HEARTBREAK: Flight cancelled - Cruise missed

[TDC Nala]

When you believe in pixie dust and magic, this is a hard one

Of course this entire thread is a reminder that life is not always pixie dust and magic.

 

[axfather]

in theory, self insurance should always be cheaper....but only if you can afford to pay the claims out of pocket....I travel a bunch...never buy insurance as I know the savings over years should pay for a claim when/if it comes to that....

HOWEVER, don't forget the possible cost of medical and medical evacuation when you are deciding.....you have to save a bunch on insurance costs over the years to save that much! It is a close call for me, but I do not buy the insurance since I am adding to those savings which every trip...at least 3-4 per year for decades.

On the other hand (for instance), I would not go naked on regular health insurance as I could not afford the potential of $millions in claims.

 

[Anal Annie]

Well I dont know if this is comforting or not, I just got off the phone with DVC and they said if you would have used DVC travel insurance (travel Lex) they would have covered the flight and the Annual dues portion for that use year. So if you used 200 points and your annual dues were $800.00 thats all you would get back plus air fare change fee per ticket NOT the cost of airfare. The fees for this insurance is 79.00 for everyone. Not alot of coverage and I personally think its horrible. It seems like you are better off to book through DCL than DVC. Needless to say I have 3 cruises booked with points and I am thinking about canciling all of them.

Cruising on points is never the brightest idea. I did it once & won't make that mistake again as it was a terrible value and we just don't have that many points to burn. Anyway, you DO realize that if you cancel cruises that are already booked on points you would lose the $95 fee for each PLUS all those points would be tied up as they would not go back into your annual allotment. They would have restrictions and have to be used in another collection by a certain time. You realllly get messed up if you cancel a cruise or trip booked on points outside of a DVC resort. While the DVC insurance coverage is not the best it's better than nothing IMO.

i haven't read all the posts, i actually only got to page 4 but i wanted to add a comment. my family and i have been traveling for more than 30 years. in that time i have only purchased travel insurance once. that was our first time traveling and at that time i could not help but think about how much of our vacation budget went into that insurance. it was the last time i bought it. we travel any wheres from once to three times a year where we could/should have purchased insurance. i figured out, very early on, that if i did not purchase the insurance that even if i did have to forgo a vacation i would still be ahead after 10 years. going with this concept my next vacation will be free and will in fact be the third free vacation we have taken. i just now checked what the cost of insurance for two would be with dcl and on a 7 day inside cabin it was $134. that was about 8 percent of the cost of the trip.
nothing is going to get your trip back and for that i'm sorry. yes, you would have received your money back if you had insurance but if you do the math on all your triips, now as well as in the future, you probably have not lost a lot. don't beat yourself up over this. i am curious as i don't know tons about the insurance, having never purchased, do you get all your money back at that point, at the last minute?
don't flame me. if you dissagree, disagree. we all have different thoughts, mine may not be right for everyone. take the person who will only ever travel once. maybe it is best for that person. it just dosen't pay off for us, to cost prohibative.

I always insure our trips that have a large out of pocket expense. I purchased trip insurance for our Europe / Med trip this summer because it's easily costing $10,000 and I simply cannot afford to lose that much money. Period. I think the $300 I spent on insurance is valuable for my peace of mind and worth that much. Airline & airport worker strikes are well known in Europe and could happen at any time and prevent us from making the boat. I've also read enough horror stories about people making the boat WITHOUT their luggage and at least with insurance we'd have coverage to purchase some replacement clothes & essentials. That would be another significant expense if we had to shop for new clothes. Personally I will sleep better for the next few months knowing we have insurance.

 

[MellieluvsDisney]

First, I am sorry for you family. It must be devastating.

Second, we always buy travel insurance, but never with Disney. We buy it from our Credit Card company, it's much cheaper and it covers much more. I would never go on vacation without any insurance.

And this is just a reminder of how things can turn out.

 

[sullins5]

I just read through some more pages of responses. Just to respond to some questions that was put out there about why we weren't able to find other ways to get there...

Well, here's what happened to us after the flight was cancelled at 2:15 am...

NOW - while all of this was going on with my wife in line, I was working my Droid like mad, checking any pattern of flights out of BWI, DCA, IAD or Philly that I could to MCO, FLL, TPA, JAX or West Palm Beach... Going through Chicago, Newark, NY, any and everything. There was NOTHING that would have gotten me to Port Canaveral by 3:45 pm. I did find one American Airlines fare that might have gotten us to West Palm Beach by 1 pm, but it would have cost around 3,000 dollars, and there was still a better than even chance we wouldn't have made the boat.

And a little PS I haven't shared... while we never made it to Florida, our luggage DID. We have to go back to BWI today to pick it up. If we had somehow miraculously made the cruise by flyign through any other airport, we would have likely gone on board with only the clothes on our backs - which I actually think would have made for a fun little adventure...

Can I just say OP that I admire the way your family handled this at the airport! I'm sure y'all did everything that could be done in that situation! If it had been me and my family, I think I would have been in tears. We have been planning our big vacay, first time ever Disney cruise for a while now, and yes, we bought insurance for the cruise. However, we couldn't buy the insurance on 4 of the flights because they were bought with 'flexpoints'. Your situation is indeed . But can I say in all your posts, you have taken responsibility, not asked for anything inappropriate, and been kind in all of it. I wonder how many on here would have responded as you and your family did. Surely, in the end, you'll be blessed just because how you responded! And even if you don't see it? Well, I personally have been touched and 'gently reminded' that anything can happen, and it's how we respond that really matters!

Annnnnnd before I get a ton of comments on the lack of insurance on our flights...I did call Insure my trip. We have 7 flights booked, 3 could be insured, but they wouldn't insure my other 4 since they were with this type of bankcard 'points'. But we are booked early the day before, so we're hoping we will be fine. We'd drive if we had problems!

OP...we are so sorry for this week! I wish to goodness that I had to sprinkle on you and your family!

 

[kcashner]

As others have pointed out, travel insurance would not have gotten OP on the ship. It would only have given him the money back so he could potentially book another vacation in the future. I buy travel insurance because I know that my health insurance won't cover me outside of the US. I could afford to lose the cost of the vacation (wouldn't be happy about it, but.....), but a major accident or emergency while traveling could be a problem.

This is an example of why flying in the day or evening before is so helpful. I've had 3 occasions where we arrived a day later than anticipated (not Florida vacations). Flying in the day before the cruise opens all sorts of options in the event of a delayed or canceled flight--or at least gives you some hope of getting there! My logic is that if I'm in Orlando, then SOME WAY I'm going to be on that ship. I can't say the same from my home airport.

 

[lbuher]

This is an example of why flying in the day or evening before is so helpful. I've had 3 occasions where we arrived a day later than anticipated (not Florida vacations). Flying in the day before the cruise opens all sorts of options in the event of a delayed or canceled flight--or at least gives you some hope of getting there! My logic is that if I'm in Orlando, then SOME WAY I'm going to be on that ship. I can't say the same from my home airport.

What's so terribly ironic in this case, though, is that if the OP had planned to fly out the DAY OF the cruise, they would've gotten there fine. But because they played it safe and planned to fly out the day before to give themselves plenty of time... they are now stuck at home.

Sooooooo sad for the OP and his family.

 

[NancyIL]

This is an example of why flying in the day or evening before is so helpful. I've had 3 occasions where we arrived a day later than anticipated (not Florida vacations). Flying in the day before the cruise opens all sorts of options in the event of a delayed or canceled flight--or at least gives you some hope of getting there! My logic is that if I'm in Orlando, then SOME WAY I'm going to be on that ship. I can't say the same from my home airport.

Flying the day before the ship sails is good advice. In this case, it wasn't enough. The OP's flight was the day before the ship sailed, but with so many flights cancelled that day, there was no way for his family to get to Orlando the next day before the ship sailed.

By the way - I am on a cruise departing April 27, and I am flying to Orlando on April 24.

 

[debdreamsofdis]

My wife stood in line at the gate for 2 hours after the flight was cancelled while the poor agent alone at the counter (who had herself been there for at least 12 hours herself) tried to deal with an angry mob of passengers... State troopers had to come at least once to threaten to arrest one extra-belligerent guy).

Sometime around 4 am, even the counter agent couldn't take it any more. She broke down in tears. She couldn't leave her post, and Southwest couldn't send her any relief - they were clearly waiting for the morning crew to show up, and every one who WAS working had been there from the previous afternoon. Finally, her computer froze up, and Southwest sent us out to the main ticket counter, which didn't even open until 4:30...

Once all of the Sunday morning passengers started arriving, they segregated all of us leftover Saturday passengers into one corner of the SW Counter, so they could get all of the Sunday travelers onto their planes.

T the ticket counter, there were probably 200-300 stranded passengers being helped by ONE counter agent. My wife didn't get to the front of the line until 7:30 am - more than 5 hours after our flight had been cancelled. By that point, there was really no chance to get on a SW flight that could have gotten us within driving distance of Cape Canaveral... not even on standby, because by that point, all of the Sunday travelers had already checked in for their flights. (BTW - Southwest gave up one agent to deal with all of us, and had about 20 to take in all of the Sunday business. We were angry about that, but pragmatically - if they hadn't taken care of the current travelers, they would have just added up with a lot more people who were joining us on the "dead and forgotten" line.)

NOW - while all of this was going on with my wife in line, I was working my Droid like mad, checking any pattern of flights out of BWI, DCA, IAD or Philly that I could to MCO, FLL, TPA, JAX or West Palm Beach... Going through Chicago, Newark, NY, any and everything. There was NOTHING that would have gotten me to Port Canaveral by 3:45 pm. I did find one American Airlines fare that might have gotten us to West Palm Beach by 1 pm, but it would have cost around 3,000 dollars, and there was still a better than even chance we wouldn't have made the boat.

And a little PS I haven't shared... while we never made it to Florida, our luggage DID. We have to go back to BWI today to pick it up. If we had somehow miraculously made the cruise by flyign through any other airport, we would have likely gone on board with only the clothes on our backs - which I actually think would have made for a fun little adventure...

Oh my goodness, what a HUGE mess. For everyone involved. I truly believe that you did everything you could do. Unfortunately, for some reason, this cruise was just not meant to be

But I said it before and I will say it again, I would really pressure Southwest HARD about additional compensation beyond just refunding your money. Politely, of course. But the fact that you have to come back to the airport to pick up your luggage is just adding insult to injury. That's more time, not mention the expense of gas money/having to pay for parking at the airport...IMO, you should be compensated for that inconvenience at the very least. If counter agent is unwilling to help, ask to talk to a supervisor, write e-mails, make phone calls....the squeaky wheel often gets the grease. Good luck. I know this really is horrible to deal with now, but as other people pointed out, there are so many worse things that can happen.

 

[sayhello]

As others have pointed out, travel insurance would not have gotten OP on the ship. It would only have given him the money back so he could potentially book another vacation in the future. I buy travel insurance because I know that my health insurance won't cover me outside of the US. I could afford to lose the cost of the vacation (wouldn't be happy about it, but.....), but a major accident or emergency while traveling could be a problem.

I'm going to add here my experience 2 years ago. I was getting ready to fly home from Alaska, when I slipped and fell on the outside stairs at the B&B I was staying at, and cut my head open. The owner of the B&B rushed me to the ER, where they did a CAT scan and stapled my scalp together. Of course, I was sitting in the ER as my flight departed.

Through this whole process, my trip insurance company (I think this one was Travelex) was on the phone, working for me. They spoke directly to the admissions/billing folks in the ER, and I never even saw a bill. They paid everything directly to the ER. They worked with the airline to get me booked on the same, supposedly full, flight the next morning. And repaid me for the ridiculous airfare change fees. They also got me booked at a hotel near the airport for the night, since I wasn't flying out until the next morning. (And, for the record, I realize how very lucky I was that the CAT scan came back clear, and I was OK to fly the next morning).

I honestly have no idea how much this whole little mishap would have cost me. Fortunately, I was in the US, so at least a portion of it would have been covered by my insurance (although it would have been at an "out of plan" rate). But it so easily could have happened to me on my Med cruise, too...

Just for that, alone, the cost was obviously worth it. But also having the insurance company's "concierge" service as my advocate made a messy situation SO much easier, so that all I had to do was get myself patched up, and make it to the airport the next day. I'll never travel anywhere (except to visit family) without trip insurance!

OP, it sounds like you did everything you could have (besides the obvious of not buying the insurance). I'm so sorry nothing worked out. It really, really sucks.

Sayhello

 

[mattj009]

Your comments have truly helped, and I am humbled again by your sympathies.

As to the financial realities of the situation...

I completely understand the argument that over the long haul, the savings from NOT buying trip insurance probably outweighs the benefits received when a trip is lost. When you crunch the numbers, that argument is no doubt a strong one to make. However, that does not account for the short-term benefits realized by actually having a policy.

If we had insured our trip, I would have had the financial backing to quickly replace the lost cruise with another quality type of vacation.

Yes - I paid for the cruise with DVC points - but those points are now gone, and pragmatically speaking, if you're a DVC member, you know that nothing is done quickly. Planning vacations properly on points takes time, and you need that time because you orften need to bank or borrow points to make things work.


No, we are not facing any long term financial devastation from this... The cruise, after all, was already paid for. But it's absolutely galling to face how much financial value is just going down the drain.

There's the 4-day cruise for four people in a category 5 stateroom. There's the overnight hotel stay that we never had. The pre-paid airport parking voucher that I will have to eat. The two meals at the airport that we had waiting to get on the plane that never left.

Instead of eating on board all this week the food that I had already paid for, we shaill be eating at home, and if I want to make it up to the family by going out to restaurants several times this week, that will be a couple of hundred more dollars out of my pocket.

If I take my kids to the movies once or twice, or bowling, to give them something to do on their now-planless Spring break, that's easily another 20 -40 bucks a pop.

Despite all of that - the biggest problem is the loss of time. My son is a senior in high school. This is his final spring break. He is off to college in the fall, and this was supposed to be our last family vacation before he goes off. He will be a camp counselor this summer, and we'll have him home for six days between the end of camp and the start of college. So the opportunities to do this are gone.

Even if we can squeeze in time to do something else, we don't currently have the resources (did I mention my son is going off to college?), and I won't put a cruise on the credit card... that TRULY is the road to financial hell.

Anyway - thanks again to everyone for listening to my story. It truly is comforting to share with people who can actually "get" how this is affecting us...

 

[mmouse37]

As much as people feel that want to help the OP, soliticing donations is not allowed on the Dis and any further posts mentioning donations or quoting posts that mention donations will be deleted.

Thank you.

OP....it truly is a sad thing that happened but please don't think your chance for vacationing with your college bound son is over for good.....we thought the same thing and it saddend me to think that our 3 kids were done with family vacations once they went off to college but suprise!!! they still enjoy vacationing with us so the time will come when you can fit in a cruise with your entire family and it will be that much sweeter when it happens....that is what making memories is all about!!! We feel very fortunate that our three (now out of college kids) want to come with us on the Fantasy next year. Your time will come as well.

MJ

 

[pearljammer]

.

 

[sayhello]

I for one am glad to read this. As unfortunate as this is, not once did the OP decline any financial help from others. Personally, as much as it would devastate us to be at that lose, though appreciated greatly, I'd never accept money from others for this kind of misfortune. There are other tragedies that occur such as the tornadoes that have devastated many across this country right now that have much more to worry about and have lost much more than a vacation. Again, this is horrible but if I were the OP, I would have declined any monetary suggestions LONG ago but with a thanks anyway.

Actually, the OP *did* decline the offers of money. If you check out this post:

http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=40773391&postcount=151

You'll see he said:

Folke - I don't want your money
Thanks for the gestures, though. My wife woke up this morning after essentially being up for 2 days without sleep, and said "Sleep doesn't make it any better. This is not where I'm supposed to be right now."

Sayhello

 

[mellers]

I for one am glad to read this. As unfortunate as this is, not once did the OP decline any financial help from others. Personally, as much as it would devastate us to be at that lose, though appreciated greatly, I'd never accept money from others for this kind of misfortune. There are other tragedies that occur such as the tornadoes that have devastated many across this country right now that have much more to worry about and have lost much more than a vacation. Again, this is horrible but if I were the OP, I would have declined any monetary suggestions LONG ago but with a thanks anyway.

Pearljammer--that is not so--the OP declined the financial help in post #151.

 

[mattj009]

Pearljammer - Actually - I DID say I don't want others money in Post # 151.

And let me add to that - I'm glad they don't allow donations or soliticiations on here, because one never ever knows when one is being scammed. That was certainly never my intent.

My intent was to SULK! And I'm doing a damn good job of it!

 

[vegs1]

I for one am glad to read this. As unfortunate as this is, not once did the OP decline any financial help from others. Personally, as much as it would devastate us to be at that lose, though appreciated greatly, I'd never accept money from others for this kind of misfortune. There are other tragedies that occur such as the tornadoes that have devastated many across this country right now that have much more to worry about and have lost much more than a vacation. Again, this is horrible but if I were the OP, I would have declined any monetary suggestions LONG ago but with a thanks anyway.

Please read all of the posts thoroughly before you say someone did NOT do something. The OP did say he didn't want anyone's money and they have handled themselves very well through all of this.

To the OP:

I'm so sorry you weren't able to make your cruise. Such an unfortunate thing to happen when you tried to do everything right. You will have more time for family vacations but I do understand how you feel. Hope you can get some of your money back and find some time to make more memories.

 

[jetskigrl]

I just wanted to add to this by saying that I am so sorry that your vacation was lost. I cannot imagine how difficult that was on you and your family.

 

[sayhello]

Pearljammer - Actually - I DID say I don't want others money in Post # 151.

And let me add to that - I'm glad they don't allow donations or soliticiations on here, because one never ever knows when one is being scammed. That was certainly never my intent.

My intent was to SULK! And I'm doing a damn good job of it!

Actually, I think you are doing one of the most respectful, non-judgemental jobs of sulking I've ever seen!

If anyone deserves a good sulk, I think it's you.

Sayhello

 

[TDC Nala]

Looks to me like Pearljammer misspoke (mistyped?) and meant to use the word "solicit" in the first sentence rather than "decline." Rest of the post seems to bear this out.