Dawn itinerary change to Canada/New England

[CruisinStump]

Referring to the RCI package of 50% OBC and 50% future cruise for being re-routed from Bermuda to Bahamas, kirsty_r gave us this NCL cheer:

You've got to be kidding me. How is the Escape going to the Bahamas better than the Grandeur going to the Bahamas? Please, take off you NCL colored glasses and explain that to us. And there is no way Canada instead of Bermuda is a better itinerary.

 

Sorry, but RCI is showing us how passengers should be treated.

One, relax. They clearly stated that the cruise line thinks they offered a better itinerary, not that the poster thought so. And just because YOU feel Canada/ New England is worse, doesn't make it fact. I hate Bermuda, and am doing my second Canada cruise in a month. That said, the RCCL offer is fantastic. I think it further creates unrealistic expectations in regards to what should be given compensation, but congrats to those folks that get to partake.

 

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[declansdad]

us. And there is no way Canada instead of Bermuda is a better itinerary.

 

 

That would depend on what you were looking to do on the cruise.

 

Would you rather sail into crappy weather and rough seas while having to stay inside all the time or would you rather visit a number of places where you can actually do something besides shelter from the weather.

 

If you are going to book a cruise this time of the year, you better be prepared for it to be changed.

[gatour]

While both Bermuda and Canada may have similiar entry requirements, they are SEPERATE countries. The entry requirements may diverge at any one point and at anytime.

 

As an example Barbados is in the Caribbean. For a short time it started to require passports to enter the island, no matter the mode of transportation, ship, airplane or swimming, while all other islands (countries) in the Caribbean didn't have this requirement. Barbados did relent and change their policies.

 

You need a passport for entry to Bermuda. Canada and Bermuda have similar entry requirements.

If they were going to be denied entry into Canada, It is also possible they would have trouble with entry into Bermuda as well.

[hladygirl]

I feel for the pax who are not happy with the change to Canada. Two years ago we were on ncl Dawn to Bermuda in October. Two hurricanes heading to Bermuda. We were on pins and needles waiting for a change to Canada but we ended up going to Bermuda. The weather was great 1st two days and then we had to leave early in am on last day. It was quite a bumpy ride that day. We are leaving the end of October this year on the Dawn from Boston for 14 night Caribbean cruise. Crossing fingers no itinerary change due to weather but I know the risk booking this time of year.

[4774Papa]

[mef_57]

Does this come with interpretation direction? If I was to take a guess, then the Canadian cruise may not be totally in the clear from rough seas or 'weather'....or it could just be a risk of a lemonade trail into the Bay of Fundy.:confused:

[Medtech2]

When they went through the border they ran their info! They drove up from Northern California to the border (part of their trip) and were denied at the border. They had to park their car and go inside to wait and it was like maybe a 2 or 3 hour wait while the CBP decided what to do.

 

Weird, when we drove into Canada to go to Niagara Falls we showed our passports to the guard and went right through. No way they did a check or anything....

[MCC retired]

You got a nice itinerary . Escape got a pretty sad one .

 

 

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[Sand and Seas]

We just got off the Dawn yesterday. The crew is amazing and I'm sure they will do everything they can to make your cruise a good one. When we heard that last day that your cruise was being diverted we also got to see how hard they were working to get everything set up for the change in itinerary. I'm sure many of them worked more hours than normal to make those changes.

Hope you enjoy your cruise!

[esm54687]

Weird, when we drove into Canada to go to Niagara Falls we showed our passports to the guard and went right through. No way they did a check or anything....

I travel to Montreal, Niagara Falls and Toronto on a regular basis and I've had it both ways....... just look at passports and waved through and then other times pulled over for a full inspection. It's not unlike being pulled out of line for random TSA checks or sometimes TSA will swab my cpap machine and other times they don't....... I've been pulled aside at the Manhattan Cruise Terminal for an inspection by CBP returning from a cruise...... sometimes your number is just called to be inspected. I'd rather have random people pulled aside then each and every person.

[don't-use-real-name]

Weird, when we drove into Canada to go to Niagara Falls we showed our passports to the guard and went right through. No way they did a check or anything....

 

You were not the DROIDS they were looking for - who knows what pattern on any given day and how

thorough the checks are going to be. You just were not on their radar that day.

[newmexicoNita]

Sorry to see this....Canada is not Bermuda.

Make the best of it and Enjoy!!

No it isn't Bermuda but it is still a great itinerary. It is one of our favorites and I am sure NCL had a reason for the change.Now that I read more I realize why and that is pretty much what I thought. I am glad NCL is looking out for their customers. The Dawn is a great ship, with a wonderful crew . Just to be cruising is the best as far as I am concerned.

Edited September 9, 2018 by newmexicoNita

[Shoppie124]

Weird, when we drove into Canada to go to Niagara Falls we showed our passports to the guard and went right through. No way they did a check or anything....

 

 

 

Were you in a rental or your own vehicle?

 

I live close to the border and in my experience , Canadian immigration is only concerned with people coming in to do work and not people who will spend money doing tourist things.

 

I cross the border multiple times a year without issue except the time we forgot my daughters birth certificate. It became a minor inconvenience but they ultimately let us in.

 

 

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[All-ready2cruise]

I live close to the border too and things are usually pretty quiet around here. If you're stopped at the border they'll look for different things, drugs, guns and cash. I never have any of those things so no problem for me :D

 

I think west coast is more strict b/c of the serious drug problem they have out there.

 

However, any border crossing, if you have any criminal record at all, even a DUI, you can be denied entry if you're caught.

[Seanote]

Does this come with interpretation direction? If I was to take a guess, then the Canadian cruise may not be totally in the clear from rough seas or 'weather'....or it could just be a risk of a lemonade trail into the Bay of Fundy.:confused:

The black dots with the hours —24,48,72,96, etc. show where the storm is forecast to be at a certain time. The Dawn will have long returned to Boston long before the storm gets up there, if it goes up there. These long-term forecasts are not very accurate and should not be relied upon past 72 hours or so.

[phoenix1181]

We just got off the Dawn yesterday. The crew is amazing and I'm sure they will do everything they can to make your cruise a good one. When we heard that last day that your cruise was being diverted we also got to see how hard they were working to get everything set up for the change in itinerary. I'm sure many of them worked more hours than normal to make those changes.

Hope you enjoy your cruise!

 

You've got me really curious. What were they doing differently from the regular change over? What changes need to be made for a trip north instead of south?

[Barb Nahoumi]

Maybe chose not cruise out of the NE during hurricane season? It doesn’t seem fair that because they have a criminal record, they get a full refund, while others would love a full refund but can’t get one.

 

Are they going to be given a refund if deemed inadmissible? I hope that they are.

 

If their only offense was a DUI, they should be allowed to cruise, but unable to drive or rent any sort of motor vehicle while in Canada. Touring on a bus should be allowable. That's just my opinion.

 

 

 

This means that those with DUIs or any type of criminal record would not be able to take any Alaskan cruise which calls in Canada, or an excursion on the White Pass Railroad.

[Shoppie124]

Are they going to be given a refund if deemed inadmissible? I hope that they are.

 

 

 

If their only offense was a DUI, they should be allowed to cruise, but unable to drive or rent any sort of motor vehicle while in Canada. Touring on a bus should be allowable. That's just my opinion.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This means that those with DUIs or any type of criminal record would not be able to take any Alaskan cruise which calls in Canada, or an excursion on the White Pass Railroad.

 

 

 

Any type of conviction is reason for Canada for refuse entry. There is actually a process you have to go through to gain entry.. I had a friend who had to do it.

 

 

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[1025cruise]

Are they going to be given a refund if deemed inadmissible? I hope that they are.

 

If their only offense was a DUI, they should be allowed to cruise, but unable to drive or rent any sort of motor vehicle while in Canada. Touring on a bus should be allowable. That's just my opinion.

 

 

 

This means that those with DUIs or any type of criminal record would not be able to take any Alaskan cruise which calls in Canada, or an excursion on the White Pass Railroad.

 

That is correct. And is something that gets asked annually by people cruising to Alaska and not realizing that this is an issue.

[oldguysandgalls]

Just wondering if Bermuda shorts are considered indecent exposure in Halifax at this time of the year. ;)

Edited September 9, 2018 by oldguysandgalls

[lamchops]

This is such a horrible inconvenience. The cuise line should have though this out better and routed this cruise to the Bahamas where basically anyone is admissible. What a shame

 

If the ship was to go to the Bahamas or Caribbean they would have to cross the path of the hurricane as it heads for the Carolinas. Better safe than sorry.

 

I know how the people onboard feel as my spring cruise to the Canary Islands had all four island ports replaced. We were on the second leg of a continuation cruise and NCL didn’t notify us till we reboarded for the second leg. NCL is not very good when it comes to notifying their guests. Everything is to their advantage.

[Sand and Seas]

You've got me really curious. What were they doing differently from the regular change over? What changes need to be made for a trip north instead of south?

They were having extra meetings involving the daily schedule and staffing changes that would be required. They are always working hard that last day to prep for the change over in passengers.

 

If you think about it, no longer were they going to be sitting in one port for 2 and a half days. A few things that come to mind are staffing schedules related to shop promos, daily activities onboard, and dining staff changes. While in Bermuda all shops are closed and casinos are closed all day opening at 9pm. More people were dining ashore. The staff has a chance at a few hours to visit the island.

[phoenix1181]

They were having extra meetings involving the daily schedule and staffing changes that would be required. They are always working hard that last day to prep for the change over in passengers.

 

If you think about it, no longer were they going to be sitting in one port for 2 and a half days. A few things that come to mind are staffing schedules related to shop promos, daily activities onboard, and dining staff changes. While in Bermuda all shops are closed and casinos are closed all day opening at 9pm. More people were dining ashore. The staff has a chance at a few hours to visit the island.

 

Yes, with the itinerary change, activities & staffing requirements will certainly need to be adjusted. But, in my world, passengers wouldn't see anything out of the ordinary.

 

Day 1 should be the same & the other changes necessary should be easy to implement. Department Managers should already have everything in place to make the transition seamless to passengers & as easy as possible for the crew to implement.

 

An itinerary change is not unexpected during hurricane season. Every ship should have a recovery plan in place.

[PATRLR]

At least 3 of the ports they are hitting this week, they would be stopping at next week, so, I'd think they already have a game plan for each of those stops.

[don't-use-real-name]

Just wondering if Bermuda shorts are considered indecent exposure in Halifax at this time of the year. ;)

 

Certainly you jest this into a LOL matter - aye matey dress code in Halifax but a whole nother matter on ship Le Bistro !

 

Only if you wear short kilts like I do - my summer hem length kilt was frowned on by one of the female greeters

at the Halifax cruise terminal (she was wearing an ankle length kilted skirt) - after a serious talk turned jokingly

into about wearing kilts year round in the northern parts of Canada and the USA if you are comfortable going

about that way go for it - so be it with shorts. Kind a keep an eye out for foul weather wind driven chills factors

are in the same vein as sunburned gams - not user friendly.

In any event be prepared with suitable cover if necessary !