Air travel is more fraught than usual, and the impact extends beyond the airport.
Cruisers who book flights independently are on their own when it comes to flight disruptions. The cruise line will not help them rebook flights if their original tickets are canceled or if they miss embarkation and wish to meet the ship in its next port of call.
Cruise lines will assist guests who booked air through the line’s affiliated air travel department. For example, Princess Cruises has staff at the ready 24 hours a day to help its EZair guests with flight delays and cancellations. The line promises to “take care of any flight changes if needed to join the voyage on the next available flight or the next available port of call.” This assistance is common among cruise line air travel offerings.
Cruise lines will not refund guests’ fares if they’re no-shows at embarkation or cancel their cruise the day of departure. The lines’ contracts of carriage, which outline the cancellation penalty schedule, also do not require them to offer a future cruise credit if guests fail to embark the ship.
Virgin Voyages announced during the recent government shutdown that it would offer a future cruise credit to any guests whose flight was canceled, causing them to miss their cruise. The line also helped travelers rebook flights to make it to their ship.
Cruise travelers on other lines experiencing flight disruptions should do whatever is needed to meet up with their ship to avoid losing their cruise fares. If it looks like they will arrive late, they should contact the cruise line’s emergency number and attempt to meet the ship in its first port of call.
Travel insurance purchased before a government shutdown like the one seen earlier this year might cover missed cruises due to canceled flights, but concerned cruisers should read the fine print and check with their agency to be clear about coverage. Insurance purchased after a shutdown begins is unlikely to cover travel disruptions due to shutdown-related cancellations. The exception would be Cancel for Any Reason insurance, but these plans are often pricey and can only be purchased within a few weeks of booking travel.
There are other ways to mitigate disruption in the event of something extraordinary like a government shutdown.
One is to change flights to arrive in their embarkation city a day or two in advance to build in a buffer should those flights get delayed or canceled. This is generally a smart strategy for any cruise, especially if winter weather has the potential to impact travel plans. The other is to consider driving rather than flying to the cruise port should travelers live within driving distance of their departure port.
Often, flexibility and date padding like this can be the best form of travel protection.
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