Is it legal? - NCL changes to port departure times

[Laszlo]

Just rechecked everything on our Gem repositioning cruise October 2016. For now nothing has changed and we are in St. Thomas from 8am to 5pm docking in San Juan the next morning

 

If anything changes on the we will cancel. One of the reason's we picked that was the long port days at each stop

Edited July 20, 2015 by Laszlo

[tarps14]

I'm not following a "scheduling issue" as Tortola only has one date between now and next April that has more than two ships at any given time. Most of the dates (as in like 75%) have only one ship in port. And I could only find three dates between now and next April where St Thomas is over capacity (docking capacity is 5-we've been there when this has happened and the 6th ship simply drops anchor in the bay at Havensight and tenders).

Edited July 20, 2015 by tarps14

[hpecorari]

My Escape itinerary still hasn't changed:

 

Neither have some of mine that are that far out. I'd check as you get closer to May.

*Edit Nassau didn't used to be noon to 7 pm. At least not when I booked for January 23rd. It was 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. that's what shows on my conformation. However, website now shows it as noon to 7 p.m.

 

Harriet

Edited July 20, 2015 by hpecorari

[hpecorari]

More time for them to dole out the free drinks in UBP... and the free meals in UDP/SDP.

 

 

At the moment with all of the promos, I'm not sure they make more money moving than sitting..

 

I still think there are many that don't have the UDP and/or the UBP so there will be drinkers that do pay and diners that do pay. Not to mention that the Casino will be open and I know they'll be making money on me there!

 

Harriet

Edited July 20, 2015 by hpecorari

[Stillfloatin']

Just discovered another one! Add this to the list of "port shortages": Just checked my Jade itinerary out of Venice in October and, sure enough, we are now leaving Mykonos at 5 PM rather than the 6 PM departure that I booked it at. Just an hour but I do feel cheated. I'll likely only be on Mykonos once in my life so that hour really matters to me.

 

Same for our August Jade cruise. We had a 6-hour sea kayaking, snorkeling, and beach day tour. Now we will have to cut that short by an hour. And I suspect there will be no adjustment by our private tour guide because it's not his fault.

[buzzygirl1]

We are booked for August 16 to Bermuda, not that this may have any bearing on THAT port earlier departure, but we did hear that they are preparing for the upcoming World Cup Sailing there scheduled for October, so wonder if it could be too that Bermuda says " we need more time at our ports for doing some construction upgrades, island improvements in preparation for that event." ?? But if it is fleetwide, then I would suspect it is a fuel savings, after all, we do know that their itinerary from NYC is from Sunday at 4 p.m. to Wednesday arrival at 8 a.m. Bermuda, so it takes longer ? Leaving then Friday at 3 p.m. now from Bermuda and arriving back in NYC at 8 a.m. on Sunday, going faster back to NYC, my husband chuckles, and says " maybe they have it backwards, usually you go " up hill slower", and downhill faster, Ha !

[NLH Arizona]

What is NCL saying about the changes? Has anyone called them and asked?

[buzzygirl1]

NO, i have not called, I have to admit, only see that this is a topic of time change is of the messages, LAST week topic it was the change of the DSC, seems there is some sort of change from NCL weekly or at least every 2 weeks lately. Wonder what OTHER surprises there will be before cruise August 16th. ? My luck, we will have a hurricane come through Bermuda then.

[HarpHarp]

What is NCL saying about the changes? Has anyone called them and asked?

 

Just got off the phone with my PCC & there seems to be consternation & some confusion there, with 2 different sets of changes showing up.

[crazydoglady1]

My husband and I are Bermuda-bound on the Dawn 8/7. 1st time to Bermuda/aboard Ms. Dawn. So excited!

 

Now, I know what's done is done and, trust me, my husband and I aren't going to let the change in schedule tarnish our vacation. We intend to enjoy our ourselves immensely!

With that said...

I KNOW NCL can make changes to the itineraries, etc, but I don't think it's necessarily right (esp for those of us with cruises coming up in the near future).

I called NCL last night to see what, if anything, I could find out.

I spoke to a very nice woman who put me on hold 3 times to 'check with her Manager'.

I was told that they didn't have any information, just something about an e-mail they received noting the change(s). I was told that this was a 'Bermuda port issue' and NOT NCL.

I politely told the woman that was NOT the case, that I had been reading online, all day, about people complaining about changes to their itineraries (different ships/ports). So, NO, this was NOT a 'Bermuda thing'.

Bottom line, outside of raising my blood pressure, I got nowhere LOL

 

Don't misunderstand me, in the grand scheme of things, I understand that NCL's Bermuda itinerary is one of the best and 2 hrs really isn't gonna make that much of a difference.

 

Look, I understand that things happen and emergencies come up, causing the ship(s) to arrive late. . Some things are simply beyond our control. I get that.

But, 18 days before our cruise, to learn (thru the grapevine) that we WILL be arriving 2 hrs later than orig expected, leaves a bad taste in my mouth....

[canadian cruise queen]

Escape, Dec 5/15 sailing. St Thomas now 7-3 and Nassau now 12-7.

[fshagan]

Just got off the phone with my PCC & there seems to be consternation & some confusion there, with 2 different sets of changes showing up.

 

Did they say they were valid changes, or is it another one of their website glitches?

[LrgPizza]

Neither have some of mine that are that far out. I'd check as you get closer to May.

*Edit Nassau didn't used to be noon to 7 pm. At least not when I booked for January 23rd. It was 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. that's what shows on my conformation. However, website now shows it as noon to 7 p.m.

 

Harriet

 

 

Mine shows that for Nassau too. To be honest, I paid no attention to the port times when I booked. If I hadn't been reading here on CC and saw 3pm StT departure time, I'd not have known the difference. LOL! Now should it shift I will know.

[df5250]

Hi everyone,

 

We are looking into these itinerary changes and were wondering if you could provide the exact ships that are being affected by the changes, and what ports have been adjusted. (Time in port has been shortened as well?)

 

Thank you!

 

~Cruise Critic staff

 

Hi Brittany

Pride of America, 5/21/2016 sailing; Kauai arriving at 10 AM now instead of 8 AM, a loss of 2 hours in port.

Thank you,

Debbie

[Paulchili]

NO, i have not called, I have to admit, only see that this is a topic of time change is of the messages, LAST week topic it was the change of the DSC, seems there is some sort of change from NCL weekly or at least every 2 weeks lately. Wonder what OTHER surprises there will be before cruise August 16th. ? My luck, we will have a hurricane come through Bermuda then.

 

If so, I am pretty sure Del Rio is to blame for that :D

[smoosh21]

Changing the departure time for St. Thomas on the Escape from 6:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. to me is a big deal. This new time change changes our plans for the day. Three hours is a lot of time.

 

Are they also arriving earlier? I realize that if you made independent plans it might mess them up, but the cruise line also usually still wants to get as many shore excursions in as possible, so have the moved up the arrival time a few hours as well?

[vacation44]

Yes, they moved the arrival time from 8:00 a.m. to 7:00 a.m. but that does not help us. We are still losing three prime hours in the afternoon.

[Cauzneffct]

Look, I understand that things happen and emergencies come up, causing the ship(s) to arrive late. . Some things are simply beyond our control. I get that.

But, 18 days before our cruise, to learn (thru the grapevine) that we WILL be arriving 2 hrs later than orig expected, leaves a bad taste in my mouth....

 

That's how I feel as well. I'm a little bit surprised by the number of people who seemingly don't care if they actually go to the ports on their itinerary, but, for me, that's the whole point: I book an itinerary because I would like to go to the ports on that itinerary. In booking, I am willing to accept that, in circumstances beyond NCL's control (emergencies, weather, whathaveyou), ports may be delayed or skipped. Would I be bummed out? Sure, but I accept that things happen. That is a far cry from NCL deciding to cut short stops (or, God forbid, omit them) because they stand to make more/lose less money that way. And to top it off, to not inform those who have booked (and to apparently continue to sell cruises with the incorrect times) is particularly bogus.

 

As an aside, I'm a bit surprised by the number of people who purportedly are/would be fine with NCL performing only to the letter of the contract and making no attempt to provide the advertised services. If that's the case, it would seem that NCL is run by fools for actually providing the advertised amenities when they could seemingly omit or charge for them with many cruisers thinking it was fine.

 

The contract is in place to provide legal cover from the stupid and the dishonest. Someone on the Princess board wanted to be compensated because the advertisements showed it being sunny and it rained for several days on their cruise. By only guaranteeing room and board, they can (hopefully) prevent people from raising legal stink because the pool was closed for a day or the buffet ran out of meatballs. But it shouldn't be (and typically isn't) a license to simply change what's included (and for what price) willy-nilly.

[maywell]

That's how I feel as well. I'm a little bit surprised by the number of people who seemingly don't care if they actually go to the ports on their itinerary, but, for me, that's the whole point: I book an itinerary because I would like to go to the ports on that itinerary. In booking, I am willing to accept that, in circumstances beyond NCL's control (emergencies, weather, whathaveyou), ports may be delayed or skipped. Would I be bummed out? Sure, but I accept that things happen. That is a far cry from NCL deciding to cut short stops (or, God forbid, omit them) because they stand to make more/lose less money that way. And to top it off, to not inform those who have booked (and to apparently continue to sell cruises with the incorrect times) is particularly bogus.

 

As an aside, I'm a bit surprised by the number of people who purportedly are/would be fine with NCL performing only to the letter of the contract and making no attempt to provide the advertised services. If that's the case, it would seem that NCL is run by fools for actually providing the advertised amenities when they could seemingly omit or charge for them with many cruisers thinking it was fine.

 

The contract is in place to provide legal cover from the stupid and the dishonest. Someone on the Princess board wanted to be compensated because the advertisements showed it being sunny and it rained for several days on their cruise. By only guaranteeing room and board, they can (hopefully) prevent people from raising legal stink because the pool was closed for a day or the buffet ran out of meatballs. But it shouldn't be (and typically isn't) a license to simply change what's included (and for what price) willy-nilly.

I guess I'm in the category of people who's not taking the situation seriously for 2 reasons. 1) I view the port stops as a sampler in case, later on, I want to visit the island/stop for few days or a week because one is not going to be able to do everything even with doing a overnight stay at port. And 2) I purposely pick cruise ships, not just lines, that has enough amenities and activities to do in case of bad weather and/or skip port(s) for whatever reason. But that's just me, I sure others have better reasons than me.

 

Sent from my SGH-T399 using Tapatalk

[calmpets]

That's how I feel as well. I'm a little bit surprised by the number of people who seemingly don't care if they actually go to the ports on their itinerary, but, for me, that's the whole point: I book an itinerary because I would like to go to the ports on that itinerary. In booking, I am willing to accept that, in circumstances beyond NCL's control (emergencies, weather, whathaveyou), ports may be delayed or skipped. Would I be bummed out? Sure, but I accept that things happen. That is a far cry from NCL deciding to cut short stops (or, God forbid, omit them) because they stand to make more/lose less money that way. And to top it off, to not inform those who have booked (and to apparently continue to sell cruises with the incorrect times) is particularly bogus.

 

As an aside, I'm a bit surprised by the number of people who purportedly are/would be fine with NCL performing only to the letter of the contract and making no attempt to provide the advertised services. If that's the case, it would seem that NCL is run by fools for actually providing the advertised amenities when they could seemingly omit or charge for them with many cruisers thinking it was fine.

 

The contract is in place to provide legal cover from the stupid and the dishonest. Someone on the Princess board wanted to be compensated because the advertisements showed it being sunny and it rained for several days on their cruise. By only guaranteeing room and board, they can (hopefully) prevent people from raising legal stink because the pool was closed for a day or the buffet ran out of meatballs. But it shouldn't be (and typically isn't) a license to simply change what's included (and for what price) willy-nilly.

 

I agree with this 100%!

[Cauzneffct]

I guess I'm in the category of people who's not taking the situation seriously for 2 reasons. 1) I view the port stops as a sampler in case, later on, I want to visit the island/stop for few days or a week because one is not going to be able to do everything even with doing a overnight stay at port. And 2) I purposely pick cruise ships, not just lines, that has enough amenities and activities to do in case of bad weather and/or skip port(s) for whatever reason. But that's just me, I sure others have better reasons than me.

 

Sent from my SGH-T399 using Tapatalk

 

Which is fine. There's no wrong way to cruise/eat a Reese's. However, it bears noting that the "amenities and activities to do" are provided by the grace of NCL, and its within the contract for them to scrap them or start charging for them with zero notice. Which I think we can agree would be bogus.

[LoveyHowell]

Has NCL made any statement as to what has prompted these changes? I need a little sunshine blown up my skirt today:rolleyes:

[maywell]

Which is fine. There's no wrong way to cruise/eat a Reese's. However, it bears noting that the "amenities and activities to do" are provided by the grace of NCL, and its within the contract for them to scrap them or start charging for them with zero notice. Which I think we can agree would be bogus.

 

...I never said the amenities and activities had to be free as long as it was part of the ship because, well, Wine Lovers and the spa for example, is definitely not gratis.

 

Sent from my SGH-T399 using Tapatalk

[LoveyHowell]

...I never said the amenities and activities had to be free as long as it was part of the ship because, well, Wine Lovers and the spa for example, is definitely not gratis.

 

Sent from my SGH-T399 using Tapatalk

 

This thread is to find out why the port times have changed. Let's not veer off topic by hijacking the thread talking about things to do on the ship and if they are included or not.

 

Many of us select cruises because of port stops and we put effort into planning unique excursions and trips there, often times not through the ship so that we can really experience something out of the ordinary and thoroughly enjoy a whole day at a location.

 

Cruise ship amenities, layout, and planned activities don't really drastically between ships, so the ports of call is a big draw. If they weren't, people would just get on the closest and least expensive ship they could find.

 

All paying customers deserve to know why fleetwide and itinerarywide changes are being made to port calls so that we can best decide if this is still a vacation we want to go on. It won't help to whine about it after the fact, it is better to have the facts early enough to change our plans, if need be, and go be happy.

[HarpHarp]

Did they say they were valid changes, or is it another one of their website glitches?

 

My PCC had conflicting info, & it hadn't bee resolved by the time the department went home. He is supposed to notify me today.