blankston Posted July 26 #1 Share Posted July 26 I have booked 3 cruises so far and all 3 have had major itinerary changes. The primary reason we cruise is to visit as many different new countries as our (low) budget will allow. The first one we were only informed after we had boarded the ship (Greenland had too much ice). The 2nd and 3rd are not until January 2025 with Costa and are back to back - the first of these has already had Jamaica and St Lucia replaced by Puerto Rico and St Kitts, and the second of these has had St Vincent and Grenadines replaced by a repeat stop. I am now considering forfeiting the deposit paid on the 2025 cruises and booking a more efficient cruise to cover more new countries for a lower cost, as the replacement countries above are all repeats for me. Does anybody know why Jamaica, St Lucia and Vincent and Grenadines have all been scrapped over 6 months out? What would the most cost effective way be to minimise the chance of itinerary change after I book my next cruise? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NotADopey1 Posted July 26 #2 Share Posted July 26 Some of these ports have been deemed unsafe due to crime. Vincent and Grenadines have had bad storm damage and are rebuilding. Cruise lines can change ports at any given time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blankston Posted July 26 Author #3 Share Posted July 26 Thanks for the response. The "more efficient" cruise I am looking at booking instead leaves in November and has both St Vincent and Grenadines and St Lucia on the itinerary. Does this mean that these will likely also get changed? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mum2Mercury Posted July 26 #4 Share Posted July 26 (edited) 34 minutes ago, blankston said: I have booked 3 cruises so far and all 3 have had major itinerary changes. You've had some very bad luck. In 20 years of cruising, I've only had one itinerary change. My mother /stepfather had an itinerary change once -- theirs was a river cruise, and ice was the problem. Edited July 26 by Mum2Mercury Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zqvol Posted July 26 #5 Share Posted July 26 (edited) 3 hours ago, blankston said: Thanks for the response. The "more efficient" cruise I am looking at booking instead leaves in November and has both St Vincent and Grenadines and St Lucia on the itinerary. Does this mean that these will likely also get changed? Based on reports of hurricane damage I would not be surprised to see them changed. I was in St. Thomas this past spring which is years after the last major blow that they had from a hurricane and they are still not close to being back to the way it was before. Edited July 26 by zqvol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare mom says Posted July 26 #6 Share Posted July 26 There is no way that I know of to guarantee you won't have an itinerary change. Ports are scrapped for multitudes of reasons. Hurricane season in the Caribbean just adds to that uncertainty. If you need to guarantee that you will arrive at any given place, then fly there. Now, you can minimize the risk of an itinerary change, by booking a cruise last minute- within a couple of weeks of sailing. Of course those cruises could be sold out or have little choice left in cabins, and could be expensive. Or not. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Honolulu Blue Posted July 27 #7 Share Posted July 27 17 hours ago, blankston said: I have booked 3 cruises so far and all 3 have had major itinerary changes. The primary reason we cruise is to visit as many different new countries as our (low) budget will allow. The first one we were only informed after we had boarded the ship (Greenland had too much ice). The 2nd and 3rd are not until January 2025 with Costa and are back to back - the first of these has already had Jamaica and St Lucia replaced by Puerto Rico and St Kitts, and the second of these has had St Vincent and Grenadines replaced by a repeat stop. I am now considering forfeiting the deposit paid on the 2025 cruises and booking a more efficient cruise to cover more new countries for a lower cost, as the replacement countries above are all repeats for me. Does anybody know why Jamaica, St Lucia and Vincent and Grenadines have all been scrapped over 6 months out? What would the most cost effective way be to minimise the chance of itinerary change after I book my next cruise? First of all, I'm sorry you missed your ports on your past cruise and had ports switched around on your upcoming cruise. Second, you have my admiration for choosing such an ambitious cruise for your first! Cruises to Greenland are either very long for a first cruise or sail from Iceland, which is quite expensive to get to. Third, I love the ports of the Eastern Caribbean. I have a couple of cruises there in late 2025 that hit both St. Lucia and St. Vincent. I haven't heard about any itinerary changes yet. 🙏 As for your question about why your ports changed, it might have something to do with that hurricane that passed by last month, or maybe not. The initial communication about the change, if any, will tell the reason. It can be tough to find out the real reason for a cancellation. Don't expect much help from Costa. About booking time vs. cost vs. itinerary changes, we're in an era when it's almost always less expensive to book early. But itinerary changes can happen any time, as you've found out. There are fewer changes very late, simply because of time. Try to enjoy your upcoming cruises, wherever they end up going. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edinburgher Posted July 27 #8 Share Posted July 27 22 hours ago, blankston said: The first one we were only informed after we had boarded the ship (Greenland had too much ice). And weather too. Hurricanes and damage have already been mentioned, but early in the season, calls to Greenland may indeed have too much ice as it has not yet melted. That happened early this current season (was that when you missed your calls?) but according to very recent posts, it has now melted and ships are again gaining entry If you think ocean cruises are bad, please don't ever book a river cruise!!!😁 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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