rolloman

1 hour ago, ARandomTraveler said:

1 DAY!!!? That's it? I guess it's just a 4 day cruise, and maybe you just had 1 port day anyway, is that why they're just giving back 1 day? I would hope to also get some incentive to rebook another cruise in the future; 1 day refund plus 50% off a future cruise.

 

There are insurance policies that give you money if your cruise misses a port or changes itineraries, but I'm not sure if you can make a claim if the cruiseline has given you something for the trouble already. 
 

 

4 night cruise with 2 stops was original itinerary. Only issue I have is there were 6 ships impacted and ours was the only one who did not get a port replaced. Captain said none were available …not so sure about that….Cozumel usually takes all comers and allows tenders when pier slots are filled. I think because the ship is not at capacity, burning all the fuel to Cozumel would just be more of a revenue loss. So much for the theory you have to visit a foreign port. Obviously there is an exemption available. 

48 minutes ago, jandj1224 said:

Curious where you heard about one day refund on Independence. 
We are on sailing too and haven’t heard that. 

Letters left in mailbox outside cabin door. Ask your room steward for it or go to front desk.

On 11/7/2022 at 10:00 AM, Ourusualbeach said:

Any bonus if you stay on this sailing with the altered itinerary. 

None as of yet…of course that might change as we get closer to Friday 

Update for Indy…we got the short end of the stick…all port of calls cancelled…officially a 4 night cruise to nowhere. Royal refunding everyone 1 day of cruise fare paid. 

56 minutes ago, Ourusualbeach said:

Any bonus if you stay on this sailing with the altered itinerary. 

None at this time…the letter they provided in the terminal makes it clear Nassau stop my be impacted and a future change may have to occur

Update regarding the Independance of the Seas...as of now we are still scheduled to proceed to Nassau tomorrow from 9AM-5PM- Coco Cay has been dropped and we will have 2 sea days. They are offering full refunds or allowing you to reschedule.

1 minute ago, livingonthebeach said:

Here are the spaghetti models -- doesn't looks like the Bahamas will get the brunt of sub-tropical storm Nicole before it heads to Florida:

 

The problem is the storm is generating tremendous waves...I doubt if it will be much of a storm in the scheme of things but the Bahamas will certainly feel those waves making their ports not worth the navigational risk. 

6 minutes ago, PWP-001 said:

So this is just supposition on my part...

 

Your closed-loop cruise is normally required to call on an international port.  For us sailing out of South Florida, RCL is able to navigate us south of the storm to hit an international port.

 

The storm is between your port and international stops.  So... I think they need to show intent to sail to an international port, then at sea they can alter the itinerary to give you only sea days, using the storm for an exception to the international port.

 

According to the local weather here in South Florida, the storm's expected track is a bit north compared to what was seen yesterday.  So chances are Independence doesn't have a course south to avoid the storm.

 

I hope you post and let us know what the final itinerary becomes.

Yes, I will try and post if and when we get the info. A couple years ago during a hurricane sailing they told us as we walked into the terminal our new itinerary and I remember the rep was actually quite rude...basically stopped us and said you are now going to xyz port...if you are not happy about it turn around and leave then call Royal for a refund. In the end it actually went from a 4 day to a 6. As for the cruise today, we will definitely leave on time and head south...as the weather starts to get iffy later tomorrow we should be well south out of the cone with an unknown destination...You could be right about just sea days but then again I personally do not have an example of that ever occurring. What also remains to be seen is whether we will be in the clear to transit back to Port Canaveral for Friday morning. 

13 minutes ago, PWP-001 said:

Did you take a look in the app?  On the calendar page, touch the calendar icon to display your itinerary.

As of this moment the app still shows the original itinerary.  

Still waiting to hear what the update will be for today's sailing of Independence of the Seas 4 nighter...

3 hours ago, BND said:

Ships can easily handle a tropical low.  They can easily handle a lot of hurricanes.  The issue is really passenger comfort.  Royal doesn't want a lot of seasick passengers or people to fall due to rough seas.  My DH has ridden a couple of hurricanes in a much smaller  Navy cruiser.  

It is not a fair assessment to equate the Navy to a Cruise Ship. Before a storm in the Navy we tie everything down. Sailors are physically and mentally prepared to work through a storm. Cruise ships have loose items everywhere and passengers who barely can get around the ship on a good day. By the way,  I too have been through a hurricane while onboard a Navy ship and we encountered damage.

12 hours ago, RJ257 said:

Definitely some poor weather headed  ( they say north then west/ northwest for Florida and Bahamas. Ive seen nothing about 25' waves ( reading marine forecasts ) but the whole thing is still uncertain as of this evening.

Not sure why you would say that...even the link you provided shows 25 ft waves just off the coast of Canaveral late Wednesday into Thursday. But like you said, it is now unfolding so we shall see what really develops. 

Robin,

More than likely they will just skip Coco Cay. As it stands currently, it looks like the storm will be at its worst Wednesday into the wee hours of Thursday.

12 hours ago, RJ257 said:

Where did you read that wave forecast?

https://www.swellinfo.com/surf-forecast/cape-canaveral-florida

I have to assume re-routes to Cozumel or maybe Cayman Island for most ships who are doing a 4 day + and scheduled for a Bahamas run only...not sure about the 3 day as there is not enough time to do much of anything than the Bahamas.

12 hours ago, RJ257 said:

Definitely some poor weather headed  ( they say north then west/ northwest for Florida and Bahamas. Ive seen nothing about 25' waves ( reading marine forecasts ) but the whole thing is still uncertain as of this evening.

https://www.swellinfo.com/surf-forecast/cape-canaveral-florida

9 hours ago, smokeybandit said:

Waves up to 10 feet would barely be noticed by most passengers

The waves are forecast to be 25-30 ft. This level of wave would be noticed by all passengers. It always cracks me up to read posts from people who consider themselves to be sea dogs and make statements like oh I love it ...higher the better...rocks me to sleep. In reality, it is total nonsense. 15+ waves shut down most entertainment, pools and the like. No one wants to see others being sick. It ruins the vacation. Fortunately, it is rare but sometimes there is no avoiding it. Should be an interesting week ahead...

Leave this Monday for a week on the Indy for a 4 and then a 3 day.  Not looking good. Waves forecasted to be up to 10+ near shore and 25+ offshore. Seems it will hang around until Thursday. At this point hoping for an itinerary change...Cozumel weather looks great. 

1 hour ago, SwordBlazer Cruising said:

To be fair, the Steakhouse is still a massive bargain compared to Mortons Or Capital Grille. Yes not the same ambiance but one steak there costs $54. 

Not if you factor in the pre- paid cruise fare cost of the meal. Secondly comparing Mortons or Capital Grille to the steak on the cruise ship is quite a leap.

1 hour ago, Mum2Mercury said:

Exactly -- people don't bring more than a couple dollars in cash to Labadee, which is really just a beach.  Gangs could drive to the area, but they'd gain nothing and face armed guards.  

 

A couple dollars goes a long long way in Haiti but I think in the event of a robbery the criminals would be more interested in the jewelry people wear. The port itself is usually safe, however there have been issues from upset locals surrounding the area by boat. In addition I often find the little craft village to be somewhat sketchy with desperate vendors refusing to take no for an answer. That being said, out of all my travels Jamaica is the port stop I usually feel most uncomfortable. 

1 hour ago, cruisegirl1 said:

No problem at all.  There is a process with clear instructions for those who want to leave the ship and return later.  The info will be in the B2B letter that is provided near the end of the first cruise.   Your friend will be able to leave the ship with his children and will return alone when general boarding begins.   Many on a B2B leave the ship.    He will be told where to get the new sea pass card (prior to leaving the ship)  and should also be issued an "in transit" card. He will likely have to wait in the terminal for general boarding to get back on.  ( some ports allow him to get back on at any time, some will make him wait for boarding to begin.)     He will also have to go through the security line at the terminal.

 

Since he is B2B and has an "in transit" card he will be able to go back to his cabin at any time. 

 

He will not go to the B2B meeting place ( on turnaround day), as he will be off the ship by then. I've needed to take care of a few things in Port Canaveral and have used this process several times.    I was B2B on Indy.  NO ISSUES. 

    

Hope this helps 

M

Perfect thanks...I have relayed to him. 

Hoping someone has first hand knowledge of how this will work. My friend is doing a back to back on the Indy next week. The first leg he will have his two kids and the second leg he will be dropping them off with the Grandparents at the port, then of course re-boarding. What would be likely the process? Is it possible to get his new sailing card for the second leg in advance prior to disembarking to drop the kids off?

It used to be they would give you your block while on the ship if you made the required number of points during that specific sailing. Do they still do this or is everything by mail? 

3 hours ago, ReneeFLL said:

What if they cancel the booking because she doesn’t qualify to board? That would be my concern. Better fix it now than just show up.

 

Why would they cancel the booking when clearly there are other people on the same booking...makes no sense. It is just a simple matter of a clerical error that will be resolved at the port during embarkation.

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