Carnival Horizon 2022 – Getting to Miami

Today I’m starting my series on our Cruise that we recently just back from. It’s been several years since we’ve cruise and we were so excited to go cruising this last Christmas, but then we cancelled. When we got the email about the deals happening, we just couldn’t pass them up. Let’s jump into this adventure…that almost didn’t happen.

Friday, we worked and I ended up going home before lunch because I had a few things left to pack and wanted to get some things done around the house before leaving for 10 days. I had become concerned that morning with the weather reports of bad storms. I prayed that our flight to Miami wouldn’t be affected. However, before leaving for work our flight, which was schedule to leave at 8:42pm was postponed to 9:24pm, but we still drove to the airport around the same time.

We got to the airport, parked, and shuttled in. Checked our luggage. And wouldn’t you know it right after checking our luggage, our flight got postponed again to 10 something. While eating dinner PF Changs in the airport, our flight got postponed to 11 something. Our biggest fear in all this was that our flight would get cancelled.

After the original plane we were supposed to fly on have issues and then being routed to another gate, we sat on the plane for an hour only to have them tell us the pilots had ‘timed out’ because their 12 hour shift is now up. Delta hadn’t arranged for another crew so our flight was cancelled! This is bad for a couple reasons…

One, we need to get to Miami to get on the Cruise ship on Saturday.

Two, Delta now has our luggage.

Long story short (sorta), Delta refused to let us have our checked luggage (policy). Then with no help from Delta because the line was a mile long, then the Delta agents went home and said they’d be back at 4:30am. We couldn’t wait that long so we were about to just get in our car and drive to Miami without our bags. However, Rob was texting with a friend, who said there were flights to Miami with other airlines. We ended up booking a flight through American Airlines that would get us to Miami around 10:30am.

Then we said, well if we can just someone how get our luggage all will be fine! Rob stood in the baggage claim problem line for over an hour to learn they wouldn’t give us our luggage, but would route it to Miami the next morning an it would beat us there.

We were in the airport all night. We didn’t sleep. On our flight to Miami, I slept maybe 10 minutes and Rob slept maybe 40 minutes. It had to have been 90 degrees on that airplane. We were both feeling terrible and stressed and exhausted. This is not how anyone should have to start their vacation!

We got to Miami. No luggage. Called Travel Insurance. Long line for to make claim – 1 agent to help line of at least 50 people. Made a claim with Delta. Talked with several people who were getting on cruise ships that day as well.

Luckily, Rob’s parents who were going on the cruise with us had driven to Miami and brought 2 of our bags with them. We did have some of our dressy clothes and lots of miscellaneous items. Still had to go shopping. Went the most crowded Walmart I’ve ever seen. Imagine busiest Walmart and multiply times 3. Oh and have you ever had to buy everything you need for 8 days in 30 minutes?!?!? It is not fun!

Bought shoes, shorts, shirts, underwear, swimsuit, toiletries, etc! Spent $850.

Met Rob’s Stepdad at hotel. Took shuttle to cruise port. Had to carry all our luggage on board (because we were so late). Were with in minutes of missing the ship.

To wrap up the story, we spent time nearly everyday we were on the cruise talking with the Guest Services desk onboard. They got in contact with Delta to have our luggage sent to first port of call which was Aruba. Monday – got confirmation our luggage in Aruba. Tuesday (the day we were in Aruba) – Carnival said our luggage wasn’t there. Wednesday – Was told our luggage was being routed back to Miami. We asked for it to be delivered to hotel where we would be staying the night after we got off the ship.

Saturday – About to get off ship. Got message from American Airlines saying they had our luggage without tags! Wait, what?!?!? Got off ship. Ended up going back to Airport to American Airlines, where it had someone how ended up. Now that we’re done with vacation, Rob has spent hours on hold waiting to talk to Delta agents about:
-getting money back from cancelled flight
-refund for money spent on hotel that we never got to go to that Friday night
-money to recoup $850 on clothes, etc
-money for a one piece of brand new luggage that was looks like it was run over multiple times by a semi truck

What a nightmare to the beginning of our vacation!

Other posts from this cruise listed here: Carnival Horizon::March 2022