RCCL Cancels Cruise with Passengers Already Onboard

[jdb in AZ]

At least they got their money back and other accommodations, but how frustrating to be ready to sail and told, "not so fast there."

https://www.msn.com/en-us/travel/ne...id=afc59817f0974f75da917bfab52da437&ei=6&rc=1

 

[bcwife76]

I've been following this because the ship is here in Vancouver where we live. I feel so awful for the people who got on on Friday only to sit in port (and they were moved away from Canada Place to another, far less picturesque part of the port) in the rain. And then have the cruise be cancelled. Quantum of the Seas is sailing from here tomorrow and apparently a few people were able to rebook from Radiance to the Quantum so at least some were able to make lemonade from those lemons.

 

[Mommb]

That was frustrating for passengers, but if the ship wasn’t in safe condition to sail, RCCL made the right call. They not only refunded passengers but also are reimbursing for airline change fees, providing free WiFi to make alternative arrangements, and providing a credit for another cruise.

It sounds like they thought they could get the ship fixed in time and just couldn’t. I would rather have a cruise cancelled with reimbursement than be stuck at sail.

 

[Cfabar1]

I honestly think RCCL handled this as good as they could. I'm glad they didn't sail in a dangerous situation. They also went above and beyond to make the customers whole as far as I can tell.

Still, the reality of your entire vacation being cancelled must be demoralizing.

 

[Calantha]

Still, the reality of your entire vacation being cancelled must be demoralizing.

Yes, I would have been totally crushed.

 

[JM_97]

A tough pill to swallow if you are a passenger but RC did as much as they could with a tough situation.

 

[towels]

seems odd that they had them board at all.

 

[LAS2AMS]

They’re literally getting a cruise to nowhere - 48 hours on the ship with business as usual except it didn’t go anywhere. For now they’re getting a full refund, future cruise credit, up to $250 to cover airline change fees and a hotel room in Vancouver for tonight. I’m sure they’ll get additional comp…

 

[Husker Mike]

You have to be disappointed, but the fact the ship is having major issues makes it somewhat understandable. I get that people's vacations are ruined...which was going to be the case no matter what, but it sure sounds like RCL is doing everything possible to make this right by their customers. Full refund and then get a potentially free cruise in the future is a pretty good offer.

Why didn't they cancel sooner? I'm sure they were hoping to salvage at least part of the cruise and the revenue it generates.

 

[Intr3pid]

Bound to happen when you keep pouring money into new 8000-passenger headliners but care little about the older fleet.

 

[MomOTwins]

Bound to happen when you keep pouring money into new 8000-passenger headliners but care little about the older fleet.

I definitely feel like that is a known risk at this point though. Remember the poo cruise? I feel like this is a buyer beware situation of needing to understand that older ships sailings cost less than the new ones but can be more prone to maintenance issues that can really disrupt a vacation.

Even Disney is not immune--I'm hearing a lot of reports of leaks and broken AC on the Magic. And remember when the Wonder was sailing slow in Alaska season for a while and missing ports as a result a couple years ago?

 

[auntlynne]

I definitely feel like that is a known risk at this point though. Remember the poo cruise? I feel like this is a buyer beware situation of needing to understand that older ships sailings cost less than the new ones but can be more prone to maintenance issues that can really disrupt a vacation.

Even Disney is not immune--I'm hearing a lot of reports of leaks and broken AC on the Magic. And remember when the Wonder was sailing slow in Alaska season for a while and missing ports as a result a couple years ago?

We missed CC in September on the Fantasy due to engine issues. We were nicely compensated, but I really feel for many; we had stops at Tortola and St Thomas only in a 7-night cruise. If I didn’t have Disney cruises under my belt, it would have been a sad cruise. And now I wonder if I will ever get back there. But new or infrequent cruisers? .

Alaska: so many save and plan for that one. Airfare to Vancouver is not cheap. That one hurts.

 

[Intr3pid]

I definitely feel like that is a known risk at this point though. Remember the poo cruise? I feel like this is a buyer beware situation of needing to understand that older ships sailings cost less than the new ones but can be more prone to maintenance issues that can really disrupt a vacation.

Even Disney is not immune--I'm hearing a lot of reports of leaks and broken AC on the Magic. And remember when the Wonder was sailing slow in Alaska season for a while and missing ports as a result a couple years ago?

TBH, they refunded the money and gave away a free cruise, so this clearly isn't sustainable. Or be sold under the guise of buyer beware.

And I know their conundrum. If they spend major sums on the older fleet, they will have to raise prices, which will drive out a segment of the market. That's partly why the Magic and the Wonder aren't going to get much love from the DCL coffers.

Cruise prices today - all else equal - are more or less being segmented by the class of the ship.

 

[DisneYE]

Full refund, 100% future cruise credit, flights and accommodation paid AND open bar before disembarking?
That's a huge W right there.

 

[lanejudy]

Full refund, 100% future cruise credit, flights and accommodation paid AND open bar before disembarking?
That's a huge W right there.

I only saw that airline change fees were covered, not actual airfare. And I didn't see anything about accommodations, but maybe that's considered covered if passengers were allowed to board on Friday as originally planned and just stayed in port.

But I do agree it's a nice compensation package. Maybe not nice "enough" to offset disappointment at the loss of a long-awaited vacation, but probably nothing would be.

 

[DisneYE]

I only saw that airline change fees were covered, not actual airfare. And I didn't see anything about accommodations, but maybe that's considered covered if passengers were allowed to board on Friday as originally planned and just stayed in port.

But I do agree it's a nice compensation package. Maybe not nice "enough" to offset disappointment at the loss of a long-awaited vacation, but probably nothing would be.

The end result is a free cruise and barely spending anything in the original trip.
Yes, its an inconvenience but the reward far exceeds the time investment.
I'd have loved to be one among those in that cruise.

I'm also wondering, would DCL have reacted the same way? I doubt it. Refund yes, maybe a 50% discount on a future cruise but that's about it. Yes, they are pretty good about making up for unforeseen events, but this one with RCL was exceedingly generous.

 

[princesscinderella]

We almost had this happen to us on our British Isles cruise on the NCL Spirit which was their oldest ship in the fleet, we were supposed to sail away at 5 and didn't end up leaving the port until 6am the next day. They were waiting on a part to repair the engine and luckily, they got it fixed and in working order and we were able to sail. We were late to our first port in Edinburgh so that day was rushed but the rest went smoothly. It was a 12 day cruise with 11 ports so the ship didn't really matter that it didn't have all the bells and whistles as we were hardly on it, exploring the ports daily instead. Later in the year that same ship had passengers stage a mutiny in the main lobby due to poor conditions and lack of food because they were not able to dock and restock due to a hurricane that went through the area.