Saint John Instead of Bermuda

[sgttami]

21 minutes ago, OldSeaDog1969 said:

There are zero ports in Canada where the Casino can open. I know this for a fact.

Yes.  Didn't realize they were talking about overnight.  (LOL)

[sunseeker2014]

3 hours ago, chengkp75 said:

Well, let's look at a map, for a change.  The next closest foreign port, after Bermuda would be the Bahamas, taking just over 2 days each way, so only a day in port, but guess what?  You would go through the exact same bad weather as if you went to Bermuda.  And, if you went through that weather, you'd be complaining about that, and how could RCI jeopardize their passengers by stupidly going through a storm?

You have no idea what you’re talking about.

[chengkp75]

11 minutes ago, sunseeker2014 said:

You have no idea what you’re talking about.

I'll stake my 46 years going to sea over your "many hurricane season cruises" as to who knows what they are talking about.

[RD64]

3 minutes ago, chengkp75 said:

I'll stake my 46 years going to sea over your "many hurricane season cruises" as to who knows what they are talking about.

Perhaps the OP works for the National Weather Service and has a part-time job as itinerary planner for Royal Caribbean.

[stobe1]

2 hours ago, sunseeker2014 said:

 

 

On another note, didn’t realize there were so many hateful people here on this site.  People have a right to question extremely poor customer service.  
 

For the people saying oh no can’t go anyplace else in this weather but Canada, ship wouldn’t be going through the same weather to go south.  Or that you can’t go anywhere from there in a short period of time, maybe have a look at a map yourself.  In fact, sailing leaving from same port to Nassau and Coco Cay the next day.  Unfortunately sold out because desperate people scrambling to not have their vacation ruined.

 

Really, Royal Caribbean?  Canada?  Unbelievable!

 

Hateful?  I have yet to see one hateful remark. I see realistic remarks and emotionless remarks from others providing insight as to why an itinerary can't be made as scheduled. 

 

I do see over reacting emotional posts from disappointed cruisers mistaking safety for poor customer service, however and expecting unrealistic things from a cruise line. 

 

Royal was stuck between a rock and a hard place. As @chengkp75 said, if they were able to divert to the Bahamas and sailed through the weather, half the ship would be up in arms about the bad ride and saying "how could Royal disregard safety". On the other hand, they divert to Canada and you have the other half complaining about the new itinerary because it's in Canada.

 

One poster said it is time to jump ship from Royal over this after 30 years. Well they will be in for a shock to learn that weather affects all cruise lines and all cruise lines alter itineraries to deal with the weather.  

 

Pack a jacket and enjoy the Canadian maritimes.

 

Edited September 30, 2023 by stobe1

[ARandomTraveler]

St. John's, Antigua or St. John, US Virgin Island would have been nice, but way too far away, unfortunately. 
 

Sailing during September/October is cheaper for a reason. It's kind of like buying something from the "mystery bag." You might get a great deal on something good, or you might get the item the store couldn't sell to anyone else. It's a crapshoot.

[EllieinNJ]

Last February we were on a 5 day NCL cruise to Bermuda.  They didn't tell us u til we got to the pier that Bermuda was cancelled and that we would go to Nassau instead from 9pm to 3am.  We had no option to cancel.  So it turned out for us a cruise to nowhere because we weren't getting off at that time.

[Luke110150]

9 hours ago, lgbeddow said:

We left early this morning and flew from Charlotte NC to Newark NJ for our RCCL cruise to Bermuda. We packed summer dresses, sandals, shorts, and short-sleeved tops/shirts. RCCL just changed our cruise to St. John's Bay of Fundy.

 

Really, RCCL? Did you even consider that people who booked Bermuda did not want to go to Canada and/or did not pack for cold weather? You couldn't find a single place heading south?

 

Oh, and your $100 onboard credit is beyond insulting. We have wasted pre-night hotel expenses, flights, etc. 

 

We have sailed with the RCCL family of ships for 30 years. Obviously, it's time for a change.

 

 

 

[Luke110150]

The change I’ve read from going to Bermuda to up North is due to a tropical system near Bermuda in the future. Royal just doesn’t want to take any chances putting passengers, crew or ship in any harm, and I truly don’t blame them. If this happened to me, I’d be perfectly fine with it, rather have it cancelled, with getting a refund, or a credit. To change cruise lines just for this is, in my opinion is childish, like taking your ball and going home since it’s not going you’re way. Other cruise lines would most likely do the same thing and change at the last minute.

[vwlmember]

Seems to me the OP is more concerned about the ports and not the voyage. Maybe land based vacations are a better option. That way you directly control the destination. 

 

I personally enjoy the ride and would prefer a smoother voyage, regardless of the destination. 

[JoJo1008]

We board the Liberty on Thursday and are excited about visiting that "nothing" town, however, our stop in Bar Harbor could be affected if the government shuts down. Acadia Nat'l Park could be closed and that's the main reason everyone goes to Bar Harbor. We'll be disappointed but I won't let that ruin my cruise. We'll find a lobster roll and a beer and enjoy the scenery. 

[nycluvscruises]

We’re on the cruise and found out about the change when we landed in Newark. Gave myself an hour of a pity party but you can’t control the weather so we’re gonna make the most of it and have a great time. The pink sand beaches will have to wait! 

[volk904]

I guess Hurricane season you have to deal with it. We are leaving tomorrow on the Harmony for St Martaan and St Thomas. The Tropical storm should clear by Wed our first port day but travel on Tuesday might be an issue. I hoping we don’t go to Cozumel but it might be 50/50. 

[Fouremco]

1 hour ago, sunseeker2014 said:

You have no idea what you’re talking about.

Pot... kettle... black! 🙄

[nolimits]

This Happened to us Twice  but we live in NY so easy to change packed clothes

turned out to be fine for us . Was funny seeing people in shorts and NYC street bought hoodies and sandles

Those that  flew in and couldn’t repack 

OBC was much higher though we bought drink package Md it Boze cruise 

[ONECRUISER]

13 hours ago, RD64 said:

@shipgeeks - Tim Horton’s? Really? I am Canadian and cannot drink that swill. However - the doughnuts are a different issue, and the quality truly varies based on location. I have had them at several locations in Michigan, and they are far superior to those found in Vancouver, Toronto, and points in between.

Yeah Mom has me take her there in Michigan. Lot cheaper then the other specialty coffees places, guess get what you pay for. Of course with most coffees she drinks its more Sugar then anything else, though never been coffee drinker myself. Took my 11yr old Niece there last yr, asked her what she wanted and she replied, "One Timbit, please" ...Fortunately the Doughnuts here are pretty good, I'll eat them

[shipgeeks]

16 minutes ago, vwlmember said:

Seems to me the OP is more concerned about the ports and not the voyage. Maybe land based vacations are a better option. That way you directly control the destination. 

 

I personally enjoy the ride and would prefer a smoother voyage, regardless of the destination. 

But then again....if you book a land resort, and a hurricane hits, you have no options. The resort might even get washed away.

[ATG]

1 hour ago, sunseeker2014 said:

You have no idea what you’re talking about.

There are very few posters on this site whose content I would never doubt.  @chengkp75 is one of them.  His posts are based on knowledge not conjecture.

[TravelBluebird]

1 hour ago, ARandomTraveler said:

St. John's, Antigua or St. John, US Virgin Island would have been nice, but way too far away, unfortunately. 
 

Sailing during September/October is cheaper for a reason. It's kind of like buying something from the "mystery bag." You might get a great deal on something good, or you might get the item the store couldn't sell to anyone else. It's a crapshoot.

 

Mystery Bag 😂

 

But, that is accurate. I always cruise during Hurricane season, and so far my mystery bag has always included what I expected (the ports I booked). That said, I AM prepared for possible itinerary changes, and that is OK with me when safety is involved.

 

I do feel sympathy with those who are upset by the change. During the pandemic DH and I had a bucket list cruise scheduled through the Caribbean and up the Amazon river in Brazil (Regent Seven Seas). It was canceled twice, and the third time they simply changed it to a cruise up to New England and Canada (and I think maybe Greenland but I can’t remember now). Luckily, we’d already gotten refunded for the cruise, but we knew some very disappointed people (28 day cruise!). Amazon River vs. New England…one of these things is NOT like the other!

[FloatyBoatyAgain]

 

[timf2001]

10 hours ago, lgbeddow said:

 There will be no open casinos while docked, and there is very little to do there. It will also be damp and cold.

Did you even look at the weather forecast?  It's showing sunny and low to mid 70s from Sunday to Tuesday.  You will be fine.

[orville99]

Maybe you can get them to give you a sweatshirt in addition to the OBC - it is going to be a bit nippy in St. John's compared to Bermuda:

 

[Jerseygirl1416]

1 hour ago, nycluvscruises said:

We’re on the cruise and found out about the change when we landed in Newark. Gave myself an hour of a pity party but you can’t control the weather so we’re gonna make the most of it and have a great time. The pink sand beaches will have to wait! 

You actually may have warmer weather in Canada than Bermuda with a storm going through. We went in May and the weather was cool and rainy. We went to the pink sand beach for about an hour until it started to downpour then went back to the ship. It was cold on the way down and cold on the way back. I think we had one day of sun. 
Enjoy your cruise!

[Chrislynn55]

6 minutes ago, orville99 said:

Maybe you can get them to give you a sweatshirt in addition to the OBC - it is going to be a bit nippy in St. John's compared to Bermuda:

 

 

This cruise is being diverted to Saint John (New Brunswick), not St. John's (Newfoundland).

Edited September 30, 2023 by Chrislynn55

[cyntil8ing]

Wasn’t a five day to Bermuda from Baltimore just canceled completely last week? I think I’d prefer a cruise over a cancellation.

 

That said, I have cruised in late August every year since 2010, and only had one itinerary change, until this year. Our August Bermuda cruise, a six day from Norfolk, ended up in the Bahamas. I had our three days in Bermuda all planned out and it was really disappointing to go to ports we’ve been to many times. The entire week before, our roll call and fb group sounded just like this post, trying to figure out possible changes that were in no way realistic.

 

Anyway, my other cruise that was rerouted this year was a Canada cruise. We ended up missing Bar Harbor and Halifax and floated in NY Harbor for two days instead. No casino at all.

 

But anyway, one of our stops was Saint John. We did a Bay of Fundy Coastal Photography Tour through the ship that was probably one of the best ship tours I have ever done. Small group with a photographer tour guide. We did four different stops, and got back in enough time to check out the surrounding area too.

 

One interesting note on Saint John. The tides change 28 feet every 12 hours. Snap a photo of the ship when you arrive and again when you leave. Look at the photos below and you can tell that more than an entire floor, or row of windows, “disappeared” because of the lower tide. Very cool!

 

 

 

Here are a few others from the day. Try to make the best of it and enjoy your visit.