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Great Bargain if you have time!

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Cherry C.
Senior Member
Username: Cherry

Post Number: 4237
Registered: 06-2003
Posted on Monday, October 13, 2008 - 07:36 pm:   

Some years back we were booked on a cruise out of the Port of Tampa (and stayed with a friend in St. Petersburg beforehand). Got to the check in area at the assigned time only to find enormous vehicular congestion and to be waved away by the police directing traffic, who told us to try coming back in 3 more hours!

Once we finally did get on board (barely in time for the evening meal) we learned that heavy fog had caused the Coast Guard to close the port so that the ship could not return in time to deposit the passengers, get re-supplied, and board the new bunch (us). It had finally been allowed into the port about 8 hours late so everything was in quite a turmoil and the disembarking passengers who had been told to vacate their rooms earlier in the a.m. had been sitting in lounges and other public spaces all that time, waiting for the fog to clear enough for the port to re-open safely.

That was a serious lesson that we definitely absorbed! (And perhaps it's just a coincidence, but we haven't tried to sail out of Tampa since then...)
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John R Garrison
Senior Member
Username: Majorg

Post Number: 693
Registered: 02-2006
Posted on Monday, October 13, 2008 - 03:42 pm:   

Maria:

Cherry's recommendations are spot on.

However, I did recently complete a trans-atlantic crossing where I booked a SWA flight on my own. I only did this because I knew we would arrive by 0700 and the ship had to be ready to change-over from Baltic to Carribean fittings for a 1700 departure that day. I felt pretty secure that they would make the 0700. I booked my flight for 1455 to Spokane from Fort Lauderdale Int'l.

It all worked out fine...a lot depends on how "lucky" you feel.

Happy Travels, John
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Cherry C.
Senior Member
Username: Cherry

Post Number: 4232
Registered: 06-2003
Posted on Monday, October 13, 2008 - 11:12 am:   

The cruise line always offers air transportation as needed, for an extra charge over and above the cost of the cruise.

Sometimes their air fare is cheaper than you can get on your own, and sometimes it is not.

And of course if you are using frequent-flyer miles, or have airline passes, you can't use them through the cruise line so you do need to make your own arrangements.

One big benefit of booking through the cruise line is that you have a 'guarantee' -- if the flight they booked you on to start your cruise is late, they will hold the departure of the ship for you. And if the ship arrives late in port at the end of the cruise so that you miss the flight home, they will re-book you at no extra cost to you.

Because we are well acquainted with Murphy's Law, most of us who are experienced cruisers will plan to arrive a day early in the departure port and will book our departure for late in the arrival day or even the next day, if we are making our own flight arrangements rather than booking through the cruise line. (Having said that, I confess there ARE times we have occasionally "gambled" by taking a departure-day flight, and so far have not lost...)
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Marla Mazur
New member
Username: Marla22

Post Number: 1
Registered: 04-2006
Posted on Monday, October 13, 2008 - 02:39 am:   

I have never taken a cruise and would like to know about booking the return airfare does the cruise line offer a deal?
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Kathleen M. Collier
Member
Username: Latterdayesther

Post Number: 8
Registered: 08-2007
Posted on Tuesday, October 07, 2008 - 09:53 pm:   

Hello fellow travelers, I noticed that the Star Princess is going SFO to Rio, leaving Nov. 20, 2008 for 32 days, inside cabin $1,495, ocean view $1,895, balcony cabin $2,695. It stops at the usual Mexican ports, Central America, around the horn, and docks in Rio, Brazil. It makes us wish to be truly retired, but we can't get away for that long yet!

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