Should RCI have a disclaimer for Coco Cay? Grand Cayman etc?

[tanelicus]

missing an actual port of call than a private beach. We absolutely loved St. Maarten, and can't imagine having missed it.

 

However, I am a admittedly a little spoiled. We usually go to my parent's place between St. Pete and Clearwater Florida every year.

 

Ryano- Coco Cay was nice but you really didn't miss much (to qualify the weather was not pleasant, and we left early). Disney's Castaway Cay was very nice and well laid out (they have a port). However even that was not as much of a big deal because of our yearly trek to Florida.

 

Here is what I think they should do:

 

If they miss Coco Cay or another destination they should visit another location as backup. They claim that they do this, but in reality I am not so sure that they do.

 

Why couldn't they have gone to another location in the Bahamas?

 

Port charges? Planning? Both (probably).

[ryano]

Interesting thread!

 

I am curious how many times the Captain attempts to re-work the itinerary. When we were on the Monarch last week we couldn't tender into CocoCay the first day so they made that the sea day and we went to CocoCay the last day instead of a sea day then. The weather was perfect that day! :) But I wonder if most captains would backtrack that way? I wonder if the extra $ in gas is more than made up for in drink/excursion sales.

 

I think on Monarch and maybe even Majesty, they do that a lot but according to what the Captain said, it just isnt possible to do anything other than make a sea day out of it if Freedom has to miss on its Eastern route.

[ryano]

missing an actual port of call than a private beach. We absolutely loved St. Maarten, and can't imagine having missed it.

 

However, I am a admittedly a little spoiled. We usually go to my parent's place between St. Pete and Clearwater Florida every year.

 

Ryano- Coco Cay was nice but you really didn't miss much (to qualify the weather was not pleasant, and we left early). Disney's Castaway Cay was very nice and well laid out (they have a port). However even that was not as much of a big deal because of our yearly trek to Florida.

 

Here is what I think they should do:

 

If they miss Coco Cay or another destination they should visit another location as backup. They claim that they do this, but in reality I am not so sure that they do.

 

Why couldn't they have gone to another location in the Bahamas?

 

Port charges? Planning? Both (probably).

 

I made Coco Cay back in 2010 on a Monarch cruise so it wasnt no big deal to me. Besides, all that sand and my wheelchair doesnt get along too good and there is no guarantee the beach wheelchairs will be available because they are first come first serve. i was more than happy to enjoy a Coco Loco out by the pool on our sea day which turned out to be a beautiful day!

 

I think alot of times they WILL try alternative locations but on Freedoms Eastern route, its just not possible due to how far away St Thomas and St Maarten is.

[tanelicus]

I made Coco Cay back in 2010 on a Monarch cruise so it wasnt no big deal to me. Besides, all that sand and my wheelchair doesnt get along too good and there is no guarantee the beach wheelchairs will be available because they are first come first serve.

 

I think alot of times they WILL try alternative locations but on Freedoms Eastern route, its just not possible due to how far away St Thomas and St Maarten is.

 

Yes they definitely need to get truckin'. How far is Grand Bahama Island or Grand Turk in comparison to Coco Cay?

[klingoncruiser]

Seems like a good idea, but doubt it will happen. I have been waved off of GC 3 times over the years and twice off of Coasta Maya. It can happen even on places with a pier. :rolleyes:

[ItsAllAboutTheSass]

Yes they definitely need to get truckin'. How far is Grand Bahama Island or Grand Turk in comparison to Coco Cay?

 

I believe that Grand Turk is exclusive to Carnival Corp (with the exception of a few Regency and Oceania calls) due to the funding that they provided. I don't think you will ever see a RCCL ship there.

[temple1]

It sounds like some folks think a cruise ship travels a lot faster than it actually does. :D

[Eng23]

Yes they definitely need to get truckin'. How far is Grand Bahama Island or Grand Turk in comparison to Coco Cay?

Another item to consider is the size of the ship. Ships of the Freedom Class and Oasis Class are limited by their size in that some ports cannot support a ship that size. Some ports cannot accept ships that large due to inadequate pier size and harbor depth.

[lady_cruiser]

On our January cruise we couldn't stop in Falmouth because the waves were going over the pier and it would have been dangerous for anyone to walk on it. The Captain came on and said that we were docking in Montego Bay instead. There were a few unhappy passengers but all of us you had booked tours in Falmouth were just picked up by buses in Montego Bay.

 

The Captain did mention that it was not his decision to reroute the ship but that of the Port Authority and it was for the safety of all of us under his care.

 

As we "adults" know that it is not always the fault of the cruise line nor the Captain when a decision is made. It is just ashame that there are some adults that act like spoil brats.

[Jumbiecruiser]

Im just curious as to what everyone thinks.

 

Most of us here know that making a stop at Coco Cay is very "hit or miss" and is according to how calm the seas are for safe tendering.

 

That said, we here, are a very small part of the cruising population!

 

There were MANY people very upset that we missed Coco Cay on my Freedom cruise and I actually felt sorry for Guest Relations for the abuse and complaining they were having to put up with.

 

Im just wondering if RCI should put an asterisk beside Coco Cay on their itineraries or have a disclaimer saying that this stop could be missed due to rough seas and unsafe tendering :confused:

 

Maybe they already do have this in place and people have just missed it? :confused:

 

I guess the same could be said for Grand Cayman as well?

 

Would not matter if they had it in blinking lights. Some would still complain.

[Trinamarie]

Before the Freedom sailed from Port Canaveral on the Eastern route it was the Mariner. When I was on that cruise in 2007 and when we missed Coco Cay, they took us to Puerto Rico.

 

I do think it has to do with the size of the ship, maybe Freedom is to large to dock there.

[Jumbiecruiser]

Before the Freedom sailed from Port Canaveral on the Eastern route it was the Mariner. When I was on that cruise in 2007 and when we missed Coco Cay, they took us to Puerto Rico.

 

I do think it has to do with the size of the ship, maybe Freedom is to large to dock there.

 

Freedom used to call at San Juan. She fits there just fine. Royal copied Carnival and found out that it was cheaper for them to just make it a sea day and upset a few people by doing this. They make more money off of the casino and shops.

[tanelicus]

It sounds like some folks think a cruise ship travels a lot faster than it actually does. :D

 

I think they can crank it up pretty good. Not sure its the safest thing to do though! LOL

[tanelicus]

I believe that Grand Turk is exclusive to Carnival Corp (with the exception of a few Regency and Oceania calls) due to the funding that they provided. I don't think you will ever see a RCCL ship there.

 

I would love to see Turks and Caicos! :(

[ItsAllAboutTheSass]

Another item to consider is the size of the ship. Ships of the Freedom Class and Oasis Class are limited by their size in that some ports cannot support a ship that size. Some ports cannot accept ships that large due to inadequate pier size and harbor depth.

 

 

 

Yes, Grand Turk can't handle anything bigger than a Panamax ship.

[ItsAllAboutTheSass]

[quote name='tanelicus']I would love to see Turks and Caicos! :([/quote]


Beaches and water are gorgeous.

[joe6666]

[FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]The ship doesn’t have to sail to CoCo Cay in order to find out that it’s too rough to tender.[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]It would be nice to have some alternate port to go to just in case CoCo Cay isn’t suitable.[/SIZE][/FONT]
[SIZE=3][FONT=Times New Roman] [/FONT][/SIZE]
[FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]I don’t want to be tendering when the conditions make it unsafe. And I know the “contract” says the ship can go wherever the Captain chooses.[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]No Problem…..[/SIZE][/FONT]
[SIZE=3][FONT=Times New Roman] [/FONT][/SIZE]
[FONT=Times New Roman][SIZE=3]But missing CoCo Cay is so common that an alternative port would be better than extra sea days.[/SIZE][/FONT]

[Jumbiecruiser]

[quote name='Thestapels']Yes, Grand Turk can't handle anything bigger than a Panamax ship.[/QUOTE]

Not true. Carnival has post Panamax ships calling there now. The Breeze will also docking there.

[cruisecookie]

I don't complain about missing a port after an experience on my very first cruise 10 years ago on the Majesty. We were scheduled to sail to Coco Cay and we did, but the weather did not cooperate. The sea got too rough and it was too dangerous to allow passengers to walk the gangway from the tender back onto the ship. Fourteen hundred passengers were stranded on the island until the next morning. It wasn't fun. It rained. They ran out of food, toilet paper and other supplies. Mothers ran out of diapers for their babies. However, the RCCL crew was wonderful! They tied themselves into little boats and went back and forth between the island and the ship to bring whatever they could to keep passengers warm -- blankets, sweatshirts, robes, whatever. One of the ship's doctors set up a first aid station on the island. The crew went into passengers staterooms and retrieved their medications. Everything was very organized considering the circumstances. Thank goodness no one was injured and everyone returned safely to the ship the next morning. We did have to skip our final port, Key West, because the ship was so far behind schedule. But now, if the captain announces that we have to skip Coco Cay it's okay with me!

[ItsAllAboutTheSass]

[quote name='Jumbiecruiser']Not true. Carnival has post Panamax ships calling there now. The Breeze will also docking there.[/quote]

You are correct. I forgot to look at the "correction" of the article I read. Thanks for the clarification.

[GTMoose]

Anyone here have an entire itinerary change (say a "Western" Caribbean cruise to an "Eastern") due to something like a Hurricane or some other reason?

[Scotty G]

[quote name='cruisecookie']I don't complain about missing a port after an experience on my very first cruise 10 years ago on the Majesty. We were scheduled to sail to Coco Cay and we did, but the weather did not cooperate. The sea got too rough and it was too dangerous to allow passengers to walk the gangway from the tender back onto the ship. Fourteen hundred passengers were stranded on the island until the next morning. It wasn't fun. It rained. They ran out of food, toilet paper and other supplies. Mothers ran out of diapers for their babies. However, the RCCL crew was wonderful! They tied themselves into little boats and went back and forth between the island and the ship to bring whatever they could to keep passengers warm -- blankets, sweatshirts, robes, whatever. One of the ship's doctors set up a first aid station on the island. The crew went into passengers staterooms and retrieved their medications. Everything was very organized considering the circumstances. Thank goodness no one was injured and everyone returned safely to the ship the next morning. We did have to skip our final port, Key West, because the ship was so far behind schedule. But now, if the captain announces that we have to skip Coco Cay it's okay with me![/quote]
I believe Dew Devine, current Cruise Director on Monarch was there with you. I have heard him tell the story. Pretty scary but everyone survived.

[Hunwolf]

Been to Grand Turk and Coco Cay both several times.

Enjoyed Grand Turk more to be honest.

[Scotty G]

[quote name='GTMoose']Anyone here have an entire itinerary change (say a "Western" Caribbean cruise to an "Eastern") due to something like a Hurricane or some other reason?[/quote]
Yes. Had booked a Western on Mariner because we had done the Eastern. Got to repeat the Eastern because of a hurricane.

[PH8]

[quote name='ryano']Im just curious as to what everyone thinks.

Most of us here know that making a stop at Coco Cay is very "hit or miss" and is according to how calm the seas are for safe tendering.

That said, we here, are a very small part of the cruising population!

There were MANY people very upset that we missed Coco Cay on my Freedom cruise and I actually felt sorry for Guest Relations for the abuse and complaining they were having to put up with.

Im just wondering if RCI should put an asterisk beside Coco Cay on their itineraries or have a disclaimer saying that this stop could be missed due to rough seas and unsafe tendering :confused:

Maybe they already do have this in place and people have just missed it? :confused:

I guess the same could be said for Grand Cayman as well?[/quote]
It is not only tender stops...........we almost missed Costa Maya cuz of high winds and surf.......we docked a few times and kept moving to other sides of the pier.......waited it out 2 hours before deciding we could stay..............NEVER thought we could miss a port that we docked at...............yet, 2 weeks prior,they did just that!:eek: