Why would they do this???

[trigger]

We are going on 5-night cruise on the Jewel of the Seas, originally calling on Key West and Labadee.

 

I received an email from RCCL today informing us that they have substituted Nassau for Key West. Labadee is still on the itinerary This makes no sense whatsoever. I realize that they can change itineraries at will and I fully expected a change, but not this. Key West is open and safe. Last I heard Labadee was taken over by local gangs.

[Cruise Gopher]

Key West passed laws prohibiting large cruise ships from docking there. It was a huge deal in the news the last year. 
 

Unless something significant changes, it’s unlikely any cruises will be stopping there. 

[flamingos]

6 minutes ago, Cruise Gopher said:

Key West passed laws prohibiting large cruise ships from docking there. It was a huge deal in the news the last year. 
 

Unless something significant changes, it’s unlikely any cruises will be stopping there. 

Actually, after they passed the law, the governor overrode it by changing regulations for ports in the state.  The cruise lines are honoring the will of the local electorate, which is a very pleasant surprise.

[Biker19]

9 hours ago, trigger said:

Last I heard Labadee was taken over by local gangs.

Harmony is due there tomorrow.

[MawrtyrB]

I had the same thought. It makes no sense. We're on the same cruise. Jewel is a smaller ship. This should have been a solid point on the itinerary. What is going on? 

[Cruise Gopher]

6 minutes ago, MawrtyrB said:

I had the same thought. It makes no sense. We're on the same cruise. Jewel is a smaller ship. This should have been a solid point on the itinerary. What is going on? 

Jewel is still considered too big by the limits set in the original law that was passed. 
 

For now, the cruise lines are staying away from Key West and working with the locals to discuss potential solutions to return in the future. 
 

There are lots of news stories online that explain all this, might be good for those new to hearing about this to go read some of the history and latest info online. 

[trigger]

42 minutes ago, Biker19 said:

Harmony is due there tomorrow.

I googled this and learned that this is a “test” to see where they are at on supporting ships.

[kruzerci]

37 minutes ago, Cruise Gopher said:

Jewel is still considered too big by the limits set in the original law that was passed. 
 

For now, the cruise lines are staying away from Key West and working with the locals to discuss potential solutions to return in the future. 
 

There are lots of news stories online that explain all this, might be good for those new to hearing about this to go read some of the history and latest info online. 

 

Jewel is virtually the same size as the Celebrity Millennium class, which is currently calling in Key West.

[Biker19]

20 minutes ago, trigger said:

I googled this and learned that this is a “test” to see where they are at on supporting ships.

The point was that despite all the talk of Labadee being closed for the foreseeable future, including your sailing, it could very well be open by then. Port changes happen all the time and RCI is known to be poor at communicating changes. 

[lovesthebeach2]

We just decided YESTERDAY to book Jewel on their NYE cruise this year because it’s stopping at Key West. How can they advertise a port that they know won’t be available? Isn’t that false advertising?

I definitely don’t want to do Nassau, we never even get off there and  the whole reason we picked this cruise was FOR Key West. 

 

[Husky1987]

Sounds like people wanting to go to Key West should just book a vacation to Key West and not rely on cruise lines who have a tendency to change itineraries.

 

Crazy thought, I know.

[Starry Eyes]

36 minutes ago, lovesthebeach2 said:

We just decided YESTERDAY to book Jewel on their NYE cruise this year because it’s stopping at Key West. How can they advertise a port that they know won’t be available? Isn’t that false advertising?

I definitely don’t want to do Nassau, we never even get off there and  the whole reason we picked this cruise was FOR Key West. 

 

Yesterday?  Perhaps you can still cancel without penalty, if Key West is your goal.  Then book a flight for a vacation in Key West.

A lesson may if us have learned, some through painful experience, some from reading: do not book a cruise because you must see a certain port.  Painful experience, in my case, before I found cruise critic.  Itineraries change for so many reasons, and per g to he cruise contract, you have no recourse when they do.

[lovesthebeach2]

12 minutes ago, Starry Eyes said:

Yesterday?  Perhaps you can still cancel without penalty, if Key West is your goal.  Then book a flight for a vacation in Key West.

A lesson may if us have learned, some through painful experience, some from reading: do not book a cruise because you must see a certain port.  Painful experience, in my case, before I found cruise critic.  Itineraries change for so many reasons, and per g to he cruise contract, you have no recourse when they do.

Key west isn't our only reason for the booking, NYE is the main focus. We live in Florida so we could certainly drive there.

My thought is, If Royal knows ships aren't being allowed to dock there, why do they still advertise it on their site? Wishing and hoping perhaps? I just don’t think replacing it with Nassau is comparable. Especially with all the construction going on right now. 

[firefly333]

2 minutes ago, lovesthebeach2 said:

Key west isn't our only reason for the booking, NYE is the main focus. We live in Florida so we could certainly drive there.

My thought is, If Royal knows ships aren't being allowed to dock there, why do they still advertise it on their site? Wishing and hoping perhaps? I just don’t think replacing it with Nassau is comparable. Especially with all the construction going on right now. 

Nye is far away. They are still selling cayman islands and its closed. .. just a example. My jan and march changed, still scheduled to go there in sept. 

 

If ports matter dont book. 

[hftmrock]

think about this in the opposite way. if they did not book key west in hopes that they will eventually open, then when it opens..they will not be able to go there for months, if not a year because all cruise itineraries would be set already for all future cruises.

 

so if they say that March 1st they will allow cruises to go to key west, and Royal has all of its cruises set until after new years, they could not go to Key West until 2023

 

the logical thing is to put it on the itinerary and hope that they open sooner rather than later

[shipgeeks]

The last time we were on a cruise scheduled to go to Key West, we missed it due to rough seas.

There are no guarantees.

[lovesthebeach2]

1 minute ago, shipgeeks said:

The last time we were on a cruise scheduled to go to Key West, we missed it due to rough seas.

There are no guarantees.

That has happened to us too. But that’s different than advertising a port that won’t allow ships to dock. I’m not going to cancel, I’ll just cross my fingers that things change and if not we will still have a blast on the cruise for NYE 🎉

[DirtyDawg]

Cruising these days is like a box of chocolates. You just never know what you're gonna get. 

😉

[Starry Eyes]

45 minutes ago, lovesthebeach2 said:

Key west isn't our only reason for the booking, NYE is the main focus. We live in Florida so we could certainly drive there.

My thought is, If Royal knows ships aren't being allowed to dock there, why do they still advertise it on their site? Wishing and hoping perhaps? I just don’t think replacing it with Nassau is comparable. Especially with all the construction going on right now. 

My point stands.  If Key West is the reason you booked that specific cruise as you originally asserted and this thread soured you, then cancel that cruise and book the one you now want or an alternate vacation.  Cruises, in the final analysis, are for those who are flexible on ports.  I have long accepted that; either you can or you cannot.  Today is as a good day to decide as any.

 

That said, if I understand the situation correctly, the state law over ruled the local one, do ships can go.  Still, as some local sentiment runs contrary, the cruise lines seem not to be using the state law to steamroll the locals now (perhaps the way you’d want to be treated in a dispute?).  The situation may be resolved by New Years, but port slots must be book and held, else little will be available later.

[ryano]

2 hours ago, Husky1987 said:

Sounds like people wanting to go to Key West should just book a vacation to Key West and not rely on cruise lines who have a tendency to change itineraries.

 

Crazy thought, I know.

 

Pretty much.  Why would you want to go as a cruiser where you are clearly not welcome anyway?   

[TBone2K]

I'll just throw out that if they changed a port, you are most likely due some sort of refund due to reduction of port fees.

 

Of course by all means you are entitled to your opinion and it certainly is disappointing. We once had an entire direction of our entire itinerary changed from eastern to western. As you have found, not everybody will agree with you.

[binro01]

Many Key West locals do come out and actively protest the cruise passengers disembarking at the port now that the state government overruled the local law baring cruise ships over a certain size.

So it's not only a good PR move by the cruise line to abide by the local law while they work with the local port officials to come up with a compromise, it also removes their passengers from being subjugated to the local protesters that can make them feel uncomfortable, causing them to complain to the cruise line.

This is a battle that the cruise line really can't find a good balance to make everyone happy.

My feeling is, if Royal wants to honor the local law until a compromise is made, remove the port from all itineraries, until that compromise is in place.

[DevonfromAcme]

First of all, Labadee is not overrun by gangs, and is slated per official RCI press release, to open in a matter of days.  A quick CC search would have given you multiple threads on the topic.

 

Second, if you value Key West so much, WHY would you want to go there on a cruise ship, knowing what damage the big ships do to the local ecosystem and reefs?  Why wouldn't you want to protect a place you love?

 

14 hours ago, trigger said:

We are going on 5-night cruise on the Jewel of the Seas, originally calling on Key West and Labadee.

 

I received an email from RCCL today informing us that they have substituted Nassau for Key West. Labadee is still on the itinerary This makes no sense whatsoever. I realize that they can change itineraries at will and I fully expected a change, but not this. Key West is open and safe. Last I heard Labadee was taken over by local gangs.

 

[Starry Eyes]

25 minutes ago, binro01 said:

Many Key West locals do come out and actively protest the cruise passengers disembarking at the port now that the state government overruled the local law baring cruise ships over a certain size.

So it's not only a good PR move by the cruise line to abide by the local law while they work with the local port officials to come up with a compromise, it also removes their passengers from being subjugated to the local protesters that can make them feel uncomfortable, causing them to complain to the cruise line.

This is a battle that the cruise line really can't find a good balance to make everyone happy.

My feeling is, if Royal wants to honor the local law until a compromise is made, remove the port from all itineraries, until that compromise is in place.

If hypothetically all the cruise lines do as you suggest, the locals will see there are no longer any ships scheduled to dock; surely that will feel like a victory ad the ships have decided not to come…Why then would the locals come to the table to talk compromise?  
On the other hand, if only Royal removes itself from the docking schedule, the big issue is unchanged, yet if/when a compromise is reached, Royal won’t have any slots.

[NightOne]

15 hours ago, trigger said:

We are going on 5-night cruise on the Jewel of the Seas, originally calling on Key West and Labadee.

 

I received an email from RCCL today informing us that they have substituted Nassau for Key West.

 

Because the people in Key West suck.

 

Think of it as getting an upgrade because Nassau is better than Key West.

 

Key West is nothing but of a strip of bars full of drunks, a zillion crappy stores, and a marker saying it is the Southern most point in the U.S. which by the way is NOT even true. The most famous bar in Key West is named Sloppy Joes so that just shows you what you are dealing with there on Duval street.

 

Nassau on the other hand has plenty of things to do and the people will be happy to see you.