Why so far out

[pirate cruiser]

We booked a panama canal cruise for Dec. 24-we just got notice that the Key West stop has been replaced with Montego Bay- why would this occur on a cruise that's over a year away ? Just a little surprised.

[Shmoo here]

3 minutes ago, pirate cruiser said:

We booked a panama canal cruise for Dec. 24-we just got notice that the Key West stop has been replaced with Montego Bay- why would this occur on a cruise that's over a year away ? Just a little surprised.

Probably because Key West is (has?) changing their docking restrictions.

 

 

[kazu]

Lots of people complain about not getting adequate notice.

 

Perhaps HAL is getting “with it”.  Key West has been cancelled on most itineraries but with a lot less notice.

[OlsSalt]

Too many cruise ships did radically change the low-key town of Key West.  It will be interesting to see if they can ever get back to their formerly mellow and eccentric self. 

 

We were surprised to see how low key Catalina still was, after it was substituted as a port for us on another cruise. It too been getting cruise ships and LA ferry traffic for years. Yet they did stick to good design and building height control. 

[SUESEABE]

Residents of Key West voted a referendum to limit the size of cruise ships based on passenger capacity thus restrict the number of people coming ashore each day from cruise ships. 

Rotterdam maximum capacity of passengers and crew stated as 4173. That probably exceeds their capacity.

[oakridger]

Here's the Key West Cruise Port Schedule .....they list the ship capacity and there are some that are in HAL's range.  Maybe they limit the number of ships per day also.

 

Key West Cruise Ship Schedule 2023 | Key West Cruise Port Schedule 2023 (cruisetimetables.com)

 

 

~Nancy

Edited October 27, 2023 by oakridger

[KAKcruiser]

I can understand if Key West is limiting the size of ship or how many ships a day.  What I don't understand is why the port is put on the schedule in the first place.  They must know it is a problem.

[Mary229]

7 hours ago, KAKcruiser said:

I can understand if Key West is limiting the size of ship or how many ships a day.  What I don't understand is why the port is put on the schedule in the first place.  They must know it is a problem.

I assume they were awaiting a final court decision.  I am too lazy to look up that date but that date was likely after voyage publication.  

[rothbury]

Same thing I have been saying for several cruise seasons now.  You would think HAL would put some real effort into finding an alternative to Key West.  Last season we were redirected to Nassau by a letter in our mailbox when we embarked.  They are doing the same thing with several cruises again this season.  Earlier this week (I think Tuesday) there were 7 cruise ships in Nassau which is how many berths they have.  Have you ever been to Nassau with 6 other cruise ships.  Not worth getting off the ship.

[horseymike]

7 hours ago, KAKcruiser said:

I can understand if Key West is limiting the size of ship or how many ships a day.  What I don't understand is why the port is put on the schedule in the first place.  They must know it is a problem.

bait and switch

[horseymike]

13 minutes ago, rothbury said:

Same thing I have been saying for several cruise seasons now.  You would think HAL would put some real effort into finding an alternative to Key West.  Last season we were redirected to Nassau by a letter in our mailbox when we embarked.  They are doing the same thing with several cruises again this season.  Earlier this week (I think Tuesday) there were 7 cruise ships in Nassau which is how many berths they have.  Have you ever been to Nassau with 6 other cruise ships.  Not worth getting off the ship.

not worth it with 1 ship.

[FlaMariner]

11 hours ago, pirate cruiser said:

We booked a panama canal cruise for Dec. 24-we just got notice that the Key West stop has been replaced with Montego Bay- why would this occur on a cruise that's over a year away ? Just a little surprised.

 

Consider yourself lucky.....we've booked two different cruises over the past 4 years w/Key West on the itinerary and then around a month before, Key West was scratched.....I agree with @kazu....they realize the bait and switch was not sitting well....

 

[pirate cruiser]

I would think that they would know any restrictions before advertising a port stop-oh well, no big deal plus we have not been to Montego Bay and I really want to do the canal and Costa Rica anyway.

[CruiserBruce]

2 minutes ago, pirate cruiser said:

I would think that they would know any restrictions before advertising a port stop-oh well, no big deal plus we have not been to Montego Bay and I really want to do the canal and Costa Rica anyway.

The schedules are penciled in over two years in advance. Things can change in two years.

[FlaMariner]

1 minute ago, pirate cruiser said:

I would think that they would know any restrictions before advertising a port stop-oh well, no big deal plus we have not been to Montego Bay and I really want to do the canal and Costa Rica anyway.

 

Montego Bay is a much better switch out than what we did for Key West....The substitutes were Bimini once and Freeport once.  Yuck. 

 

Enjoy the journey......

[Banditswife]

We had a B2B last year, with both legs originally porting at KWest.  One got changed to Freeport the other to Bimini.  Neither stop would have been our preference.

FlaMariner must have been on the same ship-LOL  Yes, both ports were a disappointment.  Hopefully they will quit putting KW on the itinerary, a lot of people booked the cruise for the KW stop.

[Mary229]

You are being warned prior to final payment date that seems fair to me.  

[ECCruise]

The whole Key West thing has been a back and forth issue for a couple years.

 

In 2020 Key West voted overwhelmingly to limit cruise visitors to 1500 per day and enacted some environmental provisions.

 

In 2021, the legislature passed and Gov. DeSantis signed a law that nullified the vote by the KW citizens, stopping any restrictions whatsoever on cruise calls.

 

In 2022 KW City Council passed an ordinance banning cruise ships from city owned piers, restricting them to Pier B, which is privately owned.

 

I think some cruise lines are tentatively scheduling KW calls, hoping that things get sorted out.  But obviously, that can change.

[OlsSalt]

4 hours ago, pirate cruiser said:

I would think that they would know any restrictions before advertising a port stop-oh well, no big deal plus we have not been to Montego Bay and I really want to do the canal and Costa Rica anyway.

 

Rafting the Martha Brae River from the Montego Bay port stop was a great shore excursion.  Montego Bay itself, not so much.  Agree, that was better than what Key West now has to offer - now crowded and over-developed. 

[breakiron]

I was just visiting Key West last week.  From talking to the locals Key West only allows 4 ships on 4 different days per week.  When I was there the Carnival Glory was there on Tuesday Oct. 17 and the Virgin Scarlet Lady on Thursday Oct. 19.  These aren't the largest ships but by no means smallest ships.