Discovery’s moment of history at Avonmouth delayed by the weather

//Discovery’s moment of history at Avonmouth delayed by the weather

discovery2.jpgBad weather in the Bay of Biscay has put a halt to a little bit of history being made today. Cruise ship Discovery should have been embarking passengers in the port of Avonmouth, but instead the ship has diverted to Portland on the south coast.
Passengers beginning a 15-night cruise in search of the Northern Lights are being taken from Bristol to the Dorset port by coach.
The ship was delayed on its journey to the UK from Genoa, where it has been undergoing a multi-million pound refurbishment since transferring from Voyages of Discovery to a new joint venture with Cruise & Maritime Voyages.
A CMV spokesman said: “As a result of the continued adverse weather and sea conditions during Discovery’s Bay of Biscay passage we have reluctantly taken to the decision to divert the vessel to Portland. The delay and tidal restrictions in Bristol Avonmouth would have meant the vessel not being able to berth until tomorrow evening, resulting in considerable disruption to our passengers. This would have also necessitated the need to revise the itinerary.”
The ship will now make its first appearance at Avonmouth at the end of this cruise.
CMV Commercial Director Chris Coates said, “We are naturally disappointed especially for our passengers that we have had to make this necessary change to the start of the cruise. Our celebratory plans in Bristol for Discovery’s inaugural sailing will therefore be put on hold until Friday March 15.”
The 700-passenger Discovery, built in 1972 and one of the original ships from the Love Boat TV series is operating a season of eight sailings from Bristol in 2013 with nearly 85 per cent of the summer programme sold out with increased capacity and choice of sailings in 2014.

By | 2017-06-15T15:59:37+00:00 28 February 2013|Cruise News|5 Comments

About the Author:

John Honeywell is a travel writer specialising in cruise ships and cruise travel. Winner of CLIA UK's Contribution to Cruise award 2017.

5 Comments

  1. Alison Kyle 1 March 2013 at 5:12 pm - Reply

    Could someone please contact me with regards to this article, the ship is not fit to sail and conditions on board are filthy with no hot water available.

  2. Mary Murphy 4 March 2013 at 2:26 pm - Reply

    Im am very concerned about the comments On this site. My husband and I are due to sail from Avonmouth on 7th April and it appears that the so called refurbishment doesnt seem to have happened.

  3. Sue Trevascus 5 March 2013 at 12:28 pm - Reply

    We too are due to set sail on the 7th April from Avonmouth but this article has placed a lot of doubt in my mind.

  4. Sue Trevascus 5 March 2013 at 12:49 pm - Reply

    We too are due to travel from Avonmouth on the 7th April. This is all a little worrying, reports of dirty bathrooms, hot water and pictures of rolls of carpet on the deck. Any further information would be good.

  5. Devon1 5 March 2013 at 4:30 pm - Reply

    We too are in hysterics.
    Contacting Travel Agent to ask for refund as feel this cruise has been missold as regards accommodation. Plenty of evidence on ITV West Country news and photos and comments around the forums.
    We want our money back as have no wish to sail on this thing.
    If not contact PSA, Passenger Shipping Authority to see what they can do.

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