I killed a luck Badger, and general moans to get off me chest

Hi All, Totally off topic, but I need to get it orft me chest
General background, My wife is totally disabled, and at the moment I after retirement, have also developed a walking disability A.S
Basic state pension, small Naval Pension, and not a lot of savings
Time for some happy time, due to movement difficulties, it was all down to a nice cruise, most of the savings, but at least on a ship there are no cobbled streets, kerbs or hills to negotiate

Thursday 03:00 drive to airport for 06:30 flight Edinburgh to Paris, Paris to Genoa, ship sails at 16:30
Parked car at 04:00 transfer to airport, new system for terrorist security, transfer is no longer to door just 500 yards up that hill sir, travelling light as in no hand luggage so hands free to assist wife
Two cases and wife sorry Julie on trolley up to airport departures, Good morning Sir etc, Wheelchair assistance will take you to boarding, just wait in the disabled area and the porters will take you to board (No facilities, no access to the café areas) sat there for an hour and a half, and taken on board 06:10 for 06:30 take off AIR FRANCE
Sorry people but our Lady Pilot has contacted us and called in as unwell, so we will be delayed thirty minutes
08:00 excuse me but we need to get off, as the flight will not make our destination in time, Not possible Sir/Madam, and with the tail wind forecast, the flight will not be that late please have this free glass of water.
We are ready to go now, but we have obviously missed our slot, so awaiting take off, 08:25 OFF we go, arriving at CDG airport Paris at 11:00, missing connection to Genoa by two hours

At CDG excuse me but the next flight to Genoa arrives four hours after our Cruise ship has sailed,
No problem Sir we will phone them and ask them to wait
ME Sorry but a cruise ship with two thousand people on is not going to wait four or more hours for two people to arrive, we need to return home
We phoned Sir and you are right they will not wait, you are to pick the ship up in Gibraltar two days late,
We do not fly to Gibraltar Sir, we have arranged for you to stay overnight in Paris, fly to Nice in the morning, then on to London Heathrow, for onward journey to Gibraltar
Me Oh well it is better than nothing, Right Sir/Madam, we have arranged that, Now you just need to pay us £1300 for the flights and £200 for the hotels
ME Sorry ? Just take us back to Edinburgh (at least we will be where we know and access to computer etc) OK, That will just be £580
ME no just take the cost from the onward journey to Genoa that we did not get, All hell broke loose, but eventually nineteen hours later we arrived from where we had left
Contacted our travel agent, who arranged overnight accommodation in Edinburgh, a flight to London Heathrow, and onward flight to Gibraltar (FREE) British Airways
The travel agent had booked us into the Rock Hotel Gibraltar, the best on the Penisular, as we had a day and a half to wait to pick up the boat, AIR FRANCE had advised and confirmed they had returned our cases
YES there were NO CASES
Now we were upset, but slightly pleased as we used to live in Gibraltar and the Rock Hotel was the bee's knee's of living, still in the 1930's colonial age WOW this is living Julie as we sat on the Veranda looking out over the harbour, in our two day old clothes
Unfortunately the travel agent had BOOKED the hotel NOT PAID FOR IT :-(

GIBRALTAR had not changed, still living in the 50's, It was now 17:30 Saturday and living in the 50's all the shops where we hoped to buy some clothes were now SHUT, and of course do not open on Sundays
Saturday night was spent in our white complimentary bath robes whilst our clothes and underwear were washed and dried on the wonderful balcony we had always dreamed of

Still Sunday was good, we got a pensioners bus ticket full day travel for £1.40, a chemist supplied toothbrushes and razor at a price

We joined the Cruise Ship at 18:00, Your luggage Sir, err non
Two days sail to the Canary Islands
I asked if we could buy some of the ships crew supply clothing, but they do not carry any

The Maitre D was most impressed when we turned up at the Gala dinner in Polo shirts and jeans :-)

Most of the Ports of call were in the evening when again shops were shut

AIR FRANCE on enquiry advised us they could not find the ship, so had sent our cases home but no one was there to take them, so were holding them at HQ PARIS

Today we flew home from Genoa to Paris to Edinburgh, but had to pay £1136 as they had used our return tickets to return us to Edinburgh on day one

Still at least we are now back with just the small problem of NCP Edinburgh wanted paid again as we had overstayed twenty minutes
OH and our medications were off course in our cases

Sorry for the rant, but I had to get it out or CRY

Jack McHammocklashing

 

...Oh Jack so sorry you had to go through all that when all you and your wife were doing were going on a lovely holiday,the safest thing I can do is send a big to you both because to reply with my views it would contain many swear words and I'd get banned It's a disgrace

 

Jock, so sorry to hear the saga but glad that you did enjoy aspects of your holiday. Surely you will be able to claim on your travel insurance? That's what it's for after all. I hope you can, good luck.

 

Blimey Jack, they could make a film out of that lot

 

Oh Jack what a total nightmare!! Hope it wasn't too bad being without your medications.
Hope it helped also to get it off your chest, ALWAYS glad to 'listen'

 

That's terrible Jack, what a catalog of errors/bad service! I've been on a few cruises and all have pretty much gone like clockwork. I think I'd be looking for all my money back. You don't need this, no-one does.

 

So sorry to hear this but what a absolute balls up @Jack McHammocklashing
Make sure you get a claim in against everything!

 

Crikey Jack! I was worn out just reading that catalogue of disasters! Let's hope you can at least get some form of compensation.

 

Gobsmacked - what a dreadful balls up of epic proportions. I hope you get your money back but that doesn't make up for all the messing about when it should have been a lovely relaxing holiday

 

Thank you all

To Shiney, thank you
1. No, the travel agent booked individually making a package, Not a full package from Crusie line
2. Yes
3. Not clear
4. Unsure,will check when all paper work is collated
5. All payments made on credit card, and paid off in full after five days to clear any debt
I do not like credit, but use the card for possible protection

Paper work everywhere at the moment, Bank says Travel insurance would pay £625 to each of us for missing cases, (I think they will then pursue the airline)

Cases arrived tonight intact :-)
One good thing, whilst we were flying about Europe chasing the ship, the ship was going through a right hooly, and over seventy percent of passengers and crew were on the BIG WHITE TELEPHONE TO DEITY :-)

If we get the advised monies for the cases, it will cover most of what clothes we could buy
I never in my life thought "I" would pay £97 for a polo shirt, Julie managed to get a swim suit in the ships Boutique a snip at one full months pension :-)

Oh well "It will be a holiday remembered" and only one of sixteen cruises where things have not gone to plan "Life's a Bitch and then you Die" "Worse things happen at Sea" :-)

Regards All Jack McH

 

The Drinks package, eased the pain, better than the Morphine does :-)

Jack McH

 

This has got to be why the phrase " needing a holiday to get over the holiday" came about.

The French eh , could`nt organise a P***Up in a vineyard