If you are planning a cruise vacation this winter…don’t be left standing on the pier watching your ship sail off. And if you live or travel through winter related areas, keep these simple tips in mind.
Leave a day early. This gives you a buffer in case there are delays. Plus you can start your vacation with less stress.
Take a non-stop flight if you can, eliminating connecting flight issues. If non-stop is not an option, leave a minimum of one hour in between your connections.
Try for the earliest flight out in the day. That way if something goes wrong, you have options.
If something does go wrong, don’t panic. Try to be friendly to the airline personnel. Your bags just might end up with you for your destination in Miami instead of some remote spot in Alaska!
Keep your itinerary with reservation numbers, flight numbers, and phone numbers to the airlines as well as the cruise line. Instead of going to the long line at the airline counter you can sit down and make some calls. Usually you will get some resolution quicker than standing in line.
Check out trip cancellation lost baggage insurance. It may save you some money or in some cases will pay for you to reach your embarkation port or fly to another port to meet your ship.