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xCANCELLEDx Rhapsody of the Seas - Mar 16, 2024 - Mar 23, 2024 (7 Night Costa Rica & Panama Canal) - RoyalCaribbeanBlog Group Cruise

AshleyDillo

By AshleyDillo
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twangster
twangster

The Canal has been limiting the largest container ships due to drought.   I'm assuming the Canal is preserving water as we head into a El Niño swing.    They probably don't want cruise ships and runni

WAAAYTOOO
WAAAYTOOO

I have booked Odyssey on 3-16-24. It's an 8 night "enhanced" southern Caribbean to - guess where ? - Aruber and Curacao !   Since we have never cruised on OY before, I thought this was a good make-up

Matt
Matt

This is one major reason I love travel agents. Let them deal with the paperwork and phone calls.

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  • 3 weeks later...
WAAAYTOOO Pinnacle

WAAAYTOOO

Posted
Posted
26 minutes ago, DieselsCruzzzzin said:

Has anyone started looking at/booking shore excursions or have knowledge if any of the ports are easy to explore on your own? Thinking of booking some excursions as place holders and cancelling later.... decisions ... decisions ... 

not yet…but I’m beginning to stress over it !  I am in new territory on this.  I have no idea what’s “the thing” to do in any of these ports.  

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WAAAYTOOO Pinnacle

WAAAYTOOO

Posted
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We will be doing the exact same itinerary (in reverse) the week before so we can knock some of these out one week and do some of the others the week with the rest of you.  I'm really glad we're doing a B2B for this one b/c too many excursion days in a row really takes a toll on me.  This way I'll be able to split them up.....but I still have no idea what to do !!

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sk8erguy1978 Pinnacle

sk8erguy1978

Posted
Posted
On 7/31/2023 at 12:47 PM, DieselsCruzzzzin said:

Has anyone started looking at/booking shore excursions or have knowledge if any of the ports are easy to explore on your own? Thinking of booking some excursions as place holders and cancelling later.... decisions ... decisions ... 

I loosely checked out trip advisor, Royal's website, and a few other "google hits" getting a feeler of what to do. A lot of neat things to see and do ... still at the "overwhelmed" stage lol. 

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twangster Pinnacle

twangster

Posted
Posted

Got 15 mins?

This YT video does a decent job of explaining the technology behind the original Panama Canal and the overall concept.

There is at least one glaring error in this video when it states ships don't use their own propulsion in the locks.   That was true several decades ago but is no longer the case.  

 

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baltodave Diamond Plus

baltodave

Posted
Posted

I emailed Michelle from MEI and she's looking in to it.  We're hoping it's some sort of glitch and they pop back up.  Currently, if you search for cruises departing Colon you only see some round trips that go to Southern Caribbean and one repositioning that goes from Colon to Ft Lauderdale (via So. Carib.)  

Fingers-crossed this is another mistake from RC's crack IT team. 

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WAAAYTOOO Pinnacle

WAAAYTOOO

Posted
Posted

It doesn't look good, guys.  The TA website is now showing all categories "closed". 

I was a bit nervous, last week, when I first started seeing all of the suite categories "closed" since it was happening on both the 3-9 and 3-16 sailings.  Then the balconies started showing "closed".  Now everything is showing Closed.

That almost never happens this far in advance unless there is a cancellation or whole ship charter....and I can't imagine someone chartering Rhapsody for 2 weeks.  UGH

Could still be a glitch...but I'm not very optimistic right now..

😪

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smokeybandit Pinnacle

smokeybandit

Posted
Posted

Cruise is still happening, just it's no longer a canal cruise.

 

Dear Guest,

To enhance your experience, we’ve adjusted the itinerary for our upcoming March 16th, 2024 Rhapsody of the Seas sailing. Rhapsody will now sail a 7-Night Southern Caribbean itinerary.

The time and effort you took to plan your cruise is important to us, and we apologize for the inconvenience. Every aspect of your time with us should be enjoyable, so we’ve put together some alternate options that we hope will work for you and those in your party.

Option 1: Stay on our new Rhapsody of the Seas 7-Night Southern Caribbean sailing. Below is the updated itinerary for your review:

Date

Day

Port of Call

Arrive

Depart

03/16/24

Sat

Colon, Panama

 

4:00 PM

03/17/24

Sun

Cartagena, Colombia

 9:00 AM

6:00 PM 

03/18/24

Mon

Cruising

   

03/19/24

Tue

Cruising

 

 

03/20/24

Wed

Willemstad, Curacao

8:00 AM

6:00 PM

03/21/24

Thu

Oranjestad, Aruba

8:00 AM

6:00 PM

03/22/24

Fri

Cruising

 

 

03/23/24

Sat

Colon, Panama

 7:00 AM

 

What you’ll receive:

  • We’ll move you to a like for like stateroom once the new sailing becomes available. Please note, in the meantime, you may be moved to a GTY category while we work to complete this process. Once your stateroom has been assigned, you’ll receive an updated invoice with all of the new details.
  • Your original stateroom category price will either be protected at your original cruise fare rate or reduced to the current cruise fare rate (whichever is lower). This excludes taxes, fees, gratuities, and other non-cruise fare items.
    • If your booking was already paid in full and your cruise fare rate decreases, we’ll provide you with a refund for the difference. You can expect to receive your refund to your original form of payment within 14 business days after we move you. Kindly note, refund times may vary depending on your financial institution.
  • You’ll also be reimbursed for non-refundable, pre-purchased transportation change fees incurred (such as a flight, train ticket, or rental car).
    • We’ll cover up to $200 USD per guest for Domestic changes, or up to $400 USD per guest for International changes.
    • Please email your receipts and booking information to RoyalGuestRelations@rccl.com for review and reimbursement.
    • If you have any travel expenses beyond these amounts, please send us the receipts including a brief summary of these expenses for review.

Option 2: Re-book any other Royal Caribbean International sailing.

  • If you prefer to re-book another sailing, we’ll waive any non-refundable deposit change fees.
  • Please know, you’ll be responsible for any difference in pricing for your cruise fare, taxes, fees, gratuities, and other non-cruise fare items.
    • If your booking was already paid in full and your cruise fare rate decreases, we’ll provide you with a refund for the difference. You can expect to receive your refund to your original form of payment within 14 business days after we move you. Kindly note, refund times may vary depending on your financial institution.
  • You’ll also be reimbursed for non-refundable, pre-purchased transportation change fees incurred (such as a flight, train ticket, or rental car).
    • We’ll cover up to $200 USD per guest for Domestic changes, or up to $400 USD per guest for International changes.
    • If you have any travel expenses beyond these amounts, please send us the receipts including a brief summary of these expenses for review.

Option 3: If you can’t find a new itinerary that works for you and choose to cancel, we’ll be sad to see you go, but hope you’ll come back soon. You’ll receive:

  • A full refund of any paid portion of your cruise fare (including non-refundable deposits) and any pre-paid amenities to the original form of payment within 14 business days. Kindly note, refund times may vary depending on your financial institution.
    • If you used a Future Cruise Credit on this sailing and you request a refund instead, we’ll refund any NEW funds paid above the certificate amount and we’ll reinstate your original certificate.  
  • Please know, if you choose this option, we will not provide additional compensation.

There are a lot of moving parts when it comes to updating sailings and rebooking all guests, and we may need to temporarily place your booking into a Guarantee (GTY) status while we work to complete this process. We ask for your patience as we work to make this process as easy as possible for you.

It’s important to us that you find the best vacation option. Please call us at 888-281-9344 or contact your Travel Advisor by August 29th, 2023, to let us know your decision. We’ll send an updated reservation confirmation with your revised details to the email address on file as soon as your reservation has been completely updated with the pricing fully adjusted. If we haven’t heard from you by August 29th, 2023, you’ll remain booked in a like for like stateroom on the NEW March 16th, 2024 Rhapsody of the Seas sailing.

If you have any questions, please contact your Travel Advisor immediately or contact us at: 

  • 1 888 281 9344 in the U.S. or text us at 800 256-6649
  • 1800 754 500 in Australia / 0800 102 123 in New Zealand
  • In the UK only, by using our webchat service or by calling 0344 493 4005
  • All other countries, please visit http://www.royalcaribbean.com/contactus for your local Royal Caribbean International office phone number.

Thank you for understanding. We hope you find another cruise vacation with us. Whether you are celebrating a special occasion or looking to explore, relax, and recharge – we have no doubt your time with us will be nothing short of amazing. We look forward to welcoming you onboard.

Sincerely,

Aurora Yera-Rodriguez
AVP | Guest Experience
Royal Caribbean International

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Matt Pinnacle

Matt

Posted
Posted

The group cruise will be cancelled, but no replacement is available yet.

With the new itinerary being a Southern Caribbean sailing, I no longer see the same appeal.

I'm also not rushing to make a replacement group cruise decision immediately. I want to consider the options out there and pick something else.

Those that are booked on the Rhapsody group cruise will be informed first of the new sailing choice.

I apologize for this happening, and I hope we can find equally fun plans elsewhere on another cruise!

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smokeybandit Pinnacle

smokeybandit

Posted
Posted
1 minute ago, Matt said:

The group cruise will be cancelled, but no replacement is available yet.

With the new itinerary being a Southern Caribbean sailing, I no longer see the same appeal.

I'm also not rushing to make a replacement group cruise decision immediately. I want to consider the options out there and pick something else.

Those that are booked on the Rhapsody group cruise will be informed first of the new sailing choice.

I apologize for this happening, and I hope we can find equally fun plans elsewhere on another cruise!

Would there be any chance of keeping that same week for the group cruise?

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WAAAYTOOO Pinnacle

WAAAYTOOO

Posted
Posted

Agree - big disappointment but I'm not giving up until I find out what "replacement" arrangements there will be.  Will another ship take Rhapsody's place and do the same (old) itin ?  Seems doubtful but nobody knows yet.

As others have said, I see no benefit to cruising to Aruba and Curacao from Panama.  The only possible reason to keep this booking would be to visit Panama and there is some slight interest (with us) for doing that....we'll just have to wait and see.  Maybe we'll do a land/sea combo and spend some time and go to Costa Rica.  Never been there and always wanted to go.  Maybe this is my chance !!

Doesn't look like they will price protect any other (non-Panama) cruise so that's not really an option at this point.  Prices have gone up too much on everything else.

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twangster Pinnacle

twangster

Posted
Posted

The Canal has been limiting the largest container ships due to drought.   I'm assuming the Canal is preserving water as we head into a El Niño swing.    They probably don't want cruise ships and running tourists through what amounts to a disaster for Panama isn't a good look. 

 

https://phys-org.cdn.ampproject.org/v/s/phys.org/news/2023-08-drought-hit-panama-canal-die.amp?amp_gsa=1&amp_js_v=a9&usqp=mq331AQIUAKwASCAAgM%3D#amp_tf=From %1%24s&aoh=16915240024139&referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com&ampshare=https%3A%2F%2Fphys.org%2Fnews%2F2023-08-drought-hit-panama-canal-die.html

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WAAAYTOOO Pinnacle

WAAAYTOOO

Posted
Posted

So we are also on the 3-9-24 Rhapsody sailing.  That itin has a sleep-over in Aruber.  Not sure that’s enough to lure us into keeping that booking but it’s an interesting idea.  I have a feeling they’re going to have a problem filling a ship sailing out of Panama but I could be wrong.  Seems like a little incentive (bribe ? $$) to keep us on would be smart but they are offering bupkis !

Does anyone know if it’s an easy/hard/impossible trip from Panama to Costa Rica ?  Just throwin’ it out there.  

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twangster Pinnacle

twangster

Posted
Posted

https://gcaptain.com/panama-canal-draught-restrictions-spark-liner-surcharges/

"With transits capped, the canal authority advised shipowners to reserve slots for crossings, which soon meant they would have to go for an ‘auction’ of slots, but these consistently exceed $350,000, according to one report."

 

Cruise ships already use reservations but now they are limiting 20 ship transits per day for the original locks and there is talk of reservation auctions going for an additional $350k or more.

It's raises some uncertainty for a passenger ship.   If other shipping is willing to pay their way before a cruise ship its hard to offer scheduled passenger trips if they can't be certain when they will get in queue to go through.  

They would need to double port fees which are already steep. 

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sk8erguy1978 Pinnacle

sk8erguy1978

Posted
Posted

Sad they had to change the itinerary but for the good of cargo I get it. 

Columbia, Costa Rica and The Canal were what attracted us, a "bucket list" cruise. 

We are officially cancelling, hope to see (and meet) you all on another group cruise.

Now I have incentive to keep Icon inaugural that was on my "cancel just before final payment" list.

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