Katgoesonholiday

I totally agree with you about the check in at Marco Polo! It was horrendous! Likewise we had lines close to 1km long - just insane!

BTW - enjoying reading your blog - well written and I've just started so looking forward to sharing the experience :D

thank you! I must admit that I have got terribly slack and haven't continued past the cruise even though we had another wonderful few days in Paris and London. You are motivating me to finish it before I have to start the blog for our next holiday - beginning in 45 days!

We will make sure they are on an earlier flight. If necessary we will pay for it out of our own pockets and then take the agency to the Disputes Court for the costs.

As stated above, I really appreciate the advice everyone has given. It has confirmed that we are not being unreasonable in our concern that there is not enough time.

On talking further with my parents, we found that they had been offered an early flight initially but when they commented that it might be a little too early they were put onto this later flight without question or warning - where the agent apparently already has four or five other couples booked. I don't think that they should have even been offered this flight - especially once they made it clear to the agent that Mum has mobility issues. An agent has a duty of care to their clients and needs to find what best suits their needs. That includes telling a client that if the first flight is too early then they should look at flying in the previous day rather than putting them on a much later flight with very little time to make it to the port.

I am really glad that we visited them today and picked up on this issue. It would have been devastating for them to miss the cruise and be stranded in Sydney. I don't think my father would ever leave home again if that happened - which would break my mother's heart as she yearns to travel a little.

Thanks so much for all the helpful advice. I really appreciate each of you taking the time to post.

I have checked the Carnival FAQs and they recommend an arrival time of no less than four hours before the departure time of the cruise. My parents have 1 hr 40 mins to get off the plane, through the terminal, through customs, pick up their bags and then leave the airport and get to the cruise terminal before boarding closes (1 hr before departure).

I have checked with Qantas and it would cost $100pp to change the booking and another $100+pp for an earlier flight in a different fare class as their current one is sold out. I resent having to pay that when their agent should have been looking out for their best interests and not booked them on the later flight anyway. My travel agent pitched a fit when I suggested only 1hr 50 mins between flights at SFO for our next trip! :D

Am I right in thinking that the travel agent has been negligent in booking two older people, one with disabilities, on such a late flight?

Unfortunately my mother won't be able to walk the 500m to the train. She has a wheelchair meeting her at the aircraft as she has a lot of issues with walking due to spinal stenosis in two places.

I'm happy to arrange a driver to meet them and take them to the cruise port but I am worried that even that won't be enough - especially if there is an unforeseen issue. Traffic delays are not uncommon and on my last flight we waited over an hour on the tarmac for them to reset an air conditioning unit which was inexplicably located at the rear of the cargo hold - meaning they had to offload the luggage, press the reset button, then load the luggage back on again before we could leave. :eek:

Hi all! I need urgent advice!

My parents have booked onto the Carnival Spirit leaving Sydney next Saturday. I've just been through their cruise documents and discovered that their moronic numpty of a travel agent has booked them on an international flight that arrives at 2:50pm with a ship boarding time between 4-4:30pm.

My husband and I are very worried that this is not enough time to get through customs and picking up their suitcases then across town - especially considering my mother has spinal sclerosis and can't move quickly. Also, they aren't very travel savvy so need things kept simple and straightforward.

How long do you think it will take to get from the airport to the port on a Saturday afternoon? What do you recommend as the best mode of transportation?

I really appreciate your help and advice!

I haven't heard a single word about his family

 

I wonder why?

 

They had a video of the first nurse on fox last night

 

She looks and sounds great btw thankfully

 

Why no video interview with his family?

 

I'm sure they brought iPads and iPhones with them into quarantine

 

FaceTime anyone?

 

Just sayin and wondering why we aren't being updated about his immediate family

 

 

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Possibly they don't want to talk to the media. The media has demonized their family member for bringing ebola to America. The healthcare system failed him. They have been exposed to something terrifying and left with little ability to access support from their community as they mourn the death of their loved one. They weren't even able to see him in hospital or after his death (for understandable reasons but even so it must have been terrible for them). Why do you think they would be gabbing away to reporters?

EDIT: though it seems there has been some comment: http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/commentary/chi-ebola-thomas-eric-duncan-nephew-comment-20141016-story.html

Common sense would tell me that if I were being required to self monitor for symptoms of Ebola, I should not be flying or cruising :rolleyes:

Common sense is an increasingly rare commodity nowadays.

I wouldn't be surprised though, if she did check with the CDC beforehand and was told it was fine. She never came into direct contact with Mr Duncan (as reported so far) so would have been considered low risk. Heck - they let one of the women who nursed him directly get on a plane.

More facts are needed before blame is apportioned.

I fear that this person must have some sort of symptoms as if not I believe that she would have been just left in cabin quarantine on the ship. I do not think that the government would risk the mass hysteria this will cause to get her and her partner off the ship and then to return as fast as possible when Belize refused - Belize sated in their government release that she was displaying symptoms, they have also apparently refused to allow their own pilot back off the ship into Belize (I would say that if true that speaks volumes to what Belize knows to be going on). I think more will be relieved when the ship returns. We will see them walk off - no suits, no fuss/ info for the other passenger = all ok or either the suits on or blocked of views, other passengers given info out = They think there is a real risk.

 

I do not have another cruise booked until next summer - but I must admit this situation does rattle me.

Belize stated in their government press release that she was NOT displaying symptoms - https://www.facebook.com/GOBPressOffice Have you even read it or are you just regurgitating alarmist misinformation without checking your sources?

The cruising health care worker wouldn't hear of the travel ban to self quarantine, they don't air negative news stories on cruise TVs..

I was assuming internet, text from family, friends or work, news sources off ship (port stops) etc. I recently spent almost three weeks travelling with part of that being on a cruise and had no trouble staying on top of what was happening in the world - which is a double edged sword considering I was sitting on a plane about to depart with a route over Eastern Europe when I heard that a plane flying a similar route had just been shot down.

I also completely sympathise with Belize's stance on this. They simply don't have the resources to deal with the risk and they need to think of their own people first. I would hope my own country would do the same.

Reading between the lines....

... A healthcare worker who handles a lab sample from Mr Duncan hopped on the cruise before a travel ban was put on those associated with Mr Duncan

... Nurse B travelled with a fever and scared everyone so a travel ban was slapped on all those exposed (as it should have been from the outset)

... The now cruising healthcare worker hears of this and out of caution self quarantines and notifies relevant authorities (both on and off ship)

... all hell breaks loose and even though exposure was 19 days ago and the passenger is showing no symptoms everyone is desperate to get her off the ship and off their hands

Personally I think this is an interesting blend of caution and hysteria. CDC should have put a ban on travel right from the outset but I think Carnival, the passenger and the US government have done the right thing here even though it will most likely prove to have been completely unnecessary. It's vital for public confidence that all possible risks, however remote, are dealt with promptly.

She is apparently considered 'very low risk'

http://ambergriscaye.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/ubb/showflat/topic/64486/gonew/1.html

By the way... have you noticed that so far Mr. Duncan's family has not come down with it. I think you have to be pretty darn sick to be contageous. They were in a tightly confined space before and after his initial trip to the hospital.

 

Susan

And this is why I am not too worried and am not canceling our upcoming trip to America. It seems like there are two epidemics at work here - one that is highly lethal but hard to get (Ebola) and a second which is not lethal but is highly contagious and spreading rapidly (hysteria).

We are looking forward to the trip very much - kids first cruise and (fingers crossed) first time seeing snow. It should be very different from our usual mid summer Christmas'!

Now if you guys wouldn't mind getting all this Ebola stuff under control before we arrive, I'd be very grateful!

We are spending five nights in NY then two nights in San Francisco before returning to New Zealand.

Very interesting! But slightly irritating that they fail to give any connection between the passenger and previous Ebola victims. I assume that there must be some connection to make them think Ebola is a possibility.

We are cruising on the Disney Magic, returning to Port Canaveral at 7:30am on the 21st of December. We plan to get a taxi from the port to the airport for our flight to New York.

Am I mistaken? I thought I had read the onbaord airline check in was only available for flights within the US and not international flights? Am I correct or mistaken?

I'm really hoping that MCO-NY counts as a domestic flight! :P

Qualified answer, yes you can get Ebola that way. But not because it is airborne, just breathing in a confined space won't infect you. However should the mist get into your eyes or mouth you can become infected.

There is an excellent article which explains this very clearly - http://blogs.reuters.com/great-debate/2014/10/13/read-this-to-get-a-better-understanding-of-how-ebola-spreads/

Sneezing and coughing are not common symptoms of ebola.

Read your trip insurance. I read mine and it doesn't cover cancellations due to pandemic, government advisory, nor to me choosing not to go because of fears.

I'm watching this with interest.

My understanding is that the viral load is only high enough for contagion when the patient is significantly unwell - vomiting etc - and that someone needs to come into contact with those viral laden bodily fluids.

I am reassured that those who came into contact with Mr Duncan prior to his hospitalization haven't been diagnosed with Ebola so far - it's the nurses who treated him in his final, viral laden stages.

My gut feel is that those who shared a plane with this latest nurse will be fine - the virus wasn't advanced enough to be contagious nor was she in a state to be spreading it (ie vomiting, bleeding etc). As I told one of my sons, Ebola has been around since before I was born and it hasn't killed everyone in the western world yet.

But as I said, I'm watching it with interest as we are booked to fly to America in Dec with our three sons. I'll feel a lot more confident about our travel if no one from the flight gets sick from that contact.

The decks get really hot and can be slippery - pack flip-flops/jandals with a good grip.

I'm more concerned about my boys and I catching the flu. We are travelling internationally from summer to winter and will be exposed to several strains of flu that we don't have immunity to. I am starting my boys on chewable multivitamins just to boost their systems and putting a real focus on frequent hand washing and discouraging them from touching their own faces.

Having said that, I have checked our travel insurance policy about what happens if a pandemic is declared (no cover) and if we think its too risky then we simply won't go and will take the hit financially. I honestly don't think that will happen though.

Tell your travel agent to notify DCL that you want on board check in. While not everything is done "by the book" you supposedly can't add this feature after boarding. They DID confirm with us at the terminal that we planned to use the service. And you are welcome.

 

Note--on board check in is for the airlines

On LINE check in is what we all do to make checking in at the terminal easier. Sometimes people get them mixed up.

Thank you again! I have sent her another email stating we want to do on BOARD check in and to mention that when she books the transfers. And I have also mentioned that we have already completed on LINE check in.