Panama Canal Cruise "Adjusted"

[feelingnauti]

We were booked on the 3/16/24 cruise going out of Colon. Planned on flying into to Panama City a few days earlier and then transfer to the port of Colon. So disappointed that the cruise was cancelled.

We don't want to pay to fly into Panama for southern ports we have already been to. Decided to cancel the cruise and re-booked a cruise out of Tampa. New departure port for us and also 3 ports we have never been to. Looking forward to my 'enhanced' cruise experience. 

[son3cruisers]

3 hours ago, Biker19 said:

The initial deployment already had her interporting - usually reserved for O class ships in the Med.

This was not offered on the March 9th sailing when we booked. 

[Biker19]

13 minutes ago, son3cruisers said:

This was not offered on the March 9th sailing when we booked. 

It would have been offered on a different day from the alternative port. 

[cuterlmt]

My Panama Canal cruise was through a Prime Casino offer. I had lots to choose from through April of 2024. April was the best time with my schedule. So I called Casino Royale to try to change the cruise to something I wanted to do and they would not do the change, said that I didn't have any offers for that time period, even though I had a ton of offers for that time period before I chose the Canal cruise -  because those "expired" (I had to book within a certain period of time). 

Unfortunately, we cancelled. So incredibly disappointed with how Royal dealt with this.

 

[love to cruise 2017]

well spoke RCI head office today....there giving zip of course so we are cancelling. as D+ we are done with Royal...really am 

[Debitoo]

We were on the April 6th sailing. Thank God we hadn't booked airfare yet. COPA is the only choice we had and they don't offer a reasonably priced refundable fare. Royal screwed the pooch on this one. We had a corner aft balcony and it killed me to give it up. Nothing "enhanced" with the new itinerary. We cancelled and are still waiting for my deposit refund. ugh.....

Edited August 23, 2023 by Debitoo

[waveandwen]

For those that choose to cancel....keep an eye on your refund.  I was on the 2/24/24 cruise and I have had to call 3 times to get my FULL refund. 

[Biker19]

1 minute ago, waveandwen said:

 I was on the 2/24/24 cruise and I have had to call 3 times to get my FULL refund. 

RCI refunding odd varied amounts and at different times (instead of the full cost at once) is kinda normal.

Edited August 23, 2023 by Biker19

[smokeybandit]

29 minutes ago, waveandwen said:

For those that choose to cancel....keep an eye on your refund.  I was on the 2/24/24 cruise and I have had to call 3 times to get my FULL refund. 

You already paid the final payment for the cruise?

[Teeara]

 

Looks like only the full transits are still on the RCI website.

 

Our April 8th sailing only has interiors and ocean views left.

[cruisetorelax44]

On 8/23/2023 at 11:47 AM, Debitoo said:

We were on the April 6th sailing. Thank God we hadn't booked airfare yet. COPA is the only choice we had and they don't offer a reasonably priced refundable fare. Royal screwed the pooch on this one. We had a corner aft balcony and it killed me to give it up. Nothing "enhanced" with the new itinerary. We cancelled and are still waiting for my deposit refund. ugh.....

that's our issue... we booked our flights on copa in june. we can change the dates, but it's not like we can fly the airline to a different destination and the flights are non-refundable. so while we canceled our cruise and rebooked a different one, we now have to pay full airfare on another flight to get there and home. we'll probably change our panama dates and just tour panama sometime in the next year.  none of this is ok.. .

[shipshape sam]

On 8/8/2023 at 3:23 PM, cruisetorelax44 said:

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

It is starting to happen on HAL too.  My guess is cruise ships for the next 8-10 months will not be taking freighter slots in the canal.  

 

This too is assuming it starts to rain around lakes in Panama or there will be even more canceled ships.