RCVoyager

48 minutes ago, djbobbydeese said:

thanks, we did a transatlantic in march. then on the new Princess Majestic around Italy and Greece,  then a smaller vessel around  the smaller island ports. I think the Achilles heel in this trip is going to be the air-"port" as opposed to the cruse port.  

You could be right.  I think it will all come down to damage at SJU.  Good luck.

46 minutes ago, djbobbydeese said:

Our original plans were to go on Thursday prior to the departure date but we switched to  Saturday due to the obvious Also, we purchased Insurance. Southwest airlines stopped service as of 6PM yesterday. I am new here but not to cruising. 35 days this year alone. Thanks though..

The storm is over Puerto Rico now.  It should be long gone by Saturday.  Then the question will be how much damage to Puerto Rico and the ports you are scheduled to go to.  I hope you have a great time.  The most number of days I've been on a ship in a year is 26.  I'm a little jealous of your 35.

3 hours ago, rjac said:

Wow, those are really neat! Thanks for the links.

You're welcome.  When I say you have to finesse marinetraffic.com, I mean that you have to read it carefully.  The cruise ships are in the big blue icons.  Oftentimes there is an old reading for a particular ship (say 12 hours ago).  Then when you go ahead in the general direction that ship was going you may see a smaller blue icon identified as "passenger vessel".  Most of the time, that is the ship you are tracking from the 12 hour old reading.  

There is something in the website that doesn't always identify the ships by name.

Here are two more websites I really like:

http://www.marinetraffic.com/

http://www.cruisetimetables.com/

Marine traffic is supposed to show you the location of all the ships, all the time.  It does pretty well.  You have to learn how to finesse it a little.

cruise time tables shows the schedule of port of embarkation or port of call around the world sometimes more than a year in advance.

I use them both almost daily.

Hey dj.  Looks like you are new here.  Probably the number 1 most discussed topic on this board is getting to your location the day before your cruise or buying insurance at the time of purchase.  Obviously, it's way too late for that now.  You may get lucky, based upon the timeline given, and I hope so.  If so, have a great cruise, and please next time spend an extra day at the beginning in the home port of your ship.

I've mentioned this before, but RCCL and this forum is a lot like a family with RCCL being the parents.  We, the children, sometimes have minor gripes about this or that, but always with the understanding RCCL (our parents) are trying to do the best they can with the information at hand.

Then a newbie comes along in his/her first post with unreasonable complaints, and we all circle the wagons around RCCL.

I really like that about this forum.

1 hour ago, bobroo said:

Just getting off Adventure, here is a pic of the port at St Marteen as we could see it from the ship last Monday.

Ill start another thread with our experience and some more pics when I have some sit down time in front of my computer at home.

Zooming in, frequent cruisers might recognize a couple familiar landmarks.

 

 

Most buildings are gone.  The beach is gone.  Not sure how those poor people will recover.

19 minutes ago, rjac said:

Hey RCV, what are the initials "OP' an abbreviation for? 

Original Poster.  Sorry should have explained.  by the way, thanks for the info on the Allure.  I was not aware of her mechanical issues.

21 hours ago, rjac said:

St. Kitts is a really pretty island. Unfortunately, there are very, very few beaches most of which are rocky. Kind of hoping St. Croix gets in the itinerary also.. 

Totally agree on St. Croix.  What a wonderful place.  I would retire there if the wife would agree to it.

2 hours ago, Cari said:

I recognize that Royal Caribbean is doing a lot for the hurricane stricken areas and kudos to them for that. I also realize that Royal Caribbean had no control and is in no way responsible for the devastation that Hurricane Irma did to these areas. BUT I do have an issue with Royal Caribbean advertising  a cruise with an itinerary of one thing and changing that itinerary due to speed regulations.

I don't know how long Royal has been doing cruises but it is my opinion that they know what ports they can do in a 7 days cruise and what ports they can't. I feel like they falsely misrepresented the cruise I paid for for myself and my family. ( Total of 7 people and 3 cabins ) with an itinerary of Nassau, Saint Thomas and St. Kitts. Only to find out after the cruise was paid for that due to speed regulations the itinerary changed to Nassau, San Juan and St.Thomas.

Now that Irma has devastated St. Thomas I find out that instead of St. Thomas ( which I totally understand ) we are sailing 2 days at sea to go to a beach with tiki huts selling souvenirs. I worked really hard and made payments for my family to experience amazing locations. Hati ( Royals private beach ) is not my idea of this vision I had for my family. I spend with airfare and cruise almost $10,000 to be 2 days at sea to go to the beach. 

I have 2 issues with this. 1. Royal falsely misrepresented this cruise to begin with. They have been doing cruises for a long time and you can't tell me that when they sold this cruise with the itinerary of Nassau, St. Thomas and St. Kitts that they didn't know that they would be able to deliver what they were selling. To this I am mad, disappointed and dissatisfied. 2. I understand that St. Thomas is devastated and keep all those affected in my thoughts and prayers and have myself donated money to these causes. BUT I feel like I and all the other passengers on this cruise are being slighted by being taken to Royal's private beach ( Hati ) 

Royal is not responsible for Irma and the devastation but they are responsible for falsely misrepresenting this cruise in the first place and have the responsibility to their passengers for complete satisfaction. I believe that is what is referred to as customer service. My question is instead of going to Hati why not go to St. Kitts or Cozumel, anywhere other than a beach with tiki huts?

 

  

It's also worth mentioning, Cozumel is probably more than 1,000 miles from the area you are sailing to.

Thanks for the explanation rjac.

Maybe not to the OP, but I believe this ship and cruise would be just fine.  

99% of cruises go on as planned just fine.  This particular ship and cruise have been affected by two issues that are not really in RCCL's control.  There is not a speed regulation, but rather a limitation that is attributed to a mechanical problem.  The repair is scheduled, and I'd be willing to bet those whose January cruises were cancelled due to the repair would gladly trade a cancelled cruise for a change or two in itinerary.

I wouldn't want to be switched out of St. Thomas either, but nobody can control the weather.  The OP didn't state exactly when her cruise was, but it sounds like she's made final payment which means she's probably within 60 days of sailing.  Again, I understand her frustration, but she is sailing in hurricane season.  It sounds like St. Thomas, St. Maarten, and other ports will be out of service for several months.  Folks scheduled to port there over the winter will also probably be aced out because of a hurricane in September.  At least they have some time to reschedule if a particular port is that important.

I don't think the OP stated if she/he has much cruising experience.  It kind of sounds like she/he doesn't.  Cruising is wonderful in so many ways, but it's not magic.  RCCL can't help a mechanical issue or the weather.   One of the wonderful things about cruising is the the cruise lines understand the value (non magical) that passengers expect.  And they deliver 99% of the time.

I hope the OP can go with the flow.  Sure be a little sad that you're not going to St. Kitts or St. Thomas.  But, San Juan is amazing.  Depending on which pier the Allure uses in San Juan, you are at most a 10 minute cab ride from 2 massive forts that are more than 400 years old.  The shopping is good.  There is a rain forest, and a big city with all sorts of great things to do for the day. For the most part, it's not a great beach place, but Labadee is.  And it has all the great things to do mentioned by others.

Relax, enjoy, and report back to us after it's over.

25 minutes ago, Cari said:

I recognize that Royal Caribbean is doing a lot for the hurricane stricken areas and kudos to them for that. I also realize that Royal Caribbean had no control and is in no way responsible for the devastation that Hurricane Irma did to these areas. BUT I do have an issue with Royal Caribbean advertising  a cruise with an itinerary of one thing and changing that itinerary due to speed regulations.

I don't know how long Royal has been doing cruises but it is my opinion that they know what ports they can do in a 7 days cruise and what ports they can't. I feel like they falsely misrepresented the cruise I paid for for myself and my family. ( Total of 7 people and 3 cabins ) with an itinerary of Nassau, Saint Thomas and St. Kitts. Only to find out after the cruise was paid for that due to speed regulations the itinerary changed to Nassau, San Juan and St.Thomas.

Now that Irma has devastated St. Thomas I find out that instead of St. Thomas ( which I totally understand ) we are sailing 2 days at sea to go to a beach with tiki huts selling souvenirs. I worked really hard and made payments for my family to experience amazing locations. Hati ( Royals private beach ) is not my idea of this vision I had for my family. I spend with airfare and cruise almost $10,000 to be 2 days at sea to go to the beach. 

I have 2 issues with this. 1. Royal falsely misrepresented this cruise to begin with. They have been doing cruises for a long time and you can't tell me that when they sold this cruise with the itinerary of Nassau, St. Thomas and St. Kitts that they didn't know that they would be able to deliver what they were selling. To this I am mad, disappointed and dissatisfied. 2. I understand that St. Thomas is devastated and keep all those affected in my thoughts and prayers and have myself donated money to these causes. BUT I feel like I and all the other passengers on this cruise are being slighted by being taken to Royal's private beach ( Hati ) 

Royal is not responsible for Irma and the devastation but they are responsible for falsely misrepresenting this cruise in the first place and have the responsibility to their passengers for complete satisfaction. I believe that is what is referred to as customer service. My question is instead of going to Hati why not go to St. Kitts or Cozumel, anywhere other than a beach with tiki huts?

 

  

I've been cruising for 25 years, and I've never heard of "speed regulations".  Maybe someone could expand on that.

I can tell you the RCCL, Carnival, Celebrity, and all the others consistently deliver as promised, and in many cases go way above what is required of them.  There are a few exceptions to the rule, but that's been my experience.  These itineraries are typically scheduled more than a year in advance, and in 99% of cases are itineraries that have been done hundreds, if not thousands, of times.

All kinds of issues come up from acts of God to mechanical problems to regulation changes.  The lines are typically good at advising and compensating passengers.

It looks like your cruise substituted San Juan for St. Kitts.  Maybe there is a new unforeseen law in St. Kitts, I don't know.  San Juan is an amazing place with so much history.  Then they dropped St. Thomas for Labadee due to the hurricane.   Most people find Labadee to be a really nice day in port.  It's not like they're dropping you off in down town Port-au-Prince.  

I hope you'll give the two new ports a chance.  I would also be disappointed not going to St. Thomas and St. Kitts.  But, San Juan is fantastic, and they take good care of passengers in Labadee.

As a side note, I would love for RCCL to use St. Croix more during the reconstruction of St. Maarten.  It is a great place to visit.

I just read an article of how bad things are on St. Maarten.  Destruction is everywhere.  Looting and crime are rampant.  100 prisoners escaped from a prison.  Relief supplies being stolen upon arrival.  There will have to be some law and order before anything else.  Scary stuff.

14 minutes ago, lelms said:

They offered to let passengers stay an extra day if they couldn't make travel arrangements, but I think they're goal was to empty it out and take Florida residents out to evacuate. I'm not sure they would have let people on the previous cruise stay because of flight cancellations etc. That being said, it's unclear if they donated the ship for the cause or if evacuees had to pay. Either way, I don't see them letting those from our cruise stay on the ship without paying for it. (Although if I had unlimited money and didn't have responsibilities back home, I gladly would have payed for a double dip) 

I don't know who had to pay what.  It was widely reported in Houston that those on board for up to 5 extra days did not have to pay, and in fact were given free internet and telephone.  Back to my point, I hope they didn't force anyone out into an evacuating city.

I think the cruise lines have done a really good job, for the most part, in Houston and in Florida during these two storms.  However, I don't think the cruise lines should have forced passengers off the ship into an evacuating city.  I like the idea of coming in a day early and letting anyone off who wants to get off, but they should have taken the remainder out of the way of the storm in my opinion.

51 minutes ago, steveb said:

wow - quick response thanks.  No we have rooms on deck 2 separated by half a ships length which in my opinion is far better than connecting rooms 

I agree, but I'll mention to please be sure the 3 youngsters are familiar with all the aspects of safety being separated from you by so many rooms.  Glad your 19 year old is a male.  I know it's not pc to say, but I was nervous enough with daughters 19 and 17 being across the hall last year.  I would not have been comfortable with them being further down the hall... let alone a half a ship away.

I don't say these things to scare you, but you and your kids need to be vigilant on a ship just as you would  in the a safe part of a city at night.

20 minutes ago, steveb said:

hi travelling on 1st cruise on IOTS in December with wife and 3 kids.  At time of booking we had to have my wife on one room with 2 youngest children and myself on another with eldest child.  However eldest child  is 19 so plan is for him and the other two to go in one cabin.  So can we get my and my wife's pass keys assigned to open both rooms, reassign the eldest childs pass key to the 'child'  room only and then ensure the childrens pass keys are blocked from spending ?

 

Thanks in advance

 

Just need to go to the Guest Services desk to get an extra key to one of the rooms.  Did it last June.

3 minutes ago, monctonguy said:

Wonder if Royal is going to drop St. Marteen from its stops....seems like some other cruise ships already have at least temporarily...

 

Some of the resorts there closed now till at least the end of the year...wont be much to see or do there if you did have a stop in the next few mths  I guess.

Probably not the right time to talk about it with people's lives on the line, but I would much rather go to St. Croix than St. Marteen to begin with.  If the upcoming Independence itineraries switch, I will book one as soon as I can.

20 hours ago, BrianAlt said:

No news, but some are starting to wonder if it will get back to port on time. It's a legitimate concern.  All you can do is watch for now.

Plus we have Jose pulling up the rear.  Expected to turn into a hurricane in the next 48 hours.  Although it looks more likely to head north in the Atlantic.

Only time will tell!

Jose appears to be a non issue as it will turn North and head into the Atlantic.  However, all the Florida weekend turn arounds are in trouble from Irma.  Many have already altered their schedules.

57 minutes ago, monctonguy said:

This season is shaping up to be a bad one....Harvey and Irma are going to do lots of damage and lots of delays and cancelations to the cruise industry...I cant imagine if Miami/FLL takes a direct hit....the impact will be huge and affect so many cruise lines and ships.

 

At this point if I had a cruise booked this week or next week, I would be just looking to rescheduling it  for later in the fall....

 

And Jose is close behind, but it looks like just some of the ABC islands and maybe Puerto Rico may be affected by that one..but after the damage from Irma, it could be still a bad  situation to get hit by another one 3 days later.

ABC Islands are in the clear.  In fact, that is currently the one safe place in the Caribbean for ships to be.  I saw RCCL changed the Adventure's current itinerary from a Sea day Thursday and St. Maarten on Friday to Bonaire on Thursday and Sea day on Friday.  Other than that, I think the Adventure will be ok.  The storm will be clear of San Juan before Saturday's turnaround.

The cruise lines can work around most storms... unless the home port gets hit.  It happened in Galveston last week, and it's about to happen to Florida on the weekend.  With Galveston there were less than half dozen ships affected.  Between Miami, Ft. Lauderdale, and Port Canaveral, this is going to affect dozens of sailings on several cruise lines.  It looks like a real mess.  Hopefully no one gets hurt.

42 minutes ago, rjac said:

Personally, I think planning a Caribbean cruise during the hurricane season (August-November, with mid Sept. the peak) is just not a good idea. Yeah, I know that's the only time a lot of folks can get away due to work, family commitments, etc. To me it is just an expensive exercise in what could be massive disappointment. 

I truly wish the best on those folks who are on a cruise now or waiting to find out more on their booked cruise. 

I don't disagree with you.  However, two families I know (parents, adult children, grandchildren) plan their cruises (about 1 every other year per group) in the fall because otherwise they wouldn't be able to afford to go.  So far, neither has had a bad experience.  While it's true that both families are playing with fire, I think I'd do the same if that was the only way I could get to go to the Caribbean with my family.

It's looking like Saturday/Sunday departures in Florida this weekend could be a problem as the hurricane could be there at the same time as the cruise changeover.  Could be another storm coming right behind it too.  September 10th is the annual peak, and it appears to be holding true this year.

1 hour ago, Michael Vitale said:

I'm certainly no expert, just a worry wart cruiser ?, but I saw a weatherman yesterday who said only about 10% of hurricanes located where this one is will make landfall in the US. I assume it's far enough south that we will be spared. I surely hope so. 

I think the 10% to the US from this position is probably correct.  However, the one thing that causes them to be steered to the US from here is strong high pressure over the Atlantic (often called a Bermuda High).  It is in place in spades right now.  Additionally, while I'm concerned for the US, I'm also concerned for the islands my family and I love so much.  All of the Leewards, Pureto Rico, Hispanola, and Turks and Caicos are in the cross hairs.

8 minutes ago, monctonguy said:

latest update...seems like if anything its getting worse and headed in the direction of the ABC islands for now...

 

 

That would be unusual as most storms begin to turn North way before the ABCs.  Although Harvey was unusual too.

Looks like high pressure to the North us blocking this storm from turning North as many do.