Quebec Cruise Changed Due to Fuel Costs

[Shipyard Cruiser]

Not everyone who cares to view things objectively and explain that dropping a port is sometimes necessary and not part of a nefarious plot by the cruiseline to anger its guests, has to be an employee of the line. At times it helps people understand what has happened and why. If you prefer to demonize the line for whatever reason, you are free to do so, but to impute an ulterior motive to someone who has a position that differs from yours is both irrational and unfair. In this instance we are talking about something that will not occur until more than a year from now. No one has been harmed by the decision, disappointed I am sure, but otherwise, "no harm, no foul". There is plenty of time to make other plans, and any deposit that has been made will be fully refunded.:rolleyes:

 

Do you know if the person I was responding to does or dose not work for RCI?

 

I never expressed an opinion one way or another.

 

You read way to much into my question which is sort of the norm out here.

 

Just would not be suprised if a few cruise line employees post out here.

 

Would you?

[Gonzo70]

Just wondering...

 

Where do you work at Royal Caribbean?

 

???? :confused: :rolleyes:

[negc]

Do you know if the person I was responding to does or dose not work for RCI?

 

I never expressed an opinion one way or another.

 

You read way to much into my question which is sort of the norm out here.

 

Just would not be suprised if a few cruise line employees post out here.

 

Would you?

 

I neither know nor care whether or not the person in question is an RCI employee and don't see what that has to do with the legitimacy of his or her comments. Perhaps you would care to clarify the purpose of your question if it was not to question the motivation for that person's comments? If you did not mean to imply that the person's response might be attributable primarily to his or her employment, I apologize, but I think it was a reasonable assumption.

[Ula]

With a years notice, you have lots of options to change your cruise due to a port change. I am cruising next week on Explorer and choose this cruise for the ports. If they changed this one for things other than weather at this point, well it would be lots of complaints.

Weather they can not help. In 09 they are changing where they are going. Time to find an alternate.

[Gonzo70]

With a years notice, you have lots of options to change your cruise due to a port change. I am cruising next week on Explorer and choose this cruise for the ports. If they changed this one for things other than weather at this point, well it would be lots of complaints.

Weather they can not help. In 09 they are changing where they are going. Time to find an alternate.

 

According to some on this board, you must be one of my coworkers! :D

[isles1]

I really do not see why viewing an itinerary change made 1 year in advance as reasonable deems one and employee or cheerleader of RCL :D

 

Is it disappointing, sure. As I said above, I'd be upset if Quebec City was lost from the sailing and I would likely cancel the reservation. But unreasonable? Not at all so long as the cruise can be cancelled without penalty.

 

I think if you book airfare or other non-refundables very far in advance, the risk that something might change (either within your control or beyond your control) is sort of an inherant risk. Yet another reason to buy trip insurance that allows you to cancel for any reason, especially if you are purchasing non-refundable airfare. If trip insurance is too expensive, book a refundable airfare or hold off on purchasing airfare until the travel dates get closer.

[Gonzo70]

I really do not see why viewing an itinerary change made 1 year in advance as reasonable deems one and employee or cheerleader of RCL :D

 

Sweet, another coworker!!! :D

[Ula]

According to some on this board, you must be one of my coworkers! :D

And let me guess the check is in the mail.

Honest, all lines changes things from year to year. And people do get upset. A years notice is actually pretty nice. The people six months out and their trip gets chartered and canceled that is not so nice.

Knowing so far out you can look for alternatives. I am not a "cheer leader" for this line. In fact when talking with my mom about this cruise we are going on she hoped the toilets would not plug up this time every day like our last RCI cruise. Not a bad thing just something we joke about. They can flush those puppies from outside the room once fixed. Amazing:D

[isujim]

We are leaving on the Explorer, Canada/Quebec itinerary next week. I think we got lucky, so far no change in itinerary. SOrry you had yours changed. I don't understand it, if they have the fuel supplement, why change the itin?

 

Annieeee

 

 

Annieeee.........we are booked on this cruise in October. So far no change for us either and I hope they don't. I don't think they will this year.......too many excursions booked etc.

 

I want a full report when you get back. This will be the first time we have done this itinerary.......I just hope it holds up and I think it will.

 

I would be disappointed if I booked this in 09 and they changed the itinerary.

[Bette And Bill]

We were also booked on the Explorer for a Canadian cruise in Sept 2009. When RCCL changed the itinerary, we just changed to a cruise that leaves closer to home and in the bargain are now saving more than $3,000 on just the cruise alone. So for us it was a win-win situation.

[yogimax]

It's all a matter of timing. In general, you can book flights eleven months in advance. Given rising airline prices, it sometimes makes sense to do that.

 

I have no problem if RCCL makes "drastic itinerary changes" (those were RCCL's words on my answering machine) and notifies me if it is at least eleven months out.

 

Inside of eleven months means that some may be commited to their flights and would suffer major financial penalties.

[The Big Booper]

And let me guess the check is in the mail.

Honest, all lines changes things from year to year. And people do get upset. A years notice is actually pretty nice. The people six months out and their trip gets chartered and canceled that is not so nice.

Knowing so far out you can look for alternatives. I am not a "cheer leader" for this line. In fact when talking with my mom about this cruise we are going on she hoped the toilets would not plug up this time every day like our last RCI cruise. Not a bad thing just something we joke about. They can flush those puppies from outside the room once fixed. Amazing:D

 

Ula - now that you have changed your avatar from you to the dogs, is one of those puppies a black doxie? Looks just like our grand-dog. Now if only the kid would find a girl and settle down and.........

 

 

<<edit>> when were you on the Radiance???

[aqhacruiser]

How did you find out that Quebec was dropped from your itinerary and what port did they substitute? we are taking that cruise on Sept 11 and as far as I know they haven't dropped Quebec from our port list. If it truly is because of the fuel cost wouldn't they drop Quebec from all of the cruises?:confused:

 

We are doing the Canada on 9/25/08 also and no change for ours ( as of yet anyway) but RCCL has changed the Canada cruises for 2009. They probably didn't change the 2008 Canada cruises as it would be too much trouble refunding fees and excursion money as the cruises are paid in full at this point.

[paylady]

We were also booked on the October 1, 2009 cruise and immediately backed out. Yes, I was disappointed they dropped Quebec but I immediately cancelled and re-booked another cruise instead. I chose not to cruise the same itinerary two years in a row.

 

As others have said, with more than a years notice there was no real harm done. I hadn't booked our airfare yet with frequent flyer miles, etc.

 

It's sad since I am an RCL stockholder, but I will be booking with another line if I want a cruise that includes Quebec or Glacier Bay.

[Ula]

Ula - now that you have changed your avatar from you to the dogs, is one of those puppies a black doxie? Looks just like our grand-dog. Now if only the kid would find a girl and settle down and.........

 

 

<<edit>> when were you on the Radiance???

 

We were on Radiance August 06. Beautiful ship and did Alaska on her. Chose her for the port Icy Straight Point. She was the only ship there. That was nice.

I never had me on the Avatar. My first was our departed Basset hound. This one is up till last week our current crew, we lost the big guy last week at age 17. :(

On topic, if I know a year in advance on port changes it is easier to deal with. We keep our eyes open on both Princess and RCI in regards to their cruises and places. Also the ships they are using. We book accordingly.

We do cruise once a year with my parents. They cruise about 6 times a year. Retirement is a goal. This Explorer cruise was a result from a call from mom saying we have to do this, you will love Quebec City. This will also be the first big ship for all of us. Mom wants to Ice Skate with me.

[The Big Booper]

I never had me on the Avatar. My first was our departed Basset hound. This one is up till last week our current crew, we lost the big guy last week at age 17. :(

 

Sorry for the loss, they are more than pets.

 

I confused you with another poster whose name began with U---

[Tucker in Texas]

In November of 2005 we booked a cruise for our family for Alaska for mid-June 2006 while on a RCI cruise to get cabin credit plus early booking discount and to use C&A coupons.

 

In February, our TA informed us of a "slight change" in the itinerary. We would not be cruising Tracy Arms due to "port congestion." Huh? What port? Even though this was before the skyrocketing fuel costs, we figured the real reason was they didn't want to use fuel dead heading in and out. To "make it up," they would give us a complimentary bus ride to Mendenhall Glacier. Excuse me. Why does one take an Alaskan cruise? Maybe to see some glaciers? For anyone that has taken an Alaskan cruise, that substitute is akin to buying a harbor tour of New York City to see the skyline and then being put on a bus, taken to the Empire State building and told to "look up."

 

By that time, prices had gone up and choices were down. Mercifully, I was able to change to a Princess ship but, of course, lost our OBC for booking on a cruise and had to go from a nice ocean view cabin on Deck 7 to an inside on Deck 2 for a slight increase in price. However, the Upgrade Fairy felt sorry for us and moved two out of three couples from inside steerage to an ocean view at the last minute. If I never get blessed by the fairy again, I won't complain because that was major.

 

I won't bore you with the jacking around we got on our Panama Canal transit with that itinerary on the Radiance. Six in all starting with changing our embarkation from San Diego to Ensenada and wanting $70 pp for the bus ride down there. That eventually got changed back to San Diego with a departure moved from 5:00 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. and causing a port to be dropped. Even though the change was made eight months out, it was too late and too expensive to change to another line leaving from the US. Since the main reason we were taking the cruise was the Canal transit, I rolled with the punches. It wasn't until after I got home I started thinking they could have done the transit at 3:00 a.m. (lol).

 

Tucker in Texas