Typical diversions?

[go^uk]

With the (seemingly endless) threads on the Bermuda/Canada 'problem' I have begun to wonder how common this is?

 

I have booked a med cruise for next year (Brilliance 23/May) and I am not too concerned about skipping a port or an itinery change. This is a cruise to see if I like it - 'dipping a toe in the water' if you will excuse the pun.

 

However, if all goes well, I want to try an Alaska route and maybe others. Is there a listing of diverted/amended itineries - both frequency and possible routes?

 

I have read messages criticising peoples ignorance when it comes to hurricanes etc - I would rather be educated about such factors.

[judy&steve]

We were on a TransAtlantic (Harwich to Boston) on the Grandeur a couple of years ago. High seas and winds kept us from going from Plymouth, England to Cork, Ireland. We were all terribly disappointed. The crossing started a day earlier and we were sailing towards a "Mystery Port". Turned out to be Halifax.:)

 

--Judy

[brn2crz]

Great idea...

 

While I have no personal experience in the Med.I am sure someone will.

 

Basically in the Caribbean,its a wait and see.Usually..the ships will head out on their original course..Unless of course on is bearing down on them.Then they will either head the complete opposite way,(eastern and oppossed to western) and see what happens.Or they will simply follow behind where it was,or skirt around it.If you are sailing say out of Galveston and doing a Western Route (which is all you can do) your choices get limited....But say if it is headed for the Yucatan,they will go east,closer to Key West,Grand Cayman Jamaica.If those Islands are under threat,they will stick to things on the Yucatan.In my opinion,the Eastern Intinerary has much better secondary choices.If you are sailing from Florida,you have a better chance of getting a sucessful trip,as they can go east or west.Sometimes ships will sit in port an extra day,if their direct path out is effected,sometimes an extra day at sea is provided (and no,you don't have to pay for that:) )

I think we all know now...What happens to those on the upper east coast...At least those less than 7 days..Remember,you have to call on at least one foreign port...

Thats when sailing from the US....I would pose your question also on the ports of call board.

Thanks for being informed :D

[jplotts865]

I've never been on a cruise which included a course change en route. They did change our itinerary on a Royal Olympic cruise and told us we'd be stopping at the infamous "Devil's Island" of Papillon fame...my initial reaction was akin to "why are we stopping at some hot, desolate island that used to be a penal colony?" Well...let me tell you...it was fascinating and the island was breathtakingly beautiful. We once could not land at Coco Cay due to rough seas - couldn't tender us in safely - and I could have cared less as I love days "at sea". I have a short trip to the Caymans coming up October 1 and it is still hurricane season so the possibility exists for course changes...I actually don't much care as I have been there and simply love to cruise...even in rough weather! The QM2 from Southampton to New York last September was through a Force 8 gale and was exciting...though the ship rode it out wonderfully...just couldn't go on deck too much (windy and wet). I do hope you enjoy your Mediterranean cruise...it should be delightful but the Mediterranian can, oddly, be rough...depends on how far from shore your ship ventures. We had very rough sailing on the Triton through the Aegean to Istanbul...again...if you like to sail on ships it just adds to the voyage. The sea...and ships...are fascinating. Go...enjoy...go again!

[JerseyGirl23]

Even on the 4-night Majesty of the Seas Bahamas cruise, it is widely reported that the stop and tender to Coco Cay doesn't happen because of high winds. In that case, the stop turns into a "sea day".

[Cruising89143]

I have had it happen to me a couple of times. Both were storms in the Caribbean. Once we only made two ports of call and one of those was shortened due to a tropical storm coming and we had to try and outrun it. Spent three straight days at sea with two of those days not being able to go outside due to all doors being roped off. Not a fun two days but we soon made it to a nicer area and things calmed down weather wise. We had a major uproar with some passengers due to missing a port of call.

 

The other turned out to be a five night cruise to no where due to hurricane Francis. We embarked in one port and had to debark in another.

 

I have had many missing ports due to one reason or another. A medical problem on board where the ship had to go off course or bad weather keeping us from tendering in. I have also had cruises where it rained almost the entire trip. Not fun but you deal with it.

[kenandlaura06]

I have had it happen to me a couple of times. Both were storms in the Caribbean. Once we only made two ports of call and one of those was shortened due to a tropical storm coming and we had to try and outrun it. Spent three straight days at sea with two of those days not being able to go outside due to all doors being roped off. Not a fun two days but we soon made it to a nicer area and things calmed down weather wise. We had a major uproar with some passengers due to missing a port of call.

 

The other turned out to be a five night cruise to no where due to hurricane Francis. We embarked in one port and had to debark in another.

 

I have had many missing ports due to one reason or another. A medical problem on board where the ship had to go off course or bad weather keeping us from tendering in. I have also had cruises where it rained almost the entire trip. Not fun but you deal with it.

 

It seems a positive attitude is priceless!

[tommoore1]

If you go to http://www.cruisejunkie.com/events.html there is a fairly comprehensive listing of things that can go wrong on a cruise. VERY interesting reading...

--Tom

[go^uk]

Tommoore1, thanks for the link... Very interesting, slightly disturbing and quite an addictive read. Maybe I should cancel my cruise - stay at home and watch the travel channel!

[tommoore1]

Well...

You COULD cancel your cruise, etc., but maybe you ought to get yourself a police scanner, and listen to all that goes on RIGHT IN YOUR OWN NEIGHBORHOOD :( !!! I think that, after you listen for a while, you'll decide that a cruise isn't such a bad idea after all.

In some cases ignorance truly is bliss( :) ).

--Tom

[DEL67]

On our 7 night Splendor of the Seas Mediterranean cruise RCCL handed us a note as we boearded the ship telling us we were going to Cannes instead of Villefranche the next day. We were not thrilled since Cannes has little of interest except for the shops and they were basically closed on Sunday. But it was no big deal - we were on a cruise.

[QueensChick]

Last year on AOS...

 

Our scheduled itinerary was:

San Juan - At Sea - Aruba - Curacao - At Sea - St. Maarten - St. Thomas - San Juan

 

Hurricane Ivan had other plans. Our actual itinerary was:

San Juan - At Sea - Aruba - At Sea - St. Lucia - St. Maarten - St. Thomas - San Juan

 

It was wonderful. :)

We spent some time the morning we were supposed to be in Curacao outrunning Ivan, so seas were a bit rough for a few hours. Otherwise, weather was beautiful. Captain and crew did a terrific job keeping us safe and sound.

[go^uk]

Aargh,just typed a message in and somehow lost it... grr...

 

Anyway...

 

kenandlaura06 - you are right... A positive mental attitude is priceless for so many things in life.

 

"A good traveler has no fixed plans and is not intent on arriving." (Lao Tzu)

 

I try an adopt a relaxed attutide. Oddly, I handle major problems (missed connections, lost baggage etc) much better than minor disruptions. Want to annoy me? Swap my seaview room for one overlooking a carpark or screw up my seat reservations fo my girlfriend is sat three rows away...!

 

Saying that, I have never had my travel plans completely changed from my expectations. I would like to think I would handle it better than some commentators on this forum - however, I doubt it. I guess that a Med cruise is far less likely to be so disrupted.

 

(Another favorite quote = "When preparing to travel you should lay out all your clothes and all your money. Then take half the clothes and twice the money". Guess who got a book of quotations for Christmas!?!)