Late Flights

[Dusey23]

Has anyone experieinced late flights (Cruise Air) and missed the ship or come close? What was your experience like? Was Carnival any help to you? We are travelling from the North during March and unpredictable weather is always a factor. Booking flights on our own would have cost over $1000.00 for our family!

[greatam]

Has anyone experieinced late flights (Cruise Air) and missed the ship or come close? What was your experience like? Was Carnival any help to you? We are travelling from the North during March and unpredictable weather is always a factor. Booking flights on our own would have cost over $1000.00 for our family!

 

Please do a search. There are quite long threads on both Princess and HAL about missed cruises. You may also want to read the sticky at the top of this forum "Cruise Air and Air Deviation". It will explain some of the proactive actions you can take IF you miss your flight or your cruise departure.

 

1. Think out of the box-you DO NOT need to go in a straight line to get your cruise. Example: You are booked BOS/JFK/FLL. You could get to your cruise very easily flying BOS/DFW/FLL.

 

2. PLEASE find alternate flights BEFORE the day you depart. Have a list available.

 

3. Have EVERY phone number who may be able to help you READILY available-either programmed into your phone or on an easily accessible list.

Airlines, cruise line, corporate travel dept (if you have one), travel agent, FF club (if you belong), even an airline lounge club (they are worth their weight in gold if you travel enough).

 

4. DO NOT count on a tremendous amount of help from the cruise line. You won't be the only one who missed a flight. AND if this happens on the weekend, you are most likely NOT dealing with the senior people who can solve problems.

 

5. DON'T stand in line, WAITING for the first available agent. Stand in line, yes. But while you are in line, work the phone. Call the airline first. You may get the last two seats on the next departing flight while you are number 12 in line. And with your list of alternative flights, you MAY be able to walk to a different gate (where there aren't a lot of people) and get on that flight.

 

BE PREPARED. Don't count on a lot of help from the cruise line. And good luck!!!

[greatam]

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[greatam]

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[JJPNYC]

Back during the 2003 blackouts that hit New York in August of that year, I had my flight cancelled and missed my cruise. When I called Celebrity to advise of the situation, the agent I talked to had a "it's not our problem, it's your problem" mentality. The only option this one agent offered was to catch up with the ship in the first port of call. All I was asking Celebrity for at this time was the ability to shift my cruise to the following week - nothing more/nothing less.

 

Ultimately I got a more compassionate Celebrity agent on the phone, got our cruise rebooked for the following week, and got the flights taken care of.

 

But to Greatam's point, expect the cruise line to do nothing, expect the airline to do nothing. It's all up to you to make it happen. Unfortunatley all that really matters to the cruise lines is that they get your money. If you make it on board or not, they don't care as long as they have your money.

[Jimsgirl]

Expecting the cruise line or the airline to help you ,is like wishing income tax will be abolished!!!!

 

My experience with Delta and Cunard showed me that. First leg of trip the Delta plane left over 2 hours late, missed transatlantice connection at Atlanta, neither airline or Cunard were interested in halping - Delta actually demanded I buy another ticket, as the one I had was non transferable even though it was their fault the connection had been missed (yes there were many other passengers involved also) Finally got another flight to London, Cunard rep failed to meet me ,(claimed I was the only passenger and they did not meet single passengers on Sundays!) Another problem was that although I managed to get another flight , my luggage (along with all the other stranded passengers luggage) stayed on the tarmac in Atlanta.

 

You can not ecpect help from anyone.

 

By the way, For March I had problems with routing using the cruiseline, ended up paying for First Class in place of Economy in order to get sensible flight time and route.

In October going with Celebrity, this week cruise line staffer told me, "its too early to discuss flights, you should WAIT until JUne or JuLy" I have now booked my own flight (using my tavel agent, ) going Firstclass (my choice could have gone Economy) to San Deigo to join cruise on flight of my choice, coming back Economy again on my choice of flight time . Cost was less than $100 more than waiting until June for the cruise line to "fit me in wherever they wanted , in Economy, on whatever route they chose"

Well worth the money.