Port of Tampa closed for fog

[tpride3]

We just got an email saying Paradise is going to be late because Port of Tampa is closed due to fog :( my question is has anyone every had this happen?

[cntrydncr1]

I do see issues with the fog here on occasion. Sometimes they dock early and sometimes they can't get in before the fog does. Just have to wait till it lifts to come into the port.

[cbMcruiser]

We just got an email saying Paradise is going to be late because Port of Tampa is closed due to fog :( my question is has anyone every had this happen?

 

There are many prior posts detailing delays at Tampa. We did not dock until after 10:00 am on our Legend cruise. There are fog issues that complicate getting under the bridge. We had a mechanical issue that also complicated navigation under the bridge. We had to wait for a tug escort. One of the biggest reasons why you don't want to book an early departure from the Tampa airport. You never know!:confused:

[Mysticks1]

John Heald posted on his Facebook page that the pilot had boarded around 10:00 and the ship was expected to dock around 1:30. That is going to make for a hard turnaround for the crew.

Edited January 6, 2014 by Mysticks1

[pamrose228]

John Heald posted on his Facebook page that the pilot had boarded around 10:00 and the ship was expected to dock around 1:30. That is going to make for a hard turnaround for the crew.

 

In a case like this, do they open up the buffet for lunch for the pax disembarking ? Lots of hungry impatience folks some who had breakfast at 7 am can cause a ruckus.:eek:

[newcruiser08820]

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1925884

[RuthlessBoss]

In a case like this, do they open up the buffet for lunch for the pax disembarking ? Lots of hungry impatience folks some who had breakfast at 7 am can cause a ruckus.:eek:

 

Impatient, yes. Why would they be hungry? There's food available:confused:

[Mamatothree]

We have an 11:55am flight on 3-16 after our cruise on the Legend. I called Carnival and have since read it listed on their website that anything after 11:30am should be okay.

So what happens if you miss your flight? Does carnival reimburse you to change tickets?

[Rizzorp]

My parents and daughter are on the Paradise coming back today. I will ask them when I get home what they did for everyone and report back. All I know so far is my daughter was working on her 2nd chocolate Ice cream cone as they were working their way up the bay!

 

 

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[Rizzorp]

Just got a text from them...they just docked and are waiting to get off the ship.

 

 

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[mafig]

We have an 11:55am flight on 3-16 after our cruise on the Legend. I called Carnival and have since read it listed on their website that anything after 11:30am should be okay.

So what happens if you miss your flight? Does carnival reimburse you to change tickets?

 

 

I doubt that.

[Rena921]

We have an 11:55am flight on 3-16 after our cruise on the Legend. I called Carnival and have since read it listed on their website that anything after 11:30am should be okay.

So what happens if you miss your flight? Does carnival reimburse you to change tickets?

 

If you booked your flight through Carnival, you will be ok.... If you didn't and since this is a weather related issue, you are on your own.

[FlaMilkman]

We have an 11:55am flight on 3-16 after our cruise on the Legend. I called Carnival and have since read it listed on their website that anything after 11:30am should be okay.

So what happens if you miss your flight? Does carnival reimburse you to change tickets?

 

If you booked your airfare through Carnival you will be ok. However, if you booked them independently you will be out of luck. Carnival will tell you (rightfully so) that the weather is beyond their control. They might allow you some free internet time to re-book your tickets but that is about all. This is one of the reasons to buy travel insurance.

[LREcruise02]

We were delayed embarking at port of Tampa a couple years back due to fog. FYI there is a really nice aquarium right across from the port, great for killing time! They even had a splash water park area and we could see the ship finally pull in from there. They gave us a discount too since we were waiting on the ship. Made the wait not seem so bad.

[Mamatothree]

If you booked your airfare through Carnival you will be ok. However, if you booked them independently you will be out of luck. Carnival will tell you (rightfully so) that the weather is beyond their control. They might allow you some free internet time to re-book your tickets but that is about all. This is one of the reasons to buy travel insurance.

 

I can see that.... But travel insurance and the cost to change 5 passengers tickets are about the same $$. I'll gamble. :)

[RuthlessBoss]

If you booked your airfare through Carnival you will be ok. However, if you booked them independently you will be out of luck. Carnival will tell you (rightfully so) that the weather is beyond their control. They might allow you some free internet time to re-book your tickets but that is about all. This is one of the reasons to buy travel insurance.

 

And this is a perfect example for those people who ask about having time to get to an airport early. The answers are usually so misleading when they say they did it, yet look what happened here.

I hope all get rescheduled okay, but heaven only knows due to most northern airports closed. Tampa hotels should fill up fast.

[Max Circus]

We just got an email saying Paradise is going to be late because Port of Tampa is closed due to fog :( my question is has anyone every had this happen?

 

Have had it happen twice. For Legend cruise embarkation, the ship didn't get in until close to 5PM and sailaway was about 8PM. They ended up having one "My Time Dining" (although I don't think they called it that :D). They also reimbursed everyone on their sail and sign account for lunch since you couldn't have it onboard. I think it was $15/person.

 

Then on disembarkation day, we anchored out beyond the Sunshine Skyway bridge and weren't at the port until about 2PM. They had us leave our cabins by 1PM so they could start cleaning and getting ready for the next cruise. My wife and I were luck to get a nice window seat before the rush and were glad to bring our cribbage board. They served lunch onboard.

 

Seems to happen quite often in Tampa and since the major accident with the bridge several years ago, they take no chances.

[SHayesShip]

No, because it is an "Act of God" that they can not control. If you booked your airfare through CCL then they will rebook you at their expense. If you have insurance that covers both cruise and airfare that should help reimburse you the additional expense. It all depends on what type of insurance policy that you get and the covered perils.

 

We have an 11:55am flight on 3-16 after our cruise on the Legend. I called Carnival and have since read it listed on their website that anything after 11:30am should be okay.

So what happens if you miss your flight? Does carnival reimburse you to change tickets?

Edited January 6, 2014 by SHayesShip

[S.S.Oceanlover]

I can see that.... But travel insurance and the cost to change 5 passengers tickets are about the same $$. I'll gamble. :)

 

I don't know what airline you are booked with but USAir charges $200 per ticket for changes.

 

Travel insurance should be in the $200+ range for 5 people .

 

Bill

[Mamatothree]

I don't know what airline you are booked with but USAir charges $200 per ticket for changes.

 

Travel insurance should be in the $200+ range for 5 people .

 

Bill

 

Delta charges $100 if you're a frequent traveler, and they've waived fees in the past for missed connections. Maybe they'd have pity??

I guess I was referencing the price of insurance for the entire trip, not just air.

[S.S.Oceanlover]

Delta charges $100 if you're a frequent traveler, and they've waived fees in the past for missed connections. Maybe they'd have pity??

I guess I was referencing the price of insurance for the entire trip, not just air.

 

One thing I just thought of was that if the ship can't dock because of fog maybe flights aren't taking off either.

 

I booked a flight last week with USAir and hit Feb 28 instead of March 28th. I realized the mistake within 10 minutes. I called USAir and because I didn't book it directly with them they said they had to charge me $200pp for the change.

 

Luckily the people I used to book with got the fees waived.

 

My wife and I always get insurance which covers everything from flight delays, baggage, medivac from ship for about $120. We are in our late 50's.

 

Bill

[pamrose228]

Here in NYC all the airports were closed down during the fog this morning. It's possible that some of the flights were cancelled or very delayed there also.

[Sparky2]

John Heald posted on his Facebook page that the pilot had boarded around 10:00 and the ship was expected to dock around 1:30. That is going to make for a hard turnaround for the crew.

 

There surely will be lots of folks missing their flights.

 

The only time we cruised out of Tampa we had an 11:30 flight, and made it with time to spare. Think if we ever cruise out of Tampa again, we'll book later flights.

[tpride3]

We were delayed embarking at port of Tampa a couple years back due to fog. FYI there is a really nice aquarium right across from the port, great for killing time! They even had a splash water park area and we could see the ship finally pull in from there. They gave us a discount too since we were waiting on the ship. Made the wait not seem so bad.

 

 

Thanks for the tip. That's what we did :)

[Mysticks1]

There surely will be lots of folks missing their flights.

 

The only time we cruised out of Tampa we had an 11:30 flight, and made it with time to spare. Think if we ever cruise out of Tampa again, we'll book later flights.

 

That would probably be wise with all of the recent weather delays. That's why we always stay at least one night after the cruise and schedule the flights the next day.