HELP: Missed connection coverage

[MKESail]

Hi, all.

 

Just booked our Alaska cruise on board RCI's Jewel of the Seas next month from Seattle as well as the flight. We ARE flying in the day of the cruise, yes, I know, a big no-no, but flying in before was not an option :-( I did not use ChoiceAir, because they do not offer any direct flights from our airport and since we are flying the day of I did not want to have the connection in between there too adding in more risk for flight delays, etc. So we are scheduled to arrive at noon which is good, we are still making it in that case, RCI's latest arrival time was 12:45 they told me. I will be adding RCI's airport transfers as well later. I've tried insurance shopping and they all have 3 hour minimum until missed connection coverage kicks in. Well, in our case, we could be 2 hour late and miss the ship in which case we are SCREWED. :mad: I spoke to several places (Travelguard, Travelex, Insuremytrip.com, tripinsurancestore.com to name a few) - they do not offer anything else, all their policies have that 3 hour minimum.

Anyways, I was just hoping someone here would have a word of advice for me for this situation.

 

Thank you!

[cherylandtk]

MKE Sail,

Unfortunately there is not a policy out there to cover you. Even if there was a policy it would not help with your itinerary (maybe a silver lining?). If you should miss the departure in Seattle, you would not be able to board the ship at a later port because all but the last night (Victoria) are US ports and that violates the PVSA. So you are looking at all or nothing.

 

I know you said you cannot travel earlier to Seattle, but that is the only 'insurance' available to you.

 

Best option for you I can think of is to pack three days of outfits in a carryon and plan on taking a taxi instead of the cruiseline shuttle. That way if there is a shortish delay you can bypass baggage claim, run to the taxi and make it on the ship. Once at the ship you can tell them your bag is still back at baggage claim and they can forward it to Juneau where it will meet you two days later. Make sure to keep your claim checks, put on the cruiseline baggage tag BEFORE you leave home, and take several pictures of your (hopefully uniquely marked) luggage on your phone. Good Luck.

 

eta-it wouldn't hurt to make some fully refundable Plan B reservations in Seattle and/or Vancouver, either. JIC. RCI Cruise Care insurance allows cancellation at any time up until departure and gives a 75% credit (not cash).

Edited July 9, 2015 by cherylandtk

[zoncom]

Can you not come in prior day, maybe SouthWest, stay at affordable hostel/hotel ?? Try Green Tortise Hostel by the Market.You are cutting it way too close.You could blow the whole cruise. As reported here, you will not be allowed on at subsequent port due to Maritme law.

Edited July 9, 2015 by zoncom

[MKESail]

Thank you for all your help :)

zoncom,

No, we cannot fly the day before because of work, so that's why I got the only direct flight that leaves the morning of, which actually is Southwest.

 

cherylandtk,

 

Thank you so much, that is a good point, I totally forgot about PVSA, so then if we do miss the ship, I guess I shouldn't even bother trying to make it to Alaska, but just head home instead :( Yes, packing those several days worth of clothing into our carry-on is a great idea, I will do that, and I will definitely take pictures of the luggage. But you think taxi will be faster than RCI's transfer? I just thought the sooner RCI people see us at the airport, the better. Not that the ship is going to wait for us, of course :(

[sitraveler]

I believe the "you cannot get on the cruise" advise is wrong. You could get to Juneau and join the cruise there. The Jones Act states you must stop at a non US port, that's Canada and towards the end of your cruise. Insurance might not cover because of the 3 hour business, you would be responsible for hotels and the flights, but not all would be lost.

[HawksFan74]

Based on your user name, I assume you are flying from Milwaukee. It's probably too late since you already booked your flight, but I would suggest driving to O'Hare to catch an earlier flight. Alaska Airlines has a 6:15 am flight that arrives in SEA at 8:40. American has one at 7:10, arriving at 9:45. Those flights would give you a little more cushion in case of any delays.

[cherylandtk]

I believe the "you cannot get on the cruise" advise is wrong. You could get to Juneau and join the cruise there. The Jones Act states you must stop at a non US port, that's Canada and towards the end of your cruise. Insurance might not cover because of the 3 hour business, you would be responsible for hotels and the flights, but not all would be lost.

While you are correct that a nearby foreign port must be included on an itinerary for a Round Trip cruise, this is no longer a Round Trip cruise if the departure is missed in Seattle. The PVSA prohibits transport of passengers between one U.S. Port and another U.S. Port unless a defined, distant foreign port is on the itinerary. There is no catching up to the ship by boarding in Juneau and returning to Seattle.

[MKESail]

HawksFan74

 

Yes, we are flying from Milwaukee, and yes, it is too late, the Southwest flight is booked. :(

 

This is what I found in here: http://www.cbp.gov/sites/default/files/documents/pvsa_icp_3.pdf

 

It is important to note that a cruise itinerary may be compliant with the PVSA, but a

passenger that disembarks at a port other than those designated as part of a compliant

itinerary may still cause the vessel/carrier to violate the PVSA depending on where the

passenger embarked and disembarked. For example, a passenger that embarks in

Seattle, Washington on a round trip itinerary that includes Alaska and disembarks early

in Juno, Alaska will cause the vessel/carrier to violate the PVSA, regardless of the

reason for the early departure from the cruise ship.

[cruiseryyc]

Not quite understanding - you are on a direct flight but trying to get insurance that covers missed connection; if you're on a direct flight, there isn't a connection to miss.

[zoncom]

Cheryl and Hawks correct. If the only SW flight fails how will you fly? As I understand SW does not have an alliance with any other line. My last 2 warm weather flites were both canceled, Miami, which finally left 5 hrs late and Aspen which never flew, resulting in limo to Denver missing my International and hotel overnight in Denver.Luckily I was flying a day early out of DEN. Think you can cancel SW and use it as a future flight credit.

Edited July 9, 2015 by zoncom

[cherylandtk]

Thank you for all your help :)But you think taxi will be faster than RCI's transfer? I just thought the sooner RCI people see us at the airport, the better. Not that the ship is going to wait for us, of course :(

I think a taxi is going to be much faster. If you arrive on time it may not matter either way, but if you arrive late, it definitely will. No wasted time finding the clipboard lady in baggage claim, no worries if the bus is already gone and they have to call another, you will already have the RCI in-transit delay number pre-programmed into your phone and you can make that call (hey, I'm at Seatac and getting into a cab in five minutes!) while the plane is taxiing to the gate, well before the clipboard lady can.

 

I know of cases where the clipboard lady grabbed late arrivals, shoved them into a taxi and yelled GO! The luggage was gathered at the carousel and forwarded, but the oblivious travelers assumed there was no need to rush even if the ship was scheduled to depart in 30 minutes because 'we booked everything with the cruiseline so they would wait for us'. :rolleyes: I know you know better than that, so plan on the taxi. His only job will be to get you to the ship fast.

 

With a taxi, you can probably make it on time even if your plane is two hours late.

[MKESail]

Not quite understanding - you are on a direct flight but trying to get insurance that covers missed connection; if you're on a direct flight, there isn't a connection to miss.

 

Sorry, that's probably the wrong technical term "missed connection" can only happen if there is a connection to miss :)

My point is, if we miss the ship because of late flight.

[cherylandtk]

In most policies, missed connection applies to Common Carrier connections, which both the airline and cruiseline are. But as noted earlier, it's a moot point as the time limit of three hours won't be met.

 

As for Southwest, yes they do have very generous (no cost ) rebooking rules, and this would have to be MKE's call, but I think there is a 6:00 flight with one stop arriving at 10:45. No plane change, but yea, you are gonna worry about that one stop until the plane is in the air. Is it worth the extra 1:15? To me it would be, especially with the PVSA limitation.

 

As for insurance, depends on your needs, but I think there is a certain helpfulness in having the cruiseline Any Reason Credit available up until 3:59 pm day of sailing. Assuming you could use it within a year, and the cost is sensible.

 

Eta-Check the policy before purchasing however. I seem to recall limits on cruiseline insurance coverages after final payment. I'm not familiar with RCI's policies.

Edited July 9, 2015 by cherylandtk

[MKESail]

cherylandtk,

 

Thank you so much for all the advice :)

[donaldsc]

May be too late at this time but are there any airports fairly close (within a few hours drive) to where you live that you can drive to that give you better arrival time? Maybe a red eye?

 

DON