Door to Door Liability for problems in route

[Dirk_Pitt]

I am sure this has been asked before.  I searched and couldn't find the answer though.

 

We booked Door to Door for Iceland in August and just received our flights.  I know they are not ticketed so nothing locked in until they are.

 

After reading reviews of Icelandair, my wife asked me what happens if the driver fails to pick us up at our house and we miss our flight?  What happens if they cancel the flight and we miss the cruise?

 

I read the contract and it states the transportation and airlines used are contractors and Silversea has no liability for any issues they may have.

 

I am sure they will work with you to get you there even booking another airline, but if the airline has issues and you miss the cruise that can be read as you have to eat the cost of the cruise because it was a contractors fault even though it was booked as one package.  I know that is the worst case scenario, but am I reading that correctly?

 

I read in other threads they give you a phone number to call if there are issues enroute.  My question is more about worse case scenario the air can't get you there in time.

 

We are going in a day early which what we always do for cruises to build margin in case of issues

 

 

[david63]

That is one of the big differences between US and UK. In the UK we have what is known as Package Holiday regulation which, in short, state that whoever you book the package with has to deal with the fallout if it should got pear shaped.

 

So in this scenario if you booked door2door with Silversea and if there was to be a problem with the airline then Silversea would have either get you to the ship or refund the total cost of the cruise.

[pavementends]

There are all kinds of reasons why I don't want Door to Door.

 

1. Port to port is cheaper (when available).

2. I like to be in control.

3. I like to get in more than a day early so I can do some more sightseeing.

4. On some cruises you really really have to be there on time. (Antarctica, for example).

 

And a final thing- I live too far from the airport for included transfers anyway.

[RetiredandTravel]

I thought I worried a lot.

[Catlover54]

4 hours ago, Dirk_Pitt said:

I am sure this has been asked before.  I searched and couldn't find the answer though.

 

We booked Door to Door for Iceland in August and just received our flights.  I know they are not ticketed so nothing locked in until they are.

 

After reading reviews of Icelandair, my wife asked me what happens if the driver fails to pick us up at our house and we miss our flight?  What happens if they cancel the flight and we miss the cruise?

 

I read the contract and it states the transportation and airlines used are contractors and Silversea has no liability for any issues they may have.

 

I am sure they will work with you to get you there even booking another airline, but if the airline has issues and you miss the cruise that can be read as you have to eat the cost of the cruise because it was a contractors fault even though it was booked as one package.  I know that is the worst case scenario, but am I reading that correctly?

 

I read in other threads they give you a phone number to call if there are issues enroute.  My question is more about worse case scenario the air can't get you there in time.

 

We are going in a day early which what we always do for cruises to build margin in case of issues

 

 

 

1.  If you're leaving  from Centennial, CO, you're only 40-45 minutes from Denver International.  So in anticipation of a driver no-showing (not typical, but it has happened), either have a plan to have pick-up an hour early, or a plan to jump in your car and then park at the airport for duration of the trip, or have someone on standby to give you a lift.  

After many, many air flights over the years, DH and I just prefer being at the airport an hour earlier than most people would be there, i.e., earlier than recommended.  We use either Uber or a private driver , with lots of time to spare, and prefer doing our own arrangements

You can then slug out getting refunds either from SS (which is responsible) or your insurance after the fact.

 

2.  "Going in a day early" may usually work, but we learned the hard way (a very hard way -- like missing a cruise and having to catch the ship at the next port) that even going in two days early may not be enough (especially if it is holiday time and flights are jammed), especially since Covid and jammed flights.  It is especially not enough for a distant and expensive trip if you want peace of mind, and/or don't have really terrific insurance. We allow at least three nights, which also allows jet lag accomodation and sight-seeing time (easier to do now that we're both retired, not so easy previously).  There is *a lot* to see and do in and around Reykjavik, so you would have no trouble filling 3 nights (or more). 

 

4.  "Phone number to call if there are issues enroute" may or may not work (usually does).  For example, if it is a holiday evening, no one may answer (another thing we learned the hard way with SS), made worse if the TA is also on holiday!  We have many stories to tell . . . 

 

You do the best you can to avoid problems, assess your risk and loss tolerance, and then (as Americans) sometimes you just have to suck up some losses.  Cruise lines have a lot of leeway these days and the contracts favor them legally, even if for good will they may accomodate  or refund (or FCC) you on unusual situations. 

Edited November 26, 2023 by Catlover54
Typo

[Bronxchihuahua]

You and I may be the only people who have actually read the contract.  Once i read it, and realized the actual limits of Silversea’s obligations , I felt much better about booking D2D, taking the air and ground credits, and booking the air and ground myself with at least a 2 day cushion.

Edited November 26, 2023 by Bronxchihuahua

[sea bright]

This is why good insurance is necessary. If the worst case happens, the cruiseline's obligations are limited.  Insurance may help with your out of pocket expenses (depending on your policy, which you will obviously read well).

[Mayflower1]

An interesting comment david63 relating to the Airlines - I am not sure this also applies to The Blacklane Transfers as the Terms seem to indicate that Silversea are not responsible for any consequences relating to Blacklane failures. Hopefully I am incorrect.

[Dirk_Pitt]

It may seem like I was worrying a lot, but I was also evaluating booking my own air.  I had read reviews of people who paid for Business class only to not get it as they were ticketed too late.  You really don't know where your seats are until ticketed.  I travelled a lot for work so all the other parts of the trip always were a concern making sure I could get were I was going, safely and on time.  I did not find a review from anyone who was left in a lurch by Silversea, plenty were unhappy at how they were handled, but they seemed to do their best to make sure no one was stuck.

 

What really concerned me was not having a seat until ticketed which could be as late as 30 days from sailing.  The credit back is $900 a person if I book my own.  For less than that, I could book two fully refundable seats on the same flights and be ticketed today.  SS upgrade cost was $3200 a person for Business class or a total of $4100 if you add in the flight credit allotment.  I ended up booking two Business Class seats for $2500 each full refundable ticketed with seat assignments.

I elected to stay in Door to Door as it has a better refund policy, it came with $1000 ship board credit, I still get airport shuttles to/from home to the local airport and because Port to Port would have been more as prices have gone up since I booked it

 

We also are now going in two days early and renting a car.

 

Although the liability question is valid based on the contract, it isn't likely something to be concerned about based on how the company handles issues.  But It did make me think about ticketing and when flight info is locked in and so I learned something and made something positive out of it.  I have always booked my own flights even when working so this was new for me.

[gcornell]

I asked SS to book my BC tickets 270 days out and they did within a day, provided me with confirmation code and booked my seats. 

[les37b]

On 11/27/2023 at 8:11 AM, Mayflower1 said:

An interesting comment david63 relating to the Airlines - I am not sure this also applies to The Blacklane Transfers as the Terms seem to indicate that Silversea are not responsible for any consequences relating to Blacklane failures. Hopefully I am incorrect.

 

That was my take on it as well and was a cause for concern when I booked my LHR transfers for flights to Tokyo. I do always aim to arrive at least 3 hours prior to flight, so there is a small amount of leeway. It was especially heightened when those idiots were blocking motorways. I expect lots of people missed holidays because of these people.