Enough already RCCL-which ports WILL be ready for Inaugural sailing

[Elizanessie]

A lot of us booked on the Inaugural have made final payment and now we are hearing that St.Thomas might not be ready in time.

 

Nassau ...well from recent pics posted today...looks like it will be ready.

 

So St.Maarten...will it be ready?

 

If we dont get to go to St.Thomas....where will we be going? :confused:

 

Come on please RCCL...step up to the plate and tell us :(

 

This is meant to be a really exciting time as we get close to the final weeks before we sail....would be kinda handy to know where we are actually sailing to :rolleyes:

 

And yes we know there is plenty to do on the ship but that isnt the point....grrrrrrrr.

[berbet]

We'd like to be able to book our excursions - but don't dare right now. No sense pouring over the St. Thomas excursions, trying to decide which one to do if there's a good chance we won't dock there :(

[GMoney]

It's one of the risks of sailing on an inaugural cruise. St Thomas isn't going to make or break your cruise.

[atanac]

A lot of us booked on the Inaugural have made final payment and now we are hearing that St.Thomas might not be ready in time.

 

Nassau ...well from recent pics posted today...looks like it will be ready.

 

So St.Maarten...will it be ready?

 

If we dont get to go to St.Thomas....where will we be going? :confused:

 

Come on please RCCL...step up to the plate and tell us :(

 

This is meant to be a really exciting time as we get close to the final weeks before we sail....would be kinda handy to know where we are actually sailing to :rolleyes:

 

And yes we know there is plenty to do on the ship but that isnt the point....grrrrrrrr.

 

Has anyone called RCI directly with this question? Or called Crown & Anchor? Certainly one of the moderators here on Cruise Critic has direct inside connections to the headquarters of RCCL. I am sure RCI know but may be withholding those details until they see fit to make the announcement. That way if they need to skip a port or make a substitution they can do it at the last minute yet say they were holding out hope port construction would be completed. It's all PR and like I said...senior management at Royal Caribbean know exactly right now, today which ports will and will not be ready.

Anyone who gets some feedback from them please post a new thread with this information so we can all refer back to it if necessary.

[dodgersmom]

I know a lot of people are saying that the ship IS the destination, but for me, the ports are a huge part of the whole experience. There were may factors that made us choose the Oasis, but the ports were a part of the draw for us.

 

Personally I do not like San Juan, and DH and I are adventure seekers so a beach port like Labadee does not appeal to us either. We love St. Thomas. This could potentially be a deal breaker for us.

 

This really is not what I needed tonight. Maybe I am over-reacting, but I have been looking forward to this for over a year now and I feel lost.

[ChipLondon]

Liz, you make some good points, but I do not really care where the ship goes, I have been lucky enought to do these destinations many times before. So will probably not get off the ship anyway.

[ChipLondon]

Liz, you make some good points, but I do not really care where the ship goes, I have been lucky enought to do these destinations many times before. So will probably not get off the ship anyway.

[bajathree]

I am sure that RCCL is VERY well aware of the situation and trying to figure best how to handle the problem......this is most likely a first for them that they have a ship ahead of schedule and ports unable to handle such a ship......early posts were making mention of "what would happen if they had to divert Oasis due to a hurricane?"....she could very likely become a cruise to nowhere.....well theres no storm in the horizon and the scenario may be starting to play already.....it's going to be a bit different when you have a ship like this and very few ports that can handle docking her. This is not going to bear well for them since Oasis has so many cabins to fill and they are trying to get a premium price for them.....there is already PLENTY availability...yes, even for the first sailings....I am sure last thing they want on their hands is for people to start jumping ship.......however holding off and waiting till the last minute is most likely just going to piss the cust off also.......it's a damned if they do, damned if they don't senerio:rolleyes:

I know that many from the start and even still now, are saying they are sailing for the ship and itinerary doesn't matter....but I think that is going to tire real fast and already stating to show from the posts here of people already stating that they will not be happy if they switch to one port or another or don't understand why they don't go to port X instead of port Y.

[Pumbaamd]

We have just returned from Majesty and were in Nassau on Sunday. We learned from the Captain and his first officer that the port of Nassau will be ready for Oasis on time. They are dredging mostly in the turning basin, which they think would be the major problem for Oasis. She will dock at the further most outside pier facing Paradise Island and that pier will be extended.

Below is what the dredging looked like on Sunday. Ignore that sea gull in the upper left.

Rick and Deirdra

[Elizanessie]

I am sure that RCCL is VERY well aware of the situation and trying to figure best how to handle the problem......this is most likely a first for them that they have a ship ahead of schedule and ports unable to handle such a ship......early posts were making mention of "what would happen if they had to divert Oasis due to a hurricane?"....she could very likely become a cruise to nowhere.....well theres no storm in the horizon and the scenario may be starting to play already.....it's going to be a bit different when you have a ship like this and very few ports that can handle docking her. This is not going to bear well for them since Oasis has so many cabins to fill and they are trying to get a premium price for them.....there is already PLENTY availability...yes, even for the first sailings....I am sure last thing they want on their hands is for people to start jumping ship.......however holding off and waiting till the last minute is most likely just going to piss the cust off also.......it's a damned if they do, damned if they don't senerio:rolleyes:

I know that many from the start and even still now, are saying they are sailing for the ship and itinerary doesn't matter....but I think that is going to tire real fast and already stating to show from the posts here of people already stating that they will not be happy if they switch to one port or another or don't understand why they don't go to port X instead of port Y.

 

Thanks Steve...great post.

 

See the thing is with St.Thomas...their local news was where it was first reported that Oasis would be stopping there on the Dec 5th Inaugural...before RCCL announced the change of date from 12/12 to 12/5 !!! so St.Thomas knew Oasis would be there earlier than what we all knew at that time...so why the heck arent they ready or more prepared :confused:

 

I am betting RCCL dont say anything about possible port changes until after final payment has passed for the Inaugural and that really peeves me off just now....(along with their new price drop policy) :(

 

Yes when booking an Inaugural you cannot be sure of anything heck we have known that for long time but hey...they have had our money and our support for a long time now for the Inaugural so they need to show their support to us and let us know what is going on.

[bajathree]

Thanks Steve...great post.

 

See the thing is with St.Thomas...their local news was where it was first reported that Oasis would be stopping there on the Dec 5th Inaugural...before RCCL announced the change of date from 12/12 to 12/5 !!! so St.Thomas knew Oasis would be there earlier than what we all knew at that time...so why the heck arent they ready or more prepared :confused:

 

I am betting RCCL dont say anything about possible port changes until after final payment has passed for the Inaugural and that really peeves me off just now....(along with their new price drop policy) :(

Yes when booking an Inaugural you cannot be sure of anything heck we have known that for long time but hey...they have had our money and our support for a long time now for the Inaugural so they need to show their support to us and let us know what is going on.

 

I agree on both counts Liz....I am not a fan of this new price change policy at all, although I have to agree that business wise it's good for them.....that said I did have a MUCH higher category cabin than I now have booked (and paid for)for the Dec 1st sailing. I KNOW that prices are going to drop...there is NO doubt in my mind.....especially for a cabin that has both a senior and Fl resident.....so I shall sit and wait and will play the upgrade game and keep things in my favor, thats if I now do decide to upgrade at all, may just stick with what I have and save the $...I know I have said it a dozen times, but I watched cabins on Indy just past Easter Break drop in half 2 weeks after final....who wants all that OBC and have RCCL holding all that money for an extra 3 months:rolleyes:

[FireIce0010]

Actually the Oasis could dock in St. Thomas but they would have to use the Crown Bay terminal that the QM2 uses. Not sure if they will do this but it is an option. One thing for sure, they have not started the dredging in St. Thomas. No way it will be ready in time for Oasis first cruise. At this point, it will not be ready until some time in 2010. Royal Caribbean should be coming forth with information on this but we all know how sneaky the cruise lines can be with telling the truth. My bet is on San Juan which IMO should have been added as a port of call over Nassau anyway.

[sctd71]

Just Back from Adventure Sunday. We stopped in St Croix (very nice island) the excution we went on the guy said that St Croix could handle Oasis if St Thomas is not ready.

[fansynancy]

I seriously hope that St. Croix is not an Oasis port. With so few ports on the itinerary, St. Thomas was certainly the highlight. It offers something for everyone. St. Croix has much less to offer. Though some on this board feel that the ship is a destination unto itself, no one wants to spend so many days without leaving the ship. Since Nassau is a "must skip", St. Martin and St Thomas will be much anticipated ports for our family. They offer great shopping, beaches and excursions that the other ports mentioned do not. With the exorbitant fees they are getting for these initial cruises, RCCL owes their passengers updated information. Our final payment is due and we expect to know where we are going. I have not paid $25K for a "cruise to nowhere".