Oh No - Tropical Storm Katrina

[legalcruiser]

Is scheduled to make landfall on Friday am. Our flight lands in FLL at 4:20. Everyone please think good thoughts and maybe the flights won't be cancelled!

[woodofpine]

Soft tummied DW and others on the OLDy - Regal Empress 20GTand 600 feet of wimpy 1953 transatlantic muscle! Get On Dear!!

 

Girls - thats why they call it LABOR DAY :)

[massagegirl]

I wish you luck. Make sure to keep watching the news so if you need to change flights you do it fast. I think the ports are closed today nd tomorrow. Can you switch you flight now? Take the first flight out Sat morning?

[Coolmama_1]

Here we go again! My thoughts and prayers go out to all travelers.

[Lillykat]

Maybe you could try to call and see if you can either get out early (today) or Saturday morning. Good luck - we were locked into sailing in August this year and last year - and were constantly checking the weather with storms around but never affecting us.

 

We could only travel these times due to our schedules - but unless we are forced to travel again during hurricane season we will probably not take the chance again as our luck could only hold out so long.

 

Call the airlines - as they will often change you for free when they are certain flights will become a problem. Also - if you call now you will have a better shot at another flight - than if you wait for all the others to rebook.

[legalcruiser]

Just changed flight to Jacksonville for tomorrow. We are renting a car and will drive down.

[Northender]

Good move:) Did the airlines let you change without penalty?

 

Have a wonderful trip.:) :)

[kryos]

We could only travel these times due to our schedules - but unless we are forced to travel again during hurricane season we will probably not take the chance again as our luck could only hold out so long.

 

Call the airlines - as they will often change you for free when they are certain flights will become a problem. Also - if you call now you will have a better shot at another flight - than if you wait for all the others to rebook.

I agree. Friends of mine got stuck in Fort Lauderdale last Labor Day Weekend because of Hurricane Francis. Our ship was 2.5 days late getting into port so pretty much everyone onboard missed their flights. They had to wait a couple of days to get a flight out. She is a radio host in Chicago who had to scramble to do her show remotely from the Fort Lauderdale hotel. I was extremely lucky in that I was scheduled for a b2b anyway ... with HAL flights ... and had not a worry in the world since I wasn't scheduled to fly back to Philly until the following Saturday morning (September 11th) :( anyway.

 

But I remember thinking ... never again. Hurricane season is a very chancey time to cruise ... or travel at all within those regions. If you can possibly do it, find somewhere else to cruise (other than the Caribbean) if you absolutely are forced to travel within that timeframe.

 

There's good reason why several of the cruiselines are pulling their ships out of the Caribbean during the summer starting next year.

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita

[RM]

Not sure how well your drive down will go..........I'm driving tomorrow and staying at a hotel tomorrow night as well. We live in FL but we always drive down earlier since you never know what will happen. Not sure what time we'll start out but you can be sure the weather will be on in our home early tomorrow AM.

 

Glad you were able to change your flights and will at least get to FL unlike any who missed their ships last year.

[lindanick]

Ft Lauderdale airport is closing down tonight at 700pm. So is Miami. Its up in the air as to when it will reopen. That was a smart move to fly into JAX. :cool:

[dolfinmusic]

Good luck! I am sailing on the CB in 2 weeks and will be holding my breath!!! Hope all goes well! :)

[HumanCookie]

http://porteverglades.poweri.com/dev/site/pub/port/news_breakingnews.htm?bnews=1&newsid=20

 

KATRINA UPDATE

August 25, 2005

Port Everglades remains open for port businesses to prepare for the storm. Petroleum companies continue to operate. Marine facilities cannot accept cargo at this time. The U.S. Coast Guard has restricted ships from coming into the port as of Wednesday night.

 

Cruise passengers should call their cruise lines for updated schedule changes. Contact cargo lines for shipping information and deliveries.

 

Broward County governmental offices are closed except for essential personnel and operations.

 

Updated storm information is available as follows:

 

Call 954-523-3404 for recorded information on the main Port Everglades phone line Updates are posted on the Port Everglades web site at http://www.broward.org/port "BREAKING NEWS" Broward County Hurricane Hotline 954-831-4000

 

 

 

PORT OF MIAMI IS CLOSED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE.

 

NO NEWS ABOUT PORT CANAVERAL.

[Pam in CA]

http://porteverglades.poweri.com/dev/site/pub/port/news_breakingnews.htm?bnews=1&newsid=20

 

PORT OF MIAMI IS CLOSED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE.

 

NO NEWS ABOUT PORT CANAVERAL.

Thanks for the info. Good thing Princess doesn't leave from Miami (or Port Canaveral). The website from that article for Port Everglades would be of more interest to Princess cruisers: http://www.broward.org/port > Breaking News

 

Here's the update to that site:

 

Port Everglades is closed to ship traffic and cargo truck traffic, with the exception of petroleum deliveries, by order of the U.S. Coast Guard. All port businesses should finish storm preparations and leave the port by 5 p.m. this evening, Thursday, August 25. It is the Coast Guard's intention to reopen the port to inbound ships as soon as possible after the storm has passed. Cruise passengers should call their cruise lines for updated schedule changes. Contact cargo lines for shipping information and deliveries.

 

Broward County governmental offices are closed except for essential personnel and operations. Port Everglades Department employees are expected to call in to the Port's main number for instructions between 8-9 a.m. on Friday, August 26.

[legalcruiser]

Called Princess and they have not made any itinerary changes re CB.

 

I am a little worried that the flooding may make the drive down somewhat precarious but I thought it was better than risking a late flight on Saturday. Especially since the majority of flights are cancelled today and likely tomorrow and there will be major backlog on Saturday.

 

Jacksonville is only 6 hours away so even if we can't leave until Saturday because of the flooding, we will still be able to make it to the port.

 

Good luck to everyone!

[Pam in CA]

You've done the right thing. Cruise News Daily reported last night that a couple of Carnival cruises due in Miami tomorrow have been kept at sea until Saturday, and there are a couple of RCI cruises affected, both due in Miami tomorrow. In checking the forecast, it looks as though the worst will be past FLL early tomorrow morning which will affect flights to FLL tomorrow but shouldn't affect the cruise ships arriving on Saturday.

[CruiseFever]

Our local news agrees. Port Everglades should be good to go by then.

[GottoCruise]

Just received an e-mail for $99 2-night Carnival Imagination cruise out of Miami leaving on Sat. :confused:

 

I'd mention it to Lyman but I think he'd scream at me since I still haven't unpacked the luggage from the Golden - it's sitting in the middle of the living room !

 

Sounds like fun though - we could drive down to Miami with some friends and party for 2 nights!! :D

 

Maybe????

[DrD]

I couldn't take that kind of stress, that's why I never book in the heart of hurricane season! November 1 is the cutoff for me, then May 31 on the other end. Most of my cruises are in March or November.

 

All I have to worry about is the airport here in Denver being snowed in!

[woodofpine]

Well THESE American Idiots haven't cancelled their Ft. Lauderdale show Friday night. So - the dad/me is under great pressure (to which I will succumb; after all this is my daughters birthday present to me/her) to drive this tribe of American Idiots through the thing - since "the show MUST go on!"

 

Actually, we've seen one of the bigger initial "bands" and this is not a Charley/Ivan sort of storm. There are hurricanes and then there are HURRICANES! Earlier today, Imperial Majesty's site indicated that Empress is sailing to Nassau tommorow (take the Dramamine!)

[Iamthesea]

This thread is not about whether you need a passport or not...because you don't...yet. You can still travel with your certified birth certificate. However, if you were going to travel with your passport only, then per Princess, your passport needs to be up to date and good for at least 6 months from end of travel.

 

I am just telling you what is on our pre document paper and what Princess told my Dad. We all know that if someone else calls, they are likely to get a different answer. Perhaps this is something new with Princess. Perhaps they are jumping the gun and have started handing out this paper before it is needed. Who knows! However, my parents are not going to take a chance after being told from two different Princess sources that they need an updated passport now. ;)

 

PS - I have heard that you are not allowed to fly unless your passport is good for another 6 months. Seems like there was a thread on Cruise Critic a few months ago about a young lady that was denied boarding on a domestic (it may have been international or it may have been her drivers license - Does anyone remember?) flight because it expired in less than 6 months from her return.

 

That was smart! I will keep it in mind when we cruise mid October. Did the airline charge you a change fee?

[woodofpine]

Despite all the media, this storm has every liklihood of being out of of the east of FLL by mid-day Friday, with possible sunny skies! on the east coast. :)

[legalcruiser]

I hope so woodofpine. We love FLL and I am so sad that I won't be able to cruise down the intercoastal in a water taxi!

 

Good luck at the concert tomorrow. You are a great dad!

 

Iamthesea - We actually booked flights out of Jacksonville and still kept our Fort Lauderdale reservations just in case. We have one person coming from ATL on Airtran. Luckily, Airtran cancelled their flights so we were refunded there. Our southwest flights (from New Orleans and Philly) will be converted to future credits unless those flights are cancelled as well. We took a hit on the plane tickets but it will all be worth it once we board the CB on Saturday.

[DrD]

Well THESE American Idiots haven't cancelled their Ft. Lauderdale show Friday night. So - the dad/me is under great pressure (to which I will succumb; after all this is my daughters birthday present to me/her) to drive this tribe of American Idiots through the thing - since "the show MUST go on!"

 

Actually, we've seen one of the bigger initial "bands" and this is not a Charley/Ivan sort of storm. There are hurricanes and then there are HURRICANES! Earlier today, Imperial Majesty's site indicated that Empress is sailing to Nassau tommorow (take the Dramamine!)

 

The same kind of American idiot that crossed the Rockies to settle the West.

 

The same kind of American idiot that went to the moon.

 

The same kind of American idiot that came here in the first place.

 

GO FOR IT and Godspeed!