Heads Up If you Have to Get Off Early!

[Paulxyz2004]

But you did pay for the cruise. You're entitled to the 20 credits.

 

 

While you might feel they deserve those Points, which I btw totally agree with, they were not entitled to get the credits.

 

Credits are given for sailed nights and are not recorded and applied until the completion of the cruise. Having paid for a cruise has nothing to do with this.

 

I think it was a good move and the right Thing to do from RCI, but there is just no such Thing as an entitlement.

[jimdalva]

OK No one else has said it so I will, Why did the folks at home even call you. I understand that once you were made aware of the emergency your vacation was over (you cant un ring the bell) BUT Unless you alone could solve this family emergency, it probably could have waited for your return.

I'm glade things turned out OK happy sailing in the future

[thinfool]

So then what happens if someone is on a cruise in Alaska and misses their ship in Skagway, so they rent a car and catch up with the ship in Ketchikan? Although I guess, though, the cruise line then knows that they got back on board and didn't just disembark...

 

This question needs it's own thread.

[rubrrick]

The PVSA is NOT the Jones Act. The PVSA is the Passenger Vessel Services Act of 1886 and the Jones act is the Merchant Marine Act of 1920 and deals specifically with transportation of cargo.

 

Interesting, as even Royal Caribbean, in their version of "Shortened cruises"

states: "In the U.S., the cabotage law applicable to the cruise industry is commonly called the Jones Act but is legally titled the Passengers Services Act. A brief summary of this U.S. law follows: "

 

This is what Merion Mom was trying to say earlier. Some of the regular cruisers here know the difference, but many do not.;)

 

Rick

[MrsPete]

OK No one else has said it so I will, Why did the folks at home even call you. I understand that once you were made aware of the emergency your vacation was over (you cant un ring the bell) BUT Unless you alone could solve this family emergency, it probably could have waited for your return.

I'm glade things turned out OK happy sailing in the future

Yeah, I was wondering too. I've been in that situation -- twice, actually:

 

We took a vacation (not a cruise) for our 15th wedding anniversary, and my grandfather died suddenly on the next-to-last day. My mother chose NOT to call and tell us. When we arrived home, we were forced to jump through hoops to be at the memorial service the very next day, but I think she made the right choice. As it was, we were able to enjoy our last day of vacation and drive home with an easy mind. If we had been home, we could not have changed the course of events.

 

Another time, we took our nieces on a cruise. Their grandfather on the other side of the family, who had been ill for a long, long time, took a turn for the worse and died probably about the time we were returning to the port. Once we were in the van and headed for home, I called their mom to tell them what time we'd left . . . and she told me the news but asked me not to tell the girls. Not knowing allowed them to enjoy the drive home with their cousins. If they had known, they would have been tremendously sad on the 10-hour drive, but they could have done nothing productive. Their parents opted to welcome them home and hear their stories about a wonderful trip . . . and then they told them about their grandfather the next morning, in their own home, where they could be comforted and could help with preparations. Again, I think their mother made the right choice.

 

If you're giving a kidney or if you are a heart surgeon, by all means, move heaven and earth to get home to your loved ones! But the reality is that most of us cannot do much to improve a situation, and getting home mid-point from a cruise is neither easy nor cheap -- and most of us can't make a situation any better by our presence.

[pearlie]

In late March, early April, we were notified of my Uncle's death 3 days into our 2nd leg of our b2b on the Freedom. It was Tuesday in Labadee and the funeral was Friday.

I immediately went to guest services desk to let them know that we needed to disembark in Grand Camyman. We chose not to get off in Jamaica, due to safety reasons, did not feel safe 2 women traveling alone. Our travel agent made arrangements for us for flights. Believe me, this was the last thing i wanted to do. We needed to settle up our account that morning and get a pass for getting off the ship. As we were about to leave, our TA called to say Cayman AIR has cancelled our flight and to stay put.

American had a flight leaving in the early afternoon, so we did disembark. We had help from the guest services staff all the way thru customs and immigration. Drew Thomas, the illusionist entertainer on the Freedom was leaving also and was very encouraging.

If I had my choice I would not have come home. I spent my big birthday traveling home 14 hours. We did have insurance and have already received our money back for the flights and missed cruise days. We were not reimbursed for the unused airfare from Orlando to home, but I am satisfied.

My biggest tips are to take the cruise line up on their offer to use the ship phones ( my cell bill was enormous) and to always have insurance! Having a fabulous travel agent made all the difference for us also.