3Boys&aDad

So sorry you had to cut your vacation short - that really sucks.

We were lucky and managed to figure out our return flight to Toronto after Air Canada pulled their planes out of SJU.

I just received confirmation from our hotel for next Friday night, and they have full power connected to the SJ power authority and not a generator, so there are hotels with AC and we won't be walking pin cushions.

 

I hope you enjoyed as much of your cruise as you could?

Our vacation was great- unique but fun. We've loved our time in Barbados - we extended the cruise with a couple days in a great hotel here. Air Canada finally called my wife's office (travel agency) several days after we had embarked (and probably a week and a half after we forced them to confirm they were cancelling the flights) Their "we will get you home strategy was to fly people from SJU to Antigua, then fly them home a couple days later. The people we met who were taking that option said the extra hotel costs were not being picked up by AC.....they would be out of pocket.

So sorry you had to cut your vacation short - that really sucks.

We were lucky and managed to figure out our return flight to Toronto after Air Canada pulled their planes out of SJU.

I just received confirmation from our hotel for next Friday night, and they have full power connected to the SJ power authority and not a generator, so there are hotels with AC and we won't be walking pin cushions.

 

I hope you enjoyed as much of your cruise as you could?

Our vacation was great- unique but fun. We've loved our time in Barbados - we extended the cruise with a couple days in a great hotel here. Air Canada finally called my wife's office (travel agency) several days after we had embarked (and probably a week and a half after we forced them to confirm they were cancelling the flights) Their "we will get you home strategy was to fly people from SJU to Antigua, then fly them home a couple days later. The people we met who were taking that option said the extra hotel costs were not being picked up by AC.....they would be out of pocket.

So we got off Adventure today in Barbados because there were no flights home to Canada for several days after our normal disembarkation.

Met several people who had stayed in hotels in SJ the night before departure.

Apparently many of the hotels run the generators during the day and shut them off at night - shutting down the AC. Don't open the windows unless you are fine with being chewed on by mosquitoes. These people looked like walking pin cushions.

Also hearing several airlines are extending their 'not flying into SJU' timelines.....so check on your flights as well as hotels.

So we got off Adventure today in Barbados because there were no flights home to Canada for several days after our normal disembarkation.

Met several people who had stayed in hotels in SJ the night before departure.

Apparently many of the hotels run the generators during the day and shut them off at night - shutting down the AC. Don't open the windows unless you are fine with being chewed on by mosquitoes. These people looked like walking pin cushions.

Also hearing several airlines are extending their 'not flying into SJU' timelines.....so check on your flights as well as hotels.

The only suggestion I would make to everyone dealing with flights and hotels in PR over the next couple months would be to check DIRECTLY with the airline and hotel for your status regularly.

My wife is an agent, the agents use consolidators for booking flights and hotels...... The airlines and hotels are making real-time changes - and the notifications to the consolidators (and theirs to the agents...) are being delayed - in many cases by days and in some cases weeks. Those delays often limit your options for finding an alternative plan with a different airline/hotel when the rug gets pulled out from under you. Same delayed notifications to the end client for bookings you may make using rewards programs.

My wife has had to start making regular calls to the actual hotels and airlines to make sure her clients don't get stranded. She's avoided that scenario upwards of a dozen times now with at least 4 different airlines and 3 different hotels.

Stay on top of your reservations folks - the status is changing on a daily basis - and sometimes it's taking a step back rather than forward despite the progress on the island.

The only suggestion I would make to everyone dealing with flights and hotels in PR over the next couple months would be to check DIRECTLY with the airline and hotel for your status regularly.

My wife is an agent, the agents use consolidators for booking flights and hotels...... The airlines and hotels are making real-time changes - and the notifications to the consolidators (and theirs to the agents...) are being delayed - in many cases by days and in some cases weeks. Those delays often limit your options for finding an alternative plan with a different airline/hotel when the rug gets pulled out from under you. Same delayed notifications to the end client for bookings you may make using rewards programs.

My wife has had to start making regular calls to the actual hotels and airlines to make sure her clients don't get stranded. She's avoided that scenario upwards of a dozen times now with at least 4 different airlines and 3 different hotels.

Stay on top of your reservations folks - the status is changing on a daily basis - and sometimes it's taking a step back rather than forward despite the progress on the island.

This update will go a little bit off topic considering the thread is supposed to be about hotels....

Our reservation at the Sheraton Hotel and Casino for Friday night was cancelled by the hotel several weeks ago. We found out by calling direct to the hotel. They mentioned that the hotel was in decent shape and running on generators - but all guest reservations had been cancelled to make room for FEMA and First Responders.

Many of the 'consolidators' that people book through were not informing their end clients because they didn't know. (Air Miles and other rewards programs were unaware until we called them to tell them that the hotel had cancelled our reservation. They had to reach out to their supplier to get the final story.)

....here's where it goes off topic.

At the time there were no hotels taking (or honoring) reservations so we rebooked our air to fly in same day.

....that's another nightmare. Had to rebook our first set of flights to SJU for the new arrival date while airlines rapidly filled up but at least people have been willing to issue credits for cancelled flights.

About 2 weeks ago we had our return tickets with Westjet cancelled with no notice to the end customer - because they've made the decision not to fly to SJU yet......and leave all their customers hanging.....again - we found out before the consolidator. Rebooked immediately on Air Canada at a higher cost but not a lot of options......and then 2 days ago we got wind of the fact that they were also quietly cancelling their flights to/from SJU and rebooking only the customers who had purchased directly off their website. After 2 days of frustrated calls they finally admitted to Huntington that yes they would be cancelling those flights - leaving all of those remaining customers with no flights out of SJU on our disembarkation date or for about 5 days after it.......kinda bringing us full circle.......since there are also no hotels that really seem to be taking and honoring reservations.

......after all of that our large group that would have been stranded in the SJU airport for several days have had to make plans for an early disembarkation in Barbados then hotels and return flights home from there......losing the last day and a half of our cruise.

I get it - these are all first world problems........but the nonsense this group have gone through to try and actually go on this cruise is beyond ridiculous. Though no fault of San Juan's this will be our last cruise using that as a starting point.

This update will go a little bit off topic considering the thread is supposed to be about hotels....

Our reservation at the Sheraton Hotel and Casino for Friday night was cancelled by the hotel several weeks ago. We found out by calling direct to the hotel. They mentioned that the hotel was in decent shape and running on generators - but all guest reservations had been cancelled to make room for FEMA and First Responders.

Many of the 'consolidators' that people book through were not informing their end clients because they didn't know. (Air Miles and other rewards programs were unaware until we called them to tell them that the hotel had cancelled our reservation. They had to reach out to their supplier to get the final story.)

....here's where it goes off topic.

At the time there were no hotels taking (or honoring) reservations so we rebooked our air to fly in same day.

....that's another nightmare. Had to rebook our first set of flights to SJU for the new arrival date while airlines rapidly filled up but at least people have been willing to issue credits for cancelled flights.

About 2 weeks ago we had our return tickets with Westjet cancelled with no notice to the end customer - because they've made the decision not to fly to SJU yet......and leave all their customers hanging.....again - we found out before the consolidator. Rebooked immediately on Air Canada at a higher cost but not a lot of options......and then 2 days ago we got wind of the fact that they were also quietly cancelling their flights to/from SJU and rebooking only the customers who had purchased directly off their website. After 2 days of frustrated calls they finally admitted to Huntington that yes they would be cancelling those flights - leaving all of those remaining customers with no flights out of SJU on our disembarkation date or for about 5 days after it.......kinda bringing us full circle.......since there are also no hotels that really seem to be taking and honoring reservations.

......after all of that our large group that would have been stranded in the SJU airport for several days have had to make plans for an early disembarkation in Barbados then hotels and return flights home from there......losing the last day and a half of our cruise.

I get it - these are all first world problems........but the nonsense this group have gone through to try and actually go on this cruise is beyond ridiculous. Though no fault of San Juan's this will be our last cruise using that as a starting point.