Cindy Posted February 22, 2016 #26 Share Posted February 22, 2016 Sorry. No conspiracy here. ALL tender ports have this issue for ALL cruise lines and I am not aware of ANY cruise line that notates the odds of making it to a particular port on the published itinerary. Our missed calls at Coco Cay (on Royal) were long before drink packages were the norm. We have also missed calls at Grand Cayman (on Celebrity and Royal) and Cancun (when ships still tendered there). All were tender ports and all instances were related to sea conditions. Even ports with docks can be missed if wind and sea conditions aren't right. I've missed Costa Maya multiple times on different cruise lines, and have seen waves crashing over the pier there. The Carnival Corp. site in Roatan (Mahogany Bay) is also very problematic for ships getting in and conditions have to be just right. People who want to cruise need to accept that missed ports are part of it and if a port is important book a land vacation there or be prepared to make the best of it if their ship doesn't make it in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TinyG Posted February 22, 2016 #27 Share Posted February 22, 2016 We recently had two cruises on two different ships that were going to Coco Cay. We made it just once. High winds sent us to Nassau. We had a great time anyway. Our second cruise later in the week. We made it to Coco Cay. The winds were high on the island, but we could till tender. Once we were there it felt like we were getting sand blasted. The winds never died down, and we tried both sides of the island. We ended up only stayed 2 hours before we went back to the ship. It was not enjoyable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pavovsky Posted February 22, 2016 #28 Share Posted February 22, 2016 If it is diverted to Nassau is it a requirement to get off the ship or can one stay in and drink? Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dkjretired Posted February 22, 2016 #29 Share Posted February 22, 2016 If it is diverted to Nassau is it a requirement to get off the ship or can one stay in and drink? Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Stay and drink as much as you want....Make sure you know where the bathrooms are though, Celebrity frowns on use of the pool. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iMedic Posted February 22, 2016 #30 Share Posted February 22, 2016 *sarcasm* I bet they miss it because of chem trails!! */sarcasm* Gotta love how some people desperately need there to be a reason other than the obvious to account for anything that might happen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IsanTom Posted February 23, 2016 #31 Share Posted February 23, 2016 There has been a group of Pirates off the coast of CoCo Cay during the past 12 months, so for safety the ships, they have bypassed this beautiful Island. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
QueenGlassHalfFull Posted February 23, 2016 #32 Share Posted February 23, 2016 I've heard the crew refer to the stop as "Coco Maybe". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monicajay Posted February 23, 2016 #33 Share Posted February 23, 2016 For our departure of Feb. 27th on the Reflection, many on the roll call received e-mails stating that our port had been changed to Key West. I did not get this. Then, not long after, some got e-mails stating it was reverting to Cococay. Now, if I look at 'my Celebrity' it states Cococay BUT if I try to book a shore excursion or activity that day, they only have excursions listed for Key West. Such a mystery as we leave this Saturday. Some members of our roll-call have phoned to ask but nobody seems to have a clear answer. I guess if we will miss Cococay, I'd prefer Key West over Nassau, but then again we could end up with a a sea day. Who knows............. time will tell! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
naples09 Posted February 23, 2016 #34 Share Posted February 23, 2016 We were on the Reflection last week. Someone told us that Cococay was being replaced with Key West for all future Reflection cruises to the Western side. I'm not sure if this change will continue but it sure seemed like they were making a change for future cruises. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruisexlife Posted February 23, 2016 #35 Share Posted February 23, 2016 We had to miss Cococay on my Enchantment of the Seas cruise in November 2012 because of weather. Great Stirrup Cay has recently been renovated so there is a wide basin for tendering so ships make it there most of the time now. But Cococay has not been renovated in this way, so the seas have to be very calm and winds low in order to have safe tendering. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monicajay Posted February 23, 2016 #36 Share Posted February 23, 2016 Yesterday, our shore excursions were for Key West. Later today on "My Celebrity" the excursions have reverted to CocoCay so I guess the idea of Key West was dropped for us. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
youwash Posted February 25, 2016 #37 Share Posted February 25, 2016 Today we received an email from the Reflection shore-side concierge with the information that we will be stopping at Key West in place of Cococay. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Hlitner Posted February 25, 2016 #38 Share Posted February 25, 2016 Cruise ships have become more risk adverse, just like many things on land. When we were kids it was very rare for any school to close because of snow or cold weather. Today, it is not uncommon for schools to close or have delays at the first sign of a snow flake. Cruises are similar. When we started cruising (in the mid 70s) we can recall tendering (sometimes in open lifeboats) in pretty bad conditions. But today, cruise lines really err on the side of safety (not a bad thing) and no Captain is going to gamble on the safety of his passengers and crew just to tender to an island. Hank Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ehfl Posted February 25, 2016 #39 Share Posted February 25, 2016 When you chose to go to CocoCay in the windy season, you're choosing a high likelihood of missing the stop. When it's windy, there are waves. When there are large waves, it's not safe to board a tender. When the waves are breaking over the breakwater, it's not safe to send the tenders into/out of the harbor. It's no secret that winter is windy season. It's no secret that when winds are high, they can't get into CocoCay. No secret so no reason to complain. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Keith1010 Posted February 25, 2016 #40 Share Posted February 25, 2016 I suspect the weather was the issue. You could ask when you are on board. Keith Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cindy Posted February 25, 2016 #41 Share Posted February 25, 2016 Anyone who's upset about missing Coco Cay because of sea/wind conditions needs to read posts 99 & 101 of this review: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2317644&page=3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruisefam38 Posted February 25, 2016 #42 Share Posted February 25, 2016 Thank you Cindy, the thread by jpm1973 provides a very important perspective. We humans aspire to control the weather, to control Nature itself, and as of yet we are at it's mercy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aquahound Posted February 25, 2016 #43 Share Posted February 25, 2016 This has been the most windy and stormy winter I have ever experienced down here, so it does not surprise me one bit that Coco Cay is getting skipped a lot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monicajay Posted February 26, 2016 #44 Share Posted February 26, 2016 Anyone who's upset about missing Coco Cay because of sea/wind conditions needs to read posts 99 & 101 of this review: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2317644&page=3 I read through those posts and although it sounded like a difficult time getting back to the ship, they seemed to really enjoy their day. This has been the most windy and stormy winter I have ever experienced down here, so it does not surprise me one bit that Coco Cay is getting skipped a lot. Seems the Reflection is still planning on heading to CocoCay next week. One of the people on our Rollcall (Daxwise doing a B2B) has spoken to the Captain and there will be no Key West for us:(. He'll try to tender at CocoCaye and if not it will be a sea day or maybe Nassau. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aquahound Posted February 26, 2016 #45 Share Posted February 26, 2016 Seems the Reflection is still planning on heading to CocoCay next week. One of the people on our Rollcall (Daxwise doing a B2B) has spoken to the Captain and there will be no Key West for us:(. He'll try to tender at CocoCaye and if not it will be a sea day or maybe Nassau. Reflection is about 40' longer than the largest ships that call on Key West (Carnival Dream Class), so Key West isn't an option for them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cindy Posted February 26, 2016 #46 Share Posted February 26, 2016 This has been the most windy and stormy winter I have ever experienced down here, so it does not surprise me one bit that Coco Cay is getting skipped a lot. I know I'm in the minority on this, but I would be THRILLED to go to Key West instead of Coco Cay. I'm not big on hanging out on the beach, but I love getting out and exploring. I actually try to avoid itineraries with private islands!:eek: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MR_T Posted March 18, 2016 Author #47 Share Posted March 18, 2016 We got to Coco Cay today and it was lovely, calm sees great beaches and smooth tender rides both there & back, we even saw 2 adults & 1 baby stingray just off one of one of the beaches [emoji41] Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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