Panama Canal Cruise "Adjusted"

[cruisetorelax44]

I'm super frustrated... our panama canal cruise for march 2024 was just changed to a southern caribbean one.

This is the email i got today... To "Enhance my experience" is a bunch of bull... 
We were supposed to start in Colon, go through the canal, do Cartegena, and two stops in Costa Rica before ending in Fuerte Amador, Panama. We specifically picked this trip for the canal and to end in the port closest to the airport. 
Can anyone who's flown home after disembarking in Colon let me know how long it takes to get to the airport in Panama City?

 

Dear Guest,

To enhance your experience, we’ve adjusted the itinerary for our upcoming March 30^th, 2024 Rhapsody of the Seas sailing. Rhapsody will now sail a 7-Night Southern Caribbean itinerary.

The time and effort you took to plan your cruise is important to us, and we apologize for the inconvenience. Every aspect of your time with us should be enjoyable, so we’ve put together some alternate options that we hope will work for you and those in your party.

Option 1: Stay on our new Rhapsody of the Seas 7-Night Southern Caribbean sailing. Below is the updated itinerary for your review:

Date	Day	Port of Call	Arrive	Depart
03/30/24	Sat	Colon, Panama		4:00 PM
03/31/24	Sun	Cartagena, Colombia	9:00 AM	6:00 PM
04/01/24	Mon	Cruising
04/02/24	Tue	Oranjestad, Aruba	8:00 AM	9:00 PM
04/03/24	Wed	Kralendijk, Bonaire	8:00 AM	6:00 PM
04/04/24	Thu	Willemstad, Curacao	7:00 AM	4:00 PM
04/05/24	Fri	Cruising
04/06/24	Sat	Colon, Panama	7:00 AM

What you’ll receive:

• We’ll move you to a like for like stateroom once the new sailing becomes available. Please note, in the meantime, you may be moved to a GTY category while we work to complete this process. Once your stateroom has been assigned, you’ll receive an updated invoice with all of the new details.
• Your original stateroom category price will either be protected at your original cruise fare rate or reduced to the current cruise fare rate (whichever is lower). This excludes taxes, fees, gratuities, and other non-cruise fare items.
  • If your booking was already paid in full and your cruise fare rate decreases, we’ll provide you with a refund for the difference. You can expect to receive your refund to your original form of payment within 14 business days after we move you. Kindly note, refund times may vary depending on your financial institution.
• You’ll also be reimbursed for non-refundable, pre-purchased transportation change fees incurred (such as a flight, train ticket, or rental car).
  • We’ll cover up to $200 USD per guest for Domestic changes, or up to $400 USD per guest for International changes.
    • Please email your receipts and booking information to RoyalGuestRelations@rccl.com for review and reimbursement.
  • If you have any travel expenses beyond these amounts, please send us the receipts including a brief summary of these expenses for review.

Option 2: Re-book any other Royal Caribbean International sailing.

• If you prefer to re-book another sailing, we’ll waive any non-refundable deposit change fees.
• Please know, you’ll be responsible for any difference in pricing for your cruise fare, taxes, fees, gratuities, and other non-cruise fare items.
  • If your booking was already paid in full and your cruise fare rate decreases, we’ll provide you with a refund for the difference. You can expect to receive your refund to your original form of payment within 14 business days after we move you. Kindly note, refund times may vary depending on your financial institution.
• You’ll also be reimbursed for non-refundable, pre-purchased transportation change fees incurred (such as a flight, train ticket, or rental car).
  • We’ll cover up to $200 USD per guest for Domestic changes, or up to $400 USD per guest for International changes.
    • Please email your receipts and booking information to RoyalGuestRelations@rccl.com for review and reimbursement.
  • If you have any travel expenses beyond these amounts, please send us the receipts including a brief summary of these expenses for review.

Option 3: If you can’t find a new itinerary that works for you and choose to cancel, we’ll be sad to see you go, but hope you’ll come back soon. You’ll receive:

• A full refund of any paid portion of your cruise fare (including non-refundable deposits) and any pre-paid amenities to the original form of payment within 14 business days. Kindly note, refund times may vary depending on your financial institution.
  • If you used a Future Cruise Credit on this sailing and you request a refund instead, we’ll refund any NEW funds paid above the certificate amount and we’ll reinstate your original certificate.  
• Please know, if you choose this option, we will not provide additional compensation.

There are a lot of moving parts when it comes to updating sailings and rebooking all guests, and we may need to temporarily place your booking into a Guarantee (GTY) status while we work to complete this process. We ask for your patience as we work to make this process as easy as possible for you.

It’s important to us that you find the best vacation option. Please call us at 888-281-9344 or contact your Travel Advisor by August 29^th, 2023, to let us know your decision. We’ll send an updated reservation confirmation with your revised details to the email address on file as soon as your reservation has been completely updated with the pricing fully adjusted. If we haven’t heard from you by August 29^th, 2023, you’ll remain booked in a like for like stateroom on the NEW March 30^th, 2024 Rhapsody of the Seas sailing.

If you have any questions, please contact your Travel Advisor immediately or contact us at: 

• 1 888 281 9344 in the U.S. or text us at 800 256-6649
• 1800 754 500 in Australia / 0800 102 123 in New Zealand
• In the UK only, by using our webchat service or by calling 0344 493 4005
• All other countries, please visit http://www.royalcaribbean.com/contactus for your local Royal Caribbean International office phone number.

Thank you for understanding. We hope you find another cruise vacation with us. Whether you are celebrating a special occasion or looking to explore, relax, and recharge – we have no doubt your time with us will be nothing short of amazing. We look forward to welcoming you onboard.

Sincerely,

Aurora Yera-Rodriguez
AVP | Guest Experience
Royal Caribbean International

[dmrichards26]

Same thing here. We got the same message and itinerary change for our April 6th 2024 sailing.

 

Like you said, calling this an "adjustment" seems ingenuine at best. This was advertised as a "Panama Canal Cruise" and it no longer goes through the Panama Canal.

 

Very frustrating since we just booked flights last month.

[cruisetorelax44]

Just now, dmrichards26 said:

Same thing here. We got the same message and itinerary change for our April 6th 2024 sailing.

 

Like you said, calling this an "adjustment" seems ingenuine at best. This was advertised as a "Panama Canal Cruise" and it no longer goes through the Panama Canal.

 

Very frustrating since we just booked flights last month.

us too.. flights are booked. if i wanted southern caribbean, i would have gone from miami or san juan... 

 

[orville99]

You are welcome to join us on the Miami to LA Panama Canal crossing this November on Serenade.

[mugtech]

            Was there a reduction in the port fees and taxes?  Not going through the canal should reduce that particular expense.

[Plum Happy]

29 minutes ago, cruisetorelax44 said:

.....

Can anyone who's flown home after disembarking in Colon let me know how long it takes to get to the airport in Panama City?

 

 

You should give yourself 2 hours plus to travel to get to the airport after the cruise (if you keep it) including traffic, disruptions, etc.  It's estimated to be 1 hour 20 minutes but you never know about road construction.

[cruisetorelax44]

4 minutes ago, Plum Happy said:

You should give yourself 2 hours plus to travel to get to the airport after the cruise (if you keep it) including traffic, disruptions, etc.  It's estimated to be 1 hour 20 minutes but you never know about road construction.

our flight is 12:45pm.. it says the ship returns to port at 7am. that should be enough time.. even if we get off at 830am.. but i don't like cutting it close. especially with international. 

 

[Plum Happy]

Just now, cruisetorelax44 said:

our flight is 12:45pm.. it says the ship returns to port at 7am. that should be enough time.. even if we get off at 830am.. but i don't like cutting it close. especially with international. 

 

You may want to do a walk off just to be sure.  That way you have your bags.

[cruisetorelax44]

12 minutes ago, mugtech said:

            Was there a reduction in the port fees and taxes?  Not going through the canal should reduce that particular expense.

don't know anything yet. i can still see the original cruise in my planner, but when i click it, it says "sailing has been canceled". 

[cruisetorelax44]

Just now, Plum Happy said:

You may want to do a walk off just to be sure.  That way you have your bags.

if we sail it at all.. i'm soooo frustrated. i know things can change, but this is like 8 months out. it's not 18 months. 

 

[orville99]

Just now, cruisetorelax44 said:

our flight is 12:45pm.. it says the ship returns to port at 7am. that should be enough time.. even if we get off at 830am.. but i don't like cutting it close. especially with international. 

 

It is mostly a highway, but the last time we did it the opposite way, it was definitely a ninety minute “E Ticket” ride. Worst drivers we have ever encountered

[smokeybandit]

I was booked on one of those.  Not a chance I stay on that itinerary now.  Colombia would be neat to visit, but the rest of it, meh.

 

RC knows a canal transit is a bucket list item for many.  I wish they'd give us a little bit help for our troubles since so many will cancel and it's too late to get a good deal elsewhere.

Edited August 8, 2023 by smokeybandit

[cruisetorelax44]

Just now, smokeybandit said:

I was booked on one of those.  Not a chance I stay on that itinerary now.  Colombia would be neat to visit, but the rest of it, meh.

exactly. but $400 won't cover the flights, and it's an airline we'd never fly otherwise. 

[celoplyr]

I also got this, and was so excited (and booked flights last month).  Now it's a real let down, we won't fly to Panama just to do ports we've done from Miami.  I was super excited about Costa Rica AND the Canal.  I also feel like I booked this trip in early 2022, so it's like 18 months of excitement for it to cancel 8 months ahead of time. I was even getting my uncle to come along, so my mom could see him for their birthdays (he was going to be 80!)

[dmrichards26]

2 minutes ago, celoplyr said:

I was even getting my uncle to come along, so my mom could see him for their birthdays (he was going to be 80!)

Same here - we also talked family members into booking this cruise with us, so Royal has really put us in an awkward position.

[cruisetorelax44]

it's even more complicated for us.. this is a casino prime cruise, with future cruise credit applied for a room upgrade. the prime cruise has to be taken before march 31st, so that does not give us a lot of time to find something else either...

[orville99]

1 hour ago, cruisetorelax44 said:

We were supposed to start in Colon, go through the canal, do Cartegena, and two stops in Costa Rica before ending in Fuerte Amador, Panama. We specifically picked this trip for the canal and to end in the port closest to the airport. 

Sounds like they couldn't secure transit time slots that would match up with their itineraries because all of the eastbound ones that start in Panama City also no longer exist. 

[schlimazel_traveler]

Apparently the cost of using the canal has increased very significantly (has something to do with drought  & the amount of water needed to fill the locks), to the point that it will affect cost of goods transported by ship. I heard a story about it on a financial news program, and immediately wondered how it would affect canal cruises!

Edited August 8, 2023 by schlimazel_traveler

[saltwaterhappy]

24 minutes ago, celoplyr said:

I also got this, and was so excited (and booked flights last month).  Now it's a real let down, we won't fly to Panama just to do ports we've done from Miami.  I was super excited about Costa Rica AND the Canal.  I also feel like I booked this trip in early 2022, so it's like 18 months of excitement for it to cancel 8 months ahead of time. I was even getting my uncle to come along, so my mom could see him for their birthdays (he was going to be 80!)

SAME HERE!!! We were super excited about the two new-to-use Costa Rica ports, and the canal - same as others have said; not going to fly to Panama to go where I can go from stateside. 

 

[HappyTexan44]

 

This would stink!   The cruise starts and ends in Panama, and goes to the Caribbean?   I would think that the only market for that cruise would be those living near Panama.  

I wonder, would travel insurance help cover the cost beyond what Royal is covering?   That is like placing an order for a new Cadillac, and getting a Kia.  Caribbean cruises are nice, I have one booked, but it isn't equivalent to a Panama Canal Cruise.  So, I'd consider that a flat cancellation.  

 

 

[Ashland]

This is just crazy and so sorry for you all.

We did the Panama Canal (Serenade) from Los Angeles to Tampa last year just amazing.

We also have the (Explorer) which is a great Caribbean itinerary from Miami July 2024 that includes some of the ports that their trying to pass off to you as a PC cruise. Not the same at all.

[FionaMG]

I'm not even affected by this but I actually find it offensive that they would begin a letter changing a Panama Canal cruise to a Southern Caribbean one with the words "to enhance your experience".

 

I feel for all of you who have lost what was likely a bucket list trip. ☹️

[RFerrington]

We are on both the 3-9 and 3-16 Rhapsody sailings.  What a bummer...and then for them to tell me that they're "enhancing my experience" is just a big slap across the face.  I hate that !

 

The 3-9-24 Rhapsody replacement sailing has an overnight in Aruba which is kinda appealing...but not really appealing enough to get me to fly to Panama to do it !

 

We briefly thought about keeping 1 of the sailings and using the other week to hop around Central America a bit but the logistics of that are just going to be too difficult.  You cannot drive a rental car out of the country (from Panama) and besides...do I really want to be tooling around in Central America ?  Probably not.  Depending upon where you're going, it can be a 12-14 hour drive.  Probably neither wise nor safe.

 

I agree with @HappyTexan44.  It seems like they would have a bit of trouble filling these "new" sailings from Panama.  It seems it would be prudent for Royal to offer SOME kind of incentive to remain on these sailings but they aren't offering ANYthing.  Bupkis.

 

We have airline miles tickets.  I've never had to cancel a trip where miles were used.  I'm not sure what will happen with that.

 

This just stinks.  Major bummer.

 

[smokeybandit]

47 minutes ago, HappyTexan44 said:

I wonder, would travel insurance help cover the cost beyond what Royal is covering?

Doubtful, since RC slyly didn't cancel the cruise, just scrapped the most critical part of the itinerary.

[Rackham]

Was booked on the February 24th sailing. Decided to take option two (the new itinerary in my email didn't include Bonaire, just A&C, though probably wouldn't have changed my decision) for a 7-N Southern Caribbean from San Juan in 2025. Saved about $400 on fare alone. Luckily on my airfare, when logging in to see my options, the airline had rescheduled the flight so I had the option of a cash refund (don't remember booking a refundable fare).