14 day cruise and only 5 ports now not 8!!!!!!! Not cool

Not too long ago, the port fees for GC were very high compared to others (only noticed because it was cancelled and the credit refund was about $22 pp (and we were told that was the only port).

One reason I am sure they are being somewhat careful is that given the disruption, port fees at both damaged ports AND other active ports are not going to be standard for a while (in most ports these things are contracted in advance pending number of planned visits, etc). Many of these makeup ports may not be under contract for these visits and therefore fees are open to negotiation. So even if Falmouth for example is $10 per pax per visit (totally made up number, I have no idea of current rates) under contract, fill in spots could be $12 or $15, or if tendering is involved to handle extra ships even higher.

Unfortunately until things settle, port changes are going to be a matter of some confusion, it would not surprise me to see people traveling same itinerary a week apart paying different port fees to some small degree.

And with that confusion, to my original point, the lines will be very careful in what they say to avoid setting any liabilities.

Thanks for this information. Our TA called and was told the same thing minus the second paragraph. Not refunding based on uncertainty is one thing; keeping excess port fees is another. Our TA was told that the port fees for our five ports are higher than for the six we had. I am not sure I believe that given we now go to Cayman Islands and Jamaica as two of the ports.

You are right. There will be a backlash if port fees are pocketed without itemization of actual costs.

Spoke to the tour provider we used on Tortola. One of the bigger issues right now in terms of getting up to speed is that many of the taxis, buses and other vehicles used for excursions as well as some of the boats used for things like getting to the Baths took damage as well. For example his van was damaged by debris and the repair shops are so backed up, IF they can get any supplies his repair appointment is in december to replace a window (although he could operate under less than perfect conditions.

Government workers were finally paid this week for early September.

Even if the infrastructure were to come back on line, many of the workers don't have stable homes yet and are focused on that. His other driver is living in his spare bedroom since his family no longer has a house. It's just gone. Some don't have power yet either and are staying far away from work. Traffic lights on the main road just came on this week. Many areas he would take tourists are still either inaccessible or destroyed. The 400 year old Callwood rum distillery, for example, was completely destroyed and while they are rebuilding it will take months and they are resorting to a go-fund-me.

Many business owners are also not opting to reopen anytime soon and some have left the island permanently. Many of the beachside amenities are still gone and in some cases the beaches are unusable due to unremoved debris due to lack of equipment to do it. The great place he took us for lunch, a local staple, still hasn't been able to do most of their repairs and has only limited power and is running a 4 item menu just to try to keep people fed (and basically charging cost or nothing).

And from what he has heard. USVI is even worse. Cruz Bay watersports, which does a lot of the ship excursions lost almost all their boats to some level of damage and most of their clients are offline. Most of the drydocks on the island are still out of service. Last I heard they are hoping for limited operations by January 2018, maybe. And they have good insurance, many of the smaller providers do not.

Even if the ports are open, it will be months if not years before business as usual outside the port area. There will be very limited excursions available, and those that are will be substantially altered.

The news agencies make money on sensationalizing the destruction and suffering. When the truth is that the islands rely on tourism for a large part of their economy. They need the cruise ships to provide people with income to rebuild. Both St Thomas and St Maarten plan to reopen their cruise terminals this year.

 

Consider that most of shoreex deal with beach days, snorkel, drive, and boat rides. All things that can be restored with minimal effort. Consider Cuba reopened a few days after a Cat 4 hit. key West, a popular new media sensationalize location, opened the next week.

 

The islands reopening for cruise ships this year is reality. Not sensationalized news. People need an income to help them rebuild, not people feeling sorry for them. Pity doesn’t pay the bills. A job does.

 

 

Recent email from Royal Caribbean

Royal Caribbean leadership just returned from visits to San Juan and St. Thomas, and are planning a visit to St. Maarten on Monday. We were very impressed with the progress the islands are making to rebuild, and all three destinations are looking forward to welcoming back Royal Caribbean guests before the end of the year. In the next two weeks, working in conjunction with the local governments, we will announce the specific dates of our return to each of the islands.

You obviously are disconnected with the news. They are not trying to have more sea days to recoup any loses. San Juan is NOT able to receive any tourists, as the island has severe damages, and 90% power loss and struggling to maintain the little they have. St. Maarten is destroyed along with St. Thomas. You would have complained either way if you had of sailed there. Be glad you didn’t.

 

 

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Good thing then that the OP had no expectation of visiting those ports.

Spoke to the tour provider we used on Tortola. One of the bigger issues right now in terms of getting up to speed is that many of the taxis, buses and other vehicles used for excursions as well as some of the boats used for things like getting to the Baths took damage as well. For example his van was damaged by debris and the repair shops are so backed up, IF they can get any supplies his repair appointment is in december to replace a window (although he could operate under less than perfect conditions.

 

 

Government workers were finally paid this week for early September.

 

 

Even if the infrastructure were to come back on line, many of the workers don't have stable homes yet and are focused on that. His other driver is living in his spare bedroom since his family no longer has a house. It's just gone. Some don't have power yet either and are staying far away from work. Traffic lights on the main road just came on this week. Many areas he would take tourists are still either inaccessible or destroyed. The 400 year old Callwood rum distillery, for example, was completely destroyed and while they are rebuilding it will take months and they are resorting to a go-fund-me.

 

Many business owners are also not opting to reopen anytime soon and some have left the island permanently. Many of the beachside amenities are still gone and in some cases the beaches are unusable due to unremoved debris due to lack of equipment to do it. The great place he took us for lunch, a local staple, still hasn't been able to do most of their repairs and has only limited power and is running a 4 item menu just to try to keep people fed (and basically charging cost or nothing).

 

 

And from what he has heard. USVI is even worse. Cruz Bay watersports, which does a lot of the ship excursions lost almost all their boats to some level of damage and most of their clients are offline. Most of the drydocks on the island are still out of service. Last I heard they are hoping for limited operations by January 2018, maybe. And they have good insurance, many of the smaller providers do not.

 

 

Even if the ports are open, it will be months if not years before business as usual outside the port area. There will be very limited excursions available, and those that are will be substantially altered.

this is why i am confused that we still have st thomas as a stop on our nov 11 cruise??

Well, this is a bummer. I understand the OP's frustration. I was looking to do two weeks at sea in the near future, and I ended up booking a B2B on Oasis of the Seas. This cruise was on the short list of possibilities....wish I had done it! LOVE the new itinerary!!! An overnight in Aruba! And Southern Caribbean!! WOW! I would have booked that if it had been the original itinerary.

That being said, my Oasis cruise got rerouted from St. Maarten and San Juan to Costa Maya and Cozumel. Oh well, these things happen.

That being said....I *would* like to point out to the OP that the cancelled ports are absolutely a mess. My company has an office near San Juan. I finally heard from them last week for the first time since the storm. They were trying to get the plant up and running, but communication is tricky. Wifi is down in most places, cell service is spotty and unreliable, along with a heap of other problems. You do NOT want to be in San Juan right now.

Again, I understand the disappointment. My first cruise was routed from Bermuda to the Bahamas - hurricane. This cruise was rerouted from St. Maarten and San Juan to Mexico - hurricane. Blast those storms! Oh well, pack your good attitude, and make the most of it. That's what I plan to do.

Spoke to the tour provider we used on Tortola. One of the bigger issues right now in terms of getting up to speed is that many of the taxis, buses and other vehicles used for excursions as well as some of the boats used for things like getting to the Baths took damage as well...Even if the ports are open, it will be months if not years before business as usual outside the port area. There will be very limited excursions available, and those that are will be substantially altered.

Exactly. All these people saying that you can just go back there and help the economy are missing the point. There is nothing there to run the economy that they are used to. Not enough cars, boats, busses to get people to the touristy areas. How long did it take for Orient Beach to be back to normal after the hurricane in 2014?

this is why i am confused that we still have st thomas as a stop on our nov 11 cruise??

Because the cruise lines don't care about what you do once you get there. They only care about getting you there and not having to redo their itineraries.

Good thing then that the OP had no expectation of visiting those ports.

Exactly lol.

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Waited 2 days after Final Payment for ncl to release the new 14 day itinerary and took away 3 ports!!!!

 

 

 

Who does 5 ports and 9 sea days on a 14 day cruise. Deff not on good terms with that

 

 

 

Originally was San Juan. St thomas st maarten tortola dominica barbados st lucia antigua

 

 

 

now we are

 

Fri New York, New York

 

Sat At Sea

 

Sun At Sea

 

Mon At Sea

 

Tue Oranjestad, Aruba8:00 Overnight

 

Wed Oranjestad, Aruba12:00 pm

 

Thu Willemstad, Curacao8:00 am5:00 Fri At Sea

 

Sat Bridgetown, Barbados8:00

 

Sun Castries, St. Lucia8:00 am5:00 Mon St. John's, Antigua8:00 am5:00 TueAt Sea

 

WedAt Sea

 

ThuAt Sea

 

FriNew York City, New York

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Very dissapointed. They just want more sea days to re coupe thier loses

That is not a bad cruise. I think they are doing their best. I love sea days though.

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Why? Port changes are 100% allowed and agreed to in the cruise contract. No where does it say "we reserve the right to change the itinerary as long as everyone sailing the cruise agrees to it".

Yeah but remember, no one wants to read all of that in the fine print because they don’t think it would happen to them. Then when it happens, they come here and complain and STILL sail on the cruise lol. They always tend to think their argument is valid. Newbies.

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It is very generous. The cruise line did not request a hurricane. And we all sign cruise contracts allowing the cruise line to change the itinerary at any time for any reason without compensation. We just had our itinerary changed 2’days before departure to avoid Maria. And we totally accepted this change. And understood that we were due nothing.

i don't see anything generous about the industry, the proper thing to do would be to cancel the cruise and/or offer refunds so people get what they paid for and wanted. We went thru jose to get away from maria i didn't want to go and i did not feel safe at all but I couldn't take the financial hit even with trip insurance, thats why royal is in a class action lawsuit now. The cruise industry didn't choose a hurricane but they did know it was there and chose to go anyway to keep your money.

You should be outraged but have accepted bs policy to be appropriate, if you own a business you could put anything you want in a contract it doesn't mean it will hold up in court just ask anybody who has had a prenup. I would like to know any other industry where it is ok to take someones money for a product then send something else. You wouldn't order a mustang and be ok when a kia showed up.

You should be outraged but have accepted bs policy to be appropriate, if you own a business you could put anything you want in a contract it doesn't mean it will hold up in court just ask anybody who has had a prenup. I would like to know any other industry where it is ok to take someones money for a product then send something else. You wouldn't order a mustang and be ok when a kia showed up.

The airline industry. You can end up on a different aircraft type (very annoying if you upgraded to first class and the number of rows shrinks), you can end up with different routing, you can end up on a different airline.

My son and I were on Amtrak and we were going to miss our connection because we got stuck behind a freight derailment before Chicago. We were routed to Los Angeles and then to Seattle, instead of San Francisco to Seattle. My wife and I were going to be two days late into Chicago another time, and we took the bus home from Memphis.

The hotel industry. You can have a reservation and end up across the street, because the hotel you booked is full.

The rental car industry. I have a reservation, they don't have the car. (So, you can actually order a Kia and get a Mustang.)

The travel industry deals with unknowns. Some are under their control, some are not. Many other industries don't.

I'm beginning to think "You Can't Always Get What You Want" is a Stones complaint about travel bookings.

Unless the contract specified that they could substitute a kia. In which case, you agreed to the terms and the courts generally will find with the vendor.

But lets look at it another way. Part of the reason is that cruising is affordable for many people is that the mass market lines keep costs down by doing things like registering in a line friendly port, using staff from countries where wages are lower (and working them very very hard), adding in upcharge items, and keeping the ships at sea as much as possible to visit as many ports as possible.

The cruise lines certainly COULD cancel cruises in case of weather instead of diversions. But all of that revenue loss is going to be priced into every other cruise. Effectively, you will be paying an insurance surcharge into the fare as opposed to buying it yourself and not having any choice in the matter (If the cruise line assumes 5 percent of cruises would be impacted, allowing for margin, cruise rates would rise about 8 percent overall or more to also compensate for loss of fungible resources - they don't get to stop paying for the ship if its not in use). And you would still need to buy insurance for medical, evac coverage etc. The cruise lines are not going to (and should not) eat the costs when there are alternatives.

. You wouldn't order a mustang and be ok when a kia showed up.

i don't see anything generous about the industry, the proper thing to do would be to cancel the cruise and/or offer refunds so people get what they paid for and wanted. We went thru jose to get away from maria i didn't want to go and i did not feel safe at all but I couldn't take the financial hit even with trip insurance, thats why royal is in a class action lawsuit now. The cruise industry didn't choose a hurricane but they did know it was there and chose to go anyway to keep your money.

 

You should be outraged but have accepted bs policy to be appropriate, if you own a business you could put anything you want in a contract it doesn't mean it will hold up in court just ask anybody who has had a prenup. I would like to know any other industry where it is ok to take someones money for a product then send something else. You wouldn't order a mustang and be ok when a kia showed up.

Car Rental companies do that all the time. You contracted for a cruise. That is what you get. Destinations are rather interchangeable. Same type excursions at most islands.

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I am finding Norwegian to be the most underhanded of cruise lines as well. It is one thing to change ports, but to change cruise regions is absurb. People should be given opportunity to opt out if REGION changes. Other cruise lines are still going to ports in Eastern Carribbean and they are giving their passengers incentives to continue or opportunity to cancel. NCL should NOT be able to change to Western region on their whim. I agree they are using this hurricane devastation as an opportunity to recoup their losses and doing it at passenger expense. NCL is Very disappointing!!!!!!

I can't believe people are bitchin' about missed ports and there are people on the islands that have been devastated by the hurricane. Why don't you just cancel?

Yeah but remember, no one wants to read all of that in the fine print because they don’t think it would happen to them. Then when it happens, they come here and complain and STILL sail on the cruise lol. They always tend to think their argument is valid. Newbies.

 

 

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It is one thing to change ports. It is entirely different to change cruise regions, especially when other cruise lines are continuing to other islands in the same cruise region. Cruise lines should not be allowed to substitute a Eastern Caribbean cruise for a Western. They can alter St Kitts or some other island for San Juan. NCL is not doing this but other lines are considering their passengers.

i don't see anything generous about the industry, the proper thing to do would be to cancel the cruise and/or offer refunds so people get what they paid for and wanted. We went thru jose to get away from maria i didn't want to go and i did not feel safe at all but I couldn't take the financial hit even with trip insurance, thats why royal is in a class action lawsuit now. The cruise industry didn't choose a hurricane but they did know it was there and chose to go anyway to keep your money.

 

You should be outraged but have accepted bs policy to be appropriate, if you own a business you could put anything you want in a contract it doesn't mean it will hold up in court just ask anybody who has had a prenup. I would like to know any other industry where it is ok to take someones money for a product then send something else. You wouldn't order a mustang and be ok when a kia showed up.

The cruise lines have been dealing with Irma and Maria and the after effects for a month and a half now and it appears it will continue for several more months. You realistically think that their margins are high enough that they can afford to cancel/allow passengers to cancel 6 months of cruises? What I've heard on documentaries about the cruise industry is that even with sold out sailings, they don't break even until the cruise starts up and there is onboard spending. If every cruise line with an eastern sailing made allowances like this for 6 months of sailings they would be out of business.

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I can't believe people are bitchin' about missed ports and there are people on the islands that have been devastated by the hurricane. Why don't you just cancel?

Because i don't care about those people i care about there island just like they don't care about texas or florida they care about themselves. and too cancel would be to waste money(there is no full refund) and i can't afford to waste money.

Because i don't care about those people i care about there island just like they don't care about texas or florida they care about themselves. and too cancel would be to waste money(there is no full refund) and i can't afford to waste money.

She said as she stomped her feet:(

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Because i don't care about those people i care about there island just like they don't care about texas or florida they care about themselves. and too cancel would be to waste money(there is no full refund) and i can't afford to waste money.

Holy misspelled run on sentence.

I can't believe people are bitchin' about missed ports and there are people on the islands that have been devastated by the hurricane. Why don't you just cancel?

And I can't believe there are people apparently unable to read the OP who feel compelled to make a comment.

And I can't believe there are people apparently unable to read the OP who feel compelled to make a comment.

Just like you felt compelled to add your two cents!

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Hey look.

It's perfectly okay to be upset/annoyed/disappointed with itinerary changes especially at this level, while still being sympathetic to the reasons for them. Humans are funny that way we can hold more than one emotion at a time.

What's not cool is to accuse the cruise lines of doing things just to annoy passengers or make life easier for them or even to take advantage of disaster to make money because 99/100 times these things don't happen. On the flip side, its also not cool to expect a change to the rules because you don't like the new itinerary.

I'm not referring to a specific poster btw, we've had all of these on the thread so far plus on similar other threads.

When it comes down to it, the mass market lines operate under a set of systems. Many of these favor the cruise lines, some work out well for passengers and some depend on where you book who gets the most out of it. As a consumer it is your responsibility to learn what those systems are and make an informed decision whether or not to book. Once you do, you have agreed to honor those systems, even if you do not like them.

Itinerary changes for various reasons are part of cruising. They can be minor or severe. And if they happen inside the penalty period for your booking or while sailing, the only obligation the cruise line has is to adjust port fees. That's it. They may CHOOSE to do more, but there is a difference between choice and obligation. You can be unhappy even furious about it, but you have to accept that's all you are getting as a guarantee.

I would be very upset to go from 8 ports to 5. And no, saying that 'wow it's still a great cruise so you shouldn't complain' or 'I wish I was doing that' would not make me feel any better. Telling someone to just 'suck it up and smile ' is not only unproductive, its rude. Explaining what their options are and what the rules are and why they are that way is helpful. And that includes suggestions on working with the cruise lines to find options they are willing to consider (but are not obligated to provide).

It also needs to be noted that Sept 2017 probably throughout the end of the year is a special case. The amount of disruption is literally unprecedented. This means the lines have far less options than normal and that needs to be recognized too.

Hey look.

 

It's perfectly okay to be upset/annoyed/disappointed with itinerary changes especially at this level, while still being sympathetic to the reasons for them. Humans are funny that way we can hold more than one emotion at a time.

 

What's not cool is to accuse the cruise lines of doing things just to annoy passengers or make life easier for them or even to take advantage of disaster to make money because 99/100 times these things don't happen. On the flip side, its also not cool to expect a change to the rules because you don't like the new itinerary.

 

I'm not referring to a specific poster btw, we've had all of these on the thread so far plus on similar other threads.

 

When it comes down to it, the mass market lines operate under a set of systems. Many of these favor the cruise lines, some work out well for passengers and some depend on where you book who gets the most out of it. As a consumer it is your responsibility to learn what those systems are and make an informed decision whether or not to book. Once you do, you have agreed to honor those systems, even if you do not like them.

 

Itinerary changes for various reasons are part of cruising. They can be minor or severe. And if they happen inside the penalty period for your booking or while sailing, the only obligation the cruise line has is to adjust port fees. That's it. They may CHOOSE to do more, but there is a difference between choice and obligation. You can be unhappy even furious about it, but you have to accept that's all you are getting as a guarantee.

 

I would be very upset to go from 8 ports to 5. And no, saying that 'wow it's still a great cruise so you shouldn't complain' or 'I wish I was doing that' would not make me feel any better. Telling someone to just 'suck it up and smile ' is not only unproductive, its rude. Explaining what their options are and what the rules are and why they are that way is helpful. And that includes suggestions on working with the cruise lines to find options they are willing to consider (but are not obligated to provide).

 

It also needs to be noted that Sept 2017 probably throughout the end of the year is a special case. The amount of disruption is literally unprecedented. This means the lines have far less options than normal and that needs to be recognized too.

Exactly, very well said! The biggest is " literally unprecedented "

Ship happens.........you can accept the new routes and make the best of it, or you can not accept it and guarantee yourself a miserable time.