Flight Change Causes Family to Cancel Carnival Cruise
It is well known among cruisers that you should always give yourself extra time to get on the ship, especially since travel plans can change at any moment.
The rule of thumb is to fly into the city where the cruise will be embarking at least one day prior to sailing, giving passengers enough time in case of delays for weather, airport closures, etc.
However, this extra time is not something everyone has the luxury of adding at the end of their cruise. This was a harsh reality for one family that had a flight change on disembarkation day that caused them to cancel their vacation.
One of the family members took to Reddit to share how booking with a budget airline ultimately led to the hard decision of cancelling their upcoming Carnival cruise.
“We originally had a 5 p.m. flight out of Miami on port day, but Spirit rescheduled it to 7 a.m. on port day back to Miami —making it impossible for us to make the flight,” explained the poster. “We were just a few days before the 100% refund deadline for our cruise cancellation.”
The family had wanted to stay an extra night in Miami after the cruise, but was unable to because of work. With their return flight being moved up 10 hours, the cruise was no longer an option.
Some commented on why they did not just change the flight, but since the cruise was happening soon, they were told rebooking flights would cost the family $2,000, which they did not have.
Read Also: End Your Cruise Smoothly With My 9 Disembarkation Tips
After realizing there were no other options, the family cancelled the cruise just in time to get a full refund.
They also received a full cash refund from the airline — but only after being on the phone with customer service for several hours.
Fellow cruisers took to the comments to share their grievances about booking with budget airlines, also sharing some of their unfortunate experiences.
“Personally I would never risk a flight with this airline. I’ve tried to fly them a few times and each time it was cancelled or delayed, I’d rather pay a little extra to ensure I’ll get to my destination or at least not have to fight for a refund or exchange,” replied one person.
“All the airlines change flight times, several flights have changed 3-4 times on me. My last cruise we ended up renting a car from Florida and driving to St. Louis because of changed flights,” added another.
The poster replied to several comments, even agreeing that the 17-hour drive to Miami would be more reliable in the future than booking with airlines.
Ultimately, the family was able to book a new cruise out of New Orleans — though the cabin was a step down from the one originally booked.
While the poster was a little disappointed about the downgrade, they did add that they were happy to be traveling anywhere with their husband and son — and that they know in the future to request additional PTO for cruises.
How to Plan Ahead
Something most, if not all, cruisers could agree on is that extra time is everything! Rushing to get on or off a cruise creates an unnecessary amount of stress for an experience that should be fun and relaxing.
Carnival Cruise Line does offer express debarkation which allows passengers to disembark early — which is a good option for guests with early flights.
To expedite the process, this option does require that passengers carry their own luggage off of the ship, which saves more time than checking bags.
It should be noted that the cruise line does recommend booking a flight no earlier than five hours after departure to ensure you have enough time to make it to the airport in time.
The Redditor who shared their story did initially book their flight for 5 p.m. but it was moved up to 7 a.m. — so what can passengers do in those situations?
There are several ways to ensure that your cruise does not need to be cancelled due to flight changes.
The first thing to do is to book your flights with airlines that allow you to reschedule or cancel if need be with little to no fees. Additionally, make sure to set up alerts when booking so you can be notified if there are any changes.
Then, make sure to keep track of your cruise’s cancellation period so that you can get refunded if your trip needs to be cancelled.
Finally, if you are able to, consider extending the end of your trip by one or two days at the final port to allow for a smoother travel experience back home.
All in all, planning ahead could end up sparing you from cancelling a much needed cruise!