Is This Common Practice?

[satxdiver]

Grand Turk is an island part of the Turks and Caicos Islands. The island is 6 miles long and 1 mile wide so we are talking a really small island. There really isn't much on the island outside of the port Carnival built, snorkeling and scuba diving. I have been to the island several times before the cruise ships arrived for SCUBA trips. Their beach is not that great as the depth falls off fast from the beach and goes down miles! It is great for wall SCUBA diving though. I still cannot imagine this being a cruise ship port.

[PescadoAmarillo]

All cruise lines change itineraries occasionally, not just Princess.

 

Frequent reasons are docking facilities (such as if the ship has to tender instead of dock) and number of ships in port. If you've ever been to a port with over ten large ships docked or tendering, you'd see that it's awful for everyone. If it's not going to be a good port experience, then it's not worth going.

What was the port that could handle over 10 large ships? I've been in Fort Lauderdale with 8, and St. Thomas with 6 and Buenos Aires with 5 and they were zoos.

[Kentchikan]

When Mazatlan became less viable and ships stopped going there our itineraries changed drastically and dramatically on a couple of cruises. Sometimes more than once. Most frustrating. I remember when they added Ensenada on one cruise we were disappointed because we had no desire to go there but ended up loving it so you never know.

[sleehan]

We almost missed our son's wedding because HAL changed the itinerary. The wedding was supposed to be at sunset on St. Thomas' Megan's Bay Beach. The itinerary switched and luckily the wedding coordinator took care of everything so we had an early morning wedding, lunch and a race to the airport for our flight out!

 

Also had a change occur on our Royal Caribbean cruise to the Med. fortunately, our private tour could switch for us. The ship had to pay for the phone call since they made the change while under way.

 

Grand Turks was taken off the ports list for a while because of a virus there. They haven't been back on for that long...wonder if that has occurred again?

[lovevacadays]

I'm sorry to hear of your unwanted change. I am with you in that I visited Nassau once and it was enough for me. My mom and I did have a good time but I have no desire to return.

[Pam in CA]

What was the port that could handle over 10 large ships? I've been in Fort Lauderdale with 8, and St. Thomas with 6 and Buenos Aires with 5 and they were zoos.

Trying to remember. This was years ago when ships weren't as large but I think it was Cozumel. There were several ships docked and a bunch more tendering. As you say, it was a zoo. Everywhere was crowded, restaurants and shops were packed, tours were sold out, etc.

[caribill]

When the first information one sees about a cruise on the Princess web site lists the itinerary including Grand Turk and then the detailed information shows a map including a stop at Grand Turk but the itinerary next to the map lists Nassau, it is not a change in itinerary but a poorly set up web site.

 

And then checking the same cruise on two Internet TAs, one shows Grand Turk and one shows Nassau.

 

My guess is that the itinerary was changed to have Nassau instead of Grand Turk so that they could save on fuel by not having to sail as fast from Grand Turk back to Fort Lauderdale compared to a slower speed from the previous port to Nassau.

[pablo222]

Its not just cruise ships that dock, its also cargo.

 

In Grand Turk? I don't think so. Anything off-loaded would have to

be carted through the Duty Free store, as that's the only way off

the pier.

[CATGUY7]

I'm sorry to hear of your unwanted change. I am with you in that I visited Nassau once and it was enough for me. My mom and I did have a good time but I have no desire to return.

 

Thank you. We've been to Nassau twice, and have no desire to visit it again. Grand Turk, albeit small, is a new port to us, and I would not have booked this cruise with Nassau on the itinerary.

[PescadoAmarillo]

Trying to remember. This was years ago when ships weren't as large but I think it was Cozumel. There were several ships docked and a bunch more tendering. As you say, it was a zoo. Everywhere was crowded, restaurants and shops were packed, tours were sold out, etc.

 

That's not fun. We had 4 in St. Lucia last year (one tendered from outside the harbor), and it totally overloaded the island. Sometimes a ship will substitute Dominica for St. Lucia and that must mean there would have been 5 ships there.

[Kentchikan]

That's not fun. We had 4 in St. Lucia last year (one tendered from outside the harbor), and it totally overloaded the island. Sometimes a ship will substitute Dominica for St. Lucia and that must mean there would have been 5 ships there.

 

A few years ago in Juneau there were seven ships in. It was like rush hour in New York. Difficult to even walk down the street. You practically had to make reservations to get on to the sidewalk.