If a ship fails to dock at a particular port . . .

[pdw26]

Our ship could not dock in Victoria BC tonight.

 

 

I realise this thread is about compensation, but what is the position of not calling in at a Canadian port? - I thought this was mandatory. Perhaps it is enough to that it was on the itinerary you don't actually have to go there.

[GUT2407]

Port taxes.

 

If Capt don't want to go there, neither do we.

[ang293]

This might seem like a stupid question but how do they fill in the spare day before the next port? Do they just snail crawl to the next scheduled stop or go to some other more sheltered port in between?

[GUT2407]

This might seem like a stupid question but how do they fill in the spare day before the next port? Do they just snail crawl to the next scheduled stop or go to some other more sheltered port in between?

 

Usually they just sail on.

 

Ports normally need to be booked in advance.

[kazu]

This might seem like a stupid question but how do they fill in the spare day before the next port? Do they just snail crawl to the next scheduled stop or go to some other more sheltered port in between?

 

It really depends upon where the ship is and what ports are available and have space. When we missed St. Tropez, our Captain made arrangements for us to arrive in Barcelona and we overnighted there (it was the next scheduled port).

 

On the Westerdam cruise that sapper1 spoke of, we sailed mostly and Captain Van Eerten made arrangements to change the itinerary in the hopes of better weather on one of the islands.

 

Mostly, you get another sea day. Especially with the port that the OP missed.

[xlxo]

We have not been able to dock at Victoria, BC a couple of times due to high winds and I was thankful we didn't. Safety is most important to me.

Agreed.... Alaskan ports are sometimes skipped in bad conditions.

 

Have people forgotten the Alaskan hand brake parking in June with high winds? I'm sure they wished it was skipped.

[jtl513]

This might seem like a stupid question but how do they fill in the spare day before the next port? Do they just snail crawl to the next scheduled stop or go to some other more sheltered port in between?

Twice on T-A's we sped up and got an unplanned overnight in the next port on the schedule.

[RuthC]

I realise this thread is about compensation, but what is the position of not calling in at a Canadian port? - I thought this was mandatory. Perhaps it is enough to that it was on the itinerary you don't actually have to go there.

The few times I've missed a mandatory port, the officials were able to come out to the ship and sign off that we had been there. This apparently meets the technical requirements.

[Lulubelle45]

I live in Victoria and its true the winds can pick up quite suddenly. We walk our dog on the Breakwater most nights and sometimes see different ships in than scheduled. We in fact are taking a pacific coastal next month that used to include Astoria but now stop in Victoria as there is a better chance of docking there than Astoria. My last Pacific coastal we sailed past Astoria with my shopping list in hand. We were credited about $12 for the missed port. As Seattle was your next port, they most likely just float around for a sea day since its only a few hours away from Victoria.

[serendipity1499]

This might seem like a stupid question but how do they fill in the spare day before the next port? Do they just snail crawl to the next scheduled stop or go to some other more sheltered port in between?

 

Not a stupid question at all..

 

In April of 2002 we did a Trans Atlantic on NCL from Miami to Rome with a scheduled 6 hour stop in Punta Delgada, Azores..I really was looking forward to that port.. But we encountered a major storm (80 knot winds with 40 ft. waves) & they closed the Azores port.. The ships which were in there could not leave.. We had quite a ride across the Southern Atlantic.. Just checked our final bill & note a $74 refund for a tour which may have also included port charges..

 

As we neared Gibralter, our Capt. made an announcement..

 

He said "I have good news & bad news..First the Bad news, we are low on fuel.. Now the good news we are making a 6 hour stop in Gibralter to pick up more fuel & Psgrs will be permitted to leave the ship" We all were delighted about having the unscheduled stop in Gibralter..

 

Gibralter was one of the best ports we ever had.. We, with our Friends, hired a cab to drive us to the border & also take us up the mountain to see the Barbary Apes .. What a beautiful site it was looking down at our ship as the sun was setting.. The four of us & our driver were all by ourselves at the top of the mountain.. We had a ball with the Apes.. No one should feed them but we did not know that since our driver gave us monkey chow..One Ape jumped on my Friends shoulder & then on my DH's shoulder & held onto their heads.. I quickly backed off & put up my hood, as did not want him on my shoulder :eek: but he jumped on me anyway..:D:D

 

P.S. This is pic. of DH & the Ape..

Edited August 7, 2016 by serendipity1499

[sail7seas]

H Harbor

The decision is in the hands of the ship's captain. Of course he would like to complete the cruise as originally defined. But If, in his opinion, docking might be too risky, he will make the decision to abort the docking. This is why HAL has such mature and experienced ship captains. We are all trusting our lives to the decisions they make.

 

The compensation provided, aside from the port fees that will not need to be paid, will be the safety of everyone on the ship.

 

Scott & Karen

 

Harbor master may certainly be involved in such decision making.

[3rdGenCunarder]

H Harbor

 

Harbor master may certainly be involved in such decision making.

 

I"m sure there's a lot of communication between ship, home office, and port--nobody knows the local conditions like the harbor master and the pilots. Another voice in the decision is the line's insurance company. Think how much that little "oopsie" in Ketchikan cost some insurance company!

[LVSue]

Ah, the Pacific Coastal. There was the time we had to stay in Vancouver 2 nights and missed SanFrancisco. We missed lunch with our boys, but there were many people who planned to debark in SF, including newlyweds. HAL had quite a hassle; I'm sure they didn't need any complaints from us.

 

Then there was the time we were going to meet up with SIL's brother and his family in Astoria. We were able to call them en route and turn them around. Never occurred to me to complain. C'est la vie.

[gts101997]

We were on the same cruise this past week. Yes, the port taxes were refunded. We also received another refund earlier in the week but I am not sure what that was for. The Norwegian ship that was already docked in Victoria was there earlier in the day. After our captain decided not to dock the Westerdam, we did watch the Crown Princess dock. However as others have said, conditions change quickly. It was absolutely unbelievable to witness some of the behavior of the passengers. My husband witnessed a man standing over the desk of Henjie in the Neptune Lounge berating him. Such inappropriate behavior. If you are not willing to surrender your week to a captain who is in charge of your safety and his ship, you should rethink your decision to board a cruise ship. IMHO

 

On a positive note, we ordered room service and enjoyed champagne on our balcony while docked just outside of Victoria. It was a perfect night with a beautiful sunset.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Edited August 8, 2016 by gts101997

[take us away]

Have missed several ports over the years for weather, fears of Ebola, unsafe conditions, or mechanical issues. "Stuff' happens. We have had a variety of an extra day in the next port or just slowly sailed or had another port added. Only in extreme conditions were we given OBC or fare discounts (we were a day late docking back in once and were given a huge FC discount). Of course any port taxes were refunded (was surprised one was over $60 each) and usually, but not always, we were provided a choice of wine or champagne or soda at dinner as an 'apology'.

[Beejay4016]

We were on the Noordam in March/April this year on a cruise around New Zealand. Due to engineering issues, we missed out on two ports - Auckland and Bay of Islands. As Aussies, we do have the ability to visit those spots ourselves at a later time anyway and so it wasn't too big a problem,and we loved spending extra time in Napier, but it was very disappointing for some folks from the northern hemisphere. Everybody on board received $100 OBC, plus a refund of the port charges for those two ports, plus a credit towards a future cruise equivalent to 20% of what you had paid for that cruise. We hadn't planned to cruise again for a few years as we love our independent holidays, but that 20% credit went very nicely towards our next cruise, on the Volendam next year. My brother and his wife missed ports on a NZ cruise also, but that was due to weather conditions and they received no compensation (with another company). With our cruise, the problem wasn't due to weather or unforeseen issues but to an issue which HAL was responsible for. I believe that that is why we received generous compensation. You really cannot hold a cruise company responsible when it's down to weather or sea states any more than you can sue God for Acts of God in your household insurance policy. I think Billy Connolly tried, but ... :D

[Lulubelle45]

Ah, the Pacific Coastal. There was the time we had to stay in Vancouver 2 nights and missed SanFrancisco. We missed lunch with our boys, but there were many people who planned to debark in SF, including newlyweds. HAL had quite a hassle; I'm sure they didn't need any complaints from us.

 

Then there was the time we were going to meet up with SIL's brother and his family in Astoria. We were able to call them en route and turn them around. Never occurred to me to complain. C'est la vie.

 

So true!! On our 2011 cruise on the Pearl, one couple on their anniversary cruise were to meet on board after the husbands business trip in Victoria but ferries were cancelled due to high winds, he manage to drive to Astoria only to find out the ship bypassed the town. She was so upset to say the least. The following year we were prepared for the worse, with motion patches and sea bands, the seas were smooth as glass all the way. Go figure

Edited August 9, 2016 by Lulubelle45