Flight delay

[dv71617]

Did anyone experienced flight delay who make you miss your

embarkation for your cruise ?

What's happens ?

We have insurance but I wonder what will be our options.

Thanks !

[Cruisin' Chick]

I would be sad. The few times we haven't cruised from nearby, we've flown (or arrived by train) at least a day ahead.

[satxdiver]

Did anyone experienced flight delay who make you miss your

embarkation for your cruise ?

What's happens ?

We have insurance but I wonder what will be our options.

Thanks !

 

I am sorry for anyone who experiences this and yes, it does happen. The ship will leave without you of course. You would have two choices at that point. One was to simply not take the cruise and the other would be to fly to the first port of call and board the ship there. Both courses of action are viable and have been done. The cost of flying to the first port of call and all expenses incurred would be your responsibility. The first option could involve losing your cruise payment. Your trip insurance should cover it depending on the circumstances and your coverage.

 

There have been many reports on CC about problems of missing the ship due to airline delays and missed connections. Some report that the insurance company paid immediately and some report that they either covered the loss slowly or not at all. We have all had the pleasure of dealing with insurance companies. Read the posts if you are concerned about your insurance, which you should be.

 

I always like to arrive in the embarkation city at least one day in advance to preclude the airline problems. I also like to leave either late the night that I disembark or better the next day in case the ship is delayed returning to port.

 

The two ships sailing out of Galveston (Carnival and RCCL) a couple of weeks ago were delayed about six hours in returning to port due to heavy fog. As a result many missed their airline connections and were forced to spend one or more nights in Houston awaiting a flight at their expense of course. The ship is not responsible for delays by nature nor is the airlines.

 

The moral is to plan ahead and anticipate what mother nature may throw at you. Do not forget that equipment breaks causing delays also. Have a great trip.

[FritzG]

This is why so many people fly in a day ahead if at all possible. If you miss the ship, and the first day of the cruise is not a port day you miss a lot. In the case of our TA the first port day is nearly a week later.

[Pia1913]

Did anyone experienced flight delay who make you miss your

embarkation for your cruise ?

What's happens ?

We have insurance but I wonder what will be our options.

Thanks !

 

Never think of flying from Quebec, in the winter, on the same day you expect to board a ship.

[cacy6893076]

Never think of flying from Quebec, in the winter, on the same day you expect to board a ship.

 

 

no kidding, and not just quebec or the nothernmost airports. We flew out of Denver in April (no snow, 65 degrees) a few years ago to fll on a fri afternoon about 2pm for a 4 pm sailing on sat. ....due to a connecting flight in memphis which never left the ground(flight and pilots grounded after man on tarmac slipped and fell and plane backed over him a little bit, he was only minorly injured but still) spent the night in the memphis airport, flying out next morning and arriving at the port about noon on saturday.......so that was about 22 hours to get form denver to fll port in april with only one connection.You can never predict what will happen and when, even when things seem like they should go pretty smooth.

[cruiserbryce]

sadly this happens from time to time and its why we allways recommend getting to the area a day ahead of time. There are resolutions and if you have insurance you will be able to meet up with the ship but it certainly puts a damper on the start of the trip

[Times Prince]

Did anyone experienced flight delay who make you miss your embarkation for your cruise ?

What's happens ? We have insurance but I wonder what will be our options.

Thanks !

First, Princess provides some in-transit phone numbers to call when you discover that flight delays may jeopardize your arrival in time for the cruise ship departure. Be sure to use this phone contact if there is an issue.

 

We had one cruise with Princess flights and Princess travel insurance where each leg of our air travel was delayed, resulting in our arriving in FLL after the ship was to have sailed. The in-transit travel person advised us of the coverage ( $XXX per day plus travel to the first major port) and our options. But they also alerted the ship - so that when we arrived in FLL there were Princess reps waiting for us to expedite us to the ship which had actually waited. (Note: as many have noted there is NO guarantee that a ship will wait - we were fortunate.). The first major port for that cruise was to be St.Thomas (Princess Cays being the first stop for the cruise).

 

The point here is that there is a system to use which can at least give you your options in semi-real time.

[tjdm]

We were on a re-positioning cruise 3 1/2 years ago in May on the Golden Princess. Princess booked the package from pre-cruise hotel, shuttles and airfare. Our flight down was delayed on a lay over in Atlanta due to rain storms. If we had not spent the night we would have been delayed and possibly miss the ship. However, our 7 night cruise was extended to an 8 day night cruise when we were in a storm at sea. Consequently everyone had to re-book their airline reservations. If Princess booked the air then they also re-booked for those passengers. The other passengers were allowed to make one phone call to their airline to change their reservations. The line was incredibly long. Lucky for us we didn't have to do anything but wait for the new time. Some people were spending the night in New York and had reservations for Broadway shows, etc. So it paid to have Princess book everything even though it probably was a bit more expensive. The customer service was excellent. I wondered how they compensated the passengers waiting in New York as the ship came in a day later. Anyone have that experience?

[sultan_sfo]

The maximum payable under "most" travel insurance (including Princess Travel Insurance) for delays or missed connection is $500 to $1,000 per insured person. This includes "all" costs due to delays including any additional air fare.

 

...

There are resolutions and if you have insurance you will be able to meet up with the ship but it certainly puts a damper on the start of the trip

 

...

 

The in-transit travel person advised us of the coverage ( $XXX per day plus travel to the first major port) and our options.

...

[Ray Higgs]

We have just made reservations, with cruise arranged flights, on the Ruby Princess for the transatlantic crossing on April 18. Princess has booked us on a one stop flight that arrives at 3:26pm. Final embarkation is at 4:00pm and the ship sails at 5:00pm. I tried to get them to schedule us on the earlier flight that arrives at 1:30pm, but the agent said we would have to pay a flight deviation fee of several hundred dollars. I don't think there is time to get our bags, find the transfer bus and get to the port before 5 and if there is a small delay we will miss the sailing. The first port of call is 6 days later and we are responsible for getting there. If we don't go we are still responsible for paying our way home and we lose the cost of the cruise. Travel insurance isn't worth getting as it only pays $500 and we would still miss the vacation. I am probably going to purchase tickets the to get there the day before, but this negates buying the recommended package with airfare. Has anyone else experienced this problem and what, if anything, can be done.

[paul929207]

We always fly in one or more days in advance. So far,we have always gotten there close to the scheduled time. If you are delayed, and miss the boat, then you are in catch up mode. You need to find fights to get you to a port where the ship will be. You have expenses for the flights, hotels, meals and other until you get to the ship. If you have insurance, it will cover some or all of these expenses. Anything not covered by insurance is ut of your pocket.

[Pam in CA]

We have just made reservations, with cruise arranged flights, on the Ruby Princess for the transatlantic crossing on April 18. Princess has booked us on a one stop flight that arrives at 3:26pm. Final embarkation is at 4:00pm and the ship sails at 5:00pm. I tried to get them to schedule us on the earlier flight that arrives at 1:30pm, but the agent said we would have to pay a flight deviation fee of several hundred dollars. I don't think there is time to get our bags, find the transfer bus and get to the port before 5 and if there is a small delay we will miss the sailing. The first port of call is 6 days later and we are responsible for getting there. If we don't go we are still responsible for paying our way home and we lose the cost of the cruise. Travel insurance isn't worth getting as it only pays $500 and we would still miss the vacation. I am probably going to purchase tickets the to get there the day before, but this negates buying the recommended package with airfare. Has anyone else experienced this problem and what, if anything, can be done.

I'd go up the chain and speak to a supervisor or have your TA do it. They cannot book you to arrive too late to board your cruise.

 

Airlines are changing flight times all the time... and drastically. Even when you think you have good flights, the airline can (and will) change them. I think Delta is the worst. :( While I'm not going on a cruise, I'm flying to FLL tomorrow from CA for a few days and my daughter is meeting me there from Boston. Her flight from Boston was changed from 7AM arriving in FLL at 10:35AM to leaving at 11AM arriving at 2:36PM. Then, it was changed to leaving BOS at 8:15AM arriving at 11:52AM. Going home, her flight was changed from 11:15AM arriving at 2:32PM to 3:16PM arriving at 6:33PM -- with a stop in Atlanta. She's been changed to a 6:45AM flight because that's the ONLY Delta non-stop flight from FLL to BOS for the day. These are not minor changes; it's enough to make you cry.

 

Several years ago, I was going on the Sun Princess for a Panama Canal cruise to Acapulco. I booked Princess air and paid the deviation to fly to San Juan the day before embarkation since you could never predict Boston weather in January. When I got to the airport, a couple of inches of snow had been predicted but it was snowing a bit more than that. Logan Airport closed entirely for the day and I had to reschedule my flight for the next day. Overnight, there was a huge ice storm and it took a lot longer than expected to get to the airport and I missed my flight by about 15 minutes. :( With all of the day before's passengers plus those for that day, the airport was a zoo. When I got to the AA counter, they put me on standby to Miami but couldn't book me any further than that. I figured that if I could get to Miami, I could get to pretty much anywhere in the Caribbean. I made the flight. :) When I got to Miami, I went to the AA counter and they were wonderful, scheduling me on an early morning flight via Air France to Martinique, the next port. They gave me a food and hotel voucher, including dinner at the hotel. I boarded what can only be called a puddle-jumper early the next morning along with about 10 other lost souls from the cruise. We had 5 stops between MIA and Martinique and at each one, we had to get off the plane and go through Immigration before we were allowed back on. I think our flight was at 7AM and we didn't arrive in Martinique until about 4PM, about an hour before the ship was scheduled to sail. The Princess rep met us at baggage claim, checked our names off the list, took care of our luggage, and put us on a bus they'd arranged for to get us to the ship. We went right to the Pursar's Desk to check in and we were finally on our cruise. I was shocked when I checked my onboard account to see that they'd given me a $500 credit. Now, this was way before 9/11 and I had a printed ticket, not an e-ticket but Princess sure came through on this. I did not have to pay anything extra.

[caribill]

We have just made reservations, with cruise arranged flights, on the Ruby Princess for the transatlantic crossing on April 18. Princess has booked us on a one stop flight that arrives at 3:26pm. Final embarkation is at 4:00pm and the ship sails at 5:00pm.

 

Even if you arrived at the gate at 3:26 PM, were first off the plane and only had carryon luggage, and were immediately able to get a cab once you reach the cab area, you would not be on the ship by 4 PM.

 

If you are not first off the plane, have any checked luggage, and have to wait in line for a cab, you might not even make it by 5 PM.

 

Princess has given you a flight schedule that will not allow you to board on time.

 

If you used a travel agent, have the agent fight for you. If you booked directly with Princess, work your way up the supervisory chain.

[spongerob]

It's a transatlantic with 6 sea days, so I don't think there is any urgency to depart at precisely 5 PM. I think they'd be welcomed aboard even if they were running a little behind.

 

Still, it's not a risk I would take, because sometime flights are running more than a "little behind". Arriving a day earlier would be preferable and easier on the nerves.

[Shogun]

Hi Folks,

 

For us Brits where our cruise includes get us to the ship this is not an issue, almost every cruise we do Princess gets flights that arrive just hour or two before we sail, as most are charter flights the ship will wait for us, if it does not then Princess have to get us to the ship or look after us.

 

yours Shogun

[gooch47]

TSA rules in the USA require that passenger lists be provided ahead of departure time. That might make a missed flight be in even more jeopardy.

 

I was advised recently by the Princess Insurance people to make sure you get information IN WRITING from the airline before you leave the airport after a delay that makes you miss a cruise. They said that trying to get them to provide that info afterward is like pulling teeth.

[Ray Higgs]

Thanks to everyone that responded to my posting. "Pam in CA" was right when she said that the airlines are always changing flight times. My flight was "booked" on Tuesday and by Sunday the scheduled arrival time was put back an hour to 4:30. This was a good thing as Princess would have had to redo the flights (they didn't know it was changed), but because I wanted to go the day before they still charged me a $75/passenger air deviation fee. Apparently it's $50 for a domestic flight and $75 for international and even though the flight I changed was domestic they said the $75 fee applied because the return flight was international. Apart from that, Princess customer service was great. Especially as they allowed me to make the change directly as my TA (the infamous Steven at cruisesnmore) didn't appear inclined to make the effort.

[TonyFred]

I think most folks that have cruised more than once or twice realize the need to come in a day early.

The couple of extra bucks for a hotel room and burning one more vacation day doesn't compare to the stress as you are sitting at the airport listening to them announce that your flight has been delayed...again....and you keep looking at your watch with a bead of sweat on your forehead....thinking about what will happen if you miss that ship....

Fly in a day early folks. It is so worth it.