Statistics on cruiselines missing ports?

[Mxited]

It was a simple question and one that I would be I interested in. Some of us don't have the luxury of cruising at will. We have specific dates available and it would be nice to minimize your statistical chances of missing ports. Part of the experience is visiting different places and if there is a significant probability of missing port, an option to choose a different destination would be nice. When it comes to my money, I don't want to be short changed if I can help it. For those of you who don't care, well that is ok also. Your vacation is certainly not mine and neither are your interests.

[smeyer418]

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.

 

it depends on the industry. While 10% may be good for some its terrible for others. Banks don't have 10% margins. Neither do supermarkets. High volume industries have smaller profits. Utilities are happy with 4-6% above inflation.

Apples profit margins are much higher than any of its competitors. The airlines would be thrilled with 8%....

BTW profit margins is after all costs and expenses....

 

 

Cruise lines don't deliberately try to miss ports. They make money in ports. But ships aren't the same as a train or a plane. If someone thinks that missing 8 hours or less in any one port is going to ruin the whole trip, they should try another form of transportation to get there.

I also don't know of any data base that has this information...its unlike the airplane industry where you can find out how on time each plane is....

[Warm Breezes]

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.

 

We have missed one port (Grand Caymen due to rough seas) out of 9 cruises. Personally, if I were set on a certain port or it would ruin my trip, I'd find another way to get there other than a cruise. Cruiselines do not guarantee a port stop.

[Hlitner]

DW and I started talking about this thread and wish we had kept records on our cruises so we had some statistics. But we can safely say we have been on over 60 cruises and spent somewhere near 3 years on cruises. During that time we have probably been to over 500 ports on 6 continents. Our total missed ports would be somewhere between 5 and 10 and we can recall missing Grand Cayman, Portimao, Sete, Devil's Island, Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia. So overall we have probably made 98%+ of our scheduled ports. Seems like a pretty good record....and to think otherwise and blame the cruise lines for missing ports could just be considered one more of those conspiracy theories similar to the aliens are taking over the planet. On the shorter Caribbean cruises (particularly to the Western Caribbean) we suspect the percentage of missed ports would be higher due to unsheltered ports and weather conditions that can really work against cruise ships.

 

Hank

[broberts]

I'm not sure how useful such a database could be. I am sure that an accurate one is not likely. Principally because it would require every cruise line to actively participate and I don't see how it would make them any money or enhance their customer service.

 

There really isn't a need for such a database. A few simple guidelines should suffice.

• Tender ports are more likely than docked ports to have cancelled calls.
  
• Docks on open water and/or with tricky approaches are more likely to have cancelled calls than ones in sheltered areas.
  
• Ports in troubled areas of the world may also get a pass from time to time.
  

Weather is probably the factor that causes the most cancellations - high winds, choppy seas, hurricanes, etc. Sailing in the Caribbean during hurricane season for example, is far more likely to involve missed ports than the same voyage in January.

 

Medical emergencies and to a much lesser extent mechanical emergencies are simply random factors that can't be predicted with any accuracy.

[cruzeluver]

In 15 cruises we have missed Grand Cayman twice (made it once) and thought we would miss Colon, Panama but did make it, albeit several hours late.

[paul929207]

With 30 cruises and almost 500 days, we have only missed three ports.

 

In 2009, we missed the Seychelles because of the risk of pirates.

 

This year, we missed the Falklands and Nicaragua because rough seas made tendering unsafe.

[dsrdsrdsr]

In (at a guess) 30-35 weeks at sea, I've missed Vigo (strong winds in the Bay of Biscay), Livorno (stong winds), Roatan (stroppy customs officials in Los Angeles causing a day's delay), and two ports in Greenland (one because strong winds made manouevering tricky in a ship with no bow thrusters, the other because it was so still that the harbour was full of bergy bits of ice).

 

I promise you neither the LA customs officials, nor the floating ice, will affect you in the Caribbean. ;) Maybe you're just unlucky - is your middle name Jonah?