9/1 Breakaway Terminating in New Orleans

[Son of a son of a ...]

5 minutes ago, Shoppie124 said:

I’m just off the Breakaway.  NCL has done the following:

 

1.  provided free airport transfers for all guests 

 

2. Provided chartered flights for those who needed to get back to Miami

 

3. Provided phones and computers so you could reschedule your own transportation 

 

Sounds like NCL stepped up with the charters.  Good!

[Mike_DeA]

18 hours ago, cruisinmeme said:

Well the whole picture is better than when Katrina hit New Orleans tearing out the whole port for. Year or so. Drowning most of the cars anywhere near New Orleans.  No ships brought people back there.  Galveston was a nightmare not too many years ago when a hurricane hit. The port wasn’t as bad but every car was flooded.  This is just two places i am aware of . So that being said i am just wondering how it is people still get on a cruise ship in peak hurricane season and expect perfection.

 

15 hours ago, vettprincess said:

how it is people still get on a cruise ship in peak hurricane season and expect perfection. can't say the word on here but dumb dumb dumb

Perfection? No.  But to be brought back to a port 1,000 miles from where you were scheduled to be?  That's a bit unexpected and I don't blame passengers for being upset.  It's not like they've been told they will be provided transportation back to Miami (if that's where they need/want to go).  Everyone has been on their own up to this point.

[Mike_DeA]

10 minutes ago, Shoppie124 said:

I’m just off the Breakaway.  NCL has done the following:

 

1.  provided free airport transfers for all guests 

 

2. Provided chartered flights for those who needed to get back to Miami

 

3. Provided phones and computers so you could reschedule your own transportation 

That's great to hear!

[PTC DAWG]

Is the ship going to sail back to Miami with zero passengers....?

 

Maybe they can't provision the ship properly to accommodate them on the trip back to Miami...I could see that being an issue.  

[ducklite]

20 hours ago, mafig said:

This is one thing that I have a problem with:

How can you go on a cruise during hurricane season and only bring enough perscription drugs for the length of the cruise?  

 

I don't take a lot of perscription drugs, but DH does and I am "in charge" of bringing them.  I always bring a few days more and if it was somewhere out of the country or somewhere during hurricane season I would certainly bring at least a weeks' more.

If the prescription was filled at a place like CVS, Walgreens, Target, etc., they should be able to get a weeks worth approved by the health insurance and dispensed by a local US based pharmacy.

That aside, I agree with you and always take at least an extra 7-10 days of medications when I travel.

[sassyshar]

Does anyone know if the POM (Port of Miami) is open for passengers to get their vehicles if they parked at the  terminal?  Unable to find information about the Port reopening.    Wishing all Breakaway and Sun passengers the best in this difficult situation.

[happiness is cruising]

Google it...looks like a NO

[Shoppie124]

28 minutes ago, PTC DAWG said:

Is the ship going to sail back to Miami with zero passengers....?

 

Maybe they can't provision the ship properly to accommodate them on the trip back to Miami...I could see that being an issue.  

I understand from the crew it’s going back to sea until Miami reopens 

[Rahi]

Port of Miami web cam... https://www.portmiamiwebcam.com/ 

[CharmCity2000]

45 minutes ago, ducklite said:

If the prescription was filled at a place like CVS, Walgreens, Target, etc., they should be able to get a weeks worth approved by the health insurance and dispensed by a local US based pharmacy.

That aside, I agree with you and always take at least an extra 7-10 days of medications when I travel.

I have struggled with this issue before.  My son is on ADHD meds which are considered a controlled substance. I  can only get refills within a certain number of days prior to my running out.  If I leave for the cruise prior to the refill date and I run out, I am up a creek.

 

I can't ask for a vacation override because I only get one per year and I need it for summer camp.  My CVS still requires the paper script to dispense the medications.  I know some independent pharmacies are allowing eScripts but having experienced this over the summer, it doesn't always work.  I had to Fedex my sons script to the local pharmacy a few hours before he arrived at camp.  It had been sent electronically a week prior.  I received email confirmation that they received the scripts.  The pharmacy called me the morning that he left to tell me there was an issue.

 

I don't know what I would do if we were stranded for more days than I had medication for.

[ducklite]

Just now, CharmCity2000 said:

I have struggled with this issue before.  My son is on ADHD meds which are considered a controlled substance. I  can only get refills within a certain number of days prior to my running out.  If I leave for the cruise prior to the refill date and I run out, I am up a creek.

 

I can't ask for a vacation override because I only get one per year and I need it for summer camp.  My CVS still requires the paper script to dispense the medications.  I know some independent pharmacies are allowing eScripts but having experienced this over the summer, it doesn't always work.  I had to Fedex my sons script to the local pharmacy a few hours before he arrived at camp.  It had been sent electronically a week prior.  I received email confirmation that they received the scripts.  The pharmacy called me the morning that he left to tell me there was an issue.

 

I don't know what I would do if we were stranded for more days than I had medication for.

My son was on them back in the day as well.  His doctor wrote a separate script for a 10 day supply, which I took to a different pharmacy then we regularly used, and paid for out of pocket.  it was a small enough amount that it didn't get picked up by "the system."   

[CharmCity2000]

7 minutes ago, ducklite said:

My son was on them back in the day as well.  His doctor wrote a separate script for a 10 day supply, which I took to a different pharmacy then we regularly used, and paid for out of pocket.  it was a small enough amount that it didn't get picked up by "the system."   

Thank you for sharing this idea.  I will try and get a small amount filled at an independent pharmacy.

[vettprincess]

1 hour ago, Mike_DeA said:

 

Perfection? No.  But to be brought back to a port 1,000 miles from where you were scheduled to be?  That's a bit unexpected and I don't blame passengers for being upset.  It's not like they've been told they will be provided transportation back to Miami (if that's where they need/want to go).  Everyone has been on their own up to this point.

You have to be brought to where a ship can dock. The cruise lines do not make the rules about port closures the port authority does. Certainly not many places to go since most ships leave from FL. Being upset gets nothing accomplished. Are you on the ship to actually hear what they are being told?  Just think about the poor people in Grand Bahama they have lost everything. Deviation on your trip is nothing compared to what those people have been through and are still going through. Enough said. 

 

[negn]

NCL also offering up to $300 pp for air changes which is good as NOLA to Albany NY was &407 pp.  Whereas from Fll was $135.  Just wonder what happens if you don’t have a refit card or enough line of credit to book the new tickets.   Also NCL did not charge service charges from Sunday and Monday.   Think under the circumstances they did well

[ducklite]

2 minutes ago, negn said:

NCL also offering up to $300 pp for air changes which is good as NOLA to Albany NY was &407 pp.  Whereas from Fll was $135.  Just wonder what happens if you don’t have a refit card or enough line of credit to book the new tickets.   Also NCL did not charge service charges from Sunday and Monday.   Think under the circumstances they did well

I wouldn't travel if I didn't have a credit card with a high credit limit or at least a CheckCard with no daily limit and at least five figures in the bank to cover unexpected costs.  

[Mike_DeA]

4 minutes ago, vettprincess said:

You have to be brought to where a ship can dock. The cruise lines do not make the rules about port closures the port authority does. Certainly not many places to go since most ships leave from FL. Being upset gets nothing accomplished. Are you on the ship to actually hear what they are being told?  Just think about the poor people in Grand Bahama they have lost everything. Deviation on your trip is nothing compared to what those people have been through and are still going through. Enough said. 

 

Enough said?  Does this mean we won't hearing from you again on this topic?  Please mean it.

 

If you're criteria about not being upset about things are that others are suffering, then I agree with you.  So let's just close down cruisecritic now.  No more complaining about the food.... many people go hungry every day around the world.  Price increases?  Feel lucky to be able to cruise in the first place, many cannot afford it.

[ColeThornton]

9 minutes ago, vettprincess said:

You have to be brought to where a ship can dock. The cruise lines do not make the rules about port closures the port authority does. Certainly not many places to go since most ships leave from FL. Being upset gets nothing accomplished. Are you on the ship to actually hear what they are being told?  Just think about the poor people in Grand Bahama they have lost everything. Deviation on your trip is nothing compared to what those people have been through and are still going through. Enough said. 

 

 

I doubt that any passenger or anyone reading these threads aren't aware and can empathize with what the people of those islands are going through, however the current focus and concern for the passengers is getting planes home or getting back to Miami to get their cars to drive home.  They have jobs to get back to, they have families they need to get home to and extra bills they will have to pay.

 

They can do nothing right now for the people being affected. They are their own priority right now and rightfully so.

 

And that is that.

[Mike_DeA]

21 minutes ago, ColeThornton said:

 

I doubt that any passenger or anyone reading these threads aren't aware and can empathize with what the people of those islands are going through, however the current focus and concern for the passengers is getting planes home or getting back to Miami to get their cars to drive home.  They have jobs to get back to, they have families they need to get home to and extra bills they will have to pay.

 

They can do nothing right now for the people being affected. They are their own priority right now and rightfully so.

 

And that is that.

Agree 1,000%  Well said.

[NLH Arizona]

2 hours ago, Shoppie124 said:

I’m just off the Breakaway.  NCL has done the following:

 

1.  provided free airport transfers for all guests 

 

2. Provided chartered flights for those who needed to get back to Miami

 

3. Provided phones and computers so you could reschedule your own transportation 

Glad to hear they stepped up on getting folks back to Miami.

[Heronymous]

For those that needed to get back to another airport, or who required a hotel to since flights were not available until the next day, they have done nothing. At least for myself and the rest of my family.  They did announce they'll pay up to $300 per person for "change fees" but no instructions how, and its unclear if that will cover our scenario of having to change airlines completely in order to get home. Not complaining, just reporting some facts.

[RedwingHockeyFan]

Maybe I'm a bit more easy going than some people or maybe I just haven't had to deal with a lot of these types of cruise issue but I think that I could deal with these problems if it meant I didn't have to sail/dock/disembark in a Cat 5 hurricane.

[DaCruiseBug]

Looks like there are 3 charter flights so far today from New Orleans to Miami with a total capacity of about 450-500 people.

[PTC DAWG]

No doubt, this would be a pain if you needed to be returned to MIA....safe travels to all.  

[herdingdogmom]

2 hours ago, Heronymous said:

For those that needed to get back to another airport, or who required a hotel to since flights were not available until the next day, they have done nothing. At least for myself and the rest of my family.  They did announce they'll pay up to $300 per person for "change fees" but no instructions how, and its unclear if that will cover our scenario of having to change airlines completely in order to get home. Not complaining, just reporting some facts.

You have to submit a "claim" for the $300 per person reimbursement via NCL's website.  Attach copies of airline tickets and I'd include the hotel receipt too and explain it was part of your returning home expenses.  Here's the link to the form.  https://www.ncl.com/case-submission  Unfortunately, it can take awhile to be processed and they usually mail a check which also takes some time.

[Heronymous]

2 hours ago, herdingdogmom said:

You have to submit a "claim" for the $300 per person reimbursement via NCL's website.  Attach copies of airline tickets and I'd include the hotel receipt too and explain it was part of your returning home expenses.  Here's the link to the form.  https://www.ncl.com/case-submission  Unfortunately, it can take awhile to be processed and they usually mail a check which also takes some time.

Ahh thank you for that. When I get home I have to make sure I check the process for the full refund they're supposed to give on the B2B they cancelled. The Breakaway was in New Orleans until 4pm local time. I heard its horn and looked out the window and got to see it sail away without us.