John Heald Update on Legend Schedule Due to Bridge Collapse in Baltimore

[mz-s]

19 minutes ago, Earthworm Jim said:

 

That's absolutely correct. They don't HAVE to offer anything. That said, cruise lines have often offered compensation for events beyond their control, such as weather. For example, the MSC Meraviglia was supposed to go on a Bahamas cruise from NY last December when weather forced them to change it to a New England and Canada itinerary. They gave the option of a full refund instead. But that was clearly a bigger disruption than the Baltimore to Norfolk switch.

 

A west coast Carnival Miracle cruise had to radically change their itinerary last October due to a hurricane (San Diego and Catalina Island instead of Cabo) and Carnival gave $200 compensation there. That may be a more comparable situation. But in the current case didn't Carnival offer some compensation for flight changes?

 

Missed ports of call isn't really the same thing as a changed home port with no further alterations to the cruise.

[Earthworm Jim]

6 minutes ago, mz-s said:

 

Missed ports of call isn't really the same thing as a changed home port with no further alterations to the cruise.

 

Agree to disagree there. It's not exactly the same, but it's similar in that you aren't getting the same thing as you booked.

[firefly333]

16 minutes ago, mz-s said:

 

Missed ports of call isn't really the same thing as a changed home port with no further alterations to the cruise.

I agree changing the home port for me would be a huge inconvenience vs just missing a port and or staying on the ship. 

 

Hopefully carnival is allowing you to cancel with a full refund. 

[wrp96]

Rather than the fun Miami to LA switch example above (although I actually like the idea), a better example might be what happens with river cruises when the ships can't sail through certain points in the river.  They shift you to buses (just like is happening with Legend) to move you either to a hotel or a new ship.  Some lines will give you compensation, some won't - but if you look at the cruise contract, they don't have to do anything.   Even there though, that's a situation that is not completely unexpected for the river cruise lines, unlike this situation.  IMO, Carnival is doing a good job after being handed a terrible set of choices.  Will it be the best option for everyone? No but overall for the most passengers they are doing what they can to make sure they still get a good vacation.

[Lizard13]

The drive will be difficult. Maybe some may opt for Amtrak from Norfolk to Baltimore.  Much more relaxing, but will need to Uber to parking garage from Penn Station or airport train terminal once in Baltimore.    The Norfolk Amtrak station is a 6 min ride or about a 30 minute walk along the riverfront.  

[mz-s]

1 hour ago, Earthworm Jim said:

 

Agree to disagree there. It's not exactly the same, but it's similar in that you aren't getting the same thing as you booked.

 

And perhaps Carnival is in the wrong here for establishing a pattern of behavior where they compensate guests for things they have nothing to do with, like the weather. They are apparently not compensating guests for this bridge collapse and folks are upset because a tornado didn't take the bridge down instead I suppose.

[WhiteOptima]

6 hours ago, sgttami said:

My friend is on Legend now.  She lives in Virginia and has to disembark in Norfolk, get bussed to Baltimore and then drive back to Virginia.  She's fine with whatever has to be but said that those on the ship now are whining, moaning and complaining like never before.

 

Human nature will always baffle me...lol

Get them as close to Baltimore and dump them in the water!  My gosh people what more can Carnival or any cruise line do for you!  They don’t have a playbook to go by for every situation.  They are scrambling to figure out a plan too.

[sgttami]

56 minutes ago, WhiteOptima said:

Get them as close to Baltimore and dump them in the water!  My gosh people what more can Carnival or any cruise line do for you!  They don’t have a playbook to go by for every situation.  They are scrambling to figure out a plan too.

I met my friend who's on Legend now in the Baltimore terminal a few years ago when the Pride was late coming back and we never sailed till midnight.  We started talking and laughing while everyone was complaining.  We stayed friends ever since and have sailed together a few times.

 

We still laugh at the whiners and the negative comments about Every. Single. Thing.

 

Smile and laugh a lot!

 

This situation is tragic but certainly not Carnival's fault.  They don't owe anyone a thing.

[Elaine5715]

5 hours ago, jerseyjjs said:

The Pride was/is scheduled to replace the Legend when the Legend goes into drydock in late April.    I'd bet my entire pension on the Baltimore Cruise Terminal not being open by then.

It will be open by then.  There are millions of dollars on ships waiting to move in and out of that port.  They don't care about cruise vacations but they care about that cargo.  Once the site is cleared by investigators, the debris will be removed.  If the cargo ships can leave, cruise ships can also.

[MEUB1112]

Praying for those that perished or are missing 🙏 and those that have a long drive home. What a monumental disaster. 

[ldubs]

6 hours ago, Lizard13 said:

The drive will be difficult. Maybe some may opt for Amtrak from Norfolk to Baltimore.  Much more relaxing, but will need to Uber to parking garage from Penn Station or airport train terminal once in Baltimore.    The Norfolk Amtrak station is a 6 min ride or about a 30 minute walk along the riverfront.  

 

Would a flight be an option?  Can't be more than an hour between Baltimore and Norfolk.  

[Redskinsfan92]

Update corncerning the cruise leaving on March 31st.

Carnival is offering shuttle buses from Baltimore to Norfolk for those who need transportation on the 31st to embark onto the ship in Norfolk.

It gave me details in an email as I am going on that cruise this Sunday. Fortunately in my case I'm in Virginia, so my drive became a bit shorter as now I'll just drive to Norfolk. I was looking forward to the part where the ship goes down the Chesapeake Bay though.

This all threw my weekend plans off a bit, but I'll be fine. My main concern is with the loss of life and regional impact from this tragedy. I hope that there aren't many shortages from the import and exports getting backed up.

As a Virginian I hope the buses have the good sense to avoid I-95 between Richmond and DC. Traffic nightmare. There are ALWAYS traffic jans. Even on Sunday. US 301 is better option. There is also a 2 lane section of I-64 between Richmond and Norfolk that can get bad if a bad accident blocks both lanes, but is usually smooth sailing.

[BallFour4]

15 hours ago, SRF said:

No, you have a cruise contract to depart and arrive at a given port.

While I truncated your post the point made remains. Before one can print their boarding pass you agreed to the Ticket Contract found here:
https://www.carnival.com/about-carnival/legal-notice/ticket-contract

"Carnival may change the duration and/or itinerary of the cruise at any time. The Vessel shall be entitled to leave and enter ports with or without pilots or tugs, to tow and assist other vessels in any circumstances, to return to or enter any port at the Master’s discretion and for any purpose, and to deviate in any direction or for any purpose from the direct or usual course, and to omit or change any or all port calls, arrival or departure times, with or without notice, for any reason whatsoever..."

.

[jimbo5544]

9 hours ago, sgttami said:

I met my friend who's on Legend now in the Baltimore terminal a few years ago when the Pride was late coming back and we never sailed till midnight.  We started talking and laughing while everyone was complaining.  We stayed friends ever since and have sailed together a few times.

 

We still laugh at the whiners and the negative comments about Every. Single. Thing.

 

Smile and laugh a lot!

 

This situation is tragic but certainly not Carnival's fault.  They don't owe anyone a thing.

Bingo

 

[aborgman]

19 hours ago, bg2310 said:

 

 

 

I guess it pays to read what you sign huh..

Who would have thought!

 

You signed?

 

I just got stuck with a contract of adhesion.

[aborgman]

18 hours ago, Noledad77 said:

I can understand if they're upset, it's natural. But I think they need to see the bigger picture that it's not Carnival's fault and 6 people lost their lives, leading to them having to be re-routed to Norfolk. It's all about perspective and being thankful to be here another day. They're alive and some families are mourning the loss of their loved ones. A little extra travel is a grain of sand on the beach, compared to the entirety of the situation.

 

It's not Carnivals fault.

 

...but if the same thing happened to your flight, you'd be legally entitled to a refund from the airline with no penalty.

 

 

[asalligo]

5 hours ago, Redskinsfan92 said:

Update concerning the cruise leaving on March 31st.

Carnival is offering shuttle buses from Baltimore to Norfolk for those who need transportation on the 31st to embark onto the ship in Norfolk.

 

This makes it acceptable that they are not offering a full refund. 

[Lizard13]

9 hours ago, ldubs said:

 

Would a flight be an option?  Can't be more than an hour between Baltimore and Norfolk.  

Yes a flight would be available at a higher cost per ticket and require similar time and more effort.  It’s about 15 miles by Uber/taxi to airport from cruise port. But I love riding the Amtrak to the DC area so I may relax in my wide seat and watch the world go by.  And unwind from what is most likely a very stressful situation.  

Edited March 28 by Lizard13

[mz-s]

9 hours ago, ldubs said:

 

Would a flight be an option?  Can't be more than an hour between Baltimore and Norfolk.  

 

Plus TSA lines, plus baggage claim, etc., not sure it's that much faster than driving...

[ldubs]

30 minutes ago, Lizard13 said:

Yes a flight would be available at a higher cost per ticket and require similar time and more effort.  It’s about 15 miles by Uber/taxi to airport from cruise port. But I love riding the Amtrak to the DC area so I may relax in my wide seat and watch the world go by.  And unwind from what is most likely a very stressful situation.  

 

2 minutes ago, mz-s said:

 

Plus TSA lines, plus baggage claim, etc., not sure it's that much faster than driving...

 

Perhaps.  Personally, I would consider the flight option as I would find it preferable to a 4 (or more) hour bus ride.  

[Elaine5715]

2 hours ago, aborgman said:

 

It's not Carnivals fault.

 

...but if the same thing happened to your flight, you'd be legally entitled to a refund from the airline with no penalty.

 

 

You would be entitled because the ticket contract says so.  

[jimbo5544]

3 hours ago, aborgman said:

 

You signed?

 

I just got stuck with a contract of adhesion.

it is an acceptance, no signature required.  Every single person that boards falls under it.

[aborgman]

20 hours ago, Elaine5715 said:

You would be entitled because the ticket contract says so.  

 

...and the ticket contract says so now only because the legislature forced the airlines to do what was right.

[aborgman]

20 hours ago, jimbo5544 said:

it is an acceptance, no signature required.  Every single person that boards falls under it.

 

Yes... I'm well aware that I got stuck with a contract of adhesion like everyone else aboard.

 

The person I was responding to mentioned signing a contract though - so I thought maybe they were a special case, or just were saying untrue things to counter legitimate points from others.

[Elaine5715]

1 hour ago, aborgman said:

 

...and the ticket contract says so now only because the legislature forced the airlines to do what was right.

Refunds for a cancelled flight were always available, might be "store" credit but it was refunded.