Hurricane Matthew

[KeithS]

I wonder how the resorts will fare after Hurricane Matthew strikes this evening?  I see they've shut all the WDW parks down for all of Friday.

Additionally, Port Canaveral is now closed - so the Fantasy (with Sandie, Lisa and others on board) will be delayed coming back.  I think they are trying to schedule it's arrival for Saturday afternoon/evening instead of the morning.  Saturday morning sees the Dream arrive - one day late.  They disembark those passengers before moving the Dream to an empty birth (its next cruise has been cancelled) and then bring in Fantasy an unload.  Of course, that is all dependent on the port actually being able to reopen after the storm.

Lisa and Sandie should have some interesting stories to share about that cruise!

[KeithS]

The Fantasy cruise has now been extended by a day and it will dock in Port Canaveral on Sunday!  I hope they weren't flying out on Saturday afternoon!

[calisota]

The Fantasy cruise has now been extended by a day and it will dock in Port Canaveral on Sunday!  I hope they weren't flying out on Saturday afternoon!

I hope they don't run out of food. I worked one cruise where that actually happened!
Greg

[mushu mama]

Well, I'm only just starting to emerge from the jetlag and stories I DO have... 

Throughout the entire cruise, Captain Fabian ( who pronounced the word hurricane the same as the Swedish Chef would have - so that alone had me in stitches most of the cruise because he said it A LOT) was a gem at keeping us informed on what and where the storm was worst and how we were going to avoid it.  And avoid it we did, we saw zero sign of bad weather, in fact, we had glorious weather the entire cruise and not a drop of rain.  On the day we doubled back the way we came, he arranged for us to port for the day at Cozumel for a second time and that was wonderful, as I hadn't have any chance to look around the first time as my excursion was literally port to sail timing.  I LOVE Mexico ... every time I set foot on its soil I have a great time.  The people are lovely, the shopping is fun, the culture fascinating and the margaritas are the best.  It never disappoints.  We had smooth seas all the way and the food was abundant.  Disembarkation day was a nightmare, but that was to be expected as the systems they usually had in place for a smoother process went straight out the window and people had to be constantly reminded to only line up to disembark at the appropriate time... But sorry to say, so many pushy people in one small confined place was a bit overwhelming and the great majority did not listen to a word of the instructions.  Myself and a couple of the others from our group got separated from the rest of them so we found a place to sit and just waited out the crush.  When we finally disembarked, we were the last group to line up for a bus to the airport and they couldn't fit us on the bus because of the enormous amount of luggage we had in tow.  The buses were stretched to the limit with two ships at port so the wait was lengthy.  In the end, they squeezed... and I mean squeezed ... us onto a little separate shuttle with our luggage literally piled up to the roof around us... and we were at the airport in a flash after that.  Yep, we did miss our first flights, but Qantas reissued them due to the hurricane without penalty for the Monday night.  I had to alter my internal one from Sydney to Adelaide, and that cost more than the original flight, but because it was only days before, just booking a new one was still a dearer option.  Hoping to get that back on insurance yet.  Not sure though, as they weren't recognising the hurricane as a reason to change the flights so I will NEVER EVER have anything to do with Alliance again.  The girls who booked insurance through Aami were well looked after and while I have always used Covermore, this time it was double the cost and didn't go with them, and payed the price.   

[calisota]

Cozumel! Little Mexican restaurants around the square (piazza?) and a roving mariachi band. Cheap beer, good cheap food...what more could you want?


Greg

[KeithS]

Interesting comments about the travel insurance Lisa.

We always use Covermore too and have never had a problem, yet the girl who sits beside me in my office has suggested Allianz as it was much cheaper - from you comments above, I guess I'll stick with Covermore!

[mushu mama]

Interesting comments about the travel insurance Lisa.

We always use Covermore too and have never had a problem, yet the girl who sits beside me in my office has suggested Allianz as it was much cheaper - from you comments above, I guess I'll stick with Covermore!

yep, I've learned my lesson...despite it being the dearest option out there, I've claimed for broken cameras and delayed luggage/flights before with covermore and never had a problem as long as I had the paperwork... Allianz were just 'no' straight out of the box... 

[mushu mama]

Cozumel! Little Mexican restaurants around the square (piazza?) and a roving mariachi band. Cheap beer, good cheap food...what more could you want?


Greg

I know right?  

[calisota]

In terms of travel insurance, I've always just gone for the cheapest. But, that being said, I've never ever made a claim for anything so I wonder if it's really worth getting at all. I would probably only be tempted if I was going to the States where I would get medical insurance.


Greg