Conquest Skipping Grand Cayman

[BrendaB1]

So sorry some of you will miss your port of call but being a tornado survivor & losing everything I owned, makes me appreciate my cruises more. Until you have been faced with the death & destruction of Mother Nature.....you don't quite understand the devastating effects it has on peoples lives.

 

Conquest is a beautiful ship with lots of fun activities. Sounds to me like Carnival has done everything they could to advise you & others well in advance of something they have absolutely no control over.

Go enjoy your cruise with an open mind & positive attitude or stay at home. I, like most others, personally research every last detail of my cruises. I probably know more about them than most TA's do. Do you homework. You may be paying them for a service but they are not in the hand holding business.

Happy sailing whatever you decide.

[tgmtgm]

I have been notified that our Oct.30th cruise on the Triumph will have Costa Maya as the port of call in place of Grand Cayman. Was looking foward to GC, but at least we can make plans ahead of time for excursions and what not.

[DollyCruise]

When has there ever been a hurricane in January?? Hurricane season is June through November.

The post referred to BOOKING in January.

 

Dolly

[MrPete]

when the carnival ta calls with the deals to get you on board.

Funny. Every year the same low ball specials come from the TA for a specific week in May. REAL HOT SPECIALS. I watch people jump all over these.

 

Then they find out it's Mothers Day week. Who's responsible for that bit of knowledge? The TA?

[MrPete]

Carnival is playing games with passengers about the port call at Grand Cayman. They are telling passengers well in advance of their sailing day that the call at Grand Cayman is still in the itinerary.

Is it possible they are only passing along information when they get that infomation directly from the Gov't of the Cayman Islands, or whoever's in charge of these things.

 

Dear God...the choice is yours. If you need to know now, cancel and postpone. Look at the pictures....look at the news. Is this someplace you wish to visit now? Will what you're looking to do be there or repaired when you get there....if you have calm seas and the port is open?

[voyagerfl]

Although.....I love snorkeling in Grand Caymen and swimming with the Stingrays.......I certainly would not cancel a cruise over Skipping the port.

 

Lets face it.....they can cancell a port at any time for many reasons.

 

Lets try and remember the people of Grand Caymem and the horrible experience they have just gone through....it far outweighs any minor problems we have about missing the port.

 

Of course we each must follow our heart.

 

It really does not do any good to be angry with Carnival. You are only making yourself unhappy.

It's a cruise.........You'll still have a great time, no matter what...........

[meriann]

Here is my take on how good a job carnival is doing. We are leaving on Oct 11th One of our ports was suppose to be GC. Well after the hurricane and all the damage I knew it wouldn't be possible to stop there so I emailed them to get any info and have done so 3 more times. With 6 days left I STILL have not heard a single word from them. I know they changed our port to Nassau becuase on the site where I log in is lists the new itenary. I am OK with the change but I think all passangers should be informed FROM carnival when they make these changes and they are NOT doing so. just my .02

 

Meri

[BrendaB1]

How many thousand of people do you think Carnival can notify personally? That is what their website & message boards like these are for. As stated by several others......be responsible & do some research so you will be informed of any changes.

 

I still think Carnival is doing all they can to give everyone the best cruise possible & I am sure Grand Cayman & other areas with damage are trying to rebuild as soon as possible. Tourists are how they make they living. Stop & think about it......these are islands......supplies have to shipped to them for rebuilding. It just takes time.

[ParrotHeadFL]

The argument keeps being made that the folks in GC have it rough, so people shouldn't complain about having to miss a port.

 

Sorry, but the two aren't mutually exclusive. Yes, the folks in GC have it rough. Yes, the weather has been tragic (I live in Florida--don't think I don't know it). But that doesn't somehow negate cruisers' desire to have a "perfect" cruise (or as close to perfect as is possible).

 

Is Carnival finally starting to give cruisers a decent amount of advanced notice that GC will be skipped after claiming for so long that it was still on the itinerary? It sounds like they may be--which is great. Because many people reported that Carnival kept telling them right up to the last minute that GC was still on the schedule, even when they knew it couldn't be. There is simple no defense of that from a customer service standpoint.

 

The next question is, is Carnival working to find an additional port of call to replace GC? Or are they maybe not particularly motivated to do this, since they make more money when passengers stay on board?

[GoinCruisin]

I don't think Carnival has been deceitful about GC... they have been wonderful about posting itinerary changes and I have not heard that any of them have been incorrect? Keeping in mind that they can only give US what the Port of GC gives them... i think they have done a splendid job in keeping everyone informed. Another issue is common sense... anyone that heard the news and has seen the pictures and is going on a cruise that includes GC as a port, should try to be an informed consumer, be proactive and call their TA/Carnival. Carnival will give you up to date information... as far as replacing GC, since many of the closer ports are already on the itinerary, what would they replace it with? It looks like they have replaced it with Belize on some of the sailings... but on others, I'm not sure what they would replace GC with, if you look at the itinerary. Carnival is not in the business of trying to make customers unhappy.. they are in the business to make money, and they can only do that by keeping customers (reasonable customers that is) happy... I think they are doing simply the best they can. There are a lot of ports with damage right now, there are also restrictions as too how many ships can be in the port, etc. I'm sure they will continue to do a great job of keeping us informed...

[kcdd]

We just got back from the Conquest and we didnt find out the change in itinerary until we were in line to embark. I emailed Carnival numerous times without any satisfactory response. We had an extra day at sea and they gave us $25 credit per person. I understand the situation in Grand Cayman and feel for them. However, it would have been convenient and helpful to know of changes in itinerary to make plans. We didnt know if we would be stopping elsewhere and if so would the days that we went to montego bay and cozumel remain the same.

[amberds21]

Excuse me for posting my disappointment and letting people know what the heck was going on with Carnival. I was trying to help stop some of the problems people are having trying to figure out what the hell is going on with their cruise.

 

My original post was meant to be informative to the "wonderful" people here at CC who have helped me get ready for my first cruise. I included my personal feelings because I see posts on this site all the time of people spouting off about how their documents showed up and they are doing some sort of stupid dance, or in common terms they are excited. I didn't think that I would get flamed for sharing a little disappointment.

 

Yes, it sucks that I don't get to see the Stingrays, and yes, that is a small thing compared to the suffering that the locals in Grand Cayman are going through right now. HOWEVER, anyone not totally judgemental would have gotten the gist of my message and know that I was complaining about the lack of continuity in information from Carnival. I mean at least they could have been saying "We are still evaluating GC", not "oh they are rebuilding and you will be going there" all along.

 

Instead, the "wonderful" people from this board treated me like I was some kind of idiot person who didn't understand basic weather patterns or couldn't freaking read! One even went so far as to say he was tired of hearing people *itch about this, so why did you even click on the damn link then? Don't blow up at me for one comment that I made.

 

As for the people who complained that I got what I deserved for booking a cheap cruise - check the prices for the Conquest leaving 10/10 then get back to me about cheap cruises. We are sold out. Not that it is anyone's business but my own, but the reason we are taking the cruise now is that it will be my one year anniversary (and actually my honeymoon, as I didn't get one last year) and my husband will be deploying soon and I will be all alone for a long damn time. That includes all the major holidays and my birthday. So I just wanted something nice to happen before he leaves, and it still will.

 

As for the comment about a credit - holy crap people! It was one comment. I made it because I used to manage a customer service department and it was generally a good idea to sugarcoat bad news because it would help it go down easier. It is just good business. What would it hurt for them to say, "Sorry we changed things at the last possible minute, have a drink on us." The customer service agent at CARNIVAL told me that some ships got a S & S credit, but ours didn't. If you do it for one it only seems fair that all should get the same treatment.

 

Thank you to the few people who took the time to read my message and offer your words of support. To the rest of you, learn some tolerance. You are the reason that Carnival cruise lines has a bad reputation among "civilized" people.

 

I will tell you what I am tired of, I am tired of judgemental people all over these boards. And I am tired of people trying to make other people feel bad. And I refuse to let any of this ruin my vacation.

[GoinCruisin]

I don't think it was necessarily YOU that people were directing those comments too... it was some of the posts that followed yours... I think alot of these posts have been "general" because many of us have been hearing this for the past 6 weeks (about the itinerary changes, etc.)... don't take offense, nothing was not directed at you personally... If you will go back and look through the threads, I hope you will see that.

 

As for another poster stating they were not notified... GC was nearly demolished before those cruises... I know there were many threads here concerning the same subject. Sometimes you just have to dig to find the info... They placed the info on their website as soon as they received notification of the port being closed (or should I say, destroyed??)

[Cruising89143]

I don't think it was necessarily YOU that people were directing those comments too... it was some of the posts that followed yours... I think alot of these posts have been "general" because many of us have been hearing this for the past 6 weeks (about the itinerary changes, etc.)... don't take offense, nothing was not directed at you personally... If you will go back and look through the threads, I hope you will see that.

 

As for another poster stating they were not notified... GC was nearly demolished before those cruises... I know there were many threads here concerning the same subject. Sometimes you just have to dig to find the info... They placed the info on their website as soon as they received notification of the port being closed (or should I say, destroyed??)

 

Exactly. My comments were not directed at just the OP. Goin, as you have stated the complaints on this board have been ridiculous for the past six weeks with folks thinking that the cruise lines owe them some sort of compensation for missing a port. I guess some people do not take the time to read their documents or even the brochure which fully explains the cruise lines policy when it comes to port changes.

 

I think that Carnival has done a great job over the last six weeks dealing with the constant changes that came about due to these storms. I was affected by Francis and Carnival contacted me via my cell phone on my drive down to Pt. Canaveral to let me know what was going on so I know that they did try to do their best with keeping passengers notified. While I can understand the disappointment of missing a port of call it is not the end of the world. As I stated in my earlier post, it happens more often than we hear about. Just part of life.

 

I would also be curious to know how many of these people that state that Carnival has not contacted them with the changes booked their cruise directly through Carnival. If they booked through a TA then it is the job of the TA to contact their customers, not the cruise line.

[L2J]

 

Exactly. My comments were not directed at just the OP. Goin, as you have stated the complaints on this board have been ridiculous for the past six weeks with folks thinking that the cruise lines owe them some sort of compensation for missing a port. I guess some people do not take the time to read thier documents or even the brochure which fully explains the cruise lines policy when it comes to port changes.

 

Very rediculous IMO. GIMMIE GIMMIE GIMMIE.

 

A question for the OP....why are you getting so defensive?

 

Use the search feature....there was a thread that had pics after Ivan.

[MrPete]

[quote name='amberds21']

Instead, the "wonderful" people from this board treated me like I was some kind of idiot person who didn't understand basic weather patterns or couldn't freaking read! [/QUOTE]
I must have missed that? I think you are "reading" into things that aren't here. You seem to be taking all the responses to this post PERSONALLY. All these appear to be comments about the general situation.

ALL IMHO

[ParrotHeadFL]

I'm reading Carnival's "Welcome Aboard" brochure. It states:

[quote]When practicable, Carnival will promptly notify guests of a pre-cruise itinerary change through their travel agents, or directly in the case of direct bookings. Carnival will offer such guests an opportunity to cancel their cruise without penalty within 24 hours . . . If an itinerary change occurs while a ship is at sea or when notice prior to sailing is not feasible, Carnival shall attempt to substitute an alternative port . . . If an alternative port is not provided, guests shall be provided a shipboard credit of $20 per person.[/quote]

If this is happening, then great. If it's not, then there's a problem either on Carnival's end or the travel agents'.

Personally, I'm still being told that Grand Cayman is on the schedule. But my ship isn't slated to be there until November 9th, so it's conceivable that this could happen. Some people, however, reported contacting Carnival right before their cruise and being told that the intinerary hadn't changed, only to find out once on board that it had.

[GoinCruisin]

As of now, I don't think they have changed November itineraries... too far off. There were some people complaining about not being notified, however, that was during the time when the hurricanes were actually AT sea, and Carnival had no way of knowing what path they were going to take until last minute (since they ALL changed courses so drastically)...

[suzybruner]

I just got back from the 9/26 Conquest sailing. It was a great cruise!! Let me state that my absolute favorite port is Grand Cayman, and I hope to go there again sometime. My issue stems from lack of communication from Carnival's customer service.

I emailed Carnival on 9/19 and asked about the itinerary.
Their response on 9/20: no change.
I emailed again on 9/20 stating that Grand Cayman could not possibly accept a cruise ship. Would they please double-check?
Their response 9/21: no change to your itinerary at this time, check back in a couple of days.
I called Carnival on 9/23: no change, you are going to Grand Cayman.
I called Carnival on 9/25: no change of itinerary.

HOWEVER (!!!) when we arrived at the pier on 9/26, we were handed a letter stating the itinerary change. We were advised of a sea day in place of the port, and we were being refunded $25 a person. The letter did not state that this credit was mostly port charges that they HAVE to refund us.

Again, I had a great time. I am just disappointed in the way Carnival treated my requests for information. I don't care how many passengers they need to notify "in a timely manner," they should just get the job done. I used my on-board comment card to give them my feedback about my disappointment in them. I also believe they wanted to avoid cancellations so they didn't tell us in advance. We would certainly not have cancelled even if we knew that GC was off.

We did book through a TA and she had called for us on 9/19, and was told that we might not get to go to GC.

I am very glad to see that they appear to be communicating better with future cruisers.

Suzy

[Mask]

For those of you on the Western Caribbean: I just logged on to my account at Carnival and it shows my November 27th itinerary is now going to Costa Maya instead of Grand Cayman and both Cozumel and Jamaica have adjusted times. I was really looking forward to Grand Cayman more than the other stops, but I'm cruising and that's what's important -- it'll all be great no matter what!!

[irishgirl]

I just received an e-mail from my TA. He said Carnival notified him we would not be going to Grand Cayman on our 10/31/04 Conquest cruise. Instead, we would be spending longer time in Jamaica and Cozumel.

Montego Bay 9:00 AM to 7:00 PM

Cozumel 7:00 AM to 6:00 PM

[cruisinqt]

If you're going to be angry with Carnival for not admitting that they won't be going to the Cayman islands any time soon, then you might as well be angry at all of the other cruise lines too. Princess cruisers as well as RCI cruisers have been compaining about the same thing. Their cruise line tells them they are slated to go to the Cayman Islands and then they don't go. It's been a big complaint all over the boards. HAL was the only cruise line to be forthright from the beginning about not going to GC. And HAL substituted a port right away. Other than HAL, most of the rest of the cruise lines have handled the Grand Cayman situation about the same. They say they are going to GC but it just doesn't happen. :(

I just figured most people would use their common sense and not expect to go to the Cayman Islands any time soon. :cool: The pictures and discussions of the devastation Ivan brought upon the Cayman Islands are all over these boards as well as the news. I didn't even call Carnival because common sense told me that we wouldn't be going there anytime soon. When people have posted that they called Carnival, Princess, RCI, or any other cruise line and were told they were going, I thought to myself: "how can they possibly believe they are going to the Cayman Islands, haven't they seen the pictures of Ivan's destuction or read these boards?" I haven't called the cruise lines because I know it is currently impossible to go.

As for the complaint that the cruise lines should come clean with us and admit that they aren't going to GC, well, I think it's a legitimate complaint. Trips slated for GC for the next few weeks should have it removed from the itinerary. But with almost all of the cruise lines doing the same thing ( most of them have GC still on their itinerary) I doubt things will change. If Carnival was the only one doing this then they would look bad. But since just about all of them are handling this the same way, I wouldn't just complain about Carnival. I would say that the cruise industry in general isn't handling this as fairly as they should. I would like them to come out and tell me if I will have an extra sea day or another port so I can plan accordingly. But they probably won't. Will this make me cancel my cruise? No. Will this ruin my vacation? No. Will I cruise Carnival again? Yes. My cruise may not be exactly as I had planned it, but I will make the most of it and have the best cruise ever!:D

[cmez]

I'm a little bummed that we're not making it to GC, but that doesnt make me want to cancel our cruise! I'll just book another cruise in the future that takes us to Grand Cayman!

[ParrotHeadFL]

[quote name='suzybruner']I emailed Carnival on 9/19 and asked about the itinerary.
Their response on 9/20: no change.
I emailed again on 9/20 stating that Grand Cayman could not possibly accept a cruise ship. Would they please double-check?
Their response 9/21: no change to your itinerary at this time, check back in a couple of days.
I called Carnival on 9/23: no change, you are going to Grand Cayman.
I called Carnival on 9/25: no change of itinerary.

HOWEVER (!!!) when we arrived at the pier on 9/26, we were handed a letter stating the itinerary change.[/QUOTE]

That sums up the problem nicely. While there are some who seemingly will defend Carnival and blame the cruiser no matter what, there is NO DEFENSE for this. It violates Carnival's own claim that they'll notify passengers of changes in advance, and give them the opportunity to cancel with no penalty.

[ParrotHeadFL]

[quote name='cruisinqt']If you're going to be angry with Carnival for not admitting that they won't be going to the Cayman islands any time soon, then you might as well be angry at all of the other cruise lines too.[/QUOTE]

Well, I'm spending my money with Carnival--so I'm more interested in what they're doing than what other cruise lines are doing.

[QUOTE]HAL was the only cruise line to be forthright from the beginning about not going to GC. And HAL substituted a port right away.[/QUOTE]

As Carnival should do.

[QUOTE]I just figured most people would use their common sense and not expect to go to the Cayman Islands any time soon.[/QUOTE]

And I just figured Carnival would honor their word and notify guests in advance as they said they would, and would work hard to find a substitute port as good customer service dictates.

[QUOTE]The pictures and discussions of the devastation Ivan brought upon the Cayman Islands are all over these boards as well as the news.[/QUOTE]

Although as we've learned from the GC board here, those pictures can be misleading. Yes, there was extensive damage--but apparently many of the pictures show the same damage over and over, just from different angles and in different lighting. The pictures of damage also provide no clue as to how recovery efforts are going, and far fewer people are documenting the recovery than were documenting the initial damage.

[QUOTE]As for the complaint that the cruise lines should come clean with us and admit that they aren't going to GC, well, I think it's a legitimate complaint.[/QUOTE]

Common ground!

:)