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Another itinerary change.


Nancy V

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Well we are 9 days away from our first RC cruise and again they changed our itinerary. About a month ago they took Haiti and La Ramona out and replaced it with Bonaire without any explanation. Now I just received an email stating they cancelled Bonaire and are now going to Grand Cayman. We just booked and paid for our excursions in Bonaire. Anyone else dealing with this? And tell me about Grand Cayman. 

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3 hours ago, Matt said:

Grand Cayman is known for three things:

Seven Mile Beach

stingray city

A tourist trap called “hell” so you can say you went there. 

Go easy on that tourist trap stuff. I got a diploma from the university of hell... 😄

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13 hours ago, Matt said:

Grand Cayman is known for three things:

Seven Mile Beach

stingray city

A tourist trap called “hell” so you can say you went there. 

Yep --- and we hit all three when we went there in 2019..... Oh, and the rum place (I completely forgot the name)

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7 hours ago, Karter said:

But does anyone know WHY?  I mean, I booked this cruise solely because it went to all three ABC islands.  When are we as cruisers going to stand up to this bait and switch fraudulent tactic?

Except it's not. RC has the right to adjust itineraries.  Grand Cayman closed itself for a while due to COVID and the cruise ships had to adjust. You can try to call and ask (or check local health trends and regulations online). Depending on how long ago you booked you may be able to change without any fees assessed. 

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Also Cayman is terrific for low-key snorkeling and you don't have to go on an excursion.  Take the tender across, turn right when you get to the street and walk about 1/3 to 1/2 of a mile until you get to a dive shop/restaurant and water "park" (several huge inflated slides and bounce castles in the water) on the water side. I don't recall the name but it's blue and white and has decent food and great beer. You can either bring your own gear or rent it at the dive shop and just go down the swim ladder right there.  Spectacular and reasonably sheltered from waves etc. 

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11 minutes ago, Riley said:

Also Cayman is terrific for low-key snorkeling and you don't have to go on an excursion.  Take the tender across, turn right when you get to the street and walk about 1/3 to 1/2 of a mile until you get to a dive shop/restaurant and water "park" (several huge inflated slides and bounce castles in the water) on the water side. I don't recall the name but it's blue and white and has decent food and great beer. You can either bring your own gear or rent it at the dive shop and just go down the swim ladder right there.  Spectacular and reasonably sheltered from waves etc. 

I believe that restaurant/dive shop is called Paradise.  We always sneak (you don't really have to sneak them...it just sound like more fun to sneak them) a couple of boxes of dry cereal from the WJ to take with us and feed the fish right there at the restaurant.  A whole bunch of big fish (tarpon, I believe) hang out there but they want nothing to do with the cereal.  It's still fun to watch the little fish eat though.  

A couple of years ago Dan saw a big nurse shark right offshore and followed it all around.  Then, there are always the big walls which are ultra spectacular, particularly if you are a diver.  Even just snorkeling they are amazing.  I know that Bonaire is considered the SCUBA Mecca but Grand Cayman is certainly a close runner-up.

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20 hours ago, Karter said:

But does anyone know WHY?  I mean, I booked this cruise solely because it went to all three ABC islands.  When are we as cruisers going to stand up to this bait and switch fraudulent tactic?

I, too, booked it just for the ABC islands with full days in port.  Why the change?  According to them: "Change in itinerary planning.  What does that even mean?  They are simply restating the fact that they changed the itinerary.  This in no way gives any indication of an actual unforeseeable (or even foreseeable) cause beyond the control of RCCL.  It merely states they changed the planned (and advertised and contracted) itinerary.  They are also now arriving in Curacao at 12:30pm instead of 8am, so many attractions and tours will be closed before or shortly after you get there, especially if you booked your own transportation or tours.  They also still today list this cruise several places on their website as "8 Day Labadee, Curacao and Aruba Cruise", as they have for several months; as well the original ABC schedule.  But RCCL is covered - we all had to sign the Terms and Conditions which states they can change the itinerary (and practically everything else) for "any other reason whatsoever").

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1 hour ago, Island Explorer said:

  But RCCL is covered - we all had to sign the Terms and Conditions which states they can change the itinerary (and practically everything else) for "any other reason whatsoever").

When booking a cruise we are happy to sign the agreement knowing things may change yet when things do change its amazing how quickly some people post on here complaining and one of the 1st things they mention is compensation. 

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7 hours ago, Ray said:

When booking a cruise we are happy to sign the agreement knowing things may change yet when things do change its amazing how quickly some people post on here complaining and one of the 1st things they mention is compensation. 

Did I miss something here?  Neither Karter nor my comments ever mention anything about compensation.  This was my first posting ever on a blog and I see now why I never did; because it always amazed me how quickly some people respond negatively without accurately reading the posts they complain about.

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1 hour ago, Island Explorer said:

Did I miss something here?  Neither Karter nor my comments ever mention anything about compensation.  This was my first posting ever on a blog and I see now why I never did; because it always amazed me how quickly some people respond negatively without accurately reading the posts they complain about.

I know right? Complaining about complaining lol

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On 4/22/2022 at 8:11 AM, coneyraven said:

Yep --- and we hit all three when we went there in 2019..... Oh, and the rum place (I completely forgot the name)

FB_IMG_1650629896736.jpg

Good Lord -- we went there on our honeymoon back in 1986 -- we may still have the shirts we bought there.. (not that they would fit now, but still...)

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1 hour ago, Island Explorer said:

Did I miss something here?  Neither Karter nor my comments ever mention anything about compensation.  This was my first posting ever on a blog and I see now why I never did; because it always amazed me how quickly some people respond negatively without accurately reading the posts they complain about.

No you didnt miss anything!  i was simply agreeing with the part you mentioned in T&Cs and how even though people sign it some complain and want $$$$

Wasnt a negitive on your post 

 

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35 minutes ago, Ray said:

No you didnt miss anything!  i was simply agreeing with the part you mentioned in T&Cs and how even though people sign it some complain and want $$$$

Wasnt a negitive on your post 

 

OK, thanks.  I think the point is that if passengers who don't like their itineraries being changed, for merely a change in itinerary planning”, expressed their dissatisfaction to the cruise lines, I believe it would make a difference.  I mean, what other service provider has a contract that says they can change any or all of the specified goods and services of the contract to whatever they want, "for any reason, whatsoever" as RCCL does?  Do you buy a plane ticket or pay for a cab or Uber that takes you to a different destination of their choice?  Do you contract for a new roof on your house, and instead they decide to paint the house, and with the color of their choice?  Why does the government even allow contracts like this to exist?  We are forced to sign this very one-sided contract if we choose to cruise.  Also, people cruise for a variety of reasons - some primarily for the shipboard experience, and some like us primarily for the destinations.  Changes for health, safety, weather, unforeseen calamities, etc. are certainly understandable; but in this case 2 destination/time changes in one 8-day, 3 destination cruise due to a "change in itinerary planning" is undesirable for some of us.  Not to mention that in our case we have another RCCL cruise a week later in which they changed the island arrival time from 1pm to 6pm, which pretty much limits our daylight touring of the island for that day.  We've had 60+ cruises with very few itinerary changes, and they were always only due to inclement weather.

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5 hours ago, Island Explorer said:Changes for health, safety, weather, unforeseen calamities, etc. are certainly understandable; but in this case 2 destination/time changes in one 8-day, 3 destination cruise due to a "change in itinerary planning" is undesirable for some of us.  Not to mention that in our case we have another RCCL cruise a week later in which they changed the island arrival time from 1pm to 6pm, which pretty much limits our daylight touring of the island for that day.  We've had 60+ cruises with very few itinerary changes, and they were always only due to inclement weather.

I understand what you are saying.  I’m wondering what’s going on behind the scenes to cause this. I can’t imagine RC would want to change itineraries that many times.  It would be helpful if they explained “the why”.

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  • 3 weeks later...
On 4/23/2022 at 9:46 PM, ChessE4 said:

Our ABC cruise in June was originally 4 ports including DR. Now just 3. I was disappointed at first, but I can't control Royal. I now have more sea days for dancing...vacations are about going with the flow. I guess that is why it's called cruising!?

Hi - which cruise are you booked on. We are supposed to be visiting Haiti and La Romana departing 25 June on Explorer.  

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2 hours ago, Margaret Stephens said:

Hi - which cruise are you booked on. We are supposed to be visiting Haiti and La Romana departing 25 June on Explorer.  

18 June, the week before your trip.  We are on the Mariner rather than the Explorer.

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On 4/23/2022 at 10:18 AM, Island Explorer said:

I think the point is that if passengers who don't like their itineraries being changed, for merely a change in itinerary planning”, expressed their dissatisfaction to the cruise lines, I believe it would make a difference.  I mean, what other service provider has a contract that says they can change any or all of the specified goods and services of the contract to whatever they want, "for any reason, whatsoever" as RCCL does?  

Cable TV

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On 4/23/2022 at 1:46 PM, ChessE4 said:

Our ABC cruise in June was originally 4 ports including DR. Now just 3. I was disappointed at first, but I can't control Royal. I now have more sea days for dancing...vacations are about going with the flow. I guess that is why it's called cruising!?

And more usable days… the stop we lost in DR was really short, and we had to leave curaçao early just to make it…

 

not happy about another sea day, but happy to have more useable port stops…

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I agree it would be nice to find out exactly why a port has been canceled or replaced.  IN my case, I know why my June 18 Allure cruise canceled one port - it was due to the Cartel.  Other potential reasons: Weather, ports are closing due to an upbeat in COVID, and ports increasing their port fees. But I know that a cruise line won't just switch or cancel a port just because they feel like it.  But yes, it would be nice to know.  

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