compensation

[martine]

Just returned from the QM2 Jan 3 cruise and our Costa Rica stop was cancelled due to heavy swell

 

No other island between there and NYC could be found for a replacement so we spent an extra day at sea

 

is there any compensation possible to be requested to Cunard or the travel agency?

[guernseyguy]

Just returned from the QM2 Jan 3 cruise and our Costa Rica stop was cancelled due to heavy swell

 

Do you consider Cunard or your TA responsible for the heavy swell? If not, why should you be compensated for something beyond either of their control?

 

Peter

[Colin_Cameron]

Don't think so Martine.

 

Package Contract paragraph 29 (At least in the UK. I suspect he US will have a similar paragraph but perhaps a different number.)

 

After departure Cunard does not guarantee that the ship will call at every port on the itinerary... ...compensation will not be payable if the alteration is minor... ...or other event beyond Cunard's control.

 

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news. Colin.

[mufi]

There can be many reasons why a ship can't call at a port. We have been scheduled to land in the Azores on two different occasions and could not make it each time because of choppy seas. It can be difficult in the Falklands but we were lucky. Others have sailed down there and just headed north again without touching dry land. The only compesation you can get is refund of tour payments.

 

David.

[mtbny7]

Yes: Instead of visiting some TIRED tourist traps you got to spend the day onboard a luxury liner.

 

Michael

[mufi]

True, I could happily miss all the Carribean ports but would have been mightilly miffed to have missed a few others.

 

David.

[cruiserking]

I too was aboard for the January 3, voyage. Although we were sorry to not have stopped in Costa Rica, we completely understood this is par for the course. Four consecutive sea days was not unlike having a transatlantic journey tacked onto the end of our Caribbean trip.

 

One thing though I find a bit puzzling is this business of port fee reimbursements. Our port fees and taxes for this trip were around $340 per person yet, we were only credited $3.50 for not stopping in Costa Rica. Perhaps it's cheaper to port there than say, Panama.

 

I was expecting a $30 credit, but, at least $3.50 scratched that afternoon's BBC off the overall tally, so not a total loss.

 

Cruiserking

[travel-to-go]

Just returned from the QM2 Jan 3 cruise and our Costa Rica stop was cancelled due to heavy swell

 

No other island between there and NYC could be found for a replacement so we spent an extra day at sea

 

is there any compensation possible to be requested to Cunard or the travel agency?

 

Martine,

Sorry we didn't have you on the roll call. I made name badges for everyone and we met a couple of times. Made some very good friends from the cruisers in this group!

 

There is a similar paragraph in your contract, as well as in the small print on the bottom of the page of the brochure.

 

The alternative would be for the Captain to have ported in, knowing that it could be a danger to the ship, bottomed out the pods- maybe the Azipod, not the stationary one, called off the rest of the trip while she was towed someplace to be repaired, all passengers off-loaded and whatever transportation could be found (probably including an hour or two to San Jose Airport with all of our luggage) back to New York.

One of the reasons many of us probably chose this particlar cruise is for the number of days at sea! I'm not saying I wasn't a little disappointed (saved me the cost of the tour I was going to take, for two of us!) but the Commodore made the right decision, as we can no see, based on the Fort Lauderdale incident. By the way, the Port authorrity also sent us an email refusing to let us port as the swells were coming directly in, and the draft was adequate without the swells, but not with those big swells. The purser actually read me the email. I wasn't hassling them- down there for something else and just curious.

 

As for the port fees, I learned a little about those, too. Basically, Costa Rica is about the cheapest port around. Most of us heard what the fees are for the Panama Canal. I can't imagine the port fees are cheap either. St Thomas is a semi-expensive port, and somewhere I have the actual fees charged for various thigs at the Curacao "Mega Pier" There is a web site with it all spelled out. Here it is, if anyone is interested.

http://www.madurosons.com/index.asp?page=http://www.madurosons.com/page.asp?pag_id=1395&lan_id=3&Usual+Port+Charges

 

And usually, based on the services we DID get, I am certain we were charged at least some fees. And remember, we actually lowered one tender and the platform at Puerto Limon. Many web sites I looked at said that port fees (to the line) are rarely refunded under these circumstances.

 

All in all, I had a great time, and am satisfied that I got good value for my money, even without the extra port.

 

Karie,

Trying to figure out how to pay that Discover Card Bill when it comes!