Missed port call for St. Maarten- Dream

[JLBellaCC]

We have been back from our 11 day cruise on the Dream for just about a week. Carnival was a new try for us as we usually sail RC or Celebrity. Overall we had a great time! But, I am still thinking about the last day on board, we pulled into St. Maarten, attempted to dock for a bit- and ultimately pulled back out and it was announced that the swales were too large to allow for a safe docking. (There were two small ships in front of us on either side of the dock, so we were in second place.) Two large ships were docked on either side of the other dock. We would instead be at sea- which of course if not a hardship, exactly. Basically, it seemed we drew the short stick and got a crappy location on the dock and we couldn't tie off because we were sticking out too far beyond the dock. Later, as we enjoyed the poolside fun and drinks- a fellow cruiser told us she and her fellow cruisers received notes the previous night that their Carnival excursions would be canceled for the St. Maarten stop, due to bad weather. Hmmmm- now this is rather strange, I am thinking. Canceling the night before for bad weather for an ATV excursion? We later confirmed ALL Carnival excursions were canceled the night before- not just the ATV excursion! The weather was gorgeous- sunshine and barely a wind.

 

Now we have been to St. Maarten several times, so we were fine with a sea day. Many cruisers were very angry- as this could be considered the best port of call. One cruiser said that Carnival was on the cheap and did not pay the required dollars for a front spot- a risk which would pay off if the waters were calm, but not with the slightest of swales. Could this be true? If this is true, then I have a problem handing over my hard earned dollars to a cruise line that would gamble a port call in this way.

 

Makes a bit of sense when you combine it with canceling the excursions the night before, I am sure Carnival has to pay big bucks if they don't bring all the cruisers to the excursion without proper notice.

 

Anyway, this has left a bad taste that has lingered since returning home. We are booking our next cruise for April- and am thinking not another Carnival- just curious if anyone has any insight into this situation?

[jimbo5544]

We have been back from our 11 day cruise on the Dream for just about a week. Carnival was a new try for us as we usually sail RC or Celebrity. Overall we had a great time! But, I am still thinking about the last day on board, we pulled into St. Maarten, attempted to dock for a bit- and ultimately pulled back out and it was announced that the swales were too large to allow for a safe docking. (There were two small ships in front of us on either side of the dock, so we were in second place.) Two large ships were docked on either side of the other dock. We would instead be at sea- which of course if not a hardship, exactly. Basically, it seemed we drew the short stick and got a crappy location on the dock and we couldn't tie off because we were sticking out too far beyond the dock. Later, as we enjoyed the poolside fun and drinks- a fellow cruiser told us she and her fellow cruisers received notes the previous night that their Carnival excursions would be canceled for the St. Maarten stop, due to bad weather. Hmmmm- now this is rather strange, I am thinking. Canceling the night before for bad weather for an ATV excursion? We later confirmed ALL Carnival excursions were canceled the night before- not just the ATV excursion! The weather was gorgeous- sunshine and barely a wind.

 

Now we have been to St. Maarten several times, so we were fine with a sea day. Many cruisers were very angry- as this could be considered the best port of call. One cruiser said that Carnival was on the cheap and did not pay the required dollars for a front spot- a risk which would pay off if the waters were calm, but not with the slightest of swales. Could this be true? If this is true, then I have a problem handing over my hard earned dollars to a cruise line that would gamble a port call in this way.

 

Makes a bit of sense when you combine it with canceling the excursions the night before, I am sure Carnival has to pay big bucks if they don't bring all the cruisers to the excursion without proper notice.

 

Anyway, this has left a bad taste that has lingered since returning home. We are booking our next cruise for April- and am thinking not another Carnival- just curious if anyone has any insight into this situation?

 

Makes no sense to me that they have a port scheduled and then cancel it because of any reason except weather. I have never seen anything posted here or anywhere else that said a cruise line gets a cheaper slot....sounds more like sour grapes to me.

Edited January 20, 2016 by jimbo5544

[amyh13]

From what I understand the cruise line loses tons of money in excursion revenue when they miss a port. Every story I have heard about missing a port seems to be completely reasonable.

[RaiderCruiser]

You'll probably be a lot better off if you don't let the uninformed make your cruising decisions for you. To think there is some conspiracy for Carnival to SAVE money by not going to a port is crazy. Whatever port fees were collected from the passengers were refunded and at best Carnival draws even on the deal. Additionally, they lose whatever commissions they would have earned on the canceled tours. We are all disappointed when a port is canceled but it's no time to simply blame it on the Cruise line.

[tkportersat]

I have missed a port twice with Carnival and once with RC. 1st time with Carnival we missed Calica as our trip was shortened a day due to a hurricane, we were given $100 OBC total I believe, The second time with Carnival they gave us a letter while boarding the Ecstasy that the ships propulsion system was having issues and we would miss Cozumel and go to Progreso instead. We were given $50 OBC pp. When I was on the RC Rhapsody, it was cancelled an hour before we were to arrive in Key West due to waves - no compensation given. Based on my experience (15 cruises) it is rare to miss a port but I would say Carnival at least tries to make it right. My understanding is RC never does, but I would still cruise on RC.

 

We have been back from our 11 day cruise on the Dream for just about a week. Carnival was a new try for us as we usually sail RC or Celebrity. Overall we had a great time! But, I am still thinking about the last day on board, we pulled into St. Maarten, attempted to dock for a bit- and ultimately pulled back out and it was announced that the swales were too large to allow for a safe docking. (There were two small ships in front of us on either side of the dock, so we were in second place.) Two large ships were docked on either side of the other dock. We would instead be at sea- which of course if not a hardship, exactly. Basically, it seemed we drew the short stick and got a crappy location on the dock and we couldn't tie off because we were sticking out too far beyond the dock. Later, as we enjoyed the poolside fun and drinks- a fellow cruiser told us she and her fellow cruisers received notes the previous night that their Carnival excursions would be canceled for the St. Maarten stop, due to bad weather. Hmmmm- now this is rather strange, I am thinking. Canceling the night before for bad weather for an ATV excursion? We later confirmed ALL Carnival excursions were canceled the night before- not just the ATV excursion! The weather was gorgeous- sunshine and barely a wind.

 

Now we have been to St. Maarten several times, so we were fine with a sea day. Many cruisers were very angry- as this could be considered the best port of call. One cruiser said that Carnival was on the cheap and did not pay the required dollars for a front spot- a risk which would pay off if the waters were calm, but not with the slightest of swales. Could this be true? If this is true, then I have a problem handing over my hard earned dollars to a cruise line that would gamble a port call in this way.

 

Makes a bit of sense when you combine it with canceling the excursions the night before, I am sure Carnival has to pay big bucks if they don't bring all the cruisers to the excursion without proper notice.

 

Anyway, this has left a bad taste that has lingered since returning home. We are booking our next cruise for April- and am thinking not another Carnival- just curious if anyone has any insight into this situation?

[Tapi]

We had a similar situation with Grand Cayman. Our excursion was pre canceled the night before because of the expected weather. When we arrived in Grand Cayman, it was a beautiful day with clear skies. However the conditions were still considered unsafe to anchor off Georgetown. Instead, we went to the south side island where we anchored off a place called Spot's Bay. We missed about 2 hours of our scheduled time ashore and we had to be bussed over from this desolate spot to the downtown area, but we still had a wonderful time in Grand Cayman, even though our excursion was canceled. By the way, we docked on this alternate spot along with a Princess and another Carnival ship.

 

It's not in the cruise lines best interest to cancel a port of call. It means lost revenue as well as thousands of unhappy passengers. People love to speculate and come up with conspiracy theories any time that things don't go as planned. Don't listen to any of the banter, most of the time these rumors are started and fueled by ignorance.

Edited January 20, 2016 by Tapi

[westview1]

We were on the Triumph in December and our day in St. Maarten was switched with Antigua due to windy conditions that were anticipated in St. Maarten. The switch was announced the day prior to our original scheduled day in St. Maarten. I had friends on your sailing and if I recall correctly St Marrten was the last port since the next day was the end of the itinerary with passenger disembarking in San Juan and others starting their cruise from San Juan. Because of this, they wouldn't have been able to switch ports. The best part was that because of the switch we were the only ship docked in St Maarten!

[Havingfun2010]

I have missed a port twice with Carnival and once with RC. 1st time with Carnival we missed Calica as our trip was shortened a day due to a hurricane, we were given $100 OBC total I believe, The second time with Carnival they gave us a letter while boarding the Ecstasy that the ships propulsion system was having issues and we would miss Cozumel and go to Progreso instead. We were given $50 OBC pp. When I was on the RC Rhapsody, it was cancelled an hour before we were to arrive in Key West due to waves - no compensation given. Based on my experience (15 cruises) it is rare to miss a port but I would say Carnival at least tries to make it right. My understanding is RC never does, but I would still cruise on RC.

 

The two cases you mentioned, deserves some follow-up. First, if you trip is shortened by one whole day, than all you got was $100.00? Doesn't sound like enough money to pay for a missed day. The other missed stop was for your ship being in disrepair. Carnival's fault.

 

Ships miss ports all the time because of weather. I have been on RCCL and NCL and each missed their private island. There was no OBC for this. I also would not expect it. RCCL spent an extra day (and night) in Nassau instead. I'm not a fan of Nassau but it worked out.

 

The biggest money making extra's on a ship, is booze/casino/excursions. Take away one of them, and replace it with the other two. Maybe it makes up for it, or maybe not, but it's not a total loss either.

 

The original post will make you wonder...if some ships know how to park, and others don't. It's like a parking lot. Some people can easily park while others are fun to watch. Maybe the Carnival Captain needs more practice?

[Amatuer_Travel_Agent]

I was on the Dream also and During the platinum get together the Captain said that during the first attempt to moor up one of the ships winches broke due to the swells and being on the end dock made the docking dangerous and difficult.

 

The day before we were in Antigua and the water was rough even in the normal peaceful dickenson bay.

[tkportersat]

It was $100 pp and it was completely sufficient as the whole cruise was a 5 day for 2 that totaled $900 (2002). Yes, ships have issues and the alternative would have been for Carnival to cancel it so we were fine with the change in Port and OBC. There is no conspiracy here. You are fine with NCL and RC cancelling your stops and giving you nothing but because Carnival does it and offers compensation it is suspicious? Give me a break.

 

The two cases you mentioned, deserves some follow-up. First, if you trip is shortened by one whole day, than all you got was $100.00? Doesn't sound like enough money to pay for a missed day. The other missed stop was for your ship being in disrepair. Carnival's fault.

 

Ships miss ports all the time because of weather. I have been on RCCL and NCL and each missed their private island. There was no OBC for this. I also would not expect it. RCCL spent an extra day (and night) in Nassau instead. I'm not a fan of Nassau but it worked out.

 

The biggest money making extra's on a ship, is booze/casino/excursions. Take away one of them, and replace it with the other two. Maybe it makes up for it, or maybe not, but it's not a total loss either.

 

The original post will make you wonder...if some ships know how to park, and others don't. It's like a parking lot. Some people can easily park while others are fun to watch. Maybe the Carnival Captain needs more practice?

Edited January 20, 2016 by tkportersat

[JLBellaCC]

Well one thing is for sure- they definitely made up for any lost excursion revenue on the drinks, casino, shopping and bingo. Aside from that, how do they decide who parks where on a dock? Of course, seems part of it would be arrival time, but we arrived before the Oasis and they got the full dock next to the dock we were at- as did the next ship that arrived after us.

 

And at this point it really makes no difference- except that while I am the type of person who accepts the ups and downs of a vacation very well.....when it makes sense to me. But at times- such as this, when things don't quite add up, I like to look to CC for others opinions.

 

As far as the advice of not looking to the "uninformed" for cruising decisions- a fellow passenger is no less informed than anyone else on the CC boards. I enjoy the opinions of others and use these opinions to form my own decisions. To not consider, digest and formulate your own thoughts with the information provided to you is just plan silly.

[JLBellaCC]

I was on the Dream also and During the platinum get together the Captain said that during the first attempt to moor up one of the ships winches broke due to the swells and being on the end dock made the docking dangerous and difficult.

 

The day before we were in Antigua and the water was rough even in the normal peaceful dickenson bay.

 

Yes, I agree it was rough on the Antigua port. We saw an injury to a person on the beach who had to be taken by ambulance. I do not disagree that we had trouble mooring up- I wonder why we had to take that spot on the dock.

 

Did you enjoy the cruise? :)

[Tapi]

Maybe the Carnival Captain needs more practice?

 

 

These are the kind of comments that ignorant people take and repeat as if they are facts. This is exactly how stupidity gets spread, not only aboard the ship but also here on Cruise Critic.

Edited January 20, 2016 by Tapi

[Amatuer_Travel_Agent]

Yes, I agree it was rough on the Antigua port. We saw an injury to a person on the beach who had to be taken by ambulance. I do not disagree that we had trouble mooring up- I wonder why we had to take that spot on the dock.

 

Did you enjoy the cruise? :)

 

Yes, and I think we were last in.

[Podna's]

These are the kind of comments that ignorant people take and repeat as if they are facts. This is exactly how stupidity gets spread, not only aboard the ship but also here on Cruise Critic.

 

 

You nailed it but would you expect any less from havingfun or his 5 other names he goes by. Hopefully others look at his history before taking anything he says serious.

[cruizinisthebest]

The two cases you mentioned, deserves some follow-up. First, if you trip is shortened by one whole day, than all you got was $100.00? Doesn't sound like enough money to pay for a missed day. The other missed stop was for your ship being in disrepair. Carnival's fault.

 

Ships miss ports all the time because of weather. I have been on RCCL and NCL and each missed their private island. There was no OBC for this. I also would not expect it. RCCL spent an extra day (and night) in Nassau instead. I'm not a fan of Nassau but it worked out.

 

The biggest money making extra's on a ship, is booze/casino/excursions. Take away one of them, and replace it with the other two. Maybe it makes up for it, or maybe not, but it's not a total loss either.

 

The original post will make you wonder...if some ships know how to park, and others don't. It's like a parking lot. Some people can easily park while others are fun to watch. Maybe the Carnival Captain needs more practice?

The OPs conspiracy theory is nonsense. And as usual, so is your post.

 

Ships miss ports. Nothing earth shattering about that. They also would much prefer not to. Loss money. Compensation to the passengers if they so choose to be generous. And last but not least there's the assured backlash that will be aired out on social media that some quack will latch onto like a sea urchin. None of that is worth them purposely schelping a ship load of passengers to a port many would be looking forward to only to intentionally not allow them off. GMAB.

 

Sent from my SCH-I435 using Tapatalk

[NHNEV2003]

This a great thread--

 

Carnival didn't pay for a prime spot---Captain (and/or Pilot aboard) don't know how to dock.

 

Funny thing is--everyone speculates--does anyone have any facts as to the real story?

 

Nah---never let facts get in the way of a good story.

[teaach]

Missed all ports a couple of yrs ago Splendor to Mexico due to the WHO declaring a swine flu epidemic. Had great time on board with free drinks and got 1/2 off next cruise. A cruise is what u make of it!

[jimbo5544]

This a great thread--

 

Carnival didn't pay for a prime spot---Captain (and/or Pilot aboard) don't know how to dock.

 

Funny thing is--everyone speculates--does anyone have any facts as to the real story?

 

Nah---never let facts get in the way of a good story.

 

The parallel parking course costs extra.... everyone knows that Carnival is so cheap they won't let their captains take the course....hence the missing of the port.;) Really, maybe, just maybe, the captain acted in the best interest of his passengers, crew and ship.

Edited January 20, 2016 by jimbo5544

[Roscoe13]

Doesn't the River/Harbor Pilot have control of the conn tower while docking?

[loxley]

Doesn't the River/Harbor Pilot have control of the conn tower while docking?

Yeah, but he is probably in on the whole conspiracy. Can't trust anyone.

 

Sent from my SM-N910V using Tapatalk

[BallFour4]

Doesn't the River/Harbor Pilot have control of the conn tower while docking?

 

The pilot only gives information. Ships never relinquish the controls except in the Panama Canal.

 

.

Edited January 21, 2016 by BallFour4

[jabberjaw070596]

The two cases you mentioned, deserves some follow-up. First, if you trip is shortened by one whole day, than all you got was $100.00? Doesn't sound like enough money to pay for a missed day. The other missed stop was for your ship being in disrepair. Carnival's fault.

 

Ships miss ports all the time because of weather. I have been on RCCL and NCL and each missed their private island. There was no OBC for this. I also would not expect it. RCCL spent an extra day (and night) in Nassau instead. I'm not a fan of Nassau but it worked out.

 

The biggest money making extra's on a ship, is booze/casino/excursions. Take away one of them, and replace it with the other two. Maybe it makes up for it, or maybe not, but it's not a total loss either.

 

The original post will make you wonder...if some ships know how to park, and others don't. It's like a parking lot. Some people can easily park while others are fun to watch. Maybe the Carnival Captain needs more practice?

You are being called out by John Heald because someone wrote to him quoting you about the captains needing practice

[gdl029]

The two cases you mentioned, deserves some follow-up. First, if you trip is shortened by one whole day, than all you got was $100.00? Doesn't sound like enough money to pay for a missed day. The other missed stop was for your ship being in disrepair. Carnival's fault.

 

Ships miss ports all the time because of weather. I have been on RCCL and NCL and each missed their private island. There was no OBC for this. I also would not expect it. RCCL spent an extra day (and night) in Nassau instead. I'm not a fan of Nassau but it worked out.

 

The biggest money making extra's on a ship, is booze/casino/excursions. Take away one of them, and replace it with the other two. Maybe it makes up for it, or maybe not, but it's not a total loss either.

 

The original post will make you wonder...if some ships know how to park, and others don't. It's like a parking lot. Some people can easily park while others are fun to watch. Maybe the Carnival Captain needs more practice?

 

Posters like this are some kind of stupid!!

[jimbo5544]

You are being called out by John Heald because someone wrote to him quoting you about the captains needing practice

 

I think it is safe to say our friend will not be contacting John anytime soon. Much easier to cherry pick pot shots here and then disappear again.