This sucks!! Itinerary change

[nrdsb4]

It's fine if you've never been there before. We enjoyed ourselves the first time. Did a ship's tour I think and had a nice time. For us it was one of those places that I'm glad I've seen but have no great desire to return to. We'll probably taxi over to Atlantis this time as we've only seen it from the ship and it would be worth taking a look at.

 

I think that is a worthy 1/2 day trip. We did the same and actually enjoyed seeing the resort. My daughters had seen Atlantis extensively on a recent Mary Kate and Ashley movie, so even they were excited about seeing it in person. I don't know that I would ever stay there, but it was fun to look around. I think I remember seeing several restaurants there and they do offer a tour of the aquarium and main hotel areas.

[goodml]

Thanks nrd, my kids have also seen that movie and really want to see Atlantis so I imagine it's a done deal.:)

[mcaron]

If you have not been to Nassau, Listen to the majority on this Post. There is nothing at all to see there, the people are pushy and some very rude, No shopping Bargains. For the number of Ship calls to Nassau you would think that the Bahamas Goverment would make an effort to tidy things up a bit and improve the port and options available to visitors. It seems that Nassau has become the stop of choice as a fill in for other port calls that are cancelled, It is close to the Florida ports and probably less expensive for the Lines to call there. IMHO, it would be nice to see less of Nassua and more of other destinations from RCI. A would take an additional sea day over another port call in Nassau if given the choice.

[Barva]

Hey Nrdsb4 and Goodml! We are going to Nassau on the Navigator and have booked a room for the day at the Comfort Suites at Paradise Island. Which MK and Ashley movie is it? My 8 yo ds would love to see it before we go. Thanks!

 

Also, we don't particularly like Nassau BUT if you like to snorkel or dive, we absolutely loved our excursion with Stuart Cove's when we got to snorkel above feeding sharks. The only reason we aren't doing it this time is that the Navigator doesn't get in until 1 pm and you must be at the dock by noon in order to make it to one of SC's boat trips. So we're going to try Atlantis this one time.

[goodml]

Hey Nrdsb4 and Goodml! We are going to Nassau on the Navigator and have booked a room for the day at the Comfort Suites at Paradise Island. Which MK and Ashley movie is it? My 8 yo ds would love to see it before we go. Thanks!

 

I'm pretty sure it's called 'Holiday in the Sun.'

[Barva]

Goodml - Thanks for posting back so quickly! I'll be heading to the video store this weekend.

 

Barbara

[cruzin2paradise]

Hi Everyone. Well, we were "lucky" and got to go to Grand Cayman last week. We were there on Wednesday, 11/24 and there were 6 ships in! I was amazed at that fact alone.

 

Having never been to GC I wasn't sure what to expect. After we got off the tender, we spoke with a GC Tourist Employee. The docks where the tenders come in are a mess and I'm here to say that they crammed thousands of people into a very small area on the dock. Rather than being angry at anyone, we chalked it up -- these people are hurting. We took a ship excursion to the Turtle Farm and Colony Beach Club. People's homes were destroyed, basic businesses and stores were demolished. Our guide told us that the road that runs parallel to Seven Mile Beach had 7-12 feet of ocean over it.

 

Although there was a lot of destruction, we thoroughly enjoyed our beach break. The ocean was crystal clear and just wonderful. My thought (and it is just my opinion) is that we got to see a place that was working hard to get back on their feet and I can't wait to go back.

 

Were we lucky to get to go? I don't know. Could we have had another port or sea day. Yup. If there was no hurricane could RCI have changed our port to another one or a sea day? Yup.

 

Another poster here said if you are going on a specific itinerary solely because of a particular port, maybe planning a land vacation at that port would be a better thing to do. I'm not judging or pointing fingers or flaming or anything. I know what it "feels like" to have a port changed on us -- it happened last year on Carnival -- oh well. We ended up in the Dominican Republic instead of San Juan. The small print, unfortunately, says they can do this.

 

I hope you can still enjoy your cruise -- just don't get off the ship and plan fun activities -- get a good chair by the pool and catch the rays!

[MonaCK]

We were on a cruise in Dec of 2001 that had a port at Grand Caymon. We found it to be quite overpriced.. and hubby and I decided that if we were on a cruise again with this port, we would likely stay on the ship. We are not beach people, so it definitely wasn't for us. We took a taxi over to "Hell" and back to the pier... found no shopping bargains at all (if you think Nassau is bad, try haggling with vendors in Grand Caymon. There is none...)... and ended up going back to the ship early.

[nrdsb4]

Another poster here said if you are going on a specific itinerary solely because of a particular port, maybe planning a land vacation at that port would be a better thing to do. I'm not judging or pointing fingers or flaming or anything. I know what it "feels like" to have a port changed on us -- it happened last year on Carnival -- oh well. We ended up in the Dominican Republic instead of San Juan. The small print, unfortunately, says they can do this.

 

 

I, too, have experienced a missed port and can relate to the OP's frustration. I am the one who made the statement you referenced. This board is here so that people who don't have information can get it. A new cruiser in the early stages of their research may not realize that ports can be changed at a moment's notice and that it happens with frustrating regularity for many reasons. So I think it's important that they realize that if seeing a certain port is so critical to them that their cruise would be severely compromised by a change, then they should probably schedule a land trip there. I had no idea on my first cruise that ports could be changed - mainly because I had not read the fine print and secondly, I did not know about Cruisecritic.com! In our family we view the port experiences as a glimpse into other places that may provide us with inspiration to visit at a later date. For us, the cruise is the focus, not the ports. Others may not feel this way, and they need to be informed about the very real possibility for itinerary changes. Once they have this information, they can make the decision about risk vs. benefit and whether or not they believe that the disappointment of missing a certain port can be overcome and their cruise not seriously ruined.

[HorrorFan]

Hey Nrdsb4 and Goodml! We are going to Nassau on the Navigator and have booked a room for the day at the Comfort Suites at Paradise Island. Which MK and Ashley movie is it? My 8 yo ds would love to see it before we go. Thanks!

 

Also, we don't particularly like Nassau BUT if you like to snorkel or dive, we absolutely loved our excursion with Stuart Cove's when we got to snorkel above feeding sharks. The only reason we aren't doing it this time is that the Navigator doesn't get in until 1 pm and you must be at the dock by noon in order to make it to one of SC's boat trips. So we're going to try Atlantis this one time.

Hey Barbara, did you do your snorkeling through the cruise line or did you book it yourself? If so, do you have any info on it. We love snorkeling and it sounds like the best option for our stop in Nassau.

[wallie5446]

:mad: I just found out that on my Dec. 12th sailing of Jewel of the Seas, they cancelled the Grand Caymen stop and put in Nassau. Honestly, if this wasn't a brand new ship I would cancel!!!! I was so excited, this is quite a big let down.

Honestly ? If 1 stop being missed can cause this much greef, you need to cancel.

[mtebor]

Enjoy your time on the ship. There are certain ports where my wife and I stay on the ship and enjoy it all to ourselves

[Rickster]

With most of the cruise lines skipping Grand Cayman, are the stingrays starving?

[madelinerose]

When you get to Nassau, hop in a taxi and spend the day at Cable Beach. It's lovely. ;)

[MaaDo]

I am also disappointed that we are not going to Grand Cayman. This was the main reason we chose this itinerary. We'll just stay on the ship or maybe go to Paradise Island. Just remember, a cruise anywhere is better than a day at work!! See you on the 12th. Let the count down being!!!

[Charles4515]

I am also disappointed that we are not going to Grand Cayman. This was the main reason we chose this itinerary. We'll just stay on the ship or maybe go to Paradise Island. Just remember, a cruise anywhere is better than a day at work!! See you on the 12th. Let the count down being!!!

 

It is a very bad idea to choose an itinerary with Grand Cayman being the main reason. This port is missed often!!! It is a tender port and if the seas get rough it will be cancelled. My experiences, out of six cruises that had Grand Cayman on the itinerary, it was cancelled twice, another time had to tender on other side of Cayman from Georgetown and all excursions were cancelled. So only three times out of the six did it come off without a hitch.

[msjeanne1]

Sorry you are disappointed, but you are not missing much. Grand Cayman's prices are inflated, with jewelry shops and rum cakes in abundance. We will likewise take a cab to Atlantis and spend the day. Any Caribbean port beats the frigid temperatures outside tonight. Relax and enjoy.

[Stffie]

I personally am happy about the GC change. We usually take the Western Route and adding Nassau is a nice change.

Caymen, has been off the Jewel's port stop for some time and I agree there

isn't much there. David Yurmann may be what I'll miss most.

I am mostly concerned with the possiblility that a tropical depression is

developing. It is late in the season for that. Pray we have calm seas an

uneventful trip and that's all I need.

Counting down, packing and ironing. Can't wait.

See you all there.

[Firefighterhoop]

I agree with MsJeanne, not impressed with GC at all, and wish ships didn't stop there as much as they do. WAY INFLATED PRICES!

[Crafty]

When we were at Grand Cayman a week and a half ago--they told us that the following week they were opening up to 8 ships a day and would see if that worked. We were on the Brilliance. It was not a pretty site. However, I was glad that I saw it---made me realize just how lucky I am here in the north east where we get very few storms of any importance. My heart goes out to those people. We heard several personal stories during our visit there. Soooo sad. Not exactly the same Grand Cayman I saw last June.

[HorrorFan]

We stopped at Grand Cayman two years ago. As was said earlier it can be rough seas and it was. We were the first off the ship and they stopped letting people off about a half hour later. It was indeed expensive, even the restaurants were. It IS a great spot for snorkelling and scuba, one of the finest in the Caribbean, but if you're not into that, you won't miss much.

[bUU]

We watched a program last night, about cruising Antarctica, that was very interesting. These folks pay $13,000.00 to share a triple the size of the smallest room on the oldest Royal Caribbean ship, and yet still are warned, "Read this itinerary as a guide only; your exact route and program varies according to ice and weather conditions - and the wildlife you encounter. Flexibility is the key to the success of this expedition."

 

I think, perhaps, that many folks are like ourselves, used to frequent (or infrequent) visits to places like Walt Disney World (or perhaps even Las Vegas), where the provision of vacation experiences has been honed to the point where most matters of chance have been wrested out. While this means that many superior experiences are not even alluded to as possibilities, the purveyors of these theme park vacations create fabricated experiences instead, to fill the time and keep folks satisfied.

 

Cruises, perhaps deliberately, haven't gone that route (though, to some extent, RCI has worked to fabricate experiences, such as the rock wall, the ice skating rink, etc.), and instead are more real experiences -- meaning experiences more subject to external conditions. Those of us who have become comfortable with the careful orchestration ("pay no attention to the man behind that curtain") that theme park operators execute to entertain us need to recognize that not every experience is a carefully timed, emminently repeatable, theatrical production.

 

It's funny: I think there must be something about clean floors that gets us humans thinking a certain way, because there is rarely a quibble about the variability of vacation experiences at National Parks, campgrounds, beaches, etc. Rain and vermin are considered natural occurances -- written off as a matter of luck. Uneven ground and poorly-marked paths are sometimes even considered a positive characteristic by hikers. But build a big ship and keep the carpets cleaned, and many of us are prone to expect a theme park at-sea.

[stbmom]

Honestly ? If 1 stop being missed can cause this much greef, you need to cancel.

Thanks for the advice, but I think I will decide what I need to do. I said I was disappoionted, and if it wasn't a new ship - I would cancel. However, since it is a new ship that I have never experienced, I am going.

You are entitled to your opinion; luckily I am entitled to mine as well and I have formed several about you. The point is, I really had no desire to go to a dirty, smelly location they try to pass off as a port. RC had several options when deciding where to go instead of GC. I am disappointed in the choice that they made. I believe it was financial on their part instead of trying to give their customers a comparable alternative.

 

To everyone else others that talked about GC being overpriced, great feedback. I have heard that too. I really wanted to go for the snorkling. We have our own equipment, so we were going to take a snorkling tour - then go to a spot on our own and snorkle. I heard it was really good there.

Cocay Cay would have been a great stop; although weather is always as issue when you tender. Oh well, I guess this will turn into a spa day. Just wish RC didn't automatically put in Nassua on every route - it seems that if I choose and Eastern or Western route, I always end up at Nassua. This will be my sixth Carribbean Cruise and my sixth stop to Nassua - I think I may be considered a legal resident of the country with one more cruise under my belt.

[CRUSINGFAMILY]

We were on Navigator two weeks ago and we did stop there, their is a lot of damage from the storm. Buildings and businesses were abliterated. We booked the stingray tour with Captain Marvins and had a great time. The people who booked on the ship didn't get to go because they told them it was too rough so they were very dissapointed and we had a great time. I don't really understand why they arn't going there.

 

Who knows

 

Brian J

[wallie5446]

Thanks for the advice, but I think I will decide what I need to do. I said I was disappoionted, and if it wasn't a new ship - I would cancel. However, since it is a new ship that I have never experienced, I am going.

You are entitled to your opinion; luckily I am entitled to mine as well and I have formed several about you. The point is, I really had no desire to go to a dirty, smelly location they try to pass off as a port. RC had several options when deciding where to go instead of GC. I am disappointed in the choice that they made. I believe it was financial on their part instead of trying to give their customers a comparable alternative.

OK then point taken. So now with all your knowledge of ports and ship fuel use just where would that other port be that could handle and have a slot open with tours for this amount of Pax ?

 

About opinion's. You 'stated' that not going had ruined your cruise not I. Ok so RCI FORCES GC to let them stop. There are no people to do tours as they are fixin their homes and business. How much do you whine then ? My opinion thru this reading is that of total heart-less-ness, and self centered mumbo jumbo. Like RCI would not want to go to GC :confused: . Oh well.