Upcoming port/itinerary changes HERE

[_auroraborealis_]

FWIW, video of Cane Garden Bay:

 

[disneymagicgirl]

October for st Thomas?? Wonder how soon dcl will return? Maybe I could switch to a dec sailing and be safe...

https://www.usatoday.com/story/trav...s-could-back-st-thomas-end-october/707274001/

 

[disneymagicgirl]

And st martin nov 11...
https://cruisefever.net/cruise-ports-st-thomas-st-maarten-open-sooner-expected/

 

[Djscarlette]

FWIW, video of Cane Garden Bay:

This is so sad to watch

 

[awilliams4]

And st martin nov 11...
https://cruisefever.net/cruise-ports-st-thomas-st-maarten-open-sooner-expected/

Thanks for keeping this thread filled with updates. I have been checking it daily.

 

[disneymagicgirl]

Just read the following on that page CC is keeping updated with all the port statuses...

"It is reported that all seaports in the St. Thomas/St. John district are open, but not to cruise passengers. A September 26 letter to passengers booked on the October 28 Celebrity Summit sailing states "Due to the success of the recovery efforts in St. Thomas, USVI, we’re happy to announce that we will be adding a visit to this stunning island back to your sailing. We’ve removed the stop in St. Croix, USVI from your sailing...We’ll send you all the details on our updated shore excursion offerings in St. Thomas as soon as they’re finalized."

So I am curious why DCL switched the 11/4 sailing to western.

 

[go oilers go]

Thanks for your help. At least now I know I don't have to stay up until midnight!!!

I booked at 1200 eastern time or 1000 pm my time on sep 28. I got my selections

 

[BWV Dreamin]

Just read the following on that page CC is keeping updated with all the port statuses...

"It is reported that all seaports in the St. Thomas/St. John district are open, but not to cruise passengers. A September 26 letter to passengers booked on the October 28 Celebrity Summit sailing states "Due to the success of the recovery efforts in St. Thomas, USVI, we’re happy to announce that we will be adding a visit to this stunning island back to your sailing. We’ve removed the stop in St. Croix, USVI from your sailing...We’ll send you all the details on our updated shore excursion offerings in St. Thomas as soon as they’re finalized."

So I am curious why DCL switched the 11/4 sailing to western.

I can not believe that after only one month of taking on a CAT 5 hurricane these islands are ready for tourists. It’s got to be an economical decision. I would be cancelling or rebooking my cruise if now all of a sudden the itineraries are changed back to these islands if I were sailing anytime in the next 6 months.

 

[_auroraborealis_]

I can not believe that after only one month of taking on a CAT 5 hurricane these islands are ready for tourists. It’s got to be an economical decision. I would be cancelling or rebooking my cruise if now all of a sudden the itineraries are changed back to these islands if I were sailing anytime in the next 6 months.

The island still has a curfew!

Excursions are undoubtedly an issue. Also, beauty is an issue.

 

[disneymagicgirl]

I can not believe that after only one month of taking on a CAT 5 hurricane these islands are ready for tourists. It’s got to be an economical decision. I would be cancelling or rebooking my cruise if now all of a sudden the itineraries are changed back to these islands if I were sailing anytime in the next 6 months.

I read somewhere...prob linked on cc but have read a ton so can't remember...the governor or somebody stating that the port area/Charlotte Amalie were just about ready to go and the vendors are all mostly ready. It also said like 80% of tours are ready to go.

Seems crazy but I guess they must have been focusing on that area.

The press conferences by the governor are avail online but I haven't had time to watch for myself.

I wish we could see current pics somewhere of how things look. I'm tempted to move to the dec 2 sailing if they will actually be going to st Thomas.

 

[_auroraborealis_]

I mean, let me just quote this article, published TODAY: https://weather.com/storms/hurrican...impacts-us-virgin-islands-dominica-guadeloupe

Officials temporarily eased curfew restrictions on St. Croix and St. Thomas to allow residents to deal with "bodies [that] are pretty much stacking up."​

You know who said that? The governor! He also says this:

The governor said he plans to appoint a 12-member task force which will focus on getting some of the islands' best-known visitor destinations up and running.

“Part of the new excursion is to see the disaster,” Mapp told the paper. “I feel very excited for the people of the U.S. Virgin Islands. Trust me, the hurricane disaster will become folks’ experience."
​

Now, look. I have visited areas of volcanic destruction, and the ecology of it is pretty cool. But we also don't have destroyed hospitals in those zones because we didn't build them on Mauna Loa. Power is still out on much of the island, with a goal of 90% having power by Christmas.

This all does not sound quite like what everyone wants of their tropical vacation.

 

[Charlies_Mommy]

Have you all seen the before and after pictures? Every single leaf, from every single tree is gone. The green lush hillsides are brown and barren. It is depressing. I also shudder to think about driving through destruction to get my 'beach' and ask for cold drink. Just doesn't feel right to me. I am on the 12/2 sailing and to be honest, not even sure which course of action I prefer-eastern or western.

 

[_auroraborealis_]

As I said, on the one hand, the ecology of recovery is actually pretty cool, if you like that kind of thing. But I'm not sure people booking Caribbean vacations on giant cruise ships are doing it for the ecology of things.

And when you have issues dealing with dead bodies because of the curfew and condition of your island, I have challenges believing you're ready to have tourism up and running. I understand that tourism has to be a parallel track to core infrastructure (like the hospital, which was destroyed), and that you cannot neglect income while rebuilding. But when you're failing at minimums, you're not ready to greet cruise ship type guests.

 

[disneymagicgirl]

I think a lot of the problem is it's hard for us to figure out what's real and what is sensationalized.

 

[KdKyA]

Have you all seen the before and after pictures? Every single leaf, from every single tree is gone. The green lush hillsides are brown and barren. It is depressing. I also shudder to think about driving through destruction to get my 'beach' and ask for cold drink. Just doesn't feel right to me. I am on the 12/2 sailing and to be honest, not even sure which course of action I prefer-eastern or western.

We are on the Dec. 2 sailing too. I have such mixed feelings of going back to the Eastern so soon. It's going to take at least 2 growing seasons to get the lush green foliage back. While on the one hand, I would be fine going back, and giving tourism dollars to help with the rebuild, I also don't believe it's worth the price of the cruise to go see a recovering disaster zone. While our excursion is half day at the baths, the caves will be the same, the path getting down will look like a desert. I grew up in the desert. I don't pay to go see one. Yet, they need the money to rebuild, so that part of me I guess is putting me in the mindset that this will be a "charity" cruise. It would be nice if they could poll the passengers and ask if they prefer the Eastern or rather Western given the circumstances. While I don't care for the Western, I would prefer that over the Eastern as it is right now.

 

[emilymad]

Just because you can physically visit someplace it doesn't mean that people should visit that place. I can't imagine visiting these islands when they are still struggling so much.

 

[DLgal]

If I had a cruise booked, I would stay on the ship if it visited any of the islands that were affected by the hurricane. You couldn't pay me enough money to get off on an island that has been recently obliterated by a hurricane. That would be like booking a hotel in a town that had been destroyed by a tornado a couple months prior. Who would do that?

 

[_auroraborealis_]

I think a lot of the problem is it's hard for us to figure out what's real and what is sensationalized.

I'm using quotes from the governor, unfortunately. So, on the one hand he's all hung ho about getting tourism back, and on the other, "bodies piling up."

Problematic at best. Note that this guy also claimed there was no looting. Every resident I have seen interviewed says this is totally wrong.

 

[_auroraborealis_]

While our excursion is half day at the baths, the caves will be the same, the path getting down will look like a desert. I grew up in the desert

It's worth noting that the Baths is a Tortola excursion, not a St. Thomas excursion. Tortola has no timeline to accept cruise ships. This is all St. Thomas.

I expect that if St. Thomas reopens quickly, the Eastern may be St. Maarten, St. Thomas, CC. No Tortola.

 

[Jen B.]

We are on the 1 Dec sailing out of San Juan. It is heartbreaking and infuriating to see what these people are going through. Recovery is slow, so it's hard to imagine flying in and staying overnight and then travelling to the port in a little over 60 days.