The April 25 On the Spot column featured a letter from Stan Pebsworth of La Cañada Flintridge, who was unable to get to his cruise departure port in Valparaíso, Chile, because of the earthquake. Although he and his wife tried for days to get to the destination, the number of people trying to get home, the State Department warnings and the number of aftershocks discouraged them from continuing to try. They gave up and returned to Los Angeles. Princess Cruises would not refund their money. He did not buy travel insurance. We asked readers to share their thoughts on what the right outcome would be. Here is how more than two dozen of you responded:
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Cruising for trouble? Reader responses
What to do if you miss your cruise? (Robert Neubecker / For The…)
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Princess Cruises really showed its colors as being interested only in the bottom line. A good cruise line would make exceptions for a situation such as a natural disaster. Airlines honor your ticket on another flight when they can't take off as scheduled. I also agree that travelers should buy trip insurance, but if they don't Princess should show some understanding and provide another trip for the Pebsworths.
-- David Burrell, Long Beach
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If this happened to me the first thing I would have done was to call Princess and find out what my options were. My first question would be: What happens if I cannot get to Valparaíso? Then I would have asked what would happen if I didn't take the cruise. Then I would have called the airlines to find out how much it would cost to fly to the next port. Then I would have figured out what it would cost to fly to the next port compared with what it would cost me if I missed the cruise. Then I would have made my decision. I probably would have read the contract as well. My guess is when I called Princess, they would have told me that I would not receive a credit.
Valparaíso is not a port that people go out of on their first cruise. That is, this man is probably a veteran cruiser and should have known better.
-- Jim Brown, West Hills
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Airlines should do all they can to fly affected passengers to airports near the next port of call so that they can join the ship there.
I always arrive a day or more in advance so I don't miss the ship. This story does point out the problems caused by natural disasters, so if your next expensive vacation involves air travel, it might be a good idea to fly in a day in advance and buy trip insurance.
-- Clarissa Raaen, Simi Valley
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The letter hit a nerve with me. I was in Chile during the recent quake. Rather than trying to get in and catch a cruise, I was trying to get out.
The quake hit early Saturday morning, and I was scheduled to return to Los Angeles on Monday from Santiago. The airport was closed till at least the start of the week. I tried to call American Airlines to see what my options were. The offices of American were closed in Chile, and I could not call the 800 numbers from out of the country, so I had my wife call from the U.S.
Because there was no clear indication when the airport would open, I said I would get myself to Buenos Aires (an eight-hour drive through the Andes to neighboring Mendoza, Argentina) and be on time for a Sunday flight. I thought that would be a sure way to home and give American one less problem to solve. But we were told I could not use my return flight from Santiago in Buenos Aires. Under normal circumstances, I would understand that, but considering the situation, it seemed narrow-minded on their part. I also would like to add that I am a long-term platinum flier and have flown almost 4 million miles just on American.
I ended up having to use 100,000 of my miles to get on a flight that Sunday night. I have since booked other flights for myself and for dozens of others (I work in the music industry and have control as to what airlines our clients fly on), and more often than not, it's no longer American. The carrier was shortsighted and not understanding. I sent a complaint message and got this further kick in the gut:
"I am sorry to hear you were not able to travel as planned due to the earthquake which occurred in Chile and were disappointed that you weren't allowed to use your original ticket to return.
"Unfortunately, when we implement exceptions after incidents such as these, it simply isn't possible to offer exceptions which will meet every passenger's travel needs. I'm sorry this was the case with your travel and as such you chose to depart from another city in South America.
"Our records show that a refund for the unused portion of your ticket has been issued. Please allow up to two billing cycles for the adjustment to appear on your credit card statement.
"Mr. Cookman, we do sympathize with your situation — and wish we were in a position to do more. We look forward to another opportunity to welcome you aboard — under better circumstances. It is a privilege to serve you."
-- Tomas Cookman, North Hollywood
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