What if Bermuda Cruise goes to Canada?

[michtrif]

We just got back from Bermuda from the 10/18 sailing. Kidding- RC really took us to Canada. Yay. (not really.) I was DEVASTATED! We got absolutely NO NOTICE from RC. My friend's husband called RC to confirm Bumuda the night before departure. That's how we found out- at 10pm the night before. We had to repack.

 

The compensation was an insult. We got a $250 cabin credit if we sailed, but only 25% back in credit if we decided not to sail. So basically we would lose 75% of what we paid. Dumb. There were over 100 vacant staterooms. People were leaving the port on arrival once finding out about the itinerary change. There were TONS of people who had flown in and were only packed for warm weather. There were more than 2 weddings on board. (one couple was getting married IN Bermuda) And there were quite a few passengers who actually traveled FROM Canada- only to go back TO Canada on the cruise (some of them left and went home from our first port of call.)

 

Every story I heard was worse than the one before. It made me feel better- we drive to port from PA and it took under 2 hours. We sucked it up and bundled up against the COLD Nova Scotia winds. The ports of call were not the best- there really wasn't much to do at all. We took a bus tour but it really wasn't much more impressive than the town where we currently live. We found an amazing pub in St. John's and that was probably the best part of the whole trip.

 

We just noticed we were credited 40.33 per passenger for port costs. Every little bit helps, I guess. We enjoyed Explorer, but the destination stunk.

[BND]

We just got back from Bermuda from the 10/18 sailing. Kidding- RC really took us to Canada. Yay. (not really.) I was DEVASTATED! We got absolutely NO NOTICE from RC. My friend's husband called RC to confirm Bumuda the night before departure. That's how we found out- at 10pm the night before. We had to repack.

 

The compensation was an insult. We got a $250 cabin credit if we sailed, but only 25% back in credit if we decided not to sail. So basically we would lose 75% of what we paid. Dumb. There were over 100 vacant staterooms. People were leaving the port on arrival once finding out about the itinerary change. There were TONS of people who had flown in and were only packed for warm weather. There were more than 2 weddings on board. (one couple was getting married IN Bermuda) And there were quite a few passengers who actually traveled FROM Canada- only to go back TO Canada on the cruise (some of them left and went home from our first port of call.)

 

Every story I heard was worse than the one before. It made me feel better- we drive to port from PA and it took under 2 hours. We sucked it up and bundled up against the COLD Nova Scotia winds. The ports of call were not the best- there really wasn't much to do at all. We took a bus tour but it really wasn't much more impressive than the town where we currently live. We found an amazing pub in St. John's and that was probably the best part of the whole trip.

 

We just noticed we were credited 40.33 per passenger for port costs. Every little bit helps, I guess. We enjoyed Explorer, but the destination stunk.

 

Sorry, but outside of possibly the notification, none of what happened was RCI's fault or in their control. Bermuda closed the port and asked no ships to come for several days. BTW, a lot of people posted they got emails, texts and phone calls well before 10 pm. In fact, I'm pretty sure it was posted on the website by much earlier than that. You need to make sure your phone number and email are in your profile on RCI's site. Anyone paying attention to the news/weather had to know that Bermuda was going to get hit hard and you don't recover in 72 hours from a hurricane.

 

They really didn't have to give anyone anything. It was nice that they did. As for a wedding scheduled in the port, that's always a risk.

 

There are several people who have posted on the roll call and they all made the best of it and while it wasn't Bermuda, they were still on a cruise.

Edited October 23, 2014 by BND

[michtrif]

Sorry, but outside of possibly the notification, none of what happened was RCI's fault or in their control. Bermuda closed the port and asked no ships to come for several days. BTW, a lot of people posted they got emails, test and phone calls before 10 pm. You need to make sure your phone number and email are in your profile on RCI's site. Anyone paying attention to the news/weather had to know that Bermuda was going to get hit hard and you don't recover in 72 hours from a hurricane.

 

They really didn't have to give anyone anything. It was nice that they did.

 

There are several people who have posted on the roll call and they all made the best of it and while it wasn't Bermuda, they were still on a cruise.

 

That was the attitude we had to take too. Sorry if it came off the wrong way.... We did make the best of it. The cruise itself was delightful. The ports of call were a disappointment. We completely understood that it was beyond control of RCI and that it was BERMUDA who asked us not to come. Strangely, after I logged into the RC site the night before departure, my reservation could not be found. I had to call RC to find out why I was unable to access my online acct. It was a fluke, I guess. But as of 4pm on Friday, the itinerary was still Bermuda. So it was a late call, that I feel could have been made earlier.

As far as the compensation, I would have gladly accepted a larger credit to apply to a future cruise. Either way, RC would still be getting our money. We are not angry with RC at all. They provided great service for the most part, and we were happy for a vacation even if it wasn't what we had planned.

[BND]

That was the attitude we had to take too. Sorry if it came off the wrong way.... We did make the best of it. The cruise itself was delightful. The ports of call were a disappointment. We completely understood that it was beyond control of RCI and that it was BERMUDA who asked us not to come. Strangely, after I logged into the RC site the night before departure, my reservation could not be found. I had to call RC to find out why I was unable to access my online acct. It was a fluke, I guess. But as of 4pm on Friday, the itinerary was still Bermuda. So it was a late call, that I feel could have been made earlier.

As far as the compensation, I would have gladly accepted a larger credit to apply to a future cruise. Either way, RC would still be getting our money. We are not angry with RC at all. They provided great service for the most part, and we were happy for a vacation even if it wasn't what we had planned.

 

Reservations disappear 24 hours before your cruise. The info on the change to itinerary was on their homepage. It comes up toward the bottom center of the screen as a link in a rectangular box. I always check the homepage up until the day we leave just in case. The message tab on your reservation wouldn't have had anything. No one has ever had anything in the message section so we're not sure why it exists.

[nolimits]

It was my vacation RCI can't control the hurricane but we could of done warm weather cruise 5 days to nowhere. I'm sure there's budget reasons or labor reasons why they sailed north instead of south.The onboard credit was appreciated but I spent my vacation in 50 degree weather,and yesterday we sailed home in a nor'easter.The other thing is there was no WOW on ship when half the people are upset.Yes we made the best of it but noway no how did RCI deliver the vacation I expected and payed for.

[themendes]

We made the most out of the situation and were so thankful to have a RFS as we were traveling with 4 kids and could rarely enjoy the pool and sport decks. The OBC came in handy as we ate at Portofinos and drank and still had a refund. The staff and crew were apologetic and spoiled my kids and parents. We had chocolate covered strawberries and other treats dropped off at our cabin nightly. We were celebrating my mom's birthday and they provided a cake at no additional cost. We loved the AFT RFC and found that we fully took advantage of the ship offerings. We are from NE, so Canada was nothing new. We did make the most of it and had a great family vacation.

 

 

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[themendes]

Halifax - cold and windy. We did enjoy fresh lobster and fish.

 

 

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[cooncat_mom]

I'm sorry to butt in, but we drove down from New England for this Bermuda cruise. I was not notified and we arrived the day before so it was a moot point.I actually found out because I was browsing CC while relaxing in the hotel! That said, since I'm not a beach person anyway, I really didn't have a problem with the $250 per cabin OBC since there are lines that wouldn't do anything (OK, I actually did tell my DH about it, although I did argue with myself :cool: - then bought our shore excursion tickets with it). I enjoyed the Explorer (have cruised her before), met some delightful people (both passengers and crew) and enjoyed Peggy's Cove, the Titanic gravesites and walking with my sexy new rollator in Saint John. I know the risks to cruising in hurricaine season and would actually prefer to do Canada than a 5 day to nowhere. Plus, it makes a great story talking about my cruise to very northern Bermuda! ;)

[michtrif]

It was my vacation RCI can't control the hurricane but we could of done warm weather cruise 5 days to nowhere. I'm sure there's budget reasons or labor reasons why they sailed north instead of south.The onboard credit was appreciated but I spent my vacation in 50 degree weather,and yesterday we sailed home in a nor'easter.The other thing is there was no WOW on ship when half the people are upset.Yes we made the best of it but noway no how did RCI deliver the vacation I expected and payed for.

 

agree... and I would have loved a cruse to nowhere... anywhere south of NJ. This morning at breakfast someone was explaining to me that the boat was required to dock somewhere on this cruise, so we couldn't cruise to nowhere. (not sure how true that is)

I paid for Bermuda, so that is where my disappointment lies. I felt that some of the crew were miserable as well- mostly pool deck staff and outdoor bartenders. The "wow" absolutely was missing. But there were enough of us making the most if it to not bring everyone down.

 

the seas were very rough last night too... the boat was rocking hard!

[themendes]

On order to open the casino, they have to dock in an international port. Hence, Canada. The crew is a Caribbean based crew and new nothing about the ports. Our concierge spent hours researching transportation options and a tour for our family of 8. Not an ideal cruise, but I did feel like the staff that we came across with seemed overly apologetic about something they had no control over.

 

 

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[Cindy]

It was my vacation RCI can't control the hurricane but we could of done warm weather cruise 5 days to nowhere. I'm sure there's budget reasons or labor reasons why they sailed north instead of south.The onboard credit was appreciated but I spent my vacation in 50 degree weather,and yesterday we sailed home in a nor'easter.The other thing is there was no WOW on ship when half the people are upset.Yes we made the best of it but noway no how did RCI deliver the vacation I expected and payed for.

 

I'm not sure a cruise to nowhere is allowed...somebody else will have to chime in on that.

 

I do know that the reason you couldn't go south instead of north is that on a 5-night from NJ, there isn't another foreign country you can reach to satisfy the PVSA. Bermuda is really the only option on a five night cruise. If your cruise had been longer you would have had other options.

[rtazz17]

We just got back from Bermuda from the 10/18 sailing. Kidding- RC really took us to Canada. Yay. (not really.) I was DEVASTATED! We got absolutely NO NOTICE from RC. My friend's husband called RC to confirm Bumuda the night before departure. That's how we found out- at 10pm the night before. We had to repack.

 

The compensation was an insult. We got a $250 cabin credit if we sailed, but only 25% back in credit if we decided not to sail. So basically we would lose 75% of what we paid. Dumb. There were over 100 vacant staterooms. People were leaving the port on arrival once finding out about the itinerary change. There were TONS of people who had flown in and were only packed for warm weather. There were more than 2 weddings on board. (one couple was getting married IN Bermuda) And there were quite a few passengers who actually traveled FROM Canada- only to go back TO Canada on the cruise (some of them left and went home from our first port of call.)

 

Every story I heard was worse than the one before. It made me feel better- we drive to port from PA and it took under 2 hours. We sucked it up and bundled up against the COLD Nova Scotia winds. The ports of call were not the best- there really wasn't much to do at all. We took a bus tour but it really wasn't much more impressive than the town where we currently live. We found an amazing pub in St. John's and that was probably the best part of the whole trip.

 

We just noticed we were credited 40.33 per passenger for port costs. Every little bit helps, I guess. We enjoyed Explorer, but the destination stunk.

Im just curious.People that showed up to the port with warm weather clothes thinking they were going to bermuda and had no idea????That blows my mind.Unless you were under a rock and had absolutely no communication with the outside world how did people think they were going to port at an island that got SLAMMED by a hurricaneThis is a risk you assume when you book.It is written in black and white on your contract.RCCL does not pay God to make it sunny and 85 everyday and they can't guarantee anything.They are a business and run it as such.DONT CRUISE IN HURRICANE SEASON to minimize your risk.Royal didn't owe anything to anyone in this case.Michtrif this is not solely directed at you but to anyone that thinks royal owes them something.Ive been on several vacations in my life where the weather was horrible.No one owes me anything for those vacations.Luck of the draw.Better luck next time.It happens to all of us.

 

And to whoever was getting married in bermuda.......Very stupid,poor planning,I could go on and on.Dont assume weather is ever going to cooperate with your plans.Especially for such an important day.

Edited October 24, 2014 by rtazz17

[robtulipe]

I'm not sure a cruise to nowhere is allowed...somebody else will have to chime in on that.

 

 

Yes, a cruise to nowhere is allowed. Foreign flagged gambling and other ships do it regularly from US ports.

From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Passenger_Vessel_Services_Act_of_1886

 

"The Passenger Vessel Services Act does not prevent a ship from taking on passengers at a U.S. port and then returning them to another U.S. city by ground or air, or vice versa, as long as the cruise ship returns to its departing point without stopping (a "cruise to nowhere"), or stops in at least one foreign port."

Edited October 24, 2014 by robtulipe

[Big_G]

Im just curious.People that showed up to the port with warm weather clothes thinking they were going to bermuda and had no idea????That blows my mind.Unless you were under a rock and had absolutely no communication with the outside world how did people think they were going to port at an island that got SLAMMED by a hurricaneThis is a risk you assume when you book.It is written in black and white on your contract.RCCL does not pay God to make it sunny and 85 everyday and they can't guarantee anything.They are a business and run it as such.DONT CRUISE IN HURRICANE SEASON to minimize your risk.Royal didn't owe anything to anyone in this case.Michtrif this is not solely directed at you but to anyone that thinks royal owes them something.Ive been on several vacations in my life where the weather was horrible.No one owes me anything for those vacations.Luck of the draw.Better luck next time.It happens to all of us.

 

And to whoever was getting married in bermuda.......Very stupid,poor planning,I could go on and on.Dont assume weather is ever going to cooperate with your plans.Especially for such an important day.

 

 

Not only did they miss Bermuda but Royal sailed them in the opposite direction right into a nor'easter and you're more PO'd than they are. Maybe a 'Gee that's too bad' would have been more appropriate than your rant.

 

 

 

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[cruisinfanatic]

Im just curious.People that showed up to the port with warm weather clothes thinking they were going to bermuda and had no idea????That blows my mind.Unless you were under a rock and had absolutely no communication with the outside world how did people think they were going to port at an island that got SLAMMED by a hurricaneThis is a risk you assume when you book.It is written in black and white on your contract.RCCL does not pay God to make it sunny and 85 everyday and they can't guarantee anything.They are a business and run it as such.DONT CRUISE IN HURRICANE SEASON to minimize your risk.Royal didn't owe anything to anyone in this case.Michtrif this is not solely directed at you but to anyone that thinks royal owes them something.Ive been on several vacations in my life where the weather was horrible.No one owes me anything for those vacations.Luck of the draw.Better luck next time.It happens to all of us.

 

And to whoever was getting married in bermuda.......Very stupid,poor planning,I could go on and on.Dont assume weather is ever going to cooperate with your plans.Especially for such an important day.

I agree. Heads in sand. Did they really think they were going to Bermuda when this is what it looked like Friday in the bulls eye?

Edited October 24, 2014 by SeaUs

[monctonguy]

And to add insult to injury, you can't drink while docked at Canadian ports.

 

So not only do you miss out on warm weather, beaches...but your stuck in the cold Atlantic ports in Canada, which the past few days have been miserable, and you cant even drink while in port, and there was a nor'easter while docked there so there was no reason to get off the boat......

 

Makes me re-think about ever doing a Bermuda cruise during hurricane season, no matter how good the deal is.

 

I feel sorry for anyone who had booked this, and think RCI dropped the ball..

[BND]

Well, I guess the moral is, if you want to go to a warm place, fly directly there. Problem with that is, hurricane's happen and hurricane season is 6 months out of the year. We've all missed ports we've looked forward to and what happened with EX is very rare. A cruise to nowhere would have pissed off many others and not accomplished much as they could have only gone so far south before having to turn around. It's not that much warmer off the coast of Georgia than it is off of NJ this time of year. Remember, the low in the NE moved through the mid-atlantic first and pulled a cold front with it. You can't make everyone happy. If you're going to cruise, you have to be flexible.

[Barb Nahoumi]

The ocean calls the shots, and we must follow her lead.

[loubetti]

And to add insult to injury, you can't drink while docked at Canadian ports.

 

So not only do you miss out on warm weather, beaches...but your stuck in the cold Atlantic ports in Canada, which the past few days have been miserable, and you cant even drink while in port, and there was a nor'easter while docked there so there was no reason to get off the boat......

 

Makes me re-think about ever doing a Bermuda cruise during hurricane season, no matter how good the deal is.

 

I feel sorry for anyone who had booked this, and think RCI dropped the ball..

 

I don't think RCI dropped the ball, and unless you go before June, all Bermuda cruises are during hurricane season. They do what they have to do.

 

Would you liked to have been on Celebrity Zenith (I think it was 1994, and I was not on the cruise) when they ran into this stuff to Bermuda? It made front page headlines, tons of sick and complaining pax, and a very dented up bow on the ship (she was not an ocean liner)?

 

I once had booked a 6-night R/T New York to Nassau on the great little Regal Empress. Just a day in Nassau (a day too many!) but we did it for the days at sea, and we had done it before. I didn't bother checking the weather, and it turns out there was a storm brewing down there, and they decided to divert to New England and Canada. It was Summer, so our clothes still worked.

 

It turned out to be one of the BEST cruises I was ever on! We went through the Cape Cod canal. I never knew there was one until then!!

 

Of course, I should add that we were good friends with the captain (still are), and the private lunch and dinner he had for the officers, executive staff, and invited us too on the last day was especially memorable. Fresh Maine lobster for dinner!!

[Host Jacquelyn]

I don't think RCI dropped the ball, and unless you go before June, all Bermuda cruises are during hurricane season. They do what they have to do.

 

Would you liked to have been on Celebrity Zenith (I think it was 1994, and I was not on the cruise) when they ran into this stuff to Bermuda? It made front page headlines, tons of sick and complaining pax, and a very dented up bow on the ship (she was not an ocean liner)?

 

It was 1996, Hurricane Edouard.

 

We were on The Royal Majesty, and we cruised through the hurricane as well to Bermuda. There was talk of diverting to the Canadian Maritimes, but by the time we sailed the hurricane was already just off Cape Cod. The Captain decided to sail right through the hurricane after spending the night docked in Boston Harbor.

 

The trip down to Bermuda was just awful, everyone sick, objects flying around the room. Once we got to Bermuda, the weather was beautiful but many (and I mean MANY) people were so sick they booked a flight home directly from Bermuda as they could not fathom sailing back to Boston. We ran into folks from the Celebrity ship, and they described their nightmare as well.

 

So, the grass is not always greener!

[monctonguy]

I live in Canada, and there is no reason why you would take time off work, spend thousands of dollars, come here when its 40 degress, windy, raining, nor'easter, nothing to do off the boat in that weather, and cant even enjoy a drink on the boat. But that's just my opinion...and i think most would agree...lol.

 

While I agree you can't control the weather, and i do tavel very often(my 6th trip south this yr comming up), I think RCI should have offered people a full refund. They were not even getting CLOSE to what they booked and expected.

 

I understand if you miss a day somewhere on your trip cause they can't tender you etc, but this was a whole different cruise, different weather, and if I had paid for a drink package and couldnt use it every day stuck in port.......nuff said.

Edited October 24, 2014 by monctonguy

[Dall]

It was my vacation RCI can't control the hurricane but we could of done warm weather cruise 5 days to nowhere. I'm sure there's budget reasons or labor reasons why they sailed north instead of south.The onboard credit was appreciated but I spent my vacation in 50 degree weather,and yesterday we sailed home in a nor'easter.The other thing is there was no WOW on ship when half the people are upset.Yes we made the best of it but noway no how did RCI deliver the vacation I expected and payed for.

We are from Maine, drove 9 hours to get to NJ for this cruise. It was certainly not what we wanted in going to Canada but we all made the best of it. I really thought I would hear a lot of griping onboard. To be truthful I did not see/hear anybody who was upset!!! I talked with lots of people, mostly in elevators, waiting in lines and everyone seemed to have the same great attitude, and laughing about it. Maybe it helped in getting such a generous OBC... Definitely a risk you take when booking during hurricane season.

[living at the beach]

I live in the Boston area and have taken five cruises to Bermuda over the years. I did some research before I booked even the first time and learned that even though officially hurricane season lasts all summer and fall, the vast majority of hurricanes occur in September and October and are extremely rare to non-existent in June and early July. That's why it made sense to me when I checked the prices for Bermuda cruises that they were offering bargain prices in September and October. Because I really wanted to go to Bermuda and not be diverted to Canada or elsewhere, I bit the bullet and paid the extra to book in early summer.

I also know that Bermuda is Avery expensive island to book for a hotel stay and go out to restaurants that charge very high prices due to the expense of shipping food items to that very beautiful but isolated island. To me, you get what you pay for. If you really want to experience the beauty of Bermuda and not pay the outrageous prices to fly, book a note, and pay for food there, take a seven day cruise with three days in Bermuda. But pay a few more dollars to go before hurricane season whips into high gear.

Just sayin.

[nolimits]

Living at beach are you saying RCI shouldn't have sold us that cruise because they should have none the frequency of storms in oct. They enticed with lower prices in a high risk time period. Well you might be right.LOL

[living at the beach]

No, I am very sorry that you were so disappointed by what happened. Because I am a very risk- avoidant personality, I just couldn't bear to have that happen to me, so my advice would be to avoid that pain in the future by booking earlier in the season even if it costs a bit more. But I admit that I am a scaredy-cat and don't like to take too many risks with my cherished vacation times. However, I also recognize that no amount of prior planning can take account of all possible contingencies. Right now I an sweating a little about my payed for December cruise to the Caribbean, hoping that the Ebola situations will be better handled by the time that I will be cruising so that I will actually be able to enjoy my cruise.