Celebrity cruise line has increased its daily gratuities for the second time in the last year. Beginning July 11th, A new gratuity rate of $18 will be charged for inside, oceanview, and veranda staterooms. Meanwhile, gratuities for Concierge Class and AquaClass accommodations will be raised to $18.50. These are both a small 50 cent a day raises, so not too much. Those in The Retreat will pay $23, which will be a $2 a day increase. While these are not large increases, we all know these will continue. Every time a cruise line raises gratuities, cruisers bring up their desire for the lines to do away with the gratuities and just charge more for the cruise fare. I am definitely one of those people. I don’t like that some cruisers have their gratuities removed on the lines that allow it. I think it is a pretty crappy thing to do because it affects the behind-the-scenes crew the most. However, If lines would just dispense with the daily gratuities and add that amount to the fare, I guarantee that crew would benefit. Not only would they be guaranteed that money, but cruisers would be more likely to tip above and beyond for good service. I know I would, what about you?
MSC Cruises will be closing Ocean Cay Marine Reserve for a month as they make improvements to the private island. The island will be temporarily closed to MSC Cruises guests from April 7 to May 22, 2024. MSC stated it was in order to make necessary guest experience enhancements and support the island’s future growth plans. MSC reclaimed a former industrial site and have been working to restore its coral reefs, local flora and fauna, and more. There have been no details on what improvements are planned, but there is some speculation that construction may partly be in preparation for their newest ship, the MSC World America, which is set to debut in 2025. I’ve not been to Ocean Cay yet, but I’ve heard great things about it. I think those who like it really appreciate that it is a reserve and enjoy exploring that aspect. The other unique thing that MSC does is nights at Ocean Cay with an LED light show from their lighthouse and a nighttime beach party. Have you been? What did you think?
The Ruby Princess received hull damage Thursday morning when it docked in San Fransisco on its return from a 10-day Alaskan cruise. Shortly after 6am pacific time, the ship struck pier 27 at the San Fransisco port. The U.S. Coast Guard is investigating and reports that none of the over 3,000 passengers aboard were injured although passengers said they felt the ship hit the pier. Locals said they could hear the crash. The ship suffered damage to its hull near the stern and had other scuffs along its port side. Early reports state that at the time of the crash, the liner was under the partial control of a San Francisco Bar Pilot who may have brought the ship in too quickly. The pilots are mariners who help large ships navigate the 11-mile stretch between the San Francisco Bay opening and their final destination at the pier. A spokesperson for the San Francisco Bar Pilots said the organization is cooperating with the investigation, but could not comment beyond their involvement. I imagine if the fault is found with the pilot and not the captain or anyone connected with Princess, then the cost of the repairs and compensation would revert to the port. I’m not exactly sure how that all plays out. While the bar pilot is the one that has the expertise of the area, it would seem that the ship’s captain has the final say in how the ship is run, even when coming in and out of a port.
Guests boarded the ship Thursday afternoon as planned but were told to remain onboard ship as repairs were made. I checked this morning and the ship is still in San Fransisco, so guests have now spent two nights stuck at port. Friday morning Princess cruises issued a statement saying that the US Coast Guard was performing an inspection and reviewing the repairs made to the ship before allowing it to set sail on its next 10-day Alaskan cruise. It is expected that guests will receive compensation for the missed days, but no word yet on what that will be.
I can’t imagine being on a ship when something like this happens, but it does remind me of our trip on the Carnival Glory back in January 2020 after it had collided with the Carnival Legend in Cozumel just a few weeks prior. That one had actually put quite a hole into the back of the Glory as it passed by the front of the Legend and the bow cut into the back of the Glory. They had the back corner of the main dining room sectioned off and repairs were being done throughout our cruise.
Let me know in the comments how upset you’d be if you had been stuck on the Ruby Princess waiting for it to finally set sail on your highly anticipated Alaskan cruise?
Cruising From The Ozarks 