CruiseMom82 Posted April 8, 2022 Report Share Posted April 8, 2022 Hi everyone! We are scheduled to cruise to Alaska from Vancouver in May, and we are flying there from the Southeastern US. I booked two one-way flights months ago, as this was the best way to get a good schedule and price. Both of the flights have had schedule changes from the airline. I managed to reschedule the departure flight to a better schedule after they changed it. Now, it’s been changed again! Now we are scheduled to arrive a whole day earlier than planned (already planned to arrive night before cruise boards). I’m in need of some advice. We are leaving our kids at home with a relative and this new change means additional child care, hotel costs, and complications to the COVID testing timeline. Plus hubby may not be able to take off an extra work day. Not sure if I can get the airline to cancel and refund, but we do have travel insurance. If I do book a new flight, the ones available are more expensive or not a good schedule. And they could always change the schedule again I suppose Air2Sea didn’t seem an option when I booked, but I’m not sure it would have made a difference. On the plus side, Vancouver looks awesome, so it would be great to have an extra day to explore. Thanks in advance for your thoughts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twangster Posted April 8, 2022 Report Share Posted April 8, 2022 Depending on the airline, they should allow fee-free changes when they have introduced a schedule change this significant. Have you talked to them about options to get back to the original arrival date? Allen2, Pattycruise and VirtKitty 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YellowBrickRoad Posted April 8, 2022 Report Share Posted April 8, 2022 Getting there early is a plus even though I understand your dilemma with scheduling/pricing/etc. It’s definitely better for peace of mind not cutting it close if you possibly can. (This coming from a 32 yr flight attendant) I love Vancouver. I’m from the USA but now live in Toronto area. There is a lot you can do within that time frame that is close to the port. Wonderful restaurants, Stanley Park is beautiful, have a glass of wine from the region, The suspension bridge is a must and accessible from that location. Good luck and enjoy your cruise! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smokeybandit Posted April 8, 2022 Report Share Posted April 8, 2022 If your flight has changed by 3+ hours, typically you can reschedule it for free VirtKitty 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobroo Posted April 8, 2022 Report Share Posted April 8, 2022 Ya' know your time in Vancouver could quite possibly be the best part of your vacation? Why not let Vancouver (and Canada) show you what a wonderful place that it is? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WAYNO Posted April 8, 2022 Report Share Posted April 8, 2022 I've been thru this multiple times. One time recently, the airlines changed my flight, and we would have arrived at the port after the ship departed. The only option the airlines offered was accept or cancel the flight. I had no choice but to cancel, and then reschedule another flight, which increased the airfare substantially. The take away from all this, the rules change on a whim, and always in favor of the airline. I know this happens, so I keep my attention open to contingencies. And if I have a choice, I will arrive in my port city at least a day early. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CruiseMom82 Posted April 12, 2022 Author Report Share Posted April 12, 2022 Thank you all so much for your thoughts we have decided just to spend an extra day in Vancouver. Now if we could just figure out the testing requirements… I will try to post some thing about our experiences, perhaps not a full blog, so other people can understand what they might need to do later in the season. PRebecca 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twangster Posted April 12, 2022 Report Share Posted April 12, 2022 19 minutes ago, CruiseMom82 said: Thank you all so much for your thoughts we have decided just to spend an extra day in Vancouver. Now if we could just figure out the testing requirements… I will try to post some thing about our experiences, perhaps not a full blog, so other people can understand what they might need to do later in the season. Bring some eMed tests with you and use the hotel wifi to do proctored tests the day before boarding the ship. whitsmom and Pattycruise 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
recogneyes Posted April 12, 2022 Report Share Posted April 12, 2022 4 hours ago, CruiseMom82 said: Thank you all so much for your thoughts we have decided just to spend an extra day in Vancouver. Now if we could just figure out the testing requirements… I will try to post some thing about our experiences, perhaps not a full blog, so other people can understand what they might need to do later in the season. You will be so glad you had this additional time in Vancouver. There is so much to see and do. Testing can be booked right at the Vancouver airport so if you can confirm testing can be done 2 days prior to sailing, you can test when you land and then be done with it. I believe antigen tests are $79. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlohaLivin Posted April 12, 2022 Report Share Posted April 12, 2022 We love Vancouver; when we sail out of there we try to take an extra five days just for that area. You will love it, have fun! bobroo 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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