Some people book a cruise by boat. They may disembark at one port, or even several, but for them the boat is the destination.
There are other cruisers who see the ship as their way of visiting multiple exotic places in just a few days. They like the ship and enjoy its amenities, but above all they see it as a way of getting from one place to another.
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The vast majority of cruisers sailing on Carnival, Royal Caribbean, MSC Cruises and other family-friendly cruise lines that cruise the Caribbean probably fall somewhere in between. They enjoy the ship and they like spending time in port.
Many cruisers who call at ports or cruise in between are looking for an itinerary that calls at places they really like or places they've never been to. Some ports are less frequent than others, and it's always disappointing to book a cruise because you want to visit a certain place and the weather (or other circumstances) forces a change.
Bad weather is by far the most common reason for a cruise ship to be changed. Sometimes it's because the sea is too rough to dock, and other times the captain chooses to steer clear of potentially dangerous weather, as safety is always the first concern.
In very rare cases, ships change their itinerary due to problems on board. They may be working with limited engine power and this could force them to make changes depending on the distance to be travelled.
Image source: Getty Images
This is Carnival's policy on port changes
Cruise lines do their best to communicate changes to itineraries as soon as they are aware of them. However, in many cases, the change occurs after the ship has already sailed.
If this happens, the cruise line will refund all taxes and port fees for the missed stopover, as well as any cruise line-sponsored excursions. That's all it's obligated to do, something Carnival Cruise Line makes very clear on its website.
“Carnival may change the length and/or itinerary of the cruise at any time,” the cruise line posted.
It is also permitted to “deviate in any direction or for any reason from the direct or usual course, and to omit or change any or all port calls, arrival or departure times, with or without notice, for any reason, including, but not limited to, health and safety, security, adverse weather, hurricanes, tornadoes, strikes, tides, hostilities, civil unrest, port closures, emergency disembarkations of guests or crew, late departures or arrivals by air, sea, automobile or bus, mechanical breakdowns, declared pandemics, public health emergencies or communicable disease outbreaks, quarantines, national or regional emergencies, U.S. or foreign government advisories or travel warnings.”
When that happens, the cruise line owes its guests nothing.
“Carnival will have no liability for any compensation or other damages in such circumstances for any changes to the itinerary, ports of call, ports of embarkation and disembarkation, and/or duration of the cruise (including a longer than planned cruise duration due to port closures),” the cruise line added.
However, when a cruise is shortened, their policy requires a prorated refund of the cruise fare and daily packages, such as Internet and beverages.
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Carnival Vista has an engine problem
Carnival recently notified passengers on the Carnival Vista that their entire itinerary would be changing due to mechanical issues with the ship. That notification was sent after some passengers had already boarded the ship.
“Vista passengers only learned on the day of departure that instead of heading to Aruba, Curacao and Turks and Caicos, the ship would call at the ports of Nassau, Princess Cays, Freeport and Half Moon Cay.” Inside edition reported.
Many were angered by the late notification and videos went viral on social media showing angry guests and what several media outlets called “chaos.”
“The Carnival Vista video taken on August 10, when guests were first made aware of a modified itinerary, does not reflect the fact that guests were given the option to disembark with a full refund or stay for the cruise and receive an onboard credit plus a credit toward a future cruise. The vast majority chose to stay onboard and continue with the cruise,” according to a statement from Carnival in response to an email from Come Cruise With Me.
Notification of the change came late because Carnival engineers believed they could fix the problem but were unable to do so in the time they had.
Carnival gave people who opted to stay on board $400 in credits they could spend during the revised cruise. They also received future cruise credits (in amounts that varied by stateroom type) for a future cruise.
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The cruise line was not required to offer refunds, onboard credits or credits for future cruises. Its decision to do so was not due to a small number of angry passengers, but rather because of the way the cruise industry responds when a disappointing itinerary change is made.
Both Royal Caribbean and MSC Cruises have recently offered passengers onboard credits to make up for missed stops due to bad weather. Neither cruise line was required to do so.
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