Not really passenger friendly

[Jimsgirl]

I have a back to back cruise booked for 2006, 25 days, I had thought I could use the Cruise Connection bus from Fort Lauderdale to Port Charlotte my home town here in Florida.

 

It seems that even though passengers pay for the cost, Celebrity do not use the bus, unless the cruise starts and end in Fort Lauderdale.

 

So now I have to pay to fly home, but there is no direct flights , no I have to fly Fort Lauderdale to Atlanta, then fly back to Fort Myers in Florida, then get a limo to get to my apartment 35 miles away .

 

Not exactly the way to win friends and enhance good customer relations.

[bostom]

Do you drive? Rent a car and you'll be home in under three hours for under $50, even on a one-day, one-way rental.

 

With no luggage or connecting flight hassles.

[DocJohnB]

Jimsgirl,

 

Why not just drive over? It is, what, a 3 - 4 hour jaunt. Get long term parking at the airport (look for coupons on the internet) (it would still be less than the cost of a flight I think) We have done that a couple of times with friends who lived in Port Charlotte.

 

You didn't say . . . but where is your back to back beginning and ending.

 

Did you get the infor regarding CruiseConnections and Celebrity from Celebrity or from Cruise Connections. You may want to talk directly with CruiseConnections, who knows?

[DocJohnB]

oops, double post

[DocJohnB]

This board can be a royal PITA sometimes.

[TEXASMUNK]

Transfer to MIA and use American Eagle to fly home

[RickandAnne]

Take a transfer to FLL airport when you get in and rent an Enterprise rental car. They have an office on 41 right in Port Charlotte (and they'll pick it up). If you're leaving your car at Sarasota or RSW, even easier, rent any brand. It'll only cost you $30-$40 tops.

 

I've got the same situation in March with Cruise Connection from Port Liberty, NJ, to PHL where my car'll be. I think I'm gong to wind up taking the same advice.

 

Good luck.

Rick

[CruisinD]

Perhaps you can try Southwest. They fly direct non-stop from FLL to Tampa. You could then get a limo service to Port Charlotte. Seems easier than connecting at Atlanta!

 

Denise

[amyr]

You can book the Cruise Connection bus directly yourself. If you can't find the number, let me know and I'll dig it up for you. Depending on how many people you have, it might be cheaper to rent a car as many have suggested. We did that after our Millie transatlantic to drive to Tampa. It was about $60 plus taxes for a 24 hour rental, so we were able to drop it off at the airport the next morning.

 

The car rental bus will pick you up right at the cruise terminal, but we took a cab to the rental office because there was a disembarkation fiasco going on with the traffic flow and the rental shuttles weren't getting up to the terminal very well. Also, a lot of people were using the free shuttle just to get a ride to the airport, so those of us with rental cars booked were getting shoved to the back of the line if we weren't aggressive enough.

 

At any rate, no need to fly home via Atlanta.

[Longboysfan]

I have a back to back cruise booked for 2006, 25 days, I had thought I could use the Cruise Connection bus from Fort Lauderdale to Port Charlotte my home town here in Florida.

 

It seems that even though passengers pay for the cost, Celebrity do not use the bus, unless the cruise starts and end in Fort Lauderdale.

 

So now I have to pay to fly home, but there is no direct flights , no I have to fly Fort Lauderdale to Atlanta, then fly back to Fort Myers in Florida, then get a limo to get to my apartment 35 miles away .

 

Not exactly the way to win friends and enhance good customer relations.

 

 

Did you go to the connections board to see if anyone in your group can do a drive by for you?

[tadjr]

Since the cruise lines dont own or operate the bus service, I dont see how this can be a Celebrity problem with them "not enhancing customer service", unless your comments were related to the bus line somehow? They seem to allow the bus company to use their names so people know they are legit, but the service is no different, IMO, than Greyhound or any other transfer service to a port, "Super Shuttle, Bay Shuttle, etc", they just run their routes from farther afield than the airport.

It says you can buy a one way ticket, have you called Cruise Connection to see about just getting one way? Maybe a little more info would be beneficial. Where does you cruise sail from and where does it come back to? Are there any other Celebrity cruises in town that day that might be using the bus? If so, you could get a cab from one port to the other to catch the bus?

If that doesnt work for whatever reason, there are alternatives. Greyhound has a bus from FLL to Port Charlotte that leaves at 1205pm and gets into Port Charlotte at 430pm. No transfer required. Take a cab from the port to the Greyhound station and hop on the other bus. Shows 7 day advance purchase fare of $31.

Problem solved without having to go to Atlanta?