Has anyone missed the ship right at the start?

[joan_al]

Wow this makes me very nervous...I still have to buy my travel insurance. When I book flights myself I make sure that I book them at say 6am or 7am and I get to my destination at 12pm the latest so that we won't be late for anything, even if we have to sit around...this time we booked through Carnival because it was so expensive otherwise and it's out of my hands which freaks me out...I am somewhat of a control freak and until I get my docs I have no clue as to what is going on with my airfare at all and I hate it. Oh goodness, I hope we don't get stuck in this situation I really have to get our insurance right away just in case though.

Calm down now your a Jersey girl. You're not suppose to get nervous, you're only suppose to have an atitude.

[VentureMan_2000]

santu - You are wrong in your statement about being Med vac'd!

 

 

I was waiting for someone to pounce on this... :rolleyes:

 

 

But directionally... Santu's point is the most correct, and best approach. Just get a stink'n passport if there is any chance at all you will need back into the USA by air.

 

This isn't rock science... :cool:

[cherylandtk]

Mary Louise:

No. The airline is only responsible for getting you to the original destination, not the first port. If you miss the ship, you must make your own arrangements (with or without the 'help' of the cruiseline.) Insurance will cover part of this, usually $500, for travel delay. It depends on the particular policy as to the coverage, and what constitutes travel delay and what constitutes trip interruption.

 

I am sorry to learn the OP's friend did not understand his insurance policy and got no help from Carnival in explaining it (sounds like it was their policy too).

 

As I understand it, one must attempt to catch up to the ship in order to be covered for the costs of the trip--deciding 'Oh well, I missed the ship and will go home' generally does not count.

[Mary Louise]

I did not think the airline was responsible to get you to your next port. SWA did tell my friend that they guarantee destination but not time.

[TinaJ04463]

Our first 2 cruises we left entirely in the hands of our TA. Both times, she booked cruise and air packages, both times we got on the ship with little time to spare-lunch was basically over and bon voyage party was well under way. I figure I'm paying for this day too, so this year we are flying in a day early, but couldn't go thru Carnival air, as they don't fly out of Bangor, only Portland. That means a 4 hour drive, crack of dawn flight, and hope you get there in time. Going a day early means we don't leave til after 2, get to Houston around 9, and have a little time for a tour with our shuttle service in the a.m. Hoping for a more relaxed boarding!

TinaJ

[salty dingo]

Never buy cruise air!

 

Never buy cruise air!

 

Never buy cruise air!

 

Never buy cruise air!

 

Repeat until it sinks in :D

[Wennfred]

The Fly Awiegh Program or Cruise Air is great for those on the other coast, because it also provides a nice hotel for the over night stay. Its also a great idea for the new cruiser that are new to travel.

 

 

Fred

[pwkreis]

Well I haven't heard if he has had any luck with Carnival yet...but with the info you guys provided I'll fill him in and hope he keeps fighting the good fight!

 

We have heard of people being flown down 2 days early by Carnival if a day early wasn't possible. I think because of the Super bowl they were unable and/or unwilling to pay for the hotel rooms and took a chance. Problem is they aren't the ones paying in the end.

 

thanks again and keep them coming...I'll let you all know if he has any success with this...

 

Peter

[jburrito]

Hi, This is pwkreis' "friends". (the ones that missed the Victory)We have been on the phone for the most of 2 days now. All we are being told is to write letters to both Air Canada and Carnival explaining what happened. We may be eligible for $500 insurance, but that still leaves us $2500 in the hole.

We were very much put on the spot when we missed our connecting flight. Carnival said "it's not our problem" and Air Canada said "Carnival booked the flights with not enough time to connect". Air Canada would only fly us to our original destination of Ft. Lauderdale, but there were no Hotels available. We would have to spend the night in the airport and fly to San Juan the next day. We then were on our own to find another hotel and hopefully to the ship the next day.

We weren't sure if spending another $1000+ would put us in a better situation or a worse one.

If the cancelled flight was due to "mechanical" problems, they would foot the bill. If it was weather related, we were on our own. The Captain said it was a mechanical problem.

Turns out it was a mechanical problem, but the repair was hampered by the weather. Therefore it becomes a "weather" related problem.

I question how much thought was put into labelling the problem as they were greatly affecting peoples lives.

 

Anyhow, we're starting to get over the numb feeling of the whole ordeal.

 

We definately will be in full control of our flight schedule next year.

 

Live and learn. (did we mention this was our 25th anniversary gift to each other)

 

J&S

[Giorgi-one]

Most people book cruises thru a cruise line or TA (local or national). They should strongly adivse all their clients to travel at least one day early. Booking your own air does not eliminate the problems discussed here. Going at least one day early should be considered as part of the cruise package. The consequences should be clearly explainged to anyone booking a cruise. Problem is, if they really did this, about half of the people would be too scared to book a cruise. As I said in my previousl post, lost baggage is much more common than delayed / cancelled flights.

[jburrito]

When we booked with our TA, we were told we would most likely be leaving Saturday and spending the night in Miami or Ft. Lauderdale. We did not get our paperwork and flight itinerary until January 31. 4 days before our cruise. They had only given us 48 minutes to get to, and clear

US customs and get to our connecting flight. Our TA called Carnival and argued that this was not acceptable. The best Carnival would do was put us on a later connecting flight which gave us 1:55 to make our connection.

Our TA argued that we should be transferring in Minneapolis as there were 16 flights going out that day that would get us to the ship on time, but Carnival wouldn't go for it. In Toronto, they only had the one connecting flight.

[truecruiser]

Hi, This is pwkreis' "friends". (the ones that missed the Victory)We have been on the phone for the most of 2 days now. All we are being told is to write letters to both Air Canada and Carnival explaining what happened. We may be eligible for $500 insurance, but that still leaves us $2500 in the hole.

We were very much put on the spot when we missed our connecting flight. Carnival said "it's not our problem" and Air Canada said "Carnival booked the flights with not enough time to connect". Air Canada would only fly us to our original destination of Ft. Lauderdale, but there were no Hotels available. We would have to spend the night in the airport and fly to San Juan the next day. We then were on our own to find another hotel and hopefully to the ship the next day.

We weren't sure if spending another $1000+ would put us in a better situation or a worse one.

If the cancelled flight was due to "mechanical" problems, they would foot the bill. If it was weather related, we were on our own. The Captain said it was a mechanical problem.

Turns out it was a mechanical problem, but the repair was hampered by the weather. Therefore it becomes a "weather" related problem.

I question how much thought was put into labelling the problem as they were greatly affecting peoples lives.

 

Anyhow, we're starting to get over the numb feeling of the whole ordeal.

 

We definately will be in full control of our flight schedule next year.

 

Live and learn. (did we mention this was our 25th anniversary gift to each other)

 

J&S

 

oh boy. i am so sorry for you guys. the additional flight to san juan wld have been out of your pocket, no coverage? makes one wonder if the trip ins is worth anything at all. happy anniversary. so sorry this happened to you.

[Mikel1733]

Bureau of Transportation Stats December 2006

 

On time 70.8%

Air Carrier Delay 7.8%

Weather 0.97%

National Aviation System Delay 8.15%

Aircraft Arrives Late 8.96%

Cancelled 2.99%

 

Some airports are far worse than others. Best course of action is to arrive a day early and avoid the stress. You can board the ship early and enjoy a day on the ship.

[choclitsnda]

Stress-FREE is the ONLY way to Be.

 

Even before we started cruising, we NEVER flew anywhere(workshops, seminars, meetings, etc.) the same day.

 

We ALWAYS Fly in 1-3 Days EARLY.

 

As another person stated earlier....We look at it as a "Mini-Vacation". :cool: :D ;)

[arkycruisers]

im traveling by car from hot springs to galveston --flying might be faster but with the transfers and bus riding id rather get their on my own so if i do get their late its my own fault

 

i used to have a t-shirt that said "i'll probably be at the airport when my ship comes in "