How does HAL get you to the next port?

[Hlitner]

On 9/16/2022 at 6:17 PM, BillderBo said:

True, I could just never cruise again. But with a little information from HAL, I could make an informed decision. We all have limitations of some sort. If HAL could tell me how they normally handle catching up with the ship on this route, then I can decide for myself. Some of you cruise often, and missing one is not a big deal. This cruise is a big deal for my wife and me. It should not be so hard for HAL to tell me whether the normal mode of transportation is, as you say, "a 2-3 hour plane ride (in coach), a bus or taxi ride, or a brief walk." 

I do not think the world or cruise industry works in a way that you would find satisfying.  When things go wrong the options/solutions are on a case by case basis and often handled by third parties (such as a third party travel company that handles air arrangements for many cruise lines).  In practice, solutions are often negotiated.  When DW was injured in Asia and we had to get her medically evacuated to the USA, everything came down to a negotiation between me, the ship's physician, our insurance company, and a third party travel agent (provided by the insurance company).  It all came down to a multi-party phone conversation between all those parties with decisions made on the spot. Nobody held us by the hand (which seems like what you want) and provided solid answers.  What happened was we identified several options and I had to make a quick decision and I had to make a quick decision on what to do.  

 

If things go wrong with transportation to a cruise you get into a similar situation.  There have been posts about folks who missed their cruise, called the cruise line emergency number, and were advised to work directly with the airline as it is faster than using a third party.  In other cases, folks have not been able to catch-up to their ship and were simply flown back home.  These days, there are often no good air options because of fewer flights and available seats.  If folks cannot handle the uncertainly that comes with all travel, the solution would be for them to simply stay home.  Just last March, while on our way home from Mexico, we missed an AA connection in Dallas because of a flight delay.  That happened on a Saturday night and the earliest AA could get us home turned out to be Tuesday night!   Why?  It was Spring Break for many schools, and every flight to airports within a couple of hours from our home were fully booked for 3 days!  In the end we managed to get home on Monday by flying to an airport 5 1/2 hours from our home and renting a car (at our own expense) for the long drive home!  My point is that these are the issues faced by the cruise line (and their third-party air offices) when trying to deal with folks who miss a cruise embarkation.   When things go wrong you are just one of thousands (or more) each with their own unique set of issues.

 

Hank

 

 

[Mary229]

1 hour ago, Hlitner said:

I do not think the world or cruise industry works in a way that you would find satisfying.  When things go wrong the options/solutions are on a case by case basis and often handled by third parties (such as a third party travel company that handles air arrangements for many cruise lines).  In practice, solutions are often negotiated.  When DW was injured in Asia and we had to get her medically evacuated to the USA, everything came down to a negotiation between me, the ship's physician, our insurance company, and a third party travel agent (provided by the insurance company).  It all came down to a multi-party phone conversation between all those parties with decisions made on the spot. Nobody held us by the hand (which seems like what you want) and provided solid answers.  What happened was we identified several options and I had to make a quick decision and I had to make a quick decision on what to do.  

 

If things go wrong with transportation to a cruise you get into a similar situation.  There have been posts about folks who missed their cruise, called the cruise line emergency number, and were advised to work directly with the airline as it is faster than using a third party.  In other cases, folks have not been able to catch-up to their ship and were simply flown back home.  These days, there are often no good air options because of fewer flights and available seats.  If folks cannot handle the uncertainly that comes with all travel, the solution would be for them to simply stay home.  Just last March, while on our way home from Mexico, we missed an AA connection in Dallas because of a flight delay.  That happened on a Saturday night and the earliest AA could get us home turned out to be Tuesday night!   Why?  It was Spring Break for many schools, and every flight to airports within a couple of hours from our home were fully booked for 3 days!  In the end we managed to get home on Monday by flying to an airport 5 1/2 hours from our home and renting a car (at our own expense) for the long drive home!  My point is that these are the issues faced by the cruise line (and their third-party air offices) when trying to deal with folks who miss a cruise embarkation.   When things go wrong you are just one of thousands (or more) each with their own unique set of issues.

 

Hank

 

 

Let’s be clear, that is how the entire world works.  Once you leave your neighborhood your support system is left behind also.  The expectations of someone there to tend to your every need are not reality based.  
 

Why someone would expect a cruise line to have more responsibility than an airline, a hotel or Disneyland is beyond me.    A consumer friendly organization does provide some handholding and perhaps offers a back up plan and resource contacts but that is simply customer service not a contractual obligation.

 

The only guarantee an insurance contract has is that it will refund your covered costs once the claim is successfully filed.  

[FOPMan]

Half Moon Cay (Little San Salvador Island) is something like 100 miles from Nassau, which, in turn, is 180ish miles from Fort Lauderdale.  One could fly into a nearby island and take a boat over to HMC. Some of the staff on HMC commute from Eluthra when a ship is in.

 

I have limited range of motion, and am not sure I’d be able to get into a six-seater plane. I’d considered booking a Southwest flight into Aruba as a method of catching up to the ship if I didn’t make our expected connection. If I made the ship in Florida. I’d cancel the Aruba flight. If I didn’t, the discussion with HAL would be can I board in Aruba?

Come to the table with a plan. Don’t expect others to have or be able to come up with a detailed solution on the fly.

 

 

 

[Hlitner]

1 hour ago, Mary229 said:

Let’s be clear, that is how the entire world works.  Once you leave your neighborhood your support system is left behind also.  The expectations of someone there to tend to your every need are not reality based.  
 

Why someone would expect a cruise line to have more responsibility than an airline, a hotel or Disneyland is beyond me.    A consumer friendly organization does provide some handholding and perhaps offers a back up plan and resource contacts but that is simply customer service not a contractual obligation.

 

The only guarantee an insurance contract has is that it will refund your covered costs once the claim is successfully filed.  

I think the events of recent months have made any handholding something from a bygone era.  Travel professionals have been overwhelmed by 10s of thousands of cancelled flights, airport bottlenecks, last minute itinerary changes (including within the cruise industry), etc.  There are simply not enough skilled customer service folks to handle the needs of the masses that need help.  Those of us who are well versed in independent travel generally have ideas on how to "think on the fly,"  cope with problems, find solutions, etc.   One can just read some of the CC threads and understand that many folks are not up to the task of handling major travel problems.  We have witnessed it on our own recent trips.  Just looking at folks in airports who are crying hysterically (have seen this a few times), angry beyond reason, lashing out at innocent workers, etc. is very sad,

 

Here on CC we have said, for the past 3 years, that having a working Smart Phone has become a necessity for travel, and yet we constantly see folks arguing to the contrary!  Well trust me when I again say that a working Smart Phone is the key to resolving many problems that arise during travel.  Without a phone (that works) you will often be out of luck and one more person sitting in an airport (or elsewhere) with tears in your eyes as you simply have no clue what comes next.  As a senior who was late to the Smart Phone world, I am still discovering new apps, capabilities, etc.  But our iPhones have bailed us out of multiple difficulties in the past few trips.  

 

My advice to the OP is "do your homework!"  Do not depend on the cruise line to tell you options to get to the next port but do your own research and identify all the possible options.  Whenever things have gone wrong for us (with travel) we usually find ourselves having to solve most of the issues.  Those who wait around for others to solve issues may well find themselves waiting around for hours (or days) with nothing but frustration.

 

I will give you an example.  We have an upcoming cruise (in a few weeks) out of Miami  Our original plans were to fly (from BWI) the afternoon before the cruise and spend a pre-cruise night in a Miami hotel.  But with all the airline cancellations we felt very uncomfortable with those arrangements.  So we changed our flight to 2 days before the cruise and changed our hotel to a Miami Beach resort hotel (2 nights).  We also moved that flight to the earliest flight of the day which decreases the odds of a flight problem.  This leaves us with a "Plan B" of a later flight and a "Plan C" of simply walking out of the airport, jumping in our car, and driving 18 hours to the port!   The idea of sitting around and waiting for the airline or a cruise line to solve issues is just not our style.

 

Hank

 

Hank

[firsttimer1971]

On 9/15/2022 at 1:31 AM, BillderBo said:

HAL says they “would get you to the next port."

 

 

The FAQ says something a little different:

 

[Quote]

Late Arrival Protection

Should guests who have booked their air travel through Holland America Line experience delays en route due to a flight delay or an airline service disruption, such as flight cancellation or flight re-routes, that will cause them to miss their original port of embarkation, Holland America Line will work with the airline to find reasonable alternate flights to the next appropriate port at no additional air cost to the guest.

 

Factors taken into account in determining the appropriateness of a port of call include, but are not limited to:

-where in the original itinerary the port is located
-airport / port infrastructure
-visas and other legal documentation that may be required
-application of the Passenger Services Act to the new itinerary
comparability of cost, flight connections, and travel time required (any unused value on the original air ticket will be used to offset the cost of the new air ticket)

 

Liability and Relation with Airlines

As the airfares we use are based on capacity controlled, promotional, and group fares, we may limit or close sales without prior notice at any time. If, due to any cause beyond our control, we are unable to arrange for air travel or the air travel we arrange is unavailable or otherwise fails to materialize, our sole liability will be limited to refunding the air price paid to us. We assume no liability for any acts or omissions of any airline, including, without limitation, those involving cancellation of flights, schedule changes, re-routings, damage to or delay or loss of baggage, flight delays, equipment failures, accidents, pilot or other staff shortages, overbooking or computer errors. The liabilities and obligations of an airline to you, and your rights against an airline, are subject to any and all terms and conditions of the airline's ticket and tariffs and all applicable governmental laws and regulations.

[/Quote]

 

So they will do their best to get you to the next appropriate port but if it is too expensive or there are other factors their sole liability will be limited to the refunding of the air price you paid. And that port may not be the next port on the itinerary, but they might skip a port if the next port is not "appropriate" 

[BillderBo]

I said that, due to certain disabilities, I was looking for information about how HAL handles catching up with a cruise—no demands or expectations, just information—so I can make an informed decision about my booking. Some replies here are helpful (thank you). Some are less so. For example:

 

“Let’s be clear, that is how the entire world works.  Once you leave your neighborhood your support system is left behind also.  The expectations of someone there to tend to your every need are not reality based.”

 

I appreciate those who encourage me to do my homework. That is why I posted...to gather information. Not to demand hand-holding. Yes, I am disappointed in HAL’s level of response. But I’m moving on from that. May you always find help when you need it.

Edited September 20, 2022 by BillderBo

[Mary229]

7 hours ago, BillderBo said:

I said that, due to certain disabilities, I was looking for information about how HAL handles catching up with a cruise—no demands or expectations, just information—so I can make an informed decision about my booking. Some replies here are helpful (thank you). Some are less so. For example:

 

“Let’s be clear, that is how the entire world works.  Once you leave your neighborhood your support system is left behind also.  The expectations of someone there to tend to your every need are not reality based.”

 

I appreciate those who encourage me to do my homework. That is why I posted...to gather information. Not to demand hand-holding. Yes, I am disappointed in HAL’s level of response. But I’m moving on from that. May you always find help when you need it.

Bo, don’t take the discussions personally.  I think it was clear your mature stance.  This group, myself included, just chat a lot and get off on tangents. Sorry it seemed that we were criticizing you, I can see how you would think that 

[BillderBo]

6 hours ago, Mary229 said:

Bo, don’t take the discussions personally.  I think it was clear your mature stance.  This group, myself included, just chat a lot and get off on tangents. Sorry it seemed that we were criticizing you, I can see how you would think that 

Thank you, Mary. Good point. I reacted without considering the context of the broader discussion.

[LocoLoco1]

Half Moon Cay? Grand Turk, Amber Cove?  3 little beaches….Hardly worth the bother, especially considering you have doubts about your physical ability. Ask for a refund and enjoy 3 cocktails back home perhaps?? If it was the island villages  London, Madeira or Honolulu I would offer different thoughts