Key Aspects:
- Virgin Voyages is offering future voyage credits if guests miss sailing due to cancelled flights from the US government shutdown.
- Guests must submit an airline cancellation confirmation to receive the credit and airfare costs are not included.
- Flight cancellations and delays at 40 major US airports are impacting thousands of cruise guests.
With the growing disruptions at major US airports as a result of the prolonged government shutdown and air traffic reductions, cruise guests are understandably nervous about reaching their cruises in the coming days.
Even if travelers may be flying in a day or two before sailing, it is possible that cancelled flights or rescheduling delays could still cause them to miss their cruise ship.
Virgin Voyages, however, is making sure booked guests don’t need to stress. In a Facebook post, the cruise line confirmed that they will stand behind impacted guests to make sure they still get their vacation.
“Flight cancellations = uncertainty. Who needs more stress before their vacation’s even started?” the social media post said. “This isn’t what you signed up for or what you deserve, and it certainly isn’t your fault.”
“Virgin Voyages has always been for you. If your flight gets canceled and you can’t make your voyage, reach out to Sailor Services with your airline cancellation confirmation – we’ll grant you an immediate future voyage credit.”
To be clear, the cruise line is not offering refunds to impacted guests, but the future credit will help them rebook their vacation for a more manageable time when flights aren’t quite so crazy.
“What we can’t guarantee: no cancellations. What we can guarantee: we’ll take care of you,” the cruise line said. “When things get back to normal, we’ll be right here – ready to take you away from all of it. You’re definitely going to need it. The smiles are on us.”
While Virgin Voyages is not offering reimbursement for the flights themselves (guests would need to work that out with their airline), this is an exceedingly generous offer and it is amazing for the cruise line to step up when guests need the assistance.
Naturally, guests would be disappointed to miss their cruise, but knowing their vacation investment is safe with Virgin Voyages can make the frustration just a little less.
Are Cruisers’ Flights Really Being Impacted?
The possibility of flight cancellations or delays has always been a concern for cruise travelers who aren’t able to drive to homeports, but how much of a concern is it really?
On Sunday, November 9, the flight data website FlightAware notes that Miami International Airport (MIA) has had 66 cancelled flights and 326 flight delays.
Miami International Airport is roughly eight miles from Terminal V at PortMiami, where three of Virgin Voyages’ ships are currently homeported: Scarlet Lady, Brilliant Lady, and Resilient Lady.
Meanwhile, Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood International Airport (FLL), just 25 miles north of PortMiami, is also experiencing issues. There have been 57 cancelled flights and 256 flight delays on Sunday.
In comparison, on Thursday, November 6, the last day before the flight reductions were instituted, MIA had no flight cancellations and 231 delays, while FLL also had no cancellations and only 188 flight delays.
Bear in mind, delays might range from just a few minutes to several hours, but the change in the number of flight cancellations is shocking.
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Most cruise lines have firm policy that unless airfare is booked through the cruise line, flight disruptions are not their concern. No refunds, future cruise credits, or other compensation will be offered if guests miss their cruise departure due to flight problems.
Furthermore, many travel insurance policies do not cover government shutdowns, and so no reimbursement for lost cruises, airfare changes, or other fees would be possible.
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Many cruise travelers are now grappling with the flight uncertainties and attempting to switch to earlier flights to permit more of a buffer in case of changes.
Another option for some guests is to give up on flights altogether and instead make lengthy drives to their cruise homeports, though this may not be practical or possible for everyone.
