But getting a partial refund or a free night in a hotel is little compensation for passengers who have spent months dreaming of the perfect vacation. Just ask Linda Bloom of Pittsburgh, who was one of 335 passengers who missed the first day of a nine-day Renaissance Cruises vacation in March after a charter flight arranged by the line broke down. Instead of spending a day touring ancient ruins in Athens, she spent a night at a Ramada Inn near New York's Kennedy airport. You realize you're missing a whole day in a city you're probably never going to get to again. The line refunded one-ninth of her money.
Lines do go to great lengths to accommodate delayed passengers.
There are times when they'll even hold the ship, says Anne Campbell of CruiseMates , an Internet cruise magazine. But it's getting harder for the lines to know who will be late. Passengers are increasingly booking their own flights, taking advantage of frequent-flier miles, Internet deals and other bargains. As a remedy, Carnival set up a toll-free number last April that passengers can call if they hit a snag on their way to the ship. Already, it's getting 800 calls a week.