Stuck Onboard During Cruise???

[harkinmr]

1 hour ago, vpearlkc said:

This whole discussion has become very silly. Why would anyone risk getting off a cruise independently at risk of being stranded in a foreign port and having to find their own way home?

Apparently "some" people are thinking about it from the looks of it.  People need to read their cruise contract and do some research before attempting to break the rules.   Dumb.

[sverigecruiser]

2 hours ago, vpearlkc said:

This whole discussion has become very silly. Why would anyone risk getting off a cruise independently at risk of being stranded in a foreign port and having to find their own way home?

 

I absolutely agree with you. Why?

 

Some people have left their ship excursion and they have been denied boarding when getting back to the ship. That is not exactly the same thing but rather close, I think. 

[sverigecruiser]

30 minutes ago, harkinmr said:

Apparently "some" people are thinking about it from the looks of it.  People need to read their cruise contract and do some research before attempting to break the rules.   Dumb.

 

I absolutely agree with you. Everyone shall follow the rules and read their cruise contracts.

 

I have not seen in this thread that anyone is thinking about doing it.

 

For me it should be no problem to only leave the ship if on a ship excursion but as long as masks are mandatory onboard I will not cruise.

[harkinmr]

12 minutes ago, sverigecruiser said:

 

I absolutely agree with you. Everyone shall follow the rules and read their cruise contracts.

 

I have not seen in this thread that anyone is thinking about doing it.

 

For me it should be no problem to only leave the ship if on a ship excursion but as long as masks are mandatory onboard I will not cruise.

It will be interesting to read the stories, as it is very likely that some cruisers will test the rules.  But no thanks on wanting to witness any of it.  I'm not cruising until next year because I choose not to spend my money on a restricted vacation, but at the same time I completely understand that restrictions are necessary for a successful restart.  Enjoy your cruising when you get to go!

Edited April 19, 2021 by harkinmr

[DCGuy64]

Last time we cruised (Dec 2019) there was a man who refused to remove his baseball cap when asked to do so by security, as he was leaving the ship at a port. Caused a log jam at the gangway and people immediately started telling him just to do as he was told (they have to confirm that you look like the picture on your cruise card). The man kept refusing but finally relented. You bet your bottom dollar the cruise line CAN keep you on the ship. As the saying goes, "their ship, their rules." 

[Yesimapirate]

2 hours ago, harkinmr said:

Apparently "some" people are thinking about it from the looks of it.  People need to read their cruise contract and do some research before attempting to break the rules.   Dumb.

Personally not thinking about it at all.  I hate the policy but understand it.....for my 2021 cruise.  I'd be pretty upset if they still has the policy in fall 2022!

 

The one caveat to the above is the policy should be made clear BEFORE final payment.   I have a Dec cruise.   Final payment is early August.  As of now,  the policy is only for July and August cruises and then will be reevaluated.  I feel it would be wrong if they take my money and then put the rule into place without offering a full refund.   It just reeks of dishonesty.   If the policy is made, allow us to decide if we are OK with it or not.  This way the silly confrontations fantasized here will be avoided. 

[GonzoWCS]

On 4/17/2021 at 2:12 PM, BirdTravels said:

Has nothing to do with US citizens going ashore. It has to do with keeping you in a controlled environment so you don’t bring anything back onboard with you. 

This

[sverigecruiser]

5 hours ago, harkinmr said:

It will be interesting to read the stories, as it is very likely that some cruisers will test the rules.  But no thanks on wanting to witness any of it.  I'm not cruising until next year because I choose not to spend my money on a restricted vacation, but at the same time I completely understand that restrictions are necessary for a successful restart.  Enjoy your cruising when you get to go!

 

There has already been cruises with the restrictions in Europe. The only stories I have heared is about people booking excursions but after that not follow the rules and they have been denied boarding when coming back to the ship.

 

Enjoy your future cruises!

[farmersfight]

4 hours ago, DCGuy64 said:

Last time we cruised (Dec 2019) there was a man who refused to remove his baseball cap when asked to do so by security, as he was leaving the ship at a port. Caused a log jam at the gangway and people immediately started telling him just to do as he was told (they have to confirm that you look like the picture on your cruise card). The man kept refusing but finally relented. You bet your bottom dollar the cruise line CAN keep you on the ship. As the saying goes, "their ship, their rules." 

 

[DCGuy64]

4 hours ago, Yesimapirate said:

Personally not thinking about it at all.  I hate the policy but understand it.....for my 2021 cruise.  I'd be pretty upset if they still has the policy in fall 2022!

 

The one caveat to the above is the policy should be made clear BEFORE final payment.   I have a Dec cruise.   Final payment is early August.  As of now,  the policy is only for July and August cruises and then will be reevaluated.  I feel it would be wrong if they take my money and then put the rule into place without offering a full refund.   It just reeks of dishonesty.   If the policy is made, allow us to decide if we are OK with it or not.  This way the silly confrontations fantasized here will be avoided. 

I agree with your assessment of that, however the reality is different. Even after final payment, the cruise lines have the prerogative to change almost anything (sail date, itinerary, cabin, etc.). I hate reading the fine print as much as the next guy, but the cruise lines have covered themselves six ways to Sunday when it comes to this. We have a cruise booked in Europe later this year and the ship has been changed. There's no guarantee we'll get the same cabin for the same price and including the same promo we booked under. It sucks but that's life. There are just too many variables for the cruise lines to make ironclad guarantees about what they will or won't do, and what your options for cancellation or refund are. 

[Trimone]

I completely agree with the last statement🖕, if you want to go cruising soon you must conform to all rules and any regulations, itineraries will be altered , ports missed, and maybe an emergency on board, be prepared for anything...

[sverigecruiser]

1 hour ago, DCGuy64 said:

I agree with your assessment of that, however the reality is different. Even after final payment, the cruise lines have the prerogative to change almost anything (sail date, itinerary, cabin, etc.). I hate reading the fine print as much as the next guy, but the cruise lines have covered themselves six ways to Sunday when it comes to this. We have a cruise booked in Europe later this year and the ship has been changed. There's no guarantee we'll get the same cabin for the same price and including the same promo we booked under. It sucks but that's life. There are just too many variables for the cruise lines to make ironclad guarantees about what they will or won't do, and what your options for cancellation or refund are. 

 

I don't know the exact words but know that the fine prints, at least for some lines, say something about significant changes. The change of itinerary is probably not a significant change but sail date must defenitely be considered a significant change.

 

Who decide what's significant? As I understand it the part NOT writing the rules is the part who decide but that may be incorrect.  Anyone know for sure?

[Yesimapirate]

2 hours ago, DCGuy64 said:

I agree with your assessment of that, however the reality is different. Even after final payment, the cruise lines have the prerogative to change almost anything (sail date, itinerary, cabin, etc.). I hate reading the fine print as much as the next guy, but the cruise lines have covered themselves six ways to Sunday when it comes to this. We have a cruise booked in Europe later this year and the ship has been changed. There's no guarantee we'll get the same cabin for the same price and including the same promo we booked under. It sucks but that's life. There are just too many variables for the cruise lines to make ironclad guarantees about what they will or won't do, and what your options for cancellation or refund are. 

Yes but we're talking about 2 different things.   You're right that contractually they can do almost anything.   But that doesn't make it the right thing to do.  

 

They sell the idea of a vacation with multiple,  different places to visit, either on your own or through their official tours.  I feel that changing that after final payment is a material change.   The RIGHT thing to do is offer to return the money in full.  

 

I'm not saying they're obligated, they will do that or that anyone else has to agree with me.  But that's where I personally draw the line and what will upset me.  

[BirdTravels]

On 4/17/2021 at 1:50 PM, SouthLyonCruiser said:

From some of what I have been seeing; how true is it that, unless you have a cruise line sanctioned excursion, you are not allwed to leave the ship?

We have rebooked, for the second time, an Alaskan cruise for next year. 

It we are stuck on the ship because we don't have a cruise line sanctioned tour booked, we will be cancelling.

 

[DCGuy64]

22 hours ago, Yesimapirate said:

It just reeks of dishonesty.

 

14 hours ago, Yesimapirate said:

Yes but we're talking about 2 different things.   You're right that contractually they can do almost anything.   But that doesn't make it the right thing to do.  

 

They sell the idea of a vacation with multiple,  different places to visit, either on your own or through their official tours.  I feel that changing that after final payment is a material change.   The RIGHT thing to do is offer to return the money in full.  

 

I'm not saying they're obligated, they will do that or that anyone else has to agree with me.  But that's where I personally draw the line and what will upset me.  

Oh I agree with you that it's upsetting, and offering to return the money seems like the right thing to do. But as I quoted you above, you seem to think it's dishonest. Why dishonest? That assumes that the cruise line KNOWS it's not going to be able to offer you the same product as promised. But there are just too many variables. Whether it's before or after final payment is irrelevant. Cruise lines have to comply with local laws and regulations, and when you're dealing with multiple countries, it's even trickier. Our cruise is supposed to go to Denmark, Norway, and Germany. Right now, my wife and I can't even go there due to border restrictions. (we both work full time so even a 14-day quarantine prior to cruising is impossible for us, for example) Cruise lines have no crystal ball with which to predict whether they can bring back their crews from their homelands, get the necessary permissions from local countries and cities to dock, acquire their provisions, etc. I'm sure you know all of these things already. We're frustrated that we've already had 3 cruises cancelled (MSC in May 2020, NCL January 2021 and Princess April 2021), and we've moved our money with MSC to first a July 2021 cruise on the Virtuosa to an August 2021 on the Virtuosa which is now replaced by Seaview. And our final payment is due at the end of May, which we plan to make. MSC is allowing us to cancel up to 48 hours prior to sailing and use the future cruise credit on any sailing up until September 30, 2022. I personally think they're doing the best they can. I can sense your frustration and I share it. But I don't agree with your being upset over it, because you seem to be blaming the cruise line for things it has no control over. Things are much more fluid and uncontrollable than you seem willing to admit.

[Northern wanderlust]

Last March, so right before the world caught on fire, DH and I booked a cruise in the Mediterranean for late October this year thinking by then this would all be over.  We finally decided to push it another year due largely to this policy and the fact that ports may not let us dock.  We are both fully vaccinated but just decided it was too risky this year. 

 

Then shortly afterwards I saw someone mention on here that our sailing on the Jade was cancelled due to "ship redeployment" so I guess we made a good decision.

[coffeebean]

On 4/18/2021 at 3:35 PM, sverigecruiser said:

 

Thank you for showing me that but I can't see anywhere in that text that they are allowed to force anyone to stay on the ship.

This was one of the bulleted points.......

"Removal of certain onboard privileges, which may include being detained, quarantined or confined in a stateroom or holding cell;"

 

I would say that pretty much covers your concern.

[sverigecruiser]

3 hours ago, coffeebean said:

This was one of the bulleted points.......

"Removal of certain onboard privileges, which may include being detained, quarantined or confined in a stateroom or holding cell;"

 

I would say that pretty much covers your concern.

 

It still doesn't say that they will force you to stay on the ship. It means that you won't be allowed to move around on the ship.

 

Local authorities can say that noone is allowed to leave the ship, for example if they feel a need to quarantine the whole ship. 

[harkinmr]

14 hours ago, coffeebean said:

This was one of the bulleted points.......

"Removal of certain onboard privileges, which may include being detained, quarantined or confined in a stateroom or holding cell;"

 

I would say that pretty much covers your concern.

Honestly, it is a lost cause on this one coffeebean. It is black and white that the cruise line can detain anyone violating, or “attempting” to violate a rule (i.e., trying to leave the ship in violation of shore access restrictions). I tried numerous times to explain this to no avail. The poster appears to believe that the cruise line cannot forcibly restrain someone that attempts to leave the ship, despite all the evidence to the contrary.  It is what it is. And the only proof that poster will likely accept is the inevitable challenge that will come up on future cruises. That, above anything else, will send the message loud and clear. 

[sverigecruiser]

1 hour ago, harkinmr said:

Honestly, it is a lost cause on this one coffeebean. It is black and white that the cruise line can detain anyone violating, or “attempting” to violate a rule (i.e., trying to leave the ship in violation of shore access restrictions). I tried numerous times to explain this to no avail. The poster appears to believe that the cruise line cannot forcibly restrain someone that attempts to leave the ship, despite all the evidence to the contrary.  It is what it is. And the only proof that poster will likely accept is the inevitable challenge that will come up on future cruises. That, above anything else, will send the message loud and clear. 

 

Where is all the evidence? I have not seen any evidence. 

[harkinmr]

18 minutes ago, sverigecruiser said:

 

Where is all the evidence? I have not seen any evidence. 

With regard to attempting to violate the rule on shore excursions and trying to leave the ship?  I guess there is no specific "evidence", at least that I have seen, because current cruisers are respecting the rule and not darting for the gangway anyway.  They understand what the restriction is and what the penalties are for violating the restriction. The only incident I have heard of is the one in Italy where the family pretended to be in agreement with the rule by signing up for the shore excursion and then bolted after they were ashore.  They weren't allowed them back on the cruise ship.  But that's not the scenario you are questioning. Your scenario is insisting on getting off the ship without having signed up for a shore excursion.  Based on the terms and conditions for sailing, it's not going to be allowed.  That being said, the way some people think and behave, I would venture to say we may see it on some of the North America cruises coming up.  If they push it too far after being warned, I, for one, will enjoy seeing them being restrained by ship's security, confined to their cabin or the ship's cell, and summarily dumped at the next available port.

 

EDIT:  I will give you this:  I would advise anyone wanting to violate the rule and test the cruise line to appear at the ship's exit with their luggage, passport and wallet in hand.  Seems a steep price to pay for insisting on seeing the port on your own.  But hey,  whatever floats their boat (pun intended). 

Edited April 21, 2021 by harkinmr

[PTC DAWG]

Only someone interested in violating the rules would be asking these questions..otherwise, who cares?  

 

Enjoy the cruise, or stay home..your choice.  

[sverigecruiser]

58 minutes ago, harkinmr said:

Your scenario is insisting on getting off the ship without having signed up for a shore excursion.  Based on the terms and conditions for sailing, it's not going to be allowed.  That being said, the way some people think and behave, I would venture to say we may see it on some of the North America cruises coming up.  If they push it too far after being warned, I, for one, will enjoy seeing them being restrained by ship's security, confined to their cabin or the ship's cell, and summarily dumped at the next available port.

 

 

The terms and conditions don't allow people to leave the ship without signing up for a shore excursion. If someone tries and insist to leave I see no other scenario than that local police will be informed so that they can come and take care of the situation. 

Edited April 21, 2021 by sverigecruiser

[harkinmr]

Just now, sverigecruiser said:

 

The terms and conditions don't allow people to leave the ship without signing up for a shore excursion. If someone tries and insist to leave I see no other scenario than that local police will be informed so that they can come and deal with the situation. 

Exactly.  You are not allowed to leave the ship.  They can refuse to disembark you.  It will not be up to the local police.  The only power local police would have is to arrest you if in fact you had committed a crime.  Insisting on leaving the ship would not qualify as a crime.  But that is not the point.  The ship does in fact have the power to keep passengers onboard if disembarking would be in violation of their policies.   That is why they clearly state that disembarkation will ONLY be allowed with a cruise line sponsored shore excursion. 

 

I will go back to what I have said to you in response before.  If you, or any other cruiser, would like to test the waters on this new restriction, then by all means do it.  If nothing it will serve as great entertainment for those of us shoreside.  As I suggested, anyone doing so had best have their personal belongings and a credit card with a good limit as they exit the ship because you will not be re-boarding for sure.  Worth the price?

[sverigecruiser]

1 hour ago, harkinmr said:

 I will give you this:  I would advise anyone wanting to violate the rule and test the cruise line to appear at the ship's exit with their luggage, passport and wallet in hand.  Seems a steep price to pay for insisting on seeing the port on your own.  But hey,  whatever floats their boat (pun intended). 

 

But why shall they bring their luggage, passport and wallet when they, according to you, won't be allowed to leave?

 

I recommend them to bring those things because they won't be allowed to board again after they have left the ship.