Flying in on the day of the cruise...Have I got a story for you

[micro yaya]

kudos to carnival, if it had been another line i wonder how the story would have ended .

so happy for you guys

[Taters]

What a great ending to one high pressure day for you! We live so very far away from most of the ports we sail from that we always fly in at least two days ahead of cruise time. I could not imagine the pressure of flying in/arriving the same day!

 

Whew!~

 

Taters

[above sea level cruiser]

I am still wondering if anyone has any idea how Carnival got around the Homeland Security rule that all the people must be onboard one hour prior to sailing??

 

I hear you. Obviously Carnival gets special treatment.:rolleyes:

[cruisincountrygirl]

That was AMAZING to read! What a great story! Our last cruise we drove in 2 days ahead of time to enjoy the town. This time we're flying in the day before and while my sister kept arguing with me that we'd be fine, I'm a chicken and wasn't willing to risk it. Now, after reading your post, I'm so grateful!

Thank you also for contacting Linda's superiors. As someone who manages people, you can never hear enough good things about your folks. My experiences with Carnival have also been positive so far, and I hope that if I am ever in a situation as crazy as yours, there is a Linda there for me.

 

Great story!

[Cape]

I am so glad you made your flight - I would have been panicked the whole time!!

 

A good rule of thumb to remember is if you are ever on a plane with a flight delay due to mechanical problems - ask for a new flight. I have done this 3 times and all 3 I was put on direct flights that got me to my destination either at the same time or earlier. All you have to do is explain that you need to make a cruise and to please change you to a direct flight even if it is on another airline. Even if you are sitting at the gate, go up and ask the flight crew. I did that one time and they let me right off - might have helped that I was 6 months pregnant ;) If it is the airline's fault that you are late - they will make accomodations for you.

[eddiesgal]

Certainly relieved that your story had a happy ending! You certainly did deserve a relaxing vacation after all that:eek:

[MrBreeze]

Wow, that should be required reading by all that fly into cruise ports... Glad you made it.

[sue402001]

What a well written post, I'm glad you were able to make your cruise after all your delays. Hope you had a wonderful time!

 

Guess that's why we are flying down 2 days pre-cruise!

[baybye]

I went thru something like that a few years ago and it can tie you into knots, our plane broke down and there was not another plane going to Miami to reach the ship before it departed. But they had a plane that was flying into Nassua, our first island port so we took that plane and boarded the ship in Nassua, all we missed was the first meal and the first night in our cabin but I was so stress out and had so much to drink I wasn't sure what ship I was getting on. Anyway it work out and I vowed I would never do that again. The good thing is we didn't have to go to the drill bit.

 

Bev:eek::eek:

[TrevyMcShaw]

I am so glad you made your flight - I would have been panicked the whole time!!

 

A good rule of thumb to remember is if you are ever on a plane with a flight delay due to mechanical problems - ask for a new flight. I have done this 3 times and all 3 I was put on direct flights that got me to my destination either at the same time or earlier. All you have to do is explain that you need to make a cruise and to please change you to a direct flight even if it is on another airline. Even if you are sitting at the gate, go up and ask the flight crew. I did that one time and they let me right off - might have helped that I was 6 months pregnant ;) If it is the airline's fault that you are late - they will make accomodations for you.

 

I soooo wish this had been true in my case. The airline, Delta, took no responsibility except to offer me $50 for food and lodging and a refund of $40 for the affected leg of the flight from Birmingham to Atlanta. They did work with me to find another flight on THEIR plane from Atlanta, but it was my responsibility to get there. You also have to check your bags 45 minutes prior to the flight and they would not make any exception for us. We checked our bag with 6 minutes to spare.

[aubreysmom]

Yay!!! So glad you made it to your cruise! I am such a Nervous Nelly - that even living in Florida, I like to be at a hotel near the port near the day before the cruise. You never know when an Interstate will be shut down for hours!!!! So it is just not planes and connecting flights that you need to worry about.

 

My husband flies Delta all the time - and is super ++ level or whatever?? We lived near Atlanta for 18 years because he flies all the time. Atlanta is affected by weather sometimes. However, more often than not, his flights were on time. Some of our best friends are pilots. It can be like dominoes sometimes. Weather in one area of the country will affect flights in another area of the country.

 

This story just points out the need to arrive a day or so ahead of time so that you can start your VACATION on a cruise with a smile on your face :)

[jcacruiser]

WHEW! I needed a cocktail after just reading your story! Never again will I even think of flying in the day of the cruise (as my DH always wants to do)! So glad you made it!

[Cape]

I soooo wish this had been true in my case. The airline, Delta, took no responsibility except to offer me $50 for food and lodging and a refund of $40 for the affected leg of the flight from Birmingham to Atlanta. They did work with me to find another flight on THEIR plane from Atlanta, but it was my responsibility to get there. You also have to check your bags 45 minutes prior to the flight and they would not make any exception for us. We checked our bag with 6 minutes to spare.

They must have changed their policy b/c Delta is one of the airlines that did this for me. But I live in a hub so that could affect how helpful they are!

 

I don't fly Delta though...b/c I live in a hub and their prices are ridiculous and b/c I have found they change schedules but do nothing to accomodate how this affects their customer...it makes me mad they can change without penalty but I can't.

[MinnieGi]

All I can say is WOW!!

[maxamuus]

Friends dont let friends fly in the day of the cruise. ;)

 

I work for a airline and i have heard too many tales of woe. I would NEVER fly in the same day of the cruise.

[marshhawk]

Great tale with a great ending. This is the reason that even though we are flying from Atlanta in January, in the event of weather/plane/snow storm, we always allow enough time to drive instead. Our friends gave us the airfare for our wedding gift, and I told them to make the fight one day before the cruise. Your story tells it all.

[jennbill]

Now you've got me curious about any Homeland Security rules. The best thing about speaking with Linda at the pier was that she provided a calming, encouraging, hopeful voice through these stressful few hours.

 

Our cruise was quite good and very relaxing. The Legend was solid, decor not too gaudy and the food pretty darned good. Seemed to rain in every port but that was okay. Probably should do a review.

[kona_wahine]

Great story! I'm sure glad we booked a flight for the day before. :) Linda is definitely your Carnival Angel! Says a lot about the company!

[jayscore]

Glad you made it! I can truly relate! :rolleyes:

A few years ago, we too, were some of the last on the ship. No pictures, no happy "welcome aboard". We got on the ship at 3:45 PM. We got to our cabin just in time for the muster drill. And hungry! (Haven't eaten since 6:00 AM)

We had a non-stop flight from MSP to MIA that was supposed to leave at 9:00 AM.

Never again will we fly in the same day!

[momofmeg]

Typically, we do not arrive at a departure port the day of a cruise. We like to make sure there are no hassles. We have flown in on cruise day, most recently NYC in '06, with no problems. Now here's our story....

 

When we booked the 9/20 Legend cruise in April, we looked at airfare, schedules and such and decided to fly in on cruise day. Booked Delta through Atlanta with an arrival in Tampa a little after 12 noon. The Legend is scheduled to sail at 4 p.m.. Shouldn't be a problem we thought. Curiously, around the first of September I started to have these feelings that things wouldn't go well. I told Jennifer and she said to just stop that I was just trying to jinx us. Flash forward to the morning of 9/20.

 

Things are good when we board our flight from Oklahoma City to Atlanta. But then something seems kinda wrong. It's stuffy on the plane. No AC. As departure time arrives and passes, the captain tells us that he can't start the plane's engines and he'd get back to us. A few minutes later the problem looks to be that the compressors that supply oxygen to the jet engines (necessary for starting) have a valve stuck. So it's everyone off the plane while we wait for a mechanic. Maybe 15 or 20 minutes later, things look good and we're told to reboard. We're told to please find our seats as we had a limited time to get airborne and still have our slot in Atlanta. Soon the engines are started and things are looking good. Only about 45 minutes late but still plenty of time to make our connection in Atlanta. Thing is, we're not backing away from the gate. We sit and sit and sit... "We're not going anywhere" I tell Jennifer. Soon the captain comes on the PA system.

 

Seems that while we were waiting for repairs in OKC, fog and rain rolled into Atlanta. There is now a ground hold on all flights to Atlanta. The captain tells us he'll get back to us in around 45 minutes. Okay, so now things are a little tight but we'll see. Sure enough, right at 45 minutes later, the captain says we're good to go and we push back from the gate and begin taxiing.

 

We approach the runway, number two for takeoff, when we just sit. By now it's daylight and I see the problem. Yeah, fog in OKC has reduced our minimum visiblity to the point nothing is leaving. "We're screwed" I tell Jennifer. Finally, after another agonizing wait (and three hours late) we're airborne. I'm thinking maybe the ground hold on Atlanta traffic would put enough flights late for us to make our original connection...or maybe not.

 

We make Atlanta, deplane and check the monitors in the terminal. We've missed our original connection by about 22 minutes. Closer than I thought but now we have to scramble. At this point, all I can say is that Delta's personnel in Atlanta are waaaay less than helpful. As a matter of fact, they suck. But that's another post at another place. The best we can come up with is another Delta flight arriving in Tampa at 3:12 p.m.. This is not good. The only positive is that I'm able to talk us into row 20 on the 757 which is the row next to the door. Good for a quick exit.

 

As we sit in Atlanta, the phone calls start. Jennifer calls the Carnival customer service number on our docs and they offer as much help as the can. They provide us the number to the port and suggest we call. Busy signal. Next phone call goes to travel insurance. They tell us we have to make the cruise at one of our ports of call to be able to claim unused portions of the trip. Okay, Jenn, start using that IPhone to check airfare from Tampa to Cayman. Way too expensive. Then I realize I brought my phone with me. (I hate cell phones and rarely use mine.)

 

While Jenn is Googling potential travel to Cozumel to catch the ship, I call the port. This is where things start to go a little better. I reach a Carnival port agent by the name of Linda. She was an angel. A very calming voice in a hectic early afternoon. As I explained to her our situation, she took our information (name, cabin number, etc.). She asked when we'd arrive and I told her 3:12 was our scheduled arrival. "You should be okay", she said. She explained to call her immediately upon touch down in Tampa. Look for the Carnival reps at baggage claim she said. Linda says "Now one thing, you may not have time to wait for your luggage. You may have to go without. Talk to our people in baggage claim and they'll get your luggage to you in Grand Cayman." I'm thinking no problem, we'll buy a few necessities in the gift shop and skip first formal night but if we make the cruise, so be it.

 

In the meantime, Jennifer has called a cab company in Tampa to arrange to have a taxi waiting for us at baggage claim. Good move. I call Linda one last time as we're boarding the plane and tell her I'll talk to her soon. As we taxied in Atlanta, all I'm thinking is that I don't want the pilot to come on the inercom and say that we're number 20 for takeoff and to just sit back and relax. To my relief, things go better than I anticipated and we're off the ground only around 15 minutes late. Things aren't looking great and Jennifer and I say nothing during the flight. Arrival in Tampa at 3:19, the pilot made up some time. Fortunately, first ones off the plane and now it starts to look like an episode of the "Amazing Race".

 

Jennifer and I are sprinting (literally) up the jetway and through the terminal to the shuttles to baggage claim. She starts to lag and I'm yelling at her, "You gotta dig!! Go Go Go!!" It was ugly and she was a trooper. We make it to baggage claim. No Carnival reps. Crap. I'm on the phone, trying to breathe and dial Linda at the same time. Now we're just looking for a cab to get us to the pier. Then right before us are our bags. They made the earlier flight we couldn't. Now, I'm thinking just grab any taxi and go. Not so fast in Tampa. There were no taxis lined up at baggage claim like at most other airports. There is a taxi stand and we ask for a big taxi as we have four max size bags weighing right at 50 lbs. each. This guy was a moron. No help and now we're waiting. In the meantime, Jennifer is contacting the cab company she called from Atlanta. The driver is waiting for us on the top floor of the parking garage. GO! GO!

 

We make it up, find him, load up and ask him to haul ass to the pier and we'll make it worth his while. Once we clear the airport, the drive seems to take forever but I'm looking at his speedometer and he's like 20 over the speed limit. We wind through the streets of downtown Tampa and finally see the pier. The Legend is still there. We might make this after all. We pull up to the pier when we hear "Uh oh" from the driver. "What, what?" we're saying. The big gate at the pier is rolled down. Not good. So this is how it ends? We're standing at the pier as the Legend pushes away. Crap. Then we see a door to our right. The workers are frantically motioning us over. I'm grabbing bags, Jennifer's giving our driver double the fare. A young female security guard takes our bags from us and rushes away.

 

Carnival's pier personnel are there. We're running toward registration. And then there's Linda. "You're okay", she says. Security, registration, sign and sail cards, the familiar "ding" of the security picture were all a blur. We were still trying to run up the gangway when Carnival's personnel were reassuring us "You're okay. You're going to make it.".

 

We pass from the gangway to the ship's atrium at 3:54 p.m.. We did, in fact, make it. We tried hard to catch our breath as we headed toward our aft balcony. The Legend pushes away from the pier at 4:10 p.m. as the rain begins to fall. We can't believe what we've just gone through.

 

Our luggage arrived to our cabin by 4:45 and we were off on a great cruise. Needless to say that evening included several cocktails and a vow to never, ever fly in on the day of the cruise.

 

I can say that the Carnival representatives at the Tampa pier were amazing. Linda was a calming voice who helped us beyond belief. It was nice just to hear someone trying to talk us through. We've contacted her superiors in Tampa to heap praise upon her.

 

Bottom line to a long story, well I think you get it.....

 

I had friends that were 10 minutes late for their airtram Atlanta to Miami flight because of an unusually long security line-they supposed something was up there.

 

At first Airtram could care less and claimed they could only put them on a flight that arrived after the ship left. they managed to talk them into allowing them on an earlier flight-where they had to sit separate, but they arrived in Miami at 3:30 Instead of 6 pm. Like you thye did a spring and was able to grab a taxi-and made it before the ship sailed but missed the lifeboat drill-shortly after bra thing a sigh of relief, as the ship sailed away, they realized they had left one of their carry ons in the taxi-the one that carried the hubby's meds-who has a bad back- he has had 4 or 5 operations-and is on MAJOR pain killers-considered addictive.

 

Needless to say, their cruise was horrible-as of course the ship's doctor could not ethically give him the meds he needed. The husband rarely left their cabin the whole cruse-he was in so much pain-not only back pain but withdrawal pain-he only got off at one port.

 

They said they would never do that again-fly the day of-the only good thing that came out of this is the husband had his DR wean him off most of the meds-he is still in pain-but he realizes the pain meds were not helping much-if anything they caused more pain.

[nbsjcruiser]

One good thing though - when you go through something like that its a great team building exercise and something you can chuckle about in years to come.

 

As I was reading that post I was thinking, this is why we fly in 2 days early.

[UpstateCruizer]

Typically, we do not arrive at a departure port the day of a cruise. We like to make sure there are no hassles. We have flown in on cruise day, most recently NYC in '06, with no problems. Now here's our story....

 

When we booked the 9/20 Legend cruise in April, we looked at airfare, schedules and such and decided to fly in on cruise day. Booked Delta through Atlanta with an arrival in Tampa a little after 12 noon. The Legend is scheduled to sail at 4 p.m.. Shouldn't be a problem we thought. Curiously, around the first of September I started to have these feelings that things wouldn't go well. I told Jennifer and she said to just stop that I was just trying to jinx us. Flash forward to the morning of 9/20.

 

 

I can say that the Carnival representatives at the Tampa pier were amazing. Linda was a calming voice who helped us beyond belief. It was nice just to hear someone trying to talk us through. We've contacted her superiors in Tampa to heap praise upon her.

 

Bottom line to a long story, well I think you get it.....

 

WOW~! Great attitude and I'm glad you made your cruise. I could feel my heart racing right along with you as I read your adventure. I'll be on the Miracle a week from tomorrow. We actually fly in 2 days early now just to enjoy the port areas we sail from.

[SheriNtexas]

Phew! that post was stressful to read. So glad ya'll made it!

 

Be still my heart!! Aacckk!! Thanks for reminding me why i will NEVER fly in the day of a cruise!!!

[Musky Ike]

JUST GREAT, as if I wasn't worried enough already about making our connections:eek:

[tjcox9]

Delta and Atlanta, huh?? Sounds a bit too familiar to us unfortunately. Our last two cruises, one out of NY and one out of Southampton, we've had somewhat similar occurrences related to weather in ATL...........out of Southampton, we went without luggage for four days, not something one really want to do on Cunard!! :eek: We were boarding as everyone else was going to the lifeboat drill.

 

And on the other one, it was only thanks to the good folks in the Crown Room Club, that we got to the cruise out of NY. Had we relied on the regular rebooking process, we'd have been flying to Halifax!

 

Believe me, on our three booked cruises, we're booked in a day early.