Has anyone almost missed your boat?

[steph7021]

We were the absolute last people to board an MSC ship in Venice on embarkation day. We flew in the day before, but of course wanted to see Venice. I believe the ship was leaving at 6pm. We went to Murano and Burano (islands off Venice). The ferry was late and then we had to go get our luggage from the hotel and then get to the ship. We RAN through Venice with rolling suitcases! Got in a private water taxi...100 euro! Then, I swear, he putted long as slow as possible. I guess there are strict rules in the canal on speed. We pulled up to the dock next to the ship. MSC workers were waiting...it was after 5pm! We were panicked and typical Italian workers were like, No worries it's not 6 yet! There wasn't a single soul in the terminal. Still...the people checking us in did so very leisurely. It was hysterical and completely stressful! It is very different cruising with Italians...no sense of urgency. Just to make it interesting we were the very first people to disembark back in Venice 9 days later as we wanted to catch an 1130am train to Verona and we arrived in the port at 10:30am! Walked off with our luggage and got right into waiting cab.

 

Good times

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

[Warm Breezes]

I would never fly in the same day. We have had too many issues with flights to even consider trying it:

 

2nd cruise direct flight from DTW to MCO...emergency landing in TN due to mechanical issues causing us to lose cabin pressure...on ground for 4-5 hours.

 

Last cruise again a direct flight from DTW to FLL, early flight delayed 5 hours trying to get a replacement plane due to mechanical issues. We just waited patiently as our cruise left the next day....those who had cruises that day were scrambling to make alternative arrangements to get to FLL before their cruise left. Our plane didn't leave DTW until almost 2 pm. We were supposed to be landing in FLL at noon.

 

Even driving we make sure to get there at least the day before. We had an issue with a cooler flying out of the back of truck over our mini-van and landing on the drivers side front window of my Mom's car shattering the windshield as we driving to the port in Tampa.

 

That was 3 out of our 13 cruises. We have had many other delays at airports for land trips. Too high of odds of something happening to not give ourselves at least an extra day if not more vacation to the beginning of our vacation before a cruise.

Edited March 17, 2016 by Warm Breezes

[Warm Breezes]

You know, we have done this several times and never had a problem (6 times in fact). We arrived in Miami with hours to go to, so that truly was not an issue. The issue to us was the chaos and being told hurry or else when it was their bus we choose and paid to take.

As it had been stated a couple of times, not the best choice. But on the other hand, we had taken the Carnival shuttle every time and never had a problem....until this one.

We do see your point about flying in the same day and having airline issues but flying from Phx is never an issue when it comes to weather issues:-)

 

All the issues and delays we have had with planes were never weather issues. Every one of them were mechanical issues that would have caused us to miss our cruise if we had been flying in the same day.

[tbmrt]

We just have a 4 hour drive to S. Florida ports, but still would worry about possible car trouble, etc. if we left for the ship day of cruise.

 

Much less stressful to stay in hotel the night before. We usually get a hotel that permits us to park car free during our cruise. Pack our meds, cosmetics, etc. in a small suitcase with wheels and include clothes to wear when we board ship. Leave clothes we wore at hotel in car on embarkation day. This allows us to leave large suitcases we packed for cruise in car overnight without lugging them to our room.

[The4Cruisers]

Me too! Even thinking about driving to the port (3 hours away) on the day of stresses me out. I can relax more if I go the day before.

 

I'm the opposite. I drive down to the Florida ports leaving NC at 12-2AM on the day of the cruise (depending which port we're going to). We stop for a leisurely breakfast in Brunswick, GA at daybreak and then get to the port around mid-morning.

 

Doing this allows us time for any car mishaps along the way, we miss any major traffic issues, we don't have to deal with hotels and any hotel related packing, and I sleep like a baby that first night on the ship since I've been awake for almost 24 hours at that point.

Edited March 17, 2016 by The4Cruisers

[ZoeyVictoria]

We just have a 4 hour drive to S. Florida ports, but still would worry about possible car trouble, etc. if we left for the ship day of cruise.

 

Much less stressful to stay in hotel the night before. We usually get a hotel that permits us to park car free during our cruise. Pack our meds, cosmetics, etc. in a small suitcase with wheels and include clothes to wear when we board ship. Leave clothes we wore at hotel in car on embarkation day. This allows us to leave large suitcases we packed for cruise in car overnight without lugging them to our room.

 

I drive from Naples the night before cruises out of Port Canaveral (about 4.5 hours) and I take a separate suitcase for that night. But I lug every piece of luggage into the hotel so I won't stay awake all night worrying about my car being broken into and my luggage stolen.

[kayhold]

How about we stop blaming the customer who was told by Carnival they would get them there on time and then failed miserably?

 

If Carnival tells people "Come in day of, we will get you there on time" this is a failure on Carnival, not the customer for assuming Carnivals transfers are a crapshoot.

[TC Cruiser]

We learned after a snowstorm made us miss two days of a land-based vacation in New Orleans that we should fly into port the day before a cruise.

 

But perhaps hundreds nearly missed a cruise I was on out of San Juan when the east coast was hit with a snowstorm. Instead of departing San Juan at the usual 10 pm the ship didn't leave until some time after 1 am. That was a rough sail-away since I had been up since 4:30 am central time.

[Mary Ellen1]

How about we stop blaming the customer who was told by Carnival they would get them there on time and then failed miserably?

 

If Carnival tells people "Come in day of, we will get you there on time" this is a failure on Carnival, not the customer for assuming Carnivals transfers are a crapshoot.

 

Thank you, kayhold, for being kind. :) I personally would like to see more of that on this board. (But since it's called Cruise CRITIC, I don't think that's going to happen...) :)

 

My dear mother was sailing with us once, and she left the bag with all her medications back at the house. She was flying with my sister's family on an early morning flight out of Providence. Until that plan got changed. :eek: The friend who drove them to the airport had to RACE her back to the house to get the bag, then race back to the airport to put her on a later flight. She made it to the ship with minutes to spare. Ugh! :eek:

 

My sister called me from the PVD airport to tell me what was going on. She woke me up at 6:30, in the comfort of my FLL hotel room. Because, of course, we'd flown in the night before... :D

[MAKINGWAVES]

At this point in time I can't say enough good things about Carnival transfers.

It really saved our skin.

First I always fly in the day before and have never booked Carnival transfers.

Last November (for some crazy reason), I booked our flight into New Orleans for the Dream the day of. I then decided to book the transfers. First Southwest changed our flight time at 4:30 in the morning. Then because of my own stupidity we got to the airport late and missed our flight. They got us on a later flight.

We finally arrived in NOLA at 3:20. We were in the concourse running to baggage claim when my cell phone started ringing. It was Carnival saying they were waiting for us. They helped grab our bags and off we ran to this very large bus. An employee of Carnival and us were the only ones on the bus.

After rushing to the port and getting checked in, we walked on at 3:50 and the ship left at 4:00. (never again).

I will say this, if you book the Carnival transfer, there is a number you can phone to let them know you are running late. (which I did).

In all honestly, they did not half to wait for us. It plainly states that they stop picking up at 2:30 because that's cutting it too close.

[winddawn]

I was supposed to cruise on Pride last year on a free cruise offer from Carnival. I tried to fly to Baltimore, but my flight was cancelled. Southwest Airlines was having aircraft issues and had backed up a few days worth of passengers trying to get to Baltimore. Every seat to Baltimore from my city on other airlines were sold out. I missed my cruise. :(

[SadieN]

The take away is..... When flying in day of the cruise, do carry on

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

[dramirez]

My husband and I were sailing out of Manhattan on the Queen Elizabeth II quite some time ago. We had just departed when the ship slowed down and we saw a tug boat coming towards us. A couple had missed the ship and rented the tug so they could get on board. They really must have been someone because I truly doubt the QEII would have stopped for me!

[jakesnana]

On the flip side, there is always 2 sides to every story. A few years ago I knew a group of people who were going on a NYE cruise out of FL. They were flying down from NYC.

 

Some opted to go down the day before the cruise, some the day of the cruise. The day before the cruise there was a HUGE snowstorm in NYC that closed JFK and LGA. Being a holiday weekend, all flights for the next few days were booked solid. The people who had planned on going down a day early missed the cruise. The people who had planned on flying down the day of the cruise made the cruise. I guess you just never know.

[Tongiejayhawk]

I booked a New England cruise out of NYC a few years back. My DS (14), DM (70) and her BFF (67) flew in the night before. I travel to NYC a few times each year for business and pleasure so had a decent idea of the layout. I really wanted to see the renovations to the base of the Statue of Liberty so planned an early morning trip the day of the cruise to see it (it's amazing btw). My mother is legally blind and her BFF has had one knee replaced and was slated to get the other one done a few weeks after we returned. I of course knew my DM's limitations but had no idea what traveling with someone who needed knee replacement was like. My DM is a big walker so I thought getting around NYC by foot wouldn't be bad. I take complete ownership for how our day bombed.

 

It took over 45 minutes to walk 5 blocks to get our ferry out to Lady Liberty. Since we missed our scheduled ferry, we had to wait almost another 1/2 hour. The rest of the day also moved in slow motion. After rushing at the Statue of Liberty, we didn't get back to our hotel to pick up our luggage until 2:00 p.m near Battery Park. I'm concerned but not panicked. I've been in NYC on Saturdays and it's pretty much dead. We only needed to go a couple of miles and had until 4:00 p.m. (or so I thought). I did not factor in that the United Nations was in session. The entire island was in gridlock. And for once, I had the nicest cab driver - he didn't cut anyone off, nearly mow down any pedestrians nor honk his horn once. About 3:00 p.m., we moved maybe two miles. I can't see the ship yet. So I call my PVP that I've had for 7 other cruises. She tells me we really need to be there no later than 3:30 because that's when the ship's manifest is due. My heart starts to race a bit. The cab in front of us has all of its passengers bail because we haven't moved in a while. At 3:15, I call back my PVP. I can see the ship. Can they hold it? She tells me to call the number on my boarding passes to see what they can do because her hands are tied. So I call that number and explain I'm in gridlock due to the UN in session. She says they won't hold a ship for traffic. I try to be calm. I say, ok, worse case, we miss the ship, the next port is Boston and we can take a train today and board there. She says no. I tell her I've read on message boards people doing this. She says if the ship is going from one US port to another US port, the Jones Act prohibits passengers from boarding mid-cruise. I say ok, well I have travel insurance through Carnival, so worse case, we'll have an extended stay in NYC and get a refund. She said no, the insurance through Carnival does not cover traffic. My voice is cracking at this point. We have 10 minutes to board and we aren't moving. While I'm desperate and asking the Rep what other options I have, the cab driver finally turns into the crazy steward I'm used to - honking, cutting off cars, even driving on the curb. The Rep basically tells me I'm out of luck.

 

We finally get to port at 3:40 p.m. The ship hasn't left yet. Before the driver even stops, I throw the fare and tip at him, tell my son I'm running and to carry as much luggage as he possibly can so GMA and BFF can book it. I run into the terminal and see a cluster of people. I ask if they're with Carnival. They say 'no'. So I move on. I have no idea where I'm going. There are no Carnival signs and it's a ghost town. Finally I get into a big area and see what looks like workers about 30 yards away. I yell 'are you with Carnival' and they say yes. I have been holding back tears and at this point let out a big sob "please, oh please don't let the ship leave without us". They tell me to slow down and calm down, they'll get us on. Her comes my DS. He has every tote/backpack the four of us had and the two largest suitcases. I scream for him to come to me and do the security check. My DM comes around the corner. She can't see well so I try to run to help her. Security says my son and I can't go back. So we're screaming trying to direct her where to go. Finally comes BFF. She is moving at a fast waddle. She's sweating and in visible pain. But we made it!

 

We were the last to board the ship. They pulled up the plank after us. We were ushered to a special room for late arrivals. There were about 15 other people and they also were delayed by traffic. We watched the muster drill in this room on a TV from the 1980s. I did not hear a word of it. I was shaking so badly and sending up to heaven my extreme thanks.

 

We went right up to the Sail Away party and got drinks. It took me a good hour to stop shaking.

I try to find new experiences on each cruise but this was way too much excitement for me. I religiously always fly in the night before and now I will never plan any side trips the morning of a cruise. I will sleep in and take my time getting to the cruise.

Edited March 24, 2016 by Tongiejayhawk

[stnic_ca]

I booked a New England cruise out of NYC a few years back. My DS (14), DM (70) and her BFF (67) flew in the night before. I travel to NYC a few times each year for business and pleasure so had a decent idea of the layout. I really wanted to see the renovations to the base of the Statue of Liberty so planned an early morning trip the day of the cruise to see it (it's amazing btw). My mother is legally blind and her BFF has had one knee replaced and was slated to get the other one done a few weeks after we returned. I of course knew my DM's limitations but had no idea what traveling with someone who needed knee replacement was like. My DM is a big walker so I thought getting around NYC by foot wouldn't be bad. I take complete ownership for how our day bombed.

 

It took over 45 minutes to walk 5 blocks to get our ferry out to Lady Liberty. Since we missed our scheduled ferry, we had to wait almost another 1/2 hour. The rest of the day also moved in slow motion. After rushing at the Statue of Liberty, we didn't get back to our hotel to pick up our luggage until 2:00 p.m near Battery Park. I'm concerned but not panicked. I've been in NYC on Saturdays and it's pretty much dead. We only needed to go a couple of miles and had until 4:00 p.m. (or so I thought). I did not factor in that the United Nations was in session. The entire island was in gridlock. And for once, I had the nicest cab driver - he didn't cut anyone off, nearly mow down any pedestrians nor honk his horn once. About 3:00 p.m., we moved maybe two miles. I can't see the ship yet. So I call my PVP that I've had for 7 other cruises. She tells me we really need to be there no later than 3:30 because that's when the ship's manifest is due. My heart starts to race a bit. The cab in front of us has all of its passengers bail because we haven't moved in a while. At 3:15, I call back my PVP. I can see the ship. Can they hold it? She tells me to call the number on my boarding passes to see what they can do because her hands are tied. So I call that number and explain I'm in gridlock due to the UN in session. She says they won't hold a ship for traffic. I try to be calm. I say, ok, worse case, we miss the ship, the next port is Boston and we can take a train today and board there. She says no. I tell her I've read on message boards people doing this. She says if the ship is going from one US port to another US port, the Jones Act prohibits passengers from boarding mid-cruise. I say ok, well I have travel insurance through Carnival, so worse case, we'll have an extended stay in NYC and get a refund. She said no, the insurance through Carnival does not cover traffic. My voice is cracking at this point. We have 10 minutes to board and we aren't moving. While I'm desperate and asking the Rep what other options I have, the cab driver finally turns into the crazy steward I'm used to - honking, cutting off cars, even driving on the curb. The Rep basically tells me I'm out of luck.

 

We finally get to port at 3:40 p.m. The ship hasn't left yet. Before the driver even stops, I throw the fare and tip at him, tell my son I'm running and to carry as much luggage as he possibly can so GMA and BFF can book it. I run into the terminal and see a cluster of people. I ask if they're with Carnival. They say 'no'. So I move on. I have no idea where I'm going. There are no Carnival signs and it's a ghost town. Finally I get into a big area and see what looks like workers about 30 yards away. I yell 'are you with Carnival' and they say yes. I have been holding back tears and at this point let out a big sob "please, oh please don't let the ship leave without us". They tell me to slow down and calm down, they'll get us on. Her comes my DS. He has every tote/backpack the four of us had and the two largest suitcases. I scream for him to come to me and do the security check. My DM comes around the corner. She can't see well so I try to run to help her. Security says my son and I can't go back. So we're screaming trying to direct her where to go. Finally comes BFF. She is moving at a fast waddle. She's sweating and in visible pain. But we made it!

 

We were the last to board the ship. They pulled up the plank after us. We were ushered to a special room for late arrivals. There were about 15 other people and they also were delayed by traffic. We watched the muster drill in this room on a TV from the 1980s. I did not hear a word of it. I was shaking so badly and sending up to heaven my extreme thanks.

 

We went right up to the Sail Away party and got drinks. It took me a good hour to stop shaking.

I try to find new experiences on each cruise but this was way too much excitement for me. I religiously always fly in the night before and now I will never plan any side trips the morning of a cruise. I will sleep in and take my time getting to the cruise.

 

Yikes!

[jefffrompawpaw]

Yikes!

 

 

Ditto! We have a winner.

 

And mark another one that flies in the same day. Each day I take off work is precious. Ill never waste a day in a hotel room. There are so many reasons mentioned in just this thread as to why you might be delayed on your way to the ship, ferry's, cabs, shuttles, transfers, traffic, forgetting medicine...