Port of Tampa fog this morning....

[waterbugohio]

Maybe for the nights they spent in a hotel that Rci are covering the charge for.[/quote

 

On Monday when they told us we would not be sailing that day they gave out lists of hotels and told us to "get a room and Royal would pay for it". This was stated more than once by the people at the terminal. We were even given slips of paper with the RCCI number to call for reimbursement.

 

Now Royal is saying that is not the case and only those who booked their air through them would have their room comped!!! I try to be positive in all situations but we feel like we were mislead at the port just to get rid of us.

 

To add insult to injury my Trip Insurance doesn't want to pay for the extra expensives we incurred by having to stay in Tampa for the extra time. They "may" pay for a very small portion but only if I provide them with a ridiculous amount of paperwork. I may not even bother because what she said they would pay os not really worth my time!!

 

But on a good note....we are home safely and we did enjoy our time in Tampa. We have another cruise scheduled on the Brilliance in April.......just praying it will go smoothly.

 

not good at all, so sorry to hear this.

 

Can you share what travel insurance you had?? Can't believe that insurance would not step up in a situation like this. Exactly the reason we all take insurance. Please let us know how you make out. Have you talked to any of the other people from the cruise??

Also can't believe Royal would not be paying. Why would booking choice air have anything to do with canc the cruise. I would be all over this one and asking many many questions. Keep sharing information on here. Lots of others have lots of knowledge and hopefully someone can help you.

 

Also, when did you rebook for April?? We are on in april and would love to meet up.

[Capt_BJ]

reply to a couple of different posts:

 

wrt to rest' at the terminal: the terminals are all very close to Channel Side .... one of those waterfront entertainment developments like Bayside in Miami, or Baltimore's Inner Harbor .. which are successful. Channel Side ..... well last time I was there 'struggling' would be a nice way to put it. But there ARE a handful of places there and I'm SURE they would appreciate your business.

 

wrt to sensors to aid navigation: Tampa Bay has 'em all and more than most ports (as I've already commented). What Tampa Bay and especially the stretch of channel from Egmont Key to the Sunshine Bridge ALSO has is an especially bad history of really bad accidents. That's why they have more sensors than most ports, and a 'cooperative Vessel Traffic System' operated by the state, with USCG participation (cuz the federal government refused to fund it ... same thing exists in San Diego). The state enacted very tight rules for vessel movements in this area after the third incident .... are the rules still needed? May be subject to debate but the fact remains that a ship in pea soup fog makes the Captain's hairs tingle. Been there and KNOW the feeling. I've yet to see a sensor that sees everything . . . airplanes and ships are different beasts and different environments. Your comment is valid and it is not the first time I've heard it ... been a discussion for as long as I was in the CG driving ships and had aviators assigned to my crew!

[Capt_BJ]

wife asked:

 

if you were on the drink package . . .

 

now I know what her priorities would be!

[GTO-Girl]

 

not good at all, so sorry to hear this.

 

Can you share what travel insurance you had?? Can't believe that insurance would not step up in a situation like this. Exactly the reason we all take insurance. Please let us know how you make out. Have you talked to any of the other people from the cruise??

Also can't believe Royal would not be paying. Why would booking choice air have anything to do with canc the cruise. I would be all over this one and asking many many questions. Keep sharing information on here. Lots of others have lots of knowledge and hopefully someone can help you.

 

Also, when did you rebook for April?? We are on in april and would love to meet up.

 

We are booked on the April 11th cruise to Key West & Cozumel. Hopefully things will go smoothly this time.

 

We had never been to Tampa before so these past few days have been a learning experience! But as I said before we would have never found the Marriott Waterside had our cruise not been delayed. (we went ahead and booked them for April while we were there)

 

Honestly we had a good time with our little mini vacation so we are not mad at all. I would never tell the insurance this, but we would have stayed these three days anyway because we were having fun.....LOL

[wyobean]

I am still not understanding why many of you think RC should be responsible for anything other than refunding the cruise amount. Life is not fair and things happen. Sometimes we just have to accept that. They aren't any happier than you are that the cruise was cancelled. Make sure you get insurance and read the fine print so you know exactly what is covered and under what circumstances. We have become a society that thinks there is always someone to blame and they should make it better. We need to get over that.

 

 

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[GTO-Girl]

I am still not understanding why many of you think RC should be responsible for anything other than refunding the cruise amount. Life is not fair and things happen. Sometimes we just have to accept that. They aren't any happier than you are that the cruise was cancelled. Make sure you get insurance and read the fine print so you know exactly what is covered and under what circumstances. We have become a society that thinks there is always someone to blame and they should make it better. We need to get over that.

 

 

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Okay...I try very hard not to post things that come across as ugly BUT what I said was we were TOLD by ROYAL employees what we were to do and that included statements by several employees to "go get a room and we would be reimbursed".

 

What I EXPECT is NOT to be lied to just to get rid of us. I am used to paying my own way and I do not expect anyone to "make it better"! I do have trip insurance but that is beside the point! We spent ALL day Monday hanging around restaurants near the port only to be told to "get a room and come back tomorrow". Then we spent ALL day on Tuesday waiting for information only to be told late afternoon we were cancelled!

 

You were not there, so you really don't know what we went through!

Edited February 25, 2015 by GTO-Girl

[luv2cruiserccl]

Bots still in port at dock

 

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[LEtue]

Maybe for the nights they spent in a hotel that Rci are covering the charge for.[/quote

 

On Monday when they told us we would not be sailing that day they gave out lists of hotels and told us to "get a room and Royal would pay for it". This was stated more than once by the people at the terminal. We were even given slips of paper with the RCCI number to call for reimbursement.

 

Now Royal is saying that is not the case and only those who booked their air through them would have their room comped!!! I try to be positive in all situations but we feel like we were mislead at the port just to get rid of us.

 

To add insult to injury my Trip Insurance doesn't want to pay for the extra expensives we incurred by having to stay in Tampa for the extra time. They "may" pay for a very small portion but only if I provide them with a ridiculous amount of paperwork. I may not even bother because what she said they would pay os not really worth my time!!

 

But on a good note....we are home safely and we did enjoy our time in Tampa. We have another cruise scheduled on the Brilliance in April.......just praying it will go smoothly.

 

Glad you made it home safely and I hope you get things straightened out with RCI. Not sure why any of us ouw bother with insurance to cover these type of trip delays/cancellations either - if they really aren't covered.

 

Please keep posting updates and let us know the insurance company!

[luv2cruiserccl]

 

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[chengkp75]

reply to a couple of different posts:

 

wrt to rest' at the terminal: the terminals are all very close to Channel Side .... one of those waterfront entertainment developments like Bayside in Miami, or Baltimore's Inner Harbor .. which are successful. Channel Side ..... well last time I was there 'struggling' would be a nice way to put it. But there ARE a handful of places there and I'm SURE they would appreciate your business.

 

wrt to sensors to aid navigation: Tampa Bay has 'em all and more than most ports (as I've already commented). What Tampa Bay and especially the stretch of channel from Egmont Key to the Sunshine Bridge ALSO has is an especially bad history of really bad accidents. That's why they have more sensors than most ports, and a 'cooperative Vessel Traffic System' operated by the state, with USCG participation (cuz the federal government refused to fund it ... same thing exists in San Diego). The state enacted very tight rules for vessel movements in this area after the third incident .... are the rules still needed? May be subject to debate but the fact remains that a ship in pea soup fog makes the Captain's hairs tingle. Been there and KNOW the feeling. I've yet to see a sensor that sees everything . . . airplanes and ships are different beasts and different environments. Your comment is valid and it is not the first time I've heard it ... been a discussion for as long as I was in the CG driving ships and had aviators assigned to my crew!

 

Yeah, I'm not sure a can buoy would show up on IR, and given that many aids are converting to LED lights to lower the power required, the heat signature of even lighted aids may not show up well. The deck officers on NCL's Hawaii ships have to wear NVG when transiting whale sanctuaries at night, but that's about the only time I've ever heard of anything like that, and even then that's not IR.

[luv2cruiserccl]

Appears might be more fog

 

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[wyobean]

GTOgirl...I was not really even referring to you as I read your post about what you were told. There have been many comments by people on here about what RC should do and what they or the insurance company should pay for. The fine print on what we accept to go on a cruise spells it out as does the insurance paperwork we receive. If they go beyond the scope of that then great. If you were told something and it didn't pan out that way then it becomes your word against theirs. I guess that will play out how it plays out.

 

 

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[subtchr]

It was a full charter. It was the rock and roll cruise a couple months ago on LOS. The rest, I have no way of knowing, other than them telling me the cruise didn't count toward their C&A status. For what it's worth, they're Emerald and I've cruised with them before, so I do know they're savvy to the C&A system and would know enough to ask.

 

Oh, and they also did the same cruise last year and same thing....no credit.

 

Interesting. My sister and her husband were on the Brilliance. It was their third Buckeye cruise, and they are Platinum on RC. I called her tonight (they got home at 3 am after a 3-hour delay last night for their flight from Tampa to Columbus), and specifically asked if they got C&A points on the Buckeye charter cruises. She said yes, because they would not be Platinum without them, and they received Platinum benefits while on board.

[GTO-Girl]

OMG.....this is too funny!!

 

So as you all know we just spent three days in Tampa trying to sail on the Brilliance, which after two days of delay was finally cancelled due to extremely heavy fog.

 

We drove home to Georgia today to cold, crappy weather. Newscaster just said that tonight parts of our area could be effected by a little known thing called........FREEZING FOG!!!

 

We can't get away from this crap......LOL...:eek:

[waterbugohio]

OMG.....this is too funny!!

 

So as you all know we just spent three days in Tampa trying to sail on the Brilliance, which after two days of delay was finally cancelled due to extremely heavy fog.

 

We drove home to Georgia today to cold, crappy weather. Newscaster just said that tonight parts of our area could be effected by a little known thing called........FREEZING FOG!!!

 

We can't get away from this crap......LOL...:eek:

 

haha, agree, it is following you.

 

However, We get "freezing fog" here is Ohio a couple of times a winter. Make sure to have a camera ready in the early morning. The fog moves in early and then it freezes to the trees. It is absolutely beautiful when the sun starts to break thru!!!

[CptSticky]

Maybe for the nights they spent in a hotel that Rci are covering the charge for.[/quote

 

On Monday when they told us we would not be sailing that day they gave out lists of hotels and told us to "get a room and Royal would pay for it". This was stated more than once by the people at the terminal. We were even given slips of paper with the RCCI number to call for reimbursement.

 

Now Royal is saying that is not the case and only those who booked their air through them would have their room comped!!! I try to be positive in all situations but we feel like we were mislead at the port just to get rid of us.

 

To add insult to injury my Trip Insurance doesn't want to pay for the extra expensives we incurred by having to stay in Tampa for the extra time. They "may" pay for a very small portion but only if I provide them with a ridiculous amount of paperwork. I may not even bother because what she said they would pay os not really worth my time!!

 

But on a good note....we are home safely and we did enjoy our time in Tampa. We have another cruise scheduled on the Brilliance in April.......just praying it will go smoothly.

This is almost exactly the same cr*p that they tried to pull when the Serenade had to sail early out of San Juan due to a hurricane. They only wanted to pay rooms for those with Choice Air (side note, Carnival did the right thing from day one). After a week of complaints here on CC they back tracked and paid for hotels and air changes. I think that in order to be promoted to upper levels of Royal it's a requirement to own a green eye shade.

[RDC1]

Okay...I try very hard not to post things that come across as ugly BUT what I said was we were TOLD by ROYAL employees what we were to do and that included statements by several employees to "go get a room and we would be reimbursed".

 

What I EXPECT is NOT to be lied to just to get rid of us. I am used to paying my own way and I do not expect anyone to "make it better"! I do have trip insurance but that is beside the point! We spent ALL day Monday hanging around restaurants near the port only to be told to "get a room and come back tomorrow". Then we spent ALL day on Tuesday waiting for information only to be told late afternoon we were cancelled!

 

You were not there, so you really don't know what we went through!

 

It would make sense that they would reimburse the Monday night, because at that time the cruise had not been canceled and everybody expected to board on Tuesday. The cancellation occurred on Tuesday after the extra expenses were incurred.

 

I can see how the problem developed. The RCL employees at the time were also expecting the cruise to take place and as such were probably following procedure and direction from above when they provided the information.

 

Now the way that I try to address this with the insurance company is that the costs were incurred after you arrived for the cruise, and prior to cancellation at the companies direction. I think that might fall into a different category then expenses after the cancellation or normal travel expenses not paid to the cruise line before and after. I think this would be trip interruption and not trip cancellation portion of the insurance. Might be worth a try.

 

I would also take that tact with RCL as well.

 

Now from RCL's perspective if they had immediately made the decision to cancel then the offer they made (refund plus 25% FCC) is pretty standard. What is unique in this case is the 24 hour delay before cancellation.

Edited February 26, 2015 by RDC1

[kimkatmom]

We will be sailing Vision April 4th and We are flying in the morning of the cruise and flying out the afternoon we arrive back. I am getting very nervous with all this fog. Will fog be a problem in April?

[cruisequeen4ever]

Hotel nights should be paid for by Royal Caribbean because they said they would and because it's the right thing to do. Not all pax can necessarily high tail it out of town same day. It may likely take a few days to get everyone home. All expenses should be paid by Royal Caribbean in my opinion. Flight change fees need to be paid for, too. I know cruise lines can't control the weather, but goodwill assistance goes a long way with customer loyalty!

[FirstTeacher]

We're sailing on the Brilliance in late April out of Tampa. Can I expect the fog to be an issue then?

[bigeck]

It would make sense that they would reimburse the Monday night, because at that time the cruise had not been canceled and everybody expected to board on Tuesday. The cancellation occurred on Tuesday after the extra expenses were incurred.

 

I can see how the problem developed. The RCL employees at the time were also expecting the cruise to take place and as such were probably following procedure and direction from above when they provided the information.

 

Now the way that I try to address this with the insurance company is that the costs were incurred after you arrived for the cruise, and prior to cancellation at the companies direction. I think that might fall into a different category then expenses after the cancellation or normal travel expenses not paid to the cruise line before and after. I think this would be trip interruption and not trip cancellation portion of the insurance. Might be worth a try.

 

I would also take that tact with RCL as well.

 

Now from RCL's perspective if they had immediately made the decision to cancel then the offer they made (refund plus 25% FCC) is pretty standard. What is unique in this case is the 24 hour delay before cancellation.

 

You went to a port for a cruise. The cruise wasn't ready. You waited until a final decision was made. They should cover the time you are waiting. Choice Air or not.

In the end they made the correct decision as the fog continued.

I'm usually against giving compensation for the slightest thing but this time it is justified.

[Biker19]

Since it was news to me it might be to others as well: the "Current Position" for the Brilliance on the often used German online TA (used by many to monitor inventory) shows the ship between Georgetown and Cozumel. The default setting is to show location by schedule (which obviosuly has not been updated with the cancellation) not actual location.:eek:

[luv2cruiserccl]

Since it was news to me it might be to others as well: the "Current Position" for the Brilliance on the often used German online TA (used by many to monitor inventory) shows the ship between Georgetown and Cozumel. The default setting is to show location by schedule (which obviosuly has not been updated with the cancellation) not actual location.:eek:

Still in port as of 530am

 

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[BillB48]

We're sailing on the Brilliance in late April out of Tampa. Can I expect the fog to be an issue then?

 

I am not a weather forecaster and I don't play one on TV either;):D! I don't think that time of year is as bad for potential fog as it is around this time of year with the present temps and dew points. Just keep an eye on the low temps and dew points... as long as they don't match each other, the chance for fog is poor. But this is Florida... don't like the weather... wait a minute!

[TravelerThom]

Since it was news to me it might be to others as well: the "Current Position" for the Brilliance on the often used German online TA (used by many to monitor inventory) shows the ship between Georgetown and Cozumel. The default setting is to show location by schedule (which obviosuly has not been updated with the cancellation) not actual location.:eek:

Yes, I noticed that last night on that site:rolleyes: