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Stops at San Juan cancelled for 2020/2021 season!

cube1982

By cube1982,
in Royal Caribbean International

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Anita Latte

Anita Latte

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Posted

I'm not sure it's accurate to say that anyone is against any plan. What is concerning is the lack of communication about any plan. The only information that has been released was the Request for Qualifications to vet any bidders to enter into the RFP process. The proposals are not being made public and so plans are all speculation. Since the new contractor will be the one setting the port fees in order to get a ROI for all their work in the port...I can see how Royal and other cruise lines are reluctant to plan on the port when they don't know what the port services will be like nor what the fees to use said services could be.

 

Meanwhile...locals that benefit from tourist dollars can be concerned that ships don't come into San Juan at all or that if they do, the port itself may detract from business coming their way.

 

But the point is that it is all being kept under wraps and people don't really know...so it would be more accurate to say that people are concerned about the process itself and not really any plan at this point.

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John&LaLa "Live from...." Rare

John&LaLa

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29 minutes ago, Aviator of the Seas said:

One additional comment for now.  The same uproar in San Juan happened when they moved the Adventure to Europe during the summers some years ago.  "It was OUR ship!!" Local travel agencies are the most affected.

 

Personally - and I am a local from San Juan so I think I can comment on this - I never thought that the Freedom in San Juan would ever be profitable in the summers.  Packing it 4 to a stateroom, most of whom just consume the basics and don't buy into drink packages or shore excursions, wasn't very sustainable.  Been there, seen it.  Not judging, but that's the reality. I personally decided to stop cruising on the Freedom because of the crowding issue, not being able to predict which sailings didn't have kids sail free, or BOGO sales.

 

A better fit for San Juan has always been a Voyager-class ship year round, and adding a Radiance class in the winter.

 

JMHO, again, as a local.

 

Nice take on the reality of summer cruising on Freedom out of SJ. When I make those comments,  I get shot down.

 

On another point, isn't the Captain of Freedom the son of the current port manager?

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Aviator of the Seas

Aviator of the Seas

Posted
Posted (edited)
8 minutes ago, John&LaLa said:

 

Nice take on the reality of summer cruising on Freedom out of SJ. When I make those comments,  I get shot down.

 

On another point, isn't the Captain of Freedom the son of the current port manager?

Captain Busto was the Captain of the Adventure.  When I was on the Freedom we had a different Captain, but now that you mention it, yes, I think he is also heading up the Freedom as well.  And yes, he is the son of a long established Port Agent in San Juan.  It is a very well respected local mariner family. But they don't manage the ports per se.  They are port agents and they deal with logistics for cruise, cargo and military vessels, not port management. 

 

Disclaimer - I also work in the industry, although on CC I am here as a cruiser.

Edited by Aviator of the Seas
Clarification
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orville99 "Live from...." Rare

orville99

Posted
Posted (edited)
48 minutes ago, Aviator of the Seas said:

Bingo!

We will be booking a September 2021 Western on Allure next week when we're on Rhapsody that has both Labadee AND Coco Cay on it.

Edited by orville99
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Ivy86

Ivy86

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The tourism office in PR was taken by surprise today by RCCL. They didn’t see it coming . All the news outlets in PR are talking about the issue. Carnival will probably follow . Not good news for the tourism in the island.

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Drock20J Great Review Rare

Drock20J

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1 hour ago, Tony O said:

" We have no plans at this time to cancel any sailings out of Puerto Rico. Sorry for any confusion. -Paula"

1. Love the profile Pic. SCV is amazing!

2. Some of my favorite cruises were out of PR, so I am glad to hear nothing is changing. Though I would not be upset if they made the terminal a little more interactive/friendly.

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Anita Latte

Anita Latte

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28 minutes ago, Host Clarea said:

Does this potential new project only affect the Pan American pier, or does it also apply to the piers in OSJ?

 

"The assets to be put out to concession include piers No. 1, 3, 4, 11 and 14, and the so-called Pan American piers, as well as the quay wall and walkways located between piers No.1, 2, 3 and 4."

https://www.bnamericas.com/en/news/puerto-rico-looking-to-award-cruise-terminal-concession1

 

https://caribbeanbusiness.com/stakeholders-question-puerto-rico-ports-public-private-partnership/

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Clarea

Clarea

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5 minutes ago, Anita Latte said:

 

"The assets to be put out to concession include piers No. 1, 3, 4, 11 and 14, and the so-called Pan American piers, as well as the quay wall and walkways located between piers No.1, 2, 3 and 4."

https://www.bnamericas.com/en/news/puerto-rico-looking-to-award-cruise-terminal-concession1

 

https://caribbeanbusiness.com/stakeholders-question-puerto-rico-ports-public-private-partnership/

 

Wow, the entire infrastructure for cruise ships.  Big job!

 

Thanks for the info.

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orville99 "Live from...." Rare

orville99

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31 minutes ago, Ivy86 said:

More than 90 stops cancel by Royal Caribbean due to a privatization issue with the port authority in SJ . I wonder if the allure Cancel the  stop there in January 9 . 🤔 

Not sure about the Allure, but we have three 2020 cruises on Harmony (February, May, and September) that all have San Juan as one of the port stops. Would be very happy if any of them switched to a different port stop.:classic_wink:

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Anita Latte

Anita Latte

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30 minutes ago, Host Clarea said:

 

Wow, the entire infrastructure for cruise ships.  Big job!

 

Thanks for the info.

 

Yes...I can imagine how frustrating it would be from Royal's perspective to be shut out of the planning process. That's why I wonder if the announcement to cancel stops there is just strategy on Royal's part. I'm not well versed in what it takes and who has to be notified to change a port stop. But I'm imagining that changing a port stop is relatively simple compared to changing a home port and so Royal likely has quite a bit of leeway in implementing their strategy here before they have to take real action to make any changes that would affect passenger itineraries.

 

As always is the case with cruise travel...everyone should know their cancelation policies for any excursions!

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Ourusualbeach

Ourusualbeach

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3 minutes ago, not-enough-cruising said:

Yet the director of the AAPP confirms cancellation of as many as 90 stops. 

Do not be surprised if it turns out to be figure stops in 2021 and 2022 that were never available for sale.  That’s when the Freedom is missing her stops.  Pretty sure that it is a reduction on stops over prior years. 

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orville99 "Live from...." Rare

orville99

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17 minutes ago, cube1982 said:

Just got this as a response.....Screenshot_20191126-103933.thumb.png.fdae24409c85a38429492acca014e2d1.png

Not at all surprising statement. The last place any company would choose to acknowledge such a drastic shift in future operations would be on a social media site (unless you're Elon Musk that is).

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mommao729

mommao729

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Posted

I also heard back from royal. I have a cruise out of San Juan March of 2020. 

 

I read the articles and it says 30 cruises from San Juan will also be cancelled. So I sent a Facebook message to them asking why we aren’t being informed by royal. That I am booked and expected to make final payment December 30th. Have airfare & hotel reserved. They responded with my cruise isn’t cancelled 

 

i wouldnt bet on that. So I will be watching this and waiting to see if royal explains how it will impact those of us who are booked. 

 

They also said that after drydock freedom will be going back to San Juan where she will stay till going to cape liberty. We will see. 

 

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brillohead "Live from...." Rare

brillohead

Posted
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10 minutes ago, mommao729 said:

I also heard back from royal. I have a cruise out of San Juan March of 2020. 

 

I read the articles and it says 30 cruises from San Juan will also be cancelled. So I sent a Facebook message to them asking why we aren’t being informed by royal. That I am booked and expected to make final payment December 30th. Have airfare & hotel reserved. They responded with my cruise isn’t cancelled 

 

i wouldnt bet on that. So I will be watching this and waiting to see if royal explains how it will impact those of us who are booked. 


Royal isn't going to cancel a cruise that is that close to leaving... it would be a major hassle to try to find a new homeport and deal with the PR nightmare.

Your cruise isn't cancelled, and you don't need to be worried about anything.  Sheesh.

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