rogue

Have a great trip!

I thinnk you're right. This really does appear to be showboating (no pun intended). I was listening to one of the New York radio stations this morning, and this was their second top story of the morning, which really amazed me. Kicking the cruise lines has really become a media sport these days. I'm sure that the rest of the travel and hospitality industry enjoys getting the media off their back for a while.

Welcome to CruiseCrazies, CaryNC!! It's great having you with us. Please post often. :grin:

BON VOYAGE, jbond!!!

Welcome to CruiseCrazies, SoonerGirl!! It's great having you with us. Please post often. :grin:

Welcome to CruiseCrazies, Kropula!! It's great having you with us. Please post often. :grin:

To be honest, I'll bet that just about every single person on that cruise knew about the hurricane long before they got to the pier. I'm also sure that most of them were not at all surprised that the itinerary was changed. We sailed on the arnival Legend a few years ago, and had our itinerary changed due to a hurricane just north of Puerto Rico, and very few people were surprised.

Hurricane Franklin was dancing around near Bermuda when the ship was leaving. Back in 1999, we awoke on our 1st sea day of our 1st cruise on the edges of Hurricane Irene. We were on our way to Bermuda, but had to take a very round-about way of getting there in order to avoid going directly into the storm. This meant that we also missed St. George. I can't remember anyone talking about asking for a refund. We can get bad weather on any vacation. We just make the most of it and go with the flow. This case is rediculous.

NEWARK, N.J., Jun 15, 2006 (AP Online via COMTEX) -- New Jersey's attorney general sued Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. Thursday for diverting a Bermuda-bound cruise to Canada and refusing to issue refunds. The lawsuit alleges the cruise line violations of the state Consumer Fraud Act. It seeks restitution for the people aboard the ship plus civil penalties. "It is unconscionable that consumers showed up for a cruise they paid for with hard-earned money, only to be sent somewhere they didn't want to go, without access to the amenities they paid for and activities they looked forward to, and were told there was nothing they could do about it," said state Consumer Affairs Director Kimberly Ricketts. The state got complaints from 53 passengers booked on the July 24 cruise who said they were told they would lose all their money if they didn't board the ship, even though its destination had changed. It wasn't clear why the cruise line changed the Voyager of the Seas' itinerary. A company spokesman did not immediately return a call seeking comment Thursday. According to the state, the cruise line shifted the itinerary from Bermuda to ports in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick without making any effort to notify passengers. The company posted a notice of the change the night before on its Web site. Although a cruise to Canada typically would be significantly cheaper than one to Bermuda, the state says the company offered only a credit of $42.50, representing the difference in port fees and taxes between the two destinations. (Of course, there is no mention of the hurricaine that was bearing down on Bermuda at the time.)

Welcome to CruiseCrazies, SeeShell!! It's great having you with us. Please post often. :grin:

Welcome to CruiseCrazies, bazarr!! It's great having you with us. Please post often. :grin:

Welcome to CruiseCrazies, CruiseLady!! It's great having you with us. Please post often. :grin:

BON VOYAGE, bakersuzie!!!

Welcome to CruiseCrazies, mastermarinertulsa!! It's great having you with us. Please post often. :grin:

Welcome to CruiseCrazies, Avie!! It's great having you with us. Please post often. :grin:

Congratulations on getting to the Diamond Plus level, Rose! Enjoy.

BON VOYAGE, Mebert!!!

Welcome to CruiseCrazies, jiona55!! It's great having you with us. Please post often. :grin:

I'm still about 10 days from SDM status. Now it's litterally around the corner for you. Have a great cruise. :cool:

Congrats on the DDM status. The time will really start moving now. :grin:

Welcome to CruiseCrazies, BadBucks!! It's great having you with us. Please post often. :grin:

There is no missing meals. As for whales, when we were on the ship we saw some, but they were quite far away. We went on a whale watch and saw an amazing number up close and personal. Lots of eagles. When your observing the glaciers, everyone is either on deck, or on their verrandah. I really feel that that is one cruise where a verrandah is necessity. Jbond is right. It does get cold around the glaciers. Alaska is a great place to cruise. You'll love it. :grin:

Cheryl, I did add the photo after I posted the article. I loved the photo, so I wanted to share it with everyon. :grin:

Crown Princess, the newest ship in Princess Cruises fleet, sailed into New York today to begin its schedule of inaugural festivities, which will celebrate the "crowning achievements" of several notable guests, specifically a triumvirate of accomplished women. The ship's godmother will be Martha Stewart, who has created a domestic dynasty of truly royal proportions. Also in attendance will be America's newest pop princess, Katharine McPhee, who will sing the National Anthem and perform during the christening ceremony. And the "queen of the spelling bee," 13-year-old Katharine Close, the recent winner of the 2006 Scripps National Spelling Bee Tournament and the first female winner in seven years, will compete in the very first "Bee At Sea," Princess' new spelling bee tournament which debuts on Crown Princess. The ship festivities begin on June 11 when Crown Princess departs on a two-day "cruise to nowhere" for special guests. When it returns on June 13, Scripps Spelling Bee National Champion Katharine Close will come onboard to test the spelling prowess of former "Love Boat" Captain Gavin MacLeod, Crown Princess Captain Andrew Proctor and other ship officers. The "Bee at Sea" will officially debut on Crown Princess' inaugural sailing. On June 14, the queen of domesticity, Martha Stewart, will officially christen the ship during its naming ceremony at 10:30 a.m. ET. The country's newest singing sensation and pop idol Katharine McPhee will also join the festivities with a special performance that morning. With Princess' long-time spokesman Gavin MacLeod as master of ceremonies, the celebration will also include remarks by Princess Cruises Chairman Peter Ratcliffe and New York City Deputy Mayor for Economic Development Daniel Doctoroff. The Reverend Dr. Jean Smith, the executive director of the Seamen's Church Institute of New York and New Jersey will bless the new ship before Ms. Stewart pulls the lever that will release the traditional champagne bottle against the ship. That afternoon, Crown Princess will depart on its first Caribbean cruise with stops in Grand Turk, Ocho Rios, Grand Cayman and Port Canaveral, Florida. The 113,000-ton Crown Princess will introduce a number of new design innovations to the Princess fleet, including a dramatic new piazza-style atrium and new casual dining venues. Within the new street cafe environment of the atrium, passengers will find an International Cafe serving up fresh pastries and baked goods in the morning and assorted other offerings throughout the day, as well as a wine and seafood bar. Several signature Princess venues have been further enhanced, including an expanded Sabatini's Italian trattoria with a new piano lounge, and the Crown Grill, a new steak and seafood restaurant with an open, theater-style kitchen where chefs will custom-prepare steamed shellfish and cooked-to-order steaks and chops. The ship will also feature the many hallmark features that define the Princess experience, including the dramatic Movies Under the Stars poolside movie screen, multiple dining and entertainment options, a Lotus Spa fitness center, an extensive children and teen's center, a wedding chapel and nearly 900 staterooms with private balconies. The inaugural 2006 summer season for Crown Princess will feature nine-day roundtrip voyages to both the Eastern and Western Caribbean, and will mark the return of Princess visits to Bermuda, as well as the line's first-ever regular calls to Grand Turk. In the fall the ship will reposition to San Juan for winter Caribbean sailings We'll be on her in about 3 weeks. I can't wait.

BON VOYAGE, pacruiser!!!