Have any of you missed your ships because of the snowstorm in the Northeast?

[mnsawyer]

Not to get you even more worried but president's week is packed with travelers especially from the northeast since many K-12 schools have a break. If you are delayed, you're in trouble because the changes of getting a seat are slim to done even without a storm thus the importance of flying down a day before and wish travel agents in NE would really push that. I know so many people who travel down the same day and say if you have insurance, you are all set. Not necessarily! No one can predict the weather not even the weather guys...I live in central Maine and they predicted we would get 6-10 inches of snow on Saturday night. We got barely an inch...lots of wind but nothing like our New Englanders to the south.

 

I was cruising that awful storm of March 1993 too! We flew down a day early and about 500 people didn't make the ship. It was rough sailing and freezing even in Miami!

[kitty1]

Always buy insurance when travelling in the winter. We're going on a quick 3 day on the Majesty in Feb. We got a direct flight to FLL, but bought insurance just in case. We went on the Serenade in early Nov and got 6 inches of snow that day. Who would've thought in Nov???? We had a direct flight to San Juan from Boston and got out of Boston on time, but many people going to the islands were going via Philly and told they would miss their connection and they couldn't get another flight until the next day. Boy were folks upset at the airport. Some of them were able to jump on our flight to San Juan others weren't so lucky. They were loading luggage on the ship for 3 days when we were in port.

 

Always buy insurance when travelling in the winter. It's worth it.

 

We would've been in trouble if we were going this weekend. Luckily we're not, but we could get a big snow storm in Feb too. Let's hope we don't.

[Robinob]

Lauren...I am also cruising on Feb 19 and when I read your post I got nervous. My DH says that he doesn't believe that they can predict the weather so far in advance. I checked the Farmers Almanac also and it did predict this snowstorm that we just got, but said that it would come about 2 days after we actually got it. I saw that it said "fair skies" for the days that we have to travel, so for now, I am going with that. I don't want to worry for the next four weeks. I am planning on monitoring the weather reports very closely and hope for the best.

Enjoy your cruise!

 

 

Nyer, were you on VOS last July? If so, I met you. My name is Robin. I think we were at the CC party. We are going on the same cruise in July. This time it is with 6 friends. Same ports, different excursions.

[cruislovin]

Hey cruiselovin just the person i need to talk to. What is it like to cruise in Febuary anywhere. We are cruising in Feb for the first time with family and friends because that is the only time to get away.Western is where we are going. KEY W, Cozumel, belieze.I hope it is fine on seas and the current isn't that bad in Feb.

 

We did Eastern Caribbean first and the second year was Western. In fact, these were 2 of the smoothest cruises ever in terms of lack of rocking! I like a little movement so I know I am on a cruise!!!;) Anyway, we had aft cabins on both sailings and no problems at all with movement.

 

Weather was a bit chili in Miami, especially last year before we left, even for us cold weather northerners! We just had not planned well for the temps and it happened to be very windy. BUT it was much better than the weather we left behind in PA! I started checking the temperatures already in the ports we will be visiting this year. www.weather.com has international temps.

 

Have a great cruise!

[msweezie99]

Hi Lauren, Sorry to hear about your dad. Hope u are doing ok, it has to be a difficult thing to go through. I ended up flying out Wed nite, but I originally wanted Thursday, but the flights were just too expensive. My son isn't happy about missing two days of school, but he'll have to get over it. I think I will just call Nativeways, haven't heard from her yet, what made you choose them over Soto's, any reason? Talk soon

[nyer]

Hi Robin....yes, it's me from the Voyager. I remember meeting you at the CC party. What a great cruise that was...we had a wonderful time. This cruise I am taking with my DH, DD#2 and her DH. I am really looking forward to getting out of this cold and just relaxing for a week.

 

Rose

[tadjr]

I know of a AAA group of 55 that missed their sailing from Tampa this past Sunday. They were scheduled to come from Philadephia on Sun am to catch their ship and the morning flights cancelled because of the weather. They finally made it on a flight leaving at 145pm that was to get into Tampa at 420 and Carnival was going to hold the ship until 6pm. Unfortunately, the plane left the gate on time, but sat on the taxiway getting deiced and trying to make it out of Philly for over 3 hours. Due to port restraints Carnival couldnt hold past 6pm and they didnt arrive in Tampa until 630 so they were flown to their next port of call, Grand Cayman, to pick up the ship on Tuesday. They missed 2 days of their cruise trying to push it to the last minute. Luckily since it was a AAA group and they purchased insurance through the group tour the AAA rep said they were going to pay for the 2 nights of hotel rooms. The airline ended up sending them to Grand Cayman free of charge to catch the ship.

 

As far as checking the weather, you can see what they are predicting a week or so in advance. Many times if they are predicting a bad weather event, the airlines will let you change your ticket. If you think its going to get bad, call the airline and see if you can leave a day early or early in the day since the are expecting weather problems. Sometimes they will also do this if you are CONNECTING through a city that is expecting problems. It depends on the airline and the predicted amount of snow/rain, etc. They usually only allow changes a day or two before the actual event so even though it shows bad weather a week in advance, the airline might not know until a day or two before actual travel date, but it doesnt hurt to call and ask.

[lauren0309]

MsWeezie99:

 

Hi. I had originally booked with Soto's. They told me they wouldnt send me a confirmation because it was too early and they were changing their scheduling. Then there was the hurricane and I kept e-mailing them and even called them and they still wouldnt give me a confirmation because they said they didnt have their new website up yet so therefore I still had no reservation for a Stingray excursion. I was getting worried because we're going away Presidents Week and I didnt want to get closed out of any private excursions so I switched to Nativeway.

 

Lauren

[cruislovin]

As far as checking the weather, you can see what they are predicting a week or so in advance. Many times if they are predicting a bad weather event, the airlines will let you change your ticket. If you think its going to get bad, call the airline and see if you can leave a day early or early in the day since the are expecting weather problems. Sometimes they will also do this if you are CONNECTING through a city that is expecting problems. It depends on the airline and the predicted amount of snow/rain, etc. They usually only allow changes a day or two before the actual event so even though it shows bad weather a week in advance, the airline might not know until a day or two before actual travel date, but it doesnt hurt to call and ask.

 

Do you just call the airline directly in the event of a prediction of bad weather? Our group's air was booked through RCCL so would we have to call RCCL or the airline?

[Sea Island Lady]

This guy made sure he wouldn't miss his ship. Be sure and watch the clip.

http://www.efootage.com/view_clip.php?clip_id=12429

[Robinob]

Hi Robin....yes, it's me from the Voyager. I remember meeting you at the CC party. What a great cruise that was...we had a wonderful time. This cruise I am taking with my DH, DD#2 and her DH. I am really looking forward to getting out of this cold and just relaxing for a week.

 

Rose

 

 

We are getting more snow tonight and then Sunday. We really can't complain. The winter has been OK. We loved last year so much,(VOS) we are going back. Have a great time in Feb.

[tadjr]

Do you just call the airline directly in the event of a prediction of bad weather? Our group's air was booked through RCCL so would we have to call RCCL or the airline?

 

 

If it was done through the cruise ship it is usually done on a group booking. You might get someone in reservations who is hesitant to change it since most group bookings have a note that they cant be changed. If so, just call the cruise line or ask the agent to switch you to the group desk. Often times more than your party is booked in the same record so be sure that if the agent does change your flight, that they dont do the entire group unless you are sure everyone wants to change the reservation. If the airline has issued a weather alert the reservation agent at the airline should be able to change it no problem. If the airline hasnt issued the weather change, call the cruise line and let them know you want to try to leave early and they can check with the airline(s) they use to see if the ticket can be changed since they are usually negotiated rates and can usually be changed by the cruise line between carriers.

[cruislovin]

tadjr,

 

Thanks for the advice. Let's hope we don't need it! NO SNOW!

 

I love the pic of your little dog! We are dog lovers too - have a Brittany Spaniel.

[chgocruiser]

go to www.accuweather.com

 

They will give you current and long range forecast for anywhere in the world. As their name states, they are pretty accurate. I check out my destinations a few days before for packing.

 

Works well for the mid-west, but for some of the out of nowhere noreasters, well....all I can say is good luck!

 

vos 1/29

 

going to check out the forecast now;)

[Tweek]

Lauren0309

 

Tell you mother-in-law to SHUT-UP. She doesn't know what she is talking about. What is she, some sort of meteoralogical (sp?) genius? She is obviously the type of person who walks around with a black cloud over her head.

 

Remember, even if there is a snow storm, honey, there is absolutely NOTHING you can do about it. Relax.