What happens if theres a big snow storm?

[orville99]

Not to open a can of worms, but opting to buy travel insurance certainly isn't as black and white as you make it out to be. I travel numerous times a year, some for business, but mostly for pleasure. I NEVER buy insurance. Statistically, the likelihood of missing out on a trip and losing the cost is relatively low. Insurance runs anywhere from 5-15% of the cost of the trip. If I buy that for eight trips, I have spent as much money as one entire trip. I certainly haven't encountered disruptions 15% of the time!

 

Using that logic, why buy life insurance either? After all, the odds are you will only die once:rolleyes:

Edited January 13, 2012 by orville99

[negc]

Not to open a can of worms, but opting to buy travel insurance certainly isn't as black and white as you make it out to be. I travel numerous times a year, some for business, but mostly for pleasure. I NEVER buy insurance. Statistically, the likelihood of missing out on a trip and losing the cost is relatively low. Insurance runs anywhere from 5-15% of the cost of the trip. If I buy that for eight trips, I have spent as much money as one entire trip. I certainly haven't encountered disruptions 15% of the time!

If missing your cruise is your only concern, you may have a point, but if you or your family has a medical emergency before or during your cruise, the cost of emergency medical evacuation can pretty much wipe out the average person. We have friends who became ill while the ship was in St. Lucia and had to be taken to the hospital, which required them to provide them with $9,500 before they would even look at our friend. He needed blood transfusions and was held in the hospital for several days, after which he and his wife had to fly back to the states (at their own expense). They did not have insurance coverage and it was a very costly lesson. Had they been in a more distant part of the world, the costs of medical evacuation would have been in the thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, of dollars. Most insurance is purchased not because you expect to use it (that's true with almost all types of insurance) but because of the serious consequences if you don't have it when something happens.

As Yogi Berra is reported to have said: "Insurance - when you don't have it, that's when you really need it."

[phoenix1181]

I'm not worried at all i have 4 wheel drive and will have no problem getting there if the roads are open.I was curious what happens if the roads are closed an not 1 guest can make it to the ship if they delay the ship.Some are saying to get a hotel the night before but if the roads are closed there not going anywhere either.

 

never mind!

Edited January 13, 2012 by phoenix1181

[reallyitsmema]

....................

 

 

I really see no point getting all worked up about a possible storm two weeks from now. If it is going to snow, there is nothing you can do about it. If you book a cruise from a northern port in the middle of winter, there might be weather. If you book a cruise from any port, at any time, there might be weather. Nothing anyone can do about it.

 

Edited for the quoted person's edit

Edited January 13, 2012 by reallyitsmema

[teajak]

Lucky for us, this is supposed to be a very mild winter with little (if any) real snow. No worries!

Dream on.:rolleyes:

[teajak]

You never know when a blizzard might shutdown Alligator Alley.:D:D:D Sorry, just having a little fun with you.;)

Love your answer and you are so right.One time we were on our way home after as cruise and Alligator Alley was closed the entire way for a terrorist threat. They thought 2 men had a bomb in their car so all of AA was closed down. Glad we were headed home instead of leaving.

[megr1125]

The will leave without you!

 

They do a decent job of clearing the roads in that area, however, the ship goes when it goes.....

 

We STRONGLY suggest arriving the night before, at least you're that much closer...and if you stay in the 'resort area':rolleyes: near EWR, you'll have a better chance of getting to the pier as they USUALLY clean the turnpike. AND, we suggest booking a cancellable room for the night you get back..again...you may get from the pier to the airport area, but our governor tends to declare states of emergency (which is a good thing-get off the roads) and he will tell people to get the he!! off the roads....:eek:

 

On our b2b a couple years back there was a LARGE snowstorm. The ship arrived on time...the shoreside staff was about an hour late (many could not get out of their neighborhoods) and we were supposed to change captains...

 

Needless to say, the airport closed down, MANY people were late...and the Captain caught up with the ship, along with about 100 people, in San Juan 3 days later.

 

Get insurance...(you MIGHT be too late now, however, it's worth checking into.....) If you're traveling later this winter...again, get insurance....

 

Roads may be closed, but the ship will still sail. We did wait about an extra hour or so before we left....mainly due to the back up in the terminal...

 

And when we had that snow back in October, the roads (at least based on what i heard on the NJ Radio station.) were closed, however, i didn't see anyone out there enforcing that.....again, that's what radio reported. I think they did shut EVERYTHING down in 1996, but i was snowed in under 3 feet of stuff outside DC!

 

So....again, the main reason for having a hotel a day ahead is that you're much closer to the pier...and they will try and open up the roads near the airport....and to the pier....

[xxoocruiser]

I understand if the guest can't make the ship due to bad weather thats there problem really, I'm talking about the Governor declaring a state of emergency an all roads are closed.I would think they delay the ship 1 day an maybe skip one of the ports scheduled.

 

 

The decision to delay the ship for any length of time is not the sole decision of the Captain. The Port Authority has the final say in the matter and if the berth is already booked for the next day for another arriving ship and it's safe for the cruise ship to depart on their scheduled despite the fact the roads are closed than the ship will leave as close to scheduled. That's not to say that the Captian and the Cruiseline Corporate office won't do everything possible to try to accomodate as many people as possible given the weather conditions but in the end the Port Authority will always have the final say. Thus the reason one should always have travel insurance.

 

Very perplexing why people always think a cruise ship should wait for them, when airplanes and trains don't wait when passengers are late or unable to get to the airport or station ?

[Karma5]

Last year in Feb we had 2 back to back snow storms. We left for Boston two days before our flight was due to fly to San Juan and all flights were canceled.

We did make it out on time but would have been difficult had we not planned ahead.

[negc]

Last year in Feb we had 2 back to back snow storms. We left for Boston two days before our flight was due to fly to San Juan and all flights were canceled.

We did make it out on time but would have been difficult had we not planned ahead.

We were scheduled to fly to Florida two days prior to our scheduled cruise last February but there was a storm scheduled to arrive at that time. Fortunately Jet Blue let us change our flight to a day earlier and we ended up getting out of Boston only hours before the airport was closed. We were able to get a last minute hotel reservation for the extra night through Priceline, so the financial impact of thechange in plans was minimal. Had we not changed our flight we might not have gotten to the ship because the airport couldn't handle the stranded passengers for two to three days. At best we would have gotten to Florida on the sailing date. Mother Nature doesn't concern herself with cruise schedules and sometimes even flying in a day or two early won't help if a storm disrupts travel plans.

[linkerbink]

We live about 2 hours from Cape Liberty but we always go the night before and stay in Elizabeth simply because I-78 can really be iffy.....one overturned tractor trailer and the highway can be shut down for hours! One night in a motel is a small price to pay to ensure we get there.

[Phillies14]

I understand if the guest can't make the ship due to bad weather thats there problem really, I'm talking about the Governor declaring a state of emergency an all roads are closed.I would think they delay the ship 1 day an maybe skip one of the ports scheduled.

They will not delay the ship a day, just doesn't and won't happen

[Phillies14]

Not to open a can of worms, but opting to buy travel insurance certainly isn't as black and white as you make it out to be. I travel numerous times a year, some for business, but mostly for pleasure. I NEVER buy insurance. Statistically, the likelihood of missing out on a trip and losing the cost is relatively low. Insurance runs anywhere from 5-15% of the cost of the trip. If I buy that for eight trips, I have spent as much money as one entire trip. I certainly haven't encountered disruptions 15% of the time!

Thats not correct. I for one always buy the insurance, its 89.00 per person for a cruise. I've missed one cruise due to weather over the years. If you do the math it's more than worth it....K.O. Near Philly......;) And statistically if you live in the northeast missing out on a trip is always possible in the winter. Edited January 13, 2012 by Phillies14

[mmgg4422]

Thats not correct. I for one always buy the insurance, its 89.00 per person for a cruise. I've missed one cruise due to weather over the years. If you do the math it's more than worth it....K.O. Near Philly......;) And statistically if you live in the northeast missing out on a trip is always possible in the winter.

 

 

$89 is 15% of $593, and 5% of$1,780. I'm not sure what part of what I stated is incorrect.:confused:

 

Living in the Northeast definitely means storms are a factor. However, I have always headed to the port of departure at least a day in advance, and if things are looking dicey, I'll leave even earlier. Worst case scenario, I can drive from MA to Miami in a little over a day.

 

I DO the math. And for me, it's NOT worth it.

[Ocean Boy]

It isn’t always snow –

Years ago we were on an August sailing from Port Canaveral, a hurricane was heading from the Gulf – across central Florida and the Sovereign was ORDERED to leave port 3 hours EARLY. About 500 missed the ship! I believe Orlando airport closed at noon, so many who planned to travel in that day were out of luck.

 

Good Luck –

M

 

The same situation happened with Serenade a few months ago sailing out of San Juan.

[Ocean Boy]

[quote name='booksbythepool']Lucky for us, this is supposed to be a very mild winter with little (if any) real snow. No worries![/QUOTE]

It doesn't matter how mild the winter is in general. What counts is the weather on travel day.

[bus man]

[quote name='xxoocruiser']Very perplexing why people always think a cruise ship should wait for them, when airplanes and trains don't wait when passengers are late or unable to get to the airport or station ?[/quote]

Around here, when there's a major snowstorm (a foot or more), the airport usually shuts down. So it's not a question of an airplane waiting for you; it's a question of YOU waiting for IT. Often, the airport is the last place you want to be, because you'll just be sitting there, for hours or even days, waiting for things to get back up and running, and the backlog of delayed passengers and airplanes sorted through. You're much better off waiting at home, if you can.

For those of us who haven't cruised out of a Northeastern port in winter, I think it's reasonable to wonder if the seaports and cruise lines function in the same way as the airports and airlines. Apparently they don't. Now I know.

[Phillies14]

[quote name='Ocean Boy']It doesn't matter how mild the winter is in general. What counts is the weather on travel day.[/quote]So true, so very true!...K.O. Near Philly;)

[Phillies14]

[quote name='mmgg4422']$89 is 15% of $593, and 5% of$1,780. I'm not sure what part of what I stated is incorrect.:confused:

Living in the Northeast definitely means storms are a factor. However, I have always headed to the port of departure at least a day in advance, and if things are looking dicey, I'll leave even earlier. Worst case scenario, I can drive from MA to Miami in a little over a day.

I DO the math. And for me, it's NOT worth it.[/quote]Miss a cruise or two then talk to me

[Don Pedro]

[quote name='Ocean Boy']It doesn't matter how mild the winter is in general. What counts is the weather on travel day.[/quote]


How true! We live in north central Texas so snow is rarely a problem here. However, it is not unusual to experienced incidents where a line of severe thunderstorms or tornado activity have shut down airports in the Dallas-Ft Worth, Houston or San Antonio areas.

So, winter weather is not the only cause of travel delays. Mechanical problems also cause delayed flights plus we live in an era where an unattended suitcase can shut down and entire airport for several hours.

We always travel to the port city a day or two before the cruise. Plus we buy the cruise insurance.

[cruisinfanatic]

[quote name='phoenix1181']Seems like you're not hearing what you want to hear & getting worried about your upcoming cruise. Weather related problems can arise anytime & anywhere.
Cruising out of New Jersey in January may not have been a good choice for you.[/quote]
Why not. He lives there

[Tak8]

Happened on a Chrsitmas cruise I took 2 years ago on Ruby Princess. Several families arrived at the first port which was day3 because of 2 sea days. I thought it was odd seeing all the luggage until I saw one of the people and chatted. Sucks to lose out on a third of the cruise basically.
I always arrive one to two days ahead to make sure I make the ship.

[BBT]

I've been lucky. I have had two ships wait, one for over 4 hours. In that case there were 4 couples from Ottawa that missed a connecting flight because of weather. They literally pulled the gangway away as we all stepped aboard. After that we were famous as the people the shipped waited for.

Learned the lesson. Now I go in the day before.

[luvstwocruise]

[quote name='sparky-elpaso']They MIGHT wait a bit but don't count on it. Best idea is to fly to the port at least one day ahead - in winter in an area that has snow I would go 2 days ahead. The extra cost would be worth it for peace of mind.[/QUOTE]

I couldnt agree more...
Go early, relax and enjoy the sites...ahhhh and sunshine...ahhhhhhhhh

[alexkrn46]

[quote name='mmgg4422']Not to open a can of worms, but opting to buy travel insurance certainly isn't as black and white as you make it out to be. I travel numerous times a year, some for business, but mostly for pleasure. I NEVER buy insurance. Statistically, the likelihood of missing out on a trip and losing the cost is relatively low. Insurance runs anywhere from 5-15% of the cost of the trip. If I buy that for eight trips, I have spent as much money as one entire trip. I certainly haven't encountered disruptions 15% of the time![/quote]

That maybe true, but one emergency evacuation off the ship would set you back.