Anyone else thinking of cancelling Canada 5 day?

[Adventure Girl]

Hucc: for the record, I didn't see the boarding time listed anywhere on the R.C. website when I booked my 5-night Canada sailing on the Voyager of the Seas. Yes, I saw that the sail away time was 10 pm., but I have sailed on a 10 pm depart twice and was on the ship no later than 1 pm each time.

 

I've decided to stop reading the message boards related to the Voyager 5-night sailing to Canada. I know that I will have a blast no matter what happens. I'm on a cruise ship for goodness sakes! It doesn't get much better than that!

 

Kimberly

Monarch of the Seas 4/02

Disney Wonder 11/02

Adventure of the Seas 10/03, 3/04

Voyager of the Seas to Canada 9/5/04

 

"Girl's Getaway" on Mariner of the Seas 11/7/04

[mattinla]

For all the people that want to fly in the same day and worry about making the ship - what a bonus! For those who come in the day before - more time to enjoy NYC - another bonus! Driving in? No need to rush! Bonus again! And the chance to sail out of NYC with it all lit up.. how wonderful! And isn't the first day a sea day? Plenty of time to explore the ship. IMHO, this seems a plus.

 

CRUISES: Queen of Bermuda '89 Tropicale '99, Explorer of the Seas '02, Radiance of the Seas '02, Vision of the Seas '03, Queen Elizabeth 2 '03, Infinity '03, Serenade of the Seas '03, Monarch of the Seas '03, Norwegian Star '03, Queen Mary 2 '04,

Diamond Princess, '04

 

Detailed ship pix: http://community.webshots.com/user/mattinla

[A.S.]

I really don't see how not being able to board the ship for a nice lunch is a bonus. Not being able to take a shower before dinner, a bonus, and being rushed for the drill and show, a bonus. But maybe that's just me.

[Magicat]

A.S. why are you worried about it? We thought you were cancelling your cruise? If you are so stressed about it you should change your vacation plans, we would if we was as concerned about it as you. As for us...we're going and we're going to have a great time even if we don't get on the ship 'til mid-night!

 

Carnival Victory Can/NE

Sept 2004

Voyager of the Seas Can/NE

Sept 2004

Radiance of the Seas Alaska

Sept 2003

Radiance of the Seas Alaska

June 2002

[Hucc]

well, then, Adventure Girl, you made an assumption... and you know what happens when you assume

 

get the facts from your TA before you book

[alinnj]

Got a catagory D2 larger balcony for 2 people at $1499. Because of the great price I'll keep my reservation!

[DFritz]

A.S. - I agree that the first evening should be counted on the cruise ( they will afterall expect tips for that first day) and I don't mind the sailing at 10 ( if we really do leave on time) as much as the possibility that we may not be able to board until after 5. Most folks that are checking into a hotel for pre-cruise will need to vacate the hotel by noon and that leaves us only about 5 hours. Not enough to go into NYC from NJ, not long enough to make it worth the extra hotel day costs, we hate to shop so that is not an option. It really will make us feel rushed once onboard. I was told when I booked that we would board at about 2, sail at 10, and then return on the final day at noon. Now I know that we don't board before 5, don't sail before 10, and arrive back at 8 am. I don't think even RCI knew what was going to happen when we booked this cruise. I too am a fan of early arrival but I will go with the flow and not let it ruin my cruise. A.S. sleep one hour less everyday to make up for the lost time.

 

'Til my next cruise

 

[Cruishappy@aol.com]

In response to the late boarding and departure of the 5 day cruise --- I am in complete agreement with those that are disappointed --- RCI certainly was not thinking of the passengers when these arrangements were made --- we have been on 42 cruises and this is the first time that we have ever encountered such a late boarding time --- departing at l0PM is not too bad -- it is the late boarding that I do not approve of --- as far as my experiences are concerned --- we have always considered the first day of the cruise as part of the cruise -we enjoy boarding early --- exploring ths ship and relaxing -- and not being rushed like a herd of cattle --- also -- don't forget -- if the boarding is delayed this long -- that in turn means that the luggage will probably not be delivered to our cabins until quite late --- which means that one will either be unpacking into the wee hours of the morning --- or have the task of unpacking when getting up in the morning -- I certainly do not call this a relaxfull way to start the day --- I also feel that as of late RCI has had an attitude which has taken on a great change --- which is not for the better --- it is very disappointing as RCI was always listed as one of our favorite cruise lines --- and this has for sure changed -

[A.S.]

If it were up to me, I would cancel this cruise. However my husband does not want to, and said that we should make the best of it. I will try not to complain anymore about it.

I'm just hoping that things will get better as the weeks go by.

[cruisinMike]

My two cents (probably not worth that much), now that I know this late boarding policy, I would not book this cruise. I don't care how late the ship leaves (I've left at 10 p.m. in SJ), but the first day, the excitement of getting on the ship between 12-1 p.m., getting lunch, and exploring, is a big part of the experience. If you don't care about that, it's not a problem for you, so go for it. But if you do, I think your problem is legit. Now for heaven sakes folks, take it easy, we all have our likes and dislikes.

 

'till we sail on the Voyager of the Seas

 

'till we sail the Brillance in the Mediterranean

[Ev1995]

Got another idea, since you leave late and board late, on the first day of your cruise, and on the last day of your cruise , you get into port at noon, also late , you dont have to rush off the ship at 9 or 10AM , you can have dinner while you pull into port, isnt that worth something too.

[Bonnie Voyager]

Except that the 5-night cruise doesn't get in at noon, it gets in at 8:00 a.m. It's the 9-night cruise that gets in at noon causing the 5-nighter to have late boarding after the 9-nighters have disembarked.

 

Bonnie Voyager...a.k.a. "Bon Voyage"

 

“Enjoy whatever cruise you choose....just be sure and choose to cruiseâ€

 

Inspiration 9/99

Triumph 6/00

Victory 8/00

Victory 6/01

Regal Empress 7/01

Explorer of the Seas 4/02

Triumph 6/02

Carnival Legend 10/02

Norwegian Dawn 12/02

Disney Wonder 3/03

Pride 7/03

Explorer of the Seas 4/04

Victory 6/04

Voyager of the Seas 7/04

Carnival Legend 10/04

Majesty of the Seas 6/05

Adventure of the Seas 4/06

...and more in the works :-)

 

[cbroder]

i cancelled today and switched my cruise to aos.

[Merion_Mom]

I have just told myself, "By the time it's August 8th, RCI will have done this cycle five times. By then, they will have figured out how to get 3,000+ passengers and all their luggage off the Voyager in a rapid and efficient manner, clear the terminal, the parking lot and the access road, and then load on 3,000+ passengers and all their luggage, all before 5 or 6 P.M. There will be no more jam-ups by then; it will be as smooth a transition as they have going in Miami.

 

We will be on board and in our cabin before 6, we will unpack our carryons which will actually be pretty good-sized rolling suitcases, since we are driving to the port instead of flying , which will be full of swimsuits, toiletries, a change of clothes for dinner and anything else we might need to make our first evening on board a stress-free delight."

 

Try it; you'll like it.

 

Carol

 

 

Voyager of the Seas - 5-day to Canada - NO AIRFARE!!!! 8/2004

 

Jewel of the Seas 12/2004

Explorer of the Seas 12/2003

Explorer of the Seas 8/2002

 

<marquee>till we sail on the Jewel! New Year's Cruise.....12/26/04</marquee>

 

<marquee>..........................Oh, no! We have become New Year's Cruise Addicts!</marquee>

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[A.S.]

cbroder, did you have to pay a fee for changing cruises? Also, did you purchase insurance for the first cruise? If so, did they apply it to the second cruise? Thanks for and help.

[travellady]

Merion-Mom - we are still onboard with you for the 8/8 VOS Canada sailing. And one of my 25 year old twin sons decided to definitely join us so we've added another to the cruise. Now if I could only find the Roll Call thread I started and add him to it...

[Bonnie Voyager]

cbroder, sorry we won't be meeting you on our 7/25 Canada cruise! I will also be doing the AOS Aruba cruise, but not till Easter 2006. I hope you have a great time. I know we are going to have a blast on Voyager to Canada too.

I have no concerns at all about the embarkation issue. I'll be onboard eventually and that's when the fun will begin! I've sailed on Voyager-class ships already and I know they are worth the wait! 4-nights or 5-nights doesn't matter to me! I love any time spent on a Voyager-class ship! I've also previously done the Canada itinerary and I love it! So this is a win/win for me! I can't wait to book Voyager to Bermuda next summer! I don't care if it's in Bermuda for 1 night or 10 nights! Sailing to Bermuda on my favorite huge ship is something I never thought would happen! Sign me up!!! [img]http://messages.cruisecritic.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif[/img]

Bonnie Voyager...a.k.a. "Bon Voyage"

“Enjoy whatever cruise you choose....just be sure and choose to cruise”

Inspiration 9/99
Triumph 6/00
Victory 8/00
Victory 6/01
Regal Empress 7/01
Explorer of the Seas 4/02
Triumph 6/02
Carnival Legend 10/02
Norwegian Dawn 12/02
Disney Wonder 3/03
Pride 7/03
Explorer of the Seas 4/04
Victory 6/04
Voyager of the Seas 7/04
Carnival Legend 10/04
Majesty of the Seas 6/05
Adventure of the Seas 4/06
...and more in the works :-)

[cbroder]

yes, i had insurance. yes, i was able to roll it over to the aos cruise.

[ILov2cruise]

Sorry, but I don't understand.
If RCCL says boarding is at 5pm, why would you show up at 1pm. When you check in to a hotel
do you get there 4 hours early and demand your room.
Ship gets in at noon people need to get off, ship needs to be cleaned and you want all this done by 1pm.

Am I the only one living in the real world.

[img]http://www.gifs.net/animate/peace.gif[/img]
[img]http://images.animfactory.com/animations/holiday_events/september_11/candle_burning_for_911_md_wht.gif[/img]

[jhaasz]

Magicat - Actually, the vacation doesn't start until I get on the ship. Even though the last day of work "starts" vacation, I'll have all of that wonderful extra time that I would be spending on the ship to clean my house so I can come home to a clean house and make it nice and messy when I unpack. [img]http://messages.cruisecritic.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif[/img]

Seriously, my husband was not happy about this late boarding, either. We were between this and the Carnival cruise but, since we had been on the Carnival ship before, he (and I use "he") chose this one. We chose it before we knew the boarding would be so late.

I told him to look at the bright side - we'll make it up when we return from our 9-night cruise on the Voyager in September! [img]http://messages.cruisecritic.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif[/img] Besides, we'll be celebrating our 15th anniversary on-board the ship and, no matter how you look at it, it's still five wonderful nights with no kids! [img]http://messages.cruisecritic.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif[/img]

8/27/2004 - Voyager of the Seas
[img]http://escati.linkopp.net/cgi-bin/countdown.cgi?trgb=000000&srgb=00ff00&prgb=000080&cdt=2004;7;11;11;00;00&timezone=GMT-0500[/img]  'til our 10th cruise!!

7/11/2004 - Voyager of the Seas (Cruise #10!)
August 2003 - Carnival Legend
July 2003 - Carnival Victory
August 2002 - Grand Princess
July 2002 - Carnival Triumph
August 2001 - RCI Explorer of the Seas
August 2000 - RCI Enchantment of the Seas
July 1999 - Carnival Triumph
July 1998 - Carnival Ecstasy
July 1997 - Carnival Ecstasy

[jezzdogg]

Just some info on the famous drils, on AOs out of SJ and Summit out of Alaska last year they did th drills during breakfast the next morning, and bye the way they did them in record speed, so don't worry its is going to take a lot of time-=- if they do it that way.

norm

[NJGRANNY]

We had a wonderful time on the Voyager five night to Canada on May 30. We don't feel as if we missed anything.

<font color=#000FF>
Jan from New Jersey

Celebrity - Caribbean - Twice
RCCL - Alaska, Caribbean
Holland America - Panama Canal and South America

Future:

Royal Caribbean - Canada - May
Celebrity - Back to back Caribbean - Oct. 2004
Princess - Back to back Caribbean - Feb. 2005