'Port Congestion' strikes again. Another itinerary change for Regal Jan 21, 2024

[t18c97]

It was noticed tonight that the 1/25 port of call is now Belize City and not Roatan.

[Paula_MacFan]

I just stumbled across the change in itineray for our upcoming Regal cruise January 21 from Galveston.  We were supposed to be in Roatan at Mahogany Bay on Thursday January 25, but will now call on Belize instead.  I have been watching the website port schedule ever since  @Host CJSKIDS thread on her last minute itinerary changes.  The Regal has never shown on the Mahogany Bay website port schedule since it was released for 2024 several weeks ago, so obviously Princess has known about this change for some time.  I thought it was unlikely we would actually dock in MB since another Carnival ship was scheduled to be there with 6,500 potential passengers.  

 

I have yet to be notified by Princess of this change and only saw it when I logged into the Personalizer. 

 

My booked excursions for MB are gone so I will wait for my refund.   No excursions are yet available for Belize.  

 

My Travel Summary now says:  'Itinerary Change:  Please be advised that due to cruise ship congestion in Roatan, Honduras, Regal Princess will no longer call to Roatan on Thursday, January 25, 2024.  Instead we will now visit Belize City, Belize, from 7:00AM to 5:00PM on the same day.'

[Host CJSKIDS]

@Paula_MacFanI'm so sorry to hear they did this to you as well.  I'm honestly not quite sure whey they just don't tell us earlier.  They notified us a few days prior and it was blamed on port congestion in Cozumel, yet there were actually 7 ships rather than 6 that could handle thousands more people.  

 

Hopefully you are able to figure out what else to since your excursions are gone.  

 

Hope you have the greatest cruise!

[Paula_MacFan]

6 minutes ago, Host CJSKIDS said:

@Paula_MacFanI'm so sorry to hear they did this to you as well.  I'm honestly not quite sure whey they just don't tell us earlier.  They notified us a few days prior and it was blamed on port congestion in Cozumel, yet there were actually 7 ships rather than 6 that could handle thousands more people.  

 

Hopefully you are able to figure out what else to since your excursions are gone.  

 

Hope you have the greatest cruise!

 

Thanks!  I am actually fine with the port change.  We've been to Belize before but it was a long time ago so I'm sure we'll find something to do.  I'm just annoyed that Princess has obviously known about this 'port congestion' for some time but has yet to notify anyone.  Until today they were still selling Mahogany Bay beach activity excursions, which seems rather disingenuous.  

[Wishing on a star]

I am not understanding this 'congestion' reason or excuse.

These port,  their port authorities, know how many berths they have... They know how many ships the island/country will allow.  And the schedule can be set up months and even a year in advance?

It would be interesting to know what is going on.

 

The inaugural cruise, the SUN Princess next month, will have to skip Santorini, and call on Crete.

I am not sure why they are announcing this weeks instead of months in advance?

Did Santorini not contact any affected cruise companies before now, that they would be closing the cable-car lift?   Perhaps inspection made them see the need to do maintenance and repair sooner than later...

 

(Glad I didn't book that, because of the possibility of cold or unsettled weather.  Santorini was one of a couple of stops that were truly on my bucket list!!!!   To find this out well after final payment...  I would not be happy!)

 

[VaTech8912]

In same boat, no pun intended. I booked Regal for Roatan/Mahagony Bay 1 month ago.  (Silly me, I should have gone with Carnival Celebration from Miami, but thought trying Regal since same ports would be fun).  I also understand the cruise lines are 100% in their power to change ports.  However, it is the fact that Princess has absolutely known they would not be using MB, but kept it on the schedule to increase selling cabin on Regal.  This is deceitful to me and does not give me good vibes from my 1st Princess cruise. Rant over as there is nothing that can be done.

Edited January 5 by VaTech8912

[Steelers36]

I am wondering if, by the time Princess got setup for Regal voyages out of Galveston, that the intended ports were already booked up by other lines and PCL was just "hoping" they could squeeze in.  Now, reality kicks in and they have to make the itinerary change.  This is not the first time PCL has had to make itinerary change and delayed notification to guests, all the while still selling the original itineraries. 

 

I can only guess if a port is over-capacity that the last-booked cruise line is the one that gets tossed out.  Otherwise, how is it decided which ship is denied the stop?

Edited January 5 by Steelers36

[Paula_MacFan]

1 hour ago, Steelers36 said:

I am wondering if, by the time Princess got setup for Regal voyages out of Galveston, that the intended ports were already booked up by other lines and PCL was just "hoping" they could squeeze in.  Now, reality kicks in and they have to make the itinerary change.  This is not the first time PCL has had to make itinerary change and delayed notification to guests, all the while still selling the original itineraries. 

 

I can only guess if a port is over-capacity that the last-booked cruise line is the one that gets tossed out.  Otherwise, how is it decided which ship is denied the stop?

 

Regal has been sailing from Galveston for awhile now, while the Carnival Celebration (the other large ship that bumped us) just came to Galveston with much fanfare on December 20th.  I assume it's because they have been pushing this 'new' larger ship from Galveston and it has much larger passenger capacity vs Regal.

 

I'm no port expert, but simple math told me weeks ago that a ship with passenger capacity of 6,500 + ship with passenger capacity of 3,600  = more than the Mahogany Bay stated capacity of 8,000.  I find it rather shady that Princess continued to sell MB excursions up until yesterday when they've obviously known for some time there wasn't enough room for both. 

 

Oh well -- off to Belize we go 🙂  Beats a day at work!

[cruisequeen4ever]

I don’t understand why this happens when these schedules are planned like 2 years in advance! 

[VaTech8912]

29 minutes ago, Paula_MacFan said:

 

Regal has been sailing from Galveston for awhile now, while the Carnival Celebration (the other large ship that bumped us) just came to Galveston with much fanfare on December 20th.  I assume it's because they have been pushing this 'new' larger ship from Galveston and it has much larger passenger capacity vs Regal.

 

I'm no port expert, but simple math told me weeks ago that a ship with passenger capacity of 6,500 + ship with passenger capacity of 3,600  = more than the Mahogany Bay stated capacity of 8,000.  I find it rather shady that Princess continued to sell MB excursions up until yesterday when they've obviously known for some time there wasn't enough room for both. 

 

Oh well -- off to Belize we go 🙂  Beats a day at work!

 

I wonder if Carnival Glory on Jan 17th is going to change given it is slotted for MB with Carnival Jubilee, so basically the same size ships on the same day then too.  Agree it is better than working, but shady nonetheless.  

[VaTech8912]

21 minutes ago, cruisequeen4ever said:

I don’t understand why this happens when these schedules are planned like 2 years in advance! 

 

Exactly, in this instance, it was not a surprise at all on the side of Princess.  They are allowed to market it, knowing that it will not happen IMO.  Bad practice and seems to be a trend in the Crusing world, not unique to Princess/Carnival Corp.

Edited January 5 by VaTech8912

[Paula_MacFan]

The other unfortunate thing about the port swap is they aren't really comparable. Mahogany Bay has a nice dock area with a free, easy access beach, for a relaxing and relatively inexpensive day. Belize is a tender port with no easy beach access. For those who wanted a nice beach stop the swap is probably not going to be well received. 

 

We've been to both so I have experienced these ports before.

Edited January 5 by Paula_MacFan

[Cruise Raider]

I wonder if one over the other gets precedence at the last minute .. like drawing the short straw.  Perhaps another ship has to give up a different port in the event that the Regal has to give up Roatan.  Frankly, I am just making up a scenario that might explain the late notification.

[cruisinsince75]

57 minutes ago, Paula_MacFan said:

The other unfortunate thing about the port swap is they aren't really comparable. Mahogany Bay has a nice dock area with a free, easy access beach, for a relaxing and relatively inexpensive day. Belize is a tender port with no easy beach access. For those who wanted a nice beach stop the swap is probably not going to be well received. 

 

We've been to both so I have experienced these ports before.

We have the Regal booked for this November and agree that changing this port to Belize (a tender port) is problematic for us.  We both require the use of mobility scooters to get around.  Mahogany Bay at least gives us some access.

[cf-]

 

4 hours ago, VaTech8912 said:

In same boat, no pun intended. I booked Regal for Roatan/Mahagony Bay 1 month ago.  (Silly me, I should have gone with Carnival Celebration from Miami, but thought trying Regal since same ports would be fun).  I also understand the cruise lines are 100% in their power to change ports.  However, it is the fact that Princess has absolutely known they would not be using MB, but kept it on the schedule to increase selling cabin on Regal.  This is deceitful to me and does not give me good vibes from my 1st Princess cruise. Rant over as there is nothing that can be done.

 

I'm on this and booked just before the new year... the (calculated) lack of transparency led to me booking this over another line. I know all itineraries are subject to change for a variety of reasons, this one at this time feels unacceptable and almost fraudulent. Switching from a dock to a tender is a bit of a downgrade since we have a little one with us. It is what it is, might just mean taking my money elsewhere in the future, with kids now I see RCL on the horizon.

[TRLD]

5 hours ago, Wishing on a star said:

I am not understanding this 'congestion' reason or excuse.

These port,  their port authorities, know how many berths they have... They know how many ships the island/country will allow.  And the schedule can be set up months and even a year in advance?

It would be interesting to know what is going on.

 

The inaugural cruise, the SUN Princess next month, will have to skip Santorini, and call on Crete.

I am not sure why they are announcing this weeks instead of months in advance?

Did Santorini not contact any affected cruise companies before now, that they would be closing the cable-car lift?   Perhaps inspection made them see the need to do maintenance and repair sooner than later...

 

(Glad I didn't book that, because of the possibility of cold or unsettled weather.  Santorini was one of a couple of stops that were truly on my bucket list!!!!   To find this out well after final payment...  I would not be happy!)

 

Mahogany Bay is very limited. While two ships can dock there there are issues with size and departure times. Basically for larger ships back ship cannot enter or leave if there is a ship in the front location. If the schedule changes for one ship it may impact the other.

 

Could be that the timing of one ship impacted the sequence of arrival/departure and made it unworkable.

Edited January 5 by TRLD

[TRLD]

1 hour ago, VaTech8912 said:

 

I wonder if Carnival Glory on Jan 17th is going to change given it is slotted for MB with Carnival Jubilee, so basically the same size ships on the same day then too.  Agree it is better than working, but shady nonetheless.  

depends upon the schedule of each ship as long as the one docked in front comes in later and leaves earlier than the one in the back spot. No problem.

 

Carnival has priority since they built the port, though other CCL.lines use it as well.

[VaTech8912]

9 minutes ago, TRLD said:

depends upon the schedule of each ship as long as the one docked in front comes in later and leaves earlier than the one in the back spot. No problem.

 

Carnival has priority since they built the port, though other CCL.lines use it as well.

 

Makes sense Carnival having priority...on the 17th, both ships have the arrival time 8am though.

Edited January 5 by VaTech8912

[mthomp5]

5 hours ago, Wishing on a star said:

I am not understanding this 'congestion' reason or excuse.

These port,  their port authorities, know how many berths they have... They know how many ships the island/country will allow.  And the schedule can be set up months and even a year in advance?

It would be interesting to know what is going on.

 

The inaugural cruise, the SUN Princess next month, will have to skip Santorini, and call on Crete.

I am not sure why they are announcing this weeks instead of months in advance?

Did Santorini not contact any affected cruise companies before now, that they would be closing the cable-car lift?   Perhaps inspection made them see the need to do maintenance and repair sooner than later...

 

(Glad I didn't book that, because of the possibility of cold or unsettled weather.  Santorini was one of a couple of stops that were truly on my bucket list!!!!   To find this out well after final payment...  I would not be happy!)

 

 

3 hours ago, cruisequeen4ever said:

I don’t understand why this happens when these schedules are planned like 2 years in advance! 

Agree!  I don’t know why there are all these changes lately because of “port congestion”.  In summer 2023, I booked Sept 2025 Sun Princess Barcelona to Rome.  About a month ago, got notified of port congestion in Rome so they are changing our disembarkation port from Rome to Naples.  No longer stopping in Rome. And because of the port change, we’ll have to miss one port (Genoa).  Was pretty annoyed. You would think someone would have planned this all out before publishing the itineraries.

[DavidsNana]

Oh boy , all this is making me nervous.  I have 2 cabins booked on the Enchanted for W. Caribbean for 4/27 out of FLL.  The itinerary is Costa Maya, Belize, Roatan and Cozumel.  The day we are to be in Roatan, the Carnival Mardi Gras is to be there with us.  We are to be there 7am-4pm and Mardi Gras 8am to 5 pm.  Mardi Gras holds over 6400 passengers.  I'm wondering if Princess is going to change us at the last minute.  I was on the excursions yesterday looking around and saw that there are none of the beach related stuff for MB like the clam shells etc. to book.  Just the outside excursions.  Since we are already going to Belize, if they change Roatan, I hope they can dock us at Coxen Hole and not just eliminate Roatan.  I'm not fond of Belize as it is and like Roatan.  We already have plans for Roatan for an independent excursion.

[TRLD]

More cruise ships competing for fewer ports. In many places the cruise ships are also in industrial ports competing with cargo ships (cargo much larger economuc impact). Larger ships less flexible when it comes to ports and docks. Also impacts on availability of port pilots and tugs. So labor issues can also impact port availability. Not really surprising that their are more issues, even without the normal weather related issues.

 

In the end the ports make the final decision.

 

Once a schedule is set pretty much all of the cruise lines tend to leave the itinerary set until they receive formal notification. Look how long it took all of the lines to formally acknowledge the law changes at Venice and Bora Bora for example. Even while many of us here were well aware of the new laws. After all until they are  formally notified by the port a miracle might happen.

[azbirdmom]

12 minutes ago, DavidsNana said:

Oh boy , all this is making me nervous.  I have 2 cabins booked on the Enchanted for W. Caribbean for 4/27 out of FLL.  The itinerary is Costa Maya, Belize, Roatan and Cozumel.  The day we are to be in Roatan, the Carnival Mardi Gras is to be there with us.  We are to be there 7am-4pm and Mardi Gras 8am to 5 pm.  Mardi Gras holds over 6400 passengers.  I'm wondering if Princess is going to change us at the last minute.  I was on the excursions yesterday looking around and saw that there are none of the beach related stuff for MB like the clam shells etc. to book.  Just the outside excursions.  Since we are already going to Belize, if they change Roatan, I hope they can dock us at Coxen Hole and not just eliminate Roatan.  I'm not fond of Belize as it is and like Roatan.  We already have plans for Roatan for an independent excursion.

 

We are on the same cruise.  I hadn't noticed that the chairlift and MB beach excursions were missing but sure enough they aren't there.  Of the ports we are going to we like Roatan the best.  Although we've been there a few times already we would definitely miss it.

[Paula_MacFan]

9 minutes ago, DavidsNana said:

Oh boy , all this is making me nervous.  I have 2 cabins booked on the Enchanted for W. Caribbean for 4/27 out of FLL.  The itinerary is Costa Maya, Belize, Roatan and Cozumel.  The day we are to be in Roatan, the Carnival Mardi Gras is to be there with us.  We are to be there 7am-4pm and Mardi Gras 8am to 5 pm.  Mardi Gras holds over 6400 passengers.  I'm wondering if Princess is going to change us at the last minute.  I was on the excursions yesterday looking around and saw that there are none of the beach related stuff for MB like the clam shells etc. to book.  Just the outside excursions.  Since we are already going to Belize, if they change Roatan, I hope they can dock us at Coxen Hole and not just eliminate Roatan.  I'm not fond of Belize as it is and like Roatan.  We already have plans for Roatan for an independent excursion.

 

Those are the same type of things that made me nervous after reading HostCJSKIDs thread about her itinerary changes, and I started watching the port schedules closely.  I posted on our roll call about my concerns but most people said it had to be a calendar mistake, Princess wouldn't cancel us.  Well here we are.....

 

I would suggest you do the same (watch the port calendar) and be prepared for adjustments.  I've always been understanding of last minute changes due to weather etc and have been on several other cruises where our itinerary was changed for weather and safety reasons.  But these 'port congestion' excuses that are seemingly obvious weeks/months in advance don't seem in good faith.  

[azbirdmom]

5 minutes ago, Paula_MacFan said:

I would suggest you do the same (watch the port calendar) and be prepared for adjustments. 

 

Do you have a link to the official port schedule?  The ones I've seen are all excursion company related and the one that looked the most "official" had the Regal at Mahogany Bay the date you were supposed to be there so I suspect it's another unofficial one.

[Paula_MacFan]

1 minute ago, azbirdmom said:

 

Do you have a link to the official port schedule?  The ones I've seen are all excursion company related and the one that looked the most "official" had the Regal at Mahogany Bay the date you were supposed to be there so I suspect it's another unofficial one.

 

https://www.mahoganybaycc.com/port-schedule.aspx