COMINGANDGOING
Left at the Dock

Sunday, April 8, 2007

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CRUISE NEWS
Left at the Dock . . .

Carol and Peter Ostrowski of Alexandria arrived at a dock in Tahiti for a Regent Seven Seas cruise 4 1/2 hours before the ship was slated to leave, and hours before the boarding deadline. But the ship was gone."We were told that 'the captain can sail whenever he wants,' " said Peter Ostrowski.

"Yes, the ship did leave earlier than we had published," Seven Seas spokesman Andrew Poulton told CoGo. "These guests hadn't informed us of their travel plans. We had no idea they were going to show up that evening, otherwise of course we would have waited for them."

The ship, the Paul Gauguin, holds only 320 passengers. The crew looked over forms on which most passengers had indicated their flight plans, confirmed that all those flights had arrived in Tahiti, and departed.

Cruise line reservation forms routinely ask guests to reveal their travel plans, including flight numbers, on reservation forms. "If there is a cautionary tale in this, it's that you should always let the cruise line know your plans in case of something like this," said Poulton.

"At the same time," he added, "obviously we admitted we were wrong." He said the line apologized, paid for overnight expenses, flew the couple to the ship the next day and offered them a $500 voucher that they chose not to accept.

The Ostrowskis said most of that is true: They're still waiting, they said, for the apology.

SHUTTLE LOGIC
. . . And Left at Home

SuperShuttle had promised to pick up Larry Marshall of Manassas between 4:05 and 4:20 one recent morning for a ride to Dulles. At 3:45 a.m., a dispatcher called to say he had no drivers, but he did have a list of taxi companies that Marshall could call. After waiting on hold a while with a cab company, Marshall rushed out the door and drove himself.

So what happened? Sometimes "squirrelly conditions" like traffic, weather and passenger delays cause drivers to fall behind schedule, said Doug Clarke, a SuperShuttle manager. When that happens, the driver calls the dispatcher. If no backup driver is available, the company deploys Plan B: Call the customer a cab. If the cab costs more than the shuttle, the company will pay the difference; if the customer opts to drive, the company will pay airport parking fees that exceed the shuttle fare.

Seems to CoGo that SuperShuttle has a generous backup system; it would be nice if the airlines would copy it.

In Marshall's case, though, a new dispatcher missed a step: He should have arranged a cab for Marshall, said Clarke. To apologize, Clarke put $55-- the cost of a round-trip shuttle fare -- on Marshall's credit card.

If SuperShuttle cancels last-minute, remind the dispatcher that the company promises to set up alternative transportation. Keep receipts for cab or parking fees and mail or fax them to the company, including your name and reservation number.

TRAVEL TICKER

Aer Lingus will start nonstop service between Washington Dulles and Dublin/Shannon on Sept. 3. Details: http://www.aerlingus.com/. . . Online travel agency Priceline.com now carries on its site Zagat reviews of thousands of hotels, restaurants and attractions . . . Virgin Atlantic is holding an onboard film festival. Passengers can screen 14 short films over the next four months and can vote to narrow the list to six. A winner from that short list will be chosen by expert judges.

BARGAIN OF THE WEEK
Long Island Made Easy

Southwest has launched a systemwide sale, with fares from BWI ranging from $29 to $179 each way. The flight to Long Island, N.Y.'s, Islip, for example, is $79 round trip (with taxes); fare on other airlines starts at $168. Travel April 17-Aug. 24. Purchase at www.southwest.com by April 12; blackout dates apply to all Florida destinations through April 23. Fourteen-day advance purchase required.

Reporting: Cindy Loose, Andrea Sachs

Help feed CoGo. Send travel news, road reports and juicy tattles to cogo@washpost.com. By mail: CoGo, Washington Post Travel Section, 1150 15th St. NW, Washington, D.C. 20071.

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