Missed Cruise Due to Delta Issue?

[ryano]

I hope cruisers did not miss their ship. Many fly/drive/arrive the day before to avoid unforeseen delays.

 

M

 

They interviewed a couple on our local ATL news that did in fact miss their cruise for their honeymoon. They blamed it on the cruiseline saying "the cruiseline wouldnt do anything for us" :o :rolleyes: I kid you not. Guessing they didnt purchase insurance

 

They were flying in a day early and still missed the cruise. They are still stuck at the airport. I think i would have rented a car at Hartsfield and drove to FL.

Edited August 9, 2016 by ryano

[Snit13]

This is so true. Even driving in it is a good idea to get there the day before and we do be it flying or driving.

 

On the way driving to our Enchantment cruise from North Carolina to Port Canaveral in March 2015 we were about a hour and a half out from Port Canaveral on I-95 when the traffic came to a slow crawl moving along at about 10 miles an hour. It took about 45 minutes to get to the next exit which was only a short distance away and at that exit they detoured everyone off the interstate. I had planned on getting to there and checking into our hotel at about 12:30 or so but we did not get there until almost 5:30 PM. This was the day before the cruise. If it had been the day of the cruise we would have missed the ship. We were looking at the local news later that evening and it turns out that there was a bad overturned bus accident with some college students on I-95 which called for detouring the traffic.

 

Exactly the point I made on an earlier post reply. When you are traveling in FL whether it be I95, I4, I75, Alligator Alley or Turnpke, you never know when you are going to hit a traffic backup due to construction, an accident and at times of the year heavy smoke.

 

Not worth it to me to miss my cruise. We head out day before.

[Big_G]

They interviewed a couple on our local ATL news that did in fact miss their cruise for their honeymoon. They blamed it on the cruiseline saying "the cruiseline wouldnt do anything for us" :o :rolleyes: I kid you not. Guessing they didnt purchase insurance

 

They were flying in a day early and still missed the cruise. They are still stuck at the airport. I think i would have rented a car at Hartsfield and drove to FL.

 

I'm shocked they wouldn't hold the ship. I mean it's their honeymoon for cryin' out loud! :D

Edited August 9, 2016 by Big_G

[Snit13]

Never had a problem with traffic to FLL but Miami yes. I was born in Miami and had a remote office in Hollywood. I know I95 and Turnpike can get backed up due to an accident. So far, all of our cruises have left on Sat/Sun so weekend traffic wasn't an issue. We use Waze to navigate around traffic and many options to exit and take other roads, local knowledge.

 

We used Waze to avoid DC traffic recently and it also recommended alternate routes. We never stopped once on our weekday excursions around DC and Philly.

 

DH grew up in Miami and graduated HS there and I taught in Miami for 24 years. It is not the Miami we knew as we have been gone since late 80's. Feb. cruise took over hour on Turnpike to just get out of FtL due to issues on Turnpike. You just never know.

 

Driving home from Marco Island last month we had to exit I75 south of Venice because road was closed. I always carry maps so was able to reroute us.

 

Cousin just moved from Ormond Beach (Plantation Bay) to NE of Atlanta.

[John&LaLa]

So what does Royal do if your airfare is booked through them?

 

International flight

[Clarea]

So what does Royal do if your airfare is booked through them?

 

International flight

They would put you on a different airline if they could.

[reedl]

Why not travel down two days before then? There might be an issue on the day before. Or even three days?

 

Why not just take up residence right next to the cruise ship terminal and then you can leave from your house and get on the ship? Wait you might have an issue with your house.

 

Look, A major percentage of people fly in the day of the cruise, and make the ship without issue. I would guess that for the population at large, it is much greater than 50%.

[ronandannette]

Absolutely plan to arrive a day ahead -- doesn't even have to be the whole day; you could come in late the evening before. But never, never -- unless you're local -- never, never travel "day of". If you don't have time to make it a day ahead, the cruise doesn't fit into your schedule.

 

Thanks for deciding that for me! :p It would probably be better if you just did whatever you think is best yourself, and leave the rest of us to our own devices.

 

FWIW - unless I specifically have something I want to do beforehand, I never arrive a day early for west-coast departures. We can very easily fly to Los Angeles, Seattle or Vancouver the day-of. We always book direct, the travel time varies from 1 - 3 hours and there are quite a few flights (on quite a few different airlines) per day that arrive in good time. I'm no more likely to miss a departure due to a "freak occurrence" than somebody traveling the day before.

 

:eek: We live so "close to the edge" that last year we even flew to Anchorage, with a connection in Seattle, the day-of for our Alaska cruise, and that one also required a 2 hour bus trip to Seward to board the ship. Did we make it? You'll have to read my ROTS review to know for sure!:D

Edited August 9, 2016 by ronandannette

[johnjen]

That would be painfully horrible! However....as MOST of us know in here - from the countless complaints we've seen on numerous threads - DO NOT FLY IN ON THE SAME DAY AS YOU SET SAIL.

[crusinthrough]

Absolutely plan to arrive a day ahead -- doesn't even have to be the whole day; you could come in late the evening before. But never, never -- unless you're local -- never, never travel "day of". If you don't have time to make it a day ahead, the cruise doesn't fit into your schedule.

 

 

This is an opinion not an absolute fact. A cruise does fit in other people schedule if they chose not to or cannot come in ahead.

 

You can just as easily purchase insurance to cover you instead of coming in a day early. Of course, you may miss some of your cruise this way.

[cjdixon4]

If you don't have time to make it a day ahead, the cruise doesn't fit into your schedule.

 

Nah, that's not a hard and fast rule. Hubby and I always come in a couple of days ahead of time, but that's our preference. A lot of folks I know arrive EARLY the day of, and have no challenges with their flight...but they're aware of the fact that "stuff happens". Sometimes good travel insurance helps in those extenuating circumstances. But to say that they shouldn't cruise if they don't have an extra day to spare, is a bit harsh.

[cjdixon4]

We always fly two days before. We always cruise in February and we live in Michigan.

A. We seem to always have to de-ice before takeoff

B. Last year we were the last flight out before Detroit airport shut down due to a blizzard.

C. It's usually sub zero temperatures in February - we love the two extra days in sunny Florida [emoji41]

 

We're from the Chi...exact same for us.

[whyrlygig]

Coming from Minnesota (where is can snow 7 months of the year) we ALWAYS fly in a day early. If an itinerary doesn't jive with that plan, we will pick a different cruise. Most likely the weather is delightful and the flight is on time but, if it isnt we have time for delays without all the boarding day stress of "will we make it on time".

[PCHENG]

I have a family of 4. I always fly in the day before cruise, but even that may not be enough in the Delta fiasco as there is no guarantee you will be able to get 4 seats on an alternate flight with another airline. Maybe I should arrive 2 days prior, that way if the flight gets cancelled I have a little more time to work with, and can even drive down to Florida as a last resort.

Edited August 9, 2016 by PCHENG

[MrsKC08]

Exactly!!! I'm in Orlando, and the only ports we do same day are TAmpa and Orlando. FLL is four hours away. I NEVER risk it. I would be way too stressed out to fly same day, we've had disasters both times we did so.

 

I hope Delta compensates any pax that were put out by this delay. I'm sure we will unfortunately hear about interrupted vacation plans.... missing the ship is a huge dissapointment:mad:

 

I can't tell you how many times we have driven from Orlando (actually Ocala area where my dad lives) to FLL the same day a ship sails and would do it again without hesitation. The point is to give yourself plenty of time. We normally leave out by 6am and have breakfast and are usually onboard by noon at the latest...and most ships don't even sail out until 4pm or later. Why would I spend the money for a hotel in Ft. Lauderdale when I can drive the same day.

As for traffic, I spent 27 years living in Orlando, FL and know exactly how traffic can be (can be the same here in Nashville and Charlotte, NC where I have lived). You just give yourself cushion time.

[OCruisers]

When driving, we have no problem stopping along the way and driving 3 or 4 hours to the port the next day. :)

[Eggfrmr]

We live on the West coast of BC, Canda. We are cruising out of Orlando in Oct. It will take us 3 flights with the first one leaving at 5:45 am, and the final one getting us to Orlando at 8:45 pm. Because so many things could go sideways with an itinerary like this, we chose to fly out 2 days before embarkation day. At best we have a full day to enjoy Orlando. If things go wrong, hopefully the extra day will ensure that we make the cruise.

 

Sent from my LG-H812 using Tapatalk

[grandgeezer]

Absolutely plan to arrive a day ahead -- doesn't even have to be the whole day; you could come in late the evening before. But never, never -- unless you're local -- never, never travel "day of". If you don't have time to make it a day ahead, the cruise doesn't fit into your schedule.

 

The key is my schedule. I determine what fits into it. This post sounds like it came from someone who was burnt once. Until I do, if ever, the same day works just fine.

[land lover]

So what does Royal do if your airfare is booked through them?

 

International flight

 

and catch you up to the next port if u miss the ship.......last Nov. we did a B2B out of Venice and 2 unusual things occurred during that period KLM had a strike the day before our cruise left and the next week Paris had a terrorist attack. Many pax caught up with our ship in different ports and those that did, had RCI air.

Edited August 9, 2016 by land lover

[land lover]

We live on the West coast of BC, Canda. We are cruising out of Orlando in Oct. It will take us 3 flights with the first one leaving at 5:45 am, and the final one getting us to Orlando at 8:45 pm. Because so many things could go sideways with an itinerary like this, we chose to fly out 2 days before embarkation day. At best we have a full day to enjoy Orlando. If things go wrong, hopefully the extra day will ensure that we make the cruise.

 

Sent from my LG-H812 using Tapatalk

 

You really have no choice....because of the time change.

 

I live in Orange County, CA...I would prefer to fly out of SNA rather than LAX. However at SNA(OC) there is a moratorium on flights from 11pm to 7am.....So if I want to fly in the same day as my cruise on the East Coast I must do a red eye out of LAX and do a stop over so I don't arrive way to early in FLL. My return is always to SNA cuz I gain those hours lost...

 

So with the 3 hour time change this would dictate a lot of west coasters flying in early......But i don't and it works for me.....

 

I have a cruise in 3 weeks I am doing a red eye with a layover in TX landing at FLL 11am, the day of the cruise I might be eating my words....lol there is always a first time, not making it after 50+ cruises.

 

 

Enjoy.....

Edited August 9, 2016 by land lover

[MrsPete]

I don't see the point in being so adamant about an issue that you feel is an absolute to you, therefore everyone should feel the same way. Sure, there is risk to traveling the day of a cruise departure. Yet thousands of people do so, and most of the time it works out fine. Occasionally it doesn't. If you understand there is a risk, and you are willing to take that risk, then there is no problem with flying the day of a cruise.

A whole slew of cruise-related things are opinions, or have multiple good answers ... but other things are indeed absolutes. That is, they're things that all smart cruisers do; for example:

 

- Pack plenty of sunscreen and any over-the-counter meds that you're likely to use.

- Double check your identification and cruise documents immediately before leaving home.

- Attend your muster drill, even if you've done it before.

 

Arriving the night before -- unless you're a local -- even if it's late -- falls solidly into this category. For most of us, missing our long-awaited cruise would be a disaster (both emotionally and financially), and traveling late the night before is a simple, inexpensive way to secure ourselves against this possibility.

[Paul65]

A whole slew of cruise-related things are opinions, or have multiple good answers ... but other things are indeed absolutes. That is, they're things that all smart cruisers do; for example:

 

- Pack plenty of sunscreen and any over-the-counter meds that you're likely to use.

- Double check your identification and cruise documents immediately before leaving home.

- Attend your muster drill, even if you've done it before.

 

Arriving the night before -- unless you're a local -- even if it's late -- falls solidly into this category. For most of us, missing our long-awaited cruise would be a disaster (both emotionally and financially), and traveling late the night before is a simple, inexpensive way to secure ourselves against this possibility.

 

Actually, no, it doesn't fall solidly in that category. This is one instance in which you think more of your opinion than it's really worth. It's not a bad idea to fly in a day early, but if that doesn't fit your schedule, it's certainly not a must. Thousands of people fly in same day every week. It mostly works out fine.

 

Saying that it's something "all smart cruisers do" is just a way of trying to insult other cruisers who don't feel the same way you do. I would say what I really think of that, but it would only get deleted. :cool:

[MrsPete]

The key is my schedule. I determine what fits into it. This post sounds like it came from someone who was burnt once. Until I do, if ever, the same day works just fine.

Nope, never been burned ... also not taking the chance.

[time4u2go]

Actually, no, it doesn't fall solidly in that category. This is one instance in which you think more of your opinion than it's really worth. It's not a bad idea to fly in a day early, but if that doesn't fit your schedule, it's certainly not a must. Thousands of people fly in same day every week. It mostly works out fine.

 

Saying that it's something "all smart cruisers do" is just a way of trying to insult other cruisers who don't feel the same way you do. I would say what I really think of that, but it would only get deleted. :cool:

Very true.

 

The only thing in MrsPete's list that's an absolute is attending the muster drill, because it's required by law. To state that any of the other things MrsPete listed is an "absolute" is ridiculous.

[WpgCruise]

A whole slew of cruise-related things are opinions,

 

You do understand that your opinion to fly in a day early is simply that, your opinion right ?

 

Other people have a different opinion, and I trust you agree that you would want them to respect your position, so why not respect theirs ?