We missed the boat!!!

[warringtonian]

I'm full of admiration for you Americans who think nothing of driving hundreds of miles. Our next cruise is from Southampton and I'm trying to pluck up courage to drive there and it's only 220 miles. Usually we get a bus.

[CrusinAgain]

I'm full of admiration for you Americans who think nothing of driving hundreds of miles. Our next cruise is from Southampton and I'm trying to pluck up courage to drive there and it's only 220 miles. Usually we get a bus.

 

Really? Very interesting. 220 miles is just nothing for us to drive. Is it the roads or what do you see as the difference. We have never been there so we are ignorant. :)

[Shogun]

Hi Warringtonian,

 

Come on 220miles, I used to drive 400 miles almost once a week to go to my head office,

 

only last month did 1100 in one drive over 24 hours to collect equipment and bring it north.

 

220 miles is a 4hour drive mind you flying in to Southampton is always better.

 

 

yours Shogun

[u2cruiser]

I'm full of admiration for you Americans who think nothing of driving hundreds of miles. Our next cruise is from Southampton and I'm trying to pluck up courage to drive there and it's only 220 miles. Usually we get a bus.

 

I agree with you. I am in awe of the distances Americans drive without batting an eyelid.

 

We would need to set off the day before for such a distance (220 miles) so we wouldn't miss the cruise. At least the cruise will wait for the cruise coaches if the roads are gridlocked, as they often are.

 

Shogun, us travelling up to Glasgow in Scotland to see our daughter is like an expedition. Your roads are lovely though. :)

[RickEk]

You asked, so here is a picture (sorta blurry) of last night's festivities in the Piazza. The party was great... the weather today, not so great. It's cloudy and windy with some showers. The ship is doing some rockin' and rollin'. Hopefully Dominica tomorrow will be great.

 

New Years 039 by RickEk, on Flickr

[Denny01]

Glad someone from the cruise logged on and gave the OP some nice info. I have a feeling the OP didn't greatly appreciate the 'why didn't you drive' or 'why not fly to DC?' ideas.

 

This storm wasn't just on top of JFK, but closed down the whole area. Driving would have been Very Very sporty...this wasn't just a snowfall. And as to just flying into DC??? My daughter visited us in the Fla Panhandle from DC this XMAS and stayed with us two extra days waiting to fly back. DC was relatively OK, but so many flights were cancelled and airplane stuck in various airports and so on that it was a challenge getting back to even an airport that wasn't directly impacted by the storm. Which by the way hit pretty much the whole NE, and a good deal of the mid-Atlantic, right where they'd be driving.

 

Smart to regroup and try again later!

 

Den

[Balloon Man]

I feel for the OP. We missed our cruise to the Amazon on Pacific Princess because of snow in London. I don't know if it is different in other countries, but in the UK - fairly or unfairly - the party you contract with(TA or cruise line) has to refund you even if they could do nothing about the cause. They suggest you talk to your insurer, but legally the buck stops with the party who issued the contract. In our case we found another Princess cruise and our TA will refund the difference in cost. So Hawaii here we come. Alan

[Pam in CA]

Alan, so glad you were able to find an alternative. While the Golden to Hi isn't the same as cruising the Amazon, it's a lovely cruise.

[DrivesLikeMario]

So sorry you missed the ship. If it makes you feel any better, last year on our Christmas cruise, MANY people missed the ship.

 

The second day of the cruise about 40 people caught up with the ship in St. Thomas. Then about day 4, about 10 more caught up with the ship. There were even 4 more people catching up with the ship on day 5. At that point, I wondered why they bothered, but maybe they were doing B2Bs and I suppose 2 days on a ship are better than nothing. :confused:

 

Hang in there and start planning the next one! :)

[Mer123]

I am sorry to hear that, but why didn't try to book another flight or even drive down to Florida?

 

Hopefully they give you a credit to cruise again

[CrusinAgain]

I am sorry to hear that, but why didn't try to book another flight or even drive down to Florida?

 

Hopefully they give you a credit to cruise again

 

You were aware that all of NY's airports were closed and people spent 2-3 days catching flights out. People were trapped in the subway and the railroad was closed. It snowed in Atlanta Georgia for the first time in 129 years. I highly doubt that could have rented a vehicle and made it in time with that type of weather since it was blizzard conditions. Sunday night football was rescheduled to Tuesday. You didn't hear about all this? When I saw all this happening I knew there were going to be alot of upset folks missing their cruises.

[billie5]

Easy to say this after the fact. The OP missed the cruise and I am sure the OP does not want to here folks telling Her/Him you should of done this or that.

I did not "tell" OP anything. I asked questions. I think that is what the question marks at the end of the sentences imply.

 

I suspect OP did try alternatives and was unable to find any. I was inquiring as to what he/she tried or if the alternatives were not possible, as Pam has suggested.

 

Bill

[kruisey]

The fiasco at New York's JFK airport resulted in cancellation of our scheduled midday flight to Florida on Tuesday and our New Year's cruise which left today - without us - on the beautiful Crown Princess. So I hope that some of you will keep us posted on day to day activities so we can enjoy it vicariously. And who's in our mini-suite?

What a dreadful disappointment for you.Mother nature can look so beautiful then she can also pull big downers...:eek:

All anyone can hope is that next time she smiles on you..:)

[Chesie]

Sorry you missed the cruise. What a bummer. My nephew was in FL visiting his parents and couldn't get back to JFK. He and his wife ended up renting a car, driving 22 hours and the next day went to Abu Dhabi a 14 hour flight and 9 hour difference. Oh did I mentioned his plane from JFK to Abu Dhabi had a 9 hour delay! I'm sure he's been sleeping for the last 2 days!

[Pam in CA]

It snowed in Atlanta Georgia for the first time in 129 years.

While snow in Atlanta is unusual, it does happen (and more often than every 129 years.) My sister and brother-in-law lived in Atlanta (East Point) for 10 years in the 60s and they told stories of what it was like when it snowed. Years ago, I was taking a 12-day cruise on the Sun Princess from San Juan to Acapulco. At the time, I lived in the Boston area. A huge winter storm came up the coast, closing airports from Atlanta to Maine. Even though I was flying down the day before, I missed the ship and didn't catch up for a couple of days into the cruise. The Princess rep met those of us who were able to catch a flight to Martinique; she had a list of missing passengers that was two columns, two pages long. Hundreds of passengers missed the ship. I considered myself lucky to make it at all.

[CrusinAgain]

While snow in Atlanta is unusual, it does happen (and more often than every 129 years.) My sister and brother-in-law lived in Atlanta (East Point) for 10 years in the 60s and they told stories of what it was like when it snowed. Years ago, I was taking a 12-day cruise on the Sun Princess from San Juan to Acapulco. At the time, I lived in the Boston area. A huge winter storm came up the coast, closing airports from Atlanta to Maine. Even though I was flying down the day before, I missed the ship and 't catch up for a couple of days into the cruise. The Princess rep met those of us who were able to catch a flight to Martinique; she had a list of missing passengers that was two columns, two pages long. Hundreds of passengers missed the ship. I considered myself lucky to make it at all.

 

I thought it had snowed in Atlanta while I lived in Florida in the 60's but the news said 129 years so you would think they would have researched it a bit better than that. Thanks for the confirmation Pam as we got snow in Florida in the 60's also, not enough to stick but still fun to see.

[Pam in CA]

I thought it had snowed in Atlanta while I lived in Florida in the 60's but the news said 129 years so you would think they would have researched it a bit better than that. Thanks for the confirmation Pam as we got snow in Florida in the 60's also, not enough to stick but still fun to see.

Well, the news ain't what it used to be. Fact-checking is a thing of the past.

[rdsqrl]

I think what the newspeople were actually saying was that it was the first snowfall in Atlanta on Christmas for 129 years. Same where I live, a bit further north -- the first white Christmas in eons.

However, here today it was 65, so all's right with my world for a time. As everyone knows, I'm grumpy the minute the mercury falls below 64!

[regnig]

Years ago, I was taking a 12-day cruise on the Sun Princess from San Juan to Acapulco. At the time, I lived in the Boston area. A huge winter storm came up the coast, closing airports from Atlanta to Maine. Even though I was flying down the day before, I missed the ship and didn't catch up for a couple of days into the cruise. The Princess rep met those of us who were able to catch a flight to Martinique; she had a list of missing passengers that was two columns, two pages long. Hundreds of passengers missed the ship. I considered myself lucky to make it at all.

 

Pam was that 1993 and what at that time they dubed "the storm of the century" by chance? That was the year, and far more critical the weekend, of our first cruise and although we finally managed to get to the ship from the DCA/BWI area it ended up costing us more to travel to the ship than the cruise did. :eek: Our ship, the old Crown, sailed 1/2 empty and some of the stories told by those who made it were as entertaining as the production shows.

 

 

As everyone knows, I'm grumpy the minute the mercury falls below 64!

 

What you grumpy???? No, not ever! :D

[Putterdude]

I am very sorry to hear that you missed your cruise particularly when you left a few days early. We are cruising on the Crown (flying out of LAS so shouldn't have a snow problem) so will raise a glass to you...which is about all we can do.

[HomelessBear]

I know exactly how gutted you must still be feeling! We were stranded at Heathrow in London having had our flight to LA cancelled to join the Golden to Hawaii. So we had no option but to come back home and miss the cruise we had booked almost a year ago and had looked forward to so much, sail away into the sunset without us!

 

Hope you are feeling at least a little better now but its an absolutely horrible feeling. You just have to lok forward to another future cruise now. So sorry you had to go through this too. Best wishes.

[u2cruiser]

I know exactly how gutted you must still be feeling! We were stranded at Heathrow in London having had our flight to LA cancelled to join the Golden to Hawaii. So we had no option but to come back home and miss the cruise we had booked almost a year ago and had looked forward to so much, sail away into the sunset without us!

 

Hope you are feeling at least a little better now but its an absolutely horrible feeling. You just have to lok forward to another future cruise now. So sorry you had to go through this too. Best wishes.

 

Hi HomelessBear. How was Paris? :)

[HomelessBear]

Hi HomelessBear. How was Paris? :)

 

Hi u2cruiser,

 

Thank you very much for asking and remembering! It was not Hawaii (I couldn't stop thinking about where we should have been and what we should have been doing on my cruise), but Paris was lovely. Cold but dry - and even sunny on one day - with a lovely atmosphere.

 

Thank you again. I wish you a very Happy, Healthy and Cruisy New Year. And the same to all other fellow cruisers out there. May you all have lots of wonderful cruises in this coming year.

Best wishes.

[chrispb]

After many years of going away somewhere in either January/February (I need something to look forward to after Christmas) I now reluctantly leave it until March, although last year we landed back in snow..

Our winters seem to be getting harder in recent years and I hate to chance not getting to the airport, let alone flights being cancelled.

[Pam in CA]

Pam was that 1993 and what at that time they dubed "the storm of the century" by chance? That was the year, and far more critical the weekend, of our first cruise and although we finally managed to get to the ship from the DCA/BWI area it ended up costing us more to travel to the ship than the cruise did. :eek: Our ship, the old Crown, sailed 1/2 empty and some of the stories told by those who made it were as entertaining as the production shows.

Nope. It was 2000. I didn't have insurance but had bought Princess air, which at the time issued "real" airline tickets. I was flying AA and that ticket got me a flight to MIA (I figured I could get to anywhere in the Caribbean from there) and then on Air France to Martinique the next day. I was given food vouchers as well as a voucher for a hotel room at MIA. It cost me almost nothing other than anxiety. The flight to Martinique had about 25 passengers for the ship and it was an all-day flight, stopping five times before arriving in Martinique. We had to get off the plane and go through Immigration at each stop. The flight left a 8am and we finally got there at 4pm. The ship was scheduled to sail at 5pm. The Princess rep met us at baggage claim with a truck for our luggage and a van, and we were whisked to the ship, checking in at the Pursar's Desk. I was given a $500 onboard credit for the missed days. Quite an adventure. That wouldn't happen today, unfortunately.