Seven Scenic Eclipse cruises cancelled as ship launch delayed, again
Luxury cruise line Scenic has been forced to cancel seven voyages early next year due to a shipyard strike, which has delayed the completion of its first ocean cruise ship, Scenic Eclipse.
The first sailing date for the Eclipse, which was originally due to launch in August this year and then delayed until January, has now been amended from March 22 to April 13, 2019.
In a statement released early this morning, Scenic said: "Due to the continuing financial issues at Uljanik shipyard [in Pula, Croatia] and the resultant strike by specialist engine and systems commissioning workers, this part of the ship’s completion has been delayed.
"Scenic has been in constant contact with the shipyard, workers representatives and the Government to ensure the completion of the ship as soon as possible.
"Due to those efforts, more than 600 workers are still on board each weekday. The progress on the ship’s interiors and other areas of the final build stage have seen far less impact from the industrial action, and continue to progress at good pace.
"The specialist commissioning team returned to work progressively last week however it will not be possible to catch up the now almost six weeks’ time lost due to strikes in this area."
Some 40 UK bookings are amongst those to have been cancelled, said a company spokeswoman.
Scenic said it understood the ‘regrettable impact’ the cancellations will have on guests. If they choose to rebook with Scenic, it is offering them 25% off the cost of a future cruise as long as they book by March 31, 2019.
The first sailng for Scenic Ecliipse will now be a ‘Great Civilisations Mediterranean Cruise’, from Barcelona to Athens.
The line is in the process of providing refunds to passengers for the cancelled cruise and consideration of any other ‘reasonable’ associated costs, including cancelled flights, hotels and insurance policies.
There is a dedicated phone number for guests – 0161 234 2865 – if they need to contact the cruise line direct.
Linsey McNeill
Editor Linsey McNeill has been writing about travel for more than three decades. Bylines include The Times, Telegraph, Observer, Guardian and Which? plus the South China Morning Post. She also shares insider tips on thetraveljournalist.co.uk
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