What is there to do in Caribbean Port over nights?

[Morganmanx]

Don't forget that Celebrity saves $$$ by sitting still and not burning fuel, avoiding port fees, and more profit on excursions.

[villauk]

Provides options for those wha are in fear of being murdered at night on the island.

 

Also, if one goes on the island, they can see the real folkloric people in the island, no need to see them on the ship as well.

 

I hadn't thought about the ability to bring entertainment ON the ship on a late night/overnight departure, yet another benefit, and something I've seen many post in these forums about wanting "local" entertainment on the ship. Overnights certainly provide for that, I have to assume it's part of the plan to take advantage of it.

 

I have been on sailings where they boarded local entertainment for poolside during the day in port, same idea here. I think in Bermuda too, Summit brought some on, with its 3 nights.

 

Curt, from reading the posts on here, many of the pre changed cruises were not due to leave port until 11pm/midnight anyway, so were X considering bringing local groups on to the ship before this change; there would have been enough time to present a show?

 

I'm unsure if you have sailed in Europe (obviously your signature shows some TAs, which are of course entirely different), but most overnights are in cities/places where sightseeing is of the utmost importance - hence, the large amount of posts on these boards quoting how they are very long days when taking a European cruise. It's not about lounging on the beaches during the day, it's absorbing as much as you can in a short period of time - therefore, one day is just not enough to even scratch the surface. Compare the land areas of some of these small islands with that of even small areas in Europe and you will see the difference. At first, they maybe popular, as you say 'to experience the local culture during the evening', however, if they continue with the same itineraries over many years (as they have done in the past) and you have overnights every time you visit the same islands, I feel you soon will have exhausted your options. I read many posts saying they are already bored with visiting some of these islands, surely this will happen much sooner if you are spending more time on just one island? Perhaps, in the future, X will consider doing what it does with Bermuda: docking once for longer periods - a floating hotel - who knows?

 

Another thought, perhaps this is the way X are further trying to change their demographics? As from our previous X cruise experiences, I can't imagine that most of the pax I have sailed with would want to be out until 2/3am in the morning - they may have been fun, but the Ibiza party crowd they were not :eek:!

Edited June 7, 2015 by villauk

[wallie5446]

Welcome to Cruise Critic!

Always good to see new members.

 

Don't forget that Celebrity saves $$$ by sitting still and not burning fuel, avoiding port fees, and more profit on excursions.

 

RCCL/Celebrity does not own any of the tour business. They are all owned and operated by people that live there.

 

On our next cruise all 4 of the tours we have set up, were booked direct with the owner of the Co, not a single one thru the ship. In Barbados we have 24 on the 2 Cat's they operate. The cruise line gets no $$.

[janewe]

Welcome to Cruise Critic!

Always good to see new members.

 

 

 

RCCL/Celebrity does not own any of the tour business. They are all owned and operated by people that live there.

 

On our next cruise all 4 of the tours we have set up, were booked direct with the owner of the Co, not a single one thru the ship. In Barbados we have 24 on the 2 Cat's they operate. The cruise line gets no $$.

They may not own Tour businesses but they get a substantial cut on their Tours. Why else would the Celebrity organized Tours be up to double or more that of the private tours?

 

When the person from Celebrity called me yesterday in response to my email she said in addition to what they were offering at present they were in the process of setting up a wine tasting tour in Curacao (hopefully that's not out in the open after dark as the mosquitoes can be awful and the Chikungunya virus is still being reported). I felt all along that Bonaire was not a Tour generating revenue stop for them and they can make more money out of Curacao. It's all about the money with Celebrity but I for one don't like to be treated this way and I will think twice about booking with them again.

[wallie5446]

They may not own Tour businesses but they get a substantial cut on their Tours. Why else would the Celebrity organized Tours be up to double or more that of the private tours?

 

When the person from Celebrity called me yesterday in response to my email she said in addition to what they were offering at present they were in the process of setting up a wine tasting tour in Curacao (hopefully that's not out in the open after dark as the mosquitoes can be awful and the Chikungunya virus is still being reported). I felt all along that Bonaire was not a Tour generating revenue stop for them and they can make more money out of Curacao. It's all about the money with Celebrity but I for one don't like to be treated this way and I will think twice about booking with them again.

 

I understand as I got my first real tax withholding pay check in 1968, and every job I have had since has been about the money. I don't work for peanuts, let alone for nothing. Why should Celebrity?

 

Last yr we only booked one tour out of 6 stops thru the ship, that was in Panama. Glad we did, as it was 2 hours late getting back. 2 other couples were not so luckie.

 

Having tried 7 diff lines over the years, with all their faults, the on ship product delivered by X, has been better enough to have us return. The ship is our main destination these days.

 

Sorry your vacation has been disrupted, hope you are able to find a suitable replacement that fills the void Celebrity has left.

EW

Edited June 7, 2015 by wallie5446

[GottaKnowWhen]

... if one goes on the island, they can see the real folkloric people in the island, no need to see them on the ship as well.... I've seen many post in these forums about wanting "local" entertainment on the ship. Overnights certainly provide for that, ...

 

We spent a week on Ste. Marteen a few years ago, a beachfront time-share condo in Phillipsburg. It was fun sitting on the balcony in the morning, sipping coffee and watching the cruise ships round the point to come into the port. It was really great at the end of the day watching the ships leave! We could walk on Front Street without shouldaring our way through crowds, we could walk into a restaurant and be seated without a wait, etc.

 

Larger ports may be able to handle the sudden influx of hundreds if not thousands of new cruise-ship late-nighters, but smaller ones will struggle and the character will change. I predict more "local" establishments like Señor Frogs. It will be interesting to see how this plays out. But I wouldn't want to be in Phillipsburg in the evening with a few thousand cruisers.

[janewe]

I don't expect Celebrity to work for peanuts. All I really wanted was them to give us the facts, something like "we are sorry to deprive you of one of the Islands you booked and paid for so we can spend two days in another Island instead that will be a better excursion revenue generator for us".

Edited June 7, 2015 by janewe

[dodger1964]

For us once we are back on the ship from being in port all day we won't be getting back off. We enjoy the night life on the ship.

 

That is an option, as long as you don't want to do it in the casino or in the shops...

[ChucktownSteve]

They may not own Tour businesses but they get a substantial cut on their Tours. Why else would the Celebrity organized Tours be up to double or more that of the private tours?

 

Actually thats not quite how it works. The cruise line contracts for a group rate from the tour operator then pays that amount to them per person. What the cruise line charges the passenger above the contracted amount is their profit to keep less maybe some expenses they might incur.

Edited June 7, 2015 by ChucktownSteve

[Ma Bell]

I very much agree with this logic.

 

Also the question posed in the poll was:

 

 

 

This question in itself, aimed at an already booked passenger, would certainly gain a lot of no answers since there are some who have to adjust. It does not ask a question that in broader strokes asks if people in general would like to see a few sailings with overnights. To me the question is not much different than going to a medical convention and asking the attendees how often they smoke cigarettes, then getting a result that shows nearly no one smokes, then writing an article and declaring "A recent poll suggests that smoking has almost disappeared from our planet".

 

Then go to a cigar store, ask the same thing and the poll results then declare "100% of people are now smokers."

 

Admittedly I'm no statistician and never took such classes, but I can see where the audience, the way a question is phrased, the answers allowed, and the timing of a poll can skew results. The pool itself has about 200 total replies to the Yes/No question, and celebrity carried how many hundreds of thousands of passengers last year? (quick math here, 10 ships, 2000 each ship = 20,000 PAX, assume average 7 day sailing, so x 52 weeks = 1,040,000) so thats about .019% of the number of cruisers last year. I'm never going to make a business decision based on a sample that small.

 

Clearly Celebrity found out from someone somewhere there is an interest in overnighting, or they wouldn't bother to roll such a big change out.

 

Remember as to Cruise Critic's being "representative" of cruising public, I'd assume aa majority of CC users are repeat cruisers, while 38% of passengers are new to cruising, so this poll has already excluded 38% of cruisers, and hasn't taken into account those who aren't maniacal and are on Cruise Critic. I feel that CC represents maybe 5% of the cruisers on a ship, based on how many sign up for CC events and roll calls. Some cruises maybe it approaches 10%.

 

In that case you can save yourself a lot of time and trouble and find something constructive to do.;)

[vulcan1971]

Celebrity has made a business decision, plain and simple.... and for better or worse. It is what it is. I don't expect that they will further comment on this (or apolgize) and most probably will not retract the program and change itineraries back to the way they were (no matter how many new threads are initiated on this topic).

 

I've already commented on this topic that if I was booked on an affected itinerary, I would have to make a decision to a) keep it and try my best to enjoy the change, b) decide if it was too terrible of a change and move the booking to a new itinerary, or c) cancel the booking all together.

 

At least Celebrity gave everyone the opportunity to make the decision that will best fit your need.

[riredsox]

Hopefully Royal Caribbean will follow suit and start doing overnights. I can't believe so many cc posters are against it. Think how relaxing the first day will be without having to rush back to the ship. Most cc people are too savy to book an excursion with the cruise line in most Caribbean ports because of the wealth of knowledge on these boards about local tour guides. Can't wait for my overnights! Happy cruising...

[cle-guy]

Another thought, perhaps this is the way X are further trying to change their demographics? As from our previous X cruise experiences, I can't imagine that most of the pax I have sailed with would want to be out until 2/3am in the morning - they may have been fun, but the Ibiza party crowd they were not :eek:!

 

I think this is clearly part of their decision making process any one who looks at their marketing these days, listens the the background music and DJ's being played at Martini bar, notices the missing harpists and acapella groups, can readily tell X is going for a 30-50 year old demographic these days. Cruising still has an aura as a vacation for retirees (moreso for lines like X), though that stereotype is being whittled down over time.

 

One thing that always comes up when I try to convince some friends to try cruising is, "but why do the ships always leave so early, why can't we go out to a night club or something some night on an island?". Plenty of people don't like getting up at the crack of dawn each day while on vacation to be corralled into a tour group and shuttled around an island en-masse. For these people, a ship leaving port art 4 or 5 pm means not having much time on the island, staying overnight gives those passengers the ability to see the island the way they want to, after dark.

[EatonDoolittle]

Hopefully Royal Caribbean will follow suit and start doing overnights. I can't believe so many cc posters are against it. Think how relaxing the first day will be without having to rush back to the ship. Most cc people are too savy to book an excursion with the cruise line in most Caribbean ports because of the wealth of knowledge on these boards about local tour guides. Can't wait for my overnights! Happy cruising...

 

Finally, someone other than myself focusing on having two days in port, rather than the dreaded "overnight".

 

I am not affected by this change, but I did book a 2017 trip out of San Juan that included two days in Barbados (along with some other great ports). I did this before all the current drama of "they stole Bonaire from me" even started.

 

My nightcrawling days are behind me, I may or may not go ashore for dinner, etc, but I darn sure am looking forward to filling 2 full days, including the first one where I do not have to hurry back to be on board for sailaway.

 

Sympathy, anger, venting, and offering other options have been discussed for a few weeks now on the board.

 

Build a bridge and get over it.

[Cindy]

 

Last yr we only booked one tour out of 6 stops thru the ship, that was in Panama. Glad we did, as it was 2 hours late getting back. 2 other couples were not so luckie.

EW

 

For our upcoming Equinox cruise, Panama is the only port we booked through Celebrity. I'm an experienced cruiser and feel very comfortable booking independently with all the resources available these days. That said, I thought a nine hour tour in a ten hour port call merited the higher excursion price for the peace of mind of making it back to the ship before sailaway!:eek:

 

 

Hopefully Royal Caribbean will follow suit and start doing overnights. I can't believe so many cc posters are against it. Think how relaxing the first day will be without having to rush back to the ship. Most cc people are too savy to book an excursion with the cruise line in most Caribbean ports because of the wealth of knowledge on these boards about local tour guides. Can't wait for my overnights! Happy cruising...

 

I don't expect to see RC offer overnights. I actually think this is a very strategic move to further differentiate between the offerings of the two biggest lines under the RCCL corporate umbrella. Just look at their marketing and see where each cruise line's emphasis is. Generally speaking, Celebrity = culture, luxury, couples, fine dining & wine, pampering, and relaxation. Royal Caribbean = WOW!, sports, adventure, entertainment, water activities, families, and fun in the sun. I see this as another way for them to appeal to different target audiences while still keeping people cruising on the RCCL brands.

Edited June 7, 2015 by Cindy

[cle-guy]

I actually think this is a very strategic move to further differentiate between the offerings of the two biggest lines under the RCCL corporate umbrella. Just look at their marketing and see where each cruise line's emphasis is. Generally speaking, Celebrity = culture, luxury, couples, fine dining & wine, pampering, and relaxation. Royal Caribbean = WOW!, sports, adventure, entertainment, water activities, families, and fun in the sun. I see this as another way for them to appeal to different target audiences while still keeping people cruising on the RCCL brands.

 

Actually, X seems to have stolen this from Azamara. I just read an article on AZ talking about their upcoming full refurbishment of current ships, with a hint to new ships coming soon, and how they have found the overnighting in ports that AZ offered has been highly valued by their guests, so they are now copying that successful model and attempting to insert it into X's offerings.

 

This of course, in addition to the surveys they emailed out a while back to some (myself included) asking opinions about overnights. Clearly the results of that survey must have been favorable towards overnights.

[ChucktownSteve]

Finally, someone other than myself focusing on having two days in port, rather than the dreaded "overnight".

Build a bridge and get over it.

 

It's not so much the overnight that most people are objecting to. It's that Celebrity changed the itinerary to an overnight by dropping one of the islands AFTER they had booked and wanted to visit.

 

OTOH, some islands..as one poster said previously about the comedian who joked...are 8 hour tours on a four hour island.

[Mynki]

Actually, X seems to have stolen this from Azamara. I just read an article on AZ talking about their upcoming full refurbishment of current ships, with a hint to new ships coming soon, and how they have found the overnighting in ports that AZ offered has been highly valued by their guests, so they are now copying that successful model and attempting to insert it into X's offerings.

 

This of course, in addition to the surveys they emailed out a while back to some (myself included) asking opinions about overnights. Clearly the results of that survey must have been favorable towards overnights.

 

I have no issues at all with overnights. In fact, like everything else in life these situations are all down to what you make of them and so I'm sure on my affected cruise we'll have the chance to really enjoy ourselves in Aruba overnight.

 

However it would have made far more sense to me to roll this programme out in 2018 so that people would not have faced disappointment. Doing so would not have left some customers feeling disappointed and losing confidence in the brand. Those who welcome the overnights on their new itinerary wouldn't have missed out in any way.

 

This appears to me to be another case of Celebrity $ (My new name for Celebrity X) putting profit before customer satisfaction. But... Rather than complain, maybe I should buy stock in RCCL because the flock of sheep that sing their praises regardless of how badly they treat their customers doesn't seem to be getting any smaller. :D

[RocketMan275]

I think this is clearly part of their decision making process any one who looks at their marketing these days, listens the the background music and DJ's being played at Martini bar, notices the missing harpists and acapella groups, can readily tell X is going for a 30-50 year old demographic these days. Cruising still has an aura as a vacation for retirees (moreso for lines like X), though that stereotype is being whittled down over time.

 

One thing that always comes up when I try to convince some friends to try cruising is, "but why do the ships always leave so early, why can't we go out to a night club or something some night on an island?". Plenty of people don't like getting up at the crack of dawn each day while on vacation to be corralled into a tour group and shuttled around an island en-masse. For these people, a ship leaving port art 4 or 5 pm means not having much time on the island, staying overnight gives those passengers the ability to see the island the way they want to, after dark.

 

Going after the 30-50 year old demographic is the only option for cruise lines that want to remain viable. After all, the cruise lines need to replace the older demographic as it dies off. Take a look at Quantum or Anthem of the Seas if you want a glimpse of the future of cruising. Read a few of the dynamic dining threads to catch a glimpse of how the older demographic reacts to change.

[BloomersDT]

It was mentioned that it is to late for celebrity to do anything about the overnight situation. It is never to late to correct a mistake, or at least admit to a error. I really do not care how big the corporation is. Norwegian fixed there mistake once they recognized it, and heard countless complaints.

[jagoffee]

I agree with Cle-guy that the addition of a late night departure and an over night in a great addition to the Celebrity offering. I have experienced late departures several times and really enjoyed them. Very relaxing and it opens more options for excursions. I am also one of those who has always said the Celebrity should have late departures and/or overnight stays. Overnight stays offers a great option for local entertainment on board or on shore. I am also one of those who has always said when asked that Celebrity should have late departures and/or overnight stays. Overnight stays offers a great option for local entertainment on board or on shore.

 

To suggest that the poll being reference is even close to be a true picture of Celebrity cruisers opinion makes the argument against the change based on the poll results hard to accept. IMO people that really like Bonaire or they do not like the inclusions of late departures or overnights are the ones most likely to read the thread and vote making the results very suspect. (Actually invalid IMO due to participation bias)

 

 

 

If the poll question was "for those who do not dive or snorkel how do you feel about the removal of Bonaire?" you might see difference results. Or even removed the reference to what is being removed and ask if late departures or overnights would be a good addition for longer cruises.

 

I do really feel sorry for those that cannot get a refund of their deposit if they cancel. If I was in charge at Celebrity I would wave the no deposit refund policy. I suspect that it would actually only be a small number of cruisers who would actually cancel. Otherwise most everyone has an option to cancel already. Although I do not like the fact that Bonaire was removed from one of two cruises I have booked I liked the changes and if I did not I would just cancel.

 

The bottom line is that I believe Celebrity is trying a new innovative idea who's success is TBD. Perhaps five years from now all cruise lines will adopt this change or maybe it will go away.

 

Obviously any change is not going to be embraced by everyone and the implemention timing of this one has upset some people. A one year notice would have been nicer for those that do not like the chance.

[davekathy]

That is an option, as long as you don't want to do it in the casino or in the shops...

 

The casino and shops have never been part of our evening enjoyment on a ship. This will not be any different than any of our other Cruises.

Edited June 7, 2015 by davekathy

[cle-guy]

It's interesting the "Poll" has over 7,000 views, but only 183 who cared enough to provide an opinion.

 

Likely anyone with a strong opinion to keep it would have voted to add their number to grow the poll.

 

So 6,800 of the 7,000, or 97%, have no strong opinion one way or the other.

[Ma Bell]

Could be because the poll asks for opinions from people who "currently" have a Caribbean cruise booked.

[BosoxI]

There are two things you can do on a Caribbean overnight. The first is to stay on board the ship after dark. The second is to be extremely careful of what you do if on shore after dark. I have just seen a list of the countries with the highest murder rates and to my surprise, 24 of the first 30 or so are in the Caribbean. They include some of my favorite ports. Now, I am not suggesting that we cruisers are going to be targets, but wasn't there an incident just a few years ago where a teenager on a tour bus in broad daylight was killed in a crossfire. Please don't tell me these incidents can happen anywhere in the world. It's a lot more likely in the US Virgin Islands (#3 on the list) than it is in Switzerland (#209) or even in the USA, #111