if princess air misses cruise do i get a refund? or should i purchase insurance?

[sanjay]

hello -- my wife and i are flying out of toronto to san juan via new wark this saturday for our crown cruise --- we're concerned that because of snowy weather the flight leaving toronto may be delayed and we only have 51 minutes to get to our next flight at new wark airport.

 

we're booked through princess air

 

if the flight is delayed/missed does princess help? i've heard conflicting information

 

and if i am to purchase insurance for this --- where do you recommend?

 

thanks

[Colo Cruiser]

hello -- my wife and i are flying out of toronto to san juan via new wark this saturday for our crown cruise --- we're concerned that because of snowy weather the flight leaving toronto may be delayed and we only have 51 minutes to get to our next flight at new wark airport.

 

we're booked through princess air

 

if the flight is delayed/missed does princess help? i've heard conflicting information

 

and if i am to purchase insurance for this --- where do you recommend?

 

thanks

 

Does the ship leave the same day?

If so it could be a problem, but at least it dioes not sail until 11pm unlike Ft Lauderdale where it is 4pm.

[sanjay]

Does the ship leave the same day?

If so it could be a problem, but at least it dioes not sail until 11pm unlike Ft Lauderdale where it is 4pm.

 

 

yes - ship leaves the same day (at 11pm)

 

my only concern is wondering how many flights leave new wark to san juan daily --

[paul929207]

You will NOT get a refund from Princess. They are booking air as a service to you and do not guarentee anything. You must have insurance to get a refund or to get reimbursed for any extra expenses. This includes flights to catch up, hotels, and refund of cruise cost if you cannot get to the ship.

[sppunk]

yes - ship leaves the same day (at 11pm)

 

my only concern is wondering how many flights leave new wark to san juan daily --

There are many, many daily flights from San Juan from NYC. But if you booked Princess Air is it there problem getting you to the ship.

 

Not sure about any refunds though.

[teripp]

May be an idea to get the insurance if just for peace of mind......

[frannie]

We have flown many times from Halifax to Newark going South . I would see if there is another flight i could take . 51 minutes in my mind is not enough time to connect to another flight in Newark. Are you clearing customs in toronto and landing in Newark as a domestic flight or do you need to go through customs and security in newark . We found newark to be a crazy busy airport and very disorganized when it comes to security and lineups . We had to beg to be pulled out of the lineup so we would not miss a flight to ft Lauderdale . They have all flights and times in the same line and no one pulling the close flights out . Please get insurance for peace of mind .

[Coral]

I would book insurance. I would call a few popular companies and make sure you would be covered given your situation - here are some companies to call: Travelex, Access America, TravelGuard, CSA...... You can look at this website for additional companies: http://insuremytrip.com/

 

While Princess may help you reach your next port of call, they are not required to and may or may not be able to after all it is spring break and flights are booked. I definitely would not count on the cruise line/airline helping you.

[sanjay]

insurance purchased -- thanks everyone

[CrazyCanucks]

My wife and I were just on the Grand. While still in Ft. Lauderdale the captain delayed the ship embarking by an hour to wait for wayward Princess booked flights that were delayed due to weather in the Chicago area.

 

We also saw a number of people embark on the Grand in Ocho Rios because they missed the ship in Ft Lauderdale. Princess flew them to Montego Bay and they took a bus to Ocho Rios.

 

While I always believe in trip cancelation / disruption insurance, I believe Princess booked air travelers will eventually get on the ship. Even at a port of call.

[Pia1913]

insurance purchased -- thanks everyone

 

In the future, if travelling at "snowy" times of the year, please consider flying to your destination a day early.

 

Pia

[Ron n Jon]

hello -- my wife and i are flying out of toronto to san juan via new wark this saturday for our crown cruise --- we're concerned that because of snowy weather the flight leaving toronto may be delayed and we only have 51 minutes to get to our next flight at new wark airport.

we're booked through princess air

if the flight is delayed/missed does princess help? i've heard conflicting information

and if i am to purchase insurance for this --- where do you recommend?

thanks

 

Firstly as you are Canadian, check with your credit card issuer for ours automatically applies travel insurance when you pay for your cruise with their card. If not, we certainly would recommend purchasing it for there are other reasons why you can be stymied in getting to the dock. We use RBC when the value of the cruise exceeds the max insurance coverage of our card.

 

But we are a bit lost on the question of booking air inclusive with Princess. We were always of the opinion that as they are handling our air travel arrangements to get us to the ship, they take responsibility for getting us there. (We have experienced slight port departure delays, which we knew to be the result of such air passengers arriving late at the dock) If this is not the case we certainly would like to hear that as what's the point of booking air inclusive with the cruise line if they don't take responsibility.

[Coral]

But we are a bit lost on the question of booking air inclusive with Princess. We were always of the opinion that as they are handling our air travel arrangements to get us to the ship, they take responsibility for getting us there. (We have experienced slight port departure delays, which we knew to be the result of such air passengers arriving late at the dock) If this is not the case we certainly would like to hear that as what's the point of booking air inclusive with the cruise line if they don't take responsibility.

 

No cruise line will say that they will "get you to the port" if you miss the ship. You will not find this in writing anywhere. While they may help, they may not also. They also may not be able to even if they want to.

 

What is the point of booking air from the cruise line - only convenience of one stop shopping.

[Toto2Kansas]

We were always of the opinion that as they are handling our air travel arrangements to get us to the ship, they take responsibility for getting us there.

 

When your airfare is purchased through the cruise line, all they are really doing is selling you a service from the airlines by booking your ticket for you. They are not in any way actually responsible for getting you to your destination, the airline is, which means, as long as they get you there eventually, they have done what they have been contracted to do. Getting you there on time is another matter.

This is a myth that many cruisers believe. If they book air through Princess (or any other cruise line) then it is Princess responsibility to get them to the ship. Not so. Buy Insurance, it is the only thing this is going to save you if something unforseen happens with your flights being cancelled or delayed.

[Ron n Jon]

No cruise line will say that they will "get you to the port" if you miss the ship. You will not find this in writing anywhere. While they may help, they may not also. They also may not be able to even if they want to.

What is the point of booking air from the cruise line - only convenience of one stop shopping.

 

Thanks Coral, we have learned a valued lesson today. We have always wondered why the cruise lines that book your flights to the point of departure cut it so close in time. We felt it didn't matter, as they would solve the problem if something went wrong. We are on the Grand come April for The Three Continent cruise and booked air inclusive. Having to get up at 4:00 am to catch "their" flight would have been worth it IF they guaranteed us we would be aboard at some point.

 

But we have and always will take full coverage insurance, as there are so many others obstacles in travel.

[BJS]

These are the 4 A we always use when getting flights:

 

1) Always get insurance.

2) Always do an air deviation choosing own flights when using Princess air

3) Always plan at least a 2 hour layover between connecting flights - 3 hours if clearing customs or passport control.

4) Always fly to the embarkation port the day before the cruise.

 

.

[sanjay]

confused -- what is an 'air deviation'?

[turquoisesea]

Hi sanjay - Your Roll Call friends don't want you to miss the ship :eek: - so ...

Be sure to print out a list of flights - by all airlines - from Newark to SJU on Saturday. That way, if you miss your flight you know which flights are available and you can run to the right counter. You cannot always depend on the counter agent at your booked airline to give you all the options.

Another thing you might try (seriously!) is to see if you can take an earlier flight out on Sat. morning or Friday night from your airport to Newark. (There is usually a cost for changing tickets, depending on your airline.)There are tons of hotels around the Newark airport and the expense might be well worth it to avoid missing the plane and then the ship! :eek:

Good luck!

Glad you got the insurance - but it's better to be on the ship!!:D

[Pam in CA]

We also saw a number of people embark on the Grand in Ocho Rios because they missed the ship in Ft Lauderdale. Princess flew them to Montego Bay and they took a bus to Ocho Rios.

Note that they can only do this if you have a passport. Otherwise, you won't be allowed to fly out of the country.

 

No cruise line will say that they will "get you to the port" if you miss the ship. You will not find this in writing anywhere. While they may help, they may not also. They also may not be able to even if they want to.

 

What is the point of booking air from the cruise line - only convenience of one stop shopping.

 

When your airfare is purchased through the cruise line, all they are really doing is selling you a service from the airlines by booking your ticket for you. They are not in any way actually responsible for getting you to your destination, the airline is, which means, as long as they get you there eventually, they have done what they have been contracted to do.

Actually, while it was several years ago, I had booked Princess air (a day early) from BOS to San Juan for a 12-day cruise. A 2" snowstorm turned into an ice storm which closed the airport for 24 hours with complete chaos the next day. I was flown to MIA the next morning, stayed overnight in MIA and flew the following day from MIA to Martinique to catch up with the ship. All my expenses were taken care of, including hotel and food vouchers to be used at MIA. I did not have insurance (the last time I cruised without insurance). My tickets (they were not e-tickets but rather the old printed tickets) were coded in some special way that AA took full responsibility and got me to where I needed to go to catch up with the ship. I was met at the airport by the Princess rep who took my luggage and escorted me to the ship. Traveling alone, it was somewhat scarey and certainly full of anxiety but afterwards, I looked at it as an adventure. I don't know if they will still do this but I can say that from my personal experience, I was taken care of and flown to catch up with the ship.

[juniorsmom]

Friends of ours missed a princess cruise because their flight was cancelled and could not get any flight out because of the weather. They were quite disappointed but thank god they had insurance.

[NeurosurgeryNP]

You should get travel insurance anyways - for the health coverage as well - allbeit not wonderful, many US insurers will not cover you outside of the country (and the ship's medical services) and Medicare will not wither.

[Coral]

 

Actually, while it was several years ago, I had booked Princess air (a day early) from BOS to San Juan for a 12-day cruise. A 2" snowstorm turned into an ice storm which closed the airport for 24 hours with complete chaos the next day..

 

Pam - my point is that no cruise line will say this in writing. They may actually help you out but they will not promise or guarantee that they will help you out. More and more there are reports from people indicating that the lines are not helping people out.

 

About a year or so I spoke with some cruise line execs and they were telling agents to stop telling people that if you book your air with the cruise line that they will take care of you. As you are well aware, cruising has changed quite a bit than it was 10 to 15 years ago.

[Toto2Kansas]

Coral, I really do agree on this. What they used to do for passengers some years ago, they normally will not do know.

 

Pam, I am so happy they took care of you without insurance, but I am sure that doesn't happen quite as often now adays. If nothing else, from reading the posts about problems even when having insurance lately.

 

We used to get a lot of help from Princess, even up to a few years ago, with certain matters or problems, but with the state of things the way today is, I would not expect them to do the same if those same situations arose tomorrow.

 

Always Always purchase insurance unless you can afford to loose all you have spent on the cruise and airfare.

[cynbar]

There have been several threads on these boards in recent months re: cruisers who bought cruise air assuming that the ship would wait for them, and were then astonished to see that it did not. There seems to be some variation between embarkation ports re: how long the ships can/will wait, due perhaps to tidal conditions and port charges, but the bottom line seems to be that there is no guarantee. My family and I had a related incident a couple years back that also may be pertinent here. We had booked same-day cruise air via Celebrity, arrived at the airport in Boston with plenty of time to spare, and then were bumped off our flight because apparently the air tickets we had were the lowest priority and the flight was oversold. We made it to Ft Lauderdale on alternate flights, but just barely, and the anxiety of the whole thing really did set us back. No more same-day flights for us!

[Mabers]

That's all very interesting.....I was under the impression that if you flew with Princess (or any other cruise line) they guaranteed to get you there, or they would wait for you. Not doing that puts a whole different spin on things......in other words if you have to fly out the day before, you might as well book your own air, presumably at a savings.

M.