A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Croatia!
Published date:
01.29.11
A “Funny” Thing Happened on the Way to Croatia
My husband and I took OAT’s Small Ship Adventure on the Adriatic Sea December 17 – December 31, 2010, on the Artemis. Overall, we enjoyed the trip tremendously (once we got there!); however, the trip got off to a very shaky start. The only way to describe our adventure was that getting to our destination made us feel like contestants on the TV show, The Amazing Race.
We left for Miami International Airport Friday, December 17, at 1:00 p.m. Check-in at the Sir France (AF) counter was a breeze…no one was waiting in line at the check-in counter, and the AF ticket agent was friendly and professional. While checking in, we met two other Floridian OAT travelers—Jerry and Del-- also on the same tour who had checked in just before us.
Our flight was supposed to leave Miami around 5:00 p.m. Boarding started a little late and then after everyone was settled in on the plane, the pilot announced a slight delay due to traffic. Although the flight arrived in Paris about 40 minutes late, we still felt we could make the Zagreb connection.
What we were not prepared for was the deplaning of 300 plus passengers out on the tarmac (a 30 minute ordeal) far away from the terminal, followed by a bus ride of at least 30 minutes’ duration to the terminal and a scramble to get to the gate, including our having to go through another security checkpoint. Despite our best efforts to make a mad dash for the gate, Glenn, Jerry, Del, and I missed the Zagreb connection by about 3 minutes.
When we went to AF’s customer service desk to determine our options for getting to Zagreb, the customer service rep helping me quite suddenly in the middle of the transaction announced that he had had his fill of rude and frustrated customers and was going home! So he gave me back my passport and left! I had not uttered a single nasty word to him and was totally puzzled as to why he would behave so un-customer service-like with a stranded customer.
The other AF rep was much nicer and re-ticketed us on the next flight to Zagreb at 7:30 p.m. giving us about 9 hours to play with and figure out how to amuse ourselves at the airport.
As evening approached, the weather had turned colder, and snow began to fall. Around 6 p.m., we discovered that 5 other OAT travelers (2 more Floridians and 3 from Pennsylvania) had also missed the Zagreb connection—so now we were a group of 9 “castaways.” One of the castaways, Roger (from Florida) had an international cell phone, and I had my new Netbook with me. So between the two of us, we were able to keep our trip leader in Croatia and OAT advised of our status.
As 7:30 p.m. drew closer, AF advised that our evening flight was delayed because of bad weather delaying the inbound flight to Paris. Then at 9:30 p.m., the flight delay turned into a cancellation and another round of re-ticketing. AF re-ticketed the nine OAT travelers on the 7:30 p.m. flight Sunday evening as the 10:30 a.m. flight was already sold out. AF also found hotel accommodations for all stranded passengers (at no cost to us) and gave taxi vouchers to those of us who needed to take a taxi to get to the hotel and back to the airport.
OAT had asked that we all try to stay together, but this was impossible. So many flights out of Paris had been canceled and hotels were booked to capacity. As a result, Air France sent us nine OAT travelers to five different hotels.
The airline also told us to pick up our checked bags at one of the baggage carousels and to recheck them the following day. But when my husband and I and Del and Jerry went to get our bags, they were nowhere to be found. We went to the baggage claim office and were assured that the bags were in secured storage and would be put on our Sunday evening flight to Zagreb.
Several of us had to use taxis to get to our hotels and we had great trouble getting the drivers to take the AF vouchers because according to the taxi coordinator—a very nasty lady who spoke minimal English—AF was not timely in paying the drivers when they turned in the vouchers. By then it was 12:30 a.m. and we were very tired. I literally started crying, and a taxi driver came to inquire what the problem was and agreed to accept the AF voucher and take us to the hotel.
OAT had been advised that we would be further delayed and that we would not be arriving in Zagreb until Sunday evening. The problem with that was that the rest of the group already in Zagreb would already be on the ship, which was anchored in Neum in Bosnia and Herzegovina. If we arrived in Zagreb, they would still need to get us to the ship.
Sunday morning, while we were still at the hotel, I checked email and learned that OAT had rebooked all of us on a Croatia Airlines flight leaving Paris at 6:00 p.m. and flying directly to Dubrovnik where we would be met by a driver who would drive us to Neum to meet the ship.
We emailed Del and Jerry and advised them of the change in flights, and Roger had received word via cell phone, so that left trying to get word to the three travelers from Pennsylvania who were staying at 2 different hotels. We finally decided to just go to the airport early and hope and pray that we would meet up with everyone there.
When we returned to Charles de Gaulle airport early Sunday afternoon, the scene was utter chaos—mobs of people, endless lines, and in many cases, not being able to tell where a line started and where it ended. None of the airport staff had ever heard of Croatia Airlines, so we spent well over an hour trying to figure out where to go. Finally, a woman at an information kiosk entered our flight number into a computer and advised that our flight was on a code share with Lufthansa (something OAT had not mentioned to us) and that we needed to go to the Lufthansa terminal that could be reached by train for help because the Croatia Airlines flight had also been canceled because of bad weather.
At the Lufthansa terminal, we met up with all but one of our fellow “castaways.” We later learned that she had been sitting all day at the AF gate awaiting the 7:30 p.m. flight. Between Roger with the cell phone and me on the Netbook, we communicated non-stop with OAT who was somewhat at a loss for what to do and advised that we try to get re-ticketed on our own. Lufthansa gave us a phone number for Croatia Airlines and told us to call them Monday morning because they were not open that day.
At that point, Roger suggested that perhaps our boarding passes for the 7:30 p.m. flight on AF might still be valid. So off we went to the AF terminal (another train ride) and waiting on another very long line for several hours.
Low and behold, yes, the boarding passes were valid and the flight was scheduled to fly! We were told to rush to the gate because they were already putting passengers on the bus to take them out on the tarmac to the plane. Somehow, we all managed to get through the security checkpoint and onto the bus! While waiting on the bus, Roger called OAT and advised we were en route to Zagreb, and before we got on the plane, OAT called Roger and told him that someone would meet us in Zagreb and hand us boarding passes for a Zagreb to Dubrovnik flight on Croatia Airline.
When we arrived in Zagreb, true to their word, a GCT rep was waiting for our group. We were handed boarding passes and were literally raced to the gate to catch the flight to Dubrovnik. We were told later that the plane had been delayed almost 1.5 hours so we could make the Dubrovnik connection. I don't know who made this possible, but thank you very much! Security raced us through the security checkpoint and out the door so we could board the plane.
On arrival in Dubrovnik, those of us without luggage had to fill out delayedlost baggage reports with Croatia Airline and then we met the driver outside the secure area who took us to the ship in Neum. The drive to Neum was about 1.5 hours. When we got to Neum, two young men were waiting to help us board a tender boat and take us to the ship, which was anchored off-shore. We boarded the ship around 2:00 a.m. Monday morning, a group of very disheveled and weary OAT travelers! We had about 4 hours to sleep before getting up, showering, eating breakfast, and getting on the bus to take the tour to Mostar.
As for the luggage, Del, Jerry, Glenn and I never received our checked bags and had to make do with what we had packed in our carry-on bags. Glenn and I each had the equivalent of about 3 outfits and enough underclothes for a week, and Zoran, the hotel manager, told us the ship would take care of our laundry at no cost to us for the trip’s duration or until the bags arrived.
Jerry received his bag about 3 days after we returned home. My bag arrived about 6 days after we arrived home, and my husband’s bag arrived 8 days after we arrived home. Del received his bag 38 days following check-in on December 17 at Miami International Airport.
AF never called us to tell us the bags had arrived in Miami and that someone was on the way to our house to deliver them. One bag arrived at 11:30 p.m. and the other at 1:00 a.m., on both occasions well after we had gone to bed.
We are all still waiting for Croatia Airlines to compensate us for the delay. They had advised that each of us would receive $100 USD.
Now…a little about the trip!
As for the trip itself, my husband and I decided when we got to the ship that we were not going to let the baggage situation ruin the trip. We therefore made a conscious choice to forget about the bags and just focus on having a good time and enjoying the ship, the countries, and our fellow OAT travelers. And we did just that.
While the itinerary ended up being changed a bit because of the weather, we still managed to see every place that was on the original itinerary. Traveling over the Christmas holiday and in the winter months though meant that many shops were closed, so we barely spent any money on souvenirs on this trip. And even if we could buy things, we didn’t have a way to get items home because of the baggage situation. We sadly spent a grand total of only $50 USD on this trip.
Our trip leader, Ivan Boban, was absolutely outstanding—kind, gracious, respectful, patient, empathic, knowledgeable, and fun—I can’t say enough good things about him. He even loaned me one of his shorter coats to wear so I would have something lighter-weight to wear on days that did not require my long, Arctic coat. Ivan also stayed on top of the luggage situation throughout the trip and even after the trip until all four of us received word that luggage had been received. He did this between tours and on his own time and while home sick in bed.
High points for us included the home hosted dinner in Dubrovnik where we dined on homemade wine, cheese, bread, olive oil, and grappa—brandy with fruits or nuts or herbs added to it. My favorites were the cherry, walnut, and loquat grappas. The main course was cabbage stuffed with minced meat with a side of mashed potatoes. And we had a delicious flan for dessert. The family hosting the dinner was so welcoming and so very gracious.
Ivan also took us to meet his mom, his uncle, and his grandparents who live in the Old Town area of Dubrovnik. They also had a lovely spread of food (figs, pastries, carob, and grappa) waiting for us and were so very hospitable.
Christmas Eve found us anchored in a safe harbor because of weather that resulted in a change in itinerary. However, we had a lovely afternoon on the ship. Two younger passengers taught some of us how to make origami ornaments, and later in the day, most passengers attended a tree decorating party.
After dinner that evening because the scheduled entertainment couldn’t make it to the ship because of the itinerary change, our two trip leaders, the hotel manager (Zoran), and one of the crew (Cade) entertained us with singing and guitar playing and led us as a group in the singing of traditional Christmas carols.
Other favorite stops included Zadar with its magnificent sunrises and sunsets, and its two main architectural attractions—The Sea Organ and The Greeting to the Sun. Kotor with its beautiful old walled city was delightful. Korcula also was very picturesque and is the hometown of Marco Polo. Split with Dioclesian's Palace was lovely. And Our Lady of the Rocks island and chapel, just off shore from Kotor was also quite beautiful. While we didn’t have much time at the end of the trip in Zagreb, we enjoyed the little that we saw—the Christmas Market and the Cathedral were lovely. Hvar with its wild lavender shrubs, rosemary, and vineyards was pretty even in the winter. And how can I forget Mostar in Bosnia and Herzegovina with its magnificent bridge, and Sibernik with the fountain and the frozen fountain water that formed huge icicles! And historically speaking, all these countries are just amazing considering all the ancient and more recent conflicts they have endured.
Glenn and I have definitely decided that going forward, we will make every effort not to check bags and only take with us what fits in a carry-on bag. We saw from this trip that it is indeed possible to make do with carry-on clothing and just wash items every few days. And it saves many headaches along the way--that is, as long as the airline doesn't insist that you also check your carry-on bags. This happened to some passengers on the tour who had traveled through Germany. One traveler did not receive his carry-on bag until a week into the trip.
This trip definitely provided opportunities for Glenn and me to practice being "present" in the moment and letting go of things beyond our control. We are both planners with Glenn being far more of a control freak than I am. We learned the power of one's attitude--whether positive or negative. In our case, we made a conscious choice to let go of what we could not control and immerse ourselves in the sights, sounds, smells, and tastes that make traveling so much fun and to really enjoy the people that we met along the way.
I would consider doing this trip again but not in the winter and not if I have to travel through Paris. I want to experience these countries in the late spring or during the summer months when shops are open, the towns are bustling and lively, and everything is in bloom.
Traveler: Claire Nackoney from Hollywood, FL traveled
on December 17, 2010
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