RCCL cancelled port

Hi,

We were scheduled to visit Tortola upon Jewel of the Seas on 23rd November 2014 but have received an email from RCCL this week advising the ship could not dock in Tortola so we are now stopping in St Thomas instead.

I'm not sure if any other cruise lines are affected but I have seen this post recently on CC:

Posted 25th January 2014 so RCCL have known for a while.

• *Tortola, British Virgin Islands: A major port expansion at Road Town will enable the port to accommodate ships carrying 4,000-plus passengers. Both Norwegian Cruise Lines and Disney have been given berthing preference. Other ships will be able to dock there as well, however.

Work is expected to start during this quarter to lengthen the existing cruise pier to 1,200 feet and extend its width to 45 feet, build an excursion/ferry dock, a visitor center, a boardwalk and four acres of shore facilities, including a shopping mall village, recreation elements and staging/transfer area.

Completion is projected Early 2015

Adam

We're scheduled to be there next February on Royal Carib. Haven't had word yet that this port is cancelled for us.

I picked the itinerary solely because of Tortola. We were there a few years ago but took an all-day excursion to the Baths and didn't really get to see anything of Tortola.

If we miss it I guess we'll just have to book another one!

Yes very sad news on the cruise dock expansion and new contracts, for us land visitors at least. This will have a huge impact on the less-visited beaches with new facilities I'm afraid.

Bailey (and adamdiane) I would definitely consider taking a land vacation on Tortola, easy ferry from STT if you want to save on flight costs, and we often spend a few days on STT after to get "re-Americanized" before flying home. And better now than later!:(

We're scheduled to be there next February on Royal Carib. Haven't had word yet that this port is cancelled for us.

I picked the itinerary solely because of Tortola. We were there a few years ago but took an all-day excursion to the Baths and didn't really get to see anything of Tortola.

If we miss it I guess we'll just have to book another one!

My JOS cruise is scheduled to be in Tortola February 1st, and we also have not rece3ived any word the port is cancelled. I found on the BVI port org page -

"The new cruise pier improvements and associated works are required to be fully operational by January 2015".

I have my fingers crossed!

My JOS cruise is scheduled to be in Tortola February 1st, and we also have not rece3ived any word the port is cancelled. I found on the BVI port org page -

 

"The new cruise pier improvements and associated works are required to be fully operational by January 2015".

 

I have my fingers crossed!

:mad: I have my fingers crossed for the gov't to say NO!

But it's going to happen unfortunately... :(

I have been burned by this as well unfortunately for our Jan 15' cruise as well. The biggest problem that I have with it is RCCL not informing us about it when they found out about it. (nothing at all...zero notification) I only found out about it what I was emailed my final docs the other day after final payment. Ironically enough, we booked this cruise instead of our original plan to rent a home in Tortola for the week. :( :(

I made final payment on Nov. 22, 2014 and it was not changed on the itinerary I received that day. We are on the Feb. 6 10 day sailing on Legend of the Seas! I booked this cruise for this port and am not a happy camper! St Thomas.....been there....done that many times!

Agent could not tell me when or why it was changed! Suggested I email corporate offices.

I made final payment on Nov. 22, 2014 and it was not changed on the itinerary I received that day. We are on the Feb. 6 10 day sailing on Legend of the Seas! I booked this cruise for this port and am not a happy camper! St Thomas.....been there....done that many times!

Agent could not tell me when or why it was changed! Suggested I email corporate offices.

We're on this same sailing. I thought it was interesting that I could make a ship excrusion and make final payment before I found out that the port was changed. We've only been to St. Thomas once, so it will be OK. We really did like it there. But I was not impressed by the way RCI handled the situation. Between me and the fencepost, I think RCI thought people might cancel the cruise if Tortola had been cancelled before final payment was due. Not too many ships get there now, so I had been looking forward to it.

Maybe RCCL is to lazy for tendering or they think, that many people

will prefer another itinerary then tendering. (I heard from some people that the rather stay on board then tendering or they look for itineraries with no tendering involved; it's also not that easy for disabled persons).

I just returned from a cruise with Costa Fortuna and I'm happy to say that we anchored in Tortola and tendering worked so fine, that we even could catch the 9 am ferry to Virgin Gorda. I had the same good experience in Tortola as I did in March with the Jewel of the Seas, when we still could use the pier.

Does anyone know if RCCL Jewel is using a tender into Tortola? I have recently had to use a cane or wheelchair and am concerned about a tender? I just talked to Speedys Ferry and they said the pier is not done.

Thanks

Marcia

Does anyone know if RCCL Jewel is using a tender into Tortola? I have recently had to use a cane or wheelchair and am concerned about a tender? I just talked to Speedys Ferry and they said the pier is not done.

Thanks

Marcia

??? What is the name of this thread ???

As they cancelled this port and changed it to St.Thomas or St.Croix, for whatever reason they will not land in Tortola as long as the pier is not done, and that might be for another 6 month or so...

??? What is the name of this thread ???

As they cancelled this port and changed it to St.Thomas or St.Croix, for whatever reason they will not land in Tortola as long as the pier is not done, and that might be for another 6 month or so...

Our itinerary still includes Tortola as a port. They were inquiring if it would still be as docked or tendered. There really is no need to be rude!

Our itinerary still includes Tortola as a port. They were inquiring if it would still be as docked or tendered. There really is no need to be rude!

Then I tell you that it's a high probability that your itinerary will be changed as well...(if the pier was the reason in the first place)..

..as three weeks ago, there was not even a yard of pier done.

If Tortola stays as a port of call there will be tendering for sure at least till March 2015 or even longer...

but with a cane it shouldn't be a problem as the staff helps; with a wheelchair on the other hand it might be a problem (at least as long as you have to sit in it, while embarking and debarking)

I found out that we were going to St. Thomas instead of Tortola on Cruise Critic! We had made several phone calls to Virgin Gorda and confirmed reservations for lunch at Little Dix Bay. It is my custom to check in with Cruise Critic to see what is going on, particularly on the days before and for the itinerary I have booked. I frequently find tips and suggestions.

I understand that cruise lines must be able to adjust their schedules. The problem is, not keeping passengers in the loop. Why do I have to get this information from Cruise Critic?

Those of us traveling have to get information the best way we can. I am grateful to those members who posted the information. They enabled me to cancel my reservation and lose only the cost of the phone calls.

I did submit a review of our trip but wanted to offer my appreciation in case the review is not accepted for publication.

Thank you every one

Does anyone know if RCCL Jewel is using a tender into Tortola? I have recently had to use a cane or wheelchair and am concerned about a tender? Thanks Marcia

That's on RCCL's homepage, especially the sentences at the end is important, and I think RCCL thinks, that changing the itinerary is a smaller disappointment for all then not beeing able to go on land for a few.

As it is written on an other thread, the pier will probably open end of April 2015:

Quote:

Traveling from Ship to Shore

At some ports, the ship will anchor off shore, and guests are taken to shore by small boats called tenders. Even if the ship is scheduled to dock at a pier, it can change to tendering.

Guests with assistive devices who are unable to take a few steps will be unable to board tenders unless roll-on capability is available.

In order to safely board most tenders, guests must be able to take steps and use a collapsible manual wheelchair. In addition, motorized wheelchairs and mobility scooters can not be taken on tenders, unless roll-on capability is available. Inquire about tender roll-on capability at Guest Relations Desk while on board. Please note roll-on capability is not guaranteed.

Weather, sea conditions and other factors may preclude tendering. Safety of our guests and crew is our primary consideration, and the Captain and his staff will make the final decision regarding transferring guests and their assistive devices based on safety reasons.

If guests are unable to tender or disembark because of due to these circumstances, there will be no refund or credit for missed ports. While we recognize your disappointment, the safety of our guests and crew takes precedence.

Looks like Tortola has been replaced with St. Thomas on our sailing too on April 25th on Jewel of the Seas. The odd thing is I could still see Tortola excursions on the shore excursion page when putting in the ship and sail date. So we will see St. Thomas twice as we are there on the previous week's sailing.

It is a shame you're missing beautiful Tortola...:(

Do you have plans for STT? We've been rentiong a condo at Sapphire the last few years and that's a nice beach to relax at and doesn't get as busy as Coki and Magens. Have you been to Paradiise Point, or are you looking for something less touristy? We drove to Hull Bay with a packed lunch on a 7-ship day and had the beach to ourselves! Gourmet Gallery at the dock has the best deli on the island...

Looks like Tortola has been replaced with St. Thomas on our sailing too on April 25th on Jewel of the Seas. The odd thing is I could still see Tortola excursions on the shore excursion page when putting in the ship and sail date. So we will see St. Thomas twice as we are there on the previous week's sailing.

That's interesting. We are on the NCL Getaway cruise on April 18 and April 25. Both cruises visit St. Thomas, but the 2nd week also visits Tortola. It will be interesting to see what Tortola is replaced with if they decide to bypass it. Maybe ST. Maarten again??

That's interesting. We are on the NCL Getaway cruise on April 18 and April 25. Both cruises visit St. Thomas, but the 2nd week also visits Tortola. It will be interesting to see what Tortola is replaced with if they decide to bypass it. Maybe ST. Maarten again??

Not every cruiseline will cancel Tortola. I was there with Costa cruise end of December and we used without any problems tenders.

As far as I know only Royal Caribbean is changing itinerarys for whatever

reason. So you might be fine with NCL...

Have you looked into a thread, maybe a Roll-Call for NCL Getaway and checked if they write about cancelling Tortola?

That's interesting. We are on the NCL Getaway cruise on April 18 and April 25. Both cruises visit St. Thomas, but the 2nd week also visits Tortola. It will be interesting to see what Tortola is replaced with if they decide to bypass it. Maybe ST. Maarten again??

Just got the Pearl on Friday, we did stop at Tortola and we tendered, but water was rough and we could only tender off one side of the Pearl, one of the longest tender processes I've encountered sadly. The dock appears to be at least 2 months from completion. We did an excursion to Virgin Gorda baths, it was beautiful. Sadly did not have the time to explore Tortola since tendering took up the extra time we had, so I guess I will have to go back :)