Why does it seem that the Nassau port stop is never the one missed??

We are booked on the January 7th sailing on the Allure of the Seas. Due to the propulsion problem causing slower speed, they have altered our itinerary to stop at San Juan instead of St. Thomas. Would much rather have kept both St. Maarten and St. Thomas and gladly have lost the very early & short day 2 Bahamas stop.....but that one never seems to get passed over. Wondering why that port never seems to be the dropped one?

Royal Caribbean knows how much people despise it and go there just to spite you all.

Probably because Nassau has so many berths for the ships. They can handle numerous ships.

 

Obviously, hurricanes have made lots of changes, but previously if a cruise line needed to make a last minute switch they are probably limited by what ports have room.

 

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I know what you mean. However, we missed Nassau one time. We were on an unusual cruise not a regular weekly cruise. Nassau did not have room for our ship. We went to Freeport instead. It was kind of cool because the ship had never been there and the fire boats came out and sprayed water. Other than that not an especially good trip.

Oasis 29 Jan 2017 was scheduled into Nassau on 30 Jan. At Muster Drill the Captain announced that due to weather we were skipping Nassau. It was only later that I found out RCI was adding San Juan to the cruise, as that part of the announcement was drowned out by the cheering.:D

 

Thom

I sense that I am not alone in being underwhelmed by this port ;-)))

 

Peggy

My theory is that since Royal Caribbean's ships are registered in the Bahamas, they probably have a deal on place with the Bahamian government to bring some number of passengers to the Bahamas every year.

I agree with Daghis. RCCL gets to exploit the flag of convenience and in return they push the passengers into port.

Probably cheaper to dock there.

Many of us wish it would be missed! :D

My theory is that since Royal Caribbean's ships are registered in the Bahamas, they probably have a deal on place with the Bahamian government to bring some number of passengers to the Bahamas every year.

Maybe, maybe not. I was on the Celebrity Equinox when it made its maiden stop in its homeport of Valletta, Malta; it had been sailing the Med for 3 summers passing by Malta many times before stopping. Oceania (and others) register in the Marshall Islands, and I don't think ANY of their ships have ever been there. Carnival registers in Panama and rarely goes there. Maybe the Bahamas has a different program, but I doubt it.

We are booked on the January 7th sailing on the Allure of the Seas. Due to the propulsion problem causing slower speed, they have altered our itinerary to stop at San Juan instead of St. Thomas. Would much rather have kept both St. Maarten and St. Thomas and gladly have lost the very early & short day 2 Bahamas stop.....but that one never seems to get passed over. Wondering why that port never seems to be the dropped one?

 

St. Maarten and St. Thomas may not be options due to Irma.

St. Maarten and St. Thomas may not be options due to Irma.

 

True, but I sincerely hope for their sake that cruises will be returning to those islands long before our January sailing.

 

Peggy

I love Nassau. The scuba diving is great, the beaches are beautiful, Paradise Island has great shopping, there is a lot of history at the forts. I could spend a week there and never get tired of it. Oh wait, I DID spend a week there a few years ago. I'd go back in a heartbeat, especially since the ships dock right downtown, close to everything.

One other possible explanation that Nassau is rarely skipped is its proximity to Florida and that ships with propulsion issues never have to sail anywhere close to full speed to make it to Nassau or from Nassau back to Florida.

 

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True, but I sincerely hope for their sake that cruises will be returning to those islands long before our January sailing.

 

Peggy[/quot

 

I hope so too.

Also, the harbor and approach to the cruise ship docking area is very protected.

 

So when you can't get into other ports due to the waves, Nassau may still work.

I suspect the port is visited due to contractual obligations. There is always the possibility that port fees are cheaper than other ports as well.

 

Although many seasoned cruisers seldom leave the ship while at that port, I am sure that newer customers would like to explore.

 

I am happy to say that I have done about everything there is to do at the Caribbean ports over the years. Today, my destination is the ship itself. As such, I long for the day when my favorite ships sail somewhere else so that I can once again explore.

I too wish Nassau would disappear from our itinerary. Would much rather go to San Juan or Labadee. We don't sail until next June, so

guess won't miss it. Wouldn't have booked this itinerary, but we are taking our kids & grands & they have only cruised twice before so are

excited about it. We don't care, will just enjoy staying on a quiet ship !!

St. Maarten and St. Thomas may not be options due to Irma.

 

 

St. Maarten is totally devastated...flattened. Feel so bad for those people.

True, but I sincerely hope for their sake that cruises will be returning to those islands long before our January sailing.

 

Peggy

 

Wont' happen in St. Maarten. Sorry

Me...I would cheer if we had to skip Labadee...Disney world of the Caribbean. ;)

Oasis 29 Jan 2017 was scheduled into Nassau on 30 Jan. At Muster Drill the Captain announced that due to weather we were skipping Nassau. It was only later that I found out RCI was adding San Juan to the cruise, as that part of the announcement was drowned out by the cheering.:D

 

Thom

I was also on that cruise, everyone was happy to miss Nassau. Rough seas the first couple days though.

The Nassau port administration did a multi-million dredge as a "deal" with Royal Caribbean to accommodate Oasis-class ships. So RCI is committed to stop their big ships there...

RoyalCaribbeanblog dot com /2010/09/20/nassau-completes-harbor-improvement-project

I love Nassau. The scuba diving is great, the beaches are beautiful, Paradise Island has great shopping, there is a lot of history at the forts. I could spend a week there and never get tired of it. Oh wait, I DID spend a week there a few years ago. I'd go back in a heartbeat, especially since the ships dock right downtown, close to everything.

 

 

So agree.......if people would get underwater at many of the Caribbean stops, they will find the hidden beauty. Also if it was not for reefs around these islands and even Florida for that matter ocean surge would be so much worst during storms.

 

When Hurricanes happen under the ocean is impacted as well.