What happens if we do not make it

[flifish64]

We have A Feb 4 cruise booked and used Celebrity Air to book the going transportation. We usually booked the day before but have conflicting plans that would not allow for that.  We were arriving at 11:45 on the 4th and just received a notice of change that we now arrive at 12:15.  What happens if that flight is delayed and we arrive at the port check in at 3:00 or later?  Will they delay departure for slight misses?  What if the ship departs without us.  What assistance does Celebrity provide?

 

Thanks for any info/help

 

Carol

[WestLakeGirl]

It is highly doubtful that they will hold the ship for you, so don’t even think of that.

 

What is the itinerary?  Some itineraries would allow for a downline embarkation, some wouldn’t.

 

is there a different set of flights you could take?  If the airline changed their schedule they ought to rebook you on earlier flights, assuming there are earlier flights that day.

[Jeremiah1212]

First stop is seeing if they can put you on an earlier flight due to the schedule change. Second options is to cancel the tickets all together and rebook something else on your own in the early morning.  I would have no expectation they will hold the ship you for. That is very unlikely. If the stars align they may get you to Nassau but that is not guaranteed. More likely scenario is they would just refund you for the missed cruise. 

[39august]

You get a refund if you don't make it to the ship? That is news to me. I assumed you simply lost your cruise altogether. 

[Jeremiah1212]

1 minute ago, 39august said:

You get a refund if you don't make it to the ship? That is news to me. I assumed you simply lost your cruise altogether. 

 
Only if you book through Flights by Celebrity. If you booked on your own you are out of luck. 

[gfkcruiser]

I was on a ship leaving Ft. Lauderdale years back.  As there was a storm I. The northeast us causing a lot of late flights, the ship left about 3 hours later.  
 

I would check to see if they would fly you to the next port if you are delayed too much.  

[Charles4515]

24 minutes ago, flifish64 said:

We have A Feb 4 cruise booked and used Celebrity Air to book the going transportation. We usually booked the day before but have conflicting plans that would not allow for that.  We were arriving at 11:45 on the 4th and just received a notice of change that we now arrive at 12:15.  What happens if that flight is delayed and we arrive at the port check in at 3:00 or later?  Will they delay departure for slight misses?  What if the ship departs without us.  What assistance does Celebrity provide?

 

Thanks for any info/help

 

Carol

I wouldn’t book a cruise if I could not fly in the day before. Because of the stress. You can still cancel the cruise. That said the odds are you will make it and 12:15 is not cutting it close. If you miss the cruise it depends on the itinerary. Absolutely buy insurance. 

[Charles4515]

11 minutes ago, 39august said:

You get a refund if you don't make it to the ship? That is news to me. I assumed you simply lost your cruise altogether. 

They need to buy travel insurance. 

[Georgia_Peaches]

All guests must be checked in 90 minutes before sail away. They will push back sail away, thus pushing back the 90 minutes, if a large number of travelers are delayed due to weather. This happened to us back in March and were it not for the 90 minute window shifting due to delays, we wouldn’t have made the ship. Our flight was scheduled for the day before but didn’t get off until the next day. We had to book a completely different airline. 
 

Others have made good suggestions in telling you to find an earlier flight. Having experienced what we did in March, I have come to expect flight delays as part of the norm. The odds of making the ship on the day of embarkation are no longer in your favor….especially as the flight time gets later in the morning/day. I would find the earliest flight possible and book it. 

Edited August 20, 2023 by Georgia_Peaches

[Nachosdelux]

I would not risk this.  they will not hold the ship, unless it a large number of passengers that are delayed.  Celebrity will try to get you to the ship at a future port. maybe they will be successful, maybe not.  Is it worth the stress?  

[mrgabriel]

2 hours ago, flifish64 said:

We have A Feb 4 cruise booked and used Celebrity Air to book the going transportation. We usually booked the day before but have conflicting plans that would not allow for that.  We were arriving at 11:45 on the 4th and just received a notice of change that we now arrive at 12:15.  What happens if that flight is delayed and we arrive at the port check in at 3:00 or later?  Will they delay departure for slight misses?  What if the ship departs without us.  What assistance does Celebrity provide?

 

Thanks for any info/help

 

Carol

 

A couple of thoughts - you don't say where you're flying into or from but mid-February often means storms which lead to delays. On the other hand, some airports are close to ports - and you can be off the plane and at the port in under an hour. When we lived in Atlanta we sometimes flew same-day into FLL from Atlanta and were checked in to the ship within an hour. Other port/airport combintaions can be more problematic. 

 

If I were you, I would do whatever I could to either fly in the previous day or evening or get on the very first flight of the day. If you can't change the flight, I would not check any baggage. You might arrive a few minutes late and then wait over an hour for your bags. Hugely stressful. I would also book a Celebrity airport transfer if it's available. 

[jelayne]

What port are you sailing out of?  I see a 2/4 sailing on the Ascent.  That is showing a 3:30 departure.  If so, then I think you would need to be checked or at checkin by 2.  

[hcat]

4 hours ago, Charles4515 said:

They need to buy travel insurance. 

Exactly..cutting it very close.

need cancel any reason coverage

[Jeremiah1212]

6 minutes ago, hcat said:

Exactly..cutting it very close.

need cancel any reason coverage

 

Travel insurance doesn't help. For CFAR you lose the cost of the policy, typically still take a 10-25% hit on the loss, and almost always have to cancel within 48hrs of departure. That's even if it's not too late to qualify for CFAR.  They already have some protection through Flights by Celebrity. They can either try to get to the first accessible port, or cancel for a full refund or FCC and try again at a later date.

[cruisestitch]

The ship will not wait for you, unless there are many, many passengers, who are equally affected.

 

Flights by Celebrity can assist you in getting you to the first port to meet up with the ship.  Assuming you are on the ascent that port would be Nassau and there would be no PVSA problems.

 

however, they do not guarantee that they will get you to the next port in time to meet the ship.

 

and you should be prepared for some out-of-pocket costs, which might be reimbursable you would be responsible for them in the meantime.

[zitsky]

24 minutes ago, Jeremiah1212 said:

 

Travel insurance doesn't help. For CFAR you lose the cost of the policy, typically still take a 10-25% hit on the loss, and almost always have to cancel within 48hrs of departure. That's even if it's not too late to qualify for CFAR.  They already have some protection through Flights by Celebrity. They can either try to get to the first accessible port, or cancel for a full refund or FCC and try again at a later date.

So is it better to lose 100% of your money without insurance?

 

If I were OP I would shift this OTHER commitment instead of losing their cruise.

Edited August 20, 2023 by zitsky

[Jeremiah1212]

8 minutes ago, zitsky said:

So is it better to lose 100% of your money without insurance?

 

If I were OP I would shift this OTHER commitment instead of losing their cruise.

 

Read the post. They aren't losing 100% of their money if they miss the cruise. 

[1Virgo]

if you book Flights by Celebrity, they will get you there, even if it is next port.   That happened to us with a plane mechanical. As soon as we arrived back to airport, I called FBC.  Within 10 minutes we were booked the next morning to a port to catch up with the boat. A driver picked us up.  Book on your own - out of luck

I would suggest you speak with FBC

[flifish64]

Yes it is the Ascent out of FLL

we are on the first flight out of Gulfport thru ATL on Delta

itbis a Blue Chip Club free cruise

only paid port fees and taxes and the air ticket

Thanks for the feedback

Will be doing carry on luggage only to speed things up

 

Carol

[phoenix_dream]

5 minutes ago, flifish64 said:

Yes it is the Ascent out of FLL

we are on the first flight out of Gulfport thru ATL on Delta

itbis a Blue Chip Club free cruise

only paid port fees and taxes and the air ticket

Thanks for the feedback

Will be doing carry on luggage only to speed things up

 

Carol

Oh heavens, you are on a flight with one stop no less?  You probably are familiar with flying through Atlanta, but if not it is a very big airport which doesn't help matters if you are changing planes.  I only fly United so not sure how the Delta terminal is.  I would do everything in my power to get an earlier flight somehow.  If possible I would even consider cancelling the flight and driving, even if it meant all night (not sure what your restrictions are).  As said above, odds are that Celebrity could get you to the next port for boarding at no cost to you.  That said, before I would count on that at all I would do a search and see how many flights there actually are going to Nassau that day.  I wish you good luck!

[hrhdhd]

You'll need a passport if you are sent by plane to Nassau to catch up with the ship.

 

I'd book flights a day early.

[Charles4515]

1 hour ago, hrhdhd said:

You'll need a passport if you are sent by plane to Nassau to catch up with the ship.

 

I'd book flights a day early.

Good point!

[Mr. Click]

Blue Chip cruise....wow, you really are rolling the dice.  IMHO you are cutting way too close.  Why not look into getting the last flight out of Gulfport to ATL and over night there or check out AA, they have a hub in Miami so maybe a direct flight..  Definenately call FBC and see what they can do to get you there sooner.  All of that stress is no way to start are fun trip.

[mrgabriel]

5 hours ago, flifish64 said:

Yes it is the Ascent out of FLL

we are on the first flight out of Gulfport thru ATL on Delta

itbis a Blue Chip Club free cruise

only paid port fees and taxes and the air ticket

Thanks for the feedback

Will be doing carry on luggage only to speed things up

 

Carol

Delta is a great airline but a connection in ATL likely means changing terminals. I wouldn’t risk it. You’re not only dealing with a possible delay of one flight but also delays or issues in the two airports where your flights are coming from.

[ebtrip]

14 hours ago, flifish64 said:

We have A Feb 4 cruise booked and used Celebrity Air to book the going transportation. We usually booked the day before but have conflicting plans that would not allow for that.  We were arriving at 11:45 on the 4th and just received a notice of change that we now arrive at 12:15.  What happens if that flight is delayed and we arrive at the port check in at 3:00 or later?  Will they delay departure for slight misses?  What if the ship departs without us.  What assistance does Celebrity provide?

 

Thanks for any info/help

 

Carol

If the airline changed your flight you can advise them it is not acceptable and get your flight changed with no cost to you.  The only thing is it’s only a 1/2 hour change. It has happened to me, but it was hours, had them change with no problem.