Pre-Cruise Mishaps…..what’s your story?

[forgap]

It never fails.  Within two weeks of our cruise, the universe always seems to throw a wrench in the works.  Before one cruise, I fell in the garden and hit a boulder as I slid downhill.  X-rays showed nothing at the time so, although in pain, I soldered on. Several years later, my doc asked me about my THREE broken ribs that showed up on a subsequent X-ray.  Three days before another cruise, we went to check on our mountain cabin and a tree was leaning on the chimney and the roof - no damage so it could wait until we returned.  Today, two weeks from departure, someone opened their car door without looking and took off the side mirror or our brand new EV as we were driving past. Replacement order and repair will take more than two weeks (and $$$$$), so something we have to deal with on return.  
 

What are your stories?  I’m grateful that we haven’t had to use our trip cancellation insurance and I’m counting my blessings, but,  I’m starting to believe in cruise trolls!  

[Lonedaddy]

We had cruise leaving Jan 2nd we flew to San Jaun the night before.  Our Daughter in law (DIL) (age 21)  was staying at our house (DS in Air Force) My Daughter  (DD) was also there.   DIL decides to go out to a bar on Jan 1st, taking DW's brand new BMW convertible.  DD (18) gets call at 2 am from DIL that she is in jail (DUI).  DD doesn't know what to do with a 1 year old overnight.  We get call at 230 am.  Of course, it is a weekend, so no judge until Monday.  DS on deployment.   I call my good friend and he has DWI lawyer friend.   His wife goes and help DD with grandson.  My buddy calls next morning and says lawyer could get her out on bail and asks do you want me to bail her out today (Sunday) or wait until Monday this as we are in a taxi to the ship.    Time for tough love and Monday it was she needed another night to ponder her mistake.  Meanwhile car is in impound lot.  Nice to have good friends who step into help but needless to say it was a very rough start to the cruise.  

[GOARMY]

Our story:

 

March 13, 2020 at Regent's assigned pre-night San Diego hotel.  Awaiting to board brand-new Splendor next-day for cruise through the Canal via Miami, then to NYC.  En route, had planned a Renewal of Vows re: 50th wedding anniversary.  Would have celebrated same with our TA and her spouse; and a couple who were in our wedding party. 

 

Then--hotel front desk advised we call our TA.  Cruise cancelled due to Pandemic lock-down.  So, never actually got aboard Splendor (still have not); but did see it while en route from airport to hotel; then, next-day when, again en route from hotel back to airport and return to Seattle and Lockdown. 

 

In retrospect, we were fortunate NOT to have boarded.  My brother and his wife were onboard that ill-fated Holland America ship off the coast of far-south South America.  Took them 3 1/2 weeks extra voyage days before finally being able to disembark at Port Everglades, FL.  In the interim--four passengers had died.

 

GOARMY!

  

 

 

[ysolde]

January 2022.  DH and I were scheduled to fly down from NYC (where we lived at the time) to Miami to board our very first Regent cruise: a quick hop on Splendor January 6-13.  We were scheduled to fly down on January 5, and we had to have negative Covid tests, which we took on January 4.  DH's Covid test came back first.  Negative, as expected.  Mine came back next.  We could not believe our eyes.  It was positive.  Positive?  Positive.

 

I had no symptoms.  None.  But I had to call the TA, who had to call Regent, and together, they put us on a different cruise (this coming February 2024), so that we wouldn't have to deal with our travel insurance.  Then, I had to call the airline.  There was no problem there.

 

Then, I put in a call to my doctor, who let me know what the protocol would be for living in a one-bedroom apartment where only one person has Covid (Essentially, I isolated in the bedroom while DH and the cats stayed in the living room.  There were a lot of Clorox wipes used in the bathroom to keep the toilet handle, the sink clean, and the door handle clean, and we used separate towels, naturally.  And we masked in each other's presence.). Blech.  I had a terrible headache for a few days, but no other symptoms.  Thank goodness.

 

And we will be taking our now second Regent cruise in February. It all worked out.

[PaulMCO]

A November 2021 Antarctic Solar Eclipse Expedition cruise on Quark.  Originally we were to board in Ushuaia on 26 Nov 21.  We made our air bookings accordingly MCO to BA/EZE and then to USH. 

 

With all of the lock downs and startups after COVID Quark changed the process and they were now going to provide a charter from BA to USH.  Reason they wanted to put us in a bubble with multiple tests one on arrival and one before arriving to our bubble hotel.  Getting money back from the BA to USH tickets was a nightmare, but eventually successful.

 

We arrived in BA five days early, did some usual siteseeing.  Day before we were to check in at the bubble hotel, we received an email stating that our voyage was being shortened due to operational reasons and we would still go to Antarctica but would miss the Solar Eclipse. Needless to say we were mad and we arrived at the bubble hotel, and were informed we were requested to meet in the conference room for a presentation by Quark.  Well the presentation was to inform us that due to operational reasons the cruise was cancelled.  All of the guests were in a bubble, but Quark had not done same for the crew as 6 of them tested positive and the Argentina authorities had quarantined the ship.

 

Quark agreed to pay for three days in their hotel until people could arrange transport home.  Having been in BA for 5 days, we decided to see if we could get home on the evening flight and we were lucky there was space. 

 

This was our shortest non cruise - cruise.  The good news was with a good TA pushing Quark, we did get a full refund of the cruise, plus also our RT air fare.

 

 

[Gray Lady]

We decided in 2021 to take our first cruise to Alaska in the summer of 2022. We were going to celebrate my retirement, 20th anniversary, and hubby’s 75th birthday. We booked with Holland and added a 7 day land tour before our cruise. I read all about Alaska, including James Michener, researched all of our cruise ports, and paid for great excursions. We flew in a day early to Fairbanks, and it felt wonderful to be doing something after the long COVID lockdown. Restrictions had just been lifted on masks in airports and tests to re-enter the US. We enjoyed the midnight sun and had a great excursion of the area surrounding Fairbanks, including panning for gold. We then went to Denali for 2 days.
Hubby wakes up and says he had night sweats. Omicron was surging, but we had worn masks in airports, planes, and all public areas. Sure enough, he had it. We knew we had to be tested before boarding our cruise because Canada required a negative test at that time. I went and told them at the desk. They canceled our tour and cruise immediately. We were put on a black bus to Anchorage on our wedding anniversary, no less!  The “Black Death” bus went to all the Princess lodges on the way to Anchorage picking up “positive” people. Our trip took almost 6 hours. We were taken to a hotel in an unsavory part of town overlooking a Home Depot parking lot and charged $550 a night!

We were quarantined for 5 days before we could go home. We couldn’t leave our room at all! We had to have food delivered to the front desk, then a special employee would bring it to our room. When we landed at SFO, we wanted to kiss the ground! It took us 6 months to get all of our money back from Hollland and trip insurance. As an aside, hubby had told me I was crazy to buy that expensive insurance, but he was sure glad that I did!
Moral of the story: we have still never seen a glacier or been on a cruise, but that refund is allowing us to book our first cruise on Regent Splendor this next April in Europe. First time going there too! Can’t wait!

[rcandkc]

OH MY 😱

[welshfamily]

Grey lady

Goodness

Where is the cruise going?

We could all get together and post highlights of your ports to make up for the home Depot view.
If you fancy the idea why don’t you start a new thread. 
 

[Gilly]

Oh my word, I have nothing to add to this amazing catalogue of disasters, but credit you all with such good spirit in the face of adversity!

[Gray Lady]

7 hours ago, welshfamily said:

Grey lady

Goodness

Where is the cruise going?

We could all get together and post highlights of your ports to make up for the home Depot view.
If you fancy the idea why don’t you start a new thread. 
 

We are doing the Western Mediterranean. I just keep my fingers crossed that the cruise gods favor us to make this cruise. I like the idea of people posting pictures. I think I will start that thread in January when the weather is bleak to prepare us for the sunnier vistas ahead.

Thank you, welshfamily, for the wonderful and pleasant thought!

[Cef123]

We were so looking forward to our 40th anniversary Mediterranean cruise on Explorer. Postponed due to Covid and now it was really happening, sailing from Barcelona to Istanbul in May 2022. 
We had planned 10 days with family in the Loire Valley, then extra days in Barcelona before boarding. 
On the TGV from CDG to Nantes, my husband’s passport was stolen… lots of lessons here, but we will never place anything on the overhead rack ever again!! No passport=no travel. 
After train security, police reports, US embassy phone calls, TA phone calls, travel insurance phone calls etc, we turned around and took the next train back up to Paris. 
As instructed, at 0800 the next morning, we were in line at the US embassy. Turns out that a ‘temporary’ passport is a piece of paper that will get you back into the USA and that’s about all. We opted for an expedited full replacement passport, which takes 10-14 days. Our wonderful cruise was literally sailing away and disappearing before our eyes….there was no amount of Champagne that could cheer me up!

To cut a very long story short…. the replacement passport arrived at 4pm on the day that Explorer was sailing from Barcelona, but we knew that Marseille was the port of call the following day. We were still in the Loire. The next few hours are a blur. Multiple phone calls, a hurriedly scheduled Covid test at a local pharmacy, TGV tickets to Marseille on the first train, hotel booking next to the train station that night, taxi to the hotel, Regent arranging with Marseille port services to give us access to the Port. Hoping beyond hope that the French Railways wouldn’t decide to strike! 
well…… we made it! Boarded the beautiful Explorer at 3pm in Marseille. Best of all, while Bruno was checking us in at reception, out of the corner of my eye I saw the wondrous sight of a waiter approaching with 2 glasses of champagne held aloft on a silver tray. 
champagne has never tasted SO delicious. 
I can’t begin to say how helpful Regent was throughout this whole ordeal. 
We are back on Explorer again this coming January (Sydney to Singapore) and we’ll be holding onto our passports VERY tightly!

 

[briar14]

Cef123, Bravo! Incredibly resourceful and determined. Enjoy your next cruise, trouble free, I hope.

[forgap]

@Cef123  many years ago we were in Paris for an extended stay and our teen daughters begged to go on a solo trip to London.  We agreed as it gave us an opportunity to get a break from teen hormones in a small Parisian apartment.  The next morning we woke up and they were at the breakfast table.  The bus had an accident en route and the trip was cancelled.  In the confusion one DD lost her passport which required us to go to the embassy to get a new one.  Once past all the security, she was called up to the desk and handed her passport.  She had left it in a cafe in Paris and never would have made it to London anyway.  Can you see my eyes rolling?  I may be a bit OCD but it pays to check your passport 1000 times and secure it in a safe place!  

[RachelG]

So any, but here are just a few.

 

We were to sail from Singapore to Hong Kong.  Two days prior to flying to Singapore, i was at the hospital making rounds.  I walked round a corner and slipped on some water left by those huge floor polishing machines--and broke my shoulder in 3 places.  I called George from the ER and told him what had happened and that we would have to cancel the cruise.  He said no way.  I went to surgery, came out with a plate and 8 pins in my shoulder, spent the night in the hospital then went home.  My daughter in law's mother came over and packed for me.  My orthopedist thought I was crazy, but we flew to Singapore the next day.

 

Another time, we were going to the Caribbean in February.  It started snowing hard two days before we were to fly to Miami.  And by hard, I mean 27 inches in 24 hours.  Unheard of for Tulsa.  The airport closed.  I kept watching and watching and it became clear that the airport was not reopening.  So we drove to Dallas in the 4 wheel drive truck to catch a flight.  A drive that would normally take 3 hours took 6, but we made it just barely.  

 

And another.  We had an ant issue at the house.  George put down poison and somehow my cat walked in it and then licked her paws the day before we were to fly out.  She was foaming at the mouth and throwing up all night.  I took her to the vet the next morning (a saturday).  and left her there.  I had to sign papers giving my friend temporary custody in case something happened. 

[the_dylaness]

In June of last year myself, my husband, our two kids, and nanny were scheduled to depart for Rome for a 10 or 11 night cruise. It was not meant to be...

 

About 10 or 11 days prior, the nanny comes down with COVID.  She recovered quickly but at this time recent COVID + pax were required to have both a PCR test proving infection (no antigen tests!) and a certificate of recovery. She was on the very last day for the PCR test + certificate of recovery combo to work and I searched several pharmacies that evening to find her a place to get the PCR test performed.  If she'd told me the next day, she would not have been able to go at all (unless a pre cruise antigen test was negative which is a big gamble if you're flying across the ocean.)

 

Then, before the same cruise but just a few days later, my husband came down with severe flank pain.  He was determined to have a kidney stone and initially told "we'll let it go for a month"... he was in such pain he could not even eat and just spent most of the time dry heaving, so much that his entire sclerae were red from the busted vessels.  We pushed for a lithotripsy which happened the day prior to our transatlantic flight.  He had to take an Uber to the surgery center as I was working (last day prior to vacation, no way I could call in!) and when I came to pick him up that afternoon he had a stent in... 

 

We drove 3 hours to the airport the next morning and boarded our flight to Rome.  When we landed there he removed the stent himself after administration of some serious narcotics.  

[forgap]

OMG

[papaflamingo]

Well heck...my stories aren't anywhere as good as y'alls!!!   

Had to cancel 2 weeks prior to a cruise out of Venice in 2011 when my Mom passed away (she was 91 so not any surprise there).  Our friends went, of course, and kept sending pics from Venice with an extra glass of wine at an empty space for my wife.  Yeah... they could rub it in a bit.   But glad I had cruise insurance.

My only other "glitch" in around 40 cruises..... last Christmas we had a pipe freeze and "take out" much of our house (luckily we could live in it though).  Anyway, we had a cruise on Navigator booked in March, and the floor guys were coming in during the cruise.  Since we couldn't cancel we figured we'd give them a key and just get away.  Four days before the cruise, Regent sent an email looking of volunteers to push the cruise to Dec.  So we JUMPED on it since it allowed us to stay home for the house repairs.  That PLUS they gave us a big refund, put us on Mariner in a Penthouse A (we were in a deluxe verandah on Navigator)!!  So it worked out to be a GREAT deal for us.  We leave Dec. 2.  

Anyway... compared to many, we've been pretty. lucky.  I'll be knocking on wood for sure! 

[Roccaforte]

OMG😩.  Fell and broke my shoulder last Sunday.  Can’t imagine trip to airport, TSA, waiting area, boarding and dropping into one of those awful coach seats for 31/2 hours.  Due to leave Oct. 11.  Will see the orthopedic surgeon Wednesday to get his opinion.  Anyone except the heroic RachaelG ever do something like this?  I can’t take any narcotic type drugs so I’m relying on Tylenol and Motrin.   Trip booked on Amex Platinum.  Guess we’ll put it to the test😩. 

[1982CruzStart]

3 hours ago, Roccaforte said:

OMG😩.  Fell and broke my shoulder last Sunday.  Can’t imagine trip to airport, TSA, waiting area, boarding and dropping into one of those awful coach seats for 31/2 hours.  Due to leave Oct. 11.  Will see the orthopedic surgeon Wednesday to get his opinion.  Anyone except the heroic RachaelG ever do something like this?  I can’t take any narcotic type drugs so I’m relying on Tylenol and Motrin.   Trip booked on Amex Platinum.  Guess we’ll put it to the test😩. 

So sorry to hear about this. Please take care of yourself.

I have to say if it was a cruise i absolutely wanted to take I may be like RachelG and soldier on. However one never knows until you are in that situation as to what you would do. If the cruise is not a bucket list one i would stay home, heal and feel sorry for myself. 

Hope you heal quickly and don't suffer too badly. 

[Nachosdelux]

First cruise with my wife (many years ago, dating at the time) - she was a cruise novice and I had several under my belt.  She organized the whole thing thru a co-worker who became a travel agent in retirement. It was a 7 day Med out of Barcelona, and the travel agent (first cruise booking BTW) put us on flights arriving from the USA about 3 hours prior to ships's departure.

 

 We made it but our bags didn't - my bag arrived on day 4 and my wife's on day 5.  The cruise gave us free laundry every day and I bought clothes on day 3.  Fortunately had travel insurance.  Also my wife packed some important prescription medication in her checked bag (rookie mistake!)  Anyway, we made the best of the situation and still had a great time.

[the_dylaness]

7 hours ago, Roccaforte said:

OMG😩.  Fell and broke my shoulder last Sunday.  Can’t imagine trip to airport, TSA, waiting area, boarding and dropping into one of those awful coach seats for 31/2 hours.  Due to leave Oct. 11.  Will see the orthopedic surgeon Wednesday to get his opinion.  Anyone except the heroic RachaelG ever do something like this?  I can’t take any narcotic type drugs so I’m relying on Tylenol and Motrin.   Trip booked on Amex Platinum.  Guess we’ll put it to the test😩. 

 

So sorry to hear this!

I broke my foot and was in a boot for a 2.5 hour flight some years ago... but I also had my 3 month old baby with me. I was at TSA for approximately... forever?  They made me take off the boot to put through the scanner, and since I couldn't bear any weight I had to basically hobble through on one foot while also holding the baby, after having also broken the stroller down so it could be put through the scanner. They refused to break the stroller down for me, so I had to sit on the floor, put my baby on my lap, break the stroller down, stand back up while holding the baby, and then wrangle the stroller into the scanner.

 

It was not great but the rest of the trip was fine!  You will be ok 🙂 Good luck.  (PS that baby is now 12 and is reading this over my shoulder, editing it for me!)