Wow! Talk about turning something bad into something good.... The people on board Navigator of the Seas this week are actually pretty darn lucky even though you wouldn't think that was the case.
With the collision of a barge and a ship in Galveston Bay last weekend, there was a pretty massive oil spill in case you haven't heard. That meant that the Princess Ship that was in the Houston Ship Channel at the time of the accident couldn't leave port. Additionally, the Royal Caribbean ship (Navigator) and the Carnival ships (Magic and Triumph) were scheduled to come into port on Sunday and Monday to return the previous weeks passengers and pick up new ships full of people to take back out. Each of those returns to port were delayed due to the oil spill.
I've often been on a cruise and dreamed of being told by the captain, "we're sorry but we can't take you back home". Of course, I'm sure that some of the people on board the ships which were stuck at sea might have wanted to go home. Although, I really don't get that. But here's what happened with Navigator. They were supposed to arrive back in port on Sunday morning around 7 AM. They were finally allowed to come into port late Sunday night. So, all those people got to go home although many of them probably missed flights and probably had to take an extra day off work. Then RCCL was able to re-load the ship Monday morning with the passengers who were supposed to go out on Sunday. But the Port Authority still would not allow the ship to leave port again due to the spill.
So all those people got on board and then they couldn't leave. This morning when I went to the Royal Caribbean travel agent site to process some cruise payments, they had a notice posted saying that this weeks cruise has officially been canceled. Each passenger will receive a 100% refund for the cruise, plus a 25% discount on their next cruise. But here's where it gets good. The ship and the crew have no place to be and nothing to do and the passengers are already on board. So, they have been invited to stay on board until next Sunday when they were scheduled to return. While on board they will be able to enjoy the free food, entertainment and all the other amenities that you would normally enjoy while at sea, free of charge.
Ummmmm.... let's see.... my choices are A.) Spend a week on a cruise ship, being fed, entertained and waited on hand and foot or B.) Go home and probably go back to work, cook my own meals, clean up after myself and watch reruns of Chopped. Did I mention that all of this weeks passengers are being given a 100% refund and 25% off their next cruise on top of this???? I think my choice would be pretty clear. When it gets right down to it, I don't care if the ship ever leaves port as long as a cabin steward continues to clean my cabin a couple of times a day and the food continues to flow. It's basically like staying at a hotel in Galveston except that the meals are included. The Strand is within walking distance of the cruise ship terminals. So, you can spend a little time there. Maybe you could even go over to Moody Gardens one afternoon or tour some of the old Victorian houses around Galveston. If you're one of those people who spends most of the cruise in the casino, you might be disappointed since the casino can't open in port. But otherwise, it's kind of a great deal.
You might notice that I haven't told you what is happening with the Carnival ships or Princess. That's because, I'm not really sure. You see, after going through both of their websites looking for information, they aren't offering any to travel agents. I have read a couple of news stories on line from the TV stations around Houston saying that all of the ships have been allowed into port. However, I have no idea if they ever let any of the others leave or not. I don't know if they have offered full refunds. I don't know anything really. I think this is the biggest reason that I am so loyal to Royal Caribbean. As a traveler and a travel agent, I like to be kept informed. I don't think I am very different from most other travelers. While I don't have any clients on any of the Princess or Carnival ships affected, I would like to know what is being done for them so that I can advise my future clients about how the cruise line responds to vacation disruptions. A lack of information about this just makes me uneasy. So once again, I can assure you that if you book a cruise on Royal Caribbean, you can be certain that you will be taken care of in the event of unforeseen circumstances. If you book a cruise on any cruise line falling under the Carnival umbrella, I don't know.
You will note that I didn't mention anything regarding compensation for missed flights. It's because, that's what travel insurance is for. A lot of people feel that travel insurance is just a waste of money. I doubt that it would seem like a waste of money if you had a 2 PM flight home from Houston to Minneapolis last Sunday and you were sitting on a ship still at sea when it left. At that point it would probably seem like $100 well spent. It also would have come in handy if you were one of those people who arrived in Galveston Sunday expecting to board a ship around 1 PM and were told "maybe tomorrow.... Why don't you go see if you can find a hotel room for tonight....."
Well, I have a house full of painters and I suppose I should step away from my desk for a little while. Have a great Tuesday!
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