What about ports/islands that are damaged/devastated by hurricane Irma?

I know that it’s still early, and that cruise lines have the option of changing your itinerary; however, we’ve selected an itinerary for places we haven’t been. If, for example, St Thomas is not able to support cruise passengers even as far out as the spring and the cruise lines substitutes --- would they possibly give us the option of rescheduling our cruise instead of cruising in the Western Caribbean? Has anyone had that happen? I also understand they’ll get the port up and running as soon as possible; however, that still might not make it a nice port visit for those who might have been expecting full services, shopping, etc.? Praying for those people on those small islands, and hope another doesn’t hit them.

 

Thank you for any info you may have on cruise lines allowing you to reschedule if ports are not available that you booked for.

Are you all paid or just the deposit? if just deposit, would make it much easier...

Are you all paid or just the deposit? if just deposit, would make it much easier...

We are not paid---we have until December. Maybe we should go ahead & schedule a different cruise now? Thank you---just looking for anyone's experience on how long it takes these islands to come back.

Are you all paid or just the deposit? if just deposit, would make it much easier...

 

 

We are not paid---we have until December. Maybe we should go ahead & schedule a different cruise now? Thank you---just looking for anyone's experience on how long it takes these islands to come back.

If you're taking that cruise for those specific ports and they're not available, I'd reschedule. Cruise line will, simply, substitute other ports and take another day at see - without additional compensation for paxs.

Are you all paid or just the deposit? if just deposit, would make it much easier...

 

 

We are not paid---we have until December. Maybe we should go ahead & schedule a different cruise now? Thank you---just looking for anyone's experience on how long it takes these islands to come back.

You should be able to rebook a different cruise and just apply the deposit to the new booking, with very little hassle. Whatever you end up choosing, enjoy.

I'm sailing on Magic in December. Our itinerary is St Thomas, San Juan, Grand Turk and Amber Cove. Even if they cancel all stops and give me a cruise to nowhere I will be happy knowing that I am lucky enough to be able to take a cruise. What about these people. My heart breaks for them. I just hope they can get some things rebuilt enough to bring the money back in. I also hope Jose goes away from them. Right now it is on the same path as Irma. That's the last thing they need right now, it would destroy what was left.

I am very sad to see the destruction of these wonderful islands and nations. It is terrible to see what we have seen, but I cant even begin to imagine what it must have been like to endure that storm, and then emerge out of it and see what once was and now is destroyed or damaged beyond one's belief.

I have enjoyed every single southern island, islands, countries in the Caribbean, Bahamas and beyond. I have my favorites, but one by one, I see island by island, nation by nation being devastated by nature and while it hurts me to know that I will not see these places for a while to come, I ache more for the people who live there.

I also love Florida, and at one time our family had a home there, so I am also anxious about how this storm will affect them. I hope that all of our collective prayers will have some positive outcome in all respects. Help for the devastated, and hopefully a weakened storm for Florida and the eastern States, as we still have many friends who live there. Sending prayers and well wishes for all to stay safe.

I'm sailing on Magic in December. Our itinerary is St Thomas, San Juan, Grand Turk and Amber Cove. Even if they cancel all stops and give me a cruise to nowhere I will be happy knowing that I am lucky enough to be able to take a cruise. What about these people. My heart breaks for them. I just hope they can get some things rebuilt enough to bring the money back in. I also hope Jose goes away from them. Right now it is on the same path as Irma. That's the last thing they need right now, it would destroy what was left.

plan on a cruise to the western Caribbean, STT and Grand Turk are destroyed

We were one of the first cruise ships allowed back to St Thomas after Hurricane Marilyn in 1995. We had sailed into St Thomas several times prior to the hurricane and were amazed to see how clear the port was after the storm. You could actually see rocks on the sea floor. We chartered a sailboat for the day. The couple actually lived aboard the boat and they told us all about their experiences during the hurricane. They were really in bad shape. We all felt guilty eating the food they served and deliberately left our Rccl towels with them as theirs were so threadbare. The housing units across from the pier still had broken windows with curtains and blinds hanging outside. We were overwhelmed by the devastation. The hurricane occurred in September and I believe it was in February when we sailed into STT.

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plan on a cruise to the western Caribbean, STT and Grand Turk are destroyed

I'm reading on Facebook via the Grand Turk/Salt Cay Hurricane Irma Updates site that someone posted that the Cruise Center at Grand Turk is still standing with surprisingly little damage. Apparently the Turks and Caicos building codes match those in Florida hurricane zones which sounds promising.

Are you all paid or just the deposit? if just deposit, would make it much easier...

 

 

We are not paid---we have until December. Maybe we should go ahead & schedule a different cruise now? Thank you---just looking for anyone's experience on how long it takes these islands to come back.

There isn't a formula for how long it takes. This was on of if not the most powerfull hurricanes ever and it destroyed some beautiful islands. There is no telling how long it may take. I am scheduled for the fascination next June and am not sure what will happen.

plan on a cruise to the western Caribbean, STT and Grand Turk are destroyed

My buddy is getting married at Frenchmen's Cove on STT in December. They called already and told him to continue to plan as the wedding will not be affected.

I'm sailing on Magic in December. Our itinerary is St Thomas, San Juan, Grand Turk and Amber Cove. Even if they cancel all stops and give me a cruise to nowhere I will be happy knowing that I am lucky enough to be able to take a cruise. What about these people. My heart breaks for them. I just hope they can get some things rebuilt enough to bring the money back in. I also hope Jose goes away from them. Right now it is on the same path as Irma. That's the last thing they need right now, it would destroy what was left.

We are on this itinerary too, only the first week of November. I'm fully planning we'll be heading to Mexico/Western vs Eastern at this point. If I'm wrong, that's great. But I'm not counting on anything at this point.

I'm with you though, I'm fine with it. Ultimately I'm on a boat and on vacation. I'm truly heartbroken for the islands that have been impacted. We got married in St. Thomas so it holds a special place for me, and seeing the photos are just absolutely gut wrenching. :(

I am wondering what will happen as well. We are sailing on the Glory in November to HMC, St. thomas, grand turk, and San Juan...how long does is usually take to receive a revised intinerary? I know it won't be until after the hurricane is over in Florida.

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We cruised to St. Thomas, San Juan and Grand Turk in 2013 and loved them. We decided that St. Thomas had to be one of the most beautiful places we'd ever been. To see the damage these islands have sustained is truly heartbreaking.

We were one of the first ships back in Nassau last year after Matthew. It was a mess. From the ship we could see roofs missing, big pieces of siding missing from Atlantis, and debris everywhere. There were still palm fronds piled up in the park near the straw market, lights were still out in many stores, roads were still blocked by downed trees and debris, etc. The stores near the port were open and only a few were without power. You could tell the residents were glad to see the ships and cruisers coming in. Overall it was just sad to see how hard the island was hit. Freeport hadn't reopened their port so we didn't even get to go there and wound up overnighting in Nassau.

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It's just not going to devistate the Caribbean islands. The entire eastern ports of Florida are going to take a direct hit! I live here and have a cruise planned for Sept 16th out of Miami. I'm not expecting at this time to go. Please just pray for everyone's safety at this time.

Hey Buffalobills! My dh is part of the Bills on field chain crew and we had a 5 day planned for Sept. 18th between games. I too am not expecting to go. The ports are Key West and Cozumel and I'm sure Key West will be out even if we do sail. My TA missed the window of opportunity for her to get out of Miami so like you, I am praying for the safety of those still in the area. A vacation can always be rescheduled so we are not even worried about that. It's all about the safety of those who will directly feel the wrath of Irma and then Jose. So sad:(

Also keep in mind Carnival Corporation has a history of dropping off supplies to weather-affected islands when it is safe to do so. And historically, those donations were greatly appreciated. I've also personally witnessed Carnival allowing ship employees to debark the ship to contribute labor to clean up efforts in the first calls to an affected port as appropriate while allowing passengers to debark to enjoy their port day (or pitch in if they feel so inclined).

 

 

I just hope everyone stays safe.

This is amazing. Once it is safe to dock, I think it would be wonderful to have nonprofits partner with CCL to offer excursions as opportunities for passengers to participate in volunteer projects during port days.

I'm on the Sunshine the first week of December to Grand Turk, San Juan, St. Kitts and St. Maarten. I expect a revised itinerary, although I haven't experienced anything like this. I expect St. Maarten is definitely not gonna happen. Curious to see what else. As a previous poster mentioned, is there an expectation when Carnival would revise an itinerary?

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I'm on the Sunshine the first week of December to Grand Turk, San Juan, St. Kitts and St. Maarten. I expect a revised itinerary, although I haven't experienced anything like this. I expect St. Maarten is definitely not gonna happen. Curious to see what else. As a previous poster mentioned, is there an expectation when Carnival would revise an itinerary?

 

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I'm on this itinerary on the Vista on 11/4 and I'm feeling pretty pessimistic about the chances of this itinerary actually occurring, especially SXM like you mentioned. I'm actually keeping my fingers crossed that they switch this 8 day Eastern to an 8 day Southern, instead of going Western and adding more sea days- but that is probably naive. The Vista does currently have an established 8 day Southern route though, so I'm loosely holding on to that dream. No clue as to an expected date of itinerary updates, but I'm thinking it won't come until at least Tuesday when offices re-open.

i would think apart from port issues the cruise industry in general would have some backlash from the way they have handled passengers...especially in Galveston and RCL letting people get there only to cancel rather than give them notice...now the same in Florida...and especially hard to sell these cruises in hurricane season in the future. Honestly the cruises may be cheap but maybe not worth it?

The -lovely-voyage. I'm going on the same time- same ship. I too, hope they make it southern instead of western. But, u never know.

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I thought I would share our experience back in 2006 after Hurricane Wilma (Oct 25, 2005). It was a Western Caribbean cruise (HAL Westerdam) in January 2006. Our ports were adjusted and a new port added: Santo Tomas de Castilla which at that time, was a commercial port and not a Cruise port. They set up temporary Vendor/souvenir shelters and excursions. It ended up being our favorite port (if not the most dangerous at the time) It now is a regular port on some Itineraries. Some of the ports (including Key West) were not fully operational but great efforts had been made to accommodate the the cruise passenger industry. Half Moon Cay (HAL's private island) had not re-opened yet so another port was added. The Cruise line was very good about updating us before the cruise. I think they wait to assess the damage, how long it will be to rebuild, and adjust the itinerary accordingly. I think we were notified in late November or early December of the changes.

We are sailing Jan 13, 2018 on Costa Deliziosa and I imagine that our ports may change this time too. We haven't booked any excursions yet and am glad now that we hadn't.

I think, as others have said, that it's important that the folks in these ports have the ability to recover and when they do, that the Cruise Industry return the passengers to help their businesses recover.

Hurricanes are, unfortunately, just the risky part of the Caribbean Cruise experience! We will go wherever they take us and I will be grateful I was able to go!

Prayers and Love to all affected by these storms...

i would think apart from port issues the cruise industry in general would have some backlash from the way they have handled passengers...especially in Galveston and RCL letting people get there only to cancel rather than give them notice...now the same in Florida...and especially hard to sell these cruises in hurricane season in the future. Honestly the cruises may be cheap but maybe not worth it?

There wont be any backlash, and they dont have any trouble filling autumn sailings. Take a look a the stock prices for RCL/NCL/CCL over the past decade and let me know how it looks for them.

There wont be any backlash, and they dont have any trouble filling autumn sailings. Take a look a the stock prices for RCL/NCL/CCL over the past decade and let me know how it looks for them.

To be fair, this seems like the worst year for US hurricane landfall in about a decade, although I'm too lazy to look that up.

To be fair, this seems like the worst year for US hurricane landfall in about a decade, although I'm too lazy to look that up.

Oh for sure. I don't see this season causing people to want to stop cruising during hurricane season, and I certainly don't think there will be any backlash against how the cruise lines have handled things.