If you ever have to leave the ship....

Just a warning for anyone that has to leave a ship mid-cruise, especially if you are Canadian. Don't let Holland America make your arrangements for you if at all possible.

DH's mother became ill and he had to leave the Nieuw Amsterdam last week. We found out through a text right before we docked for a 7am-3pm stop in St Lucia. I knew that flying out of Barbados (our port the next day) was really his only option. So he headed down to the Front Desk very early on our St Lucia day. The staff of the NA could not have been nicer, and they assured him that the Seattle office would handle all the details for him.

Within a half hour he had their plan - a 1:00am flight out of Bridgetown Barbados for $1051 (plus $100 for their service) in US funds. :eek:

We took our computer and got off the ship in St Lucia. Fortunately there was a small bar just a few minutes walk from the ship. Within a half hour I had him booked on a 4:00pm flight out of Bridgetown for $475 in Canadian funds.

So if heaven forbid this happens to you, try to do it yourself!

Good to know. Thanks!

Thanks for the heads up.

Just a warning for anyone that has to leave a ship mid-cruise, especially if you are Canadian. Don't let Holland America make your arrangements for you if at all possible.

 

 

 

DH's mother became ill and he had to leave the Nieuw Amsterdam last week. We found out through a text right before we docked for a 7am-3pm stop in St Lucia. I knew that flying out of Barbados (our port the next day) was really his only option. So he headed down to the Front Desk very early on our St Lucia day. The staff of the NA could not have been nicer, and they assured him that the Seattle office would handle all the details for him.

 

 

 

Within a half hour he had their plan - a 1:00am flight out of Bridgetown Barbados for $1051 (plus $100 for their service) in US funds. :eek:

 

 

 

We took our computer and got off the ship in St Lucia. Fortunately there was a small bar just a few minutes walk from the ship. Within a half hour I had him booked on a 4:00pm flight out of Bridgetown for $475 in Canadian funds.

 

 

 

So if heaven forbid this happens to you, try to do it yourself!

Good catch, I'm guessing there was no insurance involved? With insurance it was a moot issue. We were mid cruise when my Mother in Law died. HAL made all the arrangements to get us home, had insurance and everything was covered. We always have insurance!

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Good catch, I'm guessing there was no insurance involved? With insurance it was a moot issue. We were mid cruise when my Mother in Law died. HAL made all the arrangements to get us home, had insurance and everything was covered. We always have insurance!

 

 

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Thanks for the heads-up!

Even with insurance, I would be hesitant to take the highest quote if something more economical is available - specially since in the case of minor expenditures many insurance companies require the policy-holder to pay up front and file a claim later. Also, the flight suggested by HA left at 1:00 am. -- the OP found a more convenient departure time for half the cost.

Yikes. Service with a smile but at what price.

Thanks for posting this. Some people will want the help and will pay. You have shown the others that there are options. This is thought provoking and appreciated.

Yikes. Service with a smile but at what price.

 

Thanks for posting this. Some people will want the help and will pay. You have shown the others that there are options. This is thought provoking and appreciated.

That's exactly why I wanted to share our experience. In times of stress, sometimes we can be a little too dependent on others.

I stayed onboard for a week after he left. So we also learned to both bring our cell phones (I didn't), driver's licenses (he didn't), and computers (he didn't) from now on.

My RN wife and I saw first-hand how ONE person needed a 1stClass ticket ASAP back to NorthAmerica account multiple bone fractures while ashore in Polynesia. Others, in not so dire straits may luck out and be able to 'shop around' for cheaper way to their chosen care-givers. But we know what we would do. LocoLoco1

My RN wife and I saw first-hand how ONE person needed a 1stClass ticket ASAP back to NorthAmerica account multiple bone fractures while ashore in Polynesia. Others, in not so dire straits may luck out and be able to 'shop around' for cheaper way to their chosen care-givers. But we know what we would do. LocoLoco1

To clarify, this situation involved leaving the ship because a family member who was not on the cruise fell ill. And "shopping around" got my husband to his mother 10 hours sooner than the HAL plan.

If one of us had needed emergency attention while on the cruise, the solution would of course likely be different.

A few of things I have learned over many years of frequent flying:

1. If you allow a cruise line to book air transport, they will usually do what's best for them, not what's best for you.

2. If an agency books the ticket you usually do not have any control over what fare class they book and you often get booked into a highly restricted class without knowing about it until you need to make a change or select a seat.

3. As a general rule it is unwise to allow any agency to book your air transport. If you need to make any changes, book seats, etc. for any reason before your trip, the airline will not talk to you. You must go through the agency and hope that (a) they're available when you need them, and (b) they have the inclination to do their best to help you. In the case of weather or mechanical disruptions during the trip the airline will rebook you, but the fact that an agency is involved sometimes complicates matters.

Wow, what a useful thread! Everyone's experiences and opinions are so valuable -- just putting oneself in that position and then thinking it through is important.

In my multiple experiences over recent times, IF i book airfare through my TA as just a flight (i.e. not part of a land or cruise package) I can make any changes I want myself. Done it many times.

If my air reservation is through a group package purchase then I cannot make changes myself. Once they have turned-over the specific seat assignments to the airline

then I could make seat changes myself and pay the additional charge myself, (usually moving to more leg room seats) but not flight changes.

If I had to make emergency arrangements to fly home I would contact our long term TA to look after us. I know I would be too upset to think clearly and we would place more trust in her than an anonymous entity in the HAL organization.

The one time we had to leave the ship mid-cruise, HAL let me use their phone (the one near the front desk) to make the call to the airline and change our reservations (thus I did not have to pay for the call). I always book my own flights.

That has not been my experience. Air Canada canceled my flight, and still would not make the change for me directly when I called them. I had to go through my travel agent and she was on vacation! I was unaware of any package when I booked the flight and the cruise.

I now make all my travel arrangements directly with the airline, hotel, or cruise line whenever possible. I find that I often get the best price and usually better selections this way.

igraf

In my multiple experiences over recent times, IF i book airfare through my TA as just a flight (i.e. not part of a land or cruise package) I can make any changes I want myself. Done it many times....

That has not been my experience. Air Canada canceled my flight, and still would not make the change for me directly when I called them. I had to go through my travel agent and she was on vacation! I was unaware of any package when I booked the flight and the cruise.

Bingo! This is exactly what I was warning about. Most airlines will do the same.

This was the case when my aunt booked her Air Canada flight to and from Vancouver (for our family Alaska cruise on Volendam) through an online booking service. When I needed to upgrade her fare to one that could choose a seat, and make the seat be next to my mom's who was flyiing back with her for a visit -- I had to get her log-in and "pretend" to be her, on the booking site, not the airline's site... while reserving my mom's seat on the airline's site in another window. Those were a few tense minutes, working to get the seats together!

People do not realize that these online booking "services" are treated as travel agents by the various carriers. They (and I include myself in the past) think "There! I made my own reservations!" but if changes have to be made, they find out different.