Naples port cancelled for 9/8 Mariner cruise

[logansnonna]

I picked this up on the Sept 8 thread. I went to the RCI site and the cruise now lists Malta as the new port. My cruise on 9/20 is till showing Naples. If anyone out there has some inside information on this I would love to hear from you. There will be some very disappointed people if this port gets cancelled. :confused::confused:

[lennel]

possible strike

[ks6007]

We were on this cruise. There were many VERY disappointed passengers. We usually cruise with Celebrity. I chose this cruise because of Alexandria and Naples (Pompeii). RCI cannot be faulted for Egypt. However, we did not feel that they were very forthcoming on the reason for the port change. Their notification, in the form of a letter available at the check-in desk, referred to the ship being bumped from its berth. That this would happen to a huge company like RCI strains credibility. Some Guest Relations staff speculated that maybe other companies were willing to pay more. That sounds more logical to me. The Malta experience angered us even more. The one shore excursion that appealed to us was filled (and there were very few offered), so we decided to go into Valletta. Imagine our shock when we saw that almost everything in the city was CLOSED! This includes the cathedral, which is one of the top attractions. All we saw was a few cheesy souvenir shops and people trudging up and down the streets. RCI thought that Valletta was an adequate substitute for Naples? Not that they care, but I doubt that we will sail with them again.

[Pushka]

I agree, the bumping sounds very suss unless it was for a King maybe:rolleyes:

You should have been given an honest explanation. I can understand issues of safety, and strikes would also be an issue, but bumping? sheesh!

[uksimonusa]

There have been a lot of problems in Naples in the last year or so, with strikes etc. We were there in October last year, and the amount of garbage just stacked in bags on the streets was unbelievable, even more so the smell. Wouldn't have minded missing naples on that cruise

[windjamming]

I was on this cruise as well. As ks6007 has noted, the official explanation from RCI was that the port could not accommodate us. Each stateroom received $100 in OBC, which could be refunded if you chose not to spend it.

 

If you pre-booked an excursion in Naples with RCI, they also gave you the amount as OBC. Guest Services confirmed that it could be refunded, too.

 

6 excursion options were provided, and we heard from at least 2 people that when they went to book, all of the excursions had been sold out. We were lucky enough to get one of the excursions, but unfortunately, most of island was shut down on Sunday afternoon.

 

That all said, Malta has one of the most spectacular port entrances I've ever seen, and I'm glad we went. It's not a place I would have ever considered visiting on its own, so it turned out to be a surprise bonus.

[jagsfan]

I like RCCL, but they seem to cancel ports like no other cruise line. We booked a Jewel TA a few years ago to see Cork in Ireland and Falmouth in Cornwall, two ports I'd never visited. RCCL cancelled both of them and added Dover, which we'd been to numerous times. They did offer a refund if we cancelled, but we decided to sail anyway. It was a big disappointment to everyone on our Roll Call.

I just wish they'd give a credible reason when they cancel a port.

[swcruise]

It is surprising for a port they use on a regular basis to be cancelled like that without an adequate explanation such as adverse weather, port strike etc and I imagine it must have been very disappointing to all those hoping to enjoy the Amalfi coast. It is good to see that they gave OBC, but still you may only get one chance to see that area and the money can't make up for that...

[windjamming]

You should have been given an honest explanation.

 

While I agree on principle, I suspect the "honest" explanation would have been more infuriating -- whatever it was. I was actually more disappointed that the replacement port chosen was not equipped to handle a ship of the Mariner's size. There were not enough ship's excursions for those who wanted them, and I saw very few other private options, if any. Signs for a Hop On Hop Off bus were around the port and island, but I never saw an actual bus. Around the port, there were a few stores or people could trudge up a steep hill to downtown Valletta -- which was mostly closed anyway for Sunday.