Tropical storm itinerary changes

[erinm03]

Has anyone had Carnival change their itinerary for a tropical storm before? We are cruising from NOLA to Cozumel and Progreso on Monday, and we're anticipating a lot of bad weather.... Any idea what Carnival would do if the seas are too dangerous?:confused:

[Mutumbojimbo]

It's probably a challenge on a 5 day from New Orleans but maybe they could get as far as Grand Cayman or Key West. They'll do what they need to make sure you're safe and have fun.

 

 

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[loubetti]

However they change things as to schedule, it is not a guarantee that you might not experience a bit of rough weather. Ships can take a heck of a weather pounding- passengers; many, not so much. :D

[kctwinmommy]

Yep! We were on a 7 day out of Port Canaveral last November. We were supposed to go to St. Thomas after the Bahamas, but there was a tropical depression and we were diverted to Amber Cove, Dominican Republic. It didn't bother us much, only 1 in our group had been to DR before, and a different area. We just spent the day at a resort nearby. It was nice. There was a little bit more movement on the ship that night, but nothing that bothered any of us.

 

Although there was a group on the ship who were not happy... They were supposed to be in St. Thomas for a wedding. I don't think they were getting married, I think the bride and groom were already there, this group was just meeting them there. Either way, no matter what, their trip was definitely screwed up, but that's what happens. I would never leave such an important even to such chance like that. Ships get diverted and changed pretty often it seems.

[dolphin2012]

We are suppose to leave sunday out of Galveston for our 6 carnival cruise. Just got the letter that the schedule may change. We have had it happen before on the way back but never to start. Do yall think they will delay it a day.. Having to drive to Galveston thru floods is already a challenge. Now I'm starting to worry.. what do you think would be more likely to happen since we haven't left yet.. thanks for any ideas...

[ABQrobin]

Yes.......... last summer, out of Miami on the Glory. We were suposed to do Eastern Carib and ended up doing the Western Carib due to a hurricane headed for St Thomas with another right behind it.

Lots of people on the ship were b*** the whole trip, but we just were glad to be on vacation even though we had already done all those ports. It is what it is, roll with it. I would NOT want to have been hit with that hurricane, even though it did fizzle out.... it would have rained the whole trip regardless, and that is no fun. We, instead, had one of our best cruises ever, every port fantastic weather and fun.

[JohnSpo]

A few years back on Victory out of Miami, we were in port at St Thomas. A tropical storm was brewing. Our next port was St Maarten . Just after our ship left St Thomas, the shipped stopped. The Captain said he was reviewing the weather situation. Shortly he said he decided to change ports to Nassau due to the tropical storm and we went north. I made it to St Maarten on my next cruise on Triumph.

 

We did not get any OBC. We did get a credit of about $16.00 to cover the reduced port charges.

 

I didn't hear any complaints and we had a great port day in Nassau.:cool:

[kctwinmommy]

Yes.......... last summer, out of Miami on the Glory. We were suposed to do Eastern Carib and ended up doing the Western Carib due to a hurricane headed for St Thomas with another right behind it.

Lots of people on the ship were b*** the whole trip, but we just were glad to be on vacation even though we had already done all those ports. It is what it is, roll with it. I would NOT want to have been hit with that hurricane, even though it did fizzle out.... it would have rained the whole trip regardless, and that is no fun. We, instead, had one of our best cruises ever, every port fantastic weather and fun.

 

I don't get why people act like that! As if the ships have any control over the weather! They need to make sure everyone is as safe as possible.

[KoalaWala]

Liberty today has had a schedule change.

 

Carnival Liberty, Carnival Breeze, Carnival Dream, Carnival Paradise and Carnival Triumph

 

We have been closely monitoring an area of tropical low pressure that has developed in the western Caribbean. For Carnival Liberty sailing today, we are reversing the sequence of our port visits in order for us to keep a safe distance from the storm.

 

At this time, no other changes have been made to any other sailings this weekend. We're keeping our fingers crossed the storm will not impact our plans.

 

However, we know that storms can be very unpredictable. So, to stay up to date on any changes that may affect our departure, port closures, and weather updates, we encourage you to sign up for text alerts by texting the below to CRUISE (278473).

 

CCL1 for Carnival Breeze

CCL2 for Carnival Dream

CCL3 for Carnival Paradise

CCL4 for Carnival Triumph

[travler27]

I don't get why people act like that! As if the ships have any control over the weather! They need to make sure everyone is as safe as possible.

 

Folks who just have to go to a particular port or a specific itinerary should not cruise during hurricane season.

[fivemonkeysplus1]

So what happens if you have excursions that aren't through carnival? That you pay for, at least partially.

[KoalaWala]

Folks who just have to go to a particular port or a specific itinerary should not cruise during hurricane season.

 

Get all the complainers on one ship and just sail it into the middle of a storm. Then we can listen to them complain on why the itinerary wasn't changed.

[erinm03]

Thanks for all the replies! I'm one of those who is happy to just be on a ship, so I don't really care if our itinerary changes. It's kind of exciting that we could maybe go to a surprise port! Just hope we'll get some sunshine

[kctwinmommy]

So what happens if you have excursions that aren't through carnival? That you pay for, at least partially.

 

No idea! You could be out of the money you paid. You would have to read the contract you probably agree to when you purchase the excursion. We have always purchased through Carnival when we do an actual excursion. Otherwise, we just explore the city we're in. I just like the little extra piece of mind knowing that they have a guarantee.

[kctwinmommy]

Thanks for all the replies! I'm one of those who is happy to just be on a ship, so I don't really care if our itinerary changes. It's kind of exciting that we could maybe go to a surprise port! Just hope we'll get some sunshine

 

I'm with you! We haven't ever really planned on one BIG thing that would be disappointing if we didn't get there. At least when it comes to Caribbean ones. Now, our Alsasa one, that's different. There are certainly some excursions that we can't get anywhere else. ;)

[WLHyatt]

So what happens if you have excursions that aren't through carnival? That you pay for, at least partially.

 

Most third party companies follow these changes and if you make the port will take care of you. If you don't make the port you usually will have to request a refund somehow. It is usually included in the paperwork.

[SMSACE6]

I have been booking cruises in Sept, Oct, and Nov, since I first started cruising back in 1999. The only time that I had a possible itin change was in 2010, when I was scheduled for a western Caribbean cruise out of Port Everglades. On checkin we were advised that the schedule was changed to an eastern itin, and I was ok with that, because I love both eastern and western itins, and know going in that last minute changes are possible. In that case, once on board and shortly before sail away, an announcement was made that the storm had fizzled and we were back on for the western itin.

 

I am just happy that they will adjust and sail around the storms, and to me the ports, while an important part of my cruise experience, is always something that I know can change any time, before, or even after the cruise starts.

[travler27]

So what happens if you have excursions that aren't through carnival? That you pay for, at least partially.

 

You have to pay for your own mistakes. If you don't want to take the risk then book thru the cruise line. You know and accept the risks if you book on your own.

[fivemonkeysplus1]

You have to pay for your own mistakes. If you don't want to take the risk then book thru the cruise line. You know and accept the risks if you book on your own.

 

:rolleyes: Lol, implying that booking 3rd party is mistake is silly. Booking an outside vendor saves money and generally gives a better experience. I'm OK with losing a small deposit, just didn't know if anyone had experienced this issue before.

[BlazinSunsets]

I am always glad to be on a cruise ship but if my upcoming west itinerary was changed to eastern I would be bummed out. I would never blame carnival but you would still here me whining about it, it would be more whining about the stupid weather, though I would never whine about how we should go headfirst into a storm. Most people have been anticipating thier itinerary for a year, can't really blame them for being upset.

[SMSACE6]

From what I have read here on Cruise Critic, reputable local tour companies will refund your money, in the case that your ship does not dock/port for any reason.

[dezertcruzer]

So what happens if you have excursions that aren't through carnival? That you pay for, at least partially.

 

In 2008 (?), I think it was, on the Carnival Liberty, we had an excursion planned with Sunny Liston tours in St. Thomas, but, due to Hurricane Ike, we were redirected to the western route. Of course, the excursion vendors and companies are well aware when a scheduled ship doesn't make a port, and this was no difference. By the time we got home and I was able to check e-mails, we already had a cancellation confirmation from Sunny and our deposit had already been credited back to our credit card. We did his tour the next year!

[cyntil8ing]

So what happens if you have excursions that aren't through carnival? That you pay for, at least partially.

 

Last year, our cruise was rerouted not once, but twice. This was on RCCL, but I am sure Carnival is the same.

 

Our original itinerary was St. Maarten, St. Kitts, Antigua, St. Lucia and Barbados. Before we left, it was changed to St. Maarten, Aruba, Bonaire and St. Thomas. While we were in Bonaire, St. Thomas was changed to Curacao. We had great weather except for the final sea day.

 

We had booked private excursions in St. Kitts, St. Lucia and Barbados. We had not prepaid, only put a deposit on one. It was refunded with no issues whatsoever. I always read the fine print so I knew if the ship missed the port, it was no problem.

 

We are trying again this August, including all three excursions we had booked but didn't get to go.

 

On a different cruise, four years ago, we missed Grand Turk, where we had a private snorkeling excursion 100% prepaid. They refunded all except a $10 fee. In truth, I could have submitted that to our trip insurance provider (we always get insurance!), but I didn't want to be bothered with gathering the proof for a small amount.

[EdmundXXIII]

A couple years ago I was on the Liberty during Hurricane Cristobal. We were headed east and it was headed west and we were moving straight for it. They took the ship South and sailed around it, and we hit all the same ports but in reverse order, following the storm all the way.

[OCruisers]

Once on the ship, you're fine. Your itinerary might be changed to avoid bad seas.

The big problem is if the hurricane or tropical storm is hitting your embarkation/disembarkation port. With flights cancelled or driving ... either is a REAL problem even getting to the ship. :(