DO NOT fly in the day of the cruise (if you have any alternative)

Well' date=' I just heard another of those "you've got to be kidding" stories. It seems that a family booked a DCL cruise out of Vancouver BC (as in Canada). They booked air to Seattle and a train to Vancouver, Washington (as in US). And to top it off, they flew in on the morning of the cruise, thinking that the 3 hour time difference between the east coast and the Pacific coast would give them "plenty" of time.

 

Suffice it to say that their Disney cruise is toast. By the time they got off the train and realized the mistake, it was impossible to be at the port on time. DCL is actually being very decent and has offered them the ability to transfer the money they paid to a different cruise for a very minimal amount.

 

Now they are dealing with what to do with their week in Seattle--whether they can do a cruise on another line departing from Seattle, the possibility of changing plane tickets, changing this to some sort of land based vacation, or whatever.

 

Had they chosen to fly in yesterday, the mistake would have been realized and they could have made it to the cruise departure port. I recommend coming in early to allow time for "lost" luggage to catch up with me or to be able to be more flexible with canceled flights, etc and still make the cruise. But this is a new one.

 

Also, if you are booking your own transportation (as opposed to using an agent or going thru DCL), be sure that you do it right. If you use a TA, presumably you will READ the confirmations and make sure that the TA did it right. If you book it yourself, no one is double checking your work.

 

Yes, there were plenty of ways that this situation could have been avoided or corrected...but flying in a day early is an easy one.

 

I hope they get it all worked out and come up with some sort of vacation...and enjoy a DCL cruise another time. I think I'll go to my airline's web site and "re-verify" my flight info![/quote']

 

No, the major problem was they booked train tickets to Vancouver WASHINGTON, not Vancouver BRITISH COLUMBIA. And not realizing it in time to take a different train the day they arrived in Seattle.

 

I can't believe they actually got on the wrong train without being aware of it.

 

I mean, they did the "fly into Seattle" thing to save money, but didn't realize that they booked the train going the wrong way? To the wrong Vancouver?

 

I'm sorry they're having to scramble now, but it seems that they're going to get some good out of it.

 

 

Being an Eastcoaster, I had no clue there was a Vancouver, WA (USA) and a Vancouver Canada.

I will offer advice when flying to the Eastcoast, avoid Chicago like it has the plague. There is always something happening with Chicago's weather to ground and delay flights.

In the past we have done a same-day flight a few times. I have only done it with a direct flight. Honestly, I was a total wreck until we were on the ground in the departure city. It was an awful way to start a vacation for me.

We now always fly in the day prior. Of course there are extra costs (hotel, dinner, etc) but that is money very well spent for the peace of mind that we're there. It's a relaxing flight and we have a good dinner and can fully unwind before going to the ship in the morning.

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If you're flying in a day prior to the cruise & staying in a hotel in Port Canaveral what's the best way to get to the hotel from Orlando airport.

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If you're flying in a day prior to the cruise & staying in a hotel in Port Canaveral what's the best way to get to the hotel from Orlando airport.

 

 

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Have you checked whether the hotel has a shuttle?

Beyond that, a rental car might be the most cost effective method. A taxi will cost around $100-$150.

Have you checked whether the hotel has a shuttle?

 

 

 

Beyond that, a rental car might be the most cost effective method. A taxi will cost around $100-$150.

WOW. I'll check with the hotel. Thanks.

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It may sound silly, but we're staying in Orlando the night prior and the night after and are renting a car for the duration. We found it cheaper to rent the car for the week and have it sit in the parking garage while we're on the cruise than doing separate rentals for prior and after.

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I found a site for fly, snooze & cruise which has some really good rates.

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They should have used a travel agent.

It may sound silly, but we're staying in Orlando the night prior and the night after and are renting a car for the duration. We found it cheaper to rent the car for the week and have it sit in the parking garage while we're on the cruise than doing separate rentals for prior and after.

 

 

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If you do some good research, you can do two rentals for less than it costs to park for the week. We cruised in June. I rented Avis to and from the port, both minivans, for around $60-$70 each way. Check sites like carrentals.com priceline.com and hotwire.com. If you are a techer and are connected with NEA, they have some atractive deals there too. Lastly, I recently learned that if you are an AP holder, National and Budget give AP discounts.

Some times the rental agencies run crazy week long rental deals.

If you're flying in a day prior to the cruise & staying in a hotel in Port Canaveral what's the best way to get to the hotel from Orlando airport.

 

 

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An alternative would be to stay at a hotel near MCO the night before. They usually have a free shuttle between them and MCO. Then use the DCL bus for transfer from MCO to the ship.

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An alternative would be to stay at a hotel near MCO the night before. They usually have a free shuttle between them and MCO. Then use the DCL bus for transfer from MCO to the ship.

 

 

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Great idea. Thanks.

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The first time our family sailed out of Vancouver was to Alaska. We booked the entire vacation through DCL and they flew us in same day of the cruise. It had me a bit worried but I checked and there were numerous flight alternatives that would get us there same day if there were issues with our initial flight. We were up very early and took a shuttle to the airport, flew to Portland, OR and then on to Vancouver BC. This was from Orange County, CA so entirely west coast.

The second time we were taking a southbound Pacific Coast from Vancouver. We were visiting with family in WA beforehand so we were already in WA but still decided we wanted to see Seattle and flew in a day early. We took the train the morning of the cruise and arrived in plenty of time.

As for the stay in Port Canaveral. We booked a Hampton Inn in Cape Canaveral that had a snooze and cruise package. It was excellent. We flew in the day before and took their shuttle (van pulling a trailer) from the airport to the Hotel. There is a nice walking path right down to the beach. The next morning we took a large bus to the port. They gave us a number and boarding time the night before so we knew when to go down for their breakfast (included) and then board the bus (motor coach). Most everyone there uses Mears transportation. The difference is that you are on a bus with cruisers from several cruise lines. When we left the ship we boarded a shuttle back to the Hotel where we put our bags in storage and went down to the beach. They then took us to our flight that was much later in the day. Really great experience.

The next time we did all Disney including Disney transportation, staying on property and even visiting the parks for a day before the cruise. I think the first was much more relaxing, very efficient and stress free. The Hotel took care of everything for one price. No rental car needed. No huge crowds. No expensive meals. Clean comfortable room.

The first time our family sailed out of Vancouver was to Alaska. We booked the entire vacation through DCL and they flew us in same day of the cruise. It had me a bit worried but I checked and there were numerous flight alternatives that would get us there same day if there were issues with our initial flight. We were up very early and took a shuttle to the airport, flew to Portland, OR and then on to Vancouver BC. This was from Orange County, CA so entirely west coast.

 

The second time we were taking a southbound Pacific Coast from Vancouver. We were visiting with family in WA beforehand so we were already in WA but still decided we wanted to see Seattle and flew in a day early. We took the train the morning of the cruise and arrived in plenty of time.

 

As for the stay in Port Canaveral. We booked a Hampton Inn in Cape Canaveral that had a snooze and cruise package. It was excellent. We flew in the day before and took their shuttle (van pulling a trailer) from the airport to the Hotel. There is a nice walking path right down to the beach. The next morning we took a large bus to the port. They gave us a number and boarding time the night before so we knew when to go down for their breakfast (included) and then board the bus (motor coach). Most everyone there uses Mears transportation. The difference is that you are on a bus with cruisers from several cruise lines. When we left the ship we boarded a shuttle back to the Hotel where we put our bags in storage and went down to the beach. They then took us to our flight that was much later in the day. Really great experience.

 

The next time we did all Disney including Disney transportation, staying on property and even visiting the parks for a day before the cruise. I think the first was much more relaxing, very efficient and stress free. The Hotel took care of everything for one price. No rental car needed. No huge crowds. No expensive meals. Clean comfortable room.

that hampton inn package sounds fantastic!!