Conquest Skipping Grand Cayman

[GoinCruisin]

I called 3 times today and asked about 3 sailings... was told twice that GC was cancelled and once that it wasnt... I think we all know from these boards that calling Carnival is a lost cause and sometimes common sense prevails... It has been posted on here by MANY that the port is closed, someone even posted a letter from the Port authority itself... I think most people should go ahead and plan NOT to be there... calling a PVP really won't help... they are there to sell cruises... if you want a real answer, you can contact guest relations or customer service...called and asked to be transferred to GR and they told me that the port of GC was closed and itinerary changes would be posted on the website...

[DFD1]

The blind defense of Carnival (for their poor customer information) by some on this forum is breathtaking.

[bonstersd]

Think of all the money you will save by not stopping in GC! Yes it has a beautiful beach, but you will have to sell your soul to order drinks or lunch!

[hstrybuf]

Apparently the biggest complaint here is the lack of communication by Carnival as to changes in ports or the addition of a sea day in place of GC. I agree that they should notify people as soon as possible of the changes, but I suspect they are taking it week to week.

We are booked for 10/30 on a western itinerary which was to include Grand Cayman. When I received my docs [b]last[/b] week (RCCL) they still showed GC as a port. When another lady in my roll call received hers [b]this [/b]week, they included an insert that said we'd be getting a sea day in place of GC. To further confuse things, several of us have been in contact with tour providers on GC who say that the port is supposed to be open by the first week in November, but even that is not guaranteed. Those good people are keeping our reservations open until the day we are scheduled to arrive, or not.

If we get to go to GC, great, although I cannot imagine how differently it will look compared to when we were there last September. If we don't get to port in GC, then I'll gladly take the sea day with no complaints. Who knows? They could change it on the day we board. Either way, we'll be cruising!

[GoinCruisin]

[quote name='DFD1']The blind defense of Carnival (for their poor customer information) by some on this forum is breathtaking.[/QUOTE]
Actually, it is defense of all cruiselines since they are all guilty of this... maybe we should sue Mother Nature? All the GIMME GIMME GIMME and I deserve something attitudes, are what is breathtaking. The cruiselines are doing the best they can. They have the itinerary changes that they know of on their websites... Then again, as I said... it is a lose lose situation for the lines. If they go to GC people will be upset at them for taking them to a ravaged island, if they don't people will say their vacation was ruined...

[DFD1]

GoinCruisin, at no time in this discussion have I ever expressed the desire for anyone to give me anything. That is simply not correct.

Carnival has an obligation to communicate with passengers who have given them money for a cruise. This business that "they are doing the best they can" just doesn't wash with me. They don't seem to have any problem communicating with each of us when it is in THEIR best interests. How about a little better communicating when it is in the passengers' best interests?

I think the original post on this thread was a legitimate concern from someone who selected this cruise with the reasonable expectation that she/he would get what they paid for....and, if not, for whatever reason, Carnival would treat them with reasonable respect by advising them of any significant changes in what they were GOING to get as opposed to what they EXPECTED to get. That's all.

[GoinCruisin]

[quote name='DFD1']GoinCruisin, at no time in this discussion have I ever expressed the desire for anyone to give me anything. That is simply not correct.

[/QUOTE]
I never said you did??????? :confused: I was replying to your thread, but never directed anything at you... sorry you thought so, but I was stating that it was all cruiselines that were doing this... and stating my opinion about WHAT people are upset about...

People only pay port charges for ports.. visiting a port is not included in the cost of the cruise. The cruiselines are making people aware as they become aware... their website has been LOADED with information on all the itinerary changes... There have also been stickies on this board stating the changes... Carnival cannot contact the 10's of thousands of customers, but they do let the TA's know when they get notification of a definite port change and they also post it on their website... Many cruiselines are falling behind letting customers know, but they are reporting it on their websites... if nothing else, as mentioned by many, we should pretty much assume when we hear that 1200 people have been killed in the area and the damage is in the billions, that the port probably won't be one that will be visited for a while... all I was saying is that this is NOT just Carnival...

[djacobson]

[quote name='Rdytocruise']My question is are they replacing Grand Caymen with another port???? Or with a sea day?? what did your Itinerary say?[/QUOTE]

Rdytocruise- I was told by a Carnival rep that the Conquest is extending the times in port at Montego Bay and Cozumel, rather than adding an additional port at this time. They are also refunding the port charges for Grand Cayman (about $20) to your S&S card.

I read on another newsgroup that the Conquest may not return to the Caymans until around January. In addition, I also read that Margaritaville in Montego Bay was damaged by Ivan and may not be open in December. This was from a passenger who was on the Conquest last week.

To add to my concern, however, I believe that Jamaica closed its port last December and the Conquest did not stop there in that month.

I am going on the Conquest on December 12, so while I am excited to go on my 2nd Conquest cruise, I am wondering also how things will shape up.

[jleq]

[b]Even without a hurricane, you never know if you'll visit a port [past cruises have found me unable to tender into Grand Cayman/Ocho Rios caught in a major storm....both outside of "hurricane season"]. As such, you really can't choose a cruise [i]solely[/i] [or even [i]primarily[/i]] for the ports. You're almost begging to be disappointed.

If not this cruise. Soon.[/b]

[jleq]

[quote name='djacobson']In addition, I also read that Margaritaville in Montego Bay was damaged by Ivan and may not be open in December. This was from a passenger who was on the Conquest last week.
[/QUOTE]

[b]I'm on the 10/31 "Conquest". According to an e-mail just received from Margaritaville, their MoBay outlet is scheduled to reopen next week.[/b]

[LSUtraveler]

[size=3][color=darkorchid][i][b]We sail on 1-16-04 and below is the response from Jamacia:[/b][/i][/color][/size]

We had some damage, yes, but will be fully operational by the time you

visit.

Regards.

Andrea Carroll
Jimmy Buffett's Margaritaville
6H Coconut Way
Montego Freeport
Jamaica
Tel: (876) 979 8041
Fax: (876) 979 8541

[L2J]

[quote name='LSUtraveler'][size=3][color=darkorchid][i][b]We sail on 1-16-04 and below is the response from Jamacia:[/b][/i][/color][/size]

We had some damage, yes, but will be fully operational by the time you

visit.

[/QUOTE]
Jamaica isn't GC.

[Cruising89143]

This morning I emailed the Grand Cayman Port Authority to find out if they have some type of date that they are shooting for to reopen the port. Here is the answer that I just received. As you can see by the answer even they do not have a firm answer.


[font=Arial][size=2][color=navy][color=navy][font=Arial]Dear Gordon,[/font][/color][/color][/size][/font]

[font=Arial][size=2][color=navy][color=navy][font=Arial] [/font][/color][/color][/size][/font][font=Arial][size=2][color=navy][color=navy][font=Arial]We are now in the recovery process and we hope to be operational by the end of October, mid-November 2004,[/font][/color][/color][/size][/font]

[font=Arial][size=2][color=navy][color=navy][font=Arial] [/font][/color][/color][/size][/font][font=Arial][size=2][color=navy][color=navy][font=Arial]Regards,[/font][/color][/color][/size][/font]

[font=Arial][size=2][color=navy][color=navy][font=Arial] [/font][/color][/color][/size][/font][font=Arial][size=2][color=navy][color=navy][font=Arial]Katherine Smalldon[/font][/color][/color][/size][/font]

[font=Arial][size=2][color=navy][color=navy][font=Arial]Administrative Assistant[/font][/color][/color][/size][/font]

[magicterp]

[quote name='GoinCruisin']Actually, it is defense of all cruiselines since they are all guilty of this... maybe we should sue Mother Nature? All the GIMME GIMME GIMME and I deserve something attitudes, are what is breathtaking. The cruiselines are doing the best they can. They have the itinerary changes that they know of on their websites... Then again, as I said... it is a lose lose situation for the lines. If they go to GC people will be upset at them for taking them to a ravaged island, if they don't people will say their vacation was ruined...[/QUOTE]

This is exactly what the poster was talking about! It's quite obvious that the cruise lines (Carnival in particular) are NOT doing the best they can. They are a SERVICE industry, and they are therefore obligated to answer a simple question honestly. "Is the ship going to GC?" "No, we have a change in itinerary, but we're sure you'll still enjoy your vacation." It's NOT about the gimme. It's about being up front and honest with their paying customers. Geez!

[GoinCruisin]

And they have told people about the changes as soon as they become aware of them... as are all the other lines. What more can they do? :rolleyes: And yes, it is all about gimme gimme gimme for MANY people! "I missed a port because of a hurricane, what do I get????"... check the boards, this has been a common theme.

[julpet01]

I just received my itenerary change notice. Since recovery efforts are still underway in GC, they are giving extra port time: Montego Bay 9am-7pm; Cozumel 7am-6pm

[suzybruner]

The cruise lines are NOW telling people in advance that there's an itinerary change, but they did not start making timely notifications until October. For example when we boarded Conquest 9/26, that's when they handed us a letter giving us the notice of change.

They are doing a better job of notification now. Which is the minimum we should expect when we're spending our money, we deserve good customer service. That's the GIMME I want. GIMME good customer service.

Suzy

[dosi]

[quote name='GoinCruisin']And they have told people about the changes as soon as they become aware of them... as are all the other lines. What more can they do? :rolleyes: And yes, it is all about gimme gimme gimme for MANY people! "I missed a port because of a hurricane, what do I get????"... check the boards, this has been a common theme.[/QUOTE]


No they HAVE NOT told people about the changes as soon as possible. My cruise leave on the 24th. My cruise personalizer still shows Cayman as a port and Princess Cays too. Both of these areas are currently not taking visitors and will not be receiving guest when I take my cruise. When I call Princess they tell me there are no notifications of change in itinerary. I don't want them to GIMME anything but a straight answer. I would like the opportunity to research the ports I am actually going to be visiting, not some places that I am never going to see. I don't want money, or OBC I just wanna know where the heck I am going. That is NOT too much to ask!!!

[vivalas]

[font=Fixedsys][size=4][color=darkslateblue]When we decide to go on a cruise you go to a TA or get brochures, or search online. When you have your cruiseline picked out, always has been Carnival for us, then you pick out your ship by where you want to go. If you have been on other itineraries, you pick one where you maybe have not stopped before. The port stops are great to explore and get a taste of places you have not been. So cruising is just not the only and important reason you are going. It is a transportation mode with the flexibility of picking out where you get to spend some days exploring. So I would feel dissappointed if after all my careful planning and decisions on where our stops will be, one was canceled. Would I cancel my whole trip because one stop was canceled, NO!! But this is a forum to be able to discuss your dissappointment which I know I would feel too. These are valid concerns. No need to make some posters feel guilty on being dissappointed on the itinerary changes. They happen alot. We have been lucky so far, it has not happened to us, but it could. I'd still go, try and keep me from going on my vacation. My week of pampering, over-eating, over-drinking, just over-indulging. And a little sight seeing too.:cool: [/color][/size][/font]

[NinaCO]

I'm [b]really[/b] disappointed that we're missing Grand Cayman! I think Carnival could have done a better job of notifying those who sailed late Sept./early Oct. They knew of the itinerary change in advance but passengers weren't informed until embarkation.:mad:

Carnival contacted our TA last week with the changes for our October 31 sailing. We all saw it coming. Some are happy about the extra sea day, some (like me :( ) think 2 ports just aren't enough for a one week cruise. I live far from any beaches, so it's very disappointing that we'll only have two beach days. But, as Jim said, you can [color=red]never[/color] count on making a port of call, [color=red]especially[/color] when you take the risk of cruising during hurricane season.

At this point, all we can do is make the best of it and enjoy the extra time in Mobay & Cozumel. I intend to have a [font=Comic Sans MS][size=3][color=red]fantastic[/color][/size][/font] time!

[cruisinqt]

My only complaint here is comments like the one made by DFD1 who said people are "blindly" defending Carnival for how they are handling the Grand Cayman thing.:rolleyes: I disagree, I don't think they're "blindly" defending Carnival. I think they get a little frustrated at all of the negative comments made toward Carnival and other cruise lines when things go awry during hurricane season. This happens often during hurricane season and most all of the cruise lines handle it the same way. He ( and others ) act like Carnival is the only cruise line that's doing this and that's just simply not true. Princess and many other lines have been handling the Grand Cayman thing exactly the same. If you want to complain about how Carnival handles things, that's okay, just don't talk as if it's only Carnival that's doing it. :cool: I read all over the boards including the RCI and Princess sections. And these other cruise line boards are as angry as heck at how their cruise lines are doing the same thing Carnival is and letting people think that Grand Cayman is still on their itinerary. And, like Carnival cruisers have defended their cruise lines, the RCI and Princess cruisers have defended their cruise lines when the complaints like this have started getting posted.

Bottom line, Carnival is not some terrible, horrible, hideous cruise line that is treating it's customers terribly while all of the other cruise lines are being perfect angels to their customers. This is an industry wide problem, they're all doing it.:( So next time you complain, go ahead and get it off your chest, no problem, we all do it. Just be aware that you are not alone, many other cruisers on many other lines are having the same problem you are.

Carnival has taken off Grand Cayman on our cruise on Oct.31st. When I go to their website, my personalized section for my cruise shows no stop in GC. So they are slowly getting things done, it's just taking a while.:)

[nrdsb4]

I believe that part of the trouble lies with the fact that Carnival APPEARS to be trying to circumvent their cancellation policy by not informing guests of the itinerary change. RCI does not allow guests to cancel a cruise after final payment for itinerary changes, at least they did not have that policy when I last sailed them. While many passengers want to know in advance of itinerary changes so that they can plan their excursions, etc., you won't see as much anger generated because the pax can't cancel their trip just because they are unhappy about a change, so knowing about a change in advance is not quite as critical. If Carnival is going to offer their pax the opportunity to cancel at the last minute because of intinerary changes, then they need to step up to the plate and make those changes known before the passengers board (obviously can't happen if last minute weather situations develop or some kind of political trouble erupts after the ship sails).

[cruisinqt]

Actually, Carnival has "stepped up to the plate and made those changes known" before the passengers board. Our cruise is three weeks away and Grand Cayman has been taken off of our itinerary. In fact, Grand Cayman has been taken off of all of the Carnival cruise ships itinerary for the entire month of October. They did that as of October 1st on their website. It took them a while to get through all of the red tape with the higher ups, but they were finally able to officially take it off of all of the cruise ships itinerary for the month of October.

Unfortunately, Princess hasn't done that yet and I am still hearing lots of complaints from their customers all over Cruise Critic. :( I think there is more behind the scenes work involved here than we realize. The Carnival reps can't just yank Grand Cayman off of all of the cruise ships itinerary without getting permission from the higher ups. And I imagine the higher ups wouldn't give permission until they discussed it at some length with the tourist board in Grand Cayman. And since Grand Cayman only recently got back their telephone lines, I'm sure it took a while for a discussion to occur between Carnival and the tourist board in Grand Cayman. I think the problem here is really just a lot of red tape that you have to go thru to get things done now. Since many of the cruise lines are handling it similarly, I imagine there is more to it than just yanking GC off of the cruise ships itinerary.

[Kittymama]

Umm, just a thought. While I realize that everything is always Carnival's fault--even hurricanes--it's just possible that perhaps Carnival didn't KNOW what the status of Cayman's port is, since, gee, not even the CAYMAN officials knew! Much as with central Florida, they (GC) rely heavily on tourism & were probably overly optimistic about the status. It also took them a while to get to thoroughly assess the condition of the port & how long it would take to restore. I have a colleague who works there, & most of the residents sustained major damage to their homes. They've been trying to deal with their homes first & then turned their attention to the port & other businesses. So, they were only notifying Carnival on a weekly basis if the port was closed, before they finally acknowledged that it was going to be a while to get the port reopened. I realize it's very disappointing, but perhaps people who've never lived thru a hurricane could focus on the fact that they're going on a lovely cruise & a be a tad understanding that this really is an extraordinary situation out of the hands of both Cayman & Carnival. They're really not trying to jerk anyone around--they're trying to deal with a major natural disaster.

[ParrotHeadFL]

[quote name='Kittymama']Umm...it's just possible that perhaps Carnival didn't KNOW what the status of Cayman's port is...[/QUOTE]

No, that's not possible. Even after it was public knowledge that the GC port was closed and would be closed for an extended period, Carnival continued to tell people it was still on their itinerary.

And of course, no one is blaming Carnival for the hurricane and no one is saying everything is always their fault.