Cruise Lines Cancel Mexico Calls Due to Swine Flu

[LauraS]

Cruise Critic has just posted the following news:

Cruise Lines Cancel Mexico Calls Due to Swine Flu

Read the entire news article...

[ctcruisedream]

I have 4 friends on the Sapphire Princess this week. Noted the web cam shows them heading to San Diego now instead of Puerto Vallarta.

[lighthouse58]

apparently I read this article too quickly, I copied/pasted it into an email to my pvp at carnival. yes, they are not going into mexican ports today, but no decision yet has been made for the future days ahead..........
we sail to mexico next week, hope they decide something soon.

[FireMonkey]

I know Carnival will be making an announcement at 5pm eastern time today regarding the Mexico ports for the upcoming weeks. We are due to sail next week and I'm hoping Quintana Roo is still flu free by that time so we can make our scheduled stops

[Maraprince]

If the airlines are allowing passengers to cancel flights to Mexico with no penalities attached and the US Gov't is not recommending travel to Mexico unless essential (cruises would not count), the cruise lines will have to change the port stops on Mexican Rivera cruises like it or not and allow passengers who want to cancel to do so with no penalities. The biggest problem is finding a way to move these large ships around without going all around since they do not fit through the Panal Canal. Also, with the cut back in ships calling in Alaska it should be interesting to see what ports the cruise lines come up with.

I would cancel my booking to be on the safe side and then worry about getting my money back from the cruise line. This is a serious health issue.
Passenger safety should come first before cruise line profit or inconvenience.

MARAPRINCE

[CapeGal]

I am really disappointed that RCL has not decided yet to cancel their routes into Mexico. I would think that the health and welfare of their cruisers would be topmost on their minds. I think they would be respected more if they moved for protection over convenience (or inconvenience).

[Niwel]

This is going to kill the West Coast cruise industry ... where are the ships supposed to go? San Diego and Catalina?

Don't they legally have to dock at a foreign port?

[smeyer418]

Originally Posted by Niwel

This is going to kill the West Coast cruise industry ... where are the ships supposed to go? San Diego and Catalina?

Don't they legally have to dock at a foreign port?

no all they have to do is make a technical stop....they don't have to let people off. and Canada counts although its early for Vancouver.

[Niwel]

Originally Posted by smeyer418

no all they have to do is make a technical stop....they don't have to let people off. and Canada counts although its early for Vancouver.

So the Mexican Rivera cruises need to first go north to Vancouver?

[smeyer418]

Originally Posted by Niwel

So the Mexican Rivera cruises need to first go north to Vancouver?

probably not I would suspect you will see a waiver of the PSVA which is the law that requires a foreign flagged ship to stop at a foreign port before returning to the US as its final port. Its a long way from LA or SD to Canada....

I'd guess they'll just do a "service call" in Ensenada to meet the foreign port requirement, then some ports in California.

[NCarolina]

Originally Posted by ctcruisedream

I have 4 friends on the Sapphire Princess this week. Noted the web cam shows them heading to San Diego now instead of Puerto Vallarta.

Their latest press release says Catalina and San Diego for the Sapphire w/ announcements regarding future calls in Mexico by tomorrow.

[Cuizer2]

Originally Posted by Maraprince

If the airlines are allowing passengers to cancel flights to Mexico with no penalities attached and the US Gov't is not recommending travel to Mexico unless essential (cruises would not count), the cruise lines will have to change the port stops on Mexican Rivera cruises like it or not and allow passengers who want to cancel to do so with no penalities. The biggest problem is finding a way to move these large ships around without going all around since they do not fit through the Panal Canal. Also, with the cut back in ships calling in Alaska it should be interesting to see what ports the cruise lines come up with.

I would cancel my booking to be on the safe side and then worry about getting my money back from the cruise line. This is a serious health issue.
Passenger safety should come first before cruise line profit or inconvenience.

MARAPRINCE

The cruise contract allows the ships to change the itinerary without compensation to the passengers.

[Cuizer2]

Originally Posted by LauraS

Cruise Critic has just posted the following news:

Cruise Lines Cancel Mexico Calls Due to Swine Flu

Read the entire news article...

This morning, a U.K.-based spokesperson for Carnival Cruise Lines confirmed that three Carnival ships will skip Mexico port calls today. Carnival Inspiration and Carnival's Holiday were due in Cozumel while Carnival Elation was scheduled to visit Ensenada today. Carnival Paradise will also skip a call in Ensenada tomorrow. We're still awaiting further details on swine flu-related itinerary changes, which we're told will be issued at 5 p.m. EDT.

This is interesting. I guess the Elation will just be doing a very long (about 800 miles in each direction) cruise to nowhere.

Meanwhile, the Paradise is going to be subject the PVSA fines if it stops at Catalina today and does not stop at Ensenada on Wednesday (though it could stop there on Thursday).

Based on the webcam, the Paradise is at Catalina Island today, which means it is now subject to the PVSA rules of having to stop at a foreign port. I wonder if Carnival is just going to spend two days at sea and pay the fine.

[Cuizer2]

Originally Posted by Niwel

This is going to kill the West Coast cruise industry ... where are the ships supposed to go? San Diego and Catalina?

Don't they legally have to dock at a foreign port?

When there was a hurricane near Cabo, the Carnival Pride when to Vancouver, Canada. I would not be surprised to see this repeated (though not be the Pride, as it is now in the Atlantic). The two other choices are to do a cruise to nowhere or for the cruise lines to pay the PVSA fine.

[Cuizer2]

Originally Posted by smeyer418

probably not I would suspect you will see a waiver of the PSVA which is the law that requires a foreign flagged ship to stop at a foreign port before returning to the US as its final port. Its a long way from LA or SD to Canada....

I forget the year, but when a hurricane was headed toward Cabo, the Carnival Pride ended up in Canada. We might see that happen again.

[Cuizer2]

Originally Posted by nhrich

I'd guess they'll just do a "service call" in Ensenada to meet the foreign port requirement, then some ports in California.

This is possible.

[Kapulanikai]

As this latest plague grows into a Category 6 Pandemic I'll bet neither the cruise lines nor American or Canadian Customs has a plan to ban movement between countries in an attempt to isolate or help contain the influenza to Mexico. If you think about it this tidal wave of sickness and death will be catastrophic to both airlines and cruise ship lines. So far governments have taken a "Calm as she goes" approach while not really knowing what they will do if the health issue worsens - which it appears to be doing. Imagine a boat load (your boatload) of passengers all coming down with swine fever either on the ship or shortly thereafter. Nothing is being done by governments or cruise lines to prevent tourists from other countries who have just visited Mexico - or Mexicans themselves - to board the ship that you are boarding also. To save my life I may have to cancel my Alaska Cruise upcoming in 13 days. Ominus, eh?

[pinkprincess78]

Originally Posted by Kapulanikai

As this latest plague grows into a Category 6 Pandemic I'll bet neither the cruise lines nor American or Canadian Customs has a plan to ban movement between countries in an attempt to isolate or help contain the influenza to Mexico. If you think about it this tidal wave of sickness and death will be catastrophic to both airlines and cruise ship lines. So far governments have taken a "Calm as she goes" approach while not really knowing what they will do if the health issue worsens - which it appears to be doing. Imagine a boat load (your boatload) of passengers all coming down with swine fever either on the ship or shortly thereafter. Nothing is being done by governments or cruise lines to prevent tourists from other countries who have just visited Mexico - or Mexicans themselves - to board the ship that you are boarding also. To save my life I may have to cancel my Alaska Cruise upcoming in 13 days. Ominus, eh?

its popping up in CA.. the bay area, sac area, socal.... its a little late for that approach unless you want to add CA... and other states (as I have paid more attention to CA being that I live here) to the not allowed to board list.

[Coco Creek]

Originally Posted by NCarolina

Their latest press release says Catalina and San Diego for the Sapphire w/ announcements regarding future calls in Mexico by tomorrow.

I would be ticked if I had to pay full (or any fare) for a cruise to Cataline and San Diego from LA. The best practice is to offer full refunds.