Chinese Cruise Ship Passengers Cruise Bruised
Darkened Ship - Missed Ports - Company Lies
Costa Allegra July 8, 2006
When the Costa Allegra was moved to Shanghai, China, there was great excitement that this cruise ship was now available for Chinese vacations. that excitement changed rapidly on the maiden 5 day voyage when the aging vessel failed to perform as planned, and the story from crew conflicted with the company statement.
The first night the ship left port, passengers endured a sudden power outage. with all the electrical equipment shutting down at once. The ship was plunged into sudden darkness for a half hour.
There was no explaination at all to passengers, who were terribly frightened, having no idea what was going on, and if they would live through the night. After the power came back on, the passengers were only told the problem was solved. The last night of the cruise, the passengers endured another outage, apparently the problem was not solved. The cruise line refused to comment on the power outage.
Passengers also said they were informed the ship would be deviating from its intended course only one hour after leaving port. The ship was scheduled to pass Nagasaki of Japan, Jeju Island of South Korea and then return to Shanghai, but was forced to miss Jeju because of bad weather. Instead the ship called at Okinawa.
The company claims the situation was unavoidable. However crew members told passengers, that the cruise line knew of the bad weather ahead, in advance of boarding, and didn't give the passengers any notice until after they had set sail. This didn't give passengers the option of refusing the cruise, and getting a refund. This is a standard problem with all cruse lines, with the Chinese now having their dream cruise bubbles popped as well. It will interesting to see how China deals with a problem, no other nation has been able to regulate.
According to Bi a Costa spokeswoman, the company had known about the typhoon before the ship set out, but that did not mean it had decided to change the route.
The company agreed to pay each passenger US$30 after negotiations. The cost of the cruise tour was more than 3,000 yuan (US$375). Nearly 100 passengers refused to accept the compensation.
Reports on the Costa Allegra are very sketchy, as details vary greatly on the facts related to the cruises from one travel website to another, leaving passengers wondering what they will get. The cruises nor the Costa Allegra are featured on the Costa Cruise home website at all, with only a phone number to call for information, with no online booking at all.
The Costa Allegra is owned by the Italian cruise line, Costa Cruises. The vessel built in 1992, now 14 years old and counting, was reburbished in 2001 and 2006. It is a smaller cruise ship of only 28,500 gross tonnes, capable of carrying a mere 820 passengers.
Allegra was inaugurated in Shanghai on July 2. The Allegra began with a two-day mini cruise from Hong Kong to Shanghai.
The Allegra began a July to October summer program of 24 five-day cruises from Shanghai to Nagasaki in Japan and South Korea's Jeju Island. This upgraded the City of Shanghai from a temporay port. to a home port, and increased revenue to Shanghai, China. It became the first international cruise line to choose China as a homeport for one of their vessels.
The 130000-square-meter Shanghai Port International Cruise Terminal became the first such port in China. At present, three berths for international cruise ships of 70,000-80,000 tons are in place, together with an 880-meter-long international passenger transport wharf. Construction of office buildings and a 90,000-square-meter greenery space is underway. By next year, the terminal building will be completed and the whole project is expected to complete by 2008.
The inauguration was very special for China, with the traditional boring speeches and champagne bottle smashing against the hull. Some Chinese have labeled the Allegra as "gargantuan" [28,500 gross tonnes], though the baby class cruise vessel dwarfs in compared to other cruise ships, such as the really 'gargantuan' Voyager of The Seas at 142,000 tonnes, with a passenger load of 3,800.
The inauguration included giant inflatable globes rolling along the side of the dock, a bridal waltz on stilts, a scantily clad woman performing flips and dives into a shallow bowl of water, clowns rappelling down the side of Allegra, a film-star arriving in a new Ferrari, all with dramatic opera music heard across the Huangpu.
Costa Allegra underwent a $15.4 million renovation to tailor it for the Chinese market. Renovations included an extensive expansion of the ship's Wellness Center, the addition of karaoke machines in various onboard outlets, and a restaurant offering Asian fusion cuisine. Costa's development in the Far East is being managed by the company's new Asia-Pacific division operating from offices in Hong Kong and Shanghai.
The ship will move south to Hong Kong for its 2006-2007 winter program in November, offering five-day cruises with stops in Sanya, China, and Halong Bay, Vietnam.
