Flight Delay and Will Miss Transatlantic Cruise

[Club Disney Chandler]

I've never booked air through Disney before but do they not give you options on flights? There is no way on earth I would have accepted that flight, especially having been on 10 previous cruises, OP should know better. Even if I would have to spend more money I would not book that flight, and I don't care how many times the DCL reps said it was ok, common sense has to step in and say 3+ hours is not close enough to be comfortable with. Sorry OP but that was not a smart decision and especially not smart to not purchase insurance. I agree Disney should be doing better to help out though and am completely shocked they aren't.

Carnival handles this better, people I know that have ran into problems like this have had 1 of 2 things happen; either CCL booked them on other flights/airlines and got them there in time or they held the ship a few hours until the delayed flight arrived and had a private car at the airport to shuttle the guests to the cruise port as quickly as possible.

I really hope you are able to enjoy the cruise from Boston.

 

[Snowwhyt]

I'm sorry for your troubles and hope the rest is pleasant.
I had purchased a prepaid hotel through Disney at the Airport in orlando and was given a conference room with no bathroom or locking door and 4 cots. My parents are in their 70's. I was refunded my hotel costs but nothing more and that was it. Good luck but don't expect a great deal. Ask for an extra discount on a future sailing since you missed a "3 day cruise".

 

[TrySomethingNew]

I've never booked air through Disney before but do they not give you options on flights? There is no way on earth I would have accepted that flight, especially having been on 10 previous cruises, OP should know better. Even if I would have to spend more money I would not book that flight, and I don't care how many times the DCL reps said it was ok, common sense has to step in and say 3+ hours is not close enough to be comfortable with. Sorry OP but that was not a smart decision and especially not smart to not purchase insurance. I agree Disney should be doing better to help out though and am completely shocked they aren't.

Carnival handles this better, people I know that have ran into problems like this have had 1 of 2 things happen; either CCL booked them on other flights/airlines and got them there in time or they held the ship a few hours until the delayed flight arrived and had a private car at the airport to shuttle the guests to the cruise port as quickly as possible.

I really hope you are able to enjoy the cruise from Boston.

We used Disney Air once. No issues. But, our air reservations were changed 3-4 times before the trip, including airline changes! Cost was equivalent to what I could get on my own - but surely Disney books at a discount so they made money on us. Yes, you can have a say in arrival times and I've heard you can request certain routing and they will try to get you that routing. Of course, the closer to travel date, the harder changes/alterations may be. In addition, the OP may have been limited to Sunday travel and/or using a more limited/smaller airport, therefore fewer options. Hopefully, Wednesday sees them on the ship, followed by a great time and a decent solution by Disney.

 

[Allison]

Are you headed to Boston yet?

 

[Ofinn]

Yikes. Lots of nice advice in here. I ponder to myself how your luggage is randomly floating around somewhere, I didn't know they would put luggage on a plane without the owner flying with it anymore. I know you have a lot of anxiety and unhappiness associated with this trip. it is up to you to salvage or not and receive compensation. At a minimum I would require they provide you a % off a future cruise.

If you do try to salvage your trip, make sure you double check your flights back home to Louisville once onboard. If it was a multi-city ticket, since you missed the first leg, then they might have cancelled your flights home as well.

Best of wishes for the outcome you want and deserve.

International flts they wont, but domestic they will. At least they have for us. Of course if they put it on the wrong flight then Its going without you. Ive had a piece of luggage fly all over the country without me.

 

[hanscarlet]

Wow this is almost unbelievable, why they would book a flight in the day of, wow.

I am so very sorry for your situation and I hope you get to Boston ASAP.

Please keep us posted if you do get to Boston and on the ship.

I didn't realize people actually had Disney do the flight bookings... I know it's an option but seems like it's not always the most affordable and (now practical) option.... obviously hindsight is 2020 so I am not trying to be annoying, just surprised... if you are a veteran cruiser who has flown with Disney for the last 9 times and had no issues then I can see why you would trust them again

 

[Flossbolna]

I didn't realize people actually had Disney do the flight bookings... I know it's an option but seems like it's not always the most affordable and (now practical) option.... obviously hindsight is 2020 so I am not trying to be annoying, just surprised... if you are a veteran cruiser who has flown with Disney for the last 9 times and had no issues then I can see why you would trust them again

For the Transatlantic Cruises booking the airfare with Disney actually can make sense financially. One way transatlantic flights tickets are often ridiculously expensive (to the point that they are are more than double a return ticket). I have read comments here on the DIS that Disney actually offers pretty good pricing for these one way flights, so this might be the reason why the OP actually went with Disney. And in my opinion rightly expected this to be a seamless experience.

 

[MUN]

For the Transatlantic Cruises booking the airfare with Disney actually can make sense financially. One way transatlantic flights tickets are often ridiculously expensive (to the point that they are are more than double a return ticket). I have read comments here on the DIS that Disney actually offers pretty good pricing for these one way flights, so this might be the reason why the OP actually went with Disney. And in my opinion rightly expected this to be a seamless experience.

Good point. One-way international flights can be crazy expensive.
I've never booked air through DCL. Can you tell them that you want to arrive the day before?

 

[squirk]

We booked our air through Disney because we felt that if there were any delays, Disney would somehow take care of us.

I always heard Disney would help you out if you used Disney Air but obviously not.

I'm very sorry to hear about all this, especially for your sons, and I hope you make it to Boston.

I guess I am wondering where you got the impression that you didn't need to buy trip insurance because Disney would "somehow help you out". Did a cast member tell you that? If so, then I would ask a manager to pull the calls and listen to what you were told. I am not sure they record all calls, but it's worth a shot.

Heck, I would ask them to pull the calls anyway so they can hear a CM tell you that a 1:40 p.m. flight arrival into MCO the day of embarkation was OK. That just doesn't make sense.

 

[Vijoge]

No travel agent/company in their right mind should tell someone a 1:45 PM arrival is sufficient for a 4PM cruise departure. That's insane advice!

 

[speicher46]

I would be interested to see the fine print concerning the assurance that everything would be ok. I can't believe DCL booked a flight that would get her into MCO at 1:40 pm. That's crazy. However, it's just as crazy that the OP accepted this. I hate to blame the victim, and I hope everything works out for her and her family, but there is no way I would book or allow someone to book for me a flight that gets me to the airport with such little time to spare. NUTS!

I agree. I should have never accepted this. After nine Disney cruises I guess I just put too much trust in Disney. Never again!

 

[speicher46]

I've never booked air through Disney before but do they not give you options on flights? There is no way on earth I would have accepted that flight, especially having been on 10 previous cruises, OP should know better. Even if I would have to spend more money I would not book that flight, and I don't care how many times the DCL reps said it was ok, common sense has to step in and say 3+ hours is not close enough to be comfortable with. Sorry OP but that was not a smart decision and especially not smart to not purchase insurance. I agree Disney should be doing better to help out though and am completely shocked they aren't.

Carnival handles this better, people I know that have ran into problems like this have had 1 of 2 things happen; either CCL booked them on other flights/airlines and got them there in time or they held the ship a few hours until the delayed flight arrived and had a private car at the airport to shuttle the guests to the cruise port as quickly as possible.

I really hope you are able to enjoy the cruise from Boston.

Agree. It was a stupid decision to accept it. We have used Disney Air three previous times and they really offer you no options.

 

[speicher46]

For the Transatlantic Cruises booking the airfare with Disney actually can make sense financially. One way transatlantic flights tickets are often ridiculously expensive (to the point that they are are more than double a return ticket). I have read comments here on the DIS that Disney actually offers pretty good pricing for these one way flights, so this might be the reason why the OP actually went with Disney. And in my opinion rightly expected this to be a seamless experience.

The pricing is very good for a transatlantic. That is why we use Disney Air for then.

 

[roobug]

I have booked air with Disney a few times and all those times we choose the time of arrival and when to leave by our schedule. Once we had to fly in late the morning of the cruise because of our schedule and they let us choose that flight however there was no promises made about making the ship. We were taking the chance because of limited flights out that worked with our schedule. I wonder if this was OP situation. For us it worked out fine but if it didn't I knew it was a risk we were taking because I read all the fine print. i wonder how much was assumption because of Disney booking the air rather then being told Disney would fix a situation if it came up.

 

[speicher46]

It is now Monday evening and we are in a hotel in Boston. Delta is putting us up for two nights. The Magic Arrives on Wednesday so hopefully the nightmare will be over and we can begin our cruise. We still don't have our luggage but supposedly it will arrive here at 11:59 PM tonight. We are going to try to make the best of it and do our Boston excursion tomorrow. When everyone else on the ship is on excursions, we will spend the day on the ship and get caught up . I am just going to try to relax and enjoy the cruise with my family. When we get home, I will escalate this fiasco with Disney and Delta. Thanks so much for all the kind remarks.

 

[IceSkatingPrincess]

It is now Monday evening and we are in a hotel in Boston. Delta is putting us up for two nights. The Magic Arrives on Wednesday so hopefully the nightmare will be over and we can begin our cruise. We still don't have our luggage but supposedly it will arrive here at 11:59 PM tonight. We are going to try to make the best of it and do our Boston excursion tomorrow. When everyone else on the ship is on excursions, we will spend the day on the ship and get caught up . I am just going to try to relax and enjoy the cruise with my family. When we get home, I will escalate this fiasco with Disney and Delta. Thanks so much for all the kind remarks.

So glad you arrived safely in Boston!! I hope you pick up some serious pixie dust on the remainder of your trip, you deserve it!

 

[tink1970]

Glad you arrived in Boston safely!

Please enjoy the TA Weds (and Boston until then!).

 

[hanscarlet]

It is now Monday evening and we are in a hotel in Boston. Delta is putting us up for two nights. The Magic Arrives on Wednesday so hopefully the nightmare will be over and we can begin our cruise. We still don't have our luggage but supposedly it will arrive here at 11:59 PM tonight. We are going to try to make the best of it and do our Boston excursion tomorrow. When everyone else on the ship is on excursions, we will spend the day on the ship and get caught up . I am just going to try to relax and enjoy the cruise with my family. When we get home, I will escalate this fiasco with Disney and Delta. Thanks so much for all the kind remarks.

So glad you arrived to Boston! Thanks for the update and happy that Delta hooked you up with the rooms, that is the least they can do. Please let us know the outcome of the escalation. Enjoy your cruise! I'm sure you'll have a fantastic time!

 

[MUN]

It is now Monday evening and we are in a hotel in Boston. Delta is putting us up for two nights. The Magic Arrives on Wednesday so hopefully the nightmare will be over and we can begin our cruise. We still don't have our luggage but supposedly it will arrive here at 11:59 PM tonight. We are going to try to make the best of it and do our Boston excursion tomorrow. When everyone else on the ship is on excursions, we will spend the day on the ship and get caught up . I am just going to try to relax and enjoy the cruise with my family. When we get home, I will escalate this fiasco with Disney and Delta. Thanks so much for all the kind remarks.

I am very pleased to learn you arrived safely in Boston. I'm sure your luggage will be there soon. Enjoy your extra day in Boston and your cruise!

MUN

 

[JW9DVC]

It is now Monday evening and we are in a hotel in Boston. Delta is putting us up for two nights. The Magic Arrives on Wednesday so hopefully the nightmare will be over and we can begin our cruise. We still don't have our luggage but supposedly it will arrive here at 11:59 PM tonight. We are going to try to make the best of it and do our Boston excursion tomorrow. When everyone else on the ship is on excursions, we will spend the day on the ship and get caught up . I am just going to try to relax and enjoy the cruise with my family. When we get home, I will escalate this fiasco with Disney and Delta. Thanks so much for all the kind remarks.

Palo Everyday on Disney dime. Also, spa days. Plus some money for the inconvenience and a nice room upgrade. Then on top. For everything that you didn't get in the first place and a refund for days that you weren't able to make it.

JW