Ok, so it’s not technically the night before Christmas, but close enough.
Yesterday I received some bad news: Our flights to Europe this summer were canceled by Air France. Also, the return flight for me and my daughter was canceled. Ugh!
Cancellations
I booked 5 business class lie-flat seats on Air France from DFW to Paris to Venice a few months ago. Apparently, Air France is no longer flying from DFW to Paris every day of the week. Air France moved us to the same set of flights the next day. I could accept the change, suggest another change, or cancel our flights completely and get our miles + cash (for taxes) back. We decided to accept the change.
For our return flights, the flight my husband and sons are on remains as scheduled. However, my daughter and I planned to hop over to Athens after our cruise and fly home two days later. Our flight home was canceled, and Air France moved us to the same flight the next day.
These changes aren’t the end of the world. But, it means we will have one less day in Venice and one extra day in Athens.
For Venice, I had previously booked an apartment with Capital One miles. Thankfully, this booking could be cancelled with no penalty. I was unable to take one night off the reservation, but I could cancel the entire thing and re-book if I wanted. I opted to cancel and instead use World of Hyatt points to book two rooms at the Hyatt Centric Murano Venice.
For now, I also booked a refundable night at the Sofitel Athens Airport for our extra night in Greece.
The Silver Lining
While it’s not ideal to spend just one night in Venice, the upside is that both my husband and I will get credit for staying at a Hyatt Centric brand hotel. That will help us get closer to another Hyatt Brand Explorer Award.
Also, my daughter and I have an extra day in Greece. I’m going to look at exploring other places besides Athens. Maybe we will take a trip to Meteora? Or perhaps see the Temple of Poseidon? Who knows!
Bottom Line
As I’ve mentioned before, schedule changes are common when you book your trip far in advance. Staying flexible with refundable hotel/apartment reservations is key. Flight changes aren’t always for the better, but we will make the most of our trip. I can’t wait to see Italy, Greece and Turkey!
For all of you travel warriors flying this weekend, I hope everything goes smoothly and you have a wonderful holiday!
Author: Nancy
Nancy lives near Dallas, Texas, with her husband and three kids. Her favorite vacations include the beach, cruising and everything Disney.
Spend an extra day on one of the Greek islands!
@Chris That’s another possibility!
Athens has a nice subway connection to the airport if you’re open to options with more cultural and culinary potential than staying near ATH.
@Christian My flight leaves at o’dark thirty in the morning, so I’ve just got the airport hotel reserved for the last night. I have to wrap my head around our plans for the other days. 🙂
First, 100% agree with Leana that you should stay on the main island and not Murano. It would be a huge mistake to stay there as you’d waste a lot of time getting to and from the main part of Venice. Second, one night in Venice is all you need. There is not much to see and finding good food in Venice has become a huge challenge. Of all the places we visited in Italy over our 8 visits, Venice is by far our least favorite while Tuscany and Umbria are our top favorites followed by Bologna region. Have fun!
@Jason thanks for your feedback!
Sorry about the flight schedule! That said, one night in Venice is better than zero nights in Venice. I’m sure you will make the most of it. Personally, I would stick to the main island because Murano is a bit out of the way. But it’s up to you.
@Leana Thanks, I may look into options on the main island. Unfortunately, the Hilton hotel is sold out.
My son and I went to Meteora when we were at Greece – I definitely recommend it
@regoarrarr Thanks for the feedback. Meteora looks incredible.