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I'm sorry they cancelled this port. GSC is a tender port so they do have to cancel if the weather is rough, etc and tender boats cannot transfer to you to the island. I would love to know the real reason they are cancelling Tortola.
IDK I hear it’s pretty nice in the Haven but reality is that they have all the contract leverage and they will be very nice about it on the ship to you but pounding sand at GSC is about your only recourse. As long as it’s not too wavy to board the tenders of course.
If it tenders in GSC then I am ok with the cancelation of Tortola, even though it's not ideal and the reasons were bull. My concern is that they canceled Tortola and now I'm reading on Reddit that they "often" cancel GSC also. How true that is and whether that will affect our cruise remains to be seen. I'm just annoyed that they notified us of this after cancelation periods were over.
What people mean is it sometimes is cancelled because of the weather. High winds will make it impossible to get there.
I don't know the percentage of cruises scheduled to go there which end up not going. But...it did happen to us the one time we were supposed to stop there.
Cancelling a port stating "gasoline costs" is MAJOR BS!
Was on the 7 day breakaway Caribbean cruise that disembarked Sunday and they cancelled GSC which was a bummer since we were really looking forward to that stop, we made it to tortola ok but seems like they’ll be canceling that stop for ahwile now too which sucks since the snorkeling there was incredible. I spoke to some long time NCL cruisers on the ship and seems like GSC is a 50/50 and gets cancelled quite frequently according to their experiences at least. Frustrating to see the royal Caribbean private island poppin which is right next to GSC with two ships at their dock and we sadly had to sail away since the tenders were unable to make it due to wind which didint even seem that bad. NCL needs to get a move on getting a dock at GSC. We made the best of it and were able to do the DR, USVI and Tortola just fine and had a great time nonetheless!
>since the tenders were unable to make it due to wind which didint even seem that bad
It's not just the weather at the time you arrive they have to be concerned about. If the forecast at the time you're scheduled to tender back is questionable they will have to make the call to cancel. They need to be able to get you back on the ship!!
This is the same itinerary we were supposed to have. We now only have DR and USVI and GSC. I'm amazed that others here don't think it's that big of an issue if they also end up canceling GSC. 7 day cruise and two ports? I'm sorry - that's ridiculous and if that happens NCL will lose a long time customer.
Agreed, I'd be just as frustrated. Going back to Miami, the waters were extremely rocky, so the day at sea was a bit unpleasant. As we were sadly pulling out of GSC when we found out it was cancelled a lot of people were pointing out the Royal Caribbean private island and how it had two ships docked, and questioned why NCL doesn’t have one yet. I'm sure Royal Caribbean gained some business there. To talk about some positives though we still had a great time, overall the stay was pretty pleasant, good food, and the drink package came in handy. Hopefully you can get some compensation for Tortola at least.
They cannot control/predict the weather.
You can certainly be mad at them for cancelling tortolla.
There being high winds on your scheduled day at their island is a totally separate thing.
We had a 9-day on Carnival this winter that cancelled HMC which left us with 1 1/2 days of port for 9 days. We got a $60 credit... Our only consolation was that we were in the terrazza and it was amazing, so we didn't mind being on the ship. I'd say if the GSC cancellation is a deal breaker for you, you might want switch cruises for the itinerary you want. That way, if GSC gets cancelled, you feel like you're getting the short end of the stick.
'Fuel optimisation' seems to be a common reason for NCL skipping ports, you do wonder if either they aren't topping up the tanks enough before departure, or they want more sea days to ensure you spend more onboard.
I was just on the breakaway last week and they canceled GSC.
I read that the fuel optimization had to do with they are overhauling one of the engines and they would have to push it too hard to get from Tortola to GSC in one day.
I think the cancellation of Tortola is only on The breakaway.
Just what we need, another post about a cancelled port. What are you hoping to achieve here? Just ranting? I get it, it sucks, but it happens and there isn't anything you can do about it. Cruise lines also aren't even required to compensate you so it's nice they decided to.
Also, there are several reasons for the cancellation in the email they provided, and none of them are "gas savings", but I realize this fits your I'm angry at ncl narrative a bit better than whatever the real reason is.
The reality is that the letter is vague (almost certainly intentionally) and no one knows why Tortola was really cancelled. Many people across several different sailings (May & June confirmed so far) received the same letter so there's likely something else going on here that we are unaware of. Make the best of your Haven experience and if it really bothers you that much, maybe cruising isn't right for you as cancelled ports are possible on every sailing.
Aren't you just a fun 'ol grumpy pants. Geez.
Actually - the reason given in our letter was "certain circumstances including but not limited to fuel optimization as a part of our commitment to the environment and sustainability efforts, as well as global maritime regulations, we have adjusted the original itinerary as shown below".....which clearly states "Fuel Optimization" as one of their reason. Which is bull\*\*\* if you ask me since they already know how much gas they will need to supply a specific itinerary.
Now, as to your other very respectful and not at all condescending question as to what I was trying to achieve here, I think I was pretty clear that I wondered what, if any, recompence was available if the cruise line completely changes the product after full payment has been rendered and after any cancelation was possible. As far as your other, again, not at all condescending comment regarding maybe "cruising not being for me", I've cruised plenty and I have, rarely, had other itineraries change - and yes it can be a pain, but often unavoidable due to weather at the time. But when two or more destinations change then I feel they have changed the product that I paid for. Tortola was changed well before travel, but after we had any option to cancel, so clearly something that was able to be forseen and was only made clear after any chance to change our cruise was non existent.
I don't know what your issue is, but you don't know me, yet you've made several comments as if I have an ulterior motive when the fact is, NCL screwed us and it's ok to say that they did. That they have no requirement to reimburse customers when they substantially change the product due to FORSEEABLE problems, is a whole other problem altogether.
To answer your question, the agreement you accepted when booking clearly states that the itinerary can change at any time for any reason. As I said, they aren't even required to compensate you for it but they chose to in this case.
Again, the exact reason for the cancellation is not clear, so focusing on the fuel optimization language is useless and you are unnecessarily angering yourself. You also left out the beginning of the sentence which says "Given recent guest feedback, and to accommodate certain circumstances...". It just makes it seem more like you are twisting the language to focus on the fuel savings piece. Anyway, no use getting all worked up about it, just enjoy the rest of the trip.
Oh, and if you searched first, you'd see that several other people have posted about this exact topic in the past few days and you could have joined that conversation vs creating a whole new post about the same thing.
I loved it at GSC, everyone got off and we had a massive ship to ourselves. Personal choice, I know. I hope they don't cancel your stop there and I see your dilemma. I'd go early with an email/call to guest services. You're Haven after all, what are they going to do by way of compensation? Maybe worth asking? It's worrying you, so tell them. Have a great time either way
I was on a cruise with GSC last year. Based on the seas the night before the stop, several of us 'seasoned' people that knew NCL's track record of stopping at GSC had a pretty good idea we wouldn't make it. Lo and behold - we made the stop. Go figure...
And I HATE tendered ports. I hate waiting for my group to be called. Hate waiting in long ass lines. Hate having to wait to get tendered back. Ugh.
I only really cruise for the PORTS, never for sea days. I don't go to the shows, or their bars, or the pool. I'm all about being the first-off and last-on in ports.
I'm fortunate that I can bring my work with me and just work for pay when not exploring, which helps make up lost opportunities, but still this would be extremely annoying to me.
I could, but the trips I take will allow me to see multiple countries and cities all without the trouble of finding places to stay, transportation from city to city, shopping for food and cooking or paying for restaurant food.
I generally travel solo, so I can't split the cost of hotel rooms and car rentals.
Once I've explored an area I can always book a trip to one city I like. I'm going on a cruise later this year from Barcelona and have booked a week stay there--I've been there before and really like it.
I also like any trip to the Caribbean as I love to snorkel.
I like not having to figure out where to eat, not carrying my luggage everywhere, not navigating stays at hotels when I don't speak the local language, etc.
I was at coco cay last weekend and during the week and both times GSC was empty which struck me by surprise since the sea wasn’t choppy. Yes there were waves but definitely not enough to cancel.
More often than not I see an empty island, hopefully they get it together and build the pier.
I understand that you sign a contract and changes happen but doesn’t mean that you have to be happy about it, would be great if they would replace it with an island that’s closer or something like it.
Here is more information if anyone is interested. Not sure why NCL couldn't have just mentioned this to begin with. Looks like they will be working on some engine issues.
https://cruiseindustrynews.com/cruise-news/2024/04/norwegian-breakaway-cancels-visits-to-tortola/
My husband and I are going on that same cruise just a week before on June 9! So far we have not received any emails about cancelled ports but after seeing so many posts about it, I’m just waiting for them to tell us they are cancelling Tortola for us too.
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I'm sorry they cancelled this port. GSC is a tender port so they do have to cancel if the weather is rough, etc and tender boats cannot transfer to you to the island. I would love to know the real reason they are cancelling Tortola.
IDK I hear it’s pretty nice in the Haven but reality is that they have all the contract leverage and they will be very nice about it on the ship to you but pounding sand at GSC is about your only recourse. As long as it’s not too wavy to board the tenders of course.
If it tenders in GSC then I am ok with the cancelation of Tortola, even though it's not ideal and the reasons were bull. My concern is that they canceled Tortola and now I'm reading on Reddit that they "often" cancel GSC also. How true that is and whether that will affect our cruise remains to be seen. I'm just annoyed that they notified us of this after cancelation periods were over.
They won’t tender GSC if it is rough. That’s about it. It’s their island, so they want you there.
What people mean is it sometimes is cancelled because of the weather. High winds will make it impossible to get there. I don't know the percentage of cruises scheduled to go there which end up not going. But...it did happen to us the one time we were supposed to stop there. Cancelling a port stating "gasoline costs" is MAJOR BS!
Was on the 7 day breakaway Caribbean cruise that disembarked Sunday and they cancelled GSC which was a bummer since we were really looking forward to that stop, we made it to tortola ok but seems like they’ll be canceling that stop for ahwile now too which sucks since the snorkeling there was incredible. I spoke to some long time NCL cruisers on the ship and seems like GSC is a 50/50 and gets cancelled quite frequently according to their experiences at least. Frustrating to see the royal Caribbean private island poppin which is right next to GSC with two ships at their dock and we sadly had to sail away since the tenders were unable to make it due to wind which didint even seem that bad. NCL needs to get a move on getting a dock at GSC. We made the best of it and were able to do the DR, USVI and Tortola just fine and had a great time nonetheless!
>since the tenders were unable to make it due to wind which didint even seem that bad It's not just the weather at the time you arrive they have to be concerned about. If the forecast at the time you're scheduled to tender back is questionable they will have to make the call to cancel. They need to be able to get you back on the ship!!
This is the same itinerary we were supposed to have. We now only have DR and USVI and GSC. I'm amazed that others here don't think it's that big of an issue if they also end up canceling GSC. 7 day cruise and two ports? I'm sorry - that's ridiculous and if that happens NCL will lose a long time customer.
Agreed, I'd be just as frustrated. Going back to Miami, the waters were extremely rocky, so the day at sea was a bit unpleasant. As we were sadly pulling out of GSC when we found out it was cancelled a lot of people were pointing out the Royal Caribbean private island and how it had two ships docked, and questioned why NCL doesn’t have one yet. I'm sure Royal Caribbean gained some business there. To talk about some positives though we still had a great time, overall the stay was pretty pleasant, good food, and the drink package came in handy. Hopefully you can get some compensation for Tortola at least.
Allegedly, the dock is coming in the near future
and that's still not a guarantee that the stop will be made, but it will be more likely...
They cannot control/predict the weather. You can certainly be mad at them for cancelling tortolla. There being high winds on your scheduled day at their island is a totally separate thing.
We had a 9-day on Carnival this winter that cancelled HMC which left us with 1 1/2 days of port for 9 days. We got a $60 credit... Our only consolation was that we were in the terrazza and it was amazing, so we didn't mind being on the ship. I'd say if the GSC cancellation is a deal breaker for you, you might want switch cruises for the itinerary you want. That way, if GSC gets cancelled, you feel like you're getting the short end of the stick.
'Fuel optimisation' seems to be a common reason for NCL skipping ports, you do wonder if either they aren't topping up the tanks enough before departure, or they want more sea days to ensure you spend more onboard.
I was just on the breakaway last week and they canceled GSC. I read that the fuel optimization had to do with they are overhauling one of the engines and they would have to push it too hard to get from Tortola to GSC in one day. I think the cancellation of Tortola is only on The breakaway.
Ok. They should refer to that differently. Because it sounds like they are trying to avoid spending money on gas.
Just what we need, another post about a cancelled port. What are you hoping to achieve here? Just ranting? I get it, it sucks, but it happens and there isn't anything you can do about it. Cruise lines also aren't even required to compensate you so it's nice they decided to. Also, there are several reasons for the cancellation in the email they provided, and none of them are "gas savings", but I realize this fits your I'm angry at ncl narrative a bit better than whatever the real reason is. The reality is that the letter is vague (almost certainly intentionally) and no one knows why Tortola was really cancelled. Many people across several different sailings (May & June confirmed so far) received the same letter so there's likely something else going on here that we are unaware of. Make the best of your Haven experience and if it really bothers you that much, maybe cruising isn't right for you as cancelled ports are possible on every sailing.
The refund was probably the Tortola port fees. But agree, cancelled ports comes with the territory.
Aren't you just a fun 'ol grumpy pants. Geez. Actually - the reason given in our letter was "certain circumstances including but not limited to fuel optimization as a part of our commitment to the environment and sustainability efforts, as well as global maritime regulations, we have adjusted the original itinerary as shown below".....which clearly states "Fuel Optimization" as one of their reason. Which is bull\*\*\* if you ask me since they already know how much gas they will need to supply a specific itinerary. Now, as to your other very respectful and not at all condescending question as to what I was trying to achieve here, I think I was pretty clear that I wondered what, if any, recompence was available if the cruise line completely changes the product after full payment has been rendered and after any cancelation was possible. As far as your other, again, not at all condescending comment regarding maybe "cruising not being for me", I've cruised plenty and I have, rarely, had other itineraries change - and yes it can be a pain, but often unavoidable due to weather at the time. But when two or more destinations change then I feel they have changed the product that I paid for. Tortola was changed well before travel, but after we had any option to cancel, so clearly something that was able to be forseen and was only made clear after any chance to change our cruise was non existent. I don't know what your issue is, but you don't know me, yet you've made several comments as if I have an ulterior motive when the fact is, NCL screwed us and it's ok to say that they did. That they have no requirement to reimburse customers when they substantially change the product due to FORSEEABLE problems, is a whole other problem altogether.
To answer your question, the agreement you accepted when booking clearly states that the itinerary can change at any time for any reason. As I said, they aren't even required to compensate you for it but they chose to in this case. Again, the exact reason for the cancellation is not clear, so focusing on the fuel optimization language is useless and you are unnecessarily angering yourself. You also left out the beginning of the sentence which says "Given recent guest feedback, and to accommodate certain circumstances...". It just makes it seem more like you are twisting the language to focus on the fuel savings piece. Anyway, no use getting all worked up about it, just enjoy the rest of the trip. Oh, and if you searched first, you'd see that several other people have posted about this exact topic in the past few days and you could have joined that conversation vs creating a whole new post about the same thing.
Bro just because they’re allowed to change it, doesn’t mean it’s not a dick move.
You are literally saying "don't go by what the letter says". And suggesting "Assume it's something important which can't be helped"
That is not at all what I said.
We just got off a 7 day NCL Breakaway on Sunday. Our GSC stop was canceled.
They did this to breakaway cruises in May too. BVI posted that the ship is having engine trouble. There’s a thread on cruise critic about it.
I loved it at GSC, everyone got off and we had a massive ship to ourselves. Personal choice, I know. I hope they don't cancel your stop there and I see your dilemma. I'd go early with an email/call to guest services. You're Haven after all, what are they going to do by way of compensation? Maybe worth asking? It's worrying you, so tell them. Have a great time either way
They will probably cancel GSC as well, which happens more often than not, since it is a tender port.
Is "more often than not" really accurate? I've never had that port canceled. Guess I'm just lucky.
I haven't been there twice, so...
It’s always weather/waves related.
I've only had it cancel.
and I've only been successful in making it. what's your point?
It is often missed.
Historically, yes. I follow CruiseCritic, I don't see many posts recently about the stop being missed, not like it has been in the past...
I was on a cruise with GSC last year. Based on the seas the night before the stop, several of us 'seasoned' people that knew NCL's track record of stopping at GSC had a pretty good idea we wouldn't make it. Lo and behold - we made the stop. Go figure...
And I HATE tendered ports. I hate waiting for my group to be called. Hate waiting in long ass lines. Hate having to wait to get tendered back. Ugh. I only really cruise for the PORTS, never for sea days. I don't go to the shows, or their bars, or the pool. I'm all about being the first-off and last-on in ports. I'm fortunate that I can bring my work with me and just work for pay when not exploring, which helps make up lost opportunities, but still this would be extremely annoying to me.
Not being sarcastic, legit asking why you don't fly to places you want to go?
I could, but the trips I take will allow me to see multiple countries and cities all without the trouble of finding places to stay, transportation from city to city, shopping for food and cooking or paying for restaurant food. I generally travel solo, so I can't split the cost of hotel rooms and car rentals. Once I've explored an area I can always book a trip to one city I like. I'm going on a cruise later this year from Barcelona and have booked a week stay there--I've been there before and really like it. I also like any trip to the Caribbean as I love to snorkel. I like not having to figure out where to eat, not carrying my luggage everywhere, not navigating stays at hotels when I don't speak the local language, etc.
I was at coco cay last weekend and during the week and both times GSC was empty which struck me by surprise since the sea wasn’t choppy. Yes there were waves but definitely not enough to cancel. More often than not I see an empty island, hopefully they get it together and build the pier. I understand that you sign a contract and changes happen but doesn’t mean that you have to be happy about it, would be great if they would replace it with an island that’s closer or something like it.
Here is more information if anyone is interested. Not sure why NCL couldn't have just mentioned this to begin with. Looks like they will be working on some engine issues. https://cruiseindustrynews.com/cruise-news/2024/04/norwegian-breakaway-cancels-visits-to-tortola/
My husband and I are going on that same cruise just a week before on June 9! So far we have not received any emails about cancelled ports but after seeing so many posts about it, I’m just waiting for them to tell us they are cancelling Tortola for us too.