RCCL just changed our itinereary!

[wantocruisemore]

We are booked on Brilliance OTS Dubai-Rome 4/19/2012, which has 3 ports (4 days) in Egypt, and have heard nothing from RCCL about changes. Does anyone have any info to the contrary?

 

I just looked on the website and your cruise seems to reflect the same itinerary you booked, but you may want to double check.

 

We didn't hear anything from RCCL about our ports being changed. I found out when I was checking prices. I just can't figure why some of the ports changed from Corsica to Monte Carlo and some didn't; and when they changed Tunis some go to Valencia and some to Sardinia. Unfortunately the one we are booked goes now to Valencia and Monte Carlo, neither of which we want.

And we can't change to the Corsica/Sardinia date because of my DD's college scholarship job requirements.

 

The earlier Mariner cruise that changed from Israel/Egypt to Instanbul/Rhodes actually interests us. I would just have to take one DD out of high school those 2 weeks. But on the website it shows N/A for booking. Guess I need to call.

[Desertbelle]

There is no guarantee that even once you are onboard the ship they won't change the itinerary, it happens all the time.

 

On our cruise a couple of years ago from England to the Norwegian Fjords, they took Paris (Harve) off the itinerary and we didn't find out until we were checking in. Instead they substituted a stop in Cherbough, France. And though I was so disappointed in not seeing Paris (I have never been there) I have to say that our experience in Cherbough was one of the best cruise stops we have ever done. And if it wasn't for that itinerary change I would have never gone there....would never of thought of ever going there.

[old sole]

I just looked on the website and your cruise seems to reflect the same itinerary you booked, but you may want to double check.

 

I called and was told that my sailing is not affected and is still sailing the original itinerary. I asked what was different about this one which is in the same time frame as Vision and Mariner cruises that have been changed to avoid Egypt - and was told that they do have concerns about Alexandria in particular but had "arranged additional security" for this cruise since as a repositioning cruise it was not as easy to arrange an alternate itinerary as it is for those others. Sounds like hokum to me. I will be checking frequently and I guess I expect at this point to have a change. Skipping Alexandria is one thing, but if they also skip Safaga and Sharm El Sheik the itinerary is pretty much blown to h*** and not worth it for us. Thank goodness we haven't booked air yet.

[Cotswold Eagle]

I called and was told that my sailing is not affected and is still sailing the original itinerary. I asked what was different about this one which is in the same time frame as Vision and Mariner cruises that have been changed to avoid Egypt - and was told that they do have concerns about Alexandria in particular but had "arranged additional security" for this cruise since as a repositioning cruise it was not as easy to arrange an alternate itinerary as it is for those others. Sounds like hokum to me. I will be checking frequently and I guess I expect at this point to have a change. Skipping Alexandria is one thing, but if they also skip Safaga and Sharm El Sheik the itinerary is pretty much blown to h*** and not worth it for us. Thank goodness we haven't booked air yet.

 

Not wanting to be a merchant of doom, but that itinerary has to be a gamble. It's the equivalent repo to the one with mass disappointment and cancellations earlier this year, which I think ended up with more sea days than most transatlantics. I hope it all works out for you and that you knew the risks!

[LPCKG]

This ever happen to anyone? .

 

Yes - we sail on Mariner a couple of weeks after you by the looks and were notified about this change only last week. Like you we will stop in Valencia instead of Tunis (which we are really pleased about as we weren't overly bothered about that port). However they have swapped Corsica for Cannes which is a great disappointment.

 

The Arab Spring began in Tunisia in January I suspect that may have played a part in any changes to the itinerary's.

[LPCKG]

We sail on Mariner a couple of weeks after you by the looks and were notified about this change only last week. Like you we will stop in Valencia instead of Tunis (which we are really pleased about as we weren't overly bothered about that port). However they have swapped Corsica for Cannes which is a great disappointment.

 

The Arab Spring began in Tunisia in January I suspect that may have played a part in any changes to the itinerary's. Tunisia is having it's first free election in history today so things may or may not be unsettled for sometime to come may the the uncertainity has led to the change.

[Mines]

All cruise lines play the same game, and if one considers that a port of call is potentially unsafe or undesirable, the others will almost certainly do the same.

 

We called at Alexandria last year just two months before the revolution and we were really disappointed with the port. I can certainly say to all of you that are disappointed that RCL has taken away Egypt, you are better off not going there for the moment. Hopefully this fascinating country will establish an efficient regime and be welcoming to tourists in the near future and cruise ships can go back there. But for the moment, you are all missing nothing - be patient and rebook Egypt in a few years time when it recovers.

 

In the meantime, take advantage of the alternative ports that have been chosen - in the present climate, you are much better off there.

 

As for Cannes against Corsica, for me it is a no brainer - Cannes is a much better stop - but to each his own.

[Priusprof]

I just looked on the website and your cruise seems to reflect the same itinerary you booked, but you may want to double check.

 

We didn't hear anything from RCCL about our ports being changed. I found out when I was checking prices. I just can't figure why some of the ports changed from Corsica to Monte Carlo and some didn't; and when they changed Tunis some go to Valencia and some to Sardinia. Unfortunately the one we are booked goes now to Valencia and Monte Carlo, neither of which we want.

And we can't change to the Corsica/Sardinia date because of my DD's college scholarship job requirements.

 

The earlier Mariner cruise that changed from Israel/Egypt to Instanbul/Rhodes actually interests us. I would just have to take one DD out of high school those 2 weeks. But on the website it shows N/A for booking. Guess I need to call.

My agent told me that until everything sorts out with who is staying and who is cancelling RCCL is not booking these two cruises. May 16 and May 28 people have another few days to decide what they are going to do. We told our agent that we are staying on the cruise. I have been told that 11/1 is when they will start booking again. I don't know if that is true but that is what my agent told me.

[old sole]

All cruise lines play the same game, and if one considers that a port of call is potentially unsafe or undesirable, the others will almost certainly do the same.

 

We called at Alexandria last year just two months before the revolution and we were really disappointed with the port. I can certainly say to all of you that are disappointed that RCL has taken away Egypt, you are better off not going there for the moment. Hopefully this fascinating country will establish an efficient regime and be welcoming to tourists in the near future and cruise ships can go back there. But for the moment, you are all missing nothing - be patient and rebook Egypt in a few years time when it recovers.

 

Well, Princess, NCL, Costa, MSC, P&O, Cunard and others resumed calling on Egypt this summer after a few months of re-routing to other ports despite RCCL's cancelling all Egypt stops in February for the remainder of 2011 (and now extended into 2012), so the evidence suggests that they do not all certainly do the same.

 

I'm sorry you didn't enjoy Alexandria. We took an overnight excursion from there last December to Cairo and Giza and missed doing anything at the port city itself. We were so impressed with Egypt though that we are anxious to go back. There are many things we wanted to see in Alexandria that we didn't get to because of time and we have booked an Egypt-intensive repo cruise (on RCCL) next April primarily for the Egypt stops and the Suez Canal transit. So far at least, RCCL has not changed that itinerary and I hope they don't. At some point in your life, patience is no longer a virtue when it comes to planning long and potentially strenuous trips!

[EGG]

We have been on a port stop at Corsica and it is fine if you like statues of Napoleon on a horse. Otherwise, the other French ports I have been to are more interesting.