Port of Tampa closed for fog

[Bodero]

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

 

FYI, within the last year, airlines are required to give passengers 24 hours to cancel any reservation for a full refund. You could have canceled it and rebooked it with the proper date.

 

I had a business flight booked on US Airways that changed the next morning, I was able to cancel a flight about 22 hours later at no charge.

[Midwestgal]

2009 on the Inspiration. The ship was very late coming in and we didn't get to board until 7:00 pm, thank goodness we were priority boarding because the line was so very long. Coming back from our cruise it was closed again due to fog and most people missed their flights us being among them. I believe we got in around 12:30 pm . One good thing about port of Tampa is there's things to do right there in Chanelside .....movie theater, restaurant & museum .

Edited January 6, 2014 by Midwestgal

[Bodero]

2009 on the Inspiration. The ship was very late coming in and we didn't get to board until 7:00 pm, thank goodness we were priority boarding because the line was so very long. Coming back from our cruise it was closed again due to fog and most people missed their flights us being among them. I believe we got in around 12:30 pm . One good thing about port of Tampa is there's things to do right there in Chanelside .....movie theater, restaurant & museum .

 

Well, the movie theater is now closed, and all but a couple restaurants are closed (Splitsville is now only open Thursday-Sunday). But hey, there are worse places to be stranded!

 

If you have a bit of time, you can take streetcar to Ybor City for lunch and entertainment too.

[Rizzorp]

Yep looks like some already posted exactly what my parents just told me. Each person got a $15 credit since they left port late on Saturday and missed lunch and they had to be out of their rooms by 12pm today. Lunch was served on Lido deck at the normal time today too. Then they got to the port about 1:50pm and started to debark.

[Max Circus]

Yep looks like some already posted exactly what my parents just told me. Each person got a $15 credit since they left port late on Saturday and missed lunch and they had to be out of their rooms by 12pm today. Lunch was served on Lido deck at the normal time today too. Then they got to the port about 1:50pm and started to debark.

 

It happens often enough that they must have a "playbook" to bring out and just follow what was done before. :rolleyes:

[pmc097]

I was on the Paradise this past week. Fog was so thick you couldn't see your hand in front of your face. Not sure about a play book but I will tell you what they did.

 

They communicated very well. The Captain explained what was happening and once we were allowed to proceed, what time he expected to dock. They allowed us to stay in our cabins until 11AM as the expected dock time was 12:30, which is when we docked. They served breakfast, had the Deli counter open as well as the pizza bar. I think they had a couple of bars open as well.

 

Considering they have no control of the weather, they did a good job keeping everyone as comfortable as possible.

 

Felt bad for people who had flights missed and for people who arrived at the port and didn't see the ship waiting for them:eek::eek:

[johnny75]

After several delayed departures and arrivals, NO more Tampa cruises for me between October and March. way to much inconvenience.

 

Lost cruise times, late for flights, late getting home.

 

Only port in the US that does this. Are there no electronic navigation aides in the port?

 

Go out of Port Canaveral, or Miami, or Fort Lauderdale.

 

Delays are fewer.

 

Port of NYC can be traversed in the densest fog, with dozen of huge ships going under the Verranzano Bridge every hour of every day.:confused:

[EZ4]

After several delayed departures and arrivals, NO more Tampa cruises for me between October and March. way to much inconvenience.

 

Lost cruise times, late for flights, late getting home.

 

Only port in the US that does this. Are there no electronic navigation aides in the port?

 

Go out of Port Canaveral, or Miami, or Fort Lauderdale.

 

Delays are fewer.

 

Port of NYC can be traversed in the densest fog, with dozen of huge ships going under the Verranzano Bridge every hour of every day.:confused:

 

This post is so full of misinformation that it doesn't even merit comment.

Edited January 7, 2014 by EZ4

[Midwestgal]

Well, the movie theater is now closed, and all but a couple restaurants are closed (Splitsville is now only open Thursday-Sunday). But hey, there are worse places to be stranded!

 

If you have a bit of time, you can take streetcar to Ybor City for lunch and entertainment too.

 

Really , all the places are no longer? That's sad. Is Hooters still there?

My friend I cruise with lives right there and never said a word.

[RuthlessBoss]

This post is so full of misinformation that it doesn't even merit comment.

 

Right. And obviously thinks he knows the bridge history, need to deal with tides there etc.

If he won't cruise October to March, then let's add June to December hurricane season. That leaves April and May!!

[Mutumbojimbo]

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?

 

We were on the cruise that came back yesterday, and we had the same issue when we embarked last Thursday. We also cruised on the same sailing last year and had an even worse delay at embarkation. If you are flying to Tampa for a Winter sailing, fly out the next day if at all possible, but what ever you do, do not book a morning flight!

[Mutumbojimbo]

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:

 

The buffet was open, as were several bars. Basically, we just ate and drank some, or most, of what the embarking passengers would have eaten. A movie was shown in the Queen Mary Lounge and trivia games were held, but it seemed like most of us stayed in our cabins for as long as possible, they ended up giving us until Noon, and then found a spot to wait until we could disembark.

 

My main issue was that the Normandie lounge was used for immigration, it's the largest lounge and very close to the gangway, so it seems like it would be a great spot for a general waiting area. We tried to wait in the piano bar, but after we got settled, it was turned in to the priority waiting lounge (last year the Library was used for the priority area, or I would have gone there first) and we had to move, we ended up in the Elation dining room which was alright.

[canadian85]

We came back from Legend on Sunday. We were zone 2 and got to the airport in time for our 12:06 (delayed until 12:45) flight, I think we got to airport at 11ish, and that was as fast as we could get there. There were ALOT of cancelled flights so we were lucky (flying into Detroit).

[Bodero]

Really , all the places are no longer? That's sad. Is Hooters still there?

My friend I cruise with lives right there and never said a word.

 

We're probably neighbors then :)

 

Hooters is still there, as is Splitsville which is the other anchor (part time, Thursday through Sunday except for event days).

 

The piano bar, Stumpps, the IMAX, Wine Design, etc are all closed. The thai/sushi place is open as is the tapas place. Also, a new Mediterranean restaurant opened but I haven't been there yet.

 

The place has been tangled in legal ownership battles more than anything for the past 6 years, and just when it looked like it was settled a couple months ago, another lawsuit was launched.

[Bodero]

Right. And obviously thinks he knows the bridge history, need to deal with tides there etc.

If he won't cruise October to March, then let's add June to December hurricane season. That leaves April and May!!

 

How true. Not to mention that, living across the street, I think I have seen fog delays maybe three times tops this year, and the fog always clears by noon. It was so rare for me to wake up and not see the Paradise that I rushed to CC to see what the deal was.

 

Book an evening flight at best, the next day at worst. Why not, anyway? Spend an extra day in Tampa! :)

[EZ4]

Galveston, NOLA and Mobile (when Carnival sailed from there) suffer fog delays frequently during the spring and fall months. No port is going to be open when there is zero visibility. It's not just a Tampa thing.