While cruising last year, we met Paul and Melissa. Paul and I dove with sharks at Stuart’s Cove and have stayed connected since the trip. (That’s Paul about to get munched by a friendly reef shark.)
On a recent trip, Paul and Melissa took a risk and flew to their cruise ship the same day the ship was scheduled to depart. A snag at the airport meant they missed their cruise departure. What happened and what did they have to pay? I asked Paul to write out the adventure. Here it is in his own words (thanks Paul).
In the past, we have headed out a day before our cruise leaves just in case something should happen that would make us late for the ship. This time it was several hundred dollars more to fly into San Juan a day early, plus the cost of the hotel. We opted for the travel insurance instead.
We arrived at the Cleveland Airport at about 6:45am, which would have given us plenty of time to make our 9:00am direct flight from Cleveland to San Juan. When we got to the airport, with the exception of the emergency lights, everything was dark. The airline representatives told us that the airport had experienced a major power outage and they were unsure as to when the power would be back on. The airline was unable to check passengers in or process them through security. We figured that they would have things up and running by the time our flight was scheduled to leave, so we waited in line with hundreds of other frustrated passengers.
At around 7:45, the airline representatives told us that they were not expecting the power to be restored until around 6:00pm and that flights were being cancelled. They advised passengers to contact the airline to reschedule flights. We began our search for a way to make it to San Juan in time for the ship’s departure at 11:00pm. Since the Cleveland Airport was going to be closed for most of the day, we began to check into neighboring airports. There were a few flights from other airports that would get us to San Juan in enough time to make the ship, however they departed in about an hour and those airports were about a two hour drive away.
After one of us being on the phone with the airline for over 90 minutes and the other of us searching the internet for a last minute flight, we had our solution. We booked two one-way tickets on a flight from Pittsburgh to San Juan with a layover in Orlando. These flights would get us into San Juan at about 1:00am. We would then sleep in the San Juan Airport overnight. The airline refunded us our outgoing flight from Cleveland and was able to book us tickets from San Juan to St. Thomas at about 8:30am the next morning so that we could meet the ship in its first port. We would miss the first night of the cruise, but at least the rest of the trip wouldn’t be a loss.
We tried to rent a car from the Cleveland Airport, but they too were experiencing a power outage and were unable to get us a vehicle. Fortunately, one of my co-workers was nice enough to drive us to Pittsburgh. After an uneventful check-in in Pittsburgh, we were finally on our way south. During our brief layover in Orlando, one of the airline representatives called our names and asked us to respond to the ticket counter. Once I arrived at the counter, she asked me for our tickets. I figured that the flight was overbooked, and that we would be stuck in Orlando overnight. We were greeted with a pleasant surprise. We were upgraded to first class since “we paid the most for our tickets!”
Our flight into San Juan arrived on time. Since we were flying on a different airline to St. Thomas in the morning, we had to collect our luggage from baggage claim and check it in with the new airline. We found that the airline’s ticket counter didn’t open until 6:00am. Since we were dragging our luggage to be checked and had no tickets in hand, we couldn’t go through security to sleep in a safer area. We were left with wrapping the straps from our luggage around our feet to prevent theft, while trying to sleep in the uncomfortable chairs in the public area of the San Juan Airport. We never slept since every time we settled down enough to rest, the cleaning crew would come by with a gas engine-powered floor buffer whose sound rivaled that of an airplane. Finally the ticket counter opened and we were able to get inside the concourse. We arrived in St. Thomas and took a taxi to the ship. Our check-in to the ship was very efficient, and we were in our room by 9:30am. The rest of our trip was wonderful. We couldn’t have asked for more perfect weather.
This trip taught us a few things. It’s probably safe to fly in the day of the cruise if the ship leaves from the continental United States because there would be other flight options from other airports or airlines should a delay occur. We found that there just aren’t that many flights into San Juan each day, and if you’re not close to the airport from where your “backup plan” flight leaves, you’re not going to make it. Next time we sail from San Juan we’re going a day early, no matter the cost. The travel insurance reimbursed the cost of our last minute tickets which was a great help. We have to commend both Continental Airlines and Princess. They were very accommodating even though what happened was neither of their faults.
DISEMBARKATION: Our flight was not leaving Miami until 2:45pm so we enjoyed Freestyle Disembarkation. We chose the Express Walk Off Program. With this option you are free to disembark at anytime after the ship is cleared up until they call for all guests to disembark. You must carry off all your luggage to participate in this program.
Dining: We tried to get reservations at La Cucina again, but they were booked. We were going to just go to Summer Palace, but thought we would walk up to La Cucina and give it a shot. The screens around the ship that tell you how full restaurants are showed availability. We walked up and were seated. We ordered a pizza both nights we ate there and they were awesome. I had the manicotti it was good. Dessert was good, cheesecake and a macadamia nut ice cream dish.
Dining: Tuesday morning we ordered room service for breakfast so that we could get an earlier start to our day in Cozumel. Lunch was enjoyed at Nachi Cocom, but we were back on the ship in time for dinner at Mambo’s. We shared the Il Poppo. We were disappointed in this. This presentation was nice, but the meat was tough. Scot asked if he could also get shrimp with our dinner and was told no. The waiter was grumpy. Dessert was disappointing. Scot had the churros and I had the cream puff.
DINING: We ate at the Garden Cafe buffet for breakfast. They had a great selection. The French toast was wonderful. A few tips: It seemed to get more crowded each day. If the lines are too long you can walk all the way to the back and head to the Great Outdoors. They don’t have as big of a selection, but you can find most things out there without the wait. They even have an omelet station there. Also, seating can be difficult to find. Head to La Cucina it is open for seating. It is quiet and cool inside there and empty most of the time.
