Question about missing the ship

[chryso]

I am a bit of a worrier.  I tend to go through all possible scenarios in my head and in so doing, I came up with this question.  What happens if my plane is late and I miss the ship?  Can I join later or am I just completely out of luck?

[Lakesregion]

Usually you can join the ship at the next port but you have to get yourself there at your expense. If you have a Cunard booked flight, then they hold the ship until the plane arrives and the booked passengers get to the ship.

[chengkp75]

The above post is not quite correct.  If you have booked air fare through Cunard, and there are significant numbers of passengers on that plane (likely 25 or more), then they will normally hold the ship.  If you are the only ones, or just a few Cunard passengers on the ship, they won't delay the ship, they will arrange for you to get to the next port.  There are also cabotage laws that may prevent you from joining at a later port, it all depends on the itinerary.

[Host Hattie]

I know it's going back a while but for the Christmas cruise on QM2 in 2009 we had passengers joining the ship at various islands on the itinerary as they had not been able to get to New York due to snow. 

 

@chryso how far are you flying? Are you booking your own flights?

 

[chryso]

1 hour ago, Host Hattie said:

@chryso how far are you flying? Are you booking your own flights?

 

I am flying from the US to Barcelona and yes, I am booking my own flight.  I have a relative who works for Delta and we are flying standby.  Because this can be somewhat hit and miss we are leaving home 2 days early just in case we get bumped on a flight.  

[Host Hattie]

In that case I would make sure you know how to catch up with the ship if you need to !

[ExArkie]

14 hours ago, chryso said:

I am a bit of a worrier.  I tend to go through all possible scenarios in my head and in so doing, I came up with this question.  What happens if my plane is late and I miss the ship?  Can I join later or am I just completely out of luck?

Not if you're on a transatlantic...

 

Sorry, that's where my mind went. We generally only get on ships to cross oceans, and don't do many that have more than one port, so that was the first thing I thought of.

[chryso]

1 minute ago, ExArkie said:

Not if you're on a transatlantic...

 

Sorry, that's where my mind went. We generally only get on ships to cross oceans, and don't do many that have more than one port, so that was the first thing I thought of.

Yes, I can see how that would be a bit more difficult to board late.

[Winifred 22]

1 hour ago, chryso said:

Yes, I can see how that would be a bit more difficult to board late.

It wouldn’t be more difficult it would be impossible. If you missed Southampton or New York  on a T A there is no possibility of catching the ship anywhere in between. 

[Underwatr]

Strictly speaking, impossible is merely an extreme case of more difficult. 🫤

[Wonky]

If you are “a bit of a worrier” I would suggest standby travel is probably not for you!

[IB2]

Worriers are immune from missing the ship, since they will get to the port way early, staying nearby overnight if they have a long trip, and are usually ready to embark hours early, at the front of the queue. 
 

So, don’t worry - as a worrier you won’t miss the ship - those few who do will all be non-worriers, who didn’t worry enough.