Le Champlain denied entry in Puerto Morelos

[garykool81]

Not sure if anyone was aware of this, and slightly surprised I am not hearing about it anywhere in cruise related news. I am simply cut and pasting my Facebook post on the issue to share things more from an Operations vs. Customer Service perspective. Ponant, in my opinion, handled this wonderfully. 

 

There are plenty of examples in life where a company somehow wrongs a customer, resulting in that customer deserving some sort of credit or refund because of their experience.

 

There are also plenty of instances where a customer is negatively impacted in one way or another because of an issue impacting both the company and the customer, yet is completely outside of the company's control and not something that the company bears any responsibility for.

 

During our week long ocean voyage out of Boston aboard Le Champlain with Ponant, the Mexican government without warning rescinded the permission it had granted Ponant three years prior to operate out of Puerto Morelos as a home port for its cruises for the next six months. Worse, they told our ship of 120 passengers, many of whom had already made plans to disembark there, that we were no longer welcome. This information was relayed to Ponant only two days away from our ship's arrival.

 

When Ponant then scrambled to make alternative plans that the Mexican government agreed to that involved anchoring north of Cancun off of Punta Sam, the Mexican government without warning revoked that permission only hours ahead of our scheduled arrival.

 

Once again, Ponant had to scramble for an alternative plan. They tried to ask for permission to anchor off Playa del Carmen instead -- permission denied once more.

 

Finally, the Mexican government granted permission for our ship to dock in Cozumel, an island 45-minutes by ferry off the coast of Playa del Carmen. Our ship increased past its normal cruise speed to maximum power, allowing us to get into port there at 6PM on Friday instead of 6AM on Saturday, as originally scheduled. This allowed immigration officials in Cozumel to come onboard our ship on Friday evening and clear all passengers, thereby allowing us to disembark on Saturday morning and still make our flights out of Cancun -- which was now nearly two hours away instead of 30 minutes as originally planned from Puerto Morelos.

 

This change was operationally catastrophic for Ponant. Imagine everything that the officers and crew had to deal with -- rerouting provisions (food, fuel, toiletry supplies, etc) from mainland Puerto Morelos to an island off the coast. Having to contact all of the incoming passengers for the next cruise to frantically tell them of the change in plans for their port of embarkation. Needing to coordinate changes in plans for arriving and departing crew members. Helping to coordinate truly "white glove" service for disembarking passengers to get them to the mainland and the airport to ensure that no one missed their flights.

 

On Saturday morning, they were left with an empty ship -- no supplies, no fuel, no food for the next week's cruise -- all because of corruption or incompetence of the Mexican government.

All of this involved Ponant hemorrhaging cash to do everything they could to make things right for those impacted and to ensure that they could operate their planned future cruises with that ship from that region. The entire staff was undoubtedly working 12+ hour days to pull this all off.

 

To give you an idea of how much effort Ponant put into making us all whole, Ian and I (along with only one other couple that needed to get off the ship as early as us) were personally escorted by a chain of SEVEN crew members and outside contractors door to door from our ship to the Cozumel ferry to our taxi in Playa del Carmen, during which we incurred no expenses and didn't have to lift a single piece of our luggage.

 

Despite all of this, during a shipboard meeting with the captain and our fellow 100(ish) passengers Friday afternoon, a gentleman (unsurprisingly from DC) had the audacity to yell out at the master of the vessel, as if meeting with some politician, that he was demanding "compensation" for the "inconvenience." When the captain calmly explained that this was not something he was currently focusing on, and that he was instead furiously working for the past two days with the crew onboard and headquarters to find a port to dock the ship in and to make arrangements to get everyone where they needed to be on time, the gentleman again yelled at over him, "I don't care if you're busy. I'm busy, too!"

 

You cannot imagine the smile on my face when a German passenger to his immediate left told him, "Shut the f--- up," and the captain proceeded to again calmly reply that if the gentleman wanted to, we could stop the ship and sit here for three hours discussing his compensation, or he could allow the captain to do his job and command the vessel. The captain received resounding applause from all of us.

 

This gentleman from DC is a perfect example of what is broken on the consumer side of our "customer service culture" in this country. He was in no way adversely impacted by an issue that was completely outside of a company's control that he was doing business with, because the company went above and beyond to make it all right for him in the end. Yet, simply because he was cognizant of the fact that everything had not gone as planned, he held his hand out and demanded a wad of cash from a company already losing money to correct a problem they didn't cause.

 

I was thrilled to see our fellow passengers conduct themselves the way they did. It restored my faith in the notion that most of us are fair and reasonably minded consumers who do not take advantage of unfortunate incidents in life and use them as an excuse to extort money from those we do business with.

Edited November 6, 2019 by garykool81

[HappyInVan]

On 11/5/2019 at 6:51 PM, garykool81 said:

Not sure if anyone was aware of this, and slightly surprised I am not hearing about it anywhere in cruise related news. I am simply cut and pasting my Facebook post on the issue to share things more from an Operations vs. Customer Service perspective. Ponant, in my opinion, handled this wonderfully. 

 

 

 

Thanks for the info.

 

Gulp! I'm booked for a trip out of Port Morelos in January. Any word on whether the situation is resolved???

 

 

[mediaprohi]

Thanks much for this info.  We're booked out of PM mid-December as well.  Do you know if Ponant has issued any advisories to passengers going forward?

[mediaprohi]

Just reached my TA.  Apparently Ponant conducted a Webinar with her company today with results being posted tomorrow.  In a search, the only tidbit I uncovered was a post Mexico News Daily:

Hoteliers Trying To Stop Puerto Morelos Cruise Ship Arrivals

MexicoNewsDaily

11.10.19

Permission for cruise ships to dock in Puerto Morelos has not been granted after local hotel owners formed a human chain to protest the plan, citing a lack of economic benefits the ships will bring and the negative impact they will have on the accommodation sector.

For the benefit of others that are booked for the Maya itinerary, I will post again when i have more news.

[HappyInVan]

1 hour ago, mediaprohi said:

Just reached my TA.  Apparently Ponant conducted a Webinar with her company today with results being posted tomorrow.  In a search, the only tidbit I uncovered was a post Mexico News Daily:

Hoteliers Trying To Stop Puerto Morelos Cruise Ship Arrivals

 

 

 

Thanks.

 

I asked my TA, and I'm waiting for a responses. 

 

Actually I booked two nights at a local hotel pre-cruise. Would never have gone to Puerto Morelos otherwise.

 

 

[HappyInVan]

Just in from my TA...

 

"Hi Jim,

I called Ponant and they advised that the November dates and so far some December dates have been affected by this port change. I asked about a refund and was told the request is judged on a case by case basis but affected bookings have been allowed to move the full deposit to another ship and sailing without penalty. Should your sailing date be affected a notice will go out to us directly."

 

I assume they mean Cozumel. I'm not willing to go through the hassle of taking the ferry to Cozumel Island. 

[garykool81]

Personally, I wouldn't cancel a wonderful cruise just because you need to take a ferry to Cozumel. Chances are that Ponant will cover your cost of the ferry ticket, and it really is an easy 35-40 minute ride on a very fast, well equipped ferry. Certainly not a major inconvenience, IMO. 

 

If you're staying in a local hotel at Puerto Morelos, though, I certainly think that you should give them an earful (politely, but firmly) about the major inconvenience they have caused you and the fact that you would not even be staying there had it not been for the cruise ship. The hotel operators need to hear that loud and clear -- the notion that Ponant would somehow hurt, rather than help their business with pre and post cruise stays is absurd and shows a complete lack of business acumen on their part. 

 

All that said, we were also denied the ability to use Punta Sam, after the Mexican government had agreed to it the day before, so I suspect there may be some other political forces at play here. While announcing that we had been denied the ability to use Punta Sam as an alternative port, the captain of Le Champlain had used his fingers to make the "$$$$" sign while explaining that there seemed to "be many interests that wanted us to only operate out of Cozumel." 

 

One wonders if political interests in Cozumel are ultimately behind all of this, including planting the seed in the ears of hotel operators in Puerto Morelos that cruise ships would somehow hurt their business. It is a bit far fetched, but would make sense if Cozumel is concerned that they will no longer be the de facto port for all cruise ships in the region. 

Edited November 15, 2019 by garykool81

[HappyInVan]

5 hours ago, garykool81 said:

Personally, I wouldn't cancel a wonderful cruise just because you need to take a ferry to Cozumel. Chances are that Ponant will cover your cost of the ferry ticket, and it really is an easy 35-40 minute ride on a very fast, well equipped ferry. Certainly not a major inconvenience, IMO. 

 

 

 

Gary,

 

I will be flying in solo at 5:45 pm, and be staying overnight at an airport hotel. Next morning, I will have to taxi down to the ferry terminal, buy a ticket and get my luggage on board. I won't have any crew members helping me, and I've never been on the ferry.

 

BTW, how far is the Cozumel ferry terminal from the pier used by the ship?

 

JIm

 

[mediaprohi]

Thanks to both of you for keeping us updated.  My TA reported back similar info, and I agree that there is little hassle in taking the ferry aside from shlepping the bags one more time.  My TA was advised that passengers in late November and December would be notified of port changes.  She also said that they have used more ports than Cozumel so far.  It's interesting your observation about Cozumel wanting the dock fees and traffic, but I'm more inclined to believe the government $$$$ explanation and ignorance on the part of the hoteliers.  I do hope that you contact the Chamber of Commerce in Puerto Morelos to state that you had to cancel your two nights because of the confusion.  The CofC was in favor of the port visits by Ponant.

 

I may have more info from my TA on Monday

[CabinBoy2020]

8 hours ago, garykool81 said:

Personally, I wouldn't cancel a wonderful cruise just because you need to take a ferry to Cozumel. Chances are that Ponant will cover your cost of the ferry ticket, and it really is an easy 35-40 minute ride on a very fast, well equipped ferry. Certainly not a major inconvenience, IMO. 

 

 

 

Hi Gary:  Not to sidetrack this discussion, but were you on a Ponant "Ocean Voyage", i.e., one with no port stops just sea days?  I'm trying Ponant next year on a Pacific Coast ocean voyage and would be very interested in your impressions of the cruise.  Please write a review if you have time.  Thanks.

 

Bill

[garykool81]

21 hours ago, HappyInVan said:

 

Gary,

 

I will be flying in solo at 5:45 pm, and be staying overnight at an airport hotel. Next morning, I will have to taxi down to the ferry terminal, buy a ticket and get my luggage on board. I won't have any crew members helping me, and I've never been on the ferry.

 

BTW, how far is the Cozumel ferry terminal from the pier used by the ship?

 

JIm

 

 

Jim --

 

There is a possibility, given the unexpected change, that Ponant will offer you assistance in the form of more formal transfers to the pier in Cozumel, should they still be in a position where they are using it at that time. I would certainly recommend calling them and inquiring. They provided us truly white glove service from the ship to the taxi, to the ferry, on the ferry itself, and then to the taxi to take us to the airport. We didn't lift a bag the entire time, and Ponant paid for it all. Now, that might simply be because the change occurred in the middle of our voyage, but it still is worth looking into what options they can offer to a solo traveler like yourself. In our case, the crew only helped between the ship and the first taxi. Everything else was done by shore excursion contractors that Ponant had hired last minute. 

 

There are a number of cruise piers in Cozumel, so I am not sure if they would still be using the same one that we had docked at several weeks ago. However, that pier was ideal for this situation. I've attached a satellite photo showing how close it is to the ferry terminal with a blue line linking the two -- not even a five minute cab ride. We would have chosen just to walk if we had known it was only a few blocks away. 

 

The ferry is truly a care-free experience. We've taken it a few times now, including just walking up and purchasing tickets on our own. It is fairly inexpensive, fast, and the interior of the ferry is very modern and nice. There are two companies that operate basically on the same schedule (departures at least every hour, but I believe perhaps even every 30 minutes) starting as early as 7:00AM. The ride from Playa del Carmen, where the ferry docks at the mainland, and Cozumel is only 30-40 minutes. 

 

I hope that helps! 

 

[garykool81]

18 hours ago, CabinForOne said:

 

Hi Gary:  Not to sidetrack this discussion, but were you on a Ponant "Ocean Voyage", i.e., one with no port stops just sea days?  I'm trying Ponant next year on a Pacific Coast ocean voyage and would be very interested in your impressions of the cruise.  Please write a review if you have time.  Thanks.

 

Bill

Bill --

 

Yes, this was the ocean voyage (re-positioning cruise) from Boston to P̶u̶e̶r̶t̶o̶ ̶M̶o̶r̶e̶l̶o̶s̶   ̶P̶u̶n̶t̶a̶ ̶S̶a̶m̶   Cozumel. The trip was really quite relaxing and wonderful. We've done a number of transatlantics, so we really enjoy all of the days at sea with nothing to do other than meet up with new friends and stare out at the ocean. We've never found ourselves bored unless we wanted to be, even on a ship this small. 

 

I have not previously sailed with Ponant, so I won't have a basis of comparison until we do another trip with them around Iceland next August/September. However, here are a few observations I did make that could be different from the "normal" cruises that are certainly more pricey: 

 

- It seemed that staffing had been noticeably reduced, which was sometimes problematic during dining when it took longer than usual for water refills to come, etc. Service was VERY good, and everyone was working quite hard, but it did seem like the service staff was probably cut by at least 1/3 for the re-positioning cruise. 

 

- Having not sailed with Ponant before this trip, I am not sure how good their food normally is, but I was left to wonder if they might have cut back a bit for the ocean voyage. Fruits, breads, cheeses, and pastries were all phenomenal on our trip, but the main dishes with meats or veggies were really hit or miss. And, some of them were downright disappointing. Others were amazing. Being a huge foodie, experiencing truly four or five star cuisine on a line that has a French background was something I had been looking forward to. While some of it was great, a lot of it was just good -- overall, not better than what I had previously on lines like Celebrity or Cunard, which was pretty disappointing for a company with rates as high as Ponant. I was definitely expecting better. That said, for $1,800/pp for a week that was all inclusive and included a $250/pp onboard credit, I at no point felt that the price was unfair for what I had received. It was a bargain by all accounts. But, I will certainly be furious if the food quality on our $5,000+/pp Iceland cruise next year is the same as what it was on the re-positioning voyage. 

 

- Dress was probably a bit more relaxed than a normal cruise (a good thing in my book). I found that less than 50% of male passengers wore jackets to dinner, and breakfast/lunch were even more casual. Even on the "formal" night, there was barely a black tie in sight -- most male passengers just wore a jacket that evening, many without a tie. I got the impression from Ponant advertising that their regular cruises may lean towards a more formal dress code. 

 

It is really difficult to figure out what might be different on these ocean voyages vs. a normal cruise. Where most of the cruise industry stopped cutting back on spending and staffing on these voyages years ago, Ponant up until rather recently offered them as truly "bare bones" voyages -- the shop and spa would be closed for the entire trip, and there was no entertainment onboard. Fortunately, that is NOT the case any more -- the shop and spa were open daily, and there was a small amount of entertainment onboard. Still, we were left with the impression that some cutbacks had been made for sure. 

Would we do it again? Definitely! For the price you pay for those voyages, which is often about 50% or less of what a normal Ponant trip would cost, it is well worth it! 

[CabinBoy2020]

Thank you Gary!  I appreciate your review and I'm glad you enjoyed your cruise.  The price of these ocean voyages is really a bargain which makes trying Ponant such a good deal before committing to a longer and more expensive cruise.  You confirmed what I suspected about some reductions in service and, perhaps, food quality.  Still, an all-inclusive cruise on a small ship with a balcony cabin and those relaxing sea days sounds wonderful.  I'm trying Ponant, Oceania and Crystal over the next couple years.  It will be fun to compare.  Enjoy the Iceland cruise!

[HappyInVan]

1 hour ago, garykool81 said:

Bill --

 

Yes, this was the ocean voyage (re-positioning cruise) from Boston to P̶u̶e̶r̶t̶o̶ ̶M̶o̶r̶e̶l̶o̶s̶   ̶P̶u̶n̶t̶a̶ ̶S̶a̶m̶   Cozumel. The trip was really quite relaxing and wonderful. We've done a number of transatlantics, so we really enjoy all of the days at sea with nothing to do other than meet up with new friends and stare out at the ocean. We've never found ourselves bored unless we wanted to be, even on a ship this small. 

 

I have not previously sailed with Ponant, so I won't have a basis of comparison until we do another trip with them around Iceland next August/September. However, here are a few observations I did make that could be different from the "normal" cruises that are certainly more pricey: 

 

 

I'll be on the Iceland cruise in August 2021. Look forward to your review. Thanks.

[HappyInVan]

2 hours ago, garykool81 said:

 

There are a number of cruise piers in Cozumel, so I am not sure if they would still be using the same one that we had docked at several weeks ago. However, that pier was ideal for this situation. I've attached a satellite photo showing how close it is to the ferry terminal with a blue line linking the two -- not even a five minute cab ride. We would have chosen just to walk if we had known it was only a few blocks away. 

 

The ferry is truly a care-free experience. We've taken it a few times now, including just walking up and purchasing tickets on our own. It is fairly inexpensive, fast, and the interior of the ferry is very modern and nice. There are two companies that operate basically on the same schedule (departures at least every hour, but I believe perhaps even every 30 minutes) starting as early as 7:00AM. The ride from Playa del Carmen, where the ferry docks at the mainland, and Cozumel is only 30-40 minutes. 

 

 

 

 

Thanks Gary. That helps a lot. On behalf of the other passengers, I would like to thank you for your hard work.

 

 

[garykool81]

Quick opinion piece in the Mexican press about this. Apparently, the French government is getting involved and advocating on behalf of Ponant, given that the refusal of permission to operate out of Puerto Morelos by the local government was not legal. 

 

Rough translation to English (courtesy of Google) below... 

 

https://www.periodicoviaje.com/2019/11/12/violenta-la-ley-api-de-puerto-morelos/

 

 

Héctor López Gutiérrez, General Coordinator of Ports and Merchant Marine of the Ministry of Communications and Transportation, sent a letter to Alicia Ricalde Magaña, general director of the Integral Port Administration of Quintana Roo, on November 6.

 

The issue is the Le Champlan cruise ship of the French shipping company Ponant, which has the permits to dock in Puerto Morelos to what hoteliers headed by the Cancun association headed by Roberto Cintrón have opposed.

 

In the document he asks to provide the cruise with the services he needs in Puerto Morelos, because the latter's use regime is public and because in his concession title it is cataloged as a dock for common-use height ferries.

 

Therefore, the official notes, "there is no problem to receive nautical tourism-cruise ships."

 

Ricalde Magaña with one hand on the waist has ignored the law; That is why the French ambassador in Mexico, Anne Grillo, has already taken the issue to the Secretariats of Foreign Affairs and Tourism, whose headlines are Marcelo Ebrard and Miguel Torruco.

 

But by maintaining the ban to dock the cruise in Puerto Morelos, Le Champlan's operating expenses have skyrocketed by having to use Cozumel as an alternative cruise port.

 

In addition to the 200 tourists who pay a thousand dollars a day, they are suffering discomfort and wasting time to visit the Mayan archeological sites that are the purpose of this trip.

 

Those who say that cruise passengers do not generate spills could ask Diamonds International de Cozumel their opinion, which is doing great business.

 

A few days ago, not to go further, a couple of these French acquired earrings that cost 120 thousand dollars.

 

Beyond arguments and against arguments, respecting the law is essential for business and investment and in this case it is not happening.

 

Currency Exploitation.

 

On Saturday the collection at the Los Cabos airport of the 350 dollars of the “exploitation” that the government of Carlos Mendoza imposed on foreign tourists began.

 

From the perspective of the World Tourism Organization it is an unfortunate measure, since the success of this activity is based on free traffic and low tax burdens.

 

But it is a decision with which Baja California Sur estimates to collect in 2020, 490 million that will go to social works and actions such as education, health, sport, security, culture and sustainability.

 

As Mendoza said in his report, the arrival of more people to live in the state has put additional pressure on public finances; the same as the reduction of 2.5 billion pesos annually in federal shares.

 

So the bet is to collect it as efficiently as possible, with electronic kiosks, an App and with the support of the Pacific Airport Group and hoteliers.

 

If the experiment works, we must not rule out that other states join this initiative; which has a risk component and that, in addition, must be executed with great transparency.

[JayfromBNA]

Thank you for the write up on the Ocean Voyage, Gary. I've been sporadically looking at this board sand your opinion is appreciated. Sorry to see the hiccup you encountered.

 

I'm booked solo along with four friends also travelling solo in October 2020 from Vancouver to San Diego. This will be my first foray into small ship ocean cruising, and am really looking forward to it. The no single supplement rates offered on our voyage looked like a good value for money.

[CabinBoy2020]

22 hours ago, JayfromBNA said:

Thank you for the write up on the Ocean Voyage, Gary. I've been sporadically looking at this board sand your opinion is appreciated. Sorry to see the hiccup you encountered.

 

I'm booked solo along with four friends also travelling solo in October 2020 from Vancouver to San Diego. This will be my first foray into small ship ocean cruising, and am really looking forward to it. The no single supplement rates offered on our voyage looked like a good value for money.

 

I'm booked on this cruise too.  I was attracted by the no single supplement as well.  Did you happen to notice that embarkation on 9/9/20 is listed as 3PM and disembarkation on 9/13/20 is 2PM?  The disembark time especially will mean later flights out of San Diego.  On the other hand, it means a leisurely morning and lunch onboard!

Edited November 19, 2019 by CabinForOne

[JayfromBNA]

15 minutes ago, CabinForOne said:

 

I'm booked on this cruise too.  I was attracted by the no single supplement as well.  Did you happen to notice that embarkation on 9/9/20 is listed as 3PM and disembarkation on 9/13/20 is 2PM?  The disembark time especially will mean later flights out of San Diego.  On the other hand, it means a leisurely morning and lunch onboard!

I'm on the October 3 voyage on l'Austral. We embark between 4 -5 pm and shove off at 6; docking in SD is also 2PM!

[CabinBoy2020]

1 hour ago, JayfromBNA said:

I'm on the October 3 voyage on l'Austral. We embark between 4 -5 pm and shove off at 6; docking in SD is also 2PM!

 

Oh, of course, you said October in your post!  Sorry not to meet you all onboard.  Perhaps these embark/disembark times are the French way 

[laurelguy]

For folks going on Le Champlain in the Yucatan Mexico anytime soon (we're booked Dec. 28)...our travel agent reached out to Ponant and they said it was only that first cruise that was denied port in Puerto Morelos..apparently all subsequent cruises (they say) will go as posted. Let's hope! ⛵

[garykool81]

19 hours ago, laurelguy said:

For folks going on Le Champlain in the Yucatan Mexico anytime soon (we're booked Dec. 28)...our travel agent reached out to Ponant and they said it was only that first cruise that was denied port in Puerto Morelos..apparently all subsequent cruises (they say) will go as posted. Let's hope! ⛵

 

That's excellent to hear! This article also seems to indicate that the issue has been resolved, so good news all around! Glad to see that this nonsense with the local government was worked out. 

 

https://www.riviera-maya-news.com/le-ponant-cruises-now-disembark-on-mainland-isla-mujeres/2019.html

[mediaprohi]

2 hours ago, garykool81 said:

 

That's excellent to hear! This article also seems to indicate that the issue has been resolved, so good news all around! Glad to see that this nonsense with the local government was worked out. 

 

https://www.riviera-maya-news.com/le-ponant-cruises-now-disembark-on-mainland-isla-mujeres/2019.html

I am a bit confused by the article.  It claims that the itinerary has changed and that the ship now departs from Cozumel, dated November 19.  Did Ponant in fact verify that PM is the designated port?  We leave on 12/14/2019.

[HappyInVan]

I'm confused. Sounds like Ponant is now using Punta Sam???

[mediaprohi]

I have an email with the article linked into my TA.  Hope to hear something on Monday after she checks in with Ponant.