whenismynextcruise

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.

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.

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

That's funny, on another forum covering Disney Cruises someone very specifically was upset that DCL did not make magic happen.  They went to WDW before their cruise, which was cancelled.  That person expected DCL to set them up in accommodations for them since they couldn't get a new flight and was livid that they didn't.  Had never cruised at all before and decided they never will with DCL.  Which has led to a 10-page (and counting) argument.  (Complete aside, that person had asked a question a couple weeks ago about what happens if they win a big jackpot in a Nassau casino, yet was not prepared for the possibility of a hurricane in September.  Priorities.)
Moral of the story is that no cruise line can perform magic, not even the company with ships named Magic, Wonder, Dream, and Fantasy.

@rjac is correct.  To further expand I've heard that one propellor was damaged.  They trimmed the metal but these propellers are highly engineered and tuned.  With metal cut away means the prop is imbalanced.  St Kitts requires a leg at full speed which is now not attainable.  A couple of years ago Allure had bearing issues which caused speed restrictions.  Growing pains of new ships.  On Youtube is an RCTV video "Project Atlantis" that covers the work to fix it in 2013.  Similar dry dock will be employed to replace the propeller which is being cast and tuned over the coming months (you don't just buy one of these props at a typical marina).  Perfectly safe ship, she just vibrates at top speed which in the long term would cause additional damage and not be pleasant for anyone on board.
Any cruise is subject to itinerary changes.  As others pointed out that is in the contract.  I've sailed in the Loft Suites on Oasis and Allure.  I have a Grand Suite coming up on Harmony.  With airfare and hotels and all the rest I've spent more than you, more than once.  How much money is spent on the cabin has no bearing on the contract. I've been to Labadee twice and loved it both times.  I'm going again soon and looking forward to it.  Not to be mean or insensitive to your situation but it sounds like perhaps cruising isn't best suited to you.  Royal has not misrepresented the cruise, I believe you misunderstood how cruising works.  
Perhaps CFAR insurance should have been purchased (Cancel For Any Reason).  Consider that for your next non-cruise vacation too.
 

Cargo pants FTW

Something I really like about Sea Days is knowing you really don't have anywhere you have to be. A good chance to relax and just be - do as much or as little as you want.

We had one warm day on our last cruise to Haifax.  Everyone else was bundled up but I was prepared.  Hardly takes up any room in the suitcase either.

I agree with JL about the negative noise on CC but I still read the reviews. I think when people go on a cruise they expect it to be like what they saw on LOVE BOAT. I always remember that show and think about how poor Isaac the bartender worked every bar on ship, every day. The Captain was never in the bridge, instead he was mingling with passengers, but I feel people expect that kind of treatment when on a cruise. If you have your expectations so high you will be disappointed. CC is not the only negative review site, there are several others. Trip Advisor has their share of negative reviews.
I have read many reviews where passengers blamed the cruise lines for the weather, the sea conditions, people on board who were sick, etc. It is what you make it.
Anyways I kind of veered off subject, if you read CC and just remember that this review might be biased, sometimes there is still good information in the review. 
I use Trip Advisor when I am looking for a good restaurant at home, a good hotel to stay at the day before the cruise, it is a wealth of information and it also lists excursions.
For information about ports, I use whatsinport.com, cruiseportinsider.com and tomsportguides.com. The first two have a rundown of everything that is in port, weather information and what to pack, many things. Tom's Port Guides is written by a man who has traveled to all of the ports and compiled them into a wealth of information. He will tell you whether the port is walkable, how far from the ship to the center of town, his suggestions on excursions. It is an amazing wealth of information but unfortunately he hasn't traveled to every port, so there are many missing.
I don't like vacationstogo.com. I have had friends who were kind of messed with on their booking. I don't like that they charge a fee for booking with them. A travel agent, at least to me, is the best way to go for a booking. A very good travel agent can make recommendations on everything to do with a cruise. My TA, since I know her so well, will tell me if she thinks the cruise just isn't right for me.
With a membership to the Royal Blog you can get cruise tracking, I use it all the time.
Matt is a wealth of information and so are the members. WAAAYTOOO has taken so many cruises she has so much knowledge about cruising and many others are the same. Just ask your questions and you will always get an answer.
Candie

I am too OCD to book a guarantee!! Just like traveling and not having a hotel already booked (did that once when traveling with others and that will NEVER happen again) My hubby just shakes his head ;0)

A very good, open minded and non-judgmental report.  Thanks for sharing your experiences with us.

We sailed out of Miami on Monday Sep 4th for a 4 day cruise to what was supposed to be Nassau, Coco Cay, and The Keys. At that time the hurricane was in the Atlantic and we were not too concerned due to the uncertainty of how it was going to behave in the coming days. Besides, we were confident the captain and RC's meteorologists were watching the storm closely, and we would just change itinerary if needed. 
On Tuesday Sep 5th we docked in Nassau and spent the day at Atlantis. We got the package on RC's website and it was a better experience than we were expecting! The slides, pools, and facilities were extensive, and we had access to their private beaches, casino and aquarium on site. We got to spend the entire day there from 9am to 7pm with shuttles leaving every 30 minutes to take us back to the ship. It was well worth it in our opinion! Unfortunately later that evening, the captain came on the intercom to tell us Coco Cay and The Keys were being evacuated, and we would be staying in Nassau overnight.
Everyone on board was obviously disappointed, but the tension and nervousness could be felt for the entirety of the cruise. There was a huge line at guest services after the initial announcement, partially for refunds and partially questioning our safety. For us, we decided it was out of our control, to trust the captains judgement, and enjoy ourselves as much as we could. 
The next day (Wednesday) we got another announcement on the intercom from the captain. We would be staying another day in Nassau but would cut our cruise short. We would begin our return to Miami that evening as the city was beginning evacuations. Commence another ship-long line to guest services with people in varying degrees of distress. Everyone had their own situations, but for us, we were planning to stay in Miami through Friday and fly home Saturday afternoon. Hearing forecasts that the storm would hit Friday or Saturday, we were almost positive our flight would be cancelled, not to mention our hotel closed. RC opened all the phone lines for us to make international calls without being charged. They also offered anyone who could not make travel arrangements to stay an additional night docked in Miami through Friday morning, the original time we were supposed to leave.
That night we got a notification that our flight was cancelled and there were no room on earlier flights. Our hotel called us to say they would be evacuating and could not honor our reservations. I'll admit I felt the panic welling up at that point. We were being dumped in an evacuating city with no where to stay and no way to leave. After calling home to my dad, he went online and arranged a car rental from MIA to drive home to Cleveland, Ohio. 
In the moment, I was angry we were going back to Miami. We overheard angry cruisers saying we should have left Nassau for Miami earlier, or they should have sailed away from the storm, not in the path of it. How would it make sense to drop a bunch of tourists in an evacuating city with no where to go with a hurricane coming? Later I realized there were Florida residents on the ship that had to prepare their houses and meet with their families. Others that drove from other places that had their car parked by the dock. I came to the resolution that we took a risk taking a cruise this time of year and once we disembarked, I alone could be responsible for my own safety. 
Thursday morning we chose to disembark, everything riding on the car rental. Sailing up to Miami was eerie. Few cars were on the roads, resorts and beaches were deserted. We joined the line to get through customs, people in line still calling their airlines and trying to make arrangements. Once we left the terminal, there was a roped off area of taxi companies yelling at us like paparazzi that they would take us to the airport. They were playing off our fears, but it was working. It was chaos and the air started to feel panicked. We jumped into a nearby taxi and decided anywhere would be better than staying there.
We drove through nearly empty roads to get to the airport car rental area, which was very busy, but to our relief, had a car reserved for us. We set off and ran into some serious traffic by Daytona Beach. Hundreds of thousands of people trying to go North. The first time we stopped for gas, they were empty. Nervousness set in as we drove off the beaten path a bit to find a gas station that had just been filled up, the worker starting to open pumps again. We got lucky. There was a line of cars waiting and people filling red gas containers. To avoid traffic, we drove through the night until we couldn't stay awake anymore, pulling into a rest area literally packed with cars. I don't think I'll ever forget what we saw there. We saw people with elderly and disabled parents, children, babies, dogs and cats. People with U-hauls and trailers. All these people prepared to lose everything. I could no longer complain. We drove up onto the grass and slept for about 2 hours. The drive home ended up being 26 hrs with traffic.
I was grateful for my time spent at the beach and in the sun. I enjoyed the drinks and food on the ship and appreciated everything the staff did to make our trip fun despite the circumstances. We got refunded for the day we missed and the excursions we didn't go on. The staff remained professional and calm in the midst of stressed and angry customers. I will definitely be going on another cruise to get the complete experience, just not during hurricane season. 

Stay on the ship!
 
 
 
 

Keeping the ship and those aboard in our prayers.

Considering this was CruiseCritic.com, doesn't that just mean it was a day ending in "Y"? ?

I have also found after all these cruises we've been on so far that often times, you find yourself wearing an item for a very short period of time. If you shower, wear a dress shirt to dinner, then take it off after dinner, hang it back up, I don't see any reason why that shirt can't be worn again later in the week. Yes, I admit, I'm a re-wearer. ?

I wonder how long it will be before they do start charging interest...........

Hi Skid,
 
I am at day 109 (I think) for Thanksgiving trip on Anthem now so I will set a 50 day reminder to request a window table. 

Ok I wonder if the person who actually caused the fire was drunk , there's an idea let's take all alcohol off the ships!
that way we can do away with the rudeness the sexist remarks and the other crap comes with drunks.?

Can't please all of the people all of the time......
It's always a contentious point when it comes to smoking on cruise ships...but I feel like they have done more than enough to accommodate both sides of the issue. Basically you have to avoid the casino and your ok...and I don't see many people hanging in there just to smoke..of course there are a few who do..but  mostly those smoking ARE gambling...and the "nonsmoking" section of the casino is usually dead...but then they will say that its still too smoky in that section to sit and play.
 
I seriously don't know how anyone lived 20 years ago when it comes to food allergies and smoking allergies and gluten and and and.....

ash trays.....butt buckets....lots of options...I don't throw them off my back deck at home or out the  window when driving....never had a fire yet.. and I have done 10 cruises so far and never thrown ONE overboard yet...so don't lump me in with all the others that you assume throw them away.
 
You cant ban stupid......throwing garbage over the railing is illegal too but some will still do it....so should we ban people from having a balcony rooms on cruises?
 
As for the smell on balconies, I get that...perhaps one side of the ship could be smoking and one side not?.....I think there are options and solutions, rather than to just ban things...
 
Its like the drink package issue...cause 1% of the users abuse it, the other 99% who don't will now be subject to have to buying it for everyone in the cabin over 21....not fair to punish the masses for the actions of a few.....imagine if society ran like that in any area of law or regulations or morals????!!!....."we cant control the 1% that break the laws and make it miserable for others....so lets just make everyone have to do/not do it"

Everything is so politically correct these days.....more so here in Canada than the USA but.....
 
To ban smoking on balconies for the sake of fire?!.....how many cruises happen each year with how many balconies and how many fires happen??...Then some people will say 1 fire is too much. Well ok then, if one plane ever crashes that is too much so lets ban flying......lol If one person ever jumps off a balcony and commits suicide, lets fence in every balcony.....
 
Come on....if its someone right to smoke, its someone's right to not smoke...and the issue with breathing second hand smoke well I am guessing what the ship spews out of its smokestack is worse...so lets ban that as well.
 
People are so NOT tolerant these days it blows my mind...and I am only 40 yrs old. I remember when society was MUCH more tolerant of everyone in every aspect. Think back to even 10 years ago or so when smoking was everywhere, inside and outside. To have to pass by a few smokers for 15 seconds of your day outside on the pool deck is really not the end of the world.
 
I have said though that one way to keep 99% of everyone happy, would be to have a smoking AND a non-smoking casino on the ship(or enclose half of the current casino or whatever)......I am sure the cruise lines could afford and it may even encourage more gambling at the end of the day!

Same here. Our only rule was "be home when the street lights come on".  Other than that, we were long gone every day.  No helicopter parents in those days !  ...and guess what ?  We all survived !  AND we learned how to entertain ourselves.  Kids don't even leave the house these days unless mommy or daddy is taking them to an organized event - usually at an exorbitant fee.

First of all, my children are now 12 and 16 and my wife and I have had and will continue to have great moments where we teach our children things in life.  I guess we are now a society where parenting is something we pawn off to other people.  I know what some people might think "some parents would not know how to teach children to swim or maybe they can't swim" but why would you wait to teach them on a cruise.  Oh I know, so that the kids would be in swim lessons for half of the day and adventure ocean for the other half.  

Great idea Gears! what about a watersports deck off of the side or back of the ship. Swimming, jet skiing, pick your activity!