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Change of Itinerary for Anthem March 15 to 23, 2019


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Just received an email from RC that we are no longer going to Coco Cay during our cruise next week because the pier won't be ready.  Instead we are stopping in Miami.  Very disappointed to say the least.  This is our first cruise and we were really looking forward to sitting on the beach out of this persistent winter we have had to endure up in Ottawa!  And Spring Break in Miami?? Probably won't be the same quiet beach day as Coco Cay! 

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23 minutes ago, Snoopy said:

This is our first cruise and we were really looking forward to sitting on the beach out of this persistent winter we have had to endure up in Ottawa!

You can still sit on the beach.  Miami Beach, Fort Lauderdale Beach and a variety of others are great choices. Perhaps some locals here can recommend quieter, less Spring Breaky options? @tonyfsu21

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3 hours ago, Matt said:

You can still sit on the beach.  Miami Beach, Fort Lauderdale Beach and a variety of others are great choices. Perhaps some locals here can recommend quieter, less Spring Breaky options? @tonyfsu21

Here you go. Dr Von D Mizell (formally John Lloyd) state park. Amazing beach and since you have to pay a small fee it keeps many of the spring breakers out as they would prefer to be by the bars on Las Olas and A1A. 

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9 hours ago, KathyC said:

Mariner made the stop a couple days ago...but I guess Anthem is just too big.  Bummer!  I'd be very disappointed too - Miami and CocoCay are just not the same. 

To be clear Mariner made a test run to the pier.  The pier isn't finished and a longer ship like Anthem requires the extended 'dolphins' to be in place to tie up.  Dolphins are those stand alone concrete anchor or tie points that are not completed in CocoCay.

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17 hours ago, AGSLC5 said:

I know I figured lol. I just didn't want this guy to be like why is this drive taking me so long lol.

So how long will the drive be or is there a quieter beach somewhere close to where we will dock? Would just like to avoid the spring breakers! 

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39 minutes ago, Snoopy said:

So how long will the drive be or is there a quieter beach somewhere close to where we will dock? Would just like to avoid the spring breakers! 

the drive will be about 30-45 min depending on traffic.. I live in Ft. Lauderdale like Tony and even though Ft. Lauderdale and Miami are close I am almost Never in Miami. Just not my kind of place lol so I really have no suggestions for you I'm sorry snoopy. 

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Just now, AGSLC5 said:
41 minutes ago, Snoopy said:

So how long will the drive be or is there a quieter beach somewhere close to where we will dock? Would just like to avoid the spring breakers! 

Also The über ride from the port to that beach would be about $50 each way.. at that point you could look at renting a car for the day and save some money and go anywhere you want.. 

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17 minutes ago, AGSLC5 said:

the drive will be about 30-45 min depending on traffic.. I live in Ft. Lauderdale like Tony and even though Ft. Lauderdale and Miami are close I am almost Never in Miami. Just not my kind of place lol so I really have no suggestions for you I'm sorry snoopy. 

My advise is to stay out of Miami if you want “quiet”. It may be worth your time and money to Uber or rent a car and head North. 

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32 minutes ago, Snoopy said:

Thanks so much for all your advice! We have never been there and really don't know what to expect. 

Honestly I like your idea about staying on the ship and making it a relaxing pool day. Miami in my opinion is not such a great place. It can get very crowded and is not exciting to me like Chicago, New York, or Los Angelos would be. Also it is going to be packed with spring breakers so unless you wanted to rent a car and drive north I would stick to the pool on the boat. 

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28 minutes ago, AGSLC5 said:

Honestly I like your idea about staying on the ship and making it a relaxing pool day. Miami in my opinion is not such a great place. It can get very crowded and is not exciting to me like Chicago, New York, or Los Angelos would be. Also it is going to be packed with spring breakers so unless you wanted to rent a car and drive north I would stick to the pool on the boat. 

?

This one gets my vote

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We go the week after you get back on the 30th, I really hope that they are either able to dock or tender in by then!  Nassau is ok, but we really want to go to CocoCay, and while my worst  day on a cruise is better than my best day at work we will take it because we have no choice.  But We already dock in Port Canaveral one day and go to Nassau, and CocoCay double days in Florida would almost be a waste.  We shall see!!!

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On 3/10/2019 at 3:34 PM, Ogalthorpe Haywood said:

That  stinks, so basically you are taking a cruise to Florida with a day in Nassau. I would be so disappointed, are they reimbursing at all? 

Nope! I’m also on this sailing and there’s no credit or anything for the less than week notice. Of course any excursions there were refunded but definitely dampens my love for Royal Caribbean

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I'm on this cruise as well.  Was looking forward to setting on Coco Cay with a drink in my hand (since I splurged for the drink package) and the sand on my feet.  We aren't getting anything for them switching to Miami and we picked this cruise because of the two Bahamas stops.  Miami won't be the same as the Bahamas.

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3 hours ago, Matt B said:

I'm on this cruise as well.  Was looking forward to setting on Coco Cay with a drink in my hand (since I splurged for the drink package) and the sand on my feet.  We aren't getting anything for them switching to Miami and we picked this cruise because of the two Bahamas stops.  Miami won't be the same as the Bahamas.

Yeah, plus Miami is never been a Touristy port. It’s odd they felt this was an appropriate place, especially given the time of year and lack of activities. What really makes me mad was it was literally a week before the cruise. If I’d had know when I was booking, I probably would’ve skipped this sailing.

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6 hours ago, Titanicrul said:

Yeah, plus Miami is never been a Touristy port. It’s odd they felt this was an appropriate place, especially given the time of year and lack of activities. What really makes me mad was it was literally a week before the cruise. If I’d had know when I was booking, I probably would’ve skipped this sailing.

I am in No way saying Royal handled this situation correctly because I don't think they have, but I think the reason they handled it this way is because exactly what you said if they would announced this change awhile ago people wouldn't of booked because like you said no one wants to go to Miami. my personal opinion is they have probably known since at least January this was going to happen. I live in Ft. Lauderdale so I am on Mariner for weekend cruises quite a bit. I was just there 3 weeks ago and in my opinion they need to cancel all Coco Cay sailings until the construction is finished. I found it noisy and annoying and I rather they just shut the island down and finish on time and give everyone the experience they see In the ads. I feel bad for people like you who felt they were promised something and aren't going to get it. I also would be very mad about Miami. I live here and I am Not a fan of Miami at all. The only thing I can say is I have been on Anthem and its a beautiful ship so hopefully you will enjoy that part. 

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I am especially disappointed since this is our first cruise but in the end, we have zero control and I will be away from the snow, cold and work so it's all good!!  Deluxe drink package and no where I need to be for 8 days!  I'm in!  I saw a post on this board that resonated with me - the worst day on a cruise is better than the best day at work!!!

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The construction progress at CocoCay on the pier has been fluid.  I've been several times during the construction of the pier and Perfect Day and it had zero impact on my stop there.  Other than the nature trail no existing part of CocoCay was closed or impacted.  I'm glad they kept visiting the island.  It would be shame to completely shut it down for months which would not have advanced the project to a significant degree. 

The construction company has been providing estimates but it's an outdoor project influenced by weather.  January is known for it's winds and winds stop a lot of construction work.  They could have guessed which week further in advance but then run the risk of missing it by a week or two.  Then they still have to disrupt another set of passengers.

This point in the construction phase was inevitable and required to happen.  I don't believe they could pin point the date in January, not accurately.

I was on a Vision itinerary in January diverted from CocoCay to Miami so I understand.   This is a no-win situation for them.  It's unfortunate and disappointing for guests impacted but a required step in the process.  

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2 hours ago, twangster said:

The construction progress at CocoCay on the pier has been fluid.  I've been several times during the construction of the pier and Perfect Day and it had zero impact on my stop there.  Other than the nature trail no existing part of CocoCay was closed or impacted.  I'm glad they kept visiting the island.  It would be shame to completely shut it down for months which would not have advanced the project to a significant degree. 

The construction company has been providing estimates but it's an outdoor project influenced by weather.  January is known for it's winds and winds stop a lot of construction work.  They could have guessed which week further in advance but then run the risk of missing it by a week or two.  Then they still have to disrupt another set of passengers.

This point in the construction phase was inevitable and required to happen.  I don't believe they could pin point the date in January, not accurately.

I was on a Vision itinerary in January diverted from CocoCay to Miami so I understand.   This is a no-win situation for them.  It's unfortunate and disappointing for guests impacted but a required step in the process.  

I hear what your saying and this is the part that I don't like that Royal did.. A first time cruiser while they should totally get a good TA and educate themself doesn't always do this. They see commercials for Coco Cay and get all excited and hyped on wanting to go there. I feel like reps from Royal did a really bad job in explaining to new cruisers that hey all this new stuff its not going to be ready until May and hey the island its under construction so at any point we might need to divert you because of this construction. I know its not good business for Royal but its honest and transparent and I think first time cruisers need this. Now like I said it is up to the customer to get a good TA and explain this. I am now a travel agent and I explain all about Coco Cay to my clients because I want them to realize what they are actually getting at this point vs what they see on a commercial. I just am feeling bad because all these people seem to be new cruisers or new to Royal and I feel like they weren't told the whole story when booking.

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1 hour ago, AGSLC5 said:

Now like I said it is up to the customer to get a good TA and explain this. I am now a travel agent and I explain all about Coco Cay to my clients because I want them to realize what they are actually getting at this point vs what they see on a commercial

 

We have a great TA and I'm sure she would have said something had she known.  As a matter of fact I first started booking directly with Royal for this cruise in January before moving to a TA (a few perks were included!) and nothing was mentioned then by Royal.  We only received notice of the change last week, one week before sailing but I agree, they must have know well in advance.  

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35 minutes ago, Snoopy said:

We have a great TA and I'm sure she would have said something had she known.  As a matter of fact I first started booking directly with Royal for this cruise in January before moving to a TA (a few perks were included!) and nothing was mentioned then by Royal.  We only received notice of the change last week, one week before sailing but I agree, they must have know well in advance.  

Your TA might not have known they were going to cancel your stop But what I meant by that was your TA should of fully explained hey they are doing a lot of construction at Coco Cay. At anytime they might need to move you due to construction. As a TA I study this stuff night and day lol. Of course I don't know which sailings they will cancel but anytime I have a new cruiser or someone new to Royal who wants to book Coco Cay I bring their expectations way down because until its fully opened in May I believe anything can happen. So I personally advise my clients to take other cruises but if they still say no I want coco cay I say ok but explain anything can happen its the Caribbean and weather is very unpredictable so who knows what construction delays this will cause. If your TA would of fully explained to you the possibility of not getting to go to Coco Cay would you still have picked this cruise or looked for other options? 

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The issue at present is directly related to the pier.  The pier is not directly related to the "Perfect Day" expansion.  Pier construction began in 2017 and was announced in the years before that.

"Perfect Day" was announced last year and only became possible because of the pier.  If Perfect Day had never moved forward as a project this itinerary change would still be occurring because of the pier.  

Without the pier my personal success rate at CocoCay is 33%.  66% of the time I miss calls on CocoCay due to weather.  Tendering isn't possible if the forecast isn't ideal for the entire day.  Unloading passengers in the morning then having a storm roll in and being unable to re-board the passengers by tender in the afternoon can not be allowed to occur so they have to err on the side of caution.  That has always led to a high miss rate and the very reason why they are building the pier.

At no point in the years leading up this has anyone, TA or Royal ever warned a guest about that.  They plan and hope to reach CocoCay every time, but in reality they can't.  Two of my recent misses occurred on Anthem.  

Not informing passengers ahead of time, sailing down the coast and only then claiming "sorry, no Cococay" would be a lack of transparency,

What they did was transparent.  Unpopular and disappointing,  but transparent.  

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40 minutes ago, AGSLC5 said:

If your TA would of fully explained to you the possibility of not getting to go to Coco Cay would you still have picked this cruise or looked for other options? 

We would have done this regardless as it wasn't our decision to book this particular itinerary or ship.  Our friends had already booked and we jumped on the band wagon at the last minute to be with them.  As I have said before, while being disappointed at not having the opportunity to experience CocoCay, I will be on vacation enjoying warm weather, new experiences, deluxe drink package ;) and time with our friends!!  Life is too short to worry about this little things beyond our control!

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35 minutes ago, twangster said:

The issue at present is directly related to the pier.  The pier is not directly related to the "Perfect Day" expansion.  Pier construction began in 2017 and was announced in the years before that.

"Perfect Day" was announced last year and only became possible because of the pier.  If Perfect Day had never moved forward as a project this itinerary change would still be occurring because of the pier.  

Without the pier my personal success rate at CocoCay is 33%.  66% of the time I miss calls on CocoCay due to weather.  Tendering isn't possible if the forecast isn't ideal for the entire day.  Unloading passengers in the morning then having a storm roll in and being unable to re-board the passengers by tender in the afternoon can not be allowed to occur so they have to err on the side of caution.  That has always led to a high miss rate and the very reason why they are building the pier.

At no point in the years leading up this has anyone, TA or Royal ever warned a guest about that.  They plan and hope to reach CocoCay every time, but in reality they can't.  Two of my recent misses occurred on Anthem.  

Not informing passengers ahead of time, sailing down the coast and only then claiming "sorry, no Cococay" would be a lack of transparency,

What they did was transparent.  Unpopular and disappointing,  but transparent.  

I agree and disagree with you. I agree the problems stem from the pier and the fact that they need to build the bridge. But Royal had to know this was going to happen at some point. All I am trying to say is they yes couldn't pin point an exact time frame but it was obvious at sometime this was going to happen.. Us seasoned cruisers knew this was going to happen, we knew about all the pier delays and issues but a new cruiser who doesn't follow all the info like we do would have no clue. I just feel like Royal should of been like listen we are constructing a pier this comes with some complications we don't know when we will have to divert people but its a possibility in the next few months as we finish this could happen. Thats all I am saying. But they don't want to do that because then they cant fill their boats and thats the part I feel is wrong. I was just on Mariner twice in Feb. Onetime we made it and onetime we didn't due to weather. Obviously Royal couldn't control that BUT the time I did make it I'm sorry I didn't have a perfect time. I could hear construction. Now did I have a bad time absolutely not. I never have a bad time on a cruise but its not the "perfect" experience I would want to have. Also the time we didn't get to go in Feb staff on the ship were giving mixed messages. The captain claimed it was due to weather but the staff insisted it had to do with construction and many bar tenders expressed to me that they wished Royal would just shut down Coco Cay until its fully ready. Whose correct? I have no idea I just think Royal is not handling the whole issue properly thats all. Will I continue to cruise with Royal? Absolutely they are my cruise brand of choice I just feel bad for a newbie cruiser or newbie to Royal thats all im trying to say. 

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