Alaska Glaciers Cruise - the cruise skipped the glacier

[reallyitsmema]

5 hours ago, rodiond said:

Thanks a lot for all the responses.

Just to clarify, I don't "complain" about diverting the ship for medical emergency - it's totally understandable. It's more about the companies handling of the situation.

Also, since it's my first cruise, I was a little surprised that a medical emergency creates a force majeure type of situation. I would assume that medical emergencies happen quite often on cruises (especially given how drunk everyone is) and they should be planned for.

 

No port or glacier viewing is guaranteed.  Dawes Glacier has been a miss for many sailings early in this years Alaska season due to the ice field.

[edinburgher]

For us, Hubbard is also better but Glacier Bay surely has to be the #1 for glacier viewing.

 

OP should you ever book another Alaska cruise (and you really should) try to include an itinerary with Glacier Bay on it .

 

And whatever you do, don't book a Caribbean cruise during hurricane season, as weather depending, that could turn into a magical mystery cruise.

[Flatbush Flyer]

14 minutes ago, edinburgher said:

For us, Hubbard is also better but Glacier Bay surely has to be the #1 for glacier viewing.

 

OP should you ever book another Alaska cruise (and you really should) try to include an itinerary with Glacier Bay on it .

 

And whatever you do, don't book a Caribbean cruise during hurricane season, as weather depending, that could turn into a magical mystery cruise.

We recently did the last two segments of the most recent Oceania ATW cruise. Those on for the whole ride had experienced so many itinerary changes that they changed the name of the ATW from “Around The World” to “All The Way.”

[EdandMary]

a couple of thoughts for what it is worth.

1. Think about if it were you that needed the emergency care.

2. If it is a quantum class ship, there is no helicopter landing area so anyone needing to be taken off must go up in a basket and cable, which means someone from the chopper must be on the deck to assure a safe lift. And if there is a wind blowing, that gets even trickier.

If a Radiance class ship, I seem to remember it's the same issue, but I may be wrong for that class of ship.

3.At this point in the return of the cruise industry trying to get crews, supplies, and making ends meet, they don't have a ton of money to offer much in the way of "compensation" so you might give them just a bit of slack. They are doing the best they can under the circumstances at that moment in time.

[firefly333]

17 hours ago, rodiond said:

We've been sailing on a 7-day Alaska Glacier Cruise with Royal Caribbean and there was a medical emergency when the ship was sailing from Skagway to the main attraction of the cruise - Dawes Glacier (somebody on the ship fell really badly). For some reason the crew decided to rush the whole ship to the nearest port (Juneau) instead of sending a helicopter or an emergency boat. As a result, they announced that we had to skip the glacier.

Royal Caribbean refused to compensate us for this change of plans because it was a medical emergency. So my question is - is this normal?
I would expect the likelihood of this kind of an emergency to be pretty high for a 5000 person cruise so they must plan for it. Is there a way to get some kind of compensation?

 

Thank you! 

I booked grand Cayman and Jamaica and got Costa maya and Belize. Lower port fees. Then we skipped costa maya and no refund. I wrote to mbayley and asked why no refund of port fees. He said they had no policy and it was up to each ship if they wanted to refund anything. That since they dont charge extra if port fees go up they dont have to refund if they drop (such as what carnival does).

 

I personally feel it's wrong to charge port fees and not return unused fees. But yes they say its their policy. Refunds are up to each ship.

 

The ship said since it was weather no refund. We had a windy day and 6 ft waves. I wrote and here is their answer when I asked for their written policy on refunding for missing ports.

 

Thank you for writing into the Royal Caribbean Executive office. I am happy to address your concerns and requests on behalf of Mr. Bayley today.

 

We’re sorry to hear of the disappointment and trouble you have had with requesting refunds of Taxes & Fees. Since you are still onboard the Liberty, we ask that you please bring these issues to the attention of our dedicated Guest Services staff onboard, so they can address them promptly.

 

Generally, Taxes & Fees costs fluctuate daily, sometimes hours, before a sailing. When you make your vacation plans, we lock in those costs for your specific reservation. As we do not charge guests if those prices go up, we also typically do not refund if they should go down prior to sailing. Also, compensation or refunds for missed ports while inboard are at the discretion of the ship crew and staff. We apologize again for the inconvenience and frustration.

 

Thank you again for contacting us. We look forward to welcoming you onboard soon.

 

Sincerely,

Edited July 24, 2022 by firefly333

[Flatbush Flyer]

14 minutes ago, firefly333 said:

I booked grand Cayman and Jamaica and got Costa maya and Belize. Lower port fees. Then we skipped costa maya and no refund. I wrote to mbayley and asked why no refund of port fees. He said they had no policy and it was up to each ship if they wanted to refund anything. That since they dont charge extra if port fees go up they dont have to refund if they drop (such as what carnival does).

 

I personally feel it's wrong to charge port fees and not return unused fees. But yes they say its their policy. Refunds are up to each ship.

 

The ship said since it was weather no refund. We had a windy day and 6 ft waves. I wrote and here is their answer when I asked for their written policy on refunding for missing ports.

 

Thank you for writing into the Royal Caribbean Executive office. I am happy to address your concerns and requests on behalf of Mr. Bayley today.

 

We’re sorry to hear of the disappointment and trouble you have had with requesting refunds of Taxes & Fees. Since you are still onboard the Liberty, we ask that you please bring these issues to the attention of our dedicated Guest Services staff onboard, so they can address them promptly.

 

Generally, Taxes & Fees costs fluctuate daily, sometimes hours, before a sailing. When you make your vacation plans, we lock in those costs for your specific reservation. As we do not charge guests if those prices go up, we also typically do not refund if they should go down prior to sailing. Also, compensation or refunds for missed ports while inboard are at the discretion of the ship crew and staff. We apologize again for the inconvenience and frustration.

 

Thank you again for contacting us. We look forward to welcoming you onboard soon.

 

Sincerely,

FWIW: in selecting cruise insurance, look for a policy that reimburses for “missed ports.” 

[Essiesmom]

So you missed Dawes Glacier and sped to Juneau.  How much time did that give you in Juneau?  There is a glacier outside of Juneau :  Mendenhall Glacier.  By taking the bus there and hiking, you can get closer than the ship would have to Dawes.  Or did you do whale watching instead…. You have to weigh your priorities.  EM

[Ferry_Watcher]

6 hours ago, CruiserBruce said:

Transport a long distance on a small boat is not the best option...the cruise ship has better facilities. 

 

Rescheduling a glaciers visit is not something you can just do. Many of the glacier areas are by appointment only, and fully booked.

 

Thanks for posting my friend.  I see that more than a few posts on this thread are no longer visible.

[OZ.]

10 hours ago, bonsai3s said:

You may want to post this on the Royal Caribbean thread.

??? He is on the Royal thread.

[OZ.]

7 hours ago, rodiond said:

What about sending an emergency boat instead of a helicopter - is it an easier option?

Depending on the seas that could make for a very rough ride.

[donaldsc]

37 minutes ago, Flatbush Flyer said:

FWIW: in selecting cruise insurance, look for a policy that reimburses for “missed ports.” 

 

But would Glacier Bay be considered a "port"?  I doubt it.  I would guess that it would be considered "scenic cruising" and no policy is going to cover missed scenic cruising.

 

DON

[robmtx]

46 minutes ago, Flatbush Flyer said:

FWIW: in selecting cruise insurance, look for a policy that reimburses for “missed ports.” 

 

Yes - There are policies that cover "inconveniences" and missing a port may fall under this coverage. If you do want to pick up insurance with this coverage, check the covered "inconvenience" clauses - some only include mechanical and weather, while others will include missed ports due to another passenger's fault (e.g. medical reroute). 

[Flatbush Flyer]

4 minutes ago, robmtx said:

 

Yes - There are policies that cover "inconveniences" and missing a port may fall under this coverage. If you do want to pick up insurance with this coverage, check the covered "inconvenience" clauses - some only include mechanical and weather, while others will include missed ports due to another passenger's fault (e.g. medical reroute). 

Nationwide’s “cruise” specific policies do cover missed ports but there is a total claim limit - I seem to remember $250 from several years ago when our Oceania ship changed final destination at the beginning of the Covid issues.

[flamingos]

2 hours ago, edinburgher said:

For us, Hubbard is also better but Glacier Bay surely has to be the #1 for glacier viewing.

 

OP should you ever book another Alaska cruise (and you really should) try to include an itinerary with Glacier Bay on it .

 

 

 

Glacier Bay was indeed fantastic, but we also really enjoyed College Fjord.  Beautiful.

[1025cruise]

1 hour ago, OZ. said:

??? He is on the Royal thread.

This thread was originally posted on Ask a Cruise question. It was moved here by the mods.

[Flatbush Flyer]

53 minutes ago, donaldsc said:

 

But would Glacier Bay be considered a "port"?  I doubt it.  I would guess that it would be considered "scenic cruising" and no policy is going to cover missed scenic cruising.

 

DON

True

[kitkat343]

2 hours ago, firefly333 said:

I booked grand Cayman and Jamaica and got Costa maya and Belize. Lower port fees. Then we skipped costa maya and no refund. I wrote to mbayley and asked why no refund of port fees. He said they had no policy and it was up to each ship if they wanted to refund anything. That since they dont charge extra if port fees go up they dont have to refund if they drop (such as what carnival does).

 

I personally feel it's wrong to charge port fees and not return unused fees. But yes they say its their policy. Refunds are up to each ship.

 

The ship said since it was weather no refund. We had a windy day and 6 ft waves. I wrote and here is their answer when I asked for their written policy on refunding for missing ports.

 

Thank you for writing into the Royal Caribbean Executive office. I am happy to address your concerns and requests on behalf of Mr. Bayley today.

 

We’re sorry to hear of the disappointment and trouble you have had with requesting refunds of Taxes & Fees. Since you are still onboard the Liberty, we ask that you please bring these issues to the attention of our dedicated Guest Services staff onboard, so they can address them promptly.

 

Generally, Taxes & Fees costs fluctuate daily, sometimes hours, before a sailing. When you make your vacation plans, we lock in those costs for your specific reservation. As we do not charge guests if those prices go up, we also typically do not refund if they should go down prior to sailing. Also, compensation or refunds for missed ports while inboard are at the discretion of the ship crew and staff. We apologize again for the inconvenience and frustration.

 

Thank you again for contacting us. We look forward to welcoming you onboard soon.

 

Sincerely,

 

This seems ridiculous.  If you miss a port, you should get back the port fees, since (I'm assuming) RC didn't pay the fees to the port, and must make more money with an extra  sea day, with people paying for spas and buying drinks onboard.  

 

To the OP:  they will do their best to resume a regular schedule when there's a medical emergency, but that isn't always possible.  We were on a cruise that initially announced they would be late for the next port because there was a medical emergency (passenger fell down stairs, hit head and needed a CT to rule out a bleed).  We were 3 hours away from last port, and thankfully the passenger was okay and they were actually able to burn extra fuel to sail faster and get us to port on time (pre-covid.  Today I guess they'd probably have us get there a little late, which would be acceptable to make sure passenger okay and understandable given the cruise lines' current finances).

 

The issue with the glaciers is that as others have noted they are very weather dependent as to if it is safe for ships to visit.  There are a lot of ships trying to get those visits in during the window in which it was safe to do so.  I hope they would reschedule if it was feasable, but this is the height of the Alaskan cruise season and all of the slots may have already been taken and there might not have been any flexibility to change the time/itinerary.  In this case, a small FCC might be worth it for the goodwill (especially since only returning passengers will use it) but the lines are struggling now.  I understand your frustration (I'd be disappointed too, but such is the state of travel now).

Edited July 24, 2022 by kitkat343

[JupiterTwo]

19 hours ago, rodiond said:

I am also surprised they didn't decide to change the itinerary for the rest of the cruise to make sure the glacier is covered. 

 

Many of the glacier sites are by permit only. The cruise lines that do get to visit them have a tight appointment schedule of when they can be there. If Royal misses its appointed slot for the cruise, it likely cannot go back at a future date that week, as those slots have already been permitted to other cruises.

 

 

[rodiond]

8 hours ago, Flatbush Flyer said:

Everyone is drunk?  What other misconceptions do you have?

Is it not the right observation? at least that's what I saw around me late in the evening 🙂 Not everyone, of course, but a fair number of people.

[rodiond]

2 hours ago, Essiesmom said:

So you missed Dawes Glacier and sped to Juneau.  How much time did that give you in Juneau?  There is a glacier outside of Juneau :  Mendenhall Glacier.  By taking the bus there and hiking, you can get closer than the ship would have to Dawes.  Or did you do whale watching instead…. You have to weigh your priorities.  EM

We did go to Mendenhall but it's a different experience. Also, based on pictures I assumed that it's not as big as Dawes.

[BecciBoo]

I just realized I mis-poke and said Sawyer instead of Dawes for the Tracy Arm trip.  Sorry.

[Aquahound]

16 hours ago, Flatbush Flyer said:

Mostly for folks newer to cruising: The term “medevac” can be a bit misleading - particularly in terms of travel insurance. When it comes to helicopter or fast boat transportation of an ill passenger or crew from a ship, the more accurate term is “field rescue.” And, in most countries worldwide, field rescue is provided by the “local” Coast Guard at no cost to the passenger.  That said, the insurance world considers MedEvac primarily as transportation from the first shoreside emergency/acute care facility to a more appropriate hospital and/or to home.

 

US Coast Guard uses the term medevac when transporting a patient via helicopter, so it is not at all misleading to use that term.   

[Travel R]

1 hour ago, JupiterTwo said:

 

Many of the glacier sites are by permit only. The cruise lines that do get to visit them have a tight appointment schedule of when they can be there. If Royal misses its appointed slot for the cruise, it likely cannot go back at a future date that week, as those slots have already been permitted to other cruises.

 

 

The glaciers and the arms are heavily regulated by the US Wildlife department and the times to sail/view these areas is strictly enforced.  A ship only has it's scheduled time slot and if missed, there is no going back the next day. As stated, there will be another ship scheduled.

 

Ships have been kept from viewing glaciers due to low cloud coverage (making it hard for the ship to see/navigate) or too many icebergs. An NCL ship hit one a few weeks ago while at Hubbard; two days prior to our getting a view - and we did not get as close to this iceberg compared to the sailing two weeks prior to ours.

 

Speaking of licenses - Royal currently does not have a license to traverse Glacier Bay National Park.

 

PS: Someone mentioned Mendenhall and whale watching in Juneau -- depending on the boat you take, you may get a nice view of the glacier while on the whale watching boat (it was not very close, but we did get a view of it from afar).

[flamingos]

1 hour ago, rodiond said:

Is it not the right observation? at least that's what I saw around me late in the evening 🙂 Not everyone, of course, but a fair number of people.

Well, that is indeed interesting.  I took my Alaska cruise on Holland and didn't see a single inebriated person on board. The naturalist presentations were packed, and there was little late-night activity because most people where there to see wildlife and scenery.  Very different passengers, it seems.

[mom says]

46 minutes ago, flamingos said:

Well, that is indeed interesting.  I took my Alaska cruise on Holland and didn't see a single inebriated person on board. The naturalist presentations were packed, and there was little late-night activity because most people where there to see wildlife and scenery.  Very different passengers, it seems.

Is there a difference  between the RCCL and HAL demographics? Yeah, I'd say so. But to say everyone they saw was drunk was likely pure hyperbole, thus meaningless.

Edited July 24, 2022 by mom says