Port Adventures cancelled

[bobbiwoz]

We really enjoy going to Chankanaab NP. I do not know about safety these days, but we went there by taxi as well as by shore excursions.

 

[KashasMom]

We really enjoy going to Chankanaab NP. I do not know about safety these days, but we went there by taxi as well as by shore excursions.

We were there last week - by taxi. No issues. In general, I think the State Dept's warnings are usually a bit on the extreme side (same as CDC). I'm sure it's supposed to be for our "protection".

 

[ImprovGal]

And BTW, I don't think it's unusual to take a cruise for a specific excursion. I did it for a show! The only reason I booked the Dream was to see Beauty & the Beast.

I did the same thing, but with a 7 night cruise on NCL Epic to see Priscilla!

 

[MomOTwins]

I suspect the bigger problem is that it is the off season, and not the most popular itinerary (no Castaway Cay). I noticed that Disney has been pretty heavily discounting the Galveston cruises this fall--I wonder if that is a less popular embarkation port too since it doesn't have the draw of Disney World nearby like Port Canaveral. I suspect the Cozumel tours are much more likely to operate in peak season notwithstanding the safety scares with the ferry.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

To cancel them on the odd occasion where they don't stand to make a nice profit isn't exactly customer friendly.

Many times it's the excursion company that decides whether there's enough participation, not the cruise line.

 

[Pens Fan]

Many times it's the excursion company that decides whether there's enough participation, not the cruise line.

If the cruise line really wanted to take care of their customers - they could fork out the cash to the local guide to make the excursion happen. They choose not to.

Don't get me wrong. I'm a stock holder and I appreciate the profit aspect of all of this. But I don't for one second place the blame on the small local guide company vs the large corporate entity that could make things right for not only the local guide but also their customers. As I said before, these cruise lines charge a huge mark up on their excursions. If they have to lose a few bucks on one or two excursions vs the many, many others that they are raking in the profit on - they still had a good day.

Blaming the local guide is kind of lame, honestly. They block out this time to a cruise line vs offering it up to the general public, only to have it all go to waste.

 

[Dug720]

If the cruise line really wanted to take care of their customers - they could fork out the cash to the local guide to make the excursion happen. They choose not to.

Don't get me wrong. I'm a stock holder and I appreciate the profit aspect of all of this. But I don't for one second place the blame on the small local guide company vs the large corporate entity that could make things right for not only the local guide but also their customers. As I said before, these cruise lines charge a huge mark up on their excursions. If they have to lose a few bucks on one or two excursions vs the many, many others that they are raking in the profit on - they still had a good day.

Blaming the local guide is kind of lame, honestly. They block out this time to a cruise line vs offering it up to the general public, only to have it all go to waste.

I do think more of the blame lays with the tour company because they are the ones who set the minimum number of participants. Admissions, etc. are likely at a rate based on a certain number of people, and if they fall below that, they are likely not getting the rate that they would have, but a higher rate. Lots of factors that enter in besides just “having Disney pay the rest”.

 

[lanejudy]

Blaming the local guide is kind of lame, honestly. They block out this time to a cruise line vs offering it up to the general public, only to have it all go to waste.

I don't think it's "blaming" the local guide as much as the contract terms between DCL and the local tour company -- likely determined with input from the local tour company for minimum participants to make the effort profitable for them. And many (if not all) of these local tour companies offer the same or similar excursion independently -- often with just a walk-up at the port. They may feel that rather than lose money by continuing with a partially filled excursion group booked through the cruiseline, they'll re-capture most of those folks independently. Again, usually because it's a relatively few number of people. It's not just DCL; all cruiselines have similar contracts with their tour operators.


OP - sorry you were disappointed! If one specific port/activity is make-or-break for a cruise in the future, I suggest looking into booking that excursion privately or even doing a vacation destination (as there's no guarantee a cruise ship will dock at any given port).

I hope you were able to enjoy the rest of your cruise despite the missed activity!