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What jetBlue Could Do Better Next Time

Oct 30, 2012 Travel

I originally titled this “jetBlue Is Letting Me Down This Time” but changed it. jetBlue is letting me down right now, but I’m trying to keep in mind what they’re going through right now instead of simply bitching about what they’re doing wrong.

Quick background: my husband, kids and I flew to Providenciales, Turks & Caicos on Friday for a three-night trip. On Sunday morning jetBlue let us know via email that our Monday flight home was cancelled, due to the impending hurricane, and that we had been rescheduled for Wednesday.

My husband decided to leave on Sunday. There were still seats on the one-and-only flight to JFK, and he wanted to make sure our house was OK.

As of now, our Wednesday flight home is cancelled, and we have not been rescheduled onto another flight. In fact, we’ve had no word from jetBlue at all – I just happened to check their website earlier to see if our flight was still OK, and saw that its status was cancelled.

I am not complaining that my flights keep getting cancelled. JFK airport isn’t even open yet, and I definitely don’t want to get on a plane and fly anywhere before it is safe to do so. But I am spending way more time and energy trying to deal with jetBlue than I should have to.

I’m extraordinarily lucky. I’m not stuck in an airport. I’ve had enough notice about cancellations that I haven’t had to pack up and check out of my hotel, only to check in again. And while I don’t have a convenient way to call you, I at least have internet. It would be wonderful if I could use the tools I have at hand to solve this problem without incurring any extra charges.

Here are some steps that I hope jetBlue takes in the future to make things easier for its customers when travel is impacted by weather.

Improve your phone system. We’re staying in a hotel that charges $1.10 per minute for calls (we don’t have cell service). We wanted to get my husband out of here on Sunday, which according to your website was possible, but in order to switch the flight we had to call. I wasted a lot of time and money on Sunday morning trying to call you at the number listed for Turks & Caicos, without success. When I would try, the call would connect, but after about 30 seconds of trying to get me to a customer service rep, it would tell me that the call was ending and that I should try back later. Each time I tried, it cost me $1.10.

If your phone system would put me on hold and get me in a queue and give me an estimate for how long I would have to wait, I could decide for myself if it was worth it, if I wanted to spend the time and money waiting. And I could know that with each minute waiting, I was getting closer to talking to someone. Instead, I just kept calling back for an hour, never getting anywhere. I feel like every other time I’ve called, you’ve had a normal hold system. Why change it now? Was your system simply overwhelmed? I understand long wait times. I don’t understand the actual phone system not being able to handle the calls.

Another option would be to not pick up. For a very long time, before everybody had cell phones and free long distance packages at home, calling Walt Disney World meant almost endless ringing. But that was done on purpose, so that you didn’t incur long distance charges on hold. Once someone could help you, your call connected. A number like this would be a great option for people calling from outside of the US.

Allow online changes. The fact that we had to deal with you over the phone was ridiculous in the first place. You listed a change code on your website. I should have been able to use that code and change my husband’s flight, online. In the end we couldn’t get through on the phone, and couldn’t make the change online, so we just had to buy him a new one-way ticket and hope that you would refund the increased fare difference after the fact. You did, so I give you credit for that, but it was an avoidable headache.

Send out automatically generated emails as soon as a flight is cancelled. I’ve known for more than five hours that my flight tomorrow was cancelled, but only because I happened to check the status myself. In retrospect I should have known that something was up when I didn’t get a check-in email earlier today, but someone else staying at my hotel on the same flight did get that email, and checked in, and also didn’t receive any notice from jetBlue that the flight was cancelled.

So I’m kind-of in limbo here. I have not officially been told that I don’t have to go to the airport tomorrow, but my flight is listed as cancelled. When I try to look under “Manage Flights” I’m listed as confirmed for a trip that starts on October 31st, but clicking the little drop-down arrow does not work and I can’t get details.

When I try to check in, I’m told that my flight’s status has changed and that I need to see someone at a full-service jetBlue counter. And I still have not received an email from jetBlue saying that my flight is cancelled. Very frustrating.

So that’s my advice. There’s so much in this situation that you have no control over, it would be great if you had a better handle on the things you do control.

Looking forward to getting back home at some point.

UPDATE: I was finally able to connect with jetBlue via twitter. I had tweeted to them on Sunday, with no answer, which was disappointing since they’ve helped me on twitter several times in the past. But it wasn’t surprising that I got no answer, given what was going on at the time.

They checked into my situation and told me that we had been automatically rescheduled on a flight…for Saturday. As frustrating as that is, at least I know and can plan ahead. I can buy more chocolate, for one thing.

Our quick three-night getaway has turned into eight. Feeling a little like Gilligan. I didn’t bring as many clothes as Lovey Howell, but at least I have a washer and dryer. When the Harlem Globetrotters show up, I will know that this vacation has officially jumped the shark.

Originally posted on Selfish Mom. All opinions expressed on this website come straight from Amy unless otherwise noted. This post has a Compensation Level of 0. Please visit Amy’s Full Disclosure page for more information.

Tags: Hurricane Sandy, jetBlue, Travel

How To Survive Hurricane Sandy: Be Somewhere Else

Oct 30, 2012 Travel

Not practical advice, I know. But that’s how I’m getting through Hurricane Sandy, because the kids and I are in Turks & Caicos right now.

We didn’t mean to still be here. This was supposed to be a quick weekend trip, and we were scheduled to get back to NYC earlier today (Monday). But all flights home were cancelled, and we were rescheduled onto a flight for Wednesday. Honestly, looking at pictures from NYC, I won’t be surprised if that gets delayed until Thursday. [UPDATE: We finally made it home Saturday night.]

I’m not complaining, of course. I can’t think of a better place to be stranded. If it hadn’t been for the kids needing to be in school, we’d have planned on a longer trip anyway. School is cancelled today and tomorrow, so the kids will probably miss the same amount of school they would have without the storm. Fiona’s panicking a little about that, I think – she was sitting at the dining room table in our hotel room earlier, doing math problems. Keep in mind, we didn’t bring any schoolwork, she just grabbed a pad and pen and gave herself homework.

Thanks to hotel TV and free WiFi, I can obsess about the storm just as easily from down here, without being in actual danger. Which also means that I’m having a lot of guilt about everyone I know who is stuck in the storm’s path (and if you know me, you know I rarely feel guilt; this is an event). And I’m very worried about my husband, who grabbed the last flight out of here on Sunday to get back to Brooklyn and take care of our house.

The weather down here hasn’t been completely unaffected by the storm, which rolled through right before we got here. While it has been hot and sunny, the beach was unbelievably windy Saturday and Sunday – a thousand needles hitting your skin kind of windy (I really have no idea how our plane landed on Friday). The wind was back to normal today, but the waves were still intense, making the area right near the shore into the most fun wave pool we’ve ever been in. We spent hours just jumping over waves. It was awesome.

Try not to hate me too much. I’m thinking about everyone back home, and hoping that you all stay safe. But I’m thrilled to pieces that I’m not there.

Tags: Hurricane Sandy, Kids, Travel, Turks & Caicos

St. Kitts Part 3: An Amazing Fort & A Beautiful Beach

Oct 1, 2012 Travel

My first day on a press junket to St. Kitts was about the food. My second day involved a fantastic Jeep tour and a sunset catamaran cruise, and then of course more food. The third day involved more beauty than I’ve ever seen in one day.

We started out traveling up into the hills, on twisty, narrow roads, and I was glad I wasn’t driving. At one point our bus driver somehow got us through this archway, which not only had about a half inch of clearance on either side of us, but was on a wicked curve.

We were headed to a place called Brimstone Hill, an old British fort, and I admit I wasn’t excited at first. I’ve been to forts, including others in the Caribbean. I used to play on the steep hills of Old Fort Niagara. Yawn. But, when on press trips like these you go where the group goes.

Brimstone Hill was no ordinary fort, though, and if you go to St. Kitts you have to make this a stop. This fortress is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and for good reason. For one thing, it’s an engineering marvel. The hand-cut stones had to be dragged up this huge hill, a task done by slaves.

From here, you walk to the top!

The views are out of this world.

But if you’re an average American expecting gates and railings and signs telling you when something is dangerous, you’re going to fall and break many things here.

Yup, you could just walk right off the edge, stupid American tourist!

There are many strange little rooms – I’m pretty sure this one wasn’t supposed to be open

I wasn’t allowed to take pictures in the rooms with the displays, but that’s where I spent most of my two hours there. The entire history of the island is told, plus model rooms showing how the British soldiers stationed at the fort would have eaten, slept, and washed their clothes. Let’s just say that the amazing views were probably the only perk for the soldiers of Brimstone Hill.

We headed south to the narrow part of the island, where you can see the Atlantic on the left and the Caribbean on the right, at a great photo opp spot called Timothy Hill.

We also had a great view behind us of the Marriott Resort, where we were staying. Many thanks to Kayt Sukel for the picture!

After a drive spent peering up at mansions in the hills, we arrived at our lunch destination, a delightful restaurant called Spice Mill.

And in front of Spice Mill was quite possibly the most beautiful beach I’ve ever been to, Cockleshell Beach.

Beds! On a beach! I was in heaven

If you go, and are comfortable driving on the “wrong” side of the road, by all means rent a car. But I was told by our guides that getting a taxi out to Cockleshell Beach was routine. And if you like clear blue water and a quiet, relaxing little slice of paradise, you must make the trip.

Originally posted on Selfish Mom. All opinions expressed on this website come straight from Amy unless otherwise noted. This post has a Compensation Level of 7. Please visit Amy’s Full Disclosure page for more information.

Tags: beaches, St. Kitts, Travel

St. Kitts Part 2: Exploring the Island, from Land and Sea

Sep 28, 2012 Travel

Day one on my press junket to St. Kitts involved some swimming and a very fine dinner. Day two was packed with more great food, a Jeep tour of the island, and a sunset catamaran cruise – a full, fun day in a gorgeous setting.

We met Greg of Greg’s Safaris and set off on a four hour Off The Beaten Path tour. Greg is a really interesting guy, and since he was born and raised on St. Kitts, he knew everything and everybody. His company is the only one that can take Jeep tours of the hilly, rainforest interior of the island. He also does hiking tours.

Jillian Ryan getting into our Jeep

We started out driving through the main part of town, passing by Port Zante, which has duty-free shopping and a new cruise ship terminal, and the popular public market, which is open on Saturdays – Greg said to try and get there by 8am if you can!

Public Market

Even the KFC is colorful!

We also passed the Ocean Terrace Inn, which is renowned for its Friday night West Indian buffet and steel drum band. It also belonged to Greg’s parents, until they sold it in the mid-90s.

Our first stop was an old abandoned sugar plantation. Everything was done to make these houses as cool as possible in the Caribbean heat. The ceilings were high, there were louvers around the doorways to keep the air moving, and the kitchen was in a different building.

Shadwell Great House

Every plantation had a banyan tree, because they grew more or less horizontal to the ground, and created a lot of shade.

Another plantation we visited had a gorgeous Poinciana tree (also called the Flamboyant Tree, for obvious reasons). We saw many of these pretty trees in St. Kitts, but this one was absolutely breathtaking.

Greg parked the Jeep under the Poinciana, and got together a nice snack full of different kinds of island fruits, coconut goodies, and rum while we explored.

Our next stop was an old sugar processing mill. About one hundred of them dot the landscape. These were not happy places, since like many labor-intensive industries at the time, the work was done by slaves. Greg brought stacks of photos to help us see some of the history of the sugar mills.

The last stop was St Mary’s Anglican Church in Cayon, which has a rich history as part of the abolitionist movement. The vicar of St. Mary’s in the 1770s, James Ramsey, had started out as a doctor, but after seeing the horrors of a slave ship he became an Anglican priest and an outspoken opponent of slavery. He was also the inspiration for James Newton’s famous hymn, Amazing Grace.

We clamored onto the Jeep one last time and headed for the Marriott. It was a pretty amazing afternoon.

After some time back at the hotel, we headed back to Port Zante to board a catamaran – my first time! – for a sunset cruise, with Leeward Island Charters. We took our shoes off and climbed aboard.

The people in the next boat were showing off their catches and basically goofing around for our benefit.

As we headed away from St. Kitts the clouds rolled in – perfect timing! It was a gorgeous evening.

Our leader from Diamond PR, Lisa, with Ava’s daughter and Kayt’s son

Gorgeous!

Up Next…

On Monday I’ll be posting some amazing pictures from a huge fort high atop a hill, and possibly the most beautiful beach I’ve ever been to.

Tags: St. Kitts, Travel

St. Kitts, Part 1: The Marriott Resort

Sep 26, 2012 Travel

Uh-oh, where’s the coconut?!?

Before I was invited on a press junket this summer to the Marriott Resort and Royal Beach Casino on the island of St. Kitts, I really had no idea where it was. I guessed that it was in the Caribbean, and was basically right – it’s south-east of the Virgin Islands. But a geographical quirk means that the western side of the island faces the Caribbean Sea, and the eastern side faces the Atlantic. The very narrow southern part of the island (closest to its sister island, Nevis) makes for a great photo opp from Timothy Hill (below), where both sides can be seen easily.

But I knew nothing else. I wasn’t even sure if I would need my passport to go there (I did – but buy property worth at least $400k, and you can become a citizen!). I was happy to find out that American dollars are accepted pretty much everywhere, and since the value of the Eastern Caribbean Dollar is based on the US dollar, you don’t lose anything by using American money.

Having been to the Caribbean a bunch of times – both flying in and visiting various islands while on cruise ships – I wondered why St. Kitts wasn’t really on my personal radar. It turns out that they’re relatively new to the tourism game, since growing and processing sugar was the island’s primary source of income until 2005, when the government effectively shut down the money-losing sugar industry.

This has created a very nice situation for tourists, in that much of the island is undeveloped and gorgeous. Tourist areas are not crowded, and there’s a very relaxed feel. All of the beaches on St. Kitts are public, but even the one serving our resort never seemed busy during our stay (then again, I was there in July – can’t speak for February).

St. Kitts Marriott Resort and Royal Beach Casino

Arriving at the St. Kitts Marriott in the capital city of Basseterre, we were offered delicious fruit drinks and cold beer. Always a nice way to start a vacation, even if it was technically a working one. :-)

l-r: Kayt Sukel and her son, Deborah Hopewell, Ava Roxanne

Swimming

The hotel has one very large main pool, which can get a bit loud when there’s a DJ poolside. If that’s your thing, you’ll love that area, with its swim-up bar, volleyball net, and activities. There are two smaller pools, however, that were blissfully quiet and almost empty when I stopped by.

One of the quieter, smaller pools

The beach where I spent the most time that weekend was the one right in front of the Marriott. With gorgeous, clean sand and cabanas and chairs set out by the hotel for free use, it was incredibly convenient and beautiful. There’s a long skinny rock formation in front of the hotel, which keeps the water calm, perfect for kids to play in. Walk a little farther down the five-mile stretch and you can find less protected water.

The beach directly in front of the Marriott

The Hotel

My room was in the main building of the hotel, which often had entertainment going on until about 10pm. If you’re traveling with little kids who go to bed early, you may want to request a room in one of the smaller buildings. But I loved the open, airy feeling of main building, and the noise didn’t bother me at all. By the time I was ready to go to sleep each night everything was very quiet.

The main building at the Marriott resort

The view from my balcony

My room was very comfortable, especially the bed, and I’m always thrilled to have a fridge. Something else that I’ve seen in most Marriotts lately is this:

It’s a small thing, but it makes it so much easier when you have multiple devices to charge, or want to plug your laptop into the TV to watch something on a bigger screen.

This just confused me though:

I pretended it wasn’t there. I’m American, I wouldn’t even know where to begin.

Casino and Spa

I hate to admit it, but my favorite thing about this resort – any resort, really – was the casino. Especially when my kids aren’t with me, a casino in the hotel just makes my trip. There were plenty of tables, the dealers were friendly (but not too chatty), and I managed not to lose my shirt.

My other favorite part of any resort? The spa. I got one of the best massages I’ve ever had the last morning of my trip. I practically floated onto the plane. I wish I had taken some pictures, but you can check out the Emerald Mist Spa and its services on the website.

Food

My first night on St. Kitts our group met for dinner at the Royal Grille Steakhouse. Being vegetarian, I’m always happy at a steakhouse to get a good baked potato, maybe a decent salad. I definitely wasn’t expecting one of the best vegetarian meals I’ve ever had, and it was not made especially for me – it was a dish off of the menu. Everything else was wonderful as well. I highly recommend the bananas foster (actually, every dessert I tasted during our entire stay was superb).

On our second night we dined at Blue Seafood, and again, as a vegetarian I wasn’t expecting much. But I had another wonderful meal. And on our third night, our farewell dinner at the resort’s Italian restaurant, La Cucina, was over the top fantastic.

I’ve never had three really great dinners at a resort before. Most Caribbean resorts are not known for their food. But I promise you, make a reservation at any one of those restaurants, and if it’s anything like my experience, you won’t be sorry.

Food at the more casual restaurants was more what you’d expect from a mid-priced resort, a little hit or miss. I had a so-so salad at Bohemia Grille, but some really great house-made potato chips. Every single thing I had for breakfast – both from room service and at the Calypso Restaurant breakfast buffet – was very good, with one big exception: the scrambled eggs. They were terrible. Get an omelet from the omelet station instead – mine was excellent.

I did appreciate the wide variety of food available, everything from burgers and fries to pizza to buffets to fine dining. There’s something for everyone.