Passenger missed cruise
Article from Chicago Tribune that was brought to my attention by Becca Love
on another group. Pitfalls of booking direct with a cruise line instead of a travel agent and also illustrates why you should travel with a passport and not a passport card! http://trib.in/lbCp4G -- Charles |
Passenger missed cruise
On 5/28/2011 2:15 PM, Charles wrote:
Article from Chicago Tribune that was brought to my attention by Becca Love on another group. Pitfalls of booking direct with a cruise line instead of a travel agent and also illustrates why you should travel with a passport and not a passport card! http://trib.in/lbCp4G As I see it, the real pitfall is in not reading the cruise documentation. I am interested in hearing how booking via a travel agent would have changed anything. There are some wonderful travel agents out there, I'll grant that, but in this instance, I don't see how a travel agent could have changed the situation. The cruise line appeared to do what it could to help the people catch up with the ship. If they didn't have passports, how could a travel agent have changed that? -- Janet Wilder Way-the-heck-south Texas Spelling doesn't count. Cooking does. |
Passenger missed cruise
In article om, Janet
Wilder wrote: As I see it, the real pitfall is in not reading the cruise documentation. I am interested in hearing how booking via a travel agent would have changed anything. There are some wonderful travel agents out there, I'll grant that, but in this instance, I don't see how a travel agent could have changed the situation. The cruise line appeared to do what it could to help the people catch up with the ship. If they didn't have passports, how could a travel agent have changed that? A good travel agent like the ones I have picked have always stressed that I should have a passport. So if they had a good agent it is more likely that they would have had passports. Also to get third party insurance. The third party policies I buy would cover me if I missed the cruise because the plane was delayed. Of course you need to read the fine print in any policies you purchase. The good agents also take care of you and advocate for you if you have problems with the cruise line. Likely they would not have had to contact the newspaper. Notice I say good travel agent. I know there are bad agents out there. The main lesson though is get a passport. Passport card or the birth certificate and drivers license don't cut it if you miss the ship or have an emergency of some kind on one of the islands. -- Charles |
Passenger missed cruise
On 5/28/2011 6:49 PM, Charles wrote:
In raweb.com, Janet wrote: As I see it, the real pitfall is in not reading the cruise documentation. I am interested in hearing how booking via a travel agent would have changed anything. There are some wonderful travel agents out there, I'll grant that, but in this instance, I don't see how a travel agent could have changed the situation. The cruise line appeared to do what it could to help the people catch up with the ship. If they didn't have passports, how could a travel agent have changed that? A good travel agent like the ones I have picked have always stressed that I should have a passport. So if they had a good agent it is more likely that they would have had passports. I can accept that. Also to get third party insurance. The third party policies I buy would cover me if I missed the cruise because the plane was delayed. Of course you need to read the fine print in any policies you purchase. The two worst problems I had with travel insurance were from the companies a travel agent put me with or recommended by a travel agent. I did my own research and I get my own insurance, now. Some on-line or very large travel agencies have contracts with travel insurance providers who would probably be better than what the cruise line offers, so I can see a point in that to an extent, but most local brick and mortar agencies will put you with the cruise line's company. The good agents also take care of you and advocate for you if you have problems with the cruise line. Likely they would not have had to contact the newspaper. Notice I say good travel agent. I know there are bad agents out there. I had what I thought was a good agent. When there was a need for someone to go head-to-head with the travel insurance company, it wasn't the travel agent who did it, it was the customer service rep from the Miami office of the cruise line who came to my rescue. My experience differs from your point of view on this issue. The main lesson though is get a passport. Passport card or the birth certificate and drivers license don't cut it if you miss the ship or have an emergency of some kind on one of the islands. I absolutely agree about getting a passport, but everyone who travels should know that. Anyone who needs a travel agent to tell them to get a passport isn't a very smart traveler, IMHO. -- Janet Wilder Way-the-heck-south Texas Spelling doesn't count. Cooking does. |
Passenger missed cruise
On Sat, 28 May 2011 16:16:44 -0500, Janet Wilder wrote:
On 5/28/2011 2:15 PM, Charles wrote: Article from Chicago Tribune that was brought to my attention by Becca Love on another group. Pitfalls of booking direct with a cruise line instead of a travel agent and also illustrates why you should travel with a passport and not a passport card! http://trib.in/lbCp4G As I see it, the real pitfall is in not reading the cruise documentation. I am interested in hearing how booking via a travel agent would have changed anything. There are some wonderful travel agents out there, I'll grant that, but in this instance, I don't see how a travel agent could have changed the situation. Doesn't your TA wake you up and drive you to the embarkation? -- http://www.scroogle.org/gifs/evo16.gif |
Passenger missed cruise
In article m, Janet
Wilder wrote: I absolutely agree about getting a passport, but everyone who travels should know that. Anyone who needs a travel agent to tell them to get a passport isn't a very smart traveler, IMHO. That is kind of meaningless. Most travelers are not very smart travelers and are never going to be. Many Americans don't travel out of the USA, or have never done so before taking a cruise. Travel to them is a trip to the Grand Canyon, Las Vegas, New York City or Washington DC. I hate to say it but from reading Cruise Critic forums many Americans don't even seem to understand that they are going to be traveling outside the USA when they go on a cruise. -- Charles |
Passenger missed cruise
On Sat, 28 May 2011 16:16:44 -0500, Janet Wilder
wrote: On 5/28/2011 2:15 PM, Charles wrote: Article from Chicago Tribune that was brought to my attention by Becca Love on another group. Pitfalls of booking direct with a cruise line instead of a travel agent and also illustrates why you should travel with a passport and not a passport card! http://trib.in/lbCp4G As I see it, the real pitfall is in not reading the cruise documentation. Word. Plus, the article doesn't make it clear whether they were flying on the same day -- only says two flights were delayed. NEVER fly on the same day. Never never never. -- We are becoming a country that believes the rich have earned their money but the well educated have not earned their intellectual superiority. This leads to a nation that idolizes Kardashians. Joel Stein, TIME, 8/23/10 |
Passenger missed cruise
In article , Patricia
Martin Steward wrote: Word. Plus, the article doesn't make it clear whether they were flying on the same day -- only says two flights were delayed. NEVER fly on the same day. Never never never. A good travel agent would have suggested that that they fly in a day early. -- Charles |
Passenger missed cruise
On 5/29/2011 9:40 AM, Charles wrote:
In , Patricia Martin wrote: Word. Plus, the article doesn't make it clear whether they were flying on the same day -- only says two flights were delayed. NEVER fly on the same day. Never never never. A good travel agent would have suggested that that they fly in a day early. I guess I've used "bad" travel agents, because they all seemed to want to push the cruise line's air packages, which, IMO are the riskiest of all. -- Janet Wilder Way-the-heck-south Texas Spelling doesn't count. Cooking does. |
Passenger missed cruise
In article om, Janet
Wilder wrote: I guess I've used "bad" travel agents, because they all seemed to want to push the cruise line's air packages, which, IMO are the riskiest of all. I never had a travel agent push the cruise lines air package. The first travel agent I used for a cruise 16 years ago was at an American Express office near here who told me that she would find me cheaper air than cruise line air and better flights than cruise line air to Florida and that is what she did. I only stopped using her years ago because American Express closed the office. I have used several travel agents since then and not one has ever pushed cruise line air even though most of them have been cruise only travel agents. I have used cruise line air three times. Once their air package combined with a hotel in San Juan came in less than booking the air and hotel separately. We did pay the $35 air deviation fee to ensure nonstop flights. On the QM2 crossing they had some kind of deal where they the one way flight with Cunard came out a lot cheaper than independently booking it. They must have used the other half to those crossing the other direction. And on an Alaska cruise that I ended up canceling which was not a round trip cruise, multiple cities, the cruise air came out to less than booking air myself. -- Charles |
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