Jessie2013 Posted December 12, 2014 #1 Share Posted December 12, 2014 I'm on FOS that departs Sunday, I'm already in FL. Our itinerary was Coco Cay, St Thomas from 12-7 and St. Maarten all day. I am traveling with a 4 year old and my in laws that can't walk much. We aren't into beaches or lots of shopping- but rather want a tour of the islands, some shopping, checking out cool sites, etc. I had booked a private tour (godfreys) for st Maarten all day and a 2-3 hour tour in st Thomas to go up to paradise point (I think that's what it's called) and some stopping at scenic spots and shopping. Now, our itinerary has eliminated Coco Cay, made St Maarten only a half day (8-1) and 7 am - 7 pm at St Thomas. What can I do in st Thomas all day long that would satisfy my group? Can I cancel the tour we had booked due to the time change? Yes, I'll still be on the island but I'll want something that is more all day long instead of just 2-3 hours. I will need to cancel my St Maarten tour, as it was an all day thing. What can I do for just a few hours there? I'm so thankful we are still going to visit both places, but really disappointed that I have such short notice to make changes (I'm already on vacation). Many thanks in advance for your help!! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phoenix1181 Posted December 12, 2014 #2 Share Posted December 12, 2014 Talk to your vendors & reverse what you've scheduled. Change St Maarten to a 2-3 hour tour & St Thomas to all day. Staying onboard while in port can be quite enjoyable............... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GTO-Girl Posted December 12, 2014 #3 Share Posted December 12, 2014 I'm on FOS that departs Sunday, I'm already in FL. Our itinerary was Coco Cay, St Thomas from 12-7 and St. Maarten all day. I am traveling with a 4 year old and my in laws that can't walk much. We aren't into beaches or lots of shopping- but rather want a tour of the islands, some shopping, checking out cool sites, etc. I had booked a private tour (godfreys) for st Maarten all day and a 2-3 hour tour in st Thomas to go up to paradise point (I think that's what it's called) and some stopping at scenic spots and shopping. Now, our itinerary has eliminated Coco Cay, made St Maarten only a half day (8-1) and 7 am - 7 pm at St Thomas. What can I do in st Thomas all day long that would satisfy my group? Can I cancel the tour we had booked due to the time change? Yes, I'll still be on the island but I'll want something that is more all day long instead of just 2-3 hours. I will need to cancel my St Maarten tour, as it was an all day thing. What can I do for just a few hours there? I'm so thankful we are still going to visit both places, but really disappointed that I have such short notice to make changes (I'm already on vacation). Many thanks in advance for your help!! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Wow...did they give a reason for skipping Cocoa Cay? The times we have missed it was last minute due to weather or rough seas. With only a 1/2 day in St Martin you still might consider a tour.....it's a neat island. I would recommend contacting Bernards Tours and see if he can put anything together for your group as a private tour. He is very popular with cruisers and he is great! St Thomas is not a huge island so I can't see doing a tour for all day, especially since your group does not like the beach or shopping. I would contact Godfrey again for suggestions Have fun!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ken at the beach Posted December 12, 2014 #4 Share Posted December 12, 2014 Wow...did they give a reason for skipping Cocoa Cay? The times we have missed it was last minute due to weather or rough seas. With only a 1/2 day in St Martin you still might consider a tour.....it's a neat island. I would recommend contacting Bernards Tours and see if he can put anything together for your group as a private tour. He is very popular with cruisers and he is great! St Thomas is not a huge island so I can't see doing a tour for all day, especially since your group does not like the beach or shopping. I would contact Godfrey again for suggestions Have fun!!! They removed the propellers from the centre azipod in Nassau a week and a half ago and now they can't make full speed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruisegirl1 Posted December 12, 2014 #5 Share Posted December 12, 2014 That is a significant change in itinerary. From a seven day cruise with three ports to a seven day cruise with one and a half days of port stops. I hope you get your tours worked out. M Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cb at sea Posted December 13, 2014 #6 Share Posted December 13, 2014 Frankly, there are no "must sees" on any of the islands, IMO. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dalton51 Posted December 13, 2014 #7 Share Posted December 13, 2014 Thats a pretty big change. Did they compensate you anything? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jessie2013 Posted December 13, 2014 Author #8 Share Posted December 13, 2014 Wow...did they give a reason for skipping Cocoa Cay? The times we have missed it was last minute due to weather or rough seas. With only a 1/2 day in St Martin you still might consider a tour.....it's a neat island. I would recommend contacting Bernards Tours and see if he can put anything together for your group as a private tour. He is very popular with cruisers and he is great! St Thomas is not a huge island so I can't see doing a tour for all day, especially since your group does not like the beach or shopping. I would contact Godfrey again for suggestions Have fun!!! Sorry, typo originally....it's Bernard's that our all day St Maarten tour was booked through. I'm contacting him now. $380 for a private tour was a significant expense, but we felt well worth it, but now I'm not spending $380 for just a few hours. Is St. John's just beachy? I really enjoy being off the ship....I have no idea what to do all day in St.Thomas.... Just called RCCL, we are a balcony room and being credited $100 per stateroom. Considering I'm now handling this while on vacation, and RCCL has known for weeks that something to happen, $100 isn't impressing me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ken at the beach Posted December 13, 2014 #9 Share Posted December 13, 2014 Sorry, typo originally....it's Bernard's that our all day St Maarten tour was booked through. I'm contacting him now. $380 for a private tour was a significant expense, but we felt well worth it, but now I'm not spending $380 for just a few hours. Is St. John's just beachy? I really enjoy being off the ship....I have no idea what to do all day in St.Thomas.... Just called RCCL, we are a balcony room and being credited $100 per stateroom. Considering I'm now handling this while on vacation, and RCCL has known for weeks that something to happen, $100 isn't impressing me. Wow, $100 OBC. That's kind of a joke for only having a day and a half of ports. The first cruise to the Bahamas where they removed the propellers received $450 for a balcony and a 25% future cruise credit. That cruise made it to Nassau, Cozumel and Coco Cay. Something's definitely not right. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jessie2013 Posted December 13, 2014 Author #10 Share Posted December 13, 2014 Wow, $100 OBC. That's kind of a joke for only having a day and a half of ports. The first cruise to the Bahamas where they removed the propellers received $450 for a balcony and a 25% future cruise credit. That cruise made it to Nassau, Cozumel and Coco Cay. Something's definitely not right. Anything that can be done about that? Does my TA have any pull for OBC? I know I'm going on a cruise and I'm grateful for that, but is is a retirement gift for my in laws, a type of vacation they will likely never take again. I've planned it for over a year and RCCL has had ample time to give us more advanced notice.....I'm so frustrated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ken at the beach Posted December 13, 2014 #11 Share Posted December 13, 2014 Anything that can be done about that? Does my TA have any pull for OBC? I know I'm going on a cruise and I'm grateful for that, but is is a retirement gift for my in laws, a type of vacation they will likely never take again. I've planned it for over a year and RCCL has had ample time to give us more advanced notice.....I'm so frustrated. mbayley@rccl.com New President and CEO of RCI Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dalton51 Posted December 13, 2014 #12 Share Posted December 13, 2014 With your itinerary change, did it mention anything about the return time to Port Canaveral being changed? Also agree that 100$ OBC is a joke. And agree that RCCL could communicate with this issue better. We called to see if there were any changes for ours leaving Dec 21st and they had zero information. Couldn't even advise if the trips FOS was on now had any changes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dalton51 Posted December 13, 2014 #13 Share Posted December 13, 2014 (edited) Double post. Edited December 13, 2014 by Dalton51 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jessie2013 Posted December 13, 2014 Author #14 Share Posted December 13, 2014 With your itinerary change, did it mention anything about the return time to Port Canaveral being changed? Also agree that 100$ OBC is a joke. And agree that RCCL could communicate with this issue better. We called to see if there were any changes for ours leaving Dec 21st and they had zero information. Couldn't even advise if the trips FOS was on now had any changes. It gets better. So I logged into my cruise account and noticed my Chops reservation was missing. I thought with all the changes, perhaps things were lost, so I contacted RCCL again tonight. I've spoke to 3 different reps now and all have confirmed the itinerary change but only the 1st mentioned an OBC. The other two said there is not an OBC. I find that hard to believe, so I guess we'll continue to wait and see. Both reps said that the passengers will be notified of the changes at the pier. Their website isn't updated to reflect the changes either. There was zero effort put forth to notify us in advance. So disappointed. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jessie2013 Posted December 13, 2014 Author #15 Share Posted December 13, 2014 Oops- to answer your question- the arrival and departure for the cruise are the same. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dalton51 Posted December 13, 2014 #16 Share Posted December 13, 2014 (edited) Oops- to answer your question- the arrival and departure for the cruise are the same. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Yea I think this is sad sad sad. The have known for a couple weeks now that the ship isn't right. It's just sad. 100 dollars REALLY RCCL. Yall are missing a whole port. I wouldn't be happy either. It's kinda a shame really. Keep us updated please. Edited December 13, 2014 by Dalton51 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Redsfan Posted December 13, 2014 #17 Share Posted December 13, 2014 On our sailing of Nov 30th on Freedom we were compensated much better than this one. We also missed one of the Headliner marquee performances of Beattlemania because they missed the ship in Cozumel (apparently...)..hopefully entertainment doesn't get affected on all these cruises that are changing.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
molly361 Posted December 13, 2014 #18 Share Posted December 13, 2014 With your itinerary change, did it mention anything about the return time to Port Canaveral being changed? Also agree that 100$ OBC is a joke. And agree that RCCL could communicate with this issue better. We called to see if there were any changes for ours leaving Dec 21st and they had zero information. Couldn't even advise if the trips FOS was on now had any changes. The arrival time in PC should be the same. That is why they are now leaving St Martin at 1pm, so they have enough time to make it back Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
molly361 Posted December 13, 2014 #19 Share Posted December 13, 2014 (edited) Just called RCCL, we are a balcony room and being credited $100 per stateroom. Considering I'm now handling this while on vacation, and RCCL has known for weeks that something to happen, $100 isn't impressing me. That does not seem fair. I know that they do not have to give you anything, but they gave more than that to the people on the Oasis back in June for being 3 hours late getting into St. Thomas. Edited December 13, 2014 by molly361 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FLACRUISER99 Posted December 13, 2014 #20 Share Posted December 13, 2014 That does not seem fair. I know that they do not have to give you anything, but they gave more than that to the people on the Oasis back in June for being 3 hours late getting into St. Thomas.Agreed, but that's one of RCI's major problems they are very inconsistent. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
138east Posted December 13, 2014 #21 Share Posted December 13, 2014 Consider Coral World on St. Thomas to kill a good part of the day. Coki beach is right there. With a Coral World admission I believe you get access to lockers and restrooms. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beautiful.thing Posted December 13, 2014 #22 Share Posted December 13, 2014 (edited) That does not seem fair. I know that they do not have to give you anything, but they gave more than that to the people on the Oasis back in June for being 3 hours late getting into St. Thomas. They really did that? We got into St Thomas 2hrs late on Freedom back in April and it really ruined the day. They were already having some propulsion problems then and combined with really strong winds we were very late getting in. It was chaos when we got off the ship trying to get all of the excursions out at once. By the time our ship sponsored excursion got to Megan's Bay it was after 5pm and was a total waste and joke. No compensation at all. I hope our sailing next week on FOS doesn't turn into a major fiasco. They is really no point in my mind in being at any port for less than 8hrs. Anyting less just isn't worth doing. Edited December 13, 2014 by beautiful.thing Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dalton51 Posted December 13, 2014 #23 Share Posted December 13, 2014 They really did that? We got into St Thomas 2hrs late on Freedom back in April and it really ruined the day. They were already having some propulsion problems then and combined with really strong winds we were very late getting in. It was chaos when we got off the ship trying to get all of the excursions out at once. By the time our ship sponsored excursion got to Megan's Bay it was after 5pm and was a total waste and joke. No compensation at all. I hope our sailing next week on FOS doesn't turn into a major fiasco. They is really no point in my mind in being at any port for less than 8hrs. Anyting less just isn't worth doing. Agree. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruisegirl1 Posted December 13, 2014 #24 Share Posted December 13, 2014 To me, the OP's situation really stinks. A few hours in St Marteen is a joke and I don't consider that a reasonable amount of time in port. I can't imagine any excursion, even those offered by the cruise line, that can have you back in time. They have basically one port for a 7 night cruise? I hope there is some financial consideration for the passengers. M Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dalton51 Posted December 14, 2014 #25 Share Posted December 14, 2014 X2 couldn't agree anymore. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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