"All guests are required to overnight aboard ship"

[shaolincrane]

Just checked in for our Thanksgiving cruise to see this little notice slipped in on our itinerary page. Nowhere else was it ever mentioned. 

 

I booked a night at the Grand Solmar for only $70 and I doubt we'll ever get that kind of opportunity to stay there at that price ever again.

 

I saw no mention anywhere in any if the terms that we were required to stay on the boat overnight, in fact I confirmed here about a month ago when I booked the hotel.

 

Is this the same category as "if someone happens it's on us to get home" or will we actually be denied boarding?

Edited November 9, 2021 by shaolincrane

[Schoifmom]

I'm not sure how you "confirmed" this here, we are not Carnival.  Only Carnival could definitively tell you that you would not be required to be on board overnight.  What you were most likely told here is that on overnights PRE-COVID, you were not required to return to the ship.  In fact, this is the first itinerary that I've see with an overnight at Cabo.  This could be a covid precaution, a Cabo requirement, availability of water shuttles, or any other of a variety of other reasons.  

 

What would happen if you did not return to the ship, I have no idea.  That would be worth a call to the real experts.

[crewsweeper]

Sorry to hear that.  There's been gang/cartel related incidents in Cabo of late especially after dark.  So I'd say Carnival is just protecting passengers.  Better to miss out on a hotel stay than risk your life.

[ScottsSweetie]

Was it confirmed by cruisers specifically for Cabo? Wondering if perhaps it has to do with it being a tender port as opposed to being docked.

[Colorado Beach Bum]

It’s not a covid thing. We had two days in Cabo years ago and it was the rule then to be back on board after day one.  They say it’s incase of weather and they can’t make the day two stop and leave passengers behind.  

[RenoNanaOz]

You use to be able to spend the night but it was at your own risk. If the ship was unable to return to port the next day you had to provide your own transportation home. Obviously it looks like the rule has changed, for whatever reason.

[BlerkOne]

No port is guaranteed, much less a tender port.

[crewsweeper]

1 hour ago, Colorado Beach Bum said:

It’s not a covid thing. We had two days in Cabo years ago and it was the rule then to be back on board after day one.  They say it’s incase of weather and they can’t make the day two stop and leave passengers behind.  

This sounds reasonable.  Especially during hurricane season which doesn't officially end until December.  Was stuck 2 days in Cabo in the 80s brings back a sailboat when the weather turned.

[BlerkOne]

2 hours ago, shaolincrane said:

.

 

Is this the same category as "if someone happens it's on us to get home" or will we actually be denied boarding?

 

Carnival has put it in writing and should you ignore, they could do anything they choose to do. Nothing you are told here, or were verballing told by Carnival is going to change that.

[Colorado Beach Bum]

Sounds like you’re willing to assume the risk so I say have a great night in Cabo and enjoy the nightlife that you otherwise can’t enjoy on a cruise stop in Cabo.  

[firefly333]

2 hours ago, Colorado Beach Bum said:

It’s not a covid thing. We had two days in Cabo years ago and it was the rule then to be back on board after day one.  They say it’s incase of weather and they can’t make the day two stop and leave passengers behind.  

Rcl did some cruises with 2 days in coco cay early on and people had to reboard. It was speculated maybe to open the casino at night. This sounds similar and no reason given other than its required. As long as the ship is docked over night shops cant open and casino has to stay closed I'd think. 

[cruisingguy007]

Please post any updates when you hear back from Carnival with a definitive answer. We are considering some 2 day in Cabo cruises and had planned on possibly staying at a hotel in Cabo overnight to enjoy a bigger pool/space and not feel rushed. This rule may change those plans. 

[bigrednole]

I think it means you need to be back onboard overnight for the 2 days in Cabo. You can't stay somewhere else that night.

 

[shaolincrane]

59 minutes ago, BlerkOne said:

Carnival has put it in writing and should you ignore, they could do anything they choose to do. Nothing you are told here, or were verballing told by Carnival is going to change that.

It's not anywhere in writing other than the one section on the printed page. An escalation manager has confirmed this. Only that we must get back on the ship eventually. We cannot disembark and not return. Everything was confirmed with this manager and I have a recorded call, via my own phone to confirm it.

 

She said it will be up to the customer relations department on board the ship the day of disembarking. Which would be from local Covid regulations, not something Carnival decides.

55 minutes ago, Colorado Beach Bum said:

Sounds like you’re willing to assume the risk so I say have a great night in Cabo and enjoy the nightlife that you otherwise can’t enjoy on a cruise stop in Cabo.  

Yup. That's the plan, my wife has never been and the nights are as unique as the days.

12 minutes ago, cruisingguy007 said:

Please post any updates when you hear back from Carnival with a definitive answer. We are considering some 2 day in Cabo cruises and had planned on possibly staying at a hotel in Cabo overnight to enjoy a bigger pool/space and not feel rushed. This rule may change those plans. 

I have the answers from them. She said it's something that's always been allowed and has not been written into any contract as being allowed or denied but with Covid they are trying to discourage people from staying, or planning to stay over night. Customer relations will have current local covid restrictions and will advise on whether or not it will be possible that day, or possibly sooner. It really sounds like they're using "Covid" as the reason instead of "weather" as they have in the past.

 

She was kind and wrote me an email that would satisfy the requirements of my travel insurance for reimbursement should we not be "allowed" to stay,, so as of now we are still planning on staying at the resort.

7 minutes ago, bigrednole said:

I think it means you need to be back onboard overnight for the 2 days in Cabo. You can't stay somewhere else that night.

 

Yes, that is what I understood it to mean too but no actual requirements in the contract. 

[wgeddings]

Interesting and I think that Firefly333 hit the nail on the head.  The cruise line doesn't make money while you are in Cabo and while they are "docked" (even at a tender port) they have to close the casino and onboard shops where they DO make money.  I imagine they want everyone back aboard so they can sail out a ways, open everything on board then return in the morning.  If for some reason they could not return in the morning (hurricane, drunk pilot, whatever) and if they had not warned everyone to be back on board, people left behind would complain a LOT.  As it is, if they cannot "dock" again the next day and you have to find your own way home, they can now claim that they warned you.  

 

Assuming that happened and you made a claim against Carnival for the additional cost, I am sure they are going to deny you were told that (even with your recording).  I would not be surprised if you played the recording and their response was that the representative did not have the authority to make such a statement.  Still, it is likely a moot point and the ship will likely return and at least you know that they will probably not just bar you from boarding the next day.  Just in case though, if you have some time on the ship before Cabo, you might want to check with Guest Services to confirm it when they are not busy so there is someone on the ship who also told you that. 

 

Have fun

[BlerkOne]

51 minutes ago, shaolincrane said:

It's not anywhere in writing other than the one section on the printed page. An escalation manager has confirmed this. Only that we must get back on the ship eventually. We cannot disembark and not return. Everything was confirmed with this manager and I have a recorded call, via my own phone to confirm it.

 

She said it will be up to the customer relations department on board the ship the day of disembarking. Which would be from local Covid regulations, not something Carnival decides.

Yup. That's the plan, my wife has never been and the nights are as unique as the days.

 

No manager at any level has the authority to make policy. It doesn't matter what you recorded.

 

It is up to the ship and that won't be determined until you are on the ship. The ship is the final authority. They know who is on the ship and who isn't. If they don't know where you are, they could easily call the local authorities to find out if you are in jail or hospital or where.

 

You obviously have made up your mind and will have to deal with whatever the consequences may be.

[shaolincrane]

50 minutes ago, wgeddings said:

Interesting and I think that Firefly333 hit the nail on the head.  The cruise line doesn't make money while you are in Cabo and while they are "docked" (even at a tender port) they have to close the casino and onboard shops where they DO make money.  I imagine they want everyone back aboard so they can sail out a ways, open everything on board then return in the morning.  If for some reason they could not return in the morning (hurricane, drunk pilot, whatever) and if they had not warned everyone to be back on board, people left behind would complain a LOT.  As it is, if they cannot "dock" again the next day and you have to find your own way home, they can now claim that they warned you.  

 

Assuming that happened and you made a claim against Carnival for the additional cost, I am sure they are going to deny you were told that (even with your recording).  I would not be surprised if you played the recording and their response was that the representative did not have the authority to make such a statement.  Still, it is likely a moot point and the ship will likely return and at least you know that they will probably not just bar you from boarding the next day.  Just in case though, if you have some time on the ship before Cabo, you might want to check with Guest Services to confirm it when they are not busy so there is someone on the ship who also told you that. 

 

Have fun

Absolutely. Nothing is guaranteed and I plan to contact guest services when we board and the day in port.

34 minutes ago, BlerkOne said:

No manager at any level has the authority to make policy. It doesn't matter what you recorded.

 

It is up to the ship and that won't be determined until you are on the ship. The ship is the final authority. They know who is on the ship and who isn't. If they don't know where you are, they could easily call the local authorities to find out if you are in jail or hospital or where.

 

You obviously have made up your mind and will have to deal with whatever the consequences may be.

Where did I say she made any policy? The only thing I care about from the manager is the confirmation there is nothing in the contract requiring me to stay the port night on the ship. I went through line by line several times and confirmed this myself. She confirmed it as well. Being that I'm notified the call is recorded satisfies the two party notification in California and has more weight than most people realize. She also did give me an official email I can use for insurance purposes but clearly nothing binding as a contract. I'm more than pleased with my call service aside from the near 2 hours.

 

This is to be used for my travel insurance, not against Carnival Cruise Lines as I mentioned before. I assume the risk and have my backup plans, this is why travel insurance exists and the more backup the better but I really doubt I'll need it. I'll take the necessary precautions as I always have, and notify my steward and guest services we will be staying off the boat. If they outright tell us we cannot someome from Carnival has given me something in actual writing(since there is nothing in the contract, meaning the insurance company will not pay without something written) that I can give to my insurance to cover the measly cost of the hotel but that's why I have it. 

 

In the end, what you posted is exactly what I posted. Yet people seem to be making it out that I'm trying to bone Carnival when I'm making due diligence for my insurance. 

Edited November 9, 2021 by shaolincrane

[sanmarcosman]

Cabo often has high winds which keeps ships from anchoring there. That was always the reason given that if you stayed overnight you assumed the risk of missing the ship the next day. OP, you'll need passports to fly back to the U.S. from Cabo or else you are in for one ugly parade of red tape.

Edited November 9, 2021 by sanmarcosman

[ChutChut]

Are you sure your travel insurance will cover the cost of the hotel?

[Ferry_Watcher]

This past Alaska season the Majestic Princess had to stay overnight at Seattle's Pier 91 due to severe storm conditions off the WA and BC coast..  Passengers were notified of this change when they arrived at embarkation. All passengers still arrived in time for what they thought was a 4 PM sailing.  They were also informed that once onboard that they could not leave the ship.

 

With all the passengers safely on the ship by 4 PM, the shoreside staff were able to go home.  Having all the passengers onboard gave some flexibility to the captain and bridge crew to be able to sail when there was a break in the weather (and coordinating with a small number of longshore and picking up the local pilot).  The ship sailed at about 6 AM the next morning.

 

Cruise lines have very good reasons if they are  requiring passengers to stay onboard overnight. Having passengers all onboard just makes it easy and efficient for the ship to sail when they need to.  I hope that you don't disregard this directive and potentially get left behind.

[Illbcruzn4life]

10 hours ago, firefly333 said:

Rcl did some cruises with 2 days in coco cay early on and people had to reboard. It was speculated maybe to open the casino at night. This sounds similar and no reason given other than its required. As long as the ship is docked over night shops cant open and casino has to stay closed I'd think. 

if people were allowed to stay off the ship overnight in Coco Cay where would they sleep?

[crewsweeper]

16 hours ago, firefly333 said:

Rcl did some cruises with 2 days in coco cay early on and people had to reboard. It was speculated maybe to open the casino at night. This sounds similar and no reason given other than its required. As long as the ship is docked over night shops cant open and casino has to stay closed I'd think. 

Ships don't dock in Cabo!

[KmomChicago]

13 hours ago, ChutChut said:

Are you sure your travel insurance will cover the cost of the hotel?

 

I think it's doubtful, since they are already covering the cost of accommodations that night for your, you know, cruise cabin.  And it would hardly be worth the paperwork hassle to try for $70. 

 

I personally would:

 

1. Keep the res

2. Go check in as early as possible on day 1 in Cabo

3. Use the room as a day room and enjoy the resort

4. Go back to the ship on the last shuttle for the night

5. Go back to the room on the first shuttle next morning

6. Spend the last 3-5 hours until checkout time again using it as a day room and enjoying the resort.

 

For $70 you could probably not get 2 shore excursions to a place like that.

 

 

Edited November 10, 2021 by KmomChicago

[firefly333]

6 hours ago, Illbcruzn4life said:

if people were allowed to stay off the ship overnight in Coco Cay where would they sleep?

They were required to be back onboard at a certain time so the ship could pull back out to sea. Always a few who would have preferred to stay later and sit on the beach drinking. 

 

We cant know why carnival said this, but they make the rules so it is what it is. Carnival sets the all back onboard time. 

[Linda the Book Lover]

52 minutes ago, KmomChicago said:

 

I think it's doubtful, since they are already covering the cost of accommodations that night for your, you know, cruise cabin.  And it would hardly be worth the paperwork hassle to try for $70. 

 

I personally would:

 

1. Keep the res

2. Go check in as early as possible on day 1 in Cabo

3. Use the room as a day room and enjoy the resort

4. Go back to the ship on the last shuttle for the night

5. Go back to the room on the first shuttle next morning

6. Spend the last 3-5 hours until checkout time again using it as a day room and enjoying the resort.

 

For $70 you could probably not get 2 shore excursions to a place like that.

 

 

Nice compromise and sounds like it could be a win-win for the poster.