Lost Casablanca. The day after final payment.

[welshfamily]

Final payment yesterday.

Really disappointed. 

Received  email this evening cancelling Casablanca. Now relaxing day at sea!!!!!
Realise these things happen but this was the only port we had never been to. 
Beginning to think we have made a grave and expensive mistake.

 

Booked concierge class for night in hotel and all transfers included.  First no flights available so had to go an extra day beforehand …. Didn’t really matter as happy to spend an extra day in Lisbon and Regent said we would still get transfers if we went with their choice on hotel. Then No hotel or transfers in Lisbon and only a £183 per stateroom credit which will not cover a hotel room never mind transfers and is no where near the difference in cost from Veranda to Concierge. 
 

Have lost excursions and now choices are limited. 
 

Trying to look on the bright side but seem to be getting an email every couple of weeks changing the cruise. Not really the luxury experience we were expecting.

 

[Huggsy]

Not long off Splendor - wish Casablanca had been cancelled from our itinerary, awful place and an extremely noisy port,  couldn't wait to leave - just my thoughts.

[HotRoot]

Agree.  We toured Casablanca our first time there.  Now we stay on the ship.  Wish we had the first time.  The way they treat women is terrible.

[vitacura]

What cruise are you booked on?

I am on the transatlantic in September on the Mariner which has a scheduled stop in Casablanca. Final payment is tomorrow so I thought you were talking about my cruise, but I have not received any schedule changes yet.

[vistaman]

8 hours ago, HotRoot said:

Agree.  We toured Casablanca our first time there.  Now we stay on the ship.  Wish we had the first time.  The way they treat women is terrible.

I do hate Casablanca   -   years ago we ( a few pax and myself ) were embarrased on the streets and we went to a"decent" hotel for a taxi 

once i had to join the chef aware i do speak French to buy items , on our way back he had to tip nearly everybody until we were back  on the ship   

my recipe fot an eventual day in Casablanca : a non complimentary bottle of Champagen for lunch😁

[Techno123]

Morocco is definitely not a place I ever want to return to. Quite a few years ago we had a week in Tangiers - as HotRoot says their attitude towards women is appalling and I definitely would not have gone out on my own.

The hotel was lovely (hot air balloon in the atrium which rose and fell) but the staff were awful -ignored English speaking guests as much as they could, dealing with anyone else until they had no choice. In the dining room they were as awkward as they could possibly be - at dinner, we ordered a bottle of wine 'we only have half bottles' had the half bottle and ordered another - 'we don't have half bottles only full size' 😂😂

 

The rats running over our feet when we sat outside restaurants was the final straw 😱

Edited May 6, 2023 by Techno123

[welshfamily]

Oh.

Thank you all. 
As I said in my post we picked the cruise because we have never been to Morocco and my late father ( he passed away recently)  loved the film Casablanca and would always quote Humphrey Bogart at us. We can only really travel as a family in school holidays

( teachers) which means the Mediterranean and its ports are familiar to say the least. 
 

I think if Regent gave an explanation ….e.g. too many complaints,  pit would sit better.

 

The Mariner is now sailing from Cádiz at 9.00pm and arriving in Gibraltar 36 hrs later. The journey usually takes 1hr 30 mins. Distance 40 nautical miles.
 

How will that work ? We have never been on a ship that just floats around. 
 

 

 

 

 

[welshfamily]

Sorry Vitacura

cruise is Lisbon to Rome in August.

[slidebite]

While I agree the cancellations are disappointing, going by the others it sure sound like you may have dodged a bullet. We were considering doing a westbound TA in the future giving preference to an itinerary with a Morocco stop, but reading these are making me think twice.

[curmudgeon98]

4 minutes ago, slidebite said:

While I agree the cancellations are disappointing, going by the others it sure sound like you may have dodged a bullet. We were considering doing a westbound TA in the future giving preference to an itinerary with a Morocco stop, but reading these are making me think twice.

We were on a cruise a few years ago with a scheduled Casablanca stop.  Due to high wind forecasts, they cancelled the Casablanca stop and substituted Tangiers.  We enjoyed our Tangier stop (probably more than we would have Casablanca);  we picked up a guide at the pier and did a walking tour of the Kasbah, but I don't think we would make much of an effort to return on a cruise ship stop.  For a TA, I keep my eye out for the Azores and/or Madeira as stops we'd like to make sometime.   

[slidebite]

We just did Azores on the Voyager TA which just ended a couple weeks ago. It was nice. I'd certainly recommend as a TA stop.

[TakingFlight]

If you do find yourself on a cruise with a stop in Casablanca try a tour to Rabat. It was a full day excursion from Casablanca and was delightful. October 2022.

[GOARMY]

welshfamily:  

 

You want more, and recent, history on stops at Casablanca?  More differences of opinion and experiences?

 

Go to Page 12.  Topic is "Casablanca"  Date is 01/2023.  Made some comments. Then--

Go to Page 16.  Topic is "Casablanca"  Date is 12/21/2022.  Made more comments. Was shocked, shocked, to find out our tour did not include stopping at "Rick's Place" for a drink. 

 

So--will not repeat our experience.  Other than, on the whole, it was positive.  

 

As, again, Mark Twain opined:  A difference of opinions makes for horse races and missionaries.  

 

Happy reading.

 

GOARMY!

 

  

 

 

 

[papaflamingo]

On 5/6/2023 at 4:09 AM, welshfamily said:

As I said in my post we picked the cruise because we have never been to Morocco

 

I think if Regent gave an explanation ….e.g. too many complaints,  pit would sit better.

 

If Casablanca is a "deal breaker," Then you're right,  you "made a grave and expensive mistake."  Never cruise for a single port, instead fly to the destination and tour by land.  Cruise ports get changed or canceled all the time for many reasons.  On our last cruise we came within 100 feet from the dock but the wind  was too strong to dock, and it was a small port with no tug boats, so off we went to a day at sea. It just happens.

 

As for an explanation, on another website, one person had her TA contact Regent for an explanation.  Regent stated that Casablanca was cancelled due to “lack of a supplier”.  Hope knowing the reason helps.

 

If you have a question regarding your cruise, contact Regent directly or get you TA to contact them.  That way you'll likely get the answer.

[bitob]

The mosque in Casablanca is definitely worth a visit but that’s about it. You are not missing much