JCCC3: Getting There Despite Old (Wo)Man Winter

BrettGlassBrettGlass
edited February 2013 in JoCo Cruise

One of the challenges of having a con On A Boat is that everyone has to fly there, during possibly inclement weather, in time to hit the boarding window. Last year, I was delayed more than two hours by icy conditions and just barely made my flight. This year, snow is bearing down on the East Coast -- a repeat of the Super Bowl Snowpocalypse of 2011? -- and also on Utah, Idaho, Colorado, and Wyoming. I'm opening this topic for discussions of this year's weather and how to circumvent it to get safely to and from the boat.

(Edited by @Bry on 6 Feb 2013 to change thread categories.)

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Comments

  • keeksgkeeksg
    I think it might be too late to do anything. We specifically booked our flights out a couple of days before the cruise to allow for flight delays/cancellations, but if people didn't account for this it may not be possible to do anything (other than jump in your car and start driving now!).

    What might be interesting is to know what options are available to people who might miss the cruise launch if they were flying in on Sunday...does anyone know whether it's possible to join the boat elsewhere, or are you SOL?
  • OboewanOboewan
    I dunno Brett, snow is bearing down on New England but doesn't appear to be doing anything further south.  Just route all flights through DC and you'll be fine......
  • BrettGlassBrettGlass
    edited February 2013
    It's the northeast and the west that are likely to be most affected. I'm looking into booking a hotel near the airport and driving down a day early. (One benefit of this: they'll give me free parking for the duration of the trip, which is worth about half of the hotel bill. But I need the time to get ready! It'll come out of sleep time, probably.)
  • villiciousvillicious
    This is not really a downside of the event being On a Boat. It is a downside of the event being in a place. Places are things people have to travel to get to, if they do not live near the place.

    It isn't really even a downside of the season. Winter has snow, but spring, summer and fall have major storms that have the potential to disrupt travel of all kinds for days at a time.


  • BrettGlassBrettGlass
    edited February 2013
    True. On the other hand, if I arrive a day late for a convention, it doesn't sail away without me. ;-)
  • paulandstormpaulandstorm
    @BrettGlass If it's the right kind of convention, it might.
  • nperkinsnperkins
    edited February 2013
    If you are in the Northeast, you have the following options (some of which may not be available to you due to timing, vacation days, money, etc):

    Reschedule your flight for Thursday
    Abandon your flight plans and carpool with other SeaMonkeys
    Cross your fingers and hope that your airport resumes operations quickly (if it gets socked)

    Right now I would make yourself known to other Northeastern SeaMonkeys and have a carpool backup plan. It is a long one-shot drive to Orlando, however it can be done with several SeaMonkeys taking shifts. Make your backup plan now. Decide what your cut and drive criteria are ahead of time. If your Saturday flight is delayed when you check it on Saturday morning ... is that when you run? Are you able to bail on Friday and get out ahead of the storm?

    I can see hotels and parking being an issue for a crazy sudden car pool. However, if you have several people in the car at least the financial hit per person comes down. Also, there are probably SeaMonkeys already installed in Orlando who might take you in. You won't know until you ask for help.

    None of these options are awesome. My advice is to make a few plans, decide which ones hurt too much in terms of cost, and go with your instincts.

    Full disclosure: I buckled and completely reworked my flights this morning. I am looking forward to mac& cheese and ramen in March. It will be delicious.



  • BrettGlassBrettGlass
    @paulandstorm Hmph. If it was the right kind of convention, it'd wait for me. ;-)
  • katekate
    I love mac & cheese and ramen, @nperkins. :)
  • villiciousvillicious
    edited February 2013
    American Airlines change policy for changes due to this weather is posted here:
    http://www.aa.com/i18n/travelInformation/travelAlerts.jsp

    United Airlines:
    http://www.united.com/CMS/en-US/travel/policy/Pages/FlightDelaysandCancellations.aspx

    Jetblue:
    http://www.jetblue.com/JetblueAlerts/WeatherUpdate.aspx?intcmp=global_travelalert

    Delta:
    https://www.delta.com/content/www/en_US/traveling-with-us/alerts-and-advisories/northeast-winter-storm.html

  • BrettGlassBrettGlass
    edited February 2013
    Southwest lets you rebook without penalty; however, you must pay the difference to cover whatever the new seat costs at the time of departure. Which can itself be a pretty hefty increase.
  • gbasdengbasden
    If anyone has to drive and unexpectedly needs parking during the cruise, there are a lot of us staying at the Radisson that get free parking for the duration. I'd be happy to register someone else's car to my room if needed.
  • nperkinsnperkins
    Delta charges you $150 for a change and the cost of the difference in flights.
  • villiciousvillicious
    @nperkins Based on their current waiving of fees for changes to travel to Tokyo due to weather, they may implement something similar for the Northeast.
  • BrettGlassBrettGlass
    Aside: I guess that this is a hot topic -- or maybe it's just general excitement building for the event -- because I've never seen so many people on this message board simultaneously. 44 people at once!
  • villiciousvillicious
    At the risk of causing some kind of insane forum recursion, this is also being discussed in another thread: http://www.jonathancoulton.com/forums/index.php?p=/discussion/2158/northeast-weather-travel-issues
  • BrettGlassBrettGlass
    edited February 2013
    Great minds think alike, I guess! Maybe a moderator can merge the threads.
  • BryBry

    @BrettGlass This functionality does not exist in the forum software. As I noted in the other thread, I am traffic-copping everyone out of that thread and into this one. (Also, I edited your original post but only to move it into the correct category.)

  • KathleenKathleen
    Yeah, sorry about that. I didn't see this thread when I started that one.

    We've already rebooked our flights for tomorrow morning. Good thing I was 90% packed already!
  • BryBry

    @Kathleen No worries about the duplicate threads, it happens :)

  • villiciousvillicious
    Delta change policy:
    https://www.delta.com/content/www/en_US/traveling-with-us/alerts-and-advisories/northeast-winter-storm.html
  • BrettGlassBrettGlass
    edited February 2013
    @Bry Thank you for correctly categorizing the thread! The non-JCCC3 people will likely appreciate it.

    By the way, this just in from Southwest: They'll rebook you for free if you're departing from certain cities. See

    http://www.southwest.com/html/advisories/swa_travel_advisory_2013161360187488968.html
  • RickSRickS
    FWIW, Southwest has activated its OMGWTFBBQ policy for ALB/BOS/MDW/BDL/MHT/PVD.

    I changed my PVD flight up to 2:20 pm Friday, which is still in the danger window. Bless us, Snow Miser!

  • RickSRickS
    @BrettGlass Beat me by 5 minutes. He who hesitates is ... something.
  • nperkinsnperkins
    I called Delta at 1-800-221-1212 and they refunded the entire cost difference and change fee. yay!
  • bronzitebronzite
    We're committed to an early Sunday morning departure.  If the snow actually stops during the day on Saturday, I think we'll make it -- Boston usually clears the runways pretty quick, and if they have a full night to get Logan back online I'm confident we'll make it.  If the storm is late or lingers longer than expected... well, have a nice cruise.
  • gbasdengbasden

    Man, that blows. I hope the weather cooperates for your sake!

     

  • lostlucklostluck
    I'm booked to go through Detroit which looks like it is shielded from the storm by the great lakes ... At least Delta isn't worried about it. *fingers crossed*
    *doffs hat*
  • BrettGlassBrettGlass
    The forecast for my locale has just shifted for the worse. I will definitely be driving to the airport early and booking a night in a hotel to avoid problems with road closures. Will try to do remainder of my work while on the road.
  • KathleenKathleen
    The second AA posted their change fee waiver notice I was on the phone with them rebooking us for this morning. We are now safely ensconced in a hotel, where I am working remotely today and tomorrow from my husband's laptop because I didn't want to bring mine with me on vacation. I am sooooo gonna ride roller coasters tonight and tomorrow night though!
  • hendusoonehendusoone
    edited February 2013
    I managed to re-book my Saturday at noon flight from Boston. Instead, I'm flying at 9:30 tomorrow morning, connecting through DC. The JetBlue agent kept trying to book me for non-stop flights during or after the blizzard. Ultimately, I had to find some flights myself using their website's search and give him the flight numbers to get out of there before the snow hits. A bit annoying, but I'll make it there! Woo!

    I'm pretty sure this won't impact any of my other travel plans... I'll just need to find a hotel in Orlando, and some things to do on Friday evening and Saturday morning/afternoon, and then get back to the airport to catch my 4:30 shuttle to the Radisson!
  • autojimautojim
    edited February 2013
    According to published reports, The Weather Channel's Jim Cantore is headed for Boston.

    Get out while you can!

    ETA: He's got Mike Seidel with him. Prepare for Thunderdome.
  • paulandstormpaulandstorm
    For those of you who have to change flights at the last minute and are searching for hotel rooms, here's a few sites I use when you tour. None of these are paid endorsements, just extremely helpful sites:

    http://www.priceline.com/ (It's a cliche, but they're very good. Also: Shatner!)
    Orbitz, Travelocity, Hotels.com, and the other various standard travel sites can work as well.
    There's also some helpful apps like Hotel Tonight.

    In other words, explore lots of options. Good luck!

    P
  • dswitkindswitkin
    I'm trying to decide whether to leave NYC on Sunday at 9am as planned or move the flight up to tomorrow early. Seems like a crapshoot either way. Anyone else leaving NY on Sunday and sticking with it?
  • BrettGlassBrettGlass
    edited February 2013
    If I were in NYC and trying to leave on Sunday, I would do it from EWR. Not JFK, ISP, or (especially) LGA.
  • dswitkindswitkin
    Lucky me, the tickets are LGA. Seems like if the snow stops Saturday around noon it should be clear by Sunday AM, no? Not sure how Delta handles the cancellations from Saturday though and whether they push back scheduled flights on Sunday. Advice welcome.
  • mtgordonmtgordon
    BREAKING: Logan Airport plans to shut operations from early Friday afternoon through Saturday afternoon.
  • BrettGlassBrettGlass
    edited February 2013
    @dswitkin You might ask your airline to move you to a flight out of EWR. They may do it gladly! LGA is known for delays and weather problems; it's right on Long Island Sound and tends to get intense snow. EWR is a bit inland and has seriously good snow removal equipment.
  • mikespharmikesphar
    Paul, you forgot to mention the single most important travel-related site, which I would swear I had learned about on your podcast:



  • paulandstormpaulandstorm
    @mikesphar That was implied.

    And is less useful for finding hotel rooms. Although one could curl up inside a chicken-fried steak, I suppose.
  • mikespharmikesphar
    Can, and will!


    (But I mentioned it mainly for people who may end up diverted to an unexpected hotel or layover. "Where can I get something good to eat around here?" is usually my first question once I've thrown my bags down.)

  • gbasdengbasden
    Yes, it's awesome. It doesn't list much around Cape Canaveral, though. Back to Urbanspoon!
  • BrettGlassBrettGlass
    edited February 2013
    Outing to Thai Thai III leaving on foot from Radisson (it's about a block and a half away) at 7:45 Saturday evening. RSVP to me if possible (not mandatory, but helpful), so I can phone number of people ahead to restaurant.
  • gbasdengbasden
    edited February 2013
    LeeAnn and I are in for Thai Thai.

    Oh, and Mainely Lobster down in Cocoa Beach is freaking phenominal. Little hole in the wall with a porch, but wonderful seafood.
  • aliceandstuffaliceandstuff
    If you are anywhere in the storm's path you need to check your flight right now. Mine was Saturday at 3pm and I found out it was cancelled this afternoon. They did not call me or anything, it was just from checking their site. Thankfully I seem to have alternate plans arranged but I am not sure people realize how bad it is going to be.
  • BrettGlassBrettGlass
    edited February 2013
    This is correct. It's going to be roughly the same as 2011's "Snowpocalypse," but shifted farther north. Due to warmer temperatures (A result of climate change? I'll leave that to the experts) DC will get rain while New England gets the blizzard.
  • ChaosdreamerChaosdreamer
    Yikes!  Safe travels everybody!
  • darlingbananadarlingbanana
    From Virgin America:
    Weather Advisory: Due to forecasted winter storms, we're waiving change and cancel fees for guests traveling through Boston (BOS) and New York City (JFK) from February 8-9. Learn more here:http://vgn.am/6033n8N7
  • jodythebadjodythebad
    I have a friend coming along (leaving from JFK!) who can't reschedule her flight earlier (due to work) and she's supposed to be flying in tomorrow. 

    Assuming the second-to-worst happens and she has to fly in Sunday instead, does anyone know of alternative ways to get to Cocoa Beach from the airport?  It looks like shuttles must be scheduled in advance, and if that doesn't happen, you have to take a taxi?  That seems silly to me; I'm surprised they don't have a periodic shuttle to all the major resort areas.

    ANYWAY!  Is anyone else in this situation?  Can at least share a cab, as the cab fare is of course quite large for this length of a trip!
  • paulandstormpaulandstorm
    I would suggest they call the Radisson (or whichever hotel they're staying at) to inquire about how to switch their shuttle time/day if their flight gets changed. It's the same rate to the hotel or cruise port.

    P
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