is such a wild story! I’m so glad that you were able to share it with us (though I’m not glad to hear that so many people were affected by this cancellation)
It's amazing how all of you managed to make the most of the situation. And I'm also amazed at how well the other passengers handled the situation
Yeah! I was surprises there weren’t more angry people 😂😂
OMG! Never heard of a similar incident occurring before anywhere in the world.
Whilst the ship is in dry dock they should sort out all the things that need updating, repairing, or replacing.
I feel particularly sad for the people who had book the 15 day Christmas cruise 🫢😰🤬
So sad yeah! :( Thanks for watching 😀👏🏼
Actually I think Margaretaville went through the same issue on their new ship they refurbished this year.
I watched Justin and Tristen's video on this and the whole situation just seems so strange. The cabins were definitely not refurbished as well as the public areas of the ship; seems like Ambassador is trying to get out of doing all the things you need to do to upgrade a ship.
Yeah :( Thanks Lou!
or even maintain a ship. That gets really expensive, REALLY FAST!
@@lucysmum1895 Yes, it was an unfortunate situation and a shame that so many folks had their cruise plans upset.
Ahhh, the Curtain of Confusion! Took my friends and I until about halfway through our week-long cruise on her to stop trying to open the curtain because our brains were convinced there must have been something behind it worth seeing!
Curtain of confusion!! Love it. 🤣🤣🤣🤣
Congratulations Emma on 1 million views on just this one Vlog ! 🎉🎉😮 So glad you took video first thing so you give such great first hand news. Great job. Your wonderful smile and clear account always brightens the channel. Best cruise Vlogger in Europe hands down.
Thanks so much, this video felt like putting everything I’ve learnt in 6 years into one story 😙🎄
Great video Emma! Such a shame that there are so many issues and problems with a new British cruise line especially as their cruises aren’t cheap.
Yep, some of them are really cheap... but this one wasn't really. Thank you! 😁❤️
You handled that so well! I'd give it a rest before I thought about this cruise line again. I'm all up for testing and giving lines a 2nd chance. Because of you, I gave MSC another chance out of the USA and they blew me away!
Yay!!! In a good way I hope ha ha. Thank you! 😁❤️
Sorry to hear about your cancelled cruise. If I understood correctly, the inspection taking place on board was not a Port State Control inspection, but one that was related to her recurring checking of the safety equipment etc. carried by the Lloyd's Register surveyors. In any case, her database lists the last PSC inspection in Reykjavik on October 12, 2022, when 7 defects were found, but none was serious enough to warrant a detention. It was far more interesting back in May (and it was already mentioned here in the comments), when she was detained for a day in London, obviously having "detainable" defects among the 20 that were found. The list of defects is not a secret, and it looks downright nasty, from dirty engine room to far more concerning problems with her fire fighting equipment. Again, that was in May, and I can only guess what was the problem for Christmas.
Like your honesty. Not many other cruise reviews are so honest and modest.
Thanks for watching 😀👏🏼
I’m so glad that you did fly round and have a good look, as I’ve been intrigued to see more from this cruise line. The ship looks great, and actually a good quality given the age!
Yess, if they could bring the cabins up to the standards of the other spaces and fix toilets/air con it would be awesome. 😅💕
I suspect that they probably also didn't want to be paying Tilbury port fees for any longer than they had to. Also, from my experience on Holland America's ships, inside staterooms on 90s-era ships often had the curtained recesses on the far wall behind the beds -- usually with up-directed lighting either in front of or behind the curtain -- to simulate having a window. Later designs often have a large mirror or picture instead.
Awwhh, that’s quite nice!! So true. Thanks for watching 😀👏🏼
Am glad I bumped into your channel it’s so refreshing and real unlike the other more “high end 😂” sounding cruise reviews. You definitely have earned yourself a new dedicated subscriber. And my sincere apologies for the cancelled cruise.
Thanks so much ☺️💕
What a wild story! I’m glad yours was only a short cruise. Imagine what a bummer it must have been for those who planned that cancelled 15-day Christmas cruise. Thank you for this video. I’ve just Subscribed! BTW: Love your accent!
Thank you! 😁❤️
How crazy! But you made the best of it, which is all you can do! Oh & Balcony upgrade on the next cruise isn't a bad result.
Yep ha ha! :)
I find it interesting that lots of people complained about key cards and toilets not working, and that it had been an issue for some time...my guess is since they had to take the ship back to be repaired it was a much bigger problem than the issue than just the lifeboats (though that would also be bad) but likely that there was an issue with the vessel sanitation systems and functionality. It will be interesting to hear what happens.
I hope they fix those too in dry dock 😀❤️
Your blogs on Cuising are invaluable to anyone considering a Cruise. Thankyou
Oh my gosh! Such an inconvenience for all passengers AND the cruise line not to even mention the cruise you mentioned that was sailing over Christmas. Anyway, here's something you can count on. Emma!! She's a gem and loved by squillions. Thank you so much Miss Emma. J in California
Awwhhh thanks so much J! 😀💕
It sounds to me that that ship is pretty much on it's last leg and they are just patching things and hoping they get away with it. Then someone does an actual inspection and finds things they can't let go and then they finally get fixed.
Bendigo, I suspect you're right. Just looking at the quick views of the ship's exterior in the video, you can see rust streaks on the hull, for example. That stuff happens even on brand new ships fairly quickly because of the constant exposure to weather and salt water. But bigger cruise lines have massive maintenance crews that are out touching up paint, etc constantly- especially when she docks. Just a tell tale sign that maybe there are bigger issues going on, too.
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Such a shame you were cancelled but understand safety first (which is baffling that it was in a condition that failed)
I've sailed on this ship previously as Pacific Dawn out of Australia - I had wondered where it went so thank you!
You're absolutely killing it! (That's American for great job!). This is my favorite cruise channel! Bravo on your success, well deserved.
Thanks so much ☺️🙏
You set a magnificent example for how to react when "things aren't going your way." Bravo. I feel for all the effort and the heartache people had to go through and look forward to your next video :) Ehud in sunny landlocked Tucson, southwest US.
Thanks so much 🥹❤️
Love your video essays, even when things go wrong.
Thank you! 😁❤️
Well done you for getting this video out so quickly. What a strange situation.
Thank you, I've been editing 9am - 11pm for the last couple days, my eyeballs are now square but I was so excited. Ha ha.
Love how you mentioned people with disabilities! Thank you.
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8:43 how is that not a safety violation? 😮 imagine being in your cabin not knowing if the ship was evacuating omg that is so scary to be left in the dark (inside cabin pun)
Honestly shame on them for only making the notification in PR emails and public spaces. Glad they kept y’all safe in the end but so frustrating that these companies STILL don’t know how to make a proper announcement to ALL guests.
Thinking more about this and the fact you mentioned some cabins never had the announcement broadcast to them. That's slightly worrying 1) If the person broadcasting didn't select all areas for the announcement 2) Were speakers in all cabins operational? 3) In an emergency not all passengers would hear the emergency alarm via the speakers. This raises even more questions about their standards.
That is such a good point, I’m not sure, it should be a different system though that goes ship wide. Interesting!
What a crazy experience! Thanks for sharing with us.
Thanks for watching 😀👏🏼
I appreciate how balanced this felt 👌🏼
Hey Emma, thank you for getting the details out quickly. Some 50 year olds (not yet ... only 49) like activities such as climbing walls and slides. Maybe I am the odd one. 😆
Ha ha! Thats why I thought I'd say that, slides definitely don't end at 50!! ;) Thanks for watching 😀👏🏼
Wow! You put a positive spin on what happened. Safety had to come first of course. x
Ha ha, Thanks for watching 😀👏🏼
I think I'd come around to a positive spin as well.... after about 5 hours of swearing really loudly and throwing pillows at the cat.
"Safety" would have been having proper maintenance ahead of time such that you don't fail inspections.
Fantastic video! The ship is beautiful. I hope she gets her issues resolved quickly. In actuality the snafu made your video all the more unique and interesting however so sorry you didn’t make it to the Christmas market.
I just went on my first cruise 2 weeks ago and I gotta say I’ve watched 100s of your videos I love them and the enthusiasm you give in all of them thank you for fueling my next big hobby! ❤
Emma’s vlogs persuaded me to try my first cruise….. now I’m obsessed and I never have any money so be warned, your bank account won’t be your friend anymore! 😅😂 But poor in funds, rich in experience is what I say. 😊 There’s such a big world out there!
The layout and the decor is very much like other ships from the early 90's. I LOVE the look. Reminds me of when I started cruising.
Ha ha, yesss. Thanks for watching 😀👏🏼
I really feel for you, and Ambassador cruise line, for having your cruise cancelled.., it must have been awful news to receive and to give. I think it would have been best for them to offer those who wished to stay onboard (as a floating hotel) a partial refund, and a full refund for those who wished to disembark. At least that way you could still have enjoyed the food and entertainment and the ambience of Ambience, and relaxed. We went on that ship to Norway in August and it was simply brilliant from the moment we drove into the car park. It was a fantastic experience in all aspects, and up there with Fred Olson. We prefer this type of relaxed classy cruise to the large glossy ones, and have cruised many times with numerous companies. Please do not be put off ..... sadly "things do go wrong" and safety is paramount.
Oh yes absolutely. Thanks for watching 😀👏🏼
Love the video! Thanks for keeping us updated on possibilities
Thanks for keeping us abreast of the situation.
Thanks for watching 😀👏🏼
Thank you for posting this! It looks so beautiful! I’m so bummed out for you that it got cancelled - I would have been literally heartbroken!
I seriously hope we get to cruise together one day because we sound like perfect cruise mates - vegetarian here who also doesn’t gamble on cruises or buy the drink package! (I love a good drink but 2-3 max a day for me and sometimes none on port days!) I also am really really happy with the food on lines like MSC where everyone else complains because I’m just happy to be on a cruise 😅 I like early dining too & I’m also never paying for a balcony unless they upgrade me for free (happy to take an upgrade though, even though my disabled legs wish I’d just get one near the buffet LOL). I feel like watching your videos before I ever cruised prepped me to be super laid back about stuff on cruises & I hope our paths cross on a cruise one day!
Hahaha!! You are exactly me!! Love it. I hope so too. Thanks for watching 😀👏🏼
I recently got off a 6 day Danube cruise for Christmas markets with a 150 euro dinner drinks and bar bill. Had the drinks package been worth buying it would have been cheaper, but it only covered house wines and only at dinner which is pretty useless.
You mentioning the way the key card issue might affect the disabled has lead me to wondering if you might be willing to do a video on cruising as a physically disabled person. As a disabled person, I've avoided cruising in no small part because I'm not sure how accessible ships might be.
My husband is a wheelchair user and we have found that cruising is the best way for him to travel, a lot easier than flying. If you take an accessible cabin (the best ones are on the new P&O ships) you will be fine. The cabins are a lot larger than regular cabins with bigger doors and walk in showers. It will depend on the ship but pretty much all of it will be accessible to you. Book early though they do sell out quickly.
Hellooo! I don’t think I’m the best person for the job but there’s lots of channels that do a great job (spin the globe, cruising with wheels etc) ❤️❤️
I'm in a wheelchair and have done about 15 cruises, cruising in general is so much easier for someone in a wheelchair but especially no fly cruises.
What a crazy story! Thanks for sharing and Merry Christmas
Wow, that's a bummer. Thanks for telling us about it.
Thanks for watching 😀👏🏼
A rather unique cruising experience all around. I imagine that the safety inspection revealed multiple areas of concern. It was probably for the best that ship staff can now focus on fundamentals before setting out again. Cheers and Happy Holidays!
Yes! Better to be inconvenienced than in a watery grave.
Yep hopefully! Thanks for watching 😀👏🏼
I like the fact that Disney cruise line doesn't have casinos since I don't gamble. Whenever my mother and I went on other cruise lines, I'd always find her hanging around the casino bars because it was one of the few places on the ship she was allowed to smoke without having to go outside on deck.
5:16 yes!!! oooooohhhhh what a aimple thing ALL cabins NEED!!!!!! kettle n cups 🥰🥰
Yess!!!!! ❤️❤️❤️❤️
Love your style and positive attitude- refreshing. Thank you.
Thank you! 😁❤️
You have a remarkably up-beat attitude, Emma. If this had happened to me, after all the planning and preparation, I would have been upset. This video reminded me of a nice woman we met on a cruise, a couple years ago. She told us about being halfway through a voyage, when the captain announced that the cruise company (I’ve forgotten the name) had just declared bankruptcy and all the passengers would have to disembark at the next port (Cartagena, Columbia). There was no mention of refunds, and everybody was on their own about getting home. She said most of the crew got off too. In your case, I suspect that the inspection found more than just a lifeboat problem.
Oh my gosh!!! 🥲
It's a shame this happened - I'm sorry your trip was cancelled :( I'm going on Ambience in March for my honeymoon - 14 nights in Norway. I hope that the issues (and any others that may crop up!) are fixed by then!
Fingers crossed for you! ❤️❤️
It's a nice ship - though the cabins have seen better days - and it's immaculately clean throughout. I hope you have a wonderful honeymoon.
Oh, Emma, I'm so sorry!
Thanks for watching 😀👏🏼
What a bummer. I watch all of your videos and I don’t even cruise! You are such a lovely lovely person. Happy New Year and safe travels!!!
Thank you! 😁❤️
My goodness! What an adventure, but, not in the good way. ☹️ Thanks for sharing this so quickly. Now, go on and enjoy the holidays! ❤️👍
PS scritches for Hudson. 😻
Ha ha. Thank you! 😁❤️
As soon as you messaged me to say the cruise was cancelled I knew you’d have a fantastic video topic but wow. What a strange experience!! I wonder what kind of issue it was that required a visit to the shipyard.
Yeah! It is a mystery. Thanks for watching 😀👏🏼
just found your channel a few days ago and have binge watching it ever since. Really enjoying your content and am getting excited to try a cruise again.
Sorry to hear about your cancellation, we cruised on Ambience at the end of July to Sweden and Denmark . The ship was lovely to travel on and the food and entertainment were very good. She is and old ship but felt comfortable and we didn't hear of any major problems.
I do hope you get the opportunity to try them again and have a better experience next time.
Merry Christmas to you and a Happy New Year.
That’s great to hear so glad you enjoyed 😀👏🏼
Hi Emma. So sad to hear of your experience but thank you so much for bringing some happy memories of the ship as Pacific Dawn back to us. We have done probably about 15 cruises on the Dawn and enjoyed every one. Our youngest girl Gaby 'cut her cruising teeth' on the Dawn with her first cruise being when she was 3 in 2009 and the last one just before the Dawn left Australia. Much of the decor is still the same but Ambassador do seem to have done some nice things with some of the public areas. Hopefully they can sort the problem out and she can give a lot more people happy cruise memories. We're off on the Quantum of the Seas in a few days for the New Year cruise. It will be the biggest cruise ship we've ever been on so lots to video and even more editing when we get back home. Merry Christmas and happy cruising Emma.
Awwhh!! She was a much loved ship. Thanks for watching 😀👏🏼
I really appreciate the Britishism in this video. I get a lot of things in context when I watch Britbox shows. I had heard of revising and it sounded a lot like studying. I kind of thought it was reviewing material already known to the person doing the revising. I am clear on that one now.
Yesss!! Glad it was helpful. 😀❤️
On a more positive note we cruised on Ambience in August around the Baltic and had a great time. We have just returned from a Christmas cruise on P&O Azura in the Canaries on which we have cruised several times. In our opinion the standards on Azura have dropped whilst we would happily cruise Ambassador again. We found it to be more of the old style of cruising and whilst there were small issues they did not spoil our time aboard. Indeed we have already booked an Ambassador cruise this June from Newcastle.
Thanks for your frank report Emma. Always good to see your videos.
I'm fairly impressed with your content as a whole, young lady. Well done! I want to add that this is NOT my usual content, but your production value has me interested.
Thanks so much, I try my best lots of years of practise 😂😂
this is so crazy, i am from Australia and i went on this exact cruise ship late 2019 when P&O must've owned the ship. it was in tip top shape when i stayed! so sad to hear about the bad experience :(
Pacific dawn was stationed at Brisbane (my home port) til it was replaced by the pacific explorer, on the explorer some of us repeat cruisers were talking about how the dawn was a beautiful ship and we preferred a lot of things about it over the explorer, it’s sad to see that the maintenance standers have dropped. Hopefully they get it together and you get to sail on her soon, the ship has potential.
I was on the Dawn 3 times and absolutely loved it! Was so funny as when she stepped on I thought I know this ship straight away! Not a lot has changed honestly! I was sad to see it being gone, had fantastic adventures on it!
Great review. Always a cheerful tone and an optimistic spirit. Well done.
Thanks for watching 😀👏🏼
Saw this on Cruise News this morning. Sad about your cruise but also happy to see the behind the scenes happening. Great video...keep your glass half full!
Thank you! 😁❤️
I sailed on this ship twice as Pacific Dawn and she was easily my favourite ship for the longest time. Sad to see her slowly deteriorate, but better than the scrap yard. Under P&O Aus she was kept immaculate.
Awwhhh, glad to hear it! ❤️
Holy cow, I was wondering why the ship seemed familiar. I went on this ship in jan 2020, before covid hit. It was a good trip
Fabulous update as always Emma, great you guys had a fun night regardless but seriously it still Sucks!!
Ha ha, Thanks for watching 😀👏🏼
Suddenly the whole planet going 🧳⚓⛵ cruising
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Thanks for watching 😀👏🏼
So glad to get the whole story of the cancelled cruise. I sure hope that never happens to us. You handled it way better than we would have.
Ha ha. Thank you! 😁❤️
This seems crazy that something like this could happen and they weren’t more prepared with safety checks etc . This must have been disappointing but the poor people on the 15 day Xmas cruise must be pretty gutted . Still enjoyed your video , if you know what I mean !!😂 Merry Christmas Emma . Hope your next cruise is much better 😉
Hahaha. Thank you! 😁❤️
I am 50+ (not by very much, admittedly) and I'd happily have a go at rock climbing and water slide.
Yesss!! Thanks for watching 😀👏🏼
My Christmas Card arrived today (Dec 22nd)! Thank you so much. The card is SO adorable and your handwriting is very nice lol.
Yay!!!! So glad!! All handwritten my hand hurt hahah 🤣🤣
My guess is there was an expensive failure found in the inspection-though as you said, pop up inspections just before departure sounds very strange-and considering the cancellation of other trips, the company didn’t have the resources. Of course, having passengers who didn’t even have working cards leads me to believe that there were deeper systemic problems. Leaving was probably a good idea.
I spent a career in aviation safety inspections, and after writing my comment above, I thought that there might have been an onboard whistleblower who found something in those life rafts but to which more senior crew said 'no worries.' That would have generated an on-the-spot, unannounced inspection; considering it is passenger safety equipment, it might have put the entire ship out of service, as we say in aviation.
Mhmm… Thanks for watching 😀👏🏼
My family had a similarly odd experience on Holland America a few years ago. Short version - propulsion issue. At first they were just going to skip ports, but then that evening they canceled the entire cruise. They originally told everyone to get off, but after my family and many others asked why we couldn’t just remain on board, they finally did allow us to for that evening, albeit too late for many who already left.
Oh man!! ❤️❤️❤️
This quickly became one of the BEST cruises for you to have gone on, seeing as how the youtube algorithm decided to help blow it up for you! Look at that view count! Awesome as always!
I was so surprised when you mentioned the vessel was the former Pacific Dawn, the one and only ship I have ever cruised on! Very interesting story and a well put together video!
Thank you! 😁❤️