Statistics on cruiselines missing ports?

[Shep_Proudfoot]

Hi. Anyone know of a database anywhere of ports missed by cruiselines for weather, mechanical or other reasons? Or a comprehensive listing of ports being either tender or docking ports?

 

Missed ports have negatively impacted nearly half of my cruises and I think this is something the cruiselines try and keep quiet. In my experience this is the single most negative thing about cruiselines and the cruising experience overall. (With the possible exception of excursion price gouging in some ports). Just wondering if some ports, times of year, ships or lines are more prone to cancellations than others.

 

I am contemplating a 3 port cruise next, but am very leery of doing so as missing a port would pretty much ruin the trip as I am most definitely a port first, ship day second type of cruiser.

[CruiserBruce]

Never heard of such a database.

 

No disrespect intended, but missing a port ruins a cruise for you? Seems a little overdone. Frustrating, sure. I can see being upset if a cruise is canceled due to a total mechanical failure- which happens so rarely it is typically headline news, like when the Carnival Splender had their fire/power outage.

 

As weather is not under the control of a cruise line, tough to blame anybody but Mother Nature for those cancelations.

 

Some ports have marginal conditions on a good day, so those ports might be more susceptable to cancelations. Doing some reading on the Ports boards would highlight these. Some have had some political/economical issues- strikes, civil disturbances etc. Again, some reading on the Ports boards would help here.

[paul929207]

I don't know of any actual statistics. But for me the experience has been very different. We have about 450 days on cruise ships, most on Princess. We have missed two ports in all these cruises. In 2009, we skipped Victoria in the Seychelles because there had been 6 pirate attacks in the two weeks before we were scheduled to call there. We had a sea day instead. In 2011, we skipped Jeddah, Saudi Arabia because of security concerns and difficulty getting visas. In this case, we visited Aqaba, Jordan instead.

[Keith1010]

I am not aware of statistics on this.

 

I have sailed almost the equivalent of two and one half years at sea

 

Only had issue nine different times.

 

The ports we have missed have been due to safety.

 

Specifically:

 

-Weather (Mother Nature) prohibiting tendering operations. (4) and docking operations (1)

 

-Ports cancelled and not replaced due to pirates (2)

 

-Ports cancelled and replaced due to other terrorist threats (2)

 

Putting the safety of the passengers, crew and the ship first should always be the number one priority of the cruise line and the ships captain.

 

Keith

[Roz]

I've had 3 canceled ports in all my 10+ cruises. 2 of them were the cruise line's private island where the weather made tendering in dangerous, and 1 cancellation was due to bad weather slowing us down so we had to skip a port to get to the debarkation port on time. I don't have statistics, but I bet tender ports make up over half of missed ports.

 

Roz

[calliopecruiser]

I would be interested in stats like that, just for curiosity's sake. I'm more interested in the cruising than the ports, generally, but I think it's interesting. I think that - especially with cruise ships getting bigger and more insular - a lot of people forget they're going on vacation on the ocean, and that ultimately nature still has the final say, not the cruise line or the captain. Well, that's for the weather-related cancellations - cancellations for mechanical problems or safety (piracy, war, or civil unrest) are man-made issues.

[Hlitner]

Like Keith (above) we have cruised for more then 2 1/2 years to 6 continents. Our best guess is that we missed about 10 ports out of what must be nearly 1000 ports (we do not keep count). Cruising in the Caribbean during Hurricane season or doing a lot of Western Caribbean itineraries could sure increase missed ports. But for us, the Western Caribbean is something we now avoid (we think its one of the worst itineraries in the world) and we minimize cruising in the Caribbean during prime hurricane season.

 

Hank

[Taxguy77]

Only had one, Key West darn it, canceled. A hurricane had messed up the port so we went to some island.

I personally missed two ports due to inaccurate information over the loudspeaker from the person on HAL.

Results: HAL 2, weather and insurrection 1.(

[Shep_Proudfoot]

Never heard of such a database.

 

No disrespect intended, but missing a port ruins a cruise for you? Seems a little overdone. Frustrating, sure. I can see being upset if a cruise is canceled due to a total mechanical failure- which happens so rarely it is typically headline news, like when the Carnival Splender had their fire/power outage.

 

As weather is not under the control of a cruise line, tough to blame anybody but Mother Nature for those cancelations.

 

Some ports have marginal conditions on a good day, so those ports might be more susceptable to cancelations. Doing some reading on the Ports boards would highlight these. Some have had some political/economical issues- strikes, civil disturbances etc. Again, some reading on the Ports boards would help here.

 

Yes Bruce, if I took a seven day cruise and only got into two ports I would consider it more or less ruined. If I wanted a two port cruise I'd take a four or five day cruise and save myself a whole lot of time and money. I typically take 4+ port cruises so that if you miss a day it lessens the impact, hence my apprehension about a 3 port cruise and wanting to do some research. Unlike many here on CC, one or maybe two at sea days is plenty for me in a week's time.

 

My cruises have resulted in 4 missed ports on 8 cruises so that's a missed port every other cruise. And no I've never cruised during hurricane season. No other type of vacation I've taken has gone so awry like that so often.

 

All I am trying to do is find some info to hopefully, statistically speaking, make choices to reduce the odds of encountering this kind of garbage because as a cruise passenger you have zero control and all you can do is be well-informed when you pick your cruise. For example I bet private islands get cancelled more often than anything else due to the fact that they are mostly if not all tender ports and they don't have the excursion gouging potential other ports do so cruiselines are happy to have the excuse to drop them. I would love to find some stats on this even if it would prove me wrong.

[CruiserBruce]

Private Islands don't have the "excursion gouging potential"? By the definition of gouging Private Islands have massive gouging potential, as every penny you spend there goes to the cruise line. There is no competition to drive prices down, the cruise can charge what they wish.

 

By the way, we have done 15 cruises. Just under 150 days on cruise ships. All over the world. Never missed a port.

[sail7seas]

I've never seen or heard of such a listing but it's an interesting idea. I would find it hard to think it could be particularly accurate or indicative of much useful info.

 

We have over 90+ cruises in all and I think we have probably missed one (or more) ports on maybe 8 or so cruises. We realize that is one of the 'hazards' of cruising and one must be willing to accept it can happen for a variety of reasons.

 

I'm not the best 'roll with it' person nor do I abide by the 'make lemonade' theory as the lemonade is still bitter but if we are going to cruise, I know I must accept we could miss a port. :shrug:

[calliopecruiser]

All I am trying to do is find some info to hopefully, statistically speaking, make choices to reduce the odds of encountering this kind of garbage because as a cruise passenger you have zero control and all you can do is be well-informed when you pick your cruise. For example I bet private islands get cancelled more often than anything else due to the fact that they are mostly if not all tender ports and they don't have the excursion gouging potential other ports do so cruiselines are happy to have the excuse to drop them. I would love to find some stats on this even if it would prove me wrong.

 

I would think private islands would be the ports that cruises would want to keep -- they control every retail and transportation opportunity, unlike in other ports of call. Nevertheless..........

 

Have you missed ports for weather-related reasons? If so, not only do cruise passengers have zero control, neither do the cruise lines. If it's been for mechanical reasons, that's a different story. What was behind your missed ports?

 

I also think you should consider relaxing a bit if changes in your plans can ruin your vacation (of any sort, not just cruises). Crime and injury can ruin a vacation, but an extra day on board a ship? Doesn't qualify for me.

[njhorseman]

In 25 years of cruising...around 40 cruises in total, we've missed only four port calls (two on one cruise around South America), all legitimately due to weather/sea conditions. One was a private island stop.

 

Your price gouging comments seem a bit odd, to say the least.

 

Do you really think cruise lines want to annoy their passengers by skipping port calls?

[Shep_Proudfoot]

"Your price gouging comments seem a bit odd, to say the least."

 

I think cruiselines are indifferent money making machines. If a port isn't going to make them a lot of money, then I don't think they care one way or another if they make the stop. Obviously they don't want to annoy anyone (rather odd question yourself there guy) but do they care if they do if it doesn't get out hand such that their reputations are damaged to the extent there are economic consequences? Not in the least.

 

The one private island I went to had included food and drink, no transportation needs to charge for and no excursion potential. Apart from some water sports nobody was doing, massages and trinket sales there was no money to be made by the cruiseline. Maybe some other private islands are different and they've evolved into money-making machines, but I'd be willing to bet that was the least profitable stop for the cruiseline on that particular cruise.

 

:cool:

[CruiserBruce]

There is a thread over on the HAL board, citing numerous sources, that shows the profit margin for Carnival in 2011 was around 8%, and is far lower- very close to zero- this far this year due to the Costa incident.

 

Another source says the average profit per passenger for all cruises, (not just Carnival), of all lengths, averaged, is just over $200 per passenger. So, for next summer, DW and I have a 22 day, $17K cruise booked and the cruise line is going to make $600 or so dollars on us? That is intolerable!!! What a bunch of greedy cruise lines!!!

 

Neither of those are "money machines". A basic business class in college would inform you 10% is a minimum profit goal for a healthy company.

 

Isn't the goal of a business to make a profit? Do you expect them to engage in this area as a non-profit? Of course, the first response is to say you think they are entitled to a profit, but no one ever specifies what they think a reasonable profit should be.

[sherilyn70]

To me.. missing a port would be a huge gap in my vacation. Even on the Oasis we were board on sea days. So I would be rather disapointed if a port had to be skipped. We just don't get into a lot of the more mainstream interests and don't really drink or do the water scene. I like to explore and go places (and do photography) when I'm on vacation and on sea days we probably spent 75% of our time in our room watching TV because we were just bored and couldn't find anything else we wanted to do.

[Shep_Proudfoot]

There is a thread over on the HAL board, citing numerous sources, that shows the profit margin for Carnival in 2011 was around 8%, and is far lower- very close to zero- this far this year due to the Costa incident.

 

Another source says the average profit per passenger for all cruises, (not just Carnival), of all lengths, averaged, is just over $200 per passenger. So, for next summer, DW and I have a 22 day, $17K cruise booked and the cruise line is going to make $600 or so dollars on us? That is intolerable!!! What a bunch of greedy cruise lines!!!

 

Neither of those are "money machines". A basic business class in college would inform you 10% is a minimum profit goal for a healthy company.

 

Isn't the goal of a business to make a profit? Do you expect them to engage in this area as a non-profit? Of course, the first response is to say you think they are entitled to a profit, but no one ever specifies what they think a reasonable profit should be.

 

Bruce, if you have any information pertinent to my original line of inquiry, let's hear it. Otherwise you are just off on an irrelevant tangent.

[njhorseman]

"Your price gouging comments seem a bit odd, to say the least."

 

I think cruiselines are indifferent money making machines. If a port isn't going to make them a lot of money, then I don't think they care one way or another if they make the stop. Obviously they don't want to annoy anyone (rather odd question yourself there guy) but do they care if they do if it doesn't get out hand such that their reputations are damaged to the extent there are economic consequences? Not in the least.

 

The one private island I went to had included food and drink, no transportation needs to charge for and no excursion potential. Apart from some water sports nobody was doing, massages and trinket sales there was no money to be made by the cruiseline. Maybe some other private islands are different and they've evolved into money-making machines, but I'd be willing to bet that was the least profitable stop for the cruiseline on that particular cruise.

 

:cool:

 

Apparently you're unfamiliar with the concept of a rhetorical question.

 

And yes...the cruise lines have continued to expand their private island facilities and activities to make money from their captive audience.

[klauer]

I don't have statistics, but I think that Grand Cayman is the most missed port in the Caribbean. In the Mediterranean, the only port that I remember being cancelled was St. Tropez.

[Krazy Kruizers]

I don't know of any place where you can get these statistics.

But we have also missed many ports -- for various reasons. Even had an itinerary completely changed due to a hurricane.

We certainly didn't let missing ports ruin our cruises.

[Krazy Kruizers]

I don't have statistics, but I think that Grand Cayman is the most missed port in the Caribbean. In the Mediterranean, the only port that I remember being cancelled was St. Tropez.

 

We have missed Grand Cayman and Grand Turk quite a few times.

[calliopecruiser]

Bruce, if you have any information pertinent to my original line of inquiry, let's hear it. Otherwise you are just off on an irrelevant tangent.

 

Not irrelevant at all, it followed directly from your price gouging comments.

 

I notice you still haven't mentioned why all those ports were canceled on your cruises.......do you accept that weather related cancellations are not only normal, but can't be predicted?

[Shep_Proudfoot]

We have missed Grand Cayman and Grand Turk quite a few times.

 

Interesting, Grand Turk was one of the ports under consideration so that is good to know. I thought it was chiefly a docking port so that's a little surprising. Thanks.

[sail7seas]

Grand Turk is a docking port but when it is very windy, it is tricky docking and sometimes the ships have to leave. There is a risk of the ship being blown into the dock..... I imagine there are probably currents, as well. That is a port that has some history of cancelled calls.

 

We have been scheduled to visit there three or four times and have never been cancelled...... yet. I know it could happen.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Interesting, Grand Turk was one of the ports under consideration so that is good to know. I thought it was chiefly a docking port so that's a little surprising. Thanks.

 

We had bad winds that kept pushing us off course so that our ship was not able to get through the cut in the coral. It is not a very big cut.

It is a docking port.