Missing Ports meandering thoughts...

[LHP]

I just remembered Hurricane Gustav from Galveston. Although we did not just miss ports...our 5 day cruise with 2 ports turned into a 3 day cruise to nowhere.

 

But Carnival gave us a 50% refund (which hit my credit card before we got home) AND a 50% discount on a future cruise...which I used to experience a Cat 12 on the Fantasy ( and loved it)....so I was happy.

 

I would take that deal ANY day of the week!!!!

[sunseeker09]

People need to remember....it is a cruise ship....it isn't a bus!!

 

Really? Well, NOW you tell me!!! :eek: hehe

 

With 7 ports in 7 days I telll people the ship is like a big floating ferry/hotel for our "Caribbean Sampler" :D

 

We are cruising for the ports and would be sad to miss any, but hey, what can you do, right? It is comforting to read that it doesn't really seem to happen that often, particularly at ports that aren't tendered.

 

Here's what a dumb cruise newbie I am.... While on GC for awhile (hubby working there), I would always check out the ship schedule (to know what days to avoid town). Sometimes it would say there should be 5 or 6 or even 7 ships in port, but there would be none. NOW it makes sense!... those were windy days. :o

[dznymom]

Interesting responses. It would seem that missing ports is not nearly as frequent as one would believe from reading the boards lately! It is pretty clear that every effort is made to give the guests the best possible experience without compromising safety or the health of individual passengers. I think the cruiselines are to be commended, especially considering that the cruise contract does cover their butt and they aren't really obligated to do anything. The one area that probably needs improvement is communication - keeping passengers informed goes a long way towards keeping them happy!

 

I am also pleased that I have never missed a port due to my ship crashing into another ship or a pier :eek:

[dznymom]

Here's what a dumb cruise newbie I am.... While on GC for awhile (hubby working there), I would always check out the ship schedule (to know what days to avoid town). Sometimes it would say there should be 5 or 6 or even 7 ships in port, but there would be none. NOW it makes sense!... those were windy days. :o

 

That is a riot! :)

[Rodeomomof2]

We missed our very first port on our very first cruise in June 2005...Costa Maya....the weather made docking impossible, we did get close enough to see the pier! :D So we just went on to Cozumel and were docked there overnight and all the next day, so it ended up being FUN!

We also missed Costa Maya (again) in 2007 because they had been hit by a hurricane...we were one of the first ships to switch to Progresso as a regular stop.

It was dissapointing to not get to see Costa Maya....but it was unavoidable and we made the best of it.

I can't imagine letting a missed port ruin a cruise...dissapointing as it may be..you have to consider the reasons for the decisions. ;)

[G'ma]

I think the reason why there appears to be more "missed ports" is because the ships of today are HUGE vessels - unlike ships of 20 years ago. They have a deeper draft - are so much longer and wider - and higher.

 

In the past, smaller ships might be able to maneuver in a tight space in "rough" seas or weather. These bigger megaships cannot.....

[marshhawk]

Someone else has sailed Maine Windjammer!!! Yeah. You are right though, a class of their own. We are doing the Legend from Tampa in February, I hope we do not miss any ports, because we do have things planned on each day(dumb us) but of course can change at a whim, but whats with the winds in Grand Cayman?? I know it's shallow waters and you tender in, have the cruise lines ever considered dredging to create a aport, or would that be too harmful to the habitat?

[jtm22372]

on our first cruise ever 2007 we missed the ship due to airlines fault.so they flew us to the 2nd port jamacia. we stayed there for 3 days waiting for our ship. so our tade off was miss labadee,haiti and a sea day for 2 days in montego bay and 1 day in ochos rios . i'll take that trade:D

[salty dingo]

We missed Costa Maya due to rough seas on Valor in 2005. We just said Oh Well! and we enjoyed a nice day at sea.

 

I just laugh at the people who get all upset at missing a port. It is definitely disappointing, but definitely not upsetting! I mean, everyone sort of expects to miss a port every now and then.

[BooBooMonkey]

We've never missed a port. Our first cruise though, we were re-routed to Cozumel (from Cancun, I think) because of "security issues" due to 9/11 (November 2001 cruise). We didn't even realize it until we were on shore and went to pick up the minivan we had reserved for Cancun...LOL! Way before my Cruise Critic days! :o Ended up taking a taxi to Playa Mia beach, which was OK for a first time/family beach day on Coz in a pinch. This was two newbie families--4 adults and 5 kids.

 

We missed an excursion in Key West once because we booked it online and never got notice of a time change for the tour, so we didn't show up at the appointed time. We were refunded after producing the e-mail showing the time we booked and we were glad we stayed on board anyway because the weather turned really nasty toward the last hour or two of th excursion time (Florida tropical thunderstorm--really dramatic lightning, etc.).

 

We have had MANY terrible weather days at various ports though! I think half of the ports we've been at have had atypical bad weather when we were there. We have really bad luck with weather...with all water-based excursions being cancelled, cold, miserable weather at normally warm sunny places. The people who live/work there are like, "It is never like this Mon!" Nassau comes to mind. But we have also had terrible weather in San Juan, St. Martin, and Tortola during March! What are the chances??? With bad weather comes rocky seas. Hate that part of it, because I would cruise to nowhere too, but not with seasick bags out all over the place, shows cancelled due to safety concerns for the performers, etc.

 

I think Western Caribbean is better for weather, as long as you're not sailing during hurricane season, which we have never done.

 

If I missed a port, I think I would make lemonade out of my lemons. Have done it on every other cruise. As they say, "A day at sea is better than a day at work!"

 

Boo

[Kurbanfan]

I mean, everyone sort of expects to miss a port every now and then.

 

No not me......

[Nunu]

As they say, "A day at sea is better than a day at work!"

 

 

:eek:

[Kurbanfan]

:eek:

 

:d :d

[Nunu]

:d :d

 

Why am I still at work? :confused:

[GinDon]

In Oct. we missed Half Moon Cay because the seas were going to be too rough to tender. So the captain brought us to Nassau, instead. There was a collective groan that went up, all over the ship, when the announcement was made. Seems nobody likes Nassau. We had never been, so we were fine with it. People were saying they would have rather had a "sea" day instead. Well, hey...........stay on the ship like if you were at sea, and let the rest of us have a port!

[Kurbanfan]

[quote name='Nunu']Why am I still at work? :confused:[/quote]

So you can afford a 7 day cruise to nowhere:D

[Nunu]

[quote name='Kurbanfan']So you can afford a 7 day cruise to nowhere:D[/QUOTE]

[IMG]http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm238/scottm4211/madfist.gif[/IMG]

[trock]

[quote name='Nunu']Why am I still at work? :confused:[/quote]


Because you don't subscribe to the theory that a bad day on a cruise is better than a good day work.... :rolleyes:

[Nunu]

[quote name='trock']Because you don't subscribe to the theory that a bad day on a cruise is better than a good day work.... :rolleyes:[/QUOTE]
I really don't. I love my job but I'm weird that way. :p

[trock]

[quote name='Nunu']I really don't. I love my job but I'm weird that way. :p[/quote]


I wasn't rolling my eyes at you Nu, I was rolling my eyes at those who believe it.. Its a crock of sheetrock