Not happy with the lack of communication for Emerald Princess 9/16 Departure

[baileymouse]

The direct path of Hurricane Lee is where we are headed. They still haven't changed itineraries or canceled the sailing and no one has any information. I tried the live chat this AM and they put me on hold, and didn't come back. 

 

I live local but I feel very bad for the cruisers who are flying or driving into NYC for this.

[startedwithamouse]

7 minutes ago, baileymouse said:

The direct path of Hurricane Lee is where we are headed. They still haven't changed itineraries or canceled the sailing and no one has any information. I tried the live chat this AM and they put me on hold, and didn't come back. 

 

I live local but I feel very bad for the cruisers who are flying or driving into NYC for this.

Any departure change will come in writing directly from Princess. An email with an attached PDF of your booking will note any changes for boarding. 

 

Itinerary changes, if any, most likely will be in letter format placed in your stateroom. New Itinerary, apologies and possibly a goodwill credit on your folio for missing ports, in addition to refund of port fees. 

Edited September 14, 2023 by startedwithamouse

[baileymouse]

3 minutes ago, startedwithamouse said:

Any departure change will come in writing directly from Princess. An email with an attached PDF of your booking will note any changes for boarding. 

 

Itinerary changes, if any, most likely will be in letter format placed in your stateroom. New Itinerary, apologies and possibly a goodwill credit on your folio for missing ports, in addition to refund of port fees. 

 

Considering the National Weather Service has been on this for over a week, I think they could have been more forthcoming with travel plans. Other lines have communicated changed itineraries. Right now all we know is that we are expected to board on Saturday. To where? We know that at least two ports are guaranteed to be a no go due to tenders. Who knows what condition the other 3 will be in when we get there? 

And if they're going to change completely and head down to Bermuda, it would be nice for people to know in advance so that they can pack the proper clothing. 

[PacnGoNow]

14 minutes ago, baileymouse said:

 

Considering the National Weather Service has been on this for over a week, I think they could have been more forthcoming with travel plans. Other lines have communicated changed itineraries. Right now all we know is that we are expected to board on Saturday. To where? We know that at least two ports are guaranteed to be a no go due to tenders. Who knows what condition the other 3 will be in when we get there? 

And if they're going to change completely and head down to Bermuda, it would be nice for people to know in advance so that they can pack the proper clothing. 

This is a tough one.  Would be nice to hear or have some sort

of communication.

 

It should come in an email from PCL.  Sounds as though the cruise is still going and with modified ports. JMHO.

 

The path of the storm, going towards Halifax should be out of there by Sunday… Or that’s what was reported this morning by NOAA, reporting from an aircraft flying into the eye.

 

So, they probably are working on alternate ports, whether that is the NE or not, IDK.  I can’t imagine changing to a Southern one, but it’s possible.  There are 2 other storms in the Atlantic right now, everyone is watching.

 

I would be concerned also, as we would be leaving today, if we were sailing on Saturday.

 

What concerns me, those who have to fly into the NY airports, watch the weather, fly in early during the day, as air traffic delays can get crazy later in the day in NY airports, even during good weather.

 

Good luck to all of you and keep us posted.  
 

 

Edited September 14, 2023 by PacnGoNow

[JimmyVWine]

1 hour ago, baileymouse said:

We know that at least two ports are guaranteed to be a no go due to tenders.

What makes you certain of this?  Of course things can change, but as of right now, were the ship to depart NY on time at 5:00 on Saturday, the center of the storm would already be just south of the coast of Maine.  The current tracking shows it to be east of Cape Cod at 8:00 am on Saturday, so by 5:00 pm it will be well north of that.  By the time you are scheduled to arrive in Newport at 7:00 am on Sunday, the storm will be at the northern tip of Maine, well past the point of affecting Newport.  Being from NJ, you know that once a hurricane or tropical storm passes, the following weather is usually clear and calm.  Almost eerily so.  By the time you are schedule to arrive at Boston just before noon on Monday, the storm's center is predicted to be right at the Provincial border of Quebec and Newfoundland.  And by your Tuesday arrival in Bar Harbor, the storm will be well out to sea.  So as long as the weather behind the storm is as calm as it typically is, I can't see any reason why you cannot make all the ports as scheduled.  I certainly don't see any "guarantee" that a tender port will be missed.  

 

Now, no one can predict right now whether the storm will do damage to the infrastructure of the ports that might prevent a normal arrival.  But short of on-shore damage, I really don't see the current itinerary and the current storm track as intersecting.  And maybe this is the reason why Princess has been silent.  It is entirely possible that they don't see a problem...yet.  

[memoak]

I once boarded a cruise in Southampton and sat in port for 3 days due to weather and ended I missing several ports. My advice come to your embarkation city at least one day early and go with the flow. It’s a cruise

[JimmyVWine]

 

 

Here is the forecast for Newport on Sunday:

 

Sun 17 | Day

76° 

Precipitation Chance 3%

W10 mph

Sunny, along with a few afternoon clouds. High 76F. Winds W at 10 to 15 mph.

• Humidity58%
• UV Index6 of 11

[Loritd]

If I may ask What if any compensation did princess offer?   We are currently on the Caribbean princess heading towards Boston after skipping Charlottetown, Halifax, and bar harbour. The shore excursions we had booked have been refunded but nothing else.  At minumium shouldn’t we get the port charges back on the port we missed?

[Honolulu Blue]

A few very quick statements that, believe it or not, are not in conflict with each other:

• Forecasting hurricane strength, speed, intensity, and location is not an exact science
• Princess has a lot of factors to juggle - they want to keep everyone safe, yet they want to keep as much of the scheduled itinerary intact as possible
• I understand everyone's frustration
• They might be composing communication as I write this

[Rick&Jeannie]

8 minutes ago, Loritd said:

 At minumium shouldn’t we get the port charges back on the port we missed?

Yes

[JimmyVWine]

1 hour ago, Loritd said:

At minimum shouldn’t we get the port charges back on the port we missed?

You will.  But those often aren't worth the cost of a Latte.  Still, you are entitled to those fees and I have no doubt that you will see them appear on your account at some point. 

[Guest ldtr]

5 hours ago, baileymouse said:

 

Considering the National Weather Service has been on this for over a week, I think they could have been more forthcoming with travel plans. Other lines have communicated changed itineraries. Right now all we know is that we are expected to board on Saturday. To where? We know that at least two ports are guaranteed to be a no go due to tenders. Who knows what condition the other 3 will be in when we get there? 

And if they're going to change completely and head down to Bermuda, it would be nice for people to know in advance so that they can pack the proper clothing. 

Really not much that they can say at this point.  It all depends upon where it tracks and how bad, if any, damage is in ports.  If the track continues it will be well north of the cruise and impact will be minimal.  As long as it maintains current path and damage is limited then it should not have much impact upon the cruise.  By the time the cruise is scheduled to leave port on 9/16 the center of the storm should be about 400 miles north east of New York and moving further away.   By that time its intensity should have from being a hurricane to being a tropical storm.

 

I expect they have not said anything because they expect the cruise to pretty much go as scheduled with minimal changes except maybe some individual ports.

Edited September 14, 2023 by ldtr

[Treasure Hunter]

We will be in NYC tomorrow Friday at 6:30 AM so your ship (Emerald) so at least you know you can board!

[RD64]

A hurricane is a constantly changing event. Would you prefer they made an announcement a few days ago, and then reversed their decisions 10-15 times?

[DE Solo]

Currently on Emerald, docked in Brooklyn. Entire ship is doing customs and immigration this morning, and then those who wish to can either disembark and head home early or return to the ship and use it as their "hotel" as they explore NYC. We left Saint John on Wednesday, cancelled Halifax for Thursday, and had a sea day yesterday as we headed back to Brooklyn. Tendering in Newport and Rockland on our cruise was a major mess, with long delays to board boats to shore and even longer delays to return.

[Mapu]

46 minutes ago, DE Solo said:

Currently on Emerald, docked in Brooklyn. Entire ship is doing customs and immigration this morning, and then those who wish to can either disembark and head home early or return to the ship and use it as their "hotel" as they explore NYC. We left Saint John on Wednesday, cancelled Halifax for Thursday, and had a sea day yesterday as we headed back to Brooklyn. Tendering in Newport and Rockland on our cruise was a major mess, with long delays to board boats to shore and even longer delays to return.

I would assume the Captain and the Princess personnel that make this type of decision are in communication. At Least, let's hope!

[emmak8]

Good weather is predicted for port in NY tomorrow. Only 2% chance of rain. Hurricane is 250  miles east of here. Have a wonderful cruise.

[nyc12345]

3 hours ago, DE Solo said:

Currently on Emerald, docked in Brooklyn. Entire ship is doing customs and immigration this morning, and then those who wish to can either disembark and head home early or return to the ship and use it as their "hotel" as they explore NYC. We left Saint John on Wednesday, cancelled Halifax for Thursday, and had a sea day yesterday as we headed back to Brooklyn. Tendering in Newport and Rockland on our cruise was a major mess, with long delays to board boats to shore and even longer delays to return.

 

Are they giving you one day's worth of refund for cutting the cruise short?  Or do you need to leave the ship in order to get that compensation?

[NavyVeteran]

8 minutes ago, nyc12345 said:

 

Are they giving you one day's worth of refund for cutting the cruise short?  Or do you need to leave the ship in order to get that compensation?

Princess did not cut the cruise short. The cruise was its advertised length, even though the last port was an overnight. I would not expect any extra compensation for choosing to disembark early.

[voljeep]

where would the Emerald be now on the original itinerary?

[Guest ldtr]

1 hour ago, NavyVeteran said:

Princess did not cut the cruise short. The cruise was its advertised length, even though the last port was an overnight. I would not expect any extra compensation for choosing to disembark early.

Especially since it was caused by weather, and not due to a maintenance or otherwise avoidable situation.

[DE Solo]

Thus far, no credit other than for the port fees for the missed port (Halifax). We were scheduled for Halifax on Thursday, a sea day on Friday, and Brooklyn to disembark on Saturday morning. Don't know if some other compensation will appear later.

[Malleykatt]

On 9/15/2023 at 7:59 PM, DE Solo said:

Thus far, no credit other than for the port fees for the missed port (Halifax). We were scheduled for Halifax on Thursday, a sea day on Friday, and Brooklyn to disembark on Saturday morning. Don't know if some other compensation will appear later.

If you do get more compensation other than port fees I would be very surprised. This summer in the Med we experienced so many changes of weather. High winds meant our tender stop in Sardinia at Alghero was pulled from the schedule whilst we were en route. Apologies from the Captain but he doesn't control the weather it happens. Instead we headed for Gibraltar early which gave us the evening and following day to explore the rock. Port fees were added back to account and no extra port fees added for the extra time the ship was in port in Gibraltar.

[kywildcatfanone]

I suspect they haven't notified of changes because they have none currently to notify.

 

Hurricanes change paths quickly, so they don't necessarily make changes until they have reasonable assurance it's needed.

[JimmyVWine]

On 9/17/2023 at 9:42 AM, kywildcatfanone said:

I suspect they haven't notified of changes because they have none currently to notify.

For those keeping score at home, it was a beautiful day in Newport yesterday and the tenders were deployed without incident.  (I am not on this cruise, but saw an update and even a video).  I'm about an hour away from Newport and the weather here was beautiful yesterday.  Looks like no adjustments to the itinerary needed so the lack of communication seems to have been fully justified.