Where Did My Cruise Go?

[world~citizen]

Probably me.

 

I was concerned about air that I might have booked myself...hence the insurance question.

 

Nasty situation, that.

[twinkletoes4445]

But that is exactly the poster's issue, except that they CAN'T cruise on that date, unless there's another ship leaving from the same port on the same date. They'll be out, at a minimum, the change fee for the airline tickets, assuming they are changeable to another date or location.

 

That's a problem...if you purchased air on your own. If you're using HAL's air, then you're fine...if not, then you are on your own. At least this is what was reported on past threads from cruisers who were bumped. We purchased our airline tickets the day we booked our cruise because there are limited non-stop flights from where we live and we wanted to be on one of those flights.

 

Many people don't have the flexibility to move their vacation even one day, so this does present a problem for some people. Charters will probably always be part of the equation when cruising, so this is now something people need to think about when booking a cruise. If my ship should be chartered can I easily move to another ship on another day (if one can't be found on that day), and if I purchased my own air, I'll have to absorb the costs, if there are any, to change dates.

 

This is a topic that seems to pop up a lot lately. Some people are able to make the changes work for them, some are not. I honestly hadn't heard about charters until I read about them here. I will say, we'd never book a 7-day Caribbean cruise on HAL. We've got a 10-day booked and we're keeping our fingers crossed that it doesn't charter.

 

If I were someone who had zero flexibility with my job, cruising would probably be something I'd not be able to do. Years ago, I worked for a company that required us to select our vacation week a year in advance (we could only take one week at a time), and if something came up, there was no wiggle room. I couldn't leave on Monday or the following weekend. It just wouldn't work for me. But these days we are pretty flexible, so we could move things around a few days or even a week, and it wouldn't really matter to us.

[cruznon]

It seems that the Westerdam and Eurodam are VERY popular with charter groups.(UNFORTUNATELY for many of us who HAD booked a ship that was later chartered!)

[twinkletoes4445]

It seems that the Westerdam and Eurodam are VERY popular with charter groups.(UNFORTUNATELY for many of us who HAD booked a ship that was later chartered!)

 

It does seem like they are popular for cruises. When we were in the process of booking the Zuiderdam a couple of years ago, many of the weeks ended up being charters on this ship and also on the Westerdam. Seven day Caribbean charters seem to be popular and the vista-class ships seem to be a good size (not too big) for this sort of activity.

 

I do feel for the people being bumped, and many have been bumped more than once.

[Sailor Gal]

I mentioned earlier that I was concerned about our Eurodam cruise being chartered (never encountered this with other cruise lines) and folks on the boards acted like I had two heads for being concerned about it. Now I see it being discussed again. It's not just a matter of re-scheduling a cruise - we've paid for unrefundable airfare, hotel and time off from work. To some of us (not retired) this IS A VERY BIG DEAL!! Boo HAL.

[twinkletoes4445]

I mentioned earlier that I was concerned about our Eurodam cruise being chartered (never encountered this with other cruise lines) and folks on the boards acted like I had two heads for being concerned about it. Now I see it being discussed again. It's not just a matter of re-scheduling a cruise - we've paid for unrefundable airfare, hotel and time off from work. To some of us (not retired) this IS A VERY BIG DEAL!! Boo HAL.

 

It is a big deal to some, and even though we can change our plans, it would still be a hassle for us even though we could move our dates around. I personally think that chartering is here to stay, and when booking a cruise, I need to factor this as a possibility especially on a 7-day Caribbean cruise. HAL's ships are just the right size for this.

 

For us, this is just another thing we think about when planning our vacations.

[hammybee]

I mentioned earlier that I was concerned about our Eurodam cruise being chartered (never encountered this with other cruise lines) and folks on the boards acted like I had two heads for being concerned about it. Now I see it being discussed again. It's not just a matter of re-scheduling a cruise - we've paid for unrefundable airfare, hotel and time off from work. To some of us (not retired) this IS A VERY BIG DEAL!! Boo HAL.

 

It looks like you are on the 11/1 sail, less than 7 months away. It's unlikely that your cruise is going to charter, this close to sail date.

[Saphire]

I called and e-mailed HAL yesterday (Sunday) and got no response. I called my TA this morning and told her about our missing Jan 31st cruise. She called HAL and the Eurodam is indeed being chartered! The rep said it would take up to two weeks to tell the passengers affected what they will do for us and how we should proceed. (Two weeks? I don't think so) So I told our TA that we would like to move to the February 7th cruise for the same price as the 31st ($300 difference) and that we have 'heard' of OBC being given in similar situations. She got right on it, called me back, and said HAL will honor the cruise price, move us to the 7th, AND give each of us $100 on board credit!

I am happy about how it worked out and I am glad I went with a local TA vs. an online one. I sure hope they don't charter the February 7th cruise! I don't think anyone else here was booked on our cruise, but best wishes to all who find yourselves bumped from a charter.

[hammybee]

Good news Saphire. It sounds like you came out ahead on this one. Your TA sounds like a sharp cookie.

[twinkletoes4445]

I called and e-mailed HAL yesterday (Sunday) and got no response. I called my TA this morning and told her about our missing Jan 31st cruise. She called HAL and the Eurodam is indeed being chartered! The rep said it would take up to two weeks to tell the passengers affected what they will do for us and how we should proceed. (Two weeks? I don't think so) So I told our TA that we would like to move to the February 7th cruise for the same price as the 31st ($300 difference) and that we have 'heard' of OBC being given in similar situations. She got right on it, called me back, and said HAL will honor the cruise price, move us to the 7th, AND give each of us $100 on board credit!

I am happy about how it worked out and I am glad I went with a local TA vs. an online one. I sure hope they don't charter the February 7th cruise! I don't think anyone else here was booked on our cruise, but best wishes to all who find yourselves bumped from a charter.

 

I think two weeks is too long. I know there are TA's out there that aren't on top of things...and it's a good thing yours is. One thing I don't recall ever happening is HAL notifying the TA and the passenger hearing about it that way. It seems like every post here mentions that the passenger found out about this and contacted HAL or their TA.

 

Did you have your air booked? If so, what did HAL do about that?

 

I'm glad that HAL came through for you. I think what they did for you is nice, and I'd be pleased if I were the one being bumped. I am glad you're one of the ones who are flexible enough to move your vacation date, not all are as lucky as we are (we are also pretty flexible). I read one post where someone had booked a large number of cabins for a family reunion...and then they were bumped. Now that would be a mess to try and rearrange multiple schedules.

 

This is becoming such a common topic here. You don't see Carnival, Princess or Disney mentioned much as far as charters go. In fact, I don't ever recall seeing anything about a Princess or Disney charter. Do those lines not charter as much?

[Saphire]

Did you have your air booked? If so, what did HAL do about that?

 

I'm glad that HAL came through for you. I think what they did for you is nice, and I'd be pleased if I were the one being bumped. I am glad you're one of the ones who are flexible enough to move your vacation date, not all are as lucky as we are (we are also pretty flexible).

 

We did not have airfare booked. Our flexibilty was limited to Jan 31 and Feb 7th only. Any other weeks in winter wouldn't have worked due to our schedules. So I am really pleased that Feb 7 was/is available. It really could have been a big mess, but it worked out for us and I am grateful. :)

[Boytjie]

This is becoming such a common topic here. You don't see Carnival, Princess or Disney mentioned much as far as charters go. In fact, I don't ever recall seeing anything about a Princess or Disney charter. Do those lines not charter as much?

 

I was on an RSVP charter on the Caribbean Princess in February 2007.

 

RSVP has chartered non-HAL ships before, and will be on NCL in 2009 (as well as the Eurodam). In 2007 they also had a charter on the QM2. For RSVP it seems that the HAL ships are a good size - the Caribbean Princess and QM2 did not sell out.

 

Atlantis (now owner of RSVP) seems to favor Royal Caribbean and Celebrity.

[hammybee]

 

You don't see Carnival, Princess or Disney mentioned much as far as charters go. In fact, I don't ever recall seeing anything about a Princess or Disney charter. Do those lines not charter as much?

 

Generally speaking, it seems the larger organizers gravitate to newer ships. The newer Carnival and Princess ships tend to be too large for most organizers to reasonably fill, without substantial risk and/or lead time to promote it.

 

While Disney might be the right size, the theme and price point probably preclude most charter organizers from considering them. Somehow, blues, jazz and/or nude cruising with the Disney charaters seems inconsistent with the theme. :D

[hammybee]

I was on an RSVP charter on the Caribbean Princess in February 2007.

 

RSVP has chartered non-HAL ships before, and will be on NCL in 2009 (as well as the Eurodam). In 2007 they also had a charter on the QM2. For RSVP it seems that the HAL ships are a good size - the Caribbean Princess and QM2 did not sell out.

 

Atlantis (now owner of RSVP) seems to favor Royal Caribbean and Celebrity.

 

Happen to know the date?

[Boytjie]

Happen to know the date?

 

For your list?

 

Norwegian Star

April 18-25, 2009

RSVP Mexican Riviera Cruise from Los Angeles

[hammybee]

For your list?

 

Norwegian Star

April 18-25, 2009

RSVP Mexican Riviera Cruise from Los Angeles

 

Thanks.

 

It's another one that is being sold to the public as well as through RSVP.

 

No doubt, that once RSVP has sufficient bookings it will pull the trigger and execute/finance the charter.

[ybarber]

Oh my Goodness! I sure hope the Westerdam is "safe" from charters for the 10/19/08 sail - (crossing my fingers and praying too)! That would be ever so upsetting to my group of 4!

[sail7seas]

Very happy it worked out well for you, Saphire. Great you have an efficient TA. You got quick choice for your cabin before others on the chartered sailing start trying to rebook. Good for you! Hope you have a wonderful cruise.

[RuthC]

Oh my Goodness! I sure hope the Westerdam is "safe" from charters for the 10/19/08 sail - (crossing my fingers and praying too)!

It should be. Six months isn't enough time to get a charter filled.

[Boytjie]

It should be. Six months isn't enough time to get a charter filled.

 

And since that cruise is sold as both a 7-day and a 14-day cruise I think it would be less likely to become a charter.

[twinkletoes4445]

We did not have airfare booked. Our flexibilty was limited to Jan 31 and Feb 7th only. Any other weeks in winter wouldn't have worked due to our schedules. So I am really pleased that Feb 7 was/is available. It really could have been a big mess, but it worked out for us and I am grateful. :)

 

I'm glad it all worked out for you! Hope you have a wonderful cruise. :)

[twinkletoes4445]

I was on an RSVP charter on the Caribbean Princess in February 2007.

 

RSVP has chartered non-HAL ships before, and will be on NCL in 2009 (as well as the Eurodam). In 2007 they also had a charter on the QM2. For RSVP it seems that the HAL ships are a good size - the Caribbean Princess and QM2 did not sell out.

 

Atlantis (now owner of RSVP) seems to favor Royal Caribbean and Celebrity.

 

I did not know this. Thanks for the information. It sounds like the bulk of these charters are Caribbean sailings? Am I right?

[twinkletoes4445]

Generally speaking, it seems the larger organizers gravitate to newer ships. The newer Carnival and Princess ships tend to be too large for most organizers to reasonably fill, without substantial risk and/or lead time to promote it.

 

While Disney might be the right size, the theme and price point probably preclude most charter organizers from considering them. Somehow, blues, jazz and/or nude cruising with the Disney charaters seems inconsistent with the theme. :D

 

Well, I am just going to keep my fingers crossed that our 10-day doesn't charter. We just have zero interest in cruising on a bigger ship than the vista class size HAL ships. Hubby is also not wanting to do a smaller HAL ship, but we may try one in the future, and who knows, maybe he'll like it after all (he's concerned about the movement on a smaller ship).

 

LOL...nude cruising on Disney? That's funny. You're right, none of those seem to fit the themes of that line. :)

[twinkletoes4445]

Not that there's anything wrong with nude cruises. :)

[Boytjie]

I did not know this. Thanks for the information. It sounds like the bulk of these charters are Caribbean sailings? Am I right?

 

Not necessarily. RSVP and Atlantis both have at least one Caribbean sailing every year. Atlantis also seems to do a Mexican Riviera cruise every year. RSVP seems to alternate between Alaska and Mexico. Atlantis does Mediterranean or Baltic cruises and have done several South America cruises as well. RSVP also does sailing ship Caribbean cruises and European river boats.