How is anyone managing the chaos of Air travel and getting to the ship on time?

[jonthomas]

With the ongoing chaos of Air travel, should cruise lines extend the amount of time before leaving port?

 

Are people finding that with cancelled air and delays, they are not making it onto the ship?

 

And what about all the luggage that never makes it onto the ship? Should Cruise ships start making up little care packages for all the missing luggage that passengers will never get and changing the dress code. 

 

If I travel with only a carry on for a 15 day cruise, I will definitely be worse dressed than a homeless person. Not maligning homeless people. 

 

Our cruise is not till November but I see little to no improvement by then. Here we are seeing videos of  all kinds of luggage just lying  out in on the tarmac, with no one paying any attention to it.

 

So if not covid and all the issues of that, now add the getting to the ship on time and then managing with no luggage. 

 

I just had a friend who flew from Orlando, a short 2 hour flight and still his luggage was lost. 

 

So what chance does anyone flying overseas or transcontinental have. And it you have any stopovers, might as well throw your luggage in the garbage before you leave home.

[Mary229]

Don’t fly on holidays, don’t fly July and August particularly to Europe, go at least one day early and plan to stay one extra day.  Try not to fly on Sunday regardless. 

[jonthomas]

Does anyone know what O is doing at this time to make sure they get their passengers on?

[GICNJC]

• Even though SAS pilots are on strike and they have filed for Chapter 11, Oceania is only making flight changes when SAS officially cancels the flight.  That is occurring roughly 2 days before scheduled flights.  This as of July 11th inquiry for a return flight on July 31st.

[DENIE]

In June we did Phoenix-London-Rome, and then Barcelona-London-Phoenix for our Riviera Rome-Barcelona cruise.  It was chaotic to say the least.  We needed every minute of our London layover to make it from terminal 3 to terminal 5 (didn't stop at the bathroom or for any food/drink).  And then British Airways left one of our bags in London - fortunately it caught up to us in Rome at our hotel, but only because we arrived 2 days before the cruise.  On the return trip, we needed every minute to check in at El Prat in Barcelona to make our flight to London - our boarding group was being called as we got to the gate (no bathroom or food/drink there either).

 

It looks like that is going to be the norm.  We are going on another cruise (not Oceania, unfortunately) in December (round-trip from San Diego).  Will be HAPPY to drive to the port for that one!

Edited July 13, 2022 by DENIE

[alcpa1]

We no longer go in the day before. We aim for three or four days now for so many reasons. In February we overnighted in Atlanta because of an early flight to Panama City for a Sirena/Marina sailing. We've only got a few more cruises booked right now but we are padding our travel particularly for embarkation.

There are luggage trackers for your luggage. 

We cross pack. Each suitcase contains both my DH's duds and mine. Learned that lesson after my suitcase was "selected" by thieves at the Ft. Lauderdale airport. That cache made headlines across the country over 24 years ago.

The cruise lines generally will not hold a ship's departure. Maritime issues like port traffic, tides and weather dictate departures. There are always stories about delayed departures when air/sea booked passengers are involved but no ship is going to delay endlessly. Independent travelers have no bearing on embarkation.

Monitor your flight reservations. Be proactive if you need to adjust your flight schedule. When you call (always best) have options ready to discuss with your agent. Have patience. Call wait times for the majors are loooong now. 

Pad connection times particularly for unfamiliar airports.

The best approach is being responsible for your travel. Find options, use patience and smile. It helps.

Have a great cruise!

[Silver Sweethearts]

We don't want to worry about our luggage, so we send it on ahead to our suite on the ship by way of Luggage Forward (there are several companies who can do this.  Choose the one you like best).  Take a small carry-on with you to hold just clothes and such that you will need until you board the ship.

[Doubt It]

Simply not cruising. Nothing booked and nothing anticipated. I like cruising, been cruising since 1989, but it is passe given the complexities and lock downs in cabins. Absolutely not paying $ for that risk and experience.

Do have customized land travel trips booked with car and driver. More flexibility and personalization.

That is our reality and all of our friends who have cruised are Not cruising period.

Hope everyone's cruises go ok, wish you well.

 

 

[JHLH821]

Arriving 4 days in advance. Shipping 1 large piece of luggage to hotel and bringing only carry-ons. Since British Airways has already changed our flights from the US 3 times, we decided to opt for a long layover in London (8 hours). In "normal" times we would never plan such a long wait time. For the trip back we have a 5 hour layover.

 

In case our flight from London to Rome is cancelled, we are prepared to stay 1 night at a hotel near Heathrow- booked it yesterday as I'm reading that hotels near the airport are filling up.  We're not travelling until the end of September so we are hoping these issues ease up by then.

[jonthomas]

This is all way too much for me. 

 

we are doing a TA from Bar to Mia in Nov....

 

I dont want to hang out somewhere for 3 to 4 days waiting for the cruise..been to barcellona many times, dont want several days there, not to mention the expense of deviation, 175 pp and hotel....O should really wave deviation at this time...

 

wish I had cancelled before final pay...this is no way to enjoy travelling...

 

guess our only hope is that things will improve by november....but I dont think so...

 

air lines are saying things are improving a bit now...yeah because they have cancelled most of their flights....still luggage lying on the tarmac with no one bothering to look at it...

 

just awful....

[jonthomas]

yes but how was it getting to the ship and getting home?

 

did your luggage arrive?

 

I am surprised that there are not more stories here about what you have to go through to get onto the ship and then back home. 

[Noxequifans]

We usually fly the day prior to our trip. But, one time we had exceptional snow in NY and our flight to Miami was cancelled. Fortunately, we were able to change our reservation and get out very early the next AM. Only got on board 30 minutes later than we planned. Very lucky. 

[patty1955]

9 minutes ago, jonthomas said:

yes but how was it getting to the ship and getting home?

 

did your luggage arrive?

 

I am surprised that there are not more stories here about what you have to go through to get onto the ship and then back home. 

I don't see who you're responding to but we took a European cruise on Oceania last October and had no problem getting to the ship or coming home.

[HiFi43]

Life is short and giving up travel and particularly cruising on Oceania with what often turns out to be needless travel worries is not even a consideration for us. We have already since last fall’s reopening gotten in 4 cruises as well as other trips. We do take precautions when we travel. For example, we always come into an embarkation port at least one day early and often even earlier to spend extra time enjoying the area. We attach an “Apple Air Tag” to each checked bag so we know exactly where that bag is at any time anywhere in the world. We even have Apple Air Tags on our carry on bags and our car keys in case of loss. As long as anyone with an iPhone is near the Air Tag we can use the “Find My” function on our iPhone to know exactly where everything is. And yes, we have used this to prove to an airline exactly where a piece of loss luggage was. 
 

We are also fortunately 1K elite travelers with United and that, plus having the United credit card, gets us through any air issues including missed or canceled flights with VIP treatment (including being automatically rebooked on replacement flights). Staying with United or Star Alliance airlines protects us well from the inevitable surprises of travel. We recommend to our friends that they pick a favored air carrier and get its travel credit card for free bags and a bit of elite status to protect themselves a bit more.

[MEFIowa]

29 minutes ago, jonthomas said:

yes but how was it getting to the ship and getting home? did your luggage arrive? I am surprised that there are not more stories here about what you have to go through to get onto the ship and then back home. 

Wife and I drove to Miami for our 12/13-23/21 W. Caribbean voyage on Riviera. We parked in the O parking garage across the street. We brought our luggage out of the trunk and took it out to the curb where the porters took it to put on the ship. Our luggage was at our room later that afternoon. We went to the tent next to the terminal where O was doing the complimentary COVID testing then. Waited for our neg results and then walked into the terminal and went upstairs for the paperwork processing. Took only a few minutes. Then walked onto the ship. Thinking we parked around 1030 and were onboard by 1145. When the cruise was nearing an end, we put our luggage out in the hallway where it was picked up the night before. Then it met us at the customs area in the terminal underground where we picked it up. Went thru customs and I pulled the car up out of the garage to the curb in front of the O terminal where my wife was. We had NO problems with embarkation or disembarkation. Leaving the ship was real easy and took mere minutes. But we left in the first group.

[Mike981]

2 hours ago, Doubt It said:

Simply not cruising. Nothing booked and nothing anticipated. I like cruising, been cruising since 1989, but it is passe given the complexities and lock downs in cabins. Absolutely not paying $ for that risk and experience.

Do have customized land travel trips booked with car and driver. More flexibility and personalization.

That is our reality and all of our friends who have cruised are Not cruising period.

Hope everyone's cruises go ok, wish you well.

 

 

 

Same here. Besides what you have mentioned there is the constant shifting of sands on protocols and that makes it even worse, so many employees are not on the same page so who do you believe. Lacking in customer service employees on cruise lines, airlines and anything in between. And then there are the constant reports of travelers not playing nice with Covid and so many coming home with it.

 

We have a finite amount time and money we can spend on travel and we can't risk major delays or getting Covid again.

I really am happy for those who are traveling and having a wonderful time, I wish the same for everyone.

[Host Jazzbeau]

56 minutes ago, jonthomas said:

This is all way too much for me. 

...

wish I had cancelled before final pay...this is no way to enjoy travelling...

You have clearly worked yourself up into a tizzy.  You have booked a Transatlantic – the only hassles will be the very first part, getting from your home to the ship.  Once on board, Oceania will take care of everything and you will be pampered and coddled.

 

My advice is to stop reading Cruise Critic for a while, as every complaint will get you going again.  Travel is an adventure, and even the worst experience can be looked back on fondly after it's over.  But if you are only willing to travel if everything is guaranteed to go smoothly, you are right:  you should cancel any other trips you have booked, because it will never be like that.

 

[Jancruz]

12 minutes ago, Host Jazzbeau said:

You have clearly worked yourself up into a tizzy.  You have booked a Transatlantic – the only hassles will be the very first part, getting from your home to the ship.  Once on board, Oceania will take care of everything and you will be pampered and coddled.

 

My advice is to stop reading Cruise Critic for a while, as every complaint will get you going again.  Travel is an adventure, and even the worst experience can be looked back on fondly after it's over.  But if you are only willing to travel if everything is guaranteed to go smoothly, you are right:  you should cancel any other trips you have booked, because it will never be like that.

 

Plus one

Jancruz1

[jonthomas]

Yes host, I hear you.

 

Just surprised there arent more posts from those who are travelling right now and what ordeal they are encountering. 

 

Just reading that all is very rosy does not give one the real picture. 

[LHT28]

2 minutes ago, jonthomas said:

Yes host, I hear you.

 

Just surprised there arent more posts from those who are travelling right now and what ordeal they are encountering. 

 

Just reading that all is very rosy does not give one the real picture. 

Maybe they are not encountering "an ordeal" or maybe they are prepared  for changes  when travelling in the still covid related World

[patty1955]

8 minutes ago, jonthomas said:

Yes host, I hear you.

 

Just surprised there arent more posts from those who are travelling right now and what ordeal they are encountering. 

 

Just reading that all is very rosy does not give one the real picture. 

We've been on 3 covid cruises and haven't encountered any "ordeals." 

[jonthomas]

Its NOT the covid I am referring to...we have also been on a cruise in March...yes our whole trivia team came down with covid...some in Marseille hospital, some left stranded in Barcelona to quarantine...

 

but I am talking about having to go days earlier, in case all or some flights are cancelled....having to do without luggage, just a carry on, since so much of the luggage is being lost...apple tags are not helping...

 

those are todays ordeals...just surprised no one is talking about them...

 

we did NOT have airline and baggage  issues in March...

[patty1955]

44 minutes ago, jonthomas said:

Its NOT the covid I am referring to...we have also been on a cruise in March...yes our whole trivia team came down with covid...some in Marseille hospital, some left stranded in Barcelona to quarantine...

 

but I am talking about having to go days earlier, in case all or some flights are cancelled....having to do without luggage, just a carry on, since so much of the luggage is being lost...apple tags are not helping...

 

those are todays ordeals...just surprised no one is talking about them...

 

we did NOT have airline and baggage  issues in March...

Sorry. Somehow I missed that in your earlier posts.

[ORV]

4 hours ago, Host Jazzbeau said:

even the worst experience can be looked back on fondly after it's over.

Well, it makes for a good story, but when they had the Blackout at ATL a few years ago and we sat on the Tarmac for almost 8 hours with one small cup of water is not my fondest memory. One guy faked a heart attack to get evacuated from the plane. Sent an ambulance out to the plane and they took him out through an exit in the tail of the plane. Once we finally got inside they only had aux power and no one seemed to be in charge. Scary that they were no more prepared for that at the busiest airport in the world. People were sleeping on the baggage carousels. 

[basor]

2 hours ago, jonthomas said:

Its NOT the covid I am referring to...we have also been on a cruise in March...yes our whole trivia team came down with covid...some in Marseille hospital, some left stranded in Barcelona to quarantine...

 

but I am talking about having to go days earlier, in case all or some flights are cancelled....having to do without luggage, just a carry on, since so much of the luggage is being lost...apple tags are not helping...

 

those are todays ordeals...just surprised no one is talking about them...

 

we did NOT have airline and baggage  issues in March...

We have friends that flew yesterday and today from West Coast to Europe...no problem with canceled flights, baggage arrived just fine and enjoying their pre-cruise days...this was via AMS and LHR...hope this helps