Schplinky

On Oct 14 sailing.Called today to see if I could get an upgrade (LOL) , Was told that all of the suites are booked except an owner's suite which is not available for upgrade. I find it hard to believe that they are all booked

You might try onboard,. There will surely be more than the usual number of no-shows and RCL would love to charge for the room twice.

Best I can tell from news reports the airport is operating are near normal levels.

The port, and by that I mean the Pan American pier should be fine. Royal said they only suffered minor damage.

(Carnival reported severe damage to their terminal building at the OSJ pier and they cancelled cruises right away.)

Adventure of the seas docked and evacuated people. I didn't see it noted in any news story that it was the pan

american pier, but I think it's a safe assumption.

 

Can they staff a terminal? We'll find out soon enough. We're not due to sail out of PR for another 6 weeks, but I have high hopes for anyone on the October 14th and beyond sailings.

Checking online at the departures/arrivals area of the SJU website, the airport is still suffering many canceled flights.

AOS docked at the downtown pier, not at its normal pier, when it boarded 2,000 people dying to get out of there less than a week ago.

Where did you get this statement from? Please post your Source. Todays http://puertoriconow.seepuertorico.com has nothing but praise for RCI, "Our relief efforts have been significantly augmented by the help received from our most loyal travel partners. Efforts like the Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines Adventure of the Seas’ humanitarian mission happening today to deliver donated supplies and take evacuees to Florida have been awe-inspiring. Royal Caribbean modified a voyage to help with these recovery efforts."

It's from the very website you just quoted.

If you’re thinking of visiting Puerto Rico or have travel plans booked in the coming weeks, we’re here to keep you informed.

The safety and security of everyone on the Island is our biggest priority in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria. We continue working with state and federal government agencies and collaborating with our industry partners to assess the impact and continue to provide updates to you.

Message from José Izquierdo Executive Director of the Puerto Rico Tourism Company

“The past week has been a very difficult time for Puerto Rico and all its residents, families of Puerto Ricans living outside the Island, and travelers on the Island whom have not been able to go back home. Safety and security remains our priority as we continue to provide relief as quickly as possible. What has truly kept the spirit of the Puerto Rican people alive and lifted during these days has been the overwhelming support from not only the emergency crews and government agencies providing critical help on the ground, but also the tremendous support from the private sector and notable celebrities and individuals. From the bottom of our hearts, we thank everyone so much for the outpouring of generosity.

Our relief efforts have been significantly augmented by the help received from our most loyal travel partners. Efforts like the Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines Adventure of the Seas’ humanitarian mission happening today to deliver donated supplies and take evacuees to Florida have been awe-inspiring. Royal Caribbean modified a voyage to help with these recovery efforts. Delta is another travel partner who is going above and beyond. They flew a flight full of law enforcement and National Guard to the Island from JFK and the flight will be returning later today on a humanitarian mission to JFK full of evacuees. As a legacy partner to the Island, we cannot be more thankful.

We are deeply grateful to our most loyal travel partners for their committed support and generosity. What will continue to keep us strong and on a path to rebuilding will be continued assistance like this and I’m hopeful we’ll continue to receive support from other partners. We remain confident that Puerto Rico will quickly recover and the resiliency and strength of our people will get us through the days ahead.”

Airport Updates:

Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport (SJU)

The resumption of normal flight operations is being delayed for safety reasons due to radar functionality limitations impacting the number of arrivals and departures. The airport is operational again but on a limited schedule from 7:00 AM to 5:00 PM EDT until further notice. There are approximately 41 commercial flights scheduled daily. International flights have resumed on a limited schedule.

Airport authorities are working closely with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to resolve this situation while ensuring safe operations. These operational limitations unfortunately have also resulted in overcrowding conditions and passenger delays. The Puerto Rico National Guard has been on-site distributing food and water to the remaining travelers at SJU to make them as comfortable as possible until they are able to reach their final destinations.

We strongly encourage travelers without confirmed flights to avoid going to the airport. Reservations are not being managed at SJU and passengers must reconfirm these reservations directly with their airline before going to the airport for check-in. Also note that airplane seat capacity is extremely limited as airlines continue to work on additional recovery flights.

The Puerto Rico Tourism Company expects increases in airport capacity as soon as technical restrictions are eased.

Other Puerto Rico Airports

The following airports are operational and offering limited service:

• Rafael Hernández Airport (Aguadilla)
  
• Mercedita Airport (Ponce)
  
• José Aponte de la Torre Airport (Ceiba)
  
• Fernando Luis Ribas Dominicci Airport (Isla Grande)
  
• Antonio Rivera Rodriguez Airport (Vieques)
  

Please note that all this information is subject to change. We encourage travelers to contact airlines directly, as they have the most up-to-date information specific to each traveler’s circumstances.

Port Updates:

The following ports are open with restrictions (daylight transit only):

• Guayanilla
  
• Tallaboa
  
• Salinas
  
• San Juan Harbor
  
• Fajardo
  
• Culebra
  
• Vieques
  
• Guayama
  

Lodging Updates:

The following hotels are closed and not taking new reservations until further notice. If you have an existing reservation in the coming days, please contact the hotel directly for rebooking.

• Dorado Beach, a Ritz-Carlton Reserve
  
• W Retreat & Spa in Vieques
  
• Gran Melia
  
• Coral by the Sea Hotel
  
• Wyndham Grand Rio Mar Beach Resort & Spa (planning to reopen at the end of the year)
  
• Royal Isabela
  
• ESJ Azul
  

The following hotels are open, but not taking new reservations prior to October 2:

• Hotel El Convento
  
• La Concha Resort
  
• Best Western Condado Palm Inn & Suites
  
• DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel San Juan
  
• Condado Vanderbilt Hotel
  
• Courtyard by Marriott Isla Verde Beach
  

The following hotels are open, but not taking new reservations prior to October 9:

• Sheraton Puerto Rico Hotel & Casino
  

The following hotels are open, but not taking new reservations prior to October 15:

• Hyatt Place San Juan
  
• Hyatt House San Juan
  
• Verdanza Hotel
  

The following hotels are open, but not taking new reservations prior to October 22:

• Hyatt Hacienda del Mar (Dorado)
  
• AC Hotel by Marriott San Juan Condado
  
• InterContinental San Juan in Isla Verde
  
• San Juan Marriott Resort & Stellaris Casino
  
• The Wave Hotel
  
• Holiday Inn Express San Juan Condado Hotel by IHG
  
• Canario Boutique Hotel
  
• Coral Princess Hotel
  
• At Wind Chimes Boutique Hotel
  
• Comfort Inn San Juan
  
• Hotel Miramar
  
• Hotel Villa Montaña & Spa
  

The following hotels are not accepting existing or new reservations through October 31:

• Caribe Hilton
  
• The Condado Plaza Hilton
  
• Embassy Suites by Hilton Dorado del Mar Beach Resort
  
• Embassy Suites by Hilton San Juan Hotel & Casino
  
• Hilton Ponce Golf & Casino Resort
  
• Hampton Inn & Suites San Juan
  
• El San Juan Hotel, Curio Collection by Hilton
  
• San Juan Water Beach Club
  
• The Lazy Parrot Inn (Rincón)
  

The following hotel is no longer accepting existing or new reservations through December 31:

• El Conquistador, a Waldorf Astoria Resort
  
• Las Casitas Village at El Conquistador, a Waldorf Astoria Resort
  

If you have a trip scheduled for this upcoming week and through October 15, we recommend you call your hotel or travel agent directly and consider rebooking for a later date.

This is some contact information that may prove useful:

• Hilton Hotels 1-800-445-8667 hilton.com
  
• Marriott Hotels 1-800-721-7033 www.marriott.com
  
• Hyatt Hotels 1-800-323-7249 hyatt.com
  
• Wyndham Hotels 1-800-466-1589 wyndhamhotels.com
  

Puerto Rico Tourism Company Travelers Support Center:

We are online and standing by to support you. If you have questions about your upcoming travel plans, please call: 787-522-5960 or talk to us via our Live Chat.

Aid and Support:

Many of you have inquired about ways to help us get back on our feet. Your support means a lot to us and is greatly appreciated. Please visit unitedforpuertorico.com for information on how you can make a difference.

United for Puerto Rico is an initiative brought forth by the First Lady of Puerto Rico, Beatriz Rosselló, in collaboration with the private sector, with the purpose of providing aid and support to those affected in Puerto Rico by the passage of Hurricane Irma and Hurricane María.

We are confident that Puerto Rico will quickly recover. We came together not long ago to help our Caribbean neighbors post-Irma and it’s this generosity, the hospitality of our people, and the beauty of our Island that we know will continue to entice millions of travelers like you to visit us.

Please continue to check back with us here and thank you for your continued interest in visiting us. We’re looking forward to welcoming you to our Island once again.

© 2017 Copyright Puerto Rico Now.

Hotels profit well when govt "comes to town". The maximum federal per diem rate for San Juan is $167 in Oct (although hotels can actually force the govt to pay much higher, if all hotels raise their rates simultaneously). Tourists may not be able to get rooms with the already 12,000 Feds there (of course, many feds may not be in hotels). Or, tourists may have to offer "more mo".

Depends on the hotel, I suppose. The going rate at the Marriott is usually much higher, whereas government per diem is more than a budget hotel might charge. That said, I’d be surprised to learn there were even 12,000 hotel rooms in SJU in normal times, much less now.

Very well said!!!!

 

 

 

Unfortunately.....everything you listed was always a possibility. It is a possibility on any cruise, on any cruiseline, on any date....but especially during hurricane season!!!! Very unfortunately, the very itsy bitsy teeny weeny small print in the contract allows the cruiseline to handle the situation this way. You "accepted" that contract. I truly do feel for you....but...unfortunately....they really aren't doing anything "wrong". Granted, it isn't what some folks would prefer....but "it is what it is". As I have said previously, for every person that wants the cruise cancelled there may be others that want them to do the sailing. There may be PR booked that don't have power, water, etc and are booked to go and still want to go. There may be folks that have flights and hotels that are all "good to go" that "can" and "want" to "make the ship".

 

In an earlier post you indicated the ship sailing "wasn't doing anything for PR". I am not sure what....but I would "assume" that there are definitely "fees" paid by RC to sail in and out of PR each sailing. Those funds go to PR.

 

Also, you mentioned the curfew and said folks that do have a hotel can't have dinner out. I thought it was determined earlier today that the curfew has been changed to 9:00 pm. I saw where at least some restaurants are serving dinner until 9:00 pm.

We will need to agree to disagree. While RCL is dripping out information a week at a time, all other providers have recognized what a horrible situation it is and have allowed passengers to change their plans. I find that unacceptable, you don’t, and we will have to learn to live with that

Although the number of flights appears to be increasing daily, they seem to be small puddle jumpers to other islands, for the most part. Last I heard, they had not been given the go ahead on international flights yet.

If there was a strike or any sort of labor action, the Teamsters would not be organizing drivers to go to PR to move freight. Wouldn't happen. Period.

Exactly. Many of the roads are precarious for cars. Imagine driving an 18 wheeler full of gas.

When we decided to sail during hurricane season, our concession was we might get a swap out of ports, not that we would have to be strung along by RCL on whether the cruise itself was a go, despite all other indications pointing to the opposite. We knew that St, Martin might get swapped for St. Kitts and so on. Fine. What we did not bargain on was RCL insisting cruises would go ahead and then canceling on short notice. We also did not bargain on RCL being determined to operate a cruise from a port with a curfew and to which international flights are not currently flying. I think that's a fair distinction to make.

I understand some want a full refund, but others would like to go if it is possible on the vacation they may have been planning. I know everybody would like to know months in advance whether their vacation will be perfect, but unfortunately, that is just not possible. They are doing their best to make sure people can get the vacation they planned if possible. It may well be that com wednesday or thursday, it will be determined that PR is just not ready, but all reports seem to show that at least SJ is improving each and every day, and it may well go off okay by then.

A little perspective: I think anyone who has travelled understands that no vacation is perfect. You sometimes have noisy neighbors, sometimes the food or weather is not so good, and sometimes the entertainment is poor. Royal Caribbean is asking people to come and join a ship in a city that is telling people they should not be there for the first half of this month. There is a curfew in place and so even if people do travel to Puerto Rico, they won’t be able to go out and have dinner and support the city. RCL is forcing the issue so that it does not have to cancel vacations and give refunds. That is a very different thing. For myself, we don’t sell until next month but at this point, our country has a travel advisory against going to Puerto Rico. That means that for any Canadian who does, they risk voiding their travel insurance because they are going into an unsafe area by their own choice. RCL has also pledged to return to ports like Saint Maarten, which look nothing like what they did before and which will not provide the vacation people think they purchased. I am all for supporting those people and will do so through humanitarian donations but Royal Caribbean is acting unethically in my opinion and I have no hesitation in calling them out on it.

Given that PR tourism has advised people not to come in the first half of the month, you are not being negative by being stressed. By pushing forward and not allowing you to switch sailings, RCL has done little to lessen your stress

Apparently, passengers have been told that if their hotel is closed and they arrive a day early, they can stay on the ship since it will already be there. Also, passengers will be driven from the airport to the ship by Royal Caribbean free of charge. That might seem nice to the passengers but I’m not exactly sure how Royal Caribbean thinks this helps the people of Puerto Rico at all if their passengers never come into contact with them long enough to spend money. This seems to be more about RCL not giving refunds than anything.

Has the curfew been modified? I see restaurants that were only serving until 6:30 (due to curfew) are now listing on social media that they are serving until 9:00 pm.

 

Also, I have heard from a very reliable source that most banks are now open even though some are operating with generators.

According to the Guardian, the curfew remains but it appears to have been changed to 9pm

My guess is that this week's 10/7 cruise will be cancelled or allow cancellations. ( Prob Weds). I am guessing after that the sailings will be a "go". Just my predictions!!! May be way wrong though![emoji51]

 

 

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I tend to agree with you. There simply aren't enough flights still to fill the ship on the weekend, nor are there enough hotels open yet. I do note that RCL changed the language on their last update, which to me suggests they might be open to dealing with people on an individual basis. I suspect if people cannot get there, they will allow them to switch to another cruise but will not give a refund. It's financially more favorable to them and maybe protects them from another class action like the one activated after Hurricane Harvey in Houston. Here is the language I mean; it was added at the end of last week:

We understand that limited hotel availability in San Juan may cause you to alter your travel arrangements. Airlines are being flexible with waiving change fees, so please check with your carrier, and do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions.

It's very important for those of you sailing from P.R. to know the situation. http://www.foxnews.com/us/2017/10/01/puerto-rican-ceo-sends-engineers-to-help-fema-efforts-calls-local-pols-inept.html

I am hopeful that the U.S military will take over the P.R. island in the short term, to facilitate food and water to the residents, in the near-term

 

For myself, I am willing to gamble on a near-term cruise. But if I had a family/children, then no, do not cruise out of P.R., it is a bankrupt country, crime-ridden, and now communications are hampered and everything is a gamble. If you are cruising out of P.R., switch your flight to same-day. Don't arrive early. If you are truly concerned about your family's welfare, eat the cost and change your cruise date. Many of us in southern U.S. are absorbing costs from hurricanes in 2017. Sometimes you get dealt a bad hand.

You should turn off Fox News and open an encyclopedia. PR is not a country, it is part of the USA. It is indeed in dire financial straits, not unlike some states.

Be careful trusting Kayak... just because flights are advertised doesn't mean the airline will actually sell them. Prior to Irma hitting, I tried many times to buy plane tickets. They were advertised on Kayak but each time--halfway through the purchasing process--the website quit working. I finally called the airlines direct and they said the seats weren't for sale.

 

Travel resellers are unreliable during high-usage episodes. After Irma hit us, there were rooms listed on Kayak, Trip Advisor and Travelocity, even though the hotels were actually not even OPEN! And advertised vacancies were also unbookable during the Eclipse a few weeks ago...

There's wisdom there. You only have to go on Expedia to see hotels that are closed being still sold.

spleenstomper : Regardless of how some people feel, I am most interested to know what flights are taking off and landing in San Juan and I appreciate finding that info here -- a page I am already following -- rather than having to search for it myself. Obviously, flight availability is relevant to our upcoming cruises (unless someone knows of another way that thousands of us can get to Puerto Rico!)

E

kathy

I agree. The Cape Air flights almost “don’t matter” for our purposes since they are mostly inter island flights. I am keenly wondering when international flights will resume, since that affects us and many who hope to reach their cruises, should they go.

http://flightaware.com/live/airport/TJSJ

 

FlightAware is great. This is a list of the flights scheduled in/out of SJU airport as well as the recently arrived and departed, so you don't really have to speculate. JBU is JetBlue, DAL is Delta, AA is American, FFT Frontier, SWA Southwest, then there are a variety of private jets, and I even see an Etihad. You can look at Arrived, Departed, and more. I used this site earlier in the week to figure out who had the most flights and advise a friend whose daughter was stranded in San Juan and needed a flight out. At that time, JetBlue had the most flights and they were able to call and get her a confirmed seat.

 

With the damage to the flight control systems, they have had to space flights out more than normal. I'm happy to see they're able to get more flights out per hour now. But San Juan airport has a long, long way to go.

Etihad? I understood that SJU wasn't re-opened to international flights yet.

Hopefully, RCL will act more thoughtfully in the future. That said, they still insist, as of today, that next week’s AOS will sail from San Juan, despite the chaos on the ground there.

This is an update as of Sept. 29 @ 7:00 p.m. from Puerto Rico Tourism:

http://puertoricoxnow.seepuertorico.com/

This is a quote from the PR tourism page: “If you have a trip scheduled for this upcoming week and through October 15, we recommend you call your hotel or travel agent directly and consider rebooking for a later date.”

Our government (Canada) also has a travel advisory against traveling there, meaning that those who do will likely void whatever travel insurance they have. Airlines and hotels have waived change fees. RCL seems to be the only company insisting it’s business as usual, in terms of those with travel scheduled soon. Will they cancel those cruises? Most likely. In the meantime, they drip out information a few days at a time, making people wait and leaving them unable to plan. Some here seem to feel that’s okay and understandable. I do not. If anyone can give examples of other travel providers behaving this way, I’d love to hear it.

Come on guys, give them a chance. I know we all have flights to worry about but Celebrity and the rest of the cruise lines have a lot on their plate to worry about. Frankly, I am glad they are not making quick decisions until they know for sure how things will play out. We are all worried about a vacation. Think about everyone else.

It's possible to think about more than one thing at a time. We can be very concerned about the people of the Caribbean AND concerned about our own families at the same time. It is not just being "worried about a vacation" but is also worried about the security and safety of the people we love most.

Maybe the cancellation of jet blue means they are going to consolidate to a few major carriers to cut down on the amount of air traffic. Certainly cruise ships will not wait till 2018 to resume?

If they consolidate to a few airlines, how do they choose? Also, how do enough people get there to fill what would normally be numerous ships per day, starting in November?

Some hotels are open now. More hotels are stating they will open between Oct 1, Oct 15, Oct 30....so hotels are preparing to open. For those that think they might not have a hotel for Oct 13 (night before Oct 14 cruise), the airlines are allowing changes to flights without penalty. Possibly you could fly down "day of" for the Oct 14 sailing since most (not all...but most) US cities have flights (when flights are "regular) that will get you there in time for the 8:30 departure. Media is reporting that commercial flights are increasing daily. I have seen on social media that restaurants are serving food until curfew time.

 

Again for those in panic mode....remember just a few short weeks ago people on these boards were insistent that St M, St T, Havana, and Key West would all be "shipless" for at least 6 months. Cuba and Key West accepted their first RC ships this week. St M & St T are indicating they will be ready within 6 weeks (weeks...not months!). I realize SJU is an embarkation port rather than a "day port", but I still think folks are panicking a little too quickly.

 

I think a very "positive" for everyone is that Capt Thomas is from Puerto Rico. He and his family live in Puerto Rico! He loves Puerto Rico. He loves RC. I think he will be able to give RC very intelligent, experienced, and well thought out advice on how to handle the situation. I firmly believe if he thinks the island should not have the pax, he would make that clear to corporate. Now....I understand that corporate might not agree with him and might not institute his advice....but I have to believe that they value him and would be more likely to follow his advice than not. Also, the C&A director Millie has family in PR so I am sure she is also advising corporate on the situation.

I love my city, too, but if there was no electricity, half mile lines for gas and food and no infrastructure and I knew I was ultimately responsible for the safety of passengers, I would not advise them to come. Staff being from PR doesn't change the fact that there is not currently a well functioning airport or that there persists a curfew. You clearly have no trips planned soon but would like the rest of us to "go first." The lists of hotels that "helpful" people keep circulating in no way match what you could easily learn by clicking through to the actual hotel web sites. The Hyatt hotels are on most of those lists as opening in two weeks but if anyone actually looked at the Hyatt web-site, you'd see they say they are closed until further notice.

there should be minimal deterrents to make RCI cancel this cruise.

 

More flights are coming in. People flying in the day before are being allowed to stay on the ship since most of the hotels are not opened yet and RCI is offering free transportation from the airport.

 

If more hotels don't open before the October 14th cruise it may be a little dicey with some pax flying in the day before as there won't be a ship to put those pax up for the night.

 

Bill

More flights are coming in? They were hoping for 15 today (per the San Juan Airport Authority)

Here's a link from the Puerto Rico Tourism Board - last updated today (9/28) @ 6:23pm Eastern, while all info is subject to change, they are on the ground and would presume to have the latest and greatest info. Also, towards the bottom on the page, there's a phone number for ppl to call if they have questions as well as a live chat link. No hours listed, but it's something. http://puertoriconow.seepuertorico.com/

 

Side note, as Adventure did dock today, I was looking on Marine Traffic, and it appeared they were docking at Old San Juan, not Pan American. Was that me (totally possible) or is that a little strange (for a Ship, with it's own dedicated terminal, to be using someone else's terminal, that per Carnival, needs repairs?) ..

This list has proved to be consistently incorrect and based on early projections. They don't seem to actually be updating it based on what is on the hotel web sites.

Did I defend them? What you are saying is simply not true. Carnival has only canceled through October 8th. RCI has made the decision to sail on October 7th. OMG we are only talking about days here.

 

Have a great day.

You're slushing facts. RCL hand canceled week by week whereas CCL canceled a number of sailings at once.