Flight changes lead to families cancellation of carnival cruises

It is well known in cruisers that you should always give yourself extra time to board the boat, especially since travel plans can change at any time.

The rule of thumb is to go to a cruising city at least one day before the voyage, providing passengers with enough time to prevent weather delays, airport closures, etc.

However, this extra time is not the luxury that everyone adds at the end of the cruise. For a family, an airplane change occurred on the disembark day, which caused them to cancel the holiday.

One of the family members led Reddit to share how to book with budget airlines, which ultimately led to the difficult decision to cancel the upcoming carnival parade.

“We initially flew out of Miami at 5 p.m. on Port Day, but the spirit rescheduled it back to Miami at 7 a.m. on Port Day – making it impossible for us to fly,” The poster explained. “We’ve been a few days before the 100% refund deadline.”

After the cruise, the family wanted to stay in Miami for a night but couldn’t do it due to work. As their return flight increased by 10 hours, cruise was no longer an option.

Some commented on why not only did they change flights, but because the cruises would happen soon, they were told that rebooking flights would cost families $2,000, and they didn’t.

Please read also: Use my 9 disembark skills to successfully end your tour

After realizing that there was no other option, the family canceled the tour in time to get a full refund.

They also received a full cash refund from the airline – but only a few hours after talking to customer service.

The cruiser companions commented, sharing their dissatisfaction with budget airline bookings, and also sharing some of their unfortunate experiences.

“Personally, I would never risk flying a plane with this airline. I tried flying them a few times and every time I cancelled or delayed, I would rather pay a little extra to make sure I got to my destination, or at least not have to fight for a refund or exchange.” One person answered.

“All airlines change flight times, several flights happened to me 3-4 times. On my last cruise we ended up renting a car from Florida and driving to St. Louis because of the change in the plane.” Another one was added.

The poster answered several comments and even agreed that a 17-hour drive to Miami in the future is more reliable than booking with an airline.

Eventually, families can book new ones Leaving New Orleans – Although the cabin is one step down from the cabin originally booked.

While the poster was a little disappointed with the relegation, they did add that they were happy to travel with their husbands and sons – they all knew in the future that they asked for additional PTOs for cruises.

How to plan ahead

Most, if not all, of the things that cruisers can agree on is that extra time is everything! A rush to cruise up and down can put unnecessary stress on an experience that should be fun and relaxing.

Carnival cruise Express Debarkation is indeed available, allowing passengers to disembark early – a good choice for guests with early flights.

To speed up the process, this option does require passengers to carry their own luggage from the boat, which saves more time than checking the bag.

It should be noted that cruise companies do recommend booking flights No earlier than five hours After departure, make sure you have enough time to arrive at the airport in time.

Redditor, who shared the story, originally booked the flight at 5pm but rose to 7am, so what can passengers do in this case?

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 book flights with an airline so that you can reschedule or cancel if needed Almost no fees. Also, make sure to set an alert when booking so you can notify if there are any changes.

Then, make sure to track Cancellation period for your cruise If you need to cancel your trip, you can get a refund.

Finally, if you can Consider extending the end of the trip A day or two in the last harbor can make the travel experience home smoother.

All in all, planning ahead may end up not canceling much-needed cruises!