Carnival ships not stopping at Belize News release

[mctennismom]

The reason we did not go to Roatan or Costa Maya I guess was because of the winds, but it was so disappointing because we had Roatan in view and another Carnival ship actually passed us and proceeded to dock. I think it was actually one of the nicest days we had at sea. Must have been some kind of under current?? So ok get over it right, off to Costa Maya, NOT, couldn't get into port their either, so guess what, they took us back to Cozumel in some of the roughest seas I have been on, I have to say bigger is not always better. If I ever use carnival again, I will go on one of their smaller ships. From what I hear from the locals that we know in Roatan Carnivals new "expensive" port was designed very poorly and ships do not have problems docking at the other port which I think is call Coxen Hole?? Carnival used this for years but I guess then got greedy and built their own port, which by the way they will not let local companies enter to pick up people for excursions, thus the walk up the hill. If I knew then what I know now I would not have gone on the Dream.

[Lake-Cruiser]

Does anyone know what is going on with the tenders in Belize. I see that Carnival Valor and Legend are in Belize today. Any info would be great!

[kml2000]

Do we know that they are there, or are they scheduled to be there?

[azkcruizers]

Carnival Valor and Legend were in Costa Maya today according to cruisecal.

[mtnmommy]

I have assumed that this is only affecting cruises on Carnival but has anybody heard information about other cruise lines skipping the port? We're due to be there in three weeks on Holland America.

[divinmule]

Carnival Valor and Legend were in Costa Maya today according to cruisecal.

 

That is the only way to find out true info. Go somewhere besides Carnival.

We cruise in 2 days and they STILL won't tell us for sure if we are going to Belize or Costa Maya.

 

Your best bet...just plan for both ports...that's what we had to do.

 

Just ridiculous the way Carnival has handled this with their passengers. I would have never thought that this close to cruising they wouldn't have just made a decision and informed the paxs.

 

Guess we know where we rank in their concerns. We will have a wonderful cruise regardless of the port. Just a bit sad and frustrating how this has been handled.

[azkcruizers]

Agreed..I don't know enough to form an opinion on the tender issue...BUT the last second decisions for each cruise on what they are doing is I feel unfair to us. A decision should be made for a set amount of time. I'm sure Carnival feels that we need no time to plan ahead THEIR excursions......forget about those of us who may want to do something else.

 

I'm annoyed by the lack of customer courtesy. :mad:

[Lake-Cruiser]

I think we all should call Carnival and complain!!!!!!! With the changes it can also affect the other ports you are going to. People have missed excursions at other ports because of time changes. They need to let us know ahead of time!!!!!

[ourtimenow]

We are cruising the end of March. First cruise for all of us. YEAH!! Everything will be exciting, I am sure.

Haven't booked excursions for Belize due to this thread. And probably won't now until things get (or not) settled. Haven't even researched Costa Maya. What if we have an extra sea day?? Might be nice?!?! Who really knows, its our first cruise and we have no idea what we like and don't like.

But...I know I don't like Carnival not keeping us informed of things. There has been nothing mentioned from them. So we will see if things turn out/or not.

Regardless, I am sure we will have a beautiful time. So happy for Cruise Critic!!

[mctennismom]

Good Luck with Carnival informing you of anything. We all stood on deck watching as our ship started going away from Roatan instead of towards it and after quit awhile they came on and anounced that we wouldn't be able to get into port!!

[ourtimenow]

Good Luck with Carnival informing you of anything. We all stood on deck watching as our ship started going away from Roatan instead of towards it and after quit awhile they came on and anounced that we wouldn't be able to get into port!!

 

Oh Thanks!! lol! SO sorry you missed Roatan. I, for one, an very much looking forward to this port!

Is this a common practice of all cruise lines??? In your opinion??

I think they should be emailing everyday, with an update of what is going on. Don't you think??? Its our first, like I said, so we really don't know what to expect, but if I was "selling" a product...I surely wouldn't want my consumers to wonder. Hmmmm...

We will see what we experience on this cruise, customer service, etc, etc, etc....

I am trying to go in with no expectations, truly!! Its hard when you read so much!! :o

Thanks for the input!!

[black forest]

There is a forum on the Carnival Homepage.

 

You can read this:

 

''Here is the latest information we have:

 

In the past two weeks, we have been unable to come to an agreement with local tender operators in Belize regarding their ability to fulfill our operational tender requirements. We can only call on Belize with access to tenders that meet our standards for safe, comfortable and efficient transport of our guests to/from shore at reasonable cost. The local tender operators are currently in a state of disarray and refuse to meet those requirements.

 

Last week, tender operators were only able to provide enough tenders that met our standards for one ship. With a one ship limit, we decided that the Carnival Valor would continue with its plan to call on Belize since we did not have a replacement port option for her itinerary. We were forced to cancel the Carnival Legend and Carnival Triumph’s calls to Belize and those ships instead went to Csota Maya and Grand Cayman, respectively.

 

The following week the Carnival Dream was able to make its regular call at Belize this week, however the Carnival Legend, Carnival Valor and Carnival Glory were not and visited Costa Maya instead.

 

We are very sorry about any inconvenience this may cause our guests and we are working diligently to come up with an acceptable solution. As soon as we know if any other sailings will be affected, we will advise our guests accordingly.

 

Mischelle Beattie Manager - Online Community Carnival Cruise Lines''

 

So, you do get information - but they do not write to you personally. We will be on a Western Caribbean cruise starting in a week - I would love to get to Belize but I know that it might be changed to Costa Maya.

[ourtimenow]

There is a forum on the Carnival Homepage.

 

You can read this:

 

''Here is the latest information we have:

 

In the past two weeks, we have been unable to come to an agreement with local tender operators in Belize regarding their ability to fulfill our operational tender requirements. We can only call on Belize with access to tenders that meet our standards for safe, comfortable and efficient transport of our guests to/from shore at reasonable cost. The local tender operators are currently in a state of disarray and refuse to meet those requirements.

 

Last week, tender operators were only able to provide enough tenders that met our standards for one ship. With a one ship limit, we decided that the Carnival Valor would continue with its plan to call on Belize since we did not have a replacement port option for her itinerary. We were forced to cancel the Carnival Legend and Carnival Triumph’s calls to Belize and those ships instead went to Csota Maya and Grand Cayman, respectively.

 

The following week the Carnival Dream was able to make its regular call at Belize this week, however the Carnival Legend, Carnival Valor and Carnival Glory were not and visited Costa Maya instead.

 

We are very sorry about any inconvenience this may cause our guests and we are working diligently to come up with an acceptable solution. As soon as we know if any other sailings will be affected, we will advise our guests accordingly.

 

Mischelle Beattie Manager - Online Community Carnival Cruise Lines''

 

So, you do get information - but they do not write to you personally. We will be on a Western Caribbean cruise starting in a week - I would love to get to Belize but I know that it might be changed to Costa Maya.

 

Because I am paying alot of money to get a personal response from CCL personally!

This is our very first cruise ever. NEW CUSTOMER. They should be trying to impress the hell out of us, you would think. But than again..is just getting on a freshly, refurbished ship, ok, by their standards??? We picked this cruise line, ports, because we believed it would it would be a fantastic "first" cruise. Who are we do judge that? We are newbies.

But I will say that so far, I am not that impressed with the lack of communication.

We may be blown away by CCL. Its up in the air, as of now. But I will say. I would like to be more informed of the goings on of possible port changes that may or may not happen during our very first cruise.

To be determined...but I am very happy to cruise for my 20th anniversary, with dear friends who are celebrating their 25th and regardless where we go, port or not we will have a grand time.

Wish everyone could join us on the aft balcony of the Valor!! Its going to be a party!! ;)

[dperki1]

I am one to believe that life is what you make it. My mom and I will be sailing on the Legend the end of Feb and Belize is up in the air.

 

I for one don't really care if we stop or not...only because I love to cruise.

 

If you have been reading other boards you know that sometimes due to civil unrest, weather, rough waves etc. that the ports are cancelled. Sometimes this is not forseen until you are almost at the port.

 

It would almost be impossible for Carnival as of right now to predict wheather they are pulling into Belize or not. Hopefully this will be resolved soon and everyone will know one way or the other. But also be aware that while they may give a go ahead for Belize, that does not mean that the seas will be too rough to tender into port.

 

If you keep an open mind and go with the flow, you will have an awesome cruise!!

This is my 4th carnival cruise and my mom's 3rd and we both love it where ever we stop (or not):D

[mistymoo_5]

I am one to believe that life is what you make it. My mom and I will be sailing on the Legend the end of Feb and Belize is up in the air.

 

I for one don't really care if we stop or not...only because I love to cruise.

 

If you have been reading other boards you know that sometimes due to civil unrest, weather, rough waves etc. that the ports are cancelled. Sometimes this is not forseen until you are almost at the port.

 

It would almost be impossible for Carnival as of right now to predict wheather they are pulling into Belize or not. Hopefully this will be resolved soon and everyone will know one way or the other. But also be aware that while they may give a go ahead for Belize, that does not mean that the seas will be too rough to tender into port.

 

If you keep an open mind and go with the flow, you will have an awesome cruise!!

This is my 4th carnival cruise and my mom's 3rd and we both love it where ever we stop (or not):D

Very well said. Carnival is not doing anything on purpose. They have said they are in negotiations, they have said they are trying to get the ships into port. They have also said it depends on whether or not there are enough tenders due to the issues. They stated this could change at any time. What more are you looking for from Carnival? Do you want personal daily emails saying no change? Come on guys, Im going in 8 days and no idea if its belize or costa maya. Adds a little excitement dont you think? Most countries offer the same shore excursions. There will be many tour operators waiting in whatever port we arrive just thrilled to take your money and take you on an excusion of a lifetime. Does it really matter which country its in? Lighten up all, with all the snow im thrilled to be going somewhere warm and sunny. Happy cruising everyone no matter where we end up.

[kml2000]

I don't care if we stop in Belize or not either. I would like to know a day or so before we go if they don't plan to stop there just so I can research the replacement port (if applicable). The other thing I don't want to happen is for the other port days to be moved around.

 

That being said....that is just what I would like. I could stay on the ship for 7 days and not be disappointed to mine will be a great trip regardless!

[berniez]

I don't care if we stop in Belize or not either. I would like to know a day or so before we go if they don't plan to stop there just so I can research the replacement port (if applicable). The other thing I don't want to happen is for the other port days to be moved around.

 

That being said....that is just what I would like. I could stay on the ship for 7 days and not be disappointed to mine will be a great trip regardless!

I absolutely agree with this poster. I don't really care if I go to Belize or not. Been there, done that. Does Carnival really believe Belize will have acceptable tenders available by next Thursday. If they do, please reaffirm me of that. If not, change the port. It would be easier to advise their customers 10 days in advance so there are no surprises on board. In this day and age, Carnival could at least advise their customers with a dated posting on their web site, that the following cruise ships for sail dates listed will most likely not go to Belize. You can then plan accordingly. Clearly some people won't get the message, but most will.

Bernie

[piratesparrow]

The Truth is that Carnival was paying $25,000.000 to tender an entire ship and wanted to cut it down to $13,000.00 almost half, the tender operators are asking for atleast $22,000.00 but Carnival isn't budging.

 

If you want a great day in Belize perhaps you should start looking at RCCL. or NCL.

 

It is time for these huge corporations stop taking advantage of the little people.:mad:

[pitterpattershoppe]

I will agree with this. But then, I wonder whether they don't tell people on purpose so they can trap most of their cruisers into buy cruise excursions at the replacement port.

 

We don't sail until the beginning of March, so I'm trying to figure out which port they are replacing Belize with for the Valor. I'm going to have a back-up plan and call from the previous port to make reservations.

 

-pitterpattershoppe

 

 

I absolutely agree with this poster. I don't really care if I go to Belize or not. Been there, done that. Does Carnival really believe Belize will have acceptable tenders available by next Thursday. If they do, please reaffirm me of that. If not, change the port. It would be easier to advise their customers 10 days in advance so there are no surprises on board. In this day and age, Carnival could at least advise their customers with a dated posting on their web site, that the following cruise ships for sail dates listed will most likely not go to Belize. You can then plan accordingly. Clearly some people won't get the message, but most will.

Bernie

[Snorkel2Much]

I will agree with this. But then, I wonder whether they don't tell people on purpose so they can trap most of their cruisers into buy cruise excursions at the replacement port.

 

We don't sail until the beginning of March, so I'm trying to figure out which port they are replacing Belize with for the Valor. I'm going to have a back-up plan and call from the previous port to make reservations.

 

-pitterpattershoppe

If they announce a change in itinerary prior to sailing for "reasons under Carnival's exclusive control" (a VERY debatable point here), they have to offer the option for people to cancel their cruise without penalty.

 

That's in their contract of carriage as of today, and is why you won't likely be notified prior to sailing.

[kml2000]

Now....THAT makes sense, hadn't thought of that.

[berniez]

If they announce a change in itinerary prior to sailing for "reasons under Carnival's exclusive control" (a VERY debatable point here), they have to offer the option for people to cancel their cruise without penalty.

 

That's in their contract of carriage as of today, and is why you won't likely be notified prior to sailing.

I read that exact statement. Basically, Carnival can claim it is a labor dispute and the problem is not exclusive to Carnival because other lines are doing the same thing in Belize. They can claim Carnival does not have exclusive control because it is an issue between multiple cruise lines and Belize tenders. So the real point is they could still advise passengers in advance where they are going with no issue anyway. Waiting until sailing does totally take them off the hook. Even though they probably know where they are going that day, the lawyers are probably telling Carnival to just wait until the ship has sailed. No chance of being sued that way. Based on what I have read, I suspect both sides have dug in and at least next week, Carnival will not go to Belize.

Bernie

[mumzy1]

Sounds like Carnival is using safety as an excuse, but of course if their price is met then it will be safe again.

 

 

2112-

you have hit the nail on the head. I have been doing alot of searching on the internet about this, because we leave in 3 months and one of our ports is Belize. Pretty sad all the way around, God help the almighty dollar$$$....and who will lose in the end? Surely not the Belize government or CCL. :mad:

[Snorkel2Much]

I read that exact statement. Basically, Carnival can claim it is a labor dispute and the problem is not exclusive to Carnival because other lines are doing the same thing in Belize. They can claim Carnival does not have exclusive control because it is an issue between multiple cruise lines and Belize tenders. So the real point is they could still advise passengers in advance where they are going with no issue anyway. Waiting until sailing does totally take them off the hook. Even though they probably know where they are going that day, the lawyers are probably telling Carnival to just wait until the ship has sailed. No chance of being sued that way. Based on what I have read, I suspect both sides have dug in and at least next week, Carnival will not go to Belize.

Bernie

Lowering the offering price per person tendered and raising the minimum tender size were actions under Carnivals exclusive control, so I might be willing to dispute this point, should I be inclined to cancel my cruise over this. Luckily I have no inclination whatsoever to bail on my cruise in 3 weeks

[triphopcooper]

TENDER OPERATORS ISSUE ULTIMATUM TO CARNIVAL CRUSE LINE

 

January 28, 2011

 

The ongoing saga of the local tender operators versus Carnival Cruise Lines took a dramatic twist today. Fed up with the seemingly unyielding position of the cruise giant, the tender operators today gave Carnival an ultimatum: either work with them or leave Belizean waters. That ultimatum was announced this morning during a press conference called by the Federation of Cruise Tourism Associations, a body that has been lending strong support to the recently formed Tenders Association. Jason Marin is the president of the Tenders Association of Belize.

 

JASON MARIN – President, Belize Tenders Association

“We have been getting BZ$5 per head per capacity of your vessel, from then, sixteen years ago. Diesel was at three something a gallon. From then to now, diesel is almost ten dollars, and we as the operators have observed all those fuel hikes and price raise and everything. And Gru went out there on a limb and Gru took the risk and built bigger boats, to provide a better service to the Cruise Lines coming in, to provide more jobs for the local operators. So the bigger Ship comes in and knew if we could handle the capacity, it would give more work to Belize, to all you guys and to the Tour Operators, but now when Carnival take this turn around and say we want to give you $5.US a head to the Capacity of the Vessel. That’s like us walking back-way like crabs, and say if we accept that, we are going to get one or two dollars Belize per capacity of your vessel at that time. We all know that we can't operate at that rate. If you can explain, one spell it's about the price, it' too expensive, next moment it's about the size of the tenders. The safety of the passengers. So what they're trying to come across now. Safety of the passengers on board our tenders? When they are getting in a smaller boat in the rivers, going to the Cayes, to the reefs. It don't add up. We have to stand up as a Country. The BTB has been behind the tender operators a hundred percent and I am very pleased to see how they move behind us. Miss Matus and Mr. Garbutt, and we can't continue like this, our stand is we stand as a Country to lose yes, but we have a lot of other lines that would want to come in and probably fill in the gap.”

 

President of the Federation Tom ********* says his organization is fully supportive of the stance taken by the Tenders Association.

 

TOM ********* – President, FECTAB

“The nation of Belize has both been blessed and saddened with an Industry that has brought about a way of life, as my favorite phrase goes, from the hair braiding ladies right up to the larger tour operators. I believe that anything that happens in life must be like the stairs going to your house. You don't climb from the top. You start at the bottom. In a nut shell the Federation needs to now bring to the fore all these things and to pass the message very quietly that we are not taking it any more."

 

The government of Belize has attempted to broker an amicable solution to the ongoing crisis and is on record as telling Carnival Cruise Lines that they must involve small and large local tenders in Belize in the ongoing negotiations to arrive at a solution. Sad to say a response from the Cruise Line is still pending.