Cancelled Ports

[sjmbruce]

First time cruiser here!

 

 

I have read a few posts from people on cruises that didn't make it to the scheduled ports. Some missed only one port due to water conditions or issues at the port. One cruiser said most of the ports were cancelled due to engine troubles with the ship.

 

My question is, does Princess offer any compensation for missed ports?

 

I am treating my upcoming cruise as more of a floating hotel and would be pretty upset if even one port was missed, let alone most or all of them.

 

Thanks!

[Droop]

I could be wrong but on the paperwork for the cruise...I believe they state that they can cancel ports etc for weather reasons. (Again I'm not sure about this) But I do remember something along those lines.

[I_heart_vaca]

From what I understand from others who have missed ports...you get port fees refunded but the itinerary is subject to change based on weather and technical issues and anyone I know who had cancelled ports has not gotten anything other then the port fees returned.

[Matcodixon]

I think that the answer would be, "it depends"

 

If weather conditions, high surf, etc. make it unsafe to stop, they will cancel the port without any compensation (except for port fees, if there are any for that port) This may be especially true in a tender port.

This is allowed by contract terms and is a fact of life. The weather and sea conditions are beyond the control of any cruise line. Safety of passengers is paramount.

 

Cancellation due to mechanical problems, though possible, is extremely rare and there may be some compensation, depending on circumstance.

 

If you have any questions, take the time to read the cruise contract you signed.

 

PS although they are both fairly large and have many rooms (cabins) a ship and a hotel are quite different. The hotel, under most conditions, does not move. A ship is a large moving mechanical monster that is much more subject to weather conditions.

Edited August 7, 2012 by Matcodixon

[WpgCruise]

If hitting a specific port on a specific day is critical to your happiness, you may not want to consider a cruise. From time to time for a variety of reasons ships on every cruiseline do miss ports, and when they do little compensation other than the refunding of port fees is provided.

Anyone who is cruising solely for the scheduled ports of call had better understand this fact before putting their deposit down, otherwise they may well be leaving themselves open for disappointment.

Chances are you will make every port, but if the ship does not make the port, getting cranky won't make it happen.

Edited August 7, 2012 by WpgCruise

[PescadoAmarillo]

If hitting a specific port on a specific day is critical to your happiness, you may not want to consider a cruise. From time to time for a variety of reasons ships on every cruiseline do miss ports, and when they do little compensation other than the refunding of port fees is provided.

[/FOWNT]

Anyone who is cruising solely for the scheduled ports of call had better understand this fact before putting their deposit down, otherwise they may well be leaving themselves open for disappointment.

Chances are you will make every port, but if the ship does not make the port, getting cranky won't make it happen.

 

Exactly this. If you read the cruise contract, all the ship has to do is pick you up at the embarkation port. Where it goes and where it drops you off at the end are open to change. I used to say that it had to pick you up and drop you off at the designated points, but after the earthquake in Japan we learned even that could be changed.

 

Saying that, it seldomly happens. In over 500 days of cruising, we've missed maybe 5 ports. But if you have your heart set on one of the port on a cruise, you could be disappointed.

[shepp]

I'm not sure why Princess should have to pay you for bad weather or a general strike. You'll get your money back for ship's excursions, but aside from that and port charges, like everyone has already said, unless Princess is at fault....

 

I not missing ports is really important to you, don't book itineraries with tender ports like oft-skipped Grand Cayman, avoid rough-water itineraries like going around Cape Horn, don't sail the Caribbean until after hurricane season, stuff like that. I've traveled (non-cruise) to maybe 50 countries around the world. None came with a money-back guarantee.

[Pam in CA]

One cruiser said most of the ports were cancelled due to engine troubles with the ship.

Ships are mechanical and like a car, can experience problems. However, unlike your car, the ship's engines are constantly being maintained and minor problem fixed before they become bigger problems. The bank of monitors and sensor displays in the engine control room is something to see.

 

Ships can, and do, miss ports and the vast majority of the time, it's for ship and passenger safety. So many times, I've heard other passengers gripe that the seas didn't look bad to them and the Captain was a wimp. Unless you have access to marine weather forecasts, currents, tides, wave height, wind speed and direction, there's no way you can tell whether it's safe or not for the ship to tender or dock in port. It might look OK but if the weather forecast means the ship might have to sail early to get out of the harbor or tender conditions will be rough for passengers returning to the ship, the Captain will bypass the port.

 

A couple of experiences: we once had to miss going to Rhodes because of high winds and a narrow harbor entrance. People were all kinds of upset and calling the Captain names. However, two cruise ships had been stuck in the harbor, unable to leave, for two days. I'd rather miss one port rather than miss two or three. Another time, we were tendering in Lahaina. It was a sunny, gorgeous day. By 2pm, there was a severe weather warning from the National Weather Center. By 3pm, as I was boarding the tender to return to the ship, the storm struck. Our tender bounced in the harbor for an hour and a half in what were probably 15-20' seas. We would go up a wave, hang for a few seconds and slam down the other side. Just about everyone on the tender was sick and every plastic bag was in use. There were four tenders in this position and hundreds of very wet passengers on the pier. In retrospect, perhaps the Captain shouldn't have stopped and tendered because it was an awful experience for many, but the same passengers would have called for his dismissal if he had made that decision.

 

Ultimately, the Captain is responsible for the safety of a multi-million $ ship and thousands of people. I always keep that in mind when there's a port change or cancelation. He knows more than I do. It's that simple.

[Astro Flyer]

I am treating my upcoming cruise as more of a floating hotel and would be pretty upset if even one port was missed, let alone most or all of them.

If you'd be "pretty upset" to miss a port then maybe a land tour would be better for you. I've only missed 4 ports during dozens of cruises & all were due to weather...Kauai, Guernsey, Christchurch & Stockholm. So while it's rare, if it could ruin your vacation then maybe explore other options. Hopefully that's not the case because cruising is great & very addicting. ;)

Edited August 7, 2012 by Astro Flyer

[RickEk]

To sum up... if ports are missed because of weather or other natural causes, you'll be refunded the port fees and excursions (if arranged through the cruise line). If ports are missed because of mechanical problems with the ship, Princess will probably offer some sort of compensation. It all depends on the circumstance...

 

Since a cruise is on a moving vessel and is subject to weather, port strikes, natural disasters, etc., you should be prepared to miss every one of your ports... Odds are you won't, but there is that slim chance that you will...

[PunkiC]

Visiting ports can be fun--even exciting--but if they don't work out, they don't work out. It happens and the best we an do is relax and enjoy our extra time on the ship.

 

There is certainly nothing to be gained by being upset--it is what it is.

[kamerungagirl]

Hi, I have been on the Sun Princess, and last November we missed 2 ports and the sound scienic part. They credited us with only port fees on the 2 ports, which didnt amount to much. Nothing else. They did go to a additional port not on the itinery, which was nice.

Hope that helps:)

[paul929207]

Port fees are usually a pretty small amount. We missed one port (Seychelles) due to pirate activity in that area and got something like $15.

[Times Prince]

To sum up... if ports are missed because of weather or other natural causes, you'll be refunded the port fees and excursions (if arranged through the cruise line). If ports are missed because of mechanical problems with the ship, Princess will probably offer some sort of compensation. It all depends on the circumstance...

 

Since a cruise is on a moving vessel and is subject to weather, port strikes, natural disasters, etc., you should be prepared to miss every one of your ports... Odds are you won't, but there is that slim chance that you will...

We have had missed ports in Princess Cays, Cozumel, Myconos, and I think Grand Cayman on Princess, and missed Nassau on HAL. Only once did we get an alternate port (Princess went to Nassau, having missed Princess Cays). What we had refunded was exactly what RickEk posted.

 

... and we had great additional sea days aboard ship.

 

Just don't do what we did once - we planned all our Christmas shopping for Cozumel on a December Western Caribbean cruise. By Murphy's Law that was the one port cancelled for weather- the ship couldn't dock safely.

 

I'll take safety every day over a few missed shops or excursions.

[Shogun]

Hi All

 

If you took a land based holiday and it rained for a week so you could not go to the beach would expect a refund from the hotel, so why from a cruise ship.

 

 

yours Shogun

[Matcodixon]

On our Tahiti cruise we had to miss the island of Hiva Oa due to rough surf conditions. It was a tender port, as most on the voyage were and they tried to allow us there. They sent out a tender as a test, to the pier and back. They even scouted a possible alternative landing area. The surf was just too high to be safe.

We were dissapointed, as well as the people of the island. It is rare that a ship stops there and they were counting on the income. They had prepared various shows and local crafts for us. This is a small island with a very limited population. (of about 1,900)

The Tahiti cruise does not even go there anymore, which is sad. They now stick to the Cook islands for the most part instead of the Marquesas islands. This is too bad as Nuku Hiva was excellent.

Edited August 7, 2012 by Matcodixon

[PunkiC]

I certainly wouldn't expect any compensation for a missed port. Those decisions are almost always made for reasons of safety, and certainly not lightly.

[biker1972]

Someone earlier in this thread mentioned that the company's obligation was to take you from the embarkation port to the debarkation port. There have been rare occasions when one of those ports was changed and it was covered in the contract. Finding out two days before, that the cruise you booked that was to leave from New Orleans is now starting in Miami is a real shocker but it has happened! In these cases more is done to compenste cruisers.

[Pia1913]

Someone earlier in this thread mentioned that the company's obligation was to take you from the embarkation port to the debarkation port. There have been rare occasions when one of those ports was changed and it was covered in the contract. Finding out two days before, that the cruise you booked that was to leave from New Orleans is now starting in Miami is a real shocker but it has happened! In these cases more is done to compenste cruisers.

 

Example, please. Or are you referring to a disaster event; like Katrina?

[chestnutter]

We were on the Caribbean Princess in March when it suffered from engine problems. We left San Juan and was late getting to St Marteen the next day. Then we did not leave St. Marteen until the following day. As we were underway, the captain announced we were headed back to San Juan. We spent the next four days at the dock in San Juan in our floating hotel. The next couple of cruises were cancelled while they fixed the ship.

 

Princess gave us a full refund of the cruise and 25% of the price of that cruise as a future cruise credit. (We are using the credit to go to Alaska in Septmenber on the Golden Princess.)

 

So it totally depends on the severity of the issue.

Edited August 7, 2012 by chestnutter

[moorerf]

I have missed the Cayman Islands once due to weather, Bar Harbor due to weather, both because these are tender ports. Only compensation was port fees. We did miss St Vincent once on a 10 day because of mechanical problems with the ship. We got port fees and 50 per person OBC which was very nice of Princess. We were upset about missing Bar Harbor so the next year we flew to Bangor and did a drive around Maine and Quebec. So if ports are really important esp the tender ones then a cruise may disappoint. We go with the attitude it is vacation and what happens, happens and we see what we can. An extra sea day is just another day of rest in the "hotel room" and use of the facilities on board more....

[beg3yrs]

 

Another time, we were tendering in Lahaina. It was a sunny, gorgeous day. By 2pm, there was a severe weather warning from the National Weather Center. By 3pm, as I was boarding the tender to return to the ship, the storm struck. Our tender bounced in the harbor for an hour and a half in what were probably 15-20' seas. We would go up a wave, hang for a few seconds and slam down the other side. Just about everyone on the tender was sick and every plastic bag was in use. There were four tenders in this position and hundreds of very wet passengers on the pier. In retrospect, perhaps the Captain shouldn't have stopped and tendered because it was an awful experience for many, but the same passengers would have called for his dismissal if he had made that decision.

 

 

We had the very same experience on the Norwegian Wind. The captain finally swung the ship on its thrusters to block the waves on one side of the ship. Only then were we able to reboard.

[Pia1913]

We had the very same experience on the Norwegian Wind. The captain finally swung the ship on its thrusters to block the waves on one side of the ship. Only then were we able to reboard.

 

Is that old bucket still around? That's the last time we sailed NCL; in 1993.

[sjmbruce]

I'm sensing some hostility here! I obviously realize a hotel is not a ship. I know that things happen. I did not indicate that I would - nor would I ever - run around the ship being cranky, angry, or demanding money back. I would however be sad and disappointed.... has anyone ever been elated that a port was cancelled?

Thank you to everyone who provided useful information and personal experiences. I don't think I could visit all the countries I am going to on my Panama Canal cruise by doing a traditional vacation. So I am going to do some research on weather and cross my fingers!

[Pam in CA]

We had the very same experience on the Norwegian Wind. The captain finally swung the ship on its thrusters to block the waves on one side of the ship. Only then were we able to reboard.

That's what the Captain did. It took quite a while for him to pull anchor, turn the ship, re-anchor and start accepting the tenders. We were the third tender so it took longer for us. There was a young woman in a wheelchair that was having a hard time as the brakes on the chair couldn't hold the chair with all the violent movement. She was hanging on for dear life and a crew member was also hanging onto the chair but he kept getting sick. Nasty situation.