Missed the Millennium today - Reminder to NEVER fly on the day of the cruise!

[DallasGuy75219]

1 hour ago, Tapi said:

Cruises from St. Maarten pose their own set of challenges. I’ve repeatedly read that if you miss the cruise in St. Maarten, you’re not allowed to join it at the next port of call. If someone knows for sure, hopefully they can chime in. 

From Celebrity's Healthy at Sea FAQs (www.celebritycruises.com/healthy-at-sea/faqs):

 

If I'm denied boarding at the pier or arrive late, can I board the ship at the next port? 

No, due to the specific boarding day processes required to evaluate the health of everyone onboard, we cannot have guests join the cruise downline once the sailing has embarked. 

[George C]

21 minutes ago, DallasGuy75219 said:

That's why I also suggested travel insurance if she hadn't already bought it.

I didn’t take insurance for about my first 50 cruises,but for last 20 always have insurance. 

[DallasGuy75219]

5 hours ago, Sox Fan Cruiser said:

This time we have a direct flight from Boston to SXM on the day of because when we booked it, they said you had to go right from the airport to the ship (St. Maarten COVID regulations) and could not stay overnight.  Is that not true now?  We arrive at noon and the ship leaves at 10. 

Nothing stopping you from staying overnight as long as you buy Sint Maarten's required COVID insurance when your submit your health visa application in EHAS.  They don't require the insurance if you are flying in the same day as embarkation and flying out the same day as debarkation. 

 

However flying in early also increases the likelihood of needing separate COVID tests to fly into SXM and board the ship, depending on what testing options are available where you live and your level of comfort in depending on a quick turnaround for testing results.

Edited June 20, 2021 by DallasGuy75219

[abbydancer2003]

13 minutes ago, DallasGuy75219 said:

Nothing stopping you from staying overnight as long as you buy Sint Maarten's required COVID insurance when your submit your health visa application in EHAS.  They don't require the insurance if you are flying in the same day as embarkation and flying out the same day as debarkation. 

 

However flying in early also increases the likelihood of needing separate COVID tests to fly into SXM and board the ship, depending on what testing options are available where you live and your level of comfort in depending on a quick turnaround for testing results.

We're on 7/31 and unless something changes in the next 5 weeks, I'll be doing two tests, a day apart.

[DallasGuy75219]

 

1 minute ago, abbydancer said:

We're on 7/31 and unless something changes in the next 5 weeks, I'll be doing two tests, a day apart.

I'm on the week before, flying in on the Friday.  Unless I can confirm that Celebrity will accept the ID NOW molecular test as RT-PCR (which Sint Maarten will), and unless requirements change between now and then, I'll be getting a send-out PCR test and ID NOW test both on the Wednesday before.

[graphicguy]

8 minutes ago, abbydancer said:

We're on 7/31 and unless something changes in the next 5 weeks, I'll be doing two tests, a day apart.

On 7/31, also.  That's my plan, too!

[helen haywood]

I remember a time awhile back when , I think it was San Juan, the port authorities closed the port early due to an approaching storm.  Royal and Carnival ships had to set sail before their scheduled departure times.

[graphicguy]

9 minutes ago, helen haywood said:

I remember a time awhile back when , I think it was San Juan, the port authorities closed the port early due to an approaching storm.  Royal and Carnival ships had to set sail before their scheduled departure times.

That would be a tough departure decision.  I'll assume all passengers who had reservations were on board.  If not, and they sailed BEFORE their previously scheduled departure time, and some were on time to the pier, but left behind. people are getting a full refund.

 

[helen haywood]

No, all passengers were not onboard.  Ships had to depart two or three hours before scheduled.  I think fine print in cruise contract says if they have to make changes due to weather or port authorities they can.  And you are on your own to catch up to them.  (Of course, this would not apply on these covid specific cruises.)

[Tapi]

39 minutes ago, helen haywood said:

I remember a time awhile back when , I think it was San Juan, the port authorities closed the port early due to an approaching storm.  Royal and Carnival ships had to set sail before their scheduled departure times.

I remember reading a similar story with a Royal Caribbean ship on a stop in Nassau. Ship had to depart early due tu an approaching storm and the impending port closure. Several passengers were left behind. Thankfully I don’t read stories like that often which means these scenarios are rare, but it’s still food for thought and good to know that it can happen. 

Edited June 20, 2021 by Tapi

[helen haywood]

https://miami.cbslocal.com/2011/08/23/cruise-passengers-left-at-san-juan-port-due-to-hurricane-irene/

[Bo1953]

3 hours ago, SunsetPoint said:

 

Our MOA is to ALWAYS have travel insurance.  However, it only covers the financial side, not the stress and disappointment of missing a cruise you've been planning and anticipating.  😪

With the right policy/company in play, one might be able to catch the ship at the next convenient port.

 

bon voyage

[lostchild]

I think the new rule should be get there 2 days or more ahead of the cruise.   I know 2 groups of relatives flying from west coast to east coast in the last 3 weeks.   First one have their flight delayed for 8 hours and didn't arrive until 26 hours later because they missed the connection and had to stay at a hotel overnight.   Second group had their flight cancelled completely and the rescheduled flight was 2 days later.

[sofietucker]

4 hours ago, Reel Love said:

Hello sofietucker.  Quick question per  your description of Charlotte airport.....what is a minimum time that you would you recommend as a layover at CLT between flights to safely connect (assuming no extremely unusual issues)?  Thank you in advance....... 

Hey there. I would give it no less than about 2 hours, depending on your destination and how fast you like to move (with a carryon, I prefer a stroll, with time for ladies room, etc).

 

If you're arriving in the international hall on say, Air Canada, and flying out to a "big" airport--or internationally to elsewhere--you'll probably be fine, one or two concourses over. They have people movers, etc., and it's all on one level. Scroll down here for several types of maps. Their comments are overly optimistic, IMO: https://upgradedpoints.com/travel/airports/charlotte-douglas-clt-international-airport/ 

 

But if you're heading to or from a smaller place like Tampa (and therefore maybe on a smaller plane like the American Eagle--Charlotte is a hub for American Airlines), you'll likely arrive or fly out from the concourse allll the way at the other end (E).

We have had to run down the halls any number of times...

 

And I realize it's unlikely for where you may be flying, but some planes park out on the tarmac at E and you deplane down the stairs, grab your carryon and march across the pavement...

Edited June 20, 2021 by sofietucker

[Reel Love]

51 minutes ago, sofietucker said:

Hey there. I would give it no less than about 2 hours, depending on your destination and how fast you like to move (with a carryon, I prefer a stroll, with time for ladies room, etc).

 

Thank you so very much!!!!  😊    Truly appreciate the info as I have never been through CLT and I am directionally challenged/get lost VERY easily, lol.  Just flying with carry-ons/backpacks on American Airlines - departing Toronto to CLT then on to Savannah.  Again, much appreciation for taking the time to respond!  (Sorry everyone for diverting a bit from the thread)

[SeaHunt]

22 hours ago, Tapi said:

Not me, but I witnessed as a 78 year old lady, traveling by herself this morning to St. Maarten to board the Millennium, missed her connection, with zero chance to make it there before the ship sails tonight. 😢
 

It absolutely broke my heart, just thinking about all the preparations, and anticipation after so many months without cruising, go down the drain.

 

So I just wanted to throw this out there, and remind everybody to never fly on the same day of the cruise, no matter how many times you’ve done it without issues, or how many backup flights there are, etc, etc. 

 

The post referred to upthread about someone else also missing a Millennium sailing was by @tljordan444 on the thread below (page 28 post #699)

 

They said "Unfortunately we were also in Charlotte 3 hours before boarding and did not make it. It was total chaos at the airport with no help at all from AA. We called Celebrity Air after we missed the flight at 9:53am to see if there was another option and after being put on hold and back and forth we were told no. It was now 11:12am.

I then called my TA and she was able to find another flight at 12:30 which was delayed until 12:53. She was speaking to AA and myself and got us a seat. So we went back to the AA agent and the plane had started boarding and they would not be able to get our luggage on the plane. We were told there was nothing they could do and it was only 12:10PM Unbelievable!!!

We have since been on the phone with Celebrity Air with us being the ones reaching out to see if we could join the ship in Barbados or Aruba. But we are now being told they will not do this.

It has been a VERY frustrating experience with the Covid tests mix up last week and the total lack of communication from Celebrity. We are still in the process of trying to find out who is saying NO and Why??

We booked the air with Celebrity for this exact reason thinking that if there was a travel issue with the flights that they will be there for us. Well I'm here to tell you they HAVE NOT helped us at all!!

I just wanted to let people know about the lack of help we have been receiving from Celebrity Air to try and resolve this issue. We have even asked for FCC to take next weeks cruise instead and were told sorry. We are just out the money.

To those who did make it Congrats and ENJOY !!!!!!

Wishing we were there!!!

*********************

Man I felt so bad for them! That has to be such a crushing disappointment.

 

 

[LGW59]

3 hours ago, DallasGuy75219 said:

From Celebrity's Healthy at Sea FAQs (www.celebritycruises.com/healthy-at-sea/faqs):

 

If I'm denied boarding at the pier or arrive late, can I board the ship at the next port? 

No, due to the specific boarding day processes required to evaluate the health of everyone onboard, we cannot have guests join the cruise downline once the sailing has embarked. 

If you don’t follow the protocols and you miss boarding, just own it already.

[Stockjock]

I've done SAN-MIA redeye arriving day of cruise a number of times.  4.5 hour flight that departs SAN 10:30 pm and arrives in MIA around 6 am.  "Plan B" is a JetBlue non-stop that leaves 30 mins later.

Have not had a problem previously, but I acknowledge that if we couldn't make that red eye, we'd probably be SOL.  Certainly better to arrive a day or more prior, but I have risked it for convenience's sake and knock on wood, been lucky thus far.

Edited June 20, 2021 by Stockjock

[phoenix_dream]

I would never, ever, ever fly in the day of the cruise.  Learned that lesson about 60 cruises ago when we almost missed our honeymoon cruise due to an ice storm.  Even with insurance, do you really want to go through the hassle of trying to board the ship mid-cruise and miss out on who knows how many days?  Or worse yet, miss the cruise entirely, even if you get your money back?  Not me.  Even when I was still working, if I couldn't fly in at least one day before I would find another cruise/flight where I could.  Not worth the risk IMHO.

[George C]

4 minutes ago, phoenix_dream said:

I would never, ever, ever fly in the day of the cruise.  Learned that lesson about 60 cruises ago when we almost missed our honeymoon cruise due to an ice storm.  Even with insurance, do you really want to go through the hassle of trying to board the ship mid-cruise and miss out on who knows how many days?  Or worse yet, miss the cruise entirely, even if you get your money back?  Not me.  Even when I was still working, if I couldn't fly in at least one day before I would find another cruise/flight where I could.  Not worth the risk IMHO.

We were flying to Houston for a Galveston cruise a few years ago because of storms our flight was canceled but this was for the day before, we were able to get a early flight next day, good thing was if needed we could drive in about 5 hours.

[Hearthosesteeldrumsplayin]

We always fly in the day prior.  And we still had a close call one time!  Flying to Tampa, and there were storms in FL, so all flights were cancelled to Tampa.  Ended up getting on one to FLL, and then booked a car to Tampa.  Arrived in the wee hours (and our original flight was early morning!), so even though we hadn't PLANNED for a "day of" arrival, it ended up being a day of arrival....plus additional costs of flight change and transportation (if I recall correctly, we even switched airlines to fly at all!).  I had called our hotel to ensure they kept our room.  Whew!  What a mess!  I can't image the stress of day of arrival if there are any hiccups!

[DallasGuy75219]

1 hour ago, SeaHunt said:

 

The post referred to upthread about someone else also missing a Millennium sailing was by @tljordan444 on the thread below (page 28 post #699)

 

They said "Unfortunately we were also in Charlotte 3 hours before boarding and did not make it. It was total chaos at the airport with no help at all from AA. We called Celebrity Air after we missed the flight at 9:53am to see if there was another option and after being put on hold and back and forth we were told no. It was now 11:12am.

I then called my TA and she was able to find another flight at 12:30 which was delayed until 12:53. She was speaking to AA and myself and got us a seat. So we went back to the AA agent and the plane had started boarding and they would not be able to get our luggage on the plane. We were told there was nothing they could do and it was only 12:10PM Unbelievable!!!

We have since been on the phone with Celebrity Air with us being the ones reaching out to see if we could join the ship in Barbados or Aruba. But we are now being told they will not do this.

It has been a VERY frustrating experience with the Covid tests mix up last week and the total lack of communication from Celebrity. We are still in the process of trying to find out who is saying NO and Why??

We booked the air with Celebrity for this exact reason thinking that if there was a travel issue with the flights that they will be there for us. Well I'm here to tell you they HAVE NOT helped us at all!!

I just wanted to let people know about the lack of help we have been receiving from Celebrity Air to try and resolve this issue. We have even asked for FCC to take next weeks cruise instead and were told sorry. We are just out the money.

To those who did make it Congrats and ENJOY !!!!!!

Wishing we were there!!!

 

Yes, this is the post I was referring to, and why I said the most important thing to do is to immediately talk to a gate agent at the airport rather than expecting Flights by Celebrity to fix things for you (even if that's what their website implies they'll do, they didn't for this poster).  The airline gate agent is the person with the resources and authority to fix your problem (i.e., possibly get you on the next flight or at least on standby,  and get your bags put on the right plane) rather than Celebrity, who wasted over an hour of the poster's time with no resolution. 

 

If there's a line to talk to an agent, I'd be on the phone with the airline while waiting in line to maximize your chances of getting what are probably the last available seats on the next flight.  Only if you're travelling with someone else would I have them call Celebrity while they're while in line for the agent with you.

[DallasGuy75219]

1 hour ago, LGW59 said:

If you don’t follow the protocols and you miss boarding, just own it already.

@Tapi was asking about, and this entire thread is about, missing the ship due to airline delays or misconnects.  There's no one here to chastise for not following testing or vaccination protocols.

Edited June 20, 2021 by DallasGuy75219

[cruise wizard]

Someone mentioned early in the thread that flying in on the day of the cruise if early / first flight out and non-stop was good for them. Well I have been on non-stop flights, early in the morning - left on time - all is good and then a medical emergency on board - landed "heavy" (fuel load) - person taken to hospital but plane couldn't take off until the brakes, tires, hydraulics and fuselage were to be inspected. 4 hours later a new plane arrived and luggage had to be transferred and new seats assigned as the replacement was a different model. Another hour lost.

 

Another time we had an emergency after take off with the landing gear - had to fly around dumping fuel then having the runway foamed and emergency vehicles and fire trucks lining the runway. Luckily the landing gear held but we were detained about 5 hours for another plane, crew and luggage transfers and seat assignments. You never know!!!!

 

Always fly in a day before..............ALWAYS!!!!!

[hcat]

On 6/19/2021 at 5:59 PM, joand452 said:

That is just so sad.

 

Had to fly to FLL day of cruise once, it was unavoidable, but I can tell you, I held my breath until we landed in FLL.  It was nice, however, going straight to our cabin once we arrived at the ship.  We always fly direct, no matter our destination.

 

We usually drive to Cape Liberty, NJ (from northern Virginia) day before as well.  You never know what the traffic will be like.

We once had to fly to Fla day of a Royal C cruise..snow had delayed us from getting in earlier in the week,  We lucked out...connected with a  Royal bus directly to the ship with luggage intact..

Also very nervous til we landed...

 

We try to be down in Fla for any winter cruises if at all, possible .

Not worth the worry and stress otherwise!