Southwest cancellations...

[delliemd]

10 hours ago, staceyglow said:

I would also suggest doing carry-on luggage for your cruise. DH and I have done it many times, including trips that were 2+ weeks long.  You can do it!

Am planning on doing that next week,hope my luggage fits on the belt,I was told a 24x16 would.Doyou happen to know?

[delliemd]

12 hours ago, Jim and Monika said:

We are worried about all the Southwest cancellations, we are flying to Miami on Tuesday January 4 for our cruise on Wednesday. We are afraid our flight might get cancelled last minute. We would still have time to drive, but they would have our luggage. Not sure if we should try renting a car to drive down and fly back, or just drive our own car, Not worried about the drive down, just not sure we want to drive back after our cruise.

 

10 hours ago, EngIceDave said:

Little off topic, I had to run to Orlando MCO airport today to drop someone off as well as look for my SIL's bags that went missing almost a week ago.

 

While there, I noticed quite a few labeled "Cruise" and day the bags arrived.

 

Meaning, many are onboard ships with nothing....

So awful.That is my fear,so I am canceling southwest & will be driving 2 days.Not happy ,I want a refund not a voucher from them .

[Meerkatwonder]

11 hours ago, staceyglow said:

I would also suggest doing carry-on luggage for your cruise. DH and I have done it many times, including trips that were 2+ weeks long.  You can do it!

@Stacyglow,I need your secret! 😊 I can't even do a week without a 24-in suitcase and a big carry-on bag. I keep trying but for some reason I cannot pack light!

[edspec]

For years we used Southwest credit cards and flew exclusively with them.  I liked their service, with points I was generally able to buy about six rt tickets to Florida from Sacramento and it worked well for our family.  Fast forward to Covid and their lousy handling of autistic passengers and masking and I stopped using my card.  DH still had a lot of miles on his so we used those up and as of two weeks ago I canceled both cards.  I still have one flight booked on points for February but really wondering if I should cancel as I'm flying to LGB day of cruise.  

I feel terrible for all those who were stranded and missed their holidays.  

[KKB]

1 hour ago, Meerkatwonder said:

@Stacyglow,I need your secret! 😊 I can't even do a week without a 24-in suitcase and a big carry-on bag. I keep trying but for some reason I cannot pack light!

Requires careful planning. Compression packing cubes work great. 

Did some hand washing, some  re-wearing of things. 

We did it for 7 day AK cruise plus 3 days in Vancouver in Sept.

I take Rick Steve's mantra--"stop packing for what you "might" need & just pack what you do" 

Travel Fashion Girl has a blog & you can follow her elsewhere--she has great tips for carry on only!

Once you do it, it is VERY freeing...no need to stop & get luggage, less stuff to unpack/pack on the cruise...fewer decisions about what to wear. 

 

 

Edited December 29, 2022 by KKB

[KKB]

14 hours ago, shof515 said:

is it possible to switch to a different airline and not use southwest?

HA! 

I looked at fights for 1/7.

Decent flights were $375 each ONE WAY.

We could get crap flights on Frontier & Spirit for $200 each...2 plane changes...plus luggage.

Pass.

[KKB]

13 hours ago, jsglow said:

OP, I think you'll have a much better handle by this weekend.  For what it's worth, SWA purposefully tanked their schedule these last 2-3 days so they wouldn't have to prolong the pain.  Friday's cancellation pattern will give a good indication still leaving you with plenty of time.

EXACTLY what my flight attendant friend said...she said they had to cancel to get planes & crews to the right places.

[Anyislandwilldo]

12 hours ago, EngIceDave said:

Little off topic, I had to run to Orlando MCO airport today to drop someone off as well as look for my SIL's bags that went missing almost a week ago.

 

While there, I noticed quite a few labeled "Cruise" and day the bags arrived.

 

Meaning, many are onboard ships with nothing....

That is so sad...

 

[EngIceDave]

5 minutes ago, KKB said:

Requires careful planning. Compression packing cubes work great. 

Did some hand washing, some  re-wearing of things. 

We did it for 7 day AK cruise plus 3 days in Vancouver in Sept.

Travel Fashion Girl has a blog & you can follow her elsewhere--she has great tips for carry on only!

 

Rolling clothes, packing cubes, travel size only toiletries of any at all.

You can buy many of the little things like toiletries at your destination and carry on in a bag.

 

I can't do it regularly, but have and it is easy if you think of it like camping. Put all your junk in your bag and take a trip on public transportation in your city.

You learn really fast what you do and don't need.

Want and need are two different things

 

[csm5986142]

We are booked to fly home from our cruise on 1/8 on Southwest and we don't really have any other options (going between WA and FL so driving is not an option).  We are optimistic that they will have this sorted out by then (fortunately we booked a different airline going to the cruise on Sunday).  

 

[CajunOyster]

3 hours ago, delliemd said:

We have same issue in MD also & deciding to cancel my flight since I would not have enough time to drive if they wait, it's 17 hours with traffic could be 24.

 

Having done it as much as six times a year since 1993, there is no place in Maryland that will take you 24 hours to drive to Miami.  Drive smart, use Waze, and consider alternate routes south (like 81/77/26 to avoid most of 95) and you can reliably get from anywhere in Maryland to Miami in 17-18 hours.  Less if you're in central or southern Maryland.

Seriously, if you're not using Waze, get it.  And I'm not joking about 81 - it eliminates hundreds of I-95 miles including DC, all of Virginia and North Carolina, and half of South Carolina.

[staceyglow]

2 hours ago, Meerkatwonder said:

@Stacyglow,I need your secret! 😊 I can't even do a week without a 24-in suitcase and a big carry-on bag. I keep trying but for some reason I cannot pack light!

Others have already given some great tips, but here is a few more :

- make your "personal item" a backpack. Just keep in mind that it will have to fit in under the seat in front of you. A well - designed one can hold a surprising amount of stuff. 

- if you must bring a purse, make it a very small one and put it inside the backpack. Only put true essentials in it - wallet, cell phone, glasses, lip balm. I even use a smaller, flatter "travel wallet" that I only has a credit card, a debit card, my driver's license, and a small amount of cash. I don't even keep my keys in it. DH has a set, so we are all good.

- shoes can make or break your luggage situation. For warm weather cruises, I wear athletic shoes onto the ship, and pack flip flops, dressy sandals, and some topsiders. I stuff the topsiders with socks and underwear to save space. 

-bring clothes (especially underwear) that you can wash in your sink and that air dries quickly. Stores that specialize in camping and backpacking are great places to get them. Backpackers are experts in packing light. 

- if you are bringing any bulky clothes (sweater, jacket) wear them onto the plane.

- keep in mind that no one will care if you wear the same two outfits to the MDR every night. The vast majority won't even notice. 

-one other hack - and you didn't hear this from me 😉 - as far as liquids are concerned TSA is only looking for one quart bag per piece of luggage, not per person. I put one in my carry on and one in my backpack. I have never been stopped. 

[Oldsweets]

Southwest just sent my wife and apology e-mail for our canceled flight from Ohio to Orlando which resulted in our missing a cruise this week with our grown children.  In this e-mail they advised us they would re-funding our early bird booking fee’s within 30 days and will be sending us each a $200 voucher for future use.  I have responded to this e-mail that this didn’t cover the cost of our 2 cabins we had to cancel with Carnival, the penalty we incurred for canceling ground transportation, and the penalty with another airline we had booked for our return after our cruise.  The $200 each is something but begs to move to a bigger question which is given our next Cruuse/trip is a Jan 13 flight into Miami via Southwest.  My next step is to look at other airlines and determine if I should cancel Southwest and rebook with someone else.  Sadly, like many I am my own worst enemy as I am simply too dang cheap for my own good sometimes.

 

[ChutChut]

You have cruise insurance, right?

[Banditswife]

Sorry that you missed your cruise.  Carnival was pretty good in the early days of pandemic to refund cruises.  So I am wondering if a call to guest services explaining the flight issues will get you a refund.  I am sure Carnival is aware of the flight issues everyone incurred this past week.  Also having the insurance would help with refunds.  

South West is our go to airline & we are hoping they get their problems worked out before our next cruise.

[jsglow]

Southwest has indicated that folks can email in receipts regarding alternate transportation expenses (replacement flights, car rentals, hotels, etc.) but I suspect that reimbursement of the cost of your entire cruise might not be approved.  I am VERY sorry that this happened to you.  Things like this (in addition to medical emergencies) ARE the reason for trip insurance.

Edited December 29, 2022 by jsglow

[mz-s]

Right, travel insurance isn't just for your liability - it's for things that happen that you couldn't have foreseen or prepared for, like the complete meltdown of an airline.

[jsglow]

OP, I was wondering why you didn't simply jump into the family truckster? Were you simply out of time (like flying 'day of')? Was the 'fog of war' such that you, like everyone else, didn't appreciate the severity early enough to shift gears? Are you potentially at an age where a drive that far would be too much?

 

My sincere hope is that lots of folks were able to successfully implement Plan B in time. I genuinely feel for those who could not. As I had indicated elsewhere, our son's Christmas trip to his grandparents turned into a New Year's trip.  As my BIL said, 'audible at the line of scrimmage'.

[notscb]

3 minutes ago, jsglow said:

I was wondering why you didn't simply jump into the family truckster?

I'd suspect the 17 hour drive had something to do with it, but interested in OP's response as well.

[mz-s]

5 minutes ago, jsglow said:

OP, I was wondering why you didn't simply jump into the family truckster? Were you simply out of time (like flying 'day of')? Was the 'fog of war' such that you, like everyone else, didn't appreciate the severity early enough to shift gears? Are you potentially at an age where a drive that far would be too much?

 

My sincere hope is that lots of folks were able to successfully implement Plan B in time. I genuinely feel for those who could not. As I had indicated elsewhere, our son's Christmas trip to his grandparents turned into a New Year's trip.  As my BIL said, 'audible at the line of scrimmage'.

 

Not OP but the drive from Ohio to Canaveral is nearly 14 hours and 1000 miles. That's in stark contrast to a, what, 2.5 hour flight?

 

Me personally, anything over say a 6-7 hour drive, I'm flying.

Edited December 29, 2022 by mz-s

[jsglow]

12 minutes ago, mz-s said:

 

Not OP but the drive from Ohio to Canaveral is nearly 14 hours and 1000 miles. That's in stark contrast to a, what, 2.5 hour flight?

 

Me personally, anything over say a 6-7 hour drive, I'm flying.

I COMPLETEY agree Mz. But in an emergency situation.....

[jsglow]

Duplicate

Edited December 29, 2022 by jsglow

[ChutChut]

39 minutes ago, Banditswife said:

Sorry that you missed your cruise.  Carnival was pretty good in the early days of pandemic to refund cruises.  So I am wondering if a call to guest services explaining the flight issues will get you a refund.  I am sure Carnival is aware of the flight issues everyone incurred this past week.  Also having the insurance would help with refunds.  

South West is our go to airline & we are hoping they get their problems worked out before our next cruise.

Why should Carnival refund the cruise fare? It didn't nothing wrong. Hopefully, OP had travel insurance. If not, you take the risk and sometimes you lose. There is NO WAY SW is going to reimburse anyone the cost of a cruise. That's not gonna happen.

[csm5986142]

1 hour ago, Oldsweets said:

My next step is to look at other airlines and determine if I should cancel Southwest and rebook with someone else.  Sadly, like many I am my own worst enemy as I am simply too dang cheap for my own good sometimes.

 

We are not loyal to any airline (we book the best price & schedule).  I will admit, in past experience, we have had Southwest cancel a flight (connecting flight for a cruise) and lose our luggage.  We fly a lot and have had issues with all the airlines at one time or another. Sometimes it's just timing and bad luck. 

We have a cruise related flight booked on 1/8 - Southwest will get things back to normal eventually (and we are optimistic it will be sooner than later, but if not, we'll cross that bridge when we come to it). 

I'm actually thinking about switching some of my currently booked flights (in Feb) TO Southwest as they have some really great deals (I'm guessing due to people cancelling?).

[jsglow]

So in this all is the great lesson of cruising.  The ship WILL leave without you. Taking the last flight that theoretically gets you to the cruise terminal 30 minutes before the door locks is a fool's errand.  Most people here swear by flying the day before and springing for a one night hotel stay. Obviously these were extraordinary circumstances that no reasonable traveler could have predicted but by the same token I see threads on here all the time about some passenger who wants to save $75 and takes multiple connections the morning of the cruise to land at MIA at 1pm.  One single monkey wrench and they're toast. And that's not the airline's fault.

 

To that end, we're flying out (yes, on SWA) for a cruise in a couple weeks. Yesterday we tweaked our flights modestly to leave at 10a the day before rather than 5p.  Now I completely understand the couple that would need an extra vacation day to make that happen.  Back in our working days we would routinely leave work in the late afternoon to catch an evening flight. But by making the change we gave SWA fully 9 additional options to get us to our destination on time compared to the prior flight. The Customer Service rep will move heaven and earth to make things happen.  But as travelers we have to try to give them a chance.

 

Oh, and if anyone ever YELLS at some poor gate agent, I hope a US Marine drops them with a single right cross!

Edited December 29, 2022 by jsglow