Bait & Switch - Itinerary Change

[teh3505]

Just book my cruise last Friday - Key West, Falmouth Jamaica, Cayman Islands & Half Moon Cay,  This morning I wake up to email from HA telling me due to operational reasons the call to Key West has been replaced with Bimini, Bahamas.  I am not happy with the change.  I booked it because of the Key West stop.  I have never heard of Bimini before...Very Disappointed!!.  Also no on board credit to off set the itinerary change.  This is my first time cruising with HA and it will be my last.

[Mary229]

I am sorry for your disappointment.  All cruise contracts allow changes.  If you are that unhappy perhaps you should cancel 

[ski ww]

Embrace change, look at it as an adventure a chance to explore new lands.

[ontheweb]

23 minutes ago, Mary229 said:

I am sorry for your disappointment.  All cruise contracts allow changes.  If you are that unhappy perhaps you should cancel 

Agree, and also remember that the citizens of Key West have voted that they really do not want cruise ships landing there.

[Ellencruise]

Key west stops have been iffy for a while now, always be ready for change when traveling these days

[doone]

Sorry for your disappointment, but change is always possible with each cruise and each cruise line.  Maybe booking a land tour to Key West would be best for you.  I hope you enjoy your cruise.

[Crazy For Cats]

My take from this is when booking ask if the posted itinerary is correct.  To get a port change the same day you book is discouraging.  Most likely HAL did not update their website. 

[CruiserBruce]

No other cruise line has ever changed ports on a schedule. It will be easy to find another cruise line that pleases you.

 

(That is sarcasm!)

[CruiserBruce]

Just now, Crazy For Cats said:

My take from this is when booking ask if the posted itinerary is correct.  To get a port change the same day you book is discouraging.  Most likely HAL did not update their website. 

The OP booked last Friday. Got the notice this morning.

[TickledBlue]

ANY cruise line can and will change the itinerary for any reason they see fit.  I've had Key West stop bumped from a Celebrity cruise late last year because of Key West politics.

 

I agree that Bimini as substitute isn't a good trade though.  It's a either a beach day or (as I would do) make it a sea day with less people onboard.  

[happyglobetrotter]

When a stop of the itinerary is cancelled, it is mostly because the port authority do not want the ship to stop there for any reasons (security, health safety, size of ship, or any operational reason they may find). The title of your post is unfair and unjustified. HAL is not welcome in Key West on the day you were supposed to go, why blame HAL. Key West cancelled the HAL stop, nothing to do with the fact that you booked at the same time. 

 

[AKJonesy]

Key West residents have NOT wanted cruise ships for awhile now.  They've been canceling KW for awhile but they still have it on the itineraries which I cannot figure out why.

[CherryG]

When cruising you have to roll with the changes.  We once couldn't tender to Grand Cayman because of rough water.  They compensated everyone. There were two older, twin ladies who threw a fit because of it.  They don't make changes to PO the passengers.  It's done for a REASON.   It is what it is.  

[CHIEFWINEMAKER]

For what it’s worth, my January 8 NA cruise still advertising Key West on the website. Received email notice this morning that key west was canceled 

[teh3505]

49 minutes ago, happyglobetrotter said:

When a stop of the itinerary is cancelled, it is mostly because the port authority do not want the ship to stop there for any reasons (security, health safety, size of ship, or any operational reason they may find). The title of your post is unfair and unjustified. HAL is not welcome in Key West on the day you were supposed to go, why blame HAL. Key West cancelled the HAL stop, nothing to do with the fact that you booked at the same time. 

 

My title is justified. If HAL wasn't welcomed, then they shouldn't note it as a port stop. I booked on 11/4/22, it changed 11/8/22.  

[Hlitner]

So perhaps the OP might consider an alternative.   Fly to Florida a few days early, rent a car, and drive to Key West.  It is one of the most beautiful drives in the country, and we have often done 2-3 nights in KW before we take a cruise out of Miami or Port Everglades.  Also understand that a large majority of folks who live in Key West do not want cruise ships.  The locals clearly voted to ban most cruise ships but were overruled by a State government that could care less about what the folks in Key West want for their own community.

 

Hank

[1025cruise]

If you wish to visit Key West, it might be best to book a land vacation.

[Sea42]

2 minutes ago, 1025cruise said:

If you wish to visit Key West, it might be best to book a land vacation.

Excellent advice for any must see destination!

[CHIEFWINEMAKER]

Personally,  if the residents of Key West don’t want me there, I am happy that I am not going to spend my time and money there. Looking forward to seeing Bimini, where I am welcomed. 

[RedneckBob]

For your info both my cruises on Celebrity and HAL cancelled Key West within two months of sailing. 

[Crazy For Cats]

1 hour ago, CruiserBruce said:

The OP booked last Friday. Got the notice this morning.

I’d bet a cup of lido coffee that HAL knew of this change before this week.  If inside final payment I understand the frustration of the OP.  We typically go with the flow on port changes. Never cancelled because a port was changed.

[mightycruisequeen]

We got the same notice today.  We're not thrilled, but still happy to be cruising again, and I don't think we've ever been to Bimini.  Been to Key West tons of times.

[Banditswife]

We have a B2B booked for 11/26 & 12/3.  Both cruises originally had Key West, now only 1 does.  I have read that it depends on how many ships are docking there. KW only wants 1 ship per day.  We were notified in a timely manner of the change though.  Disappointed, sure.  But we will go with the flow.  I do wish HAL & other lines would quit putting it on the itineraries though.  

 

On our 21 day through the canal in Oct 2021, a few of our ports got canceled & others changed.  It is a sign of the times.  We were disappointed in changes to itinerary,  but made the best of it.

[HamOp]

59 minutes ago, Hlitner said:

So perhaps the OP might consider an alternative.   Fly to Florida a few days early, rent a car, and drive to Key West.  It is one of the most beautiful drives in the country, and we have often done 2-3 nights in KW before we take a cruise out of Miami or Port Everglades.  Also understand that a large majority of folks who live in Key West do not want cruise ships.  The locals clearly voted to ban most cruise ships but were overruled by a State government that could care less about what the folks in Key West want for their own community.

 

Hank

While we didn't find Key West to be our "cup of tea",  the drive down from the main land is not to be missed.  It's the most beautiful road trip we've ever taken. Knowing how that road was constructed makes it even more of an adventure.

Full history video (44 min.) here 

 

 

[Hlitner]

A little off topic, but many may have not noticed that Bar Harbor, Maine, voted yesterday to severely restrict cruise ship visitor to no more than 1000 a day!  This eliminates just about all the mass market cruise lines and would only allow mostly premium/luxury ships (with fewer than 1000 passengers) to call at that wonderful place.   I mention this because it is similar, in many ways, to what we have seen in Key West and Charleston where there is strong local opposition to cruise ships and their passengers,  Why?  There is an ugly truth that the average local expenditure of a cruise ship passenger is only a small fraction of what is spent by a land visitor.  Consider that when cruisers go to Key West or Bar Harbor they either take a cruise line excursion (which only benefits a tour company that is not always locally owned) or they go off the ship, buy a T-shirt or other souvenir, perhaps buy a drink and snack, and than head back to the ship.  Many cruisers do not even buy lunch since they would rather go back to the ship where they get an included lunch.  

 

I think what has really doomed the cruise industry (in terms of ports) are the massive ships that now move all over the world.  Consider that Bar Harbor put up with ships until RCI started bringing over 5000 passengers for a visit!  That number of folks overruns the small town, makes it distasteful for land-based visitors who go there for the charm, etc.  There is also more and more port resistance in parts of Europe (especially in Italy and Croatia) and I imgaine that other cute ports, such as Kotor, will soon think about restricting daily visits.   When DW and I have stayed on the island of St Maarten (we rented a condo in Grand Case) we learned to avoid visiting Phillipsburg or Orient Bay except on weekends when there were few or no cruise ships in port.   We live in Puerto Vallarta part of the year where we watch the cruise ship excursions, with their large buses double parking, and large groups blocking sidewalks as their guides steer them into the stores that give kick-backs to the tour companies.  All this causes me mixed emotions since we are both avid cruisers and independent land travelers.  We see the problem from both sides   As time goes on, the mega ships will be welcomed in fewer places.  Bottom line is that a few cruisers (especially off a luxury ship whose passengers tend to spend money) are often welcomed, but the large under spending masses are not really wanted except by the handfull of shops that specialize in serving cruisers (i.e. Diamonds International, Tanzanite International, Little Switzerland, etc).

 

Hank