RCI survey about ports

[39august]

I just received and answered a survey from RCI about ports of call on my Voyager cruise in Feb. After I rated the ports of call from this cruise, I was asked to indicate the 3 areas I would most like to cruise in the future. After indicating east, west and southern Caribbean, I was asked to rate my interest in just about all possible Caribbean ports...dozens of them. I hope this means RCI is considering changing up their Caribbean itineraries instead of repeatedly going to the same old, same old. How exciting that would be! How many others have taken this survey?

[PSCruiser]

Yes, got the same survey, except mine was for the Oasis in January.

[matj2000]

I got a similar one. It asked me to pick where my last cruise was, which was in the Caribbean. Then it started asking about shopping in European ports. After that it asked questions about shore excursions. Not so much about the excursions themselves but the brochures and flyers they have on the ship. It was very specific about the layout and wording. I ended up just stopping because it didn't really apply to me.

[cruzeluver]

The same survey is being sent to Celebrity cruisers. Got it this morning. Would love to see RCCL/Celebrity mix it up a little as well as some longer port stays.

[Sabiney]

Received mine yesterday for my January Voyager cruise. Yes, survey is focused on ports and excursions.

 

Pat

[Puffinater]

Also received one this morning. This same survey popped up a couple months ago also.

[negc]

I just received and answered a survey from RCI about ports of call on my Voyager cruise in Feb. After I rated the ports of call from this cruise, I was asked to indicate the 3 areas I would most like to cruise in the future. After indicating east, west and southern Caribbean, I was asked to rate my interest in just about all possible Caribbean ports...dozens of them. I hope this means RCI is considering changing up their Caribbean itineraries instead of repeatedly going to the same old, same old. How exciting that would be! How many others have taken this survey?

 

If you take the time to look more carefully at the itineraries that RCI already offers in the Caribbean, you will find that they don't only go to the 'same old, same old'. Certainly many of their ships offer very basic Eastern and Western Caribbean itineraries, but that is because the majority of their passengers, many of whom are first time cruisers, want to go to those ports. Veteran cruisers who are looking for new and different itineraries can certainly do so even now on Royal Caribbean ships. Last year our Jewel repositioning cruise out of Boston included St. Croix on its itinerary. This coming Fall it will stop at Dominica and several other ports in the eastern and southern Caribbean.

[cruiseguy1016]

I got mine this morning too. They asked about ports of call in the southern Caribbean that I had never heard of. Maybe they are considering adding some new ports to their itineraries.

[Ashland]

I have received one after each of the last three cruises I have taken..this is not new..

[39august]

Negc -I realize that, but I would like more ports out of either NO, Galveston or Florida. I don't care to fly to San Juan, Boston or New Jersey to cruise the Caribbean, tho I have cruised out of SJ several times just for those itineraries. Next Jan. I am sailing Equininox out of Ft. Lauderdale10 night to a couple of "same olds" and three more less often offered ports of call: St. Kitts, Dominica and Barbados. Some of the ports I was asked to rate interest in were St. Barts, Santo Domingo, Tobago, Guadaloupe, Virgin Gorda, etc. Would love to see these more accessible.

[gary2835]

I got my first one. It asked about my Voyager cruise on, and I'm not sure, 040488. I marked the answer " did not sail on that cruise". The next thing I konw is a page popped up "saying thanks for taking the survey". Did anybody have this happen, or did I misread the survey?

[negc]

Negc -I realize that, but I would like more ports out of either NO, Galveston or Florida. I don't care to fly to San Juan, Boston or New Jersey to cruise the Caribbean, tho I have cruised out of SJ several times just for those itineraries. Next Jan. I am sailing Equininox 10 night to a couple of "same olds" and three more less often offered ports of call: St. Kitts, Dominica and Barbados. Some of the ports I was asked to rate interest in were St. Barts, Santo Domingo, Tobago, Guadaloupe, Virgin Gorda, etc. Would love to see these more accessible.

 

Most of those ports are already available from Florida but there are time and distant constraints when they try to include some of the more distant ports such as NO and Galveston. Seven day or shorter cruises are still the most popular and biggest sellers and you just can't get to some of those more distant ports on cruises of fewer than 10 days. It is certainly good that RCI is soliciting opinions about a variety of ports but I think it is well advised to be somewhat realistic about our expectations. Just because they want to gauge interest in ports such as Tobago and Virgin Gorda doesn't mean that they would offer the on sailings from some of the ports you mention. If they can't get there and back in the course of a 7 day cruise, they will be limited on just how many cruises they can offer them and still operate their ships at maximum profitability.

[isujim]

39august I agree with you. I think most of RC itineraries are same ole, same ole........repositiong cruises aside. One of the reasons we have booked our next couple of cruises with hal and Princess is their itineraries. Princess especially has some great itineraries and I've always thought they did a better job.

 

We just had to get it through our head it was ok to take a Princess cruise:)..we found it to be very similar and was just fine.

 

Hope RC takes a hard look at adding some new itineraries.

 

Jim

[BroncosFan2010]

Oh that would be so nice if they offered new ports! We were going to consider a different cruise line because RCCL keeps doing the same old ports. However, if they mixed it up, we might not throw them out of consideration!

[39august]

I'm not tied to 7 night cruises, and I realize that most of the ports that interest me would have to be offered on longer cruises. I also realize cruise lines' bread and butter are the 7 nights and shorter cruises. But I would certainly like to see RCI offer occasional 10-12 night cruises to some more exotic ports. Brilliance used to sail an 11 night "Ultimate Caribbean" from Florida. What a great itinerary that was!

[Ocean Boy]

Yes, got the same survey, except mine was for the Oasis in January.

 

That is interesting considering that there are so few ports that Oasis can even dock in. Even when it is in St. Thomas it has to dock at Crown Bay as its draft is too deep for the Havensight dock.

[negc]

I'm not tied to 7 night cruises, and I realize that most of the ports that interest me would have to be offered on longer cruises. I also realize cruise lines' bread and butter are the 7 nights and shorter cruises. But I would certainly like to see RCI offer occasional 10-12 night cruises to some more exotic ports. Brilliance used to sail an 11 night "Ultimate Caribbean" from Florida. What a great itinerary that was!

 

We did that itinerary twice and I totally agree.:) It was excellent. I would also like to see some longer options but I'm afraid that until the economy recovers more fully, they are going to concentrate on the "bread and butter" 7 night and shorter cruises, and obviously higher fuel prices are a consideration in establishing their itineraries. More frequent and shorter vacation trips still seem to be the trend among vacationers especially in the US and they are in the business of catering to the wants and needs of their target audience. Fortunately,for those of us living in Boston, the annual repositioning cruise is longer now than in past years and the westbound Jewel TA is longer as well.

[Ocean Boy]

I loved Independence's 8 night cruise. Of course, RCI took that away too.:(

[negc]

That is interesting considering that there are so few ports that Oasis can even dock in. Even when it is in St. Thomas it has to dock at Crown Bay as its draft is too deep for the Havensight dock.

 

That may only be a temporary situation until the problems which have delayed the planned dredging of the area at Havensight have been resolved. Also,perhaps RCI, armed with a poll showing high interest in visiting other ports of call, can encourage those other ports to improve their infrastructure so that they can host Oasis or Allure visits. I understand that when the new locks in Panama are eventually completed any and all of RCI's ships will be able to be accommodated. Don't want the West Coasters to get excited that Oasis or Allure will be coming there but the wider locks will open a number of new possibilities for some of RCI's larger vessels.:)

[Ocean Boy]

That may only be a temporary situation until the problems which have delayed the planned dredging of the area at Havensight have been resolved. Also,perhaps RCI, armed with a poll showing high interest in visiting other ports of call, can encourage those other ports to improve their infrastructure so that they can host Oasis or Allure visits. I understand that when the new locks in Panama are eventually completed any and all of RCI's ships will be able to be accommodated. Don't want the West Coasters to get excited that Oasis or Allure will be coming there but the wider locks will open a number of new possibilities for some of RCI's larger vessels.:)

 

Can you just imagine the West Coasters if they got one of the behemouths and then got it pulled out from under them like Mariner!:D

 

I really hope they resolve the Havensight issue soon. I so much prefer docking there than at Crown Bay.

[Mysticks1]

Are these emailed or regular mail? Just wanted to know where to look.

[joeyancho]

I got the same survey. It was for the Mex. Riv. ports. I ignored it. What is the point since they will no longer be visiting those ports?

[The Big Booper]

Dominica and St. Kitts were mentioned earlier in this thread, by Negc. On our last two Explorer holiday cruises out of Bayonne (12 and 14 nights) the ship stopped at Dominica and St. Kitts (which has come back nicely from the devasting hurricanes in the late 90's) and these were two enjoyable ports,

 

St Kitts has totally rebuilt the port area along with a large finger pier that can hold two big ships, as well as a shopping/attractions area surrounding the pier. So they are good to go. With a unique narrow gage train ride around the island.

 

On Dominica, the built up pier area is quite small and can only hold one ship. The lure here is the beautiful countryside with waterfalls, long tram rides up the mountain, etc. There is a smaller pier area outside the town (Rousseau) that seems to be used by mid-sized ships; I don't know the draft here.

[negc]

Can you just imagine the West Coasters if they got one of the behemouths and then got it pulled out from under them like Mariner!:D

 

I really hope they resolve the Havensight issue soon. I so much prefer docking there than at Crown Bay.

 

If their support of one of those ships was as poor as their support of the Mariner apparently was, it would be inevitable. However, I think that RCI has a long memory and isn't likely to make a similar mistake should it eventually decide to redeploy one of their ships to California. They will only base a ship there if they believe that there is a sufficient base of prospective cruisers and if they can find some alternative itineraries that they can offer from there.

 

I haven't experienced docking at Crown Bay so I really can't comment, but I don't recall reading any major complaints from those who have. What were your reasons for preferring Havensight to Crown Bay?:confused:

[The Big Booper]

..>>SNIP<<...I really hope they resolve the Havensight issue soon. I so much prefer docking there than at Crown Bay.

Interesting. The Princess crowd really seem to like Crown Bay, which is now their main dock. Well, more room for =X= and RC at Havensight, a far more convenient dock, with much better shopping.