45 days untill our Caribbean cruise!! How often do cruise itineraries change last minute?

[Cruise newbie Barbara]

Hi all! Soon going on our first Celebrity Cruise to the Caribbean. I was wondering how often do cruise itineraries change last minute? I am planning some shore excursions without refund so wanted to now how sure we can be of this planning. Thanks!

[spotte]

3 hours ago, Cruise newbie Barbara said:

Hi all! Soon going on our first Celebrity Cruise to the Caribbean. I was wondering how often do cruise itineraries change last minute? I am planning some shore excursions without refund so wanted to now how sure we can be of this planning. Thanks!

Typically they will only change if there are weather events that preclude the ship from going to the island (hurricanes or extremely windy), or if the ship experiences some kind of propulsion issues. Usually, if a ship does not make it to a port, the excursion company will refund the money. 

[Cruise Gopher]

3 hours ago, Cruise newbie Barbara said:

Hi all! Soon going on our first Celebrity Cruise to the Caribbean. I was wondering how often do cruise itineraries change last minute? I am planning some shore excursions without refund so wanted to now how sure we can be of this planning. Thanks!

What ports are you scheduled to stop at?

[jelayne]

Ask the tour operator what the policy is if the ship is not able to dock, any reputable operator will refund in that situation.

 

How far in advance do you have to pay and is there anytime frame when you can cancel and any payment refunded.  We have had tours where we paid in advance but can get a refund if we cancel, sometimes within 7 days other times within 48 hours. I would be ver pay uncomfortable with the tour operator who has a absolute no refund policy.

[davekathy]

45 minutes ago, spotte said:

Typically they will only change if there are weather events that preclude the ship from going to the island (hurricanes or extremely windy), or if the ship experiences some kind of propulsion issues. Usually, if a ship does not make it to a port, the excursion company will refund the money. 

Your itinerary can change even during the cruise missing ports. 

[go.without.you]

I was on a cruise when a hurricane was heading up the East coast. Our itinerary changed so many times before we even boarded the ship. The day before we were supposed to be in Tortola (change from the original itinerary) we were sent to Port Canaveral. I was in the spa right after a massage when the announcement came on and I almost screamed out loud "NOOOOOO!!!!!". 

 

From that trip on I always considered the ports of call as a "plan that may change at any time".

[DCPIV]

It's rare, but it happens. Any time you book privately, you just have to be prepared to lose it. As mentioned, many operators have refund policies, but there really isn't much to motivate them to refund beyond goodwill and strong character (and, perhaps, filling a dispute with the credit card).

[Homosassa]

10 minutes ago, go.without.you said:

 

 

From that trip on I always considered the ports of call as a "plan that may change at any time".

This.

 

Keep in mind that the itinerary published months (years) out from a cruise date is basically a place holder for what the cruise line plans on happening.  Some of the changes may occur before you arrive at the ship. Some will occur as you sit at breakfast waiting for the all clear to debark in port.

 

Many things can change an itinerary or the time arriving and departing a port.  Among the reasons cruises I have been on have changed the schedule are:

 

1. Ship did a rescue at sea.

2. Medical emergency requiring a course change for a medical evacuation.

3. Damage to a pier by another ship.

4. Civil unrest.

5. Weather or tide related - many different conditions under this category.

6. Natural disaster at the port or island (land slide, volcano eruption, flooding, etc.)

6. Citizens at  the port  have decided to limit the number of cruise ship passengers.

7. Disease outbreak on board ship leading to port's refusal to allow ship to dock.

 

The list can go on.

[D C]

45 days out during hurricane season makes no Caribbean ports a sure thing.  

But ports don't change without good reason.

[RedIguana]

If I am cruising with my daughter...no problem. If I am cruising with the wife, I expect their to be changes while on the ship. She is 0 for 4 on our last 4 cruises together on keeping same itinerary......

[Arizona Wildcat]

1 hour ago, Homosassa said:

This.

 

Keep in mind that the itinerary published months (years) out from a cruise date is basically a place holder for what the cruise line plans on happening.  Some of the changes may occur before you arrive at the ship. Some will occur as you sit at breakfast waiting for the all clear to debark in port.

 

Many things can change an itinerary or the time arriving and departing a port.  Among the reasons cruises I have been on have changed the schedule are:

 

1. Ship did a rescue at sea.

2. Medical emergency requiring a course change for a medical evacuation.

3. Damage to a pier by another ship.

4. Civil unrest.

5. Weather or tide related - many different conditions under this category.

6. Natural disaster at the port or island (land slide, volcano eruption, flooding, etc.)

6. Citizens at  the port  have decided to limit the number of cruise ship passengers.

7. Disease outbreak on board ship leading to port's refusal to allow ship to dock.

 

The list can go on.

Excellent list.  In our last 5 Celebrity cruises we have had 4 missed ports.  2 due to weather, 1 to a dockage issue and one a medical emergency.  For all we were notified 24 hours or less before our planned stop.

On private tours read the fine print.  The tour operator sets the refund rules.   In the past on a missed port they have varied from full to no refund.  I am seeing many operators moving to a 10-20%  non refundable booking fee.

[D C]

In 12+ cruises we've had 2 missed ports, both due to weather.  Coco Cay and Costa Maya.  Captain Kate waved off Costa Maya and high-tailed it to Cozumel. Got there after dinner and spent the night and next day. 

 

But we also sailed an Eastern in November 2017 after the double-punch of hurricanes Irma and Maria.  Our planned ports changed a TON after the storms hit.  That was a when we were supposed to visit Coco Cay on the Silhouette. Too windy to tender. 

[davekathy]

Our 21 September NE/Canada Summit cruise we missed three ports (Saint John NB, Sydney NS and Charlottetown PEI) due to the damage from Fiona. That cruise was the only cruise that we experienced an itinerary change due to weather while on the cruise. 

[WrittenOnYourHeart]

In Feb 2020, I was on the Edge and Captain Kate made a day before call to skip Costa Maya due to a bus driver (and maybe taxi drivers too?) strike that was causing unrest. The Reflection had docked the day before we were scheduled to and there was so much disruption reported she made the call to head to Cozumel that evening so we were docked overnight.

 

I agree with checking with the tour operator if the no refund applies even if the ship cannot dock - that is no fault of your own, and I'd steer clear of any operator who would hold you responsible for that and not refund your money.

[Cruise newbie Barbara]

Thank you all for the replies! Overall it seems that itineraries do change, but there needs to be a reason for it (for example bad weather). Seems that experiences with actual changes varies. 

 

Thanks for the advice to check or discuss with the tour operator to refund. They normally not refund but they will see that in case anything changes if they have availability on a different day. I guess it is a gamble for this one port that I am going to take...

@davekathy, the ports are St Kitts, Barbados, Martinique, St Lucia, Antigua. Are there any ports more difficult with hurricane season/ bad weather?

[davekathy]

4 hours ago, Cruise newbie Barbara said:

Thank you all for the replies! Overall it seems that itineraries do change, but there needs to be a reason for it (for example bad weather). Seems that experiences with actual changes varies. 

 

Thanks for the advice to check or discuss with the tour operator to refund. They normally not refund but they will see that in case anything changes if they have availability on a different day. I guess it is a gamble for this one port that I am going to take...

@davekathy, the ports are St Kitts, Barbados, Martinique, St Lucia, Antigua. Are there any ports more difficult with hurricane season/ bad weather?

No personal experience cruising during the hurricane season (June to November) in the Caribbean but all the Caribbean ports are subject to bad weather that possibly could effect intinaries. Mother nature is always in charge. Wear your rose colored glasses, always keep your glass full and adjust accordingly. 😍🍷

Edited October 7, 2022 by davekathy

[cangelmd]

4 hours ago, Cruise newbie Barbara said:

Thank you all for the replies! Overall it seems that itineraries do change, but there needs to be a reason for it (for example bad weather). Seems that experiences with actual changes varies. 

 

Thanks for the advice to check or discuss with the tour operator to refund. They normally not refund but they will see that in case anything changes if they have availability on a different day. I guess it is a gamble for this one port that I am going to take...

@davekathy, the ports are St Kitts, Barbados, Martinique, St Lucia, Antigua. Are there any ports more difficult with hurricane season/ bad weather?

I guess we have worse luck than most, because we’ve had changes on at least one out each three cruises we take. Our only transatlantic so far, we took an extra day for the crossing, so every port changed dates and one was dropped. I don’t pay much attention on Caribbean cruises because we don’t get off the ship all that often, depending on itinerary.

 I have only lost money on a private excursion once, and the operator offered a voucher, but I never claimed it because I knew it would be a long time before I was back in Nassau.

Right now in 2022, I would/have leaned more toward Celeb excursions over private, just because there’s a lot of uncertainty right now and the Celeb excursions are easier to get refunded or rescheduled - you’re on vacation, do you really need more hassles? But, even with that, some private excursions are worth the worry. By 2023, the whole travel industry may be more back to normal and the uncertainty less.

Edited October 7, 2022 by cangelmd

[Cruise newbie Barbara]

On 10/6/2022 at 2:02 PM, Cruise Gopher said:

What ports are you scheduled to stop at?

The ports are St Kitts, Barbados, Martinique, St Lucia, Antigua. Are there any ports more difficult with hurricane season/ bad weather?

[phoenix_dream]

It all depends on the weather and other conditions as noted above.  Your ports aren't tender ports so they aren't subject to cancellations due to sea conditions like Grand Cayman for example.  Any island tour director worth my money would offer refunds if for some reason the ship cannot dock.  I would never book with one who did not, on principle if nothing else.  I suggest double checking their policies.  Virtually all of them who generally will not allow cancellations will make an exception if the ship can't dock.  

[upwarduk]

2 hours ago, cangelmd said:

Right now in 2022, I would/have leaned more toward Celeb excursions over private,

That’s why we use Celebrity excursions.

In 2018, we were denied entry to St Petersburg,  due to high winds.

Celebrity immediately refunded our excursions cost to our credit card.

After disembarkation, we were talking to someone who had booked their excursions via their Travel Agent. They were going to contact them, to hopefully get them their money for missed  tours, refunded.

[Jim_Iain]

I would say that a change to a port or missing a port is relatively infrequent but by this I mean maybe as high as 15%. As listed above Weather is probably the number 1 cause, this can also include high winds and high seas which make it unsafe to dock or tender. 

 

Ive been on a number of cruises that due to a medical evacuation we were either late or diverted to an alternate destination.

 

I have also been on cruises where a port was caused by labor issues and demonstrations.   One cruise we missed a port Limon because a bus on a Carnival cruise had been attacked by pirates and a 70 year old ex marine jumped the 20 year old attacker put in a headlock and killed him.  https://abcnews.go.com/GMA/story?id=2901148&page=1

 

Our captain determined it was safest not to dock the next day so we spent a day at sea.

Edited October 7, 2022 by Jim_Iain

[Orator]

Many ports have been changed while on the ship. These include: Israel, Egypt,Turkey, Grand Cayman, Key West among them. Cancelled because of weather, emergency or terrorism. Safety is the primary concern. Never pay for a tour in advance and beware of a company that demands full payment in advance. This is a real red flag!

[Charles4515]

29 minutes ago, upwarduk said:

n 2018, we were denied entry to St Petersburg,  due to high winds.

Celebrity immediately refunded our excursions cost to our credit card.

After disembarkation, we were talking to someone who had booked their excursions via their Travel Agent. They were going to contact them, to hopefully get them their money for missed  tours, refunded.

 

I booked an independent excursion in St. Petersburg and if the port was canceled it would have been no problem. They did not collect the fee until the end. I always book independently and most had either a refund policy if the ship canceled or did not collect until the end. What is common in the Caribbean is that they take your credit card number but don't charge you until the excursion or they take your card to hold the excursioon but ask you to pay cash. 

[Charles4515]

26 minutes ago, Orator said:

Many ports have been changed while on the ship. These include: Israel, Egypt,Turkey, Grand Cayman, Key West among them. Cancelled because of weather, emergency or terrorism. Safety is the primary concern. Never pay for a tour in advance and beware of a company that demands full payment in advance. This is a real red flag!

 

Grand Cayman is often canceled but the operator I used there for Stingrays a few times never charged our card unless we actually arrived at their office and gave them the physical card.They know the ships often miss that port and don't want to dscourage bookings. St. Lucia tour  operator took our card number but did not charge us when the ship canceled do to dock work. All they asked was to be notified. Bonaire snorkel excusion two of our family got sick and only I could go they did not charge them. I read the fine print and never had an issue. 

[Dreamer68]

18 hours ago, Cruise newbie Barbara said:

Thank you all for the replies! Overall it seems that itineraries do change, but there needs to be a reason for it (for example bad weather). Seems that experiences with actual changes varies. 

 

Thanks for the advice to check or discuss with the tour operator to refund. They normally not refund but they will see that in case anything changes if they have availability on a different day. I guess it is a gamble for this one port that I am going to take...

@davekathy, the ports are St Kitts, Barbados, Martinique, St Lucia, Antigua. Are there any ports more difficult with hurricane season/ bad weather?

I've been keeping an eye on the hurricanes as we're looking for a last minute deal in November. There's a Hurricane Zone section here on the forum board that's been SUPER helpful. I check that board every few days for updates. Enjoy your cruise!