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Glacier Bay 2020

Saab4444

By Saab4444,
in Royal Caribbean International

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Saab4444

Saab4444

Posted
Posted

I just received an email that Ovation cruise on August 28, 2020 has been changed back to Endicott Arm, so no Glacier Bay. Who received similar news or has any insides why this happens? This is very disappointing because our main reason to book this cruise was Glacier Bay.

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BEENSAILING

BEENSAILING

Posted
Posted

I also received the email. sigh. There were only 3 Ovation cruises for Glacier Bay.  I am on another cruise and went to Next cruise and  the rep checked and all 3 were replaced with Endicott Arm and Dawes Glacier, which I did this past August. Still beautiful.  The rep has not even received notification.   Royal made a big deal of announcing they were going to be able to go. Also Radiance cruises had their Glacier Bays replaced.

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reallyitsmema

reallyitsmema

Posted
Posted
5 minutes ago, BEENSAILING said:

I also received the email. sigh. There were only 3 Ovation cruises for Glacier Bay.  I am on another cruise and went to Next cruise and  the rep checked and all 3 were replaced with Endicott Arm and Dawes Glacier, which I did this past August. Still beautiful.  The rep has not even received notification.   Royal made a big deal of announcing they were going to be able to go. Also Radiance cruises had their Glacier Bays replaced.

 

Are any of the 2020 sailings still doing Glacier Bay?  We are waiting on the 2021 itineraries and were hoping Radiance does Glacier Bay.

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AlanF65

AlanF65

Posted
Posted
10 minutes ago, akolasz said:

I am on Radiance of the Seas 5/22/2020 and got an email this morning that they are reverting back to the original itinerary and Glacier Bay will be replaced with Skagway.

 

Well that sucks, I am on the 15th NB and 22 SB, the northbound still shows Glacier bay, the south bound shows two itineraries for the same day, 1 with Skagway and one with GB.

 

image.thumb.png.2536cdf33ea0c4e5a9ae4503a7458c57.png

 

 

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zepp914

zepp914

Posted
Posted

I convinced my extended family to sign up for this cruise because of Glacier Bay and I am not sure how I am going to tell them.  

 

Here is the email from my May 22 Ovation cruise if anyone wants to read it:

 

Dear Guest,

Before we set sail on our May 22, 2020 Ovation of the Seas cruise, we have a change to share with you.

Earlier this year, we were excited to add Glacier Bay National Park, Alaska to our itinerary. However, sometimes things don’t go as planned and we’ve changed back to the original itinerary. So, we’ll visit Endicott Arm & Dawes Glacier as originally planned, instead of Glacier Bay National Park. We are sorry for any disappointment, but we’re confident you’ll have a wonderful time as we provide you with plenty of opportunities to explore everything Alaska has to offer – including glaciers! Please see our new itinerary below.

Day

Port of Call

Arrive

Depart

Fri

Seattle, Washington

 

4:00 PM

Sat

Cruising

 

 

Sun

Alaska Inside Passage

 

 

Sun

Juneau, Alaska

12:00 PM

10:00 PM

Mon

Skagway, Alaska

7:00 AM

8:30 PM

Tue

Endicott Arm & Dawes Glacier

7:00 AM

12:00 PM

Wed

Cruising

 

 

Thu

Victoria, British Columbia

8:00 AM

8:00 PM

Fri

Seattle, Washington

6:00 AM

 

One of Alaska’s lesser-known gems, Endicott Arm Fjord marks the southern edge of Fords Terror Wilderness area. As you drift through its 30-mile-long stretch, you can’t help but be awed by the surrounding granite cliffs, mountain valleys and dozens of gushing waterfalls. Your journey through the scenic fjord ends with a front-row view of Dawes Glacier. Standing over 600 feet tall and a half-mile wide, this very active icecap is known for its spectacular calving displays which produce huge, chunky icebergs that float in area waters. Check out how you can take your Alaskan adventure to new heights by browsing through our Cruise Planner!

We thank you again for your understanding and look forward to exploring the wilderness of Alaska with you!

 

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zepp914

zepp914

Posted
Posted
13 hours ago, AlanF65 said:

There can only be two ships in Glacier bay per day and Holland and Princess have priority.

I guess they added stops to Glacier bay because both my cruises now have two HA in Glacier Bay.

 

 

If this is true then RCI will never get to go there.  They could wait until RCI had set its dates and then reroute their ships accordingly.

 

I wanted to give HAL a go, but my wife and son looked around on Youtube and determined the entertainment on-board their ships was about as fun as a funeral.  

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AlanF65

AlanF65

Posted
Posted
4 hours ago, Tulsacoker said:

Well the cruise was not originally going there, so a change from a change should matter anyways

 

My original itinerary when I booked had Glacier bay, that is why I picked the ship and didn't look at other lines.

image.thumb.png.59d75f63ef7d5074af470798d29ed029.png

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HBE4

HBE4

Posted
Posted
34 minutes ago, zepp914 said:
13 hours ago, AlanF65 said:

There can only be two ships in Glacier bay per day and Holland and Princess have priority.

I guess they added stops to Glacier bay because both my cruises now have two HA in Glacier Bay.

 

 

If this is true then RCI will never get to go there.  They could wait until RCI had set its dates and then reroute their ships accordingly.

 

I understand that Princess and HA have priority for Glacier Bay but if I'm following this correctly,  did both lines alter their itineraries AFTER Royal announced  it was stopping at Glacier Bay?

 

Seems like they are trying to block out the competition.

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HBE4

HBE4

Posted
Posted
7 hours ago, Saab4444 said:
14 hours ago, Dendrochirus said:

Based on their terms and conditions they can change everything anytime. 

I don‘t think so as this is a significant change similar to e.g. withdraw ships from Cuba.

 

14 hours ago, Saab4444 said:

I hope this significant change of a cruise is a reason for free cancelation also with non-refundable deposit.

 

Since it's only one port out of 4 or 5 ports that is being replaced, i don't think it's in the same category as cancelling the Cuba cruises. It'll probably  be treated along the lines of the itineraries that are altered when Allure is having it's propulsion issues. 

 

But hopefully I'm wrong. Good luck, hopefully everything is resolved to your satisfaction. Let us know what happens.

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AlanF65

AlanF65

Posted
Posted
Just now, HBE4 said:

 

 

Since it's only one port out of 4 or 5 ports that is being replaced, i don't think it's in the same category as cancelling the Cuba cruises. It'll probably  be treated along the lines of the itineraries that are altered when Allure is having it's propulsion issues. 

 

But hopefully I'm wrong. Good luck, hopefully everything is resolved to your satisfaction. Let us know what happens.

 

I think you are correct about compensation, I am not expecting any, my point was I booked based on visiting Glacier Bay, they didn't add it after I booked and take it away like early bookers.

 

I have been to the other ports multiple times, Glacier Bay is a day visit to a National park on the ship, not a port, that some rate a a must see if going to Alaska. its on my must see list and going twice on a B2B insured better chances of good days.

 

I will most likely cancel at least one leg and go north on HAL, I may spend 5 days in the north on my own and then come back on my SB trip of my B2B. I have non RCI excursions that are now on different days or now  don't have time in the port for.

 

 

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island lady "Live from...." Rare

island lady

Posted
Posted (edited)

My booking I made for 2020 Alaska (B2B 8/14 & 8/21) on Radiance over a year ago was stated as the same old itinerary of what it has been for years.  Glacier Bay was never shown, always Skagway.  This is still showing as the same. 

 

As I am in the opposite camp...I love Skagway, which is my favorite port of call.  IMHO I would be bummed if we did not go there.    

Edited by island lady
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libertyelle

libertyelle

Posted
Posted

Spoke to Royal Caribbean and verified that they will not be offering any compensation or a waiver of change fees.

 

Our family booked our cruise specifically because it included the port stop at Glacier Bay- our family collects Junior Ranger badges from the National Parks, so we were willing to pay a premium to do it ($1200 more than a cruise on Ovation the following week with the same port stops we are now scheduled for). I think it's questionable from an ethical standpoint that they marketed cruises with this port stop (and still are showing it on the website) at a higher price point if they hadn't secured definitive approval from the NPS. We've been on cruises that had itinerary changes due to things outside of RC's control and rolled with it, but this feels different because the situation should have been avoidable.

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Tulsacoker

Tulsacoker

Posted
Posted (edited)

@libertyelle what are you sail dates. I understand your frustrations but seem as though all sailing when they first came out (not didnt have Glacier Bay on the itinerary, we got the email saying they were adding it in place of Skagway and now it goes back.   

Edited by Tulsacoker
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Tulsacoker

Tulsacoker

Posted
Posted (edited)
4 minutes ago, libertyelle said:

 

 

The Sept. 4th Ovation sailing.

Same here ... and I edited my post above. its is screwy when things change multiple times. On my cruise planner is has always said Skagway even when it changed a few months back 

Edited by Tulsacoker
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libertyelle

libertyelle

Posted
Posted
18 minutes ago, Tulsacoker said:

@libertyelle what are you sail dates. I understand your frustrations but seem as though all sailing when they first came out (not didnt have Glacier Bay on the itinerary, we got the email saying they were adding it in place of Skagway and now it goes back.   

 

But when we booked our sailing, it had already changed from Skagway to Glacier Bay. So we made our initial decision to book this specific sailing based on the inclusion of Glacier Bay.

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