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How often does a ship miss Grand Cayman?

cruiseapril

By cruiseapril,
in Cayman Islands

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Cindy

Cindy

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Posted (edited)

We've missed it twice in 7 cruises, and one other time we went to an alternate tendering spot that was in a more sheltered location.

 

It's a pretty long haul from Cayman across to Cozumel. On one cruise when we missed Grand Cayman we got in to Cozumel a little early, but missing the port equals a sea day.

Edited by Cindy
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cruzeluver

cruzeluver

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We are two for four making it to Grand Cayman. Both times we missed it were in the fall and both times we made it were in the Spring. First time we missed it we just had an additional sea day. Second time the captain knew well in advance that we would not make it and arranged an additional day in Cozumel so we ended up with two days there. But we did not stay docked overnight.

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drew sailbum

drew sailbum

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It's an oft asked question. And there is usually a tendency of posters to post the anecdote of when they missed the port. Those who made their scheduled port call are less likely to post about it (though I'm glad to see some doing exactly that). As such these threads suffer from a selection bias.

 

Less than 5% of the days are blown out. That is a standard the cruise industry insists upon to continue to tender to a port.

 

If the port is unaccessible due to weather it is most often during the peak cruise season (from Thanksgiving to mids-April). Occasional cold fronts dropping down out of the Gulf of Mexico that time of year may bring northwest winds.

 

But because blown out days are more common during peak season they are more likely to affect multiple ships. So there might be 2 days in a month where ships can't make port but that might mean 12 ships didn't make it in. :(

 

Owing to the island's geography it is not clear that the long await pier project will in any way eliminate the possibility of missing due to bad weather.

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Krissica

Krissica

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Hi- Wondering how often a ship misses Grand Cayman due to waves?

 

If RCI does miss GC- do they ever overnight in Cozumel? Thanks

 

We cruised to GC on Carnival this past December. We did get to port, but however all of the excursions were cancelled except for 1 or 2 due to the waves, and we didn't find out until we got to port.

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mrsfuzzmo

mrsfuzzmo

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We had to tender from the opposite side of the island one time and we missed our excursion. That was in February and we also missed Jamaica. We waved as we sailed by.

 

We were on that one as well!! Tendered at Spotts, cancelled all excursions, and sailed into Jamaica and back out......very sad day.

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mrsfuzzmo

mrsfuzzmo

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I've cruised into Cayman 6 or 7 times and only missed 1 time, and had to tender from Spotts one other time.

 

No, you will not get an overnight in Cozumel. They will just cruise slower to the next port, so you'll have a day at sea.

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bus man

bus man

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I'm 2 for 2 making it, once in January and the other in October. On that latter one, they rushed us getting out because a hurricane was approaching; the ship was actually turning around to leave as the last tenders came along side.

 

I'm REALLY hoping to make it 3 for 3 next week, as my kids (who have not yet been) are eagerly anticipating the Turtle Farm and Stingray City.

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pghsteelerfan

pghsteelerfan

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We just got off Carnival Liberty yesterday and missed our scheduled stop in Grand Cayman this past Thursday (4/10/14). We were told by the captain that they tried to get to Spott's but conditions there were no better. We're 1 for 2 on Grand Cayman, so for us it's 50%. Hope those cruising the Western Caribbean this week have better luck with sea conditions.

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bus man

bus man

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I'm now 3 for 3 making Grand Cayman. Woo-hoo!

 

Our tour guide said that in the prior week, they had missed four days worth of business due to rough seas . . . as the prior posters experienced. I would like to think that the local government would be spurred by the economic impact of missed ships to build a pier, but I suppose there's a compelling reason why they haven't.

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  • 4 weeks later...
iluvcruzin

iluvcruzin

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What happens if you have an excursion booked and you can't make it because of weather? Do you get a refund?

 

If you booked through the cruiseline, you will get refunded. If you did independent, check the terms of the tour. Most will refund if the ship doesn't stop.

 

We didn't stop a few times due to seas being too rough to tender. As I recall it was the fall months. Most of the time we are able to stop. For the first poster back in March, this may be a late answer but once on RC we stopped in Key West as an alternative.

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