Cruise in 2 weeks - canceled flights, covid test, Stressed about it all.

[taymiss2]

We cruise out of Vancouver on Radiance of the Seas in 2 weeks.  After flying to Utah this past weekend I heard story after story of all the canceled and delayed flights.  Last night I went ahead and booked a back up flight   I am pretty sure everyone I talked to who had flown in had a significant delay and /or canceled flights.  Three of us are flying out 2 days ahead so I am not worried us.  We have lots of leeway to get there on time.  My daughter and her boyfriend are flying the day before.  If they miss their connection in Dallas there are only a few flights the next morning that will get them to Vancouver in time. I was afraid if flights were canceled the night before the chance of there being seats the next morning will be slim.   They paid for their original flight but for my peace of mind I went ahead and booked them the 5 am flight the next morning just so they have a back up.   It was more expensive to get refundable seats but worth it so I can stop stressing.    If they have to end up needing those seats it will be money well spent in my mind.    The only issue is if they never make it out of St Louis in the first place.  Then we are still screwed but not much else we can do.     Has anyone else taken this step or am I crazy?    Now as long as I didn't get Covid at the wedding we will be good.   My husband had Covid last month so he is good to go.   

[Travel R]

We are sailing on a Sunday (Vancouver - Serenade), my DD graduates Friday evening from HS.  There are a few related events we are going to on Saturday, so flying in on Sunday morning.

 

First time I am flying to a cruise the day of the cruise, therefore used RCI's Air2Sea for the first time to hopefully ensure that they get me to the ship on time. I hope it helps in case of any issues.

 

We are all in the same boat.  Worried about testing negative and worried about making it to port on time. I am very, vey stressed about it.

 

But it will all work out in the end and we will all enjoy our nice, peaceful, and stress-free vacations.

 

[OCSC Mike]

I admire those of you who are flying to cruise in the current climate and dealing with the assorted issues and stress.

 

I have enough anxiety waiting for my covid test results and I only have an hour drive to the port afterwards.

[dada2199cc]

I fly about 150 times a year and honestly can't remember the last time I had a cancelled flight or a major delay.

 

I keep seeing news articles about "hundreds of flights cancelled at ABC airport" but when there are normally thousands of flights per airport, it doesn't seem like a concern.

[lv2cruisgrl]

47 minutes ago, taymiss2 said:

We cruise out of Vancouver on Radiance of the Seas in 2 weeks.  After flying to Utah this past weekend I heard story after story of all the canceled and delayed flights.  Last night I went ahead and booked a back up flight   I am pretty sure everyone I talked to who had flown in had a significant delay and /or canceled flights.  Three of us are flying out 2 days ahead so I am not worried us.  We have lots of leeway to get there on time.  My daughter and her boyfriend are flying the day before.  If they miss their connection in Dallas there are only a few flights the next morning that will get them to Vancouver in time. I was afraid if flights were canceled the night before the chance of there being seats the next morning will be slim.   They paid for their original flight but for my peace of mind I went ahead and booked them the 5 am flight the next morning just so they have a back up.   It was more expensive to get refundable seats but worth it so I can stop stressing.    If they have to end up needing those seats it will be money well spent in my mind.    The only issue is if they never make it out of St Louis in the first place.  Then we are still screwed but not much else we can do.     Has anyone else taken this step or am I crazy?    Now as long as I didn't get Covid at the wedding we will be good.   My husband had Covid last month so he is good to go.   

You are not crazy,  traveling right now is crazy! We had stress last cruise as daughter had flight from Denver day before cruise and we worried it would be delayed. 

However all worked out OK. Lucky for us we just drive to the Florida ports. Good luck with your trip. 

[OCSC Mike]

7 minutes ago, dada2199cc said:

I fly about 150 times a year and honestly can't remember the last time I had a cancelled flight or a major delay.

 

I keep seeing news articles about "hundreds of flights cancelled at ABC airport" but when there are normally thousands of flights per airport, it doesn't seem like a concern.

 

It's a concern when it happens to someone and they're scrambling to re-book a flight. I'm glad you've been so fortunate and hope it continues. Obviously you also fly WAY more than the average person so it's just another flight to you.

[molly361]

I felt bad that I was delayed 2 hours getting into NY last weekend and then took an hour to get thru security at a small airport in Westchester until my friend told me that it took her son 24 hours to get from Miami to Yellowstone and 2 days to get home.  

[davekathy]

25 minutes ago, dada2199cc said:

I fly about 150 times a year and honestly can't remember the last time I had a cancelled flight or a major delay.

 

I keep seeing news articles about "hundreds of flights cancelled at ABC airport" but when there are normally thousands of flights per airport, it doesn't seem like a concern.

JetBlue (👎👎), March 2022. Going to and returning from our cruise. Worst we've ever experienced. And to add to that the JetBlue luggage apes destroyed one of our checked suitcases. 🤬

Edited June 16, 2022 by davekathy

[poocher]

Brother & nephew had flights day before our cruise booked.  Weather related cancellations. 4 airports in a 300 mile radius, nothing available on any airline that would get them to the ship on time.  ☹️☹️☹️

[LGW59]

1 hour ago, taymiss2 said:

We cruise out of Vancouver on Radiance of the Seas in 2 weeks.  After flying to Utah this past weekend I heard story after story of all the canceled and delayed flights.  Last night I went ahead and booked a back up flight   I am pretty sure everyone I talked to who had flown in had a significant delay and /or canceled flights.  Three of us are flying out 2 days ahead so I am not worried us.  We have lots of leeway to get there on time.  My daughter and her boyfriend are flying the day before.  If they miss their connection in Dallas there are only a few flights the next morning that will get them to Vancouver in time. I was afraid if flights were canceled the night before the chance of there being seats the next morning will be slim.   They paid for their original flight but for my peace of mind I went ahead and booked them the 5 am flight the next morning just so they have a back up.   It was more expensive to get refundable seats but worth it so I can stop stressing.    If they have to end up needing those seats it will be money well spent in my mind.    The only issue is if they never make it out of St Louis in the first place.  Then we are still screwed but not much else we can do.     Has anyone else taken this step or am I crazy?    Now as long as I didn't get Covid at the wedding we will be good.   My husband had Covid last month so he is good to go.   

I don't understand how folks can go on a vacation with so much stress on their minds.  To me it would be totally not worth it.

[BirdTravels]

1 hour ago, taymiss2 said:

We cruise out of Vancouver on Radiance of the Seas in 2 weeks.  After flying to Utah this past weekend I heard story after story of all the canceled and delayed flights.  Last night I went ahead and booked a back up flight   I am pretty sure everyone I talked to who had flown in had a significant delay and /or canceled flights.  Three of us are flying out 2 days ahead so I am not worried us.  We have lots of leeway to get there on time.  My daughter and her boyfriend are flying the day before.  If they miss their connection in Dallas there are only a few flights the next morning that will get them to Vancouver in time. I was afraid if flights were canceled the night before the chance of there being seats the next morning will be slim.   They paid for their original flight but for my peace of mind I went ahead and booked them the 5 am flight the next morning just so they have a back up.   It was more expensive to get refundable seats but worth it so I can stop stressing.    If they have to end up needing those seats it will be money well spent in my mind.    The only issue is if they never make it out of St Louis in the first place.  Then we are still screwed but not much else we can do.     Has anyone else taken this step or am I crazy?    Now as long as I didn't get Covid at the wedding we will be good.   My husband had Covid last month so he is good to go.   

You’ll be fine. Millions of people travel issue-free. Royal boasts that over 2 million have cruises since restart and have had a wonderful time. We have been on 6 cruises since June 2021 and have 3 more this year. Yup, gotta jump through a few more hoops, but it is all worth while. 

[davekathy]

1 hour ago, taymiss2 said:

We cruise out of Vancouver on Radiance of the Seas in 2 weeks.  After flying to Utah this past weekend I heard story after story of all the canceled and delayed flights.  Last night I went ahead and booked a back up flight   I am pretty sure everyone I talked to who had flown in had a significant delay and /or canceled flights.  Three of us are flying out 2 days ahead so I am not worried us.  We have lots of leeway to get there on time.  My daughter and her boyfriend are flying the day before.  If they miss their connection in Dallas there are only a few flights the next morning that will get them to Vancouver in time. I was afraid if flights were canceled the night before the chance of there being seats the next morning will be slim.   They paid for their original flight but for my peace of mind I went ahead and booked them the 5 am flight the next morning just so they have a back up.   It was more expensive to get refundable seats but worth it so I can stop stressing.    If they have to end up needing those seats it will be money well spent in my mind.    The only issue is if they never make it out of St Louis in the first place.  Then we are still screwed but not much else we can do.     Has anyone else taken this step or am I crazy?    Now as long as I didn't get Covid at the wedding we will be good.   My husband had Covid last month so he is good to go.   

Have you downloaded the ArriveCAN app? That's another requirement for entering Canada. 

[MightyMike]

53 minutes ago, LGW59 said:

I don't understand how folks can go on a vacation with so much stress on their minds.  To me it would be totally not worth it.

 

I can definitely empathize. We were stressed when the Covid test for 1 passenger was delayed. When we landed in Miami, we saw a line stretching across the entire American Airlines terminal with people trying to rebook their cancelled flights. I heard it was either an air traffic control staffing issue or SpaceX launch that cancelled about half the flights into Miami.

 

However, once you have your feet on the ground and are just a cab ride away from the ship, it is totally worth it.

[badvector]

1 hour ago, dada2199cc said:

I fly about 150 times a year and honestly can't remember the last time I had a cancelled flight or a major delay.

 

I keep seeing news articles about "hundreds of flights cancelled at ABC airport" but when there are normally thousands of flights per airport, it doesn't seem like a concern.

 

I was supposed to fly 3 times last year. 1 cancelled, 1 slight delay and 1 on time. SWA, DAL and DAL. SWA cancelled my flight about 3 hours before I had to leave to drive to the airport. No alternatives offered to get me to my destination because they had none for 3 days.  On our last flight we sat in the terminal (FFL) by folks who were still trying to get out from their cancelled flight the day before.

[MrsKMB]

Some of the cancellations are airline-specific due to being short-staffed, such as Delta. Others are weather-related like thunderstorms in Dallas or due to issues at an airport, like what has been happening in Europe. We can't control these, but we can be educated about what is happening at the airports and destinations. If it's related to weather, it doesn't matter the airline you fly unless it's at a stopover. 

 

Then there are airlines that are just awful. For example, Spirit cancels flights like crazy.

 

I had my longest wait to takeoff at JFK due to weather. We sat on the plane so long they legally had to ask us if we wanted to go back to the gate or continue waiting, then once we were flying they had to stop in Denver to empty the potties. There also was an issue with the hours the staff was allowed to work, but luckily we left in time. You just never know.

 

[taymiss2]

1 hour ago, LGW59 said:

I don't understand how folks can go on a vacation with so much stress on their minds.  To me it would be totally not worth it.

We have traveled the world without many issues but the past year has been terrible in terms of flight problems.   Then this wedding this weekend put me over the edge.  Our flight was 3 hour delayed, DD boyfriend flight cancelled along with 2 of the bridesmaids.  The were 24 hours late getting to Utah.  Coming home, friends flight canceled.  They got on a flight 8 hours later finally,  Maid of Honor flight canceled and delayed she was still in Utah 36 hours later.   There were numerous more examples.   All different airlines coming from all over the country.     That is what made me hedge my bets and book the back up flight.  If that doesn't work it just wasn't meant to be for us all to make the trip.  

[Jimbo]

4 hours ago, taymiss2 said:

We cruise out of Vancouver on Radiance of the Seas in 2 weeks.  After flying to Utah this past weekend I heard story after story of all the canceled and delayed flights.  Last night I went ahead and booked a back up flight   I am pretty sure everyone I talked to who had flown in had a significant delay and /or canceled flights.  Three of us are flying out 2 days ahead so I am not worried us.  We have lots of leeway to get there on time.  My daughter and her boyfriend are flying the day before.  If they miss their connection in Dallas there are only a few flights the next morning that will get them to Vancouver in time. I was afraid if flights were canceled the night before the chance of there being seats the next morning will be slim.   They paid for their original flight but for my peace of mind I went ahead and booked them the 5 am flight the next morning just so they have a back up.   It was more expensive to get refundable seats but worth it so I can stop stressing.    If they have to end up needing those seats it will be money well spent in my mind.    The only issue is if they never make it out of St Louis in the first place.  Then we are still screwed but not much else we can do.     Has anyone else taken this step or am I crazy?    Now as long as I didn't get Covid at the wedding we will be good.   My husband had Covid last month so he is good to go.   

Why not jump in the car and vacation elsewhere, you would probably be surprised the things you can do nearby to make you just as happy and have a good time.

All those worries to take a vacation are just not worth it right now.

[Mum2Mercury]

Flying definitely adds another layer of planning /concern to a cruise.  

That's why we're willing to drive eleven hours -- not a big deal to us, and no concerns about Covid or lost luggage.  

[rudeney]

29 minutes ago, Mum2Mercury said:

Flying definitely adds another layer of planning /concern to a cruise.  

That's why we're willing to drive eleven hours -- not a big deal to us, and no concerns about Covid or lost luggage.  

 

Traditionally, my limit for driving is about 8 hours.  Anything longer than that and I usually fly.  Given today's issues with flights, I might stretch that and do an 11 hour trip.  

[Jt4428]

5 hours ago, davekathy said:

JetBlue (👎👎), March 2022. Going to and returning from our cruise. Worst we've ever experienced. And to add to that the JetBlue luggage apes destroyed one of our checked suitcases. 🤬

I wasn't going on a cruise but same thing happened on jetblue April 1st. I was flying from Newark to Sarasota. I get to the airport and flight was canceled. They put me on flight next morning at 630 am to Tampa. Longboat key is over an hour away. I said no thanks. Had to use $800 of credits on united to get from Newark to Tampa then uber to longboat key for over $100.

[twangster]

I've been lucky with my flights during the pandemic.  Recently my flights to reach Alaska cruises went as planned.  

 

Yes some flights have been cancelled but I think most airlines are being more proactive about it now and not cancelling within hours of departure.  Most of the cancellations the media is reporting now are the airlines proactively cancelling flights weeks or months ahead of schedule.  Those are manageable and you have time to react.

 

It sounds like you have it well covered.  Time to sit back, relax and enjoy your cruise planning.  

[smokeybandit]

I had no issues last week flying to and from Vancouver out of Denver.  

[molly361]

31 minutes ago, Jt4428 said:

I wasn't going on a cruise but same thing happened on jetblue April 1st. I was flying from Newark to Sarasota. I get to the airport and flight was canceled. They put me on flight next morning at 630 am to Tampa. Longboat key is over an hour away. I said no thanks. Had to use $800 of credits on united to get from Newark to Tampa then uber to longboat key for over $100.

My niece got her flight from West Palm to NY cancelled Sunday and they could not get her on anothe flight until Tuesday.  

[LGW59]

1 minute ago, molly361 said:

My niece got her flight from West Palm to NY cancelled Sunday and they could not get her on anothe flight until Tuesday.  

My neighbors daughters next door neighbors second cousin twice removed had a flight canceled from SD to Boston

[jacads]

7 hours ago, taymiss2 said:

We cruise out of Vancouver on Radiance of the Seas in 2 weeks.  After flying to Utah this past weekend I heard story after story of all the canceled and delayed flights.  Last night I went ahead and booked a back up flight   I am pretty sure everyone I talked to who had flown in had a significant delay and /or canceled flights.  Three of us are flying out 2 days ahead so I am not worried us.  We have lots of leeway to get there on time.  My daughter and her boyfriend are flying the day before.  If they miss their connection in Dallas there are only a few flights the next morning that will get them to Vancouver in time. I was afraid if flights were canceled the night before the chance of there being seats the next morning will be slim.   They paid for their original flight but for my peace of mind I went ahead and booked them the 5 am flight the next morning just so they have a back up.   It was more expensive to get refundable seats but worth it so I can stop stressing.    If they have to end up needing those seats it will be money well spent in my mind.    The only issue is if they never make it out of St Louis in the first place.  Then we are still screwed but not much else we can do.     Has anyone else taken this step or am I crazy?    Now as long as I didn't get Covid at the wedding we will be good.   My husband had Covid last month so he is good to go.   

You should book your flights through your TA.  They will tie them to the cruise ship (just a real small increase in airfare price) and then the cruise line is responsible for getting you to the ship if your flights are cancelled.