With Frances Coming, What's Your "Plan B"

[robsvacation]

First my heart goes out to everyone in Florida, Turks and Caicos and Bahamas with Frances on the way, not to mention everyone trying to cruise out of Florida this weekend.

 

I'm a planner at heart and I would already be fretting over my plan B. Naturally I would have already been on the phone to my travel insurance company. Anyone call their's and how's that going? You never really hear how well the insurance companies handle these situations.

 

Anyone else have a different "Plan B" in the works?

 

Let's all hope Frances gets a disorganized and shears apart before it does much damage.

[dotcruiser]

Thanks so much for your concern. Where I live, in Deltona, we are in Volusia County and heading right for us. (20 miles south of Daytona Beach) We are still cleaning up from Charley. I am so glad our cruise isn't till end of Nov. on Legend. (for THIS reason.......) I would be unpacking by now if it were me. People leaving out of Port Canaveral are in big trouble. They won't be able to avoid it. It will be interesting to see how Carnival handles this one.

But it's nice to hear of other's concerns. This time we are heading to Tampa. WE got lots of damage and this one will be much worst. Pray for us.

[captaincrash]

We're scheduled to sail out of PC on Sat! Our line is Disney and they have been very proactive in calling us 1st and reassuring we'll sail. Also they are forewarning there may be an embarkation change (duh) and to await word of it on Th or Fri.

 

As for our plan "B"... well... the plan "A" for us is to meet the boat where it will be waiting for us. That's all. I've sailed 6 hurricane season sailings and I marvel at the storm froms on the horizon while at sea. Once we have a port change but that's OK with me. No one is going to put a ship and it's passengers in harms way - excepting the unfortunate Windjammer sailing cruise ship. It could not escape a storm's path a few years ago and had to drop it's passengers off ashore while the crew took the boat out to weather the storm. They lost the ship and crew as I understand the story. Rates went up on Windjammer the next year.

 

At any rate, we're looking forward to sailing. They HAVE TO park somewhere to get the current group of passengers off. Those folks will probably get bussed into Orlando (where we are flying in) and we'll hop onto an empty bus and go. They may try to make us buy transfers - but these are extenuating circumstances and all. Oh well, I do have greenbacks if needed.

 

Our flight plans allowed for this eventuality as we're scheduled to fly tomorrow - two days early. In this case our flights should NOT be effected. If we cannot use Cruise line transfers for some reason then we have a rental car reserved (actually two from different agencies- could not decide if we wanted a convertible). So there is a plan "B" which was the original normal circumstance plan "A".

 

Outside of that I glance occasionally at the NOAA site for landfall predictions and look at the maps like everyone else. Here's a link for any who have not seen a map or data yet:

 

http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/ftp/graphics/AT06/refresh/AL0604W5+GIF/290853W5.gif

 

http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/text/refresh/MIASPFAT1+shtml/010832.shtml?

[lmondrop]

Well I live here in Miami...so I'm making preparations for the storm to come this way...but ironically at the same time making prepations to maybe sail away....The suspense is killing me!

[mininutrsp]

My husband and I are driving to Edisto Island, South Carolina, planning to arrive Saturday afternoon. (We will be cruising again in November of 2005). We're just waiting to see what happens. If the storm goes as is currently predicted, we should be all right, but unfortunately not those cruising from Florida. Maybe we can all get lucky and it will head out tosea and die down.

 

Robin

[lmondrop]

Maybe we can all get lucky and it will head out to sea and die down.

 

Robin

Wouldn't that be nice!

[IBEEMOM]

Imondrop. My heart goes out to everyone in the path of Frances also. As a former Miamian, I know what it means to go thru one of those storms. I still have a son living in WPB and he is expecting to see Frances too. Secure your home and say your prayers for a change of course.

[lmondrop]

Thank you IBEEMOM....We sure are saying prayers and keeping our fingers crossed...just on the sheer enormity of this thing alone and don't want it to come here...

 

Thanks for your thoughts!

[iluvdoxies]

Please let us all be safe here in Fl- we are in the Orlando area-the local news is saying that by tomorrow afternoon- Merrit Is, Cape Canaveral. all that area will be under forced evacuation----so maybe the Fantasy will sail early?

Also the news is saying the path of the stoem is 300 miles wide, so all of Fl will be impacted!

Calgon, take me away!

Very worried as this is one serious storm- Charley was just child's play.

[serene56]

http://www.cruisecritic.com/news/news.cfm?ID=1161

 

I see the Triumph went west this week. Nothing is said about this weekends cruise.

[inforem]

I only have two big words....GOOD LUCK.....this goes to everyone cruising to the islands...and to everyone in francis's path

[paralegal]

I live in Orlando, and nobody can believe we are in the path to get hit, again. The city is still cleaning up after Hurricane Charley. There are still piles of debris around, and now everyone is feverishly trying to get rid of them, so they don't go flying through windows. I definitely feel sorry for those cruising out of Port Canaveral on Sat. I'm sure Carnival will do their best to get you going on your long awaited cruise. Good Luck to everyone, and once you get past this monster, have the time of your lives.

[lmondrop]

All I want to do is leave on my vacation and leave in peace! Why does this have to happen?

[kristikae]

It looks like they're taking this one very seriously. The power company has already called for crews to work on power restoration. Our guy are going to be on their way in the morning. They just got home Monday and now are turning around to go back. We should have just put them up in hotels for a couple of days. It would have saved a ton of gas money! :D

 

 

Hopefully they'll get there and find that they aren't needed.