Any update on cruises scheduled to leave from Puerto Rico?

[Darcy03231]

The port is ready as is the ship and crew, from everything people have heard.

 

As for getting to the ship, people have a couple options if you are unable to get there -

1. Turn it into their insurance if it was booked by the traveler, maybe they can get to the second port if they are unable to make it to the origin, or if that won't work, then they should get their money back.

2. If they booked Air2Sea through RCI, RCI should make sure they make it, one way or another I believe.

 

I called RCL about this. We're on an international flight from Grenada via Liat Airlines. As of right now all flights from Grenada to San Juan are suspended. I called and asked IF we were unable to make it to San Juan, what the process would be for boarding in St. Kitts. I was told that the emergency response team would make a determination if we would be allowed to board (and they could say no) and, if they let me board, I could be subject to a $300/pp fine to be added to our on-board account.

 

If you can't make it San Juan don't count on being about to board the ship at its first port. We ended up purchasing new airline tickets that will take us from Grenada to JFK, spend the night in NY and then fly to San Juan in the morning.

[rukkian]

Thank you very much.

 

Got my flights changed to Orlando for no cost, staying there for two weeks. Got a 6 day Disney pass (Military Discount) for almost 50% off. Using an aunt's timeshare to stay at a nice resort for two weeks for $0(she doesn't use the timeshare).

 

Just need to rent a car $500 and we're good to go for 2 weeks, its better than wasting $2000 on flights to Puerto Rico, booking possible hotels ($500)+ and dealing with that whole headache.

 

Anyways, I'll stop blogging/venting on here. Sorry :p

 

Sounds like you are making the best of it. Good luck on your honeymoon.

[rukkian]

I called RCL about this. We're on an international flight from Grenada via Liat Airlines. As of right now all flights from Grenada to San Juan are suspended. I called and asked IF we were unable to make it to San Juan, what the process would be for boarding in St. Kitts. I was told that the emergency response team would make a determination if we would be allowed to board (and they could say no) and, if they let me board, I could be subject to a $300/pp fine to be added to our on-board account.

 

If you can't make it San Juan don't count on being about to board the ship at its first port. We ended up purchasing new airline tickets that will take us from Grenada to JFK, spend the night in NY and then fly to San Juan in the morning.

 

I would hope they would let you on, would be pretty crappy if not. Adding a fine seems over the top, but they probably have to do some extra paperwork, and worry about visas since it is no longer a closed loop cruise. I hope it all works out for you.

[Darcy03231]

I would hope they would let you on, would be pretty crappy if not. Adding a fine seems over the top, but they probably have to do some extra paperwork, and worry about visas since it is no longer a closed loop cruise. I hope it all works out for you.

 

With what we spent to take this cruise not being able to board was not an option! We sailed on Norwegian in August and had flight issues due to a storm and didn't think we'd make the ship. I called them and was told if for some reason we missed it to call them and they would help us make arrangements to get to the first port of call. They never mentioned not being able to board the ship or a fine. Luckily, we all made it in and got on the ship.

 

When I called RCL it never occurred to me that I could be denied boarding if my airline wasn't able to get into San Juan, especially under the circumstances. I could have easily made it to St. Kitts and only missed about 12 hours of our cruise. In fact, Liat would have allowed us to change our ticket from San Juan to St. Kitts with no change fees.

 

We're flying in San Juan on a Friday and spending the night. We were able to secure a hotel and if for some reason it's not open (although I've checked twice by phone and once via Facebook) we'll just spend the night in the airport and board as early as possible on Saturday.

 

I'm sure once we get there the cruise will be fine and we'll have a great time. I will say, no matter how great the cruise is, I highly doubt that I would ever book with RCL again, based on their so-called "customer service."

[Racer70]

I'm currently on The Adventure of the Seas and we are enjoying a sunny sea day while sailing back to San Juan on Saturday morning. The weather was great all week and we visited St. Kitts, Antigua, Martinique, St. Lucia and Barbados. The AOS will be ready and waiting for those on the Oct. 14th sailing!

[rukkian]

I'm currently on The Adventure of the Seas and we are enjoying a sunny sea day while sailing back to San Juan on Saturday morning. The weather was great all week and we visited St. Kitts, Antigua, Martinique, St. Lucia and Barbados. The AOS will be ready and waiting for those on the Oct. 14th sailing!

 

Glad it worked out for you.

[DISFANS3]

Glad it worked..

[printingchick]

I'm currently on The Adventure of the Seas and we are enjoying a sunny sea day while sailing back to San Juan on Saturday morning. The weather was great all week and we visited St. Kitts, Antigua, Martinique, St. Lucia and Barbados. The AOS will be ready and waiting for those on the Oct. 14th sailing!

 

Awesome! Thanks for posting. I hope you and/or some of your fellow cruisers log on to report about your cruise once you return home! We'd all love to hear! :D

[S.S.Oceanlover]

I called RCL about this. We're on an international flight from Grenada via Liat Airlines. As of right now all flights from Grenada to San Juan are suspended. I called and asked IF we were unable to make it to San Juan, what the process would be for boarding in St. Kitts. I was told that the emergency response team would make a determination if we would be allowed to board (and they could say no) and, if they let me board, I could be subject to a $300/pp fine to be added to our on-board account.

 

If you can't make it San Juan don't count on being about to board the ship at its first port. We ended up purchasing new airline tickets that will take us from Grenada to JFK, spend the night in NY and then fly to San Juan in the morning.

 

It's sounds like the possible $300 fine would be for a violation of the PVSA which would not be applicable to your situation as you'd be boarding in a foreign port if you missed the embarkation in SJU.

 

Bill

[Darcy03231]

It's sounds like the possible $300 fine would be for a violation of the PVSA which would not be applicable to your situation as you'd be boarding in a foreign port if you missed the embarkation in SJU.

 

Bill

 

The customer service rep didn't elaborate on what the fine would be for (and neither did the supervisor). I was just surprised about the possibility of being denied boarding. The possible fine was the icing on the cake. When I called I expected the response to be "Certainly you can board the ship in St. Kitts in the event your flight to San Juan is canceled," and then be given instructions on what to do. Going up the line didn't do anything either as the supervisor just parroted what the customer service agent had said. I would have been happy to provide any documentation they needed and I let them know up front that I knew I would be responsible for the cost of getting myself to St. Kitts.

[DiscoCV]

Thats my issue, I won't fly with any other airline other than Westjet as I lost my baggage with Air Canada 3 times already and that was a huge headache on its own. I didn't get confirmation yet that my November 18th flight has been cancelled yet?

 

I just hung up with Westjet and they have told me my flight for Dec 8 is still on at this time... They seem to be giving different information to different customers. I asked her why I couldn't see any flights on the website for these dates and she said it was probably just a system glitch or something. I have not received any e-mails or any other information from Westjet.

[FLACRUISER99]

It's sounds like the possible $300 fine would be for a violation of the PVSA which would not be applicable to your situation as you'd be boarding in a foreign port if you missed the embarkation in SJU.

 

Bill

I agree, the CSA probably had no idea that the PVSA only applied to travel between US ports.

[NJ&Ozzie]

I called RCL about this. We're on an international flight from Grenada via Liat Airlines. As of right now all flights from Grenada to San Juan are suspended. I called and asked IF we were unable to make it to San Juan, what the process would be for boarding in St. Kitts. I was told that the emergency response team would make a determination if we would be allowed to board (and they could say no) and, if they let me board, I could be subject to a $300/pp fine to be added to our on-board account.

 

If you can't make it San Juan don't count on being about to board the ship at its first port. We ended up purchasing new airline tickets that will take us from Grenada to JFK, spend the night in NY and then fly to San Juan in the morning.

 

Hi,

In April we boarded RCCL cruise in San Juan - which originated in Tampa. They call charged us $35 each - not sure why it's $300 now. Would check that. The year before we did it too but RCCL did not charge us. It's a new fee put into place as of Jan. 2017. Believe they call it a "downline" fee - similar to interporting. There was nothing special involved to assist us with boarding in SJ - usual procedure.

NJ

[Ontario Cruiser]

I just hung up with Westjet and they have told me my flight for Dec 8 is still on at this time... They seem to be giving different information to different customers. I asked her why I couldn't see any flights on the website for these dates and she said it was probably just a system glitch or something. I have not received any e-mails or any other information from Westjet.

Phone back again and ask for a supervisor The first direct flight to SJU starts Jan 13th that is what they confirmed this morning

Ontario Cruiser

[DiscoCV]

Phone back again and ask for a supervisor The first direct flight to SJU starts Jan 13th that is what they confirmed this morning

Ontario Cruiser

 

This is directly from their website:

 

Enhanced Flexible Change & Cancel is in effect for:

- San Juan, Puerto Rico

We're here to help you, so we've implemented enhanced flexible change and cancel rules for those guests who booked on, or before October 11, 2017 for travel until January 13, 2018. To review your options, please call:

WestJet (air-only): 1-888-937-8538 (1-888-WESTJET).

WestJet Vacations: 1-877-737-7001.

If you have made an air-only booking through a travel agent, please contact your travel agent directly.

We advise all guests travelling to or from these cities to check the status of their flights prior to leaving for the airport.

Additional updates will be posted as they are available.

Flights are not cancelled as of now, but they are permitting changes and cancellations

[cruiser69420]

This is directly from their website:

 

Enhanced Flexible Change & Cancel is in effect for:

- San Juan, Puerto Rico

We're here to help you, so we've implemented enhanced flexible change and cancel rules for those guests who booked on, or before October 11, 2017 for travel until January 13, 2018. To review your options, please call:

WestJet (air-only): 1-888-937-8538 (1-888-WESTJET).

WestJet Vacations: 1-877-737-7001.

If you have made an air-only booking through a travel agent, please contact your travel agent directly.

We advise all guests travelling to or from these cities to check the status of their flights prior to leaving for the airport.

Additional updates will be posted as they are available.

Flights are not cancelled as of now, but they are permitting changes and cancellations

 

Yes, I switched my flights from San Juan to Orlando and actually got a credit of $350 lol.

Westjet is awesome

[nursemom2]

This is directly from their website:

 

 

 

Enhanced Flexible Change & Cancel is in effect for:

 

- San Juan, Puerto Rico

 

We're here to help you, so we've implemented enhanced flexible change and cancel rules for those guests who booked on, or before October 11, 2017 for travel until January 13, 2018. To review your options, please call:

 

WestJet (air-only): 1-888-937-8538 (1-888-WESTJET).

 

WestJet Vacations: 1-877-737-7001.

 

If you have made an air-only booking through a travel agent, please contact your travel agent directly.

 

We advise all guests travelling to or from these cities to check the status of their flights prior to leaving for the airport.

 

Additional updates will be posted as they are available.

 

 

 

Flights are not cancelled as of now, but they are permitting changes and cancellations

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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[DebbieActon]

This is directly from their website:

 

Enhanced Flexible Change & Cancel is in effect for:

- San Juan, Puerto Rico

We're here to help you, so we've implemented enhanced flexible change and cancel rules for those guests who booked on, or before October 11, 2017 for travel until January 13, 2018. To review your options, please call:

WestJet (air-only): 1-888-937-8538 (1-888-WESTJET).

WestJet Vacations: 1-877-737-7001.

If you have made an air-only booking through a travel agent, please contact your travel agent directly.

We advise all guests travelling to or from these cities to check the status of their flights prior to leaving for the airport.

Additional updates will be posted as they are available.

Flights are not cancelled as of now, but they are permitting changes and cancellations

 

I would call back again. We were booked on West Jet thru Celebrity. I called both West Jet and Celebrity Air and they both confirmed that all West Jet flights in and out of San Juan were cancelled and not resuming until Jan 13th. We received a credit from West Jet and rebooked on AirCanada for a slight rate increase. Another CC posted was told by West Jet that it was due to the tower at the airport not having power and having to use the communications from the Miami airport so they are at reduced capacity. There have been other reports of JetBlue and Delta cancelling some of their flights and not advising passengers as well.

[DougYWG]

This is directly from their website:

 

Enhanced Flexible Change & Cancel is in effect for:

- San Juan, Puerto Rico

We're here to help you, so we've implemented enhanced flexible change and cancel rules for those guests who booked on, or before October 11, 2017 for travel until January 13, 2018. To review your options, please call:

WestJet (air-only): 1-888-937-8538 (1-888-WESTJET).

WestJet Vacations: 1-877-737-7001.

If you have made an air-only booking through a travel agent, please contact your travel agent directly.

We advise all guests travelling to or from these cities to check the status of their flights prior to leaving for the airport.

Additional updates will be posted as they are available

 

I'm guessing that they figured flights would be half full for the next few weeks so they are not interested.

[Virtopia]

I'm flying with Delta and United Airlines for my upcoming cruise. I checked both of them online today and they appeared to be good to go as there was no notices posted, but I will check again to be sure.

[sweetlove13]

I really, really want to sail out of PR because the cruises coming up are so cheap & it’s my favorite place in the world, but I’m afraid I won’t be able to get off the island afterwards & not sure I feel right going there to enjoy myself when there are people still suffering on the island. I tell myself that my tourist dollars will help the economy, but I think I’m just fooling myself

 

 

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[mollyeilis]

I tell myself that my tourist dollars will help the economy, but I think I’m just fooling myself

 

 

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They have an economy that's highly tourist-based. Why would you think your tourist dollars wouldn't help?

[alfaeric]

I really, really want to sail out of PR because the cruises coming up are so cheap & it’s my favorite place in the world, but I’m afraid I won’t be able to get off the island afterwards & not sure I feel right going there to enjoy myself when there are people still suffering on the island. I tell myself that my tourist dollars will help the economy, but I think I’m just fooling myself

 

 

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You'll be stuck why? Flights are going fine at SJU. Unless you feel that you want to stay and help- which I'm sure will be welcome in some areas.

 

One other way to help- make sure that your prescription drugs that come from Puerto Rico get going. That helps a lot of people.

 

Or http://www.somosunavoz.com or http://www.somosonevoice.com, both are taking donations.

[RobSykes]

We arrived from our cruise today, no problems getting out except the airport personal or lack of anyone who could handle the large amount of people coming into the airport. My suggestion is if you can stay on the day you return from your cruise do it!!

Complete cluster and I am not kidding!! Airport is up and running there still is a curfew and the cruise line suggested not to do any tourist things in PR just go directly tot he airport. When we left the port in San Juan on October 7, Old San Juan was very dark. But all and all it was one of the best cruises we have been on and cannot wait to go back. The staff on the AOS is spectacular they really love their job! Everything will be fine relax, we flew from Cleveland to Orlando on Friday and then on Saturday did Orlando to San Juan and everything was perfect. Hope all of you enjoy your cruise as much as we did!!

[RobSykes]

Why would they cancel that cruise?

We just arrived back from the October 7 cruise all is good. Not sure about your air flights especially from Canada but they are continuing to go forward, taxis are running they offered us a shuttle which we took advantage of not sure about hotels. I heard thru the grapevine some of the hotels were giving rooms to first responders. Traffic is flowing so yes there is alot of clean up and rebuilding but they are moving forward!! The cruise was perfect!