We are flying out 2 days before, mainly because it's our first cruise and also we never been to Miami. So we are kind of treating those days as mini vacation before the cruise.
the problem with flying in on the day of the cruise is that you have to do that if you need to use the shuttle to get to the ship. they do not let you fly in the day before to use their shuttle
The toilet situation they should get some compensation. Just some credit or a free excursion or specialty dinning just something to make up for the inconvenience
I was traveling solo in Europe (I am an Aussie) and my group tours dates got changed around. So my travel agent had to rebook the tours and hotels. They missed a nights stay in a hotel in London. I turn up to this hotel and couldn't get the room. Due to the timezones, I had to wait until my travel agent was in the office for them to ring the hotel. I never used a travel agent after this for simple things like hotels, flights. Try to book as much as you can direct. What a nightmare. (always travel insurance too!)
ALWAYS fly in at least one day before tour cruise! Even flying in the night the night before was the worst because the airline workers forgot to unload the entire plane, went home for the night, went silent & invisible, and decided to send the plane to another city for maintenance before the airport was any wiser. If there is any moral to this story it would be to always fly a full day in advance and have in your carry-on a day's change of clothing.
I book thru the cruise line. The savings are incredible. They are half of what the airlines charge. As far as chair hogs go, if we want a certain chair and it's vacant for 1hr or more, I take their stuff off and leave it at the towel station. When they come back, like 3 hrs later, I say I saw your stuff at the towel station when I was getting towels 3 hrs ago! These people get up at 5am put a book on a lounge chair and then get up at 8 go have breakfast and are at the pool at 10. That's 5 hrs!!! Thank you Jayson. Love your channel.
When we were on harmony of the seas for Royal Caribbean, we saw the pool chairs covers, and there was no problem getting a chair by the pool seem like it work😊
If you go to a public toilet (airport, cruise terminal, restaurant, etc) and you see a toilet "out of order" you use the one next door, you don't ask for compensation. It's not as though all of the toilets weren't working on board.
You’re also NOT paying for a public toilet. Your comparison is quite frankly stupid. It also wasn’t inoperable for a minute or an hour. It was 10 hours. Some people cruises are only 3 days. It’s not absurd to ask for a free drink to make up for it.
No, the situation is more comparable to going to a hotel and your toilet isn't working for 10hrs and neither is the one in the lobby so you have to go to the hotel next door. Yes they deserve compensation. Not a whole cruise or something but maybe a choice of specialty restaurants, casino vouchers or spending credits.
A travel consultant at NCL told me to never book airfare through the cruise line and to always book directly with the airline. Even their own people know booking airfare through the cruise line is a bad idea.
@cruisepryor Right? This demanding compensation for any tiny little thing is out of control. We decided not to take a cruise this year. We are hoping the fad will fade. For 2026, we are looking at a long repositioning with a lot of sea days, lol. These sailings do not appeal to newbies and booze cruisers! I wish all the nice folks out there a peaceful, enjoyable cruise that isn't super crowded. And hoping that they dont encounter a ton of entitled morons. It's not just cruises that are attracting crazy people. Almost daily, a flight gets diverted due to some passenger acting psycho!!! SMH It just isn't as fun anymore.
On out last cruise we had a problem with the cabin toilet. The problem was that the people on the cruise right before us flushed a "PAD" down the toilet. Of course that is forbidden. It effected a few cabins but was cleared in about 3 hours.
1. I'm not surprised that the toilet stopped working on Oasis of the Seas. I was on this ship in October for the transatlantic crossing. And many things were not working including the rising tide bar. There was an elevator panel that was not working and some guest got stuck in that elevator and they told me it was riding all the floors until it stopped on Deck 8. It's an older ship. It probably needs to be refurbished. 2. I have booked through the airlines once and it's actually worked out well. But I now now book through the airline direct because I want to be in control of my flight.
@ As ships get bigger and bigger, they also put more pools in several locations. For every person they assign a task, another has to be removed from another since the crew is also passengers.. To have a person assigned to watch deck chairs would take a lot of doing and the main point is they don't want to make the crew into bad guys, so to speak.
Back in the 90s Carnival had the "Rail and Sail" program. Our train broke down about 7 times on the way though Georgia and was were NOT going to make it to the cruise terminal in time. Carnival diverted us to the Tampa train station, provided a taxi ride from the Tampa train station, and air plane ride and connections from the Miami airport to the cruise terminal. we made it my about 2 minutes. I suppose carnival no longer does the "Rail and Sail" because of problems like this.
I always book direct mostly with Delta. If any issues come up they're more than happy to assist. I never book the same day of the cruise. I take a least one day ahead sometimes 2 days just to relax unwind and explore the city. Maybe it's just me but i want to enjoy a stress free cruise experience that starts from day one. You're going on a cruise to make memories the last thing I want is a miserable experience such as I missed a cruise locked into my memory bank.
No, to the toilet compensation as there were alternative toilets available. For flights, we always book with the airlines and go one day early becsuse we want to be in direct control, not the cruise line. As for chair hogs, I believe 45 minutes is too long and vote for 30 minutes.
with 35+ cruises we have seen it all...nobody can explain why anyone should be allowed to place items on a chair THEN DISAPPEAR!!! We have seen hours go by and junk sits on a chair... my wish would be that zero saving be allowed... come to the chair and sit down... why allow people to go to the buffet for 30+ minutes? when finished eating find an empty chair somewhere... easy peasy...
The same reason they ban blue tooth speakers instead of just enforcing the rules that already banned them outside of state rooms. I know some people are in favor of these bans, but go to a store and look at all the varieties of speakers there are and try to determine how security is going to identify them without going through everyone's baggage, making going through security a nightmare. I carry power banks and a portable hard drive that could easily be mistaken for a speaker on an x-ray, and I have seen them in more and more shapes and sizes than I can count. In addition, the same people that broke the blue tooth rule will just play some obnoxious crap through the lousy speaker in their phone at full blast to annoy other passengers.
I work for a cruise line. Anyone I speak to, I do recommend flying in a day early whenever they can. The problem is that the guest has to request it; we can't just unilaterally TELL them that they're going to come in a day early. Not everyone has the disposable time or money to be able to take the extra day and get a hotel. For guests who still want to come in day of, we do have certain service standards that we have to adhere to for each and every embarkation and debarkation port, how long we have to allow for travel time between the airport and the pier. I still don't recommend it because they're one busted toilet or thunderstorm away from missing their vacation, but I can't force them to take the day.
We booked a carnaval cruise once and learned never again. 1) We were booked on a milk run from Canada to Porta Rico with 3 stops and a plane change on the way 2) We could not book seats in advance for the trip with our daughter in the front of the plane, me in the centre and my wife in the very back row. We were booked on a united flight in the final leg and when they served a box lunch, they ran out of food before getting to the back of the plane. Therefore, my wife got nothing to eat for a multi hour flight from Washington DC to Porta Rico! Finally, our flights were late in the day and we didn't get to the ship until 11 PM. Never again!
I don't see why the cruise line wouldn't wait for the delayed flights purchased "through" them. it makes me wonder if they would hold the ship for a delayed shore excursion. I am all for the chair hog signs! We never leave our chairs unattended while we are using them. We either eat before we look for chairs or we go separately.
Hey Jayson! FYI - not that anyone should be surprised by this, but I just chatted with an AARP rep by the name of Gerard (very friendly guy) who confirmed for me that they no longer offer HAL cruise gift cards which is a super bummer b/c those were a great bargain at 8% off. I should have picked up more of those when I saw the writing on the wall, but c'est la vie.
This frightens me fkying in on embarkation day. Here in australia travel agent has flown us on that special day which makes it stressful for me, so far so good..
Booking airfare through their cruise line is suppose to guaranty that you make the cruise if there is a delay or cancellation of the flight that was booked. That's the premise I see on the cruise line air policy. It may vary from line to line but with Royal and Celebrity that has been good having seen it happen the few times we have been delayed leaving port bc of a hold to wait for late passengers on delated flights. We ALWAY fly in 1 or 2 days ahead of a cruise.
45 min. might not seem like very long, but it's obvious when chairs are being used and when they are not. Wet or rumpled towels, drinks and such, shoes, suntanned lotion.......
I really doubt that signs would help for chair hogs on Carnival Cruise line. Most of their clientele seems not to follow rules very well. It would be easier for Carnival to band lounge chairs like they did our small Bluetooth speakers and small radios. 😢
How come another flight wasn’t arranged thru Carnival to get to the next port? I thought this is the way it works when you book a flight through the cruise line?
The usual reason for non-functioning toilets on a ship is that some idiot flushed something that shouldn't have been flushed and it caused a clog somewhere down the line. I had a room steward who said people had even flushed t-shirts. OK, sorry that the toilets were not working, and that is a big inconvenience, but for one day, they don't owe you money. I once had a non-functioning issue in my cabin. The "engineer" was there 3 days in a row, making it quite awkward to change clothes, etc. On day 3, I went to guest services and requested that they either replace the offending equipment (rather than trying yet another repair) or move us to a different cabin. I stressed that I was not asking for an upgrade, but that having a man in my cabin made it difficult to change after a trip to the pool, etc and another cabin of the same type would be fine, That's exactly what they did. Of course, that was a line that even on a "sold out" cruise maintains a few extra empty cabins for such situations; not all cruise lines do that. As to flying in on the same day....just don't do it. My logic is that if I am in the city the ship departs from, then I will somehow be able to get to that ship. I also recommend a hotel close to the port whenever possible (some ports may only have one easily accessible access road). Even if you fly in the evening before the cruise, you can get a good night of sleep and start your vacation fresh rather than getting up at 4am to travel to the airport for a flight that might be delayed, etc. Yes, I did it early on in cruising when I booked "the package" thru the cruise line, but I learned better. And, if you book air thru the cruise line, they typically use a third party consolidator and the airline will not deal with you in the event of a problem!
We did book through the cruise line (Holland America Line). The first one was from Ottawa to Amsterdam. Wonderful. The second one was from Ottawa to Vancouver. We had selected the complete, top-of-the-line all-inclusive airfare through the cruise company. What we got was bottom, end-of-the-line, basic fare. We then had to pay for seat selection, meals, etc. confronted by letter to the President’s office in Seattle, the reply was that they always go for the cheapest fare. What about reimbursing me for the difference in prices? No way! How would you feel if you sent me shopping on your behalf, gave me money to cover the expensive shoes you specifically asked me to buy, and I come back with a pair of flip-flops? You say ok but what about returning 5e change from this transaction? I say no way! What should someone do in such a situation?
Once upon a time,years ago, we did use cruise air for a couple Princess cruises. If I remember correctly, they guaranteed that we’d get to the cruise or they’d fly us to the first port so we could catch up and join. We were never in that predicament so, I’ve no ides. I also knew what airline and flight I wanted and told my TA to have Princess book it my way. They did accommodate us. Now days, I always book our own, always at least a day before a cruise after almost missing a cruise because a hurricane had shut down the full state of Florida. We rolled the dice and waited it out. Yes, as always, we had insurance. We were in the last group of ten who made it aboard after dark onboard the ship as it had waited. The gangway was raised as soon as we and our bags were aboard.
We've used cruise line air many times and been very happy with it. we always fly in a day or 2 early, and only issue we had was last March flying from Phoenix to Miami. We were booked on Southwest, and at the airport waiting to board, they delayed the flight, then delayed it again, then cancelled it. Got in line and the best Southwest could do was get us to Miami on Monday for our Sunday cruise. Called NCL's flight department and they got the flight released from Southwest and re-booked us on another airline routed to fly through Denver then overnight to Miami. We didn't get there a day early as planned, but that built in buffer made it possible to not miss our cruise. Had we booked directly with Southwest, we wouldn't have had the option to change airlines at the last minute and still make the cruise without paying last minute fares to the other airline. Overall it can be a great value, but 100% agree, fly out a day or two early.
It is possible to have the cruiseline book flights the day or so before your cruise but you or your agent needs to talk with them and request it. I also thought part of booking flights with the cruseline would get you to the next port.
1. A small amount of obc, under $100, is warranted 2. Never ever fly in the day of, thats just too stressful. 3. Neve had issues with chair hogs, only ever sailed with MSC in the yacht club and theres never an issue with chairs there
I'd love to know how you come up with that number. I mean let's say you spent 1, 000 dollars per person on your cruise. a 7 day cruise has 168 hours so 10 hours without a toilet= 1000/168= 59.52 so you round it up to say $60 per person. A credit of $120 would be appropriate. You could even argue for $150 or maybe, MAYBE $200... But 1/3? That's like $667. No way is the cruise line realistically or any business for that matter going to go for that.
A little Something if only a Cheap Bottle of Wine ...& I'm HAPPY.. Allways the Day before or 2 Days ...And Your Right DELTA is Good . We are either in the Pool or Chair , Never far ..
No comp for non working toilets only if it can’t be resolved within a 24 hr period, sh*@ happens……. I always book direct and fly in the day before. I hate chair hogs, and unfortunately I do not know the best solution to stop this…. Just keeping my fingers crossed that something will work 😊
Toilet issue: I would say ask nicely, but don’t be surprised if they don’t off anything, but there were some public restrooms available (maybe I misheard, but you didn’t say all public restrooms were offline). Not ideal, but at least available, so not the end of the world. Airfare from Cruise Line: the more I hear stories like this, the more I refuse to purchase through the cruise lines. I always purchase through the airline itself. Also, I would have demanded they change it or cancel it, the instant I was told the information (itinerary). No way will I accept flying in the day of embarkation. Chair hogs: hate ‘em! I like what RCCL is doing. I think that helps immensely.. so long as they actually remove people’s stuff when it’s left unattended. I think 45 minutes is plenty of time to grab food, use a bathroom, etc. If you’re in the pool, you can see your chair and let them know you’re actually present, not to take your stuff.
Definitely needs some on board credit. 50 to 100. Since it's spent on board, it stays with the cruise line. Even driving, we come in the day before. Honestly, if you book a flight thru the cruise line, and thru no fault of your own, the cruise line should fly you to the next port, pay all transfers and fees and get you on the ship ASAP. They should also refund however many days you miss of the cruise. If you book direct with the airlines, that's when you need travel insurance. As for chair hogs..45 min is def long enough. IMO, any towels, books, whatever left before 10am should be removed unless the owner is in the pool or hot tub. No saving seats at dawn and not showing up until noon. You didn't mention it, but there needs to be a crew member at the door of the theater. A line needs to be formed and everyone in your party present before you are allowed in. NO SAVING SEATS!! Once the show starts the doors close and no one can enter. Be on time or wait for another show.
No they do not need compensation for an unusable toilet for only 10 hours. I just had this situation on MSC and my toilet was out for around 12 hours! Just use a public toilet and keep it moving! Even though MSC sent up a free bottle of champagne and some chocolate covered strawberries, I was not looking for any compensation. And why were they in there room for that long on a cruise? Weird!
I dont know if credit for it is necessary. I would say no more than $50.yes, 10 hrs no toilet is awful but it is not like they just ignored the issue. It was probably caused by a passenger flushing things they were not supposed to. 2. We never book our flights through the cruiseline, nor do we fly in the day of. We live in Maine, so inclement weather is common in winter. We also fly Delta. We fly in at least 2 days ahead of time. Last cruise, we flew in 3 days before. 3. As far as chair hogs, I dont care, lol. We dont spend much time at the pool. I think the chair hogs are awful and that all the lines need to enforce a time limit they can be left unused. In my opinion 15 minutes should be max. Need to go eat? Go to the pool AFTER you eat. Just sayin
Chair hogs are rude. I saw those covers on Symphony of the Seas last week. They are a good idea and 45 minutes is more than enough time. We don't fly, however with constant flight cancellations/delays, 1 to 3 days prior is the best idea. Never day of. A $50.00 onboard credit would be fair compensation, it was being worked on. We were on NCL Breakaway, their toilets were out over 2 days over 16 hours and got nothing.
We normally book direct and get insurance. But our next trip we are using princess air cause we got a package deal to Mediterranean. Hopefully we won't have those same issues. As for the chair hogs ...they will find a way to cry and complain until they get their way.
Cruise News: Should This Thief be BANNED From Cruising? ----> th-cam.com/video/VQMu8hWr_NE/w-d-xo.html
I always book directly with the airline and fly in at least 1 day before my cruise.
We are flying out 2 days before, mainly because it's our first cruise and also we never been to Miami. So we are kind of treating those days as mini vacation before the cruise.
The covers on chairs seems like a great idea BUT only if enforced!!!
We book directly with the airline and even when driving we arrive the day prior just in case there is an accident or construction delaying traffic.
the problem with flying in on the day of the cruise is that you have to do that if you need to use the shuttle to get to the ship. they do not let you fly in the day before to use their shuttle
If you have more than one traveler, it is most often less expensive to take an Uber or Lyft to the port.
The toilet situation they should get some compensation. Just some credit or a free excursion or specialty dinning just something to make up for the inconvenience
Picture this situation: Some dumbass flushing stuff down the toilet to get it clogged so he/she could get a free excursion.
I hate when people leave their stuff on a chair and disappear for a few hours.
Love the thought of slip on covers on unattended chairs
I was traveling solo in Europe (I am an Aussie) and my group tours dates got changed around. So my travel agent had to rebook the tours and hotels. They missed a nights stay in a hotel in London. I turn up to this hotel and couldn't get the room. Due to the timezones, I had to wait until my travel agent was in the office for them to ring the hotel. I never used a travel agent after this for simple things like hotels, flights. Try to book as much as you can direct. What a nightmare. (always travel insurance too!)
ALWAYS fly in at least one day before tour cruise! Even flying in the night the night before was the worst because the airline workers forgot to unload the entire plane, went home for the night, went silent & invisible, and decided to send the plane to another city for maintenance before the airport was any wiser. If there is any moral to this story it would be to always fly a full day in advance and have in your carry-on a day's change of clothing.
I book thru the cruise line. The savings are incredible. They are half of what the airlines charge. As far as chair hogs go, if we want a certain chair and it's vacant for 1hr or more, I take their stuff off and leave it at the towel station. When they come back, like 3 hrs later, I say I saw your stuff at the towel station when I was getting towels 3 hrs ago! These people get up at 5am put a book on a lounge chair and then get up at 8 go have breakfast and are at the pool at 10. That's 5 hrs!!! Thank you Jayson. Love your channel.
I feel half an hour is long enough to save lounge chairs!
I sail on NCL, and would love to see these slip on chair covers !
When we were on harmony of the seas for Royal Caribbean, we saw the pool chairs covers, and there was no problem getting a chair by the pool seem like it work😊
If you go to a public toilet (airport, cruise terminal, restaurant, etc) and you see a toilet "out of order" you use the one next door, you don't ask for compensation. It's not as though all of the toilets weren't working on board.
You’re also NOT paying for a public toilet. Your comparison is quite frankly stupid. It also wasn’t inoperable for a minute or an hour. It was 10 hours. Some people cruises are only 3 days. It’s not absurd to ask for a free drink to make up for it.
No, the situation is more comparable to going to a hotel and your toilet isn't working for 10hrs and neither is the one in the lobby so you have to go to the hotel next door. Yes they deserve compensation. Not a whole cruise or something but maybe a choice of specialty restaurants, casino vouchers or spending credits.
Do you think people are above clogging the toilet on purpose to get a free excursion?
A travel consultant at NCL told me to never book airfare through the cruise line and to always book directly with the airline. Even their own people know booking airfare through the cruise line is a bad idea.
These days people want credit if a fly lands on their food outdoors at the private island .
@cruisepryor Right? This demanding compensation for any tiny little thing is out of control. We decided not to take a cruise this year. We are hoping the fad will fade. For 2026, we are looking at a long repositioning with a lot of sea days, lol. These sailings do not appeal to newbies and booze cruisers! I wish all the nice folks out there a peaceful, enjoyable cruise that isn't super crowded. And hoping that they dont encounter a ton of entitled morons. It's not just cruises that are attracting crazy people. Almost daily, a flight gets diverted due to some passenger acting psycho!!! SMH It just isn't as fun anymore.
Not having a toilet for 10 hours is way different than a fly. 🙄
Love the chair hog idea.
On out last cruise we had a problem with the cabin toilet. The problem was that the people on the cruise right before us flushed a "PAD" down the toilet. Of course that is forbidden. It effected a few cabins but was cleared in about 3 hours.
1. I'm not surprised that the toilet stopped working on Oasis of the Seas. I was on this ship in October for the transatlantic crossing. And many things were not working including the rising tide bar. There was an elevator panel that was not working and some guest got stuck in that elevator and they told me it was riding all the floors until it stopped on Deck 8. It's an older ship. It probably needs to be refurbished. 2. I have booked through the airlines once and it's actually worked out well. But I now now book through the airline direct because I want to be in control of my flight.
chair hog: More inforcement is needed to stop these rude people. Easy stated but how? Crew did not sign on to be police.
Do what they do on Carnival, after 30 minutes, they remove anything from the chair and place it at the towel booth.
They could hire a person for that specific job.
@ As ships get bigger and bigger, they also put more pools in several locations. For every person they assign a task, another has to be removed from another since the crew is also passengers.. To have a person assigned to watch deck chairs would take a lot of doing and the main point is they don't want to make the crew into bad guys, so to speak.
Back in the 90s Carnival had the "Rail and Sail" program. Our train broke down about 7 times on the way though Georgia and was were NOT going to make it to the cruise terminal in time. Carnival diverted us to the Tampa train station, provided a taxi ride from the Tampa train station, and air plane ride and connections from the Miami airport to the cruise terminal. we made it my about 2 minutes. I suppose carnival no longer does the "Rail and Sail" because of problems like this.
I always book direct mostly with Delta. If any issues come up they're more than happy to assist. I never book the same day of the cruise. I take a least one day ahead sometimes 2 days just to relax unwind and explore the city. Maybe it's just me but i want to enjoy a stress free cruise experience that starts from day one. You're going on a cruise to make memories the last thing I want is a miserable experience such as I missed a cruise locked into my memory bank.
We always book direct and fly in 1-2 days before our cruise.
No, to the toilet compensation as there were alternative toilets available. For flights, we always book with the airlines and go one day early becsuse we want to be in direct control, not the cruise line. As for chair hogs, I believe 45 minutes is too long and vote for 30 minutes.
with 35+ cruises we have seen it all...nobody can explain why anyone should be allowed to place items on a chair THEN DISAPPEAR!!! We have seen hours go by and junk sits on a chair... my wish would be that zero saving be allowed... come to the chair and sit down... why allow people to go to the buffet for 30+ minutes? when finished eating find an empty chair somewhere... easy peasy...
The same reason they ban blue tooth speakers instead of just enforcing the rules that already banned them outside of state rooms. I know some people are in favor of these bans, but go to a store and look at all the varieties of speakers there are and try to determine how security is going to identify them without going through everyone's baggage, making going through security a nightmare. I carry power banks and a portable hard drive that could easily be mistaken for a speaker on an x-ray, and I have seen them in more and more shapes and sizes than I can count. In addition, the same people that broke the blue tooth rule will just play some obnoxious crap through the lousy speaker in their phone at full blast to annoy other passengers.
We always fly in 2 days prior domestically (book directly), 3 days when flying internationally ( book with cruise line).
I work for a cruise line. Anyone I speak to, I do recommend flying in a day early whenever they can. The problem is that the guest has to request it; we can't just unilaterally TELL them that they're going to come in a day early. Not everyone has the disposable time or money to be able to take the extra day and get a hotel. For guests who still want to come in day of, we do have certain service standards that we have to adhere to for each and every embarkation and debarkation port, how long we have to allow for travel time between the airport and the pier. I still don't recommend it because they're one busted toilet or thunderstorm away from missing their vacation, but I can't force them to take the day.
We booked a carnaval cruise once and learned never again. 1) We were booked on a milk run from Canada to Porta Rico with 3 stops and a plane change on the way 2) We could not book seats in advance for the trip with our daughter in the front of the plane, me in the centre and my wife in the very back row. We were booked on a united flight in the final leg and when they served a box lunch, they ran out of food before getting to the back of the plane. Therefore, my wife got nothing to eat for a multi hour flight from Washington DC to Porta Rico! Finally, our flights were late in the day and we didn't get to the ship until 11 PM. Never again!
I don't see why the cruise line wouldn't wait for the delayed flights purchased "through" them. it makes me wonder if they would hold the ship for a delayed shore excursion. I am all for the chair hog signs! We never leave our chairs unattended while we are using them. We either eat before we look for chairs or we go separately.
I always book direct. 😊
No credit.
Hey Jayson! FYI - not that anyone should be surprised by this, but I just chatted with an AARP rep by the name of Gerard (very friendly guy) who confirmed for me that they no longer offer HAL cruise gift cards which is a super bummer b/c those were a great bargain at 8% off. I should have picked up more of those when I saw the writing on the wall, but c'est la vie.
This frightens me fkying in on embarkation day. Here in australia travel agent has flown us on that special day which makes it stressful for me, so far so good..
I always book air, hotel, and cruises with the provider. Never with a 3rd party agent.
Booking airfare through their cruise line is suppose to guaranty that you make the cruise if there is a delay or cancellation of the flight that was booked. That's the premise I see on the cruise line air policy. It may vary from line to line but with Royal and Celebrity that has been good having seen it happen the few times we have been delayed leaving port bc of a hold to wait for late passengers on delated flights. We ALWAY fly in 1 or 2 days ahead of a cruise.
45 min. might not seem like very long, but it's obvious when chairs are being used and when they are not. Wet or rumpled towels, drinks and such, shoes, suntanned lotion.......
eh,Id at least ask for a free drink.
I really doubt that signs would help for chair hogs on Carnival Cruise line. Most of their clientele seems not to follow rules very well. It would be easier for Carnival to band lounge chairs like they did our small Bluetooth speakers and small radios. 😢
How come another flight wasn’t arranged thru Carnival to get to the next port? I thought this is the way it works when you book a flight through the cruise line?
The usual reason for non-functioning toilets on a ship is that some idiot flushed something that shouldn't have been flushed and it caused a clog somewhere down the line. I had a room steward who said people had even flushed t-shirts. OK, sorry that the toilets were not working, and that is a big inconvenience, but for one day, they don't owe you money. I once had a non-functioning issue in my cabin. The "engineer" was there 3 days in a row, making it quite awkward to change clothes, etc. On day 3, I went to guest services and requested that they either replace the offending equipment (rather than trying yet another repair) or move us to a different cabin. I stressed that I was not asking for an upgrade, but that having a man in my cabin made it difficult to change after a trip to the pool, etc and another cabin of the same type would be fine, That's exactly what they did. Of course, that was a line that even on a "sold out" cruise maintains a few extra empty cabins for such situations; not all cruise lines do that.
As to flying in on the same day....just don't do it. My logic is that if I am in the city the ship departs from, then I will somehow be able to get to that ship. I also recommend a hotel close to the port whenever possible (some ports may only have one easily accessible access road). Even if you fly in the evening before the cruise, you can get a good night of sleep and start your vacation fresh rather than getting up at 4am to travel to the airport for a flight that might be delayed, etc. Yes, I did it early on in cruising when I booked "the package" thru the cruise line, but I learned better. And, if you book air thru the cruise line, they typically use a third party consolidator and the airline will not deal with you in the event of a problem!
We did book through the cruise line (Holland America Line). The first one was from Ottawa to Amsterdam. Wonderful. The second one was from Ottawa to Vancouver. We had selected the complete, top-of-the-line all-inclusive airfare through the cruise company. What we got was bottom, end-of-the-line, basic fare. We then had to pay for seat selection, meals, etc. confronted by letter to the President’s office in Seattle, the reply was that they always go for the cheapest fare. What about reimbursing me for the difference in prices? No way! How would you feel if you sent me shopping on your behalf, gave me money to cover the expensive shoes you specifically asked me to buy, and I come back with a pair of flip-flops? You say ok but what about returning 5e change from this transaction? I say no way!
What should someone do in such a situation?
Would your home owner insurance give you a break when the city lines break?
Once upon a time,years ago, we did use cruise air for a couple Princess cruises. If I remember correctly, they guaranteed that we’d get to the cruise or they’d fly us to the first port so we could catch up and join. We were never in that predicament so, I’ve no ides. I also knew what airline and flight I wanted and told my TA to have Princess book it my way. They did accommodate us. Now days, I always book our own, always at least a day before a cruise after almost missing a cruise because a hurricane had shut down the full state of Florida. We rolled the dice and waited it out. Yes, as always, we had insurance. We were in the last group of ten who made it aboard after dark onboard the ship as it had waited. The gangway was raised as soon as we and our bags were aboard.
We've used cruise line air many times and been very happy with it. we always fly in a day or 2 early, and only issue we had was last March flying from Phoenix to Miami. We were booked on Southwest, and at the airport waiting to board, they delayed the flight, then delayed it again, then cancelled it. Got in line and the best Southwest could do was get us to Miami on Monday for our Sunday cruise. Called NCL's flight department and they got the flight released from Southwest and re-booked us on another airline routed to fly through Denver then overnight to Miami. We didn't get there a day early as planned, but that built in buffer made it possible to not miss our cruise. Had we booked directly with Southwest, we wouldn't have had the option to change airlines at the last minute and still make the cruise without paying last minute fares to the other airline. Overall it can be a great value, but 100% agree, fly out a day or two early.
Direct in States, cruise line, in Europe.
It is possible to have the cruiseline book flights the day or so before your cruise but you or your agent needs to talk with them and request it.
I also thought part of booking flights with the cruseline would get you to the next port.
Book through the airlines
1. A small amount of obc, under $100, is warranted
2. Never ever fly in the day of, thats just too stressful.
3. Neve had issues with chair hogs, only ever sailed with MSC in the yacht club and theres never an issue with chairs there
Yes they should ask and get some compensation 30% off next cruise
I'd love to know how you come up with that number.
I mean let's say you spent 1, 000 dollars per person on your cruise. a 7 day cruise has 168 hours so 10 hours without a toilet= 1000/168= 59.52 so you round it up to say $60 per person. A credit of $120 would be appropriate. You could even argue for $150 or maybe, MAYBE $200...
But 1/3? That's like $667. No way is the cruise line realistically or any business for that matter going to go for that.
Direct for domestic travel, travel agent for foreign travel.
A little Something if only a Cheap Bottle of Wine ...& I'm HAPPY..
Allways the Day before or 2 Days ...And Your Right DELTA is Good .
We are either in the Pool or Chair , Never far ..
No comp for non working toilets only if it can’t be resolved within a 24 hr period, sh*@ happens……. I always book direct and fly in the day before. I hate chair hogs, and unfortunately I do not know the best solution to stop this…. Just keeping my fingers crossed that something will work 😊
Toilet issue: I would say ask nicely, but don’t be surprised if they don’t off anything, but there were some public restrooms available (maybe I misheard, but you didn’t say all public restrooms were offline). Not ideal, but at least available, so not the end of the world.
Airfare from Cruise Line: the more I hear stories like this, the more I refuse to purchase through the cruise lines. I always purchase through the airline itself. Also, I would have demanded they change it or cancel it, the instant I was told the information (itinerary). No way will I accept flying in the day of embarkation.
Chair hogs: hate ‘em! I like what RCCL is doing. I think that helps immensely.. so long as they actually remove people’s stuff when it’s left unattended. I think 45 minutes is plenty of time to grab food, use a bathroom, etc. If you’re in the pool, you can see your chair and let them know you’re actually present, not to take your stuff.
Definitely needs some on board credit. 50 to 100. Since it's spent on board, it stays with the cruise line. Even driving, we come in the day before. Honestly, if you book a flight thru the cruise line, and thru no fault of your own, the cruise line should fly you to the next port, pay all transfers and fees and get you on the ship ASAP. They should also refund however many days you miss of the cruise. If you book direct with the airlines, that's when you need travel insurance.
As for chair hogs..45 min is def long enough. IMO, any towels, books, whatever left before 10am should be removed unless the owner is in the pool or hot tub. No saving seats at dawn and not showing up until noon.
You didn't mention it, but there needs to be a crew member at the door of the theater. A line needs to be formed and everyone in your party present before you are allowed in. NO SAVING SEATS!! Once the show starts the doors close and no one can enter. Be on time or wait for another show.
No they do not need compensation for an unusable toilet for only 10 hours. I just had this situation on MSC and my toilet was out for around 12 hours! Just use a public toilet and keep it moving! Even though MSC sent up a free bottle of champagne and some chocolate covered strawberries, I was not looking for any compensation. And why were they in there room for that long on a cruise? Weird!
Booking airfares through cruise lines should be no different to booking excursions that are late. The ship should have waited.
I book my flights directly with the airlines
I dont know if credit for it is necessary. I would say no more than $50.yes, 10 hrs no toilet is awful but it is not like they just ignored the issue. It was probably caused by a passenger flushing things they were not supposed to. 2. We never book our flights through the cruiseline, nor do we fly in the day of. We live in Maine, so inclement weather is common in winter. We also fly Delta. We fly in at least 2 days ahead of time. Last cruise, we flew in 3 days before. 3. As far as chair hogs, I dont care, lol. We dont spend much time at the pool. I think the chair hogs are awful and that all the lines need to enforce a time limit they can be left unused. In my opinion 15 minutes should be max. Need to go eat? Go to the pool AFTER you eat. Just sayin
Hate chair hogs!!! So rude!!!😢
An inconvenience to be certain, but just head to a working public toilet and move on.
4 hours no toilet is no problem. Stop being a baby
4 agree - but 10 hours?
Thanks for watching
@JaysonJudson 10 hours is a different story....especially if something isnt agreeing with you. 🤣
Chair hogs are rude. I saw those covers on Symphony of the Seas last week. They are a good idea and 45 minutes is more than enough time.
We don't fly, however with constant flight cancellations/delays, 1 to 3 days prior is the best idea. Never day of.
A $50.00 onboard credit would be fair compensation, it was being worked on. We were on NCL Breakaway, their toilets were out over 2 days over 16 hours and got nothing.
We normally book direct and get insurance. But our next trip we are using princess air cause we got a package deal to Mediterranean. Hopefully we won't have those same issues.
As for the chair hogs ...they will find a way to cry and complain until they get their way.