Nervous we'll miss the ship

[Gonzo70]

No direct experience with this but there is a law called the Jones Act which places limitations on which ports the ship can board passengers

if the ship goes from one U.S. port to another without stopping in a foreign port in between. This may mean you can't board in St. Thomas and St. Croix.

 

St. Thomas and St. Croix are not under the PVSA - it is only the 50 states.

[Cuizer2]

No direct experience with this but there is a law called the Jones Act which places limitations on which ports the ship can board passengers

if the ship goes from one U.S. port to another without stopping in a foreign port in between. This may mean you can't board in St. Thomas and St. Croix.

 

It is the Passenger Vessel Services Act (not the Jones Act) and it does not apply to US territories the same way it applies to a US state. Thus someone can board the ship in St. Thomas and disembark in San Juan without violating the PVSA.

[JWestShuh]

I checked with Royal Caribbean and they said I could join the ship in St. Thomas. I also read over our travel insurance and they will reimburse us up to $1000 if we need to fly to meet the ship if our flight is delayed 3 hours or more. I am feeling much better about this.

[Adri204]

I dont think its scare tactics to erge you to try and book an earlier flight. I fly all the time and inveriably sometimes thier is a delay. That is why im going in a day early. Its worth the peace of mind. I get your on a tight schedule but hopefully you can sort this all out. I would hate for you to miss any of the cruise you paid for.

 

Adri :)

[dodgersmom]

Just this past February, DH and I were sailing Serenade out of San Juan. We always fly the day before and it saved our butts this time.

 

Hour delay out of Dallas due to mechanical issues caused us to miss our connection in Miami. We got to the gate just as they were pulling the jetway in. Rebooked us on the next flight 90 minutes later. That flight was delayed 2 hours due to another mechanical issue and having to get us a new plane.

 

Finally arrived in San Juan at 5pm instead of the scheduled 2:30. After the wait to get our luggage, we would not have made the ship.

 

If there is any way to fly in the day before, do it.

[frommichigan]

I am from Michigan and we fly out of Grand Rapids. I am not sure what airport you are going out of but when you book your flights this early they generally change the flight times at least once between now and the day you are flying out. One time it changed by 2 hours. For you that would be a tragedy since you only have a four hour window. Also remember that unlike the east coast states we get a lot more snow due to lake effect. Hope everything works out. As one fellow Michigan traveler to another I would try and see if you can adjust the flight times.

 

Amanda

[temple1]

I'm glad the OP has decided to rethink her flight plans. It also won't hurt if DH checks with his profs about taking an exam early if need be.

 

My DH spent quite a few quality hours in Atlanta, Charleston, St Louis and a variety of other airports last year. It wasn't even winter and he had many many delays. One of his favorites was a Sunday he spent about 12 hours enjoying the sights of Atlanta's airport.