Change of itinerary

[legalgirl]

Sailing on the Granduer of the Seas on Sept. 15. Recently learned of the change of intinerary with us now stopping in Miami. Is anyone else as unhappy as I am? I booked this cruise a year ago and would never have done so if this were the stated ports of call at that time.:(

[pcur]

Unfortunately, this is a very common occurence with all cruise lines, and they make it quite clear in the fine print. If you booked with a TA or a Customer Service Rep at RCCL, they should have explained this to you. You've still got time to cancel without penalty and find another itinerary for the same date.

[cb at sea]

I know that the lines can change itineraries, but if I was looking at a cruise and picking by ports, I would never book a cruise that stops in Miami! If I wanted to go to Fla, that's where I'd vacation! The whole point of a cruise is to go places you can't readily drive to!

[spalady]

Boy, do I know how you feel!!

Last Christmas our RCI cruise was supposed to include Key West. In Sept, RCI changed it to MIAMI - what a bummer:( - we have been there, done that.

We went on a short excursion to shop but then right back on the ship for a quiet day on deck.

I emailed RCI and one of their suggestions was: "don't book a cruise based on the itinerary" !?!?!? Huh, WHAT - how else would you pick a cruise:eek:

 

Like you, I had read the fine print, I knew they could do that but I was still not happy. Did I book another RCI cruise? Sure (to the Med). Will they change the itinerary? Knowing my luck, probably. But in the Med, who cares:p

 

But anyway, have fun on your cruise, don't let it ruin the day and remember most of us have had it happen too!

[pcur]

It's not that I don't sympathize with the OP, because I do. I just wanted to make sure she understands that this is the nature of the beast, so to speak.

 

I've noticed that RCCL is adding U.S. (specifically FL) ports to some of their cruises. It's kind of like the West Coast cruise on the Monarch to Catalina and San Diego.

 

Whenever I book a cruise, especially way in advance, I expect them to change the itinerary, because cruise lines do that all the time. I figure it's the downside to the ship experience: landbased stays put and that's where you're going, while the ship experience requires flexibility because it can, maybe will, change.

[frankreeves]

If it is the last port before you disembark you will have already have gone thru customs.

[keylime27]

I feel your pain legalgirl. We're on the same cruise. (btw have you signed up for meet and mingle?) Bummed about the itinerary change. We did some great snorkeling in Freeport last year. Miami is great, but I'm not wild about having a third FL port. I've notice that some TA websites are advertising this as a FL/Mexico cruise rather than Western Caribbean. Oh well! Guess we'll check out South Beach. Didn't see too many excursions offered through RCI.

[legalgirl]

I feel your pain legalgirl. We're on the same cruise. (btw have you signed up for meet and mingle?) Bummed about the itinerary change. We did some great snorkeling in Freeport last year. Miami is great, but I'm not wild about having a third FL port. I've notice that some TA websites are advertising this as a FL/Mexico cruise rather than Western Caribbean. Oh well! Guess we'll check out South Beach. Didn't see too many excursions offered through RCI.

I have signed up for the Meet & Mingle. Has anything been posted about our Meet yet? I have not seen anything. Perhaps I am not looking in the right place. Can you direct me?

[keylime27]

Try this link:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=327202

[Murphy]

Bummer for you! But unfortunately, they can and obviously do change itineraries for various reasons. If you haven't made final payment yet, see if you can find an alternative sailing that better fits your expectations. Or, just go and have fun and try not to sweat the small stuff! If you don't mind me asking, what port did they replace with Miami?

[crookedhalo]

I'm on the cruise that comes back the Sunday before you leave. I too booked out over a year before. However, this change was made almost 6 months ago. It really pays to stay on top of your reservation - most cruise lines do not really finalize the itinerary until late April to early June. Until that point, it's all up for grabs. However, I have heard a couple of different reasons for this change. One put out there was that Freeport is basically closed on Sunday - very little to do. Another is that they didn't get their port request (or whatever it's called), in to Freeport in time and lost dockage after June '06. The final one is that it's customs related. You have to clear customs in Freeport, they you'd have to clear customs in Key West and then again in Port Canaveral. I think. Some people have complained about this delay, so it could very well be the reason. Either way, have a blast! We'll try not to hurt the ship before we return it:rolleyes:

[MGilly]

If Freeport is the port that's being replaced, consider yourself lucky! That's the only port we've been to that we'd not want to visit again. We've sailed out of Miami, and there are lots of fun things to do there - South Beach, Bay Market, etc. But Freeport?!? It's at least a 20 minute terrifying taxi ride to anywhere, and we hated it. On one RCCL cruise, we had to skip a port completely - captain said there was political unrest on Labadee, so we ended up with an extra sea day. At least you've got a replacement port. As others have said before me, enjoy wherever you go!

[patrickc]

We also are bummed that they replaced Bahamas w/ another Florida stop. In fact, if you go to travelocity, it is still listed as Bahamas (vs Miami) for fall cruises. I'd much rather go to Bahamas- despite what anyone says- vs Miami-it doesn't make sense ( I am more than flexible if you're enroute & a storm something causes diversion). Funny thing is, same thing happened last year on GOS! We just like going out of Baltimore-- our home-- but the itineraries & ship selections have to get better!