Thursday, January 15th – a rough start.
Everything had gone so smoothly up to that point. The drive was perfect—no snow, no traffic jams, no farmer protests blocking the roads. Pure bliss.
When we arrived at CDG Airport in Roissy, the Qatar Airways app showed our flight would be twenty minutes shorter than originally scheduled. Good news!
But things quickly took a turn. At baggage drop-off, the airport’s system was overwhelmed. Suitcases weren’t moving on the conveyor belt—they were being loaded by hand onto carts.
That would *probably* cause a delay, we were told… but “nothing major.”
Then the agent asked if I’d filled out the travel authorization request for the Seychelles. Well… uh, no. Not at all. I had no idea it even existed—the last time we went, there was no such requirement. I’d completely spaced it.
I’d have to do it in the boarding lounge.
Only problem? I didn’t have the required documents or all the details. For example, the address of our stay in the Seychelles. Since we’d be on a cruise, I tried “boat,” then “cruise,” then “Bellot,” but nothing worked in the app. I couldn’t finalize the request. Stress levels skyrocketed—boarding started in 45 minutes, and my brain was already foggy from the pressure.
Was there even a point in flying if we couldn’t enter the Seychelles? Our bags were already gone—how would we get them back? Maybe our layover in Doha would give us time to sort it out and submit the entry request.
I thought about calling Ponant, but let’s be real—their Marseille office is notoriously useless.
The best solution seemed to be CROISILAND. I called, dialed the wrong number twice in my panic, but Julie picked up. She took charge, filled out the request for me, and had the cruise confirmation on file. I sent her the rest of the documents via WhatsApp, and she used the port’s address for the cruise—it worked! Phew!
She finalized both our requests and even offered to cover the fees upfront, which I could repay later. What incredible service! I was so relieved—I’d been terrified, and it’s rare for me to feel that level of panic. I’m so grateful to her. She saved our trip. I was mortified—how could I have missed this requirement when I *always* double-check everything? The guilt was overwhelming. My husband was a saint—calm, no reproaches.
And that was just the *first* episode of this rough day.
We boarded the flight with a half-hour delay. Then they announced *another* thirty-minute delay, and the flight attendants passed out water. I would’ve preferred champagne to finish off the stress, but oh well.
After over an hour of delays, they announced *another* twenty-five minutes. This time, the attendants handed out juice. Maybe next time…
We were at two hours and fifteen minutes of delay (still no champagne) when the plane finally started backing up. Fingers crossed all our bags made it on board…
We landed at 1:30 AM local time in Doha. The airport was stunning—no surprise there—and eerily empty.
After going through slightly nitpicky formalities and grabbing a taxi, we arrived at the Shaza Hotel well past 2 AM.
Disappointment hit fast. I’d booked and prepaid the room through Booking.com, and I’d *emphasized* we’d be arriving very late. The manager informed us there was no room for us. The hotel was fully booked—*overbooked*, actually. They had 120 rooms and sold 123. The last room had just been given to the couple ahead of us.
It was incomprehensible. How could this happen? The manager was genuinely apologetic, oozing that charming Middle Eastern hospitality—almost disarming if I hadn’t been so furious. He asked us to wait two hours in the lounge until a room became available. He offered drinks and promised compensation: a free meal at the hotel restaurant. He *wanted* us to be happy, he said with a big smile. Easier said than done.
What choice did we have? At that hour, hunting for another hotel in Doha wasn’t a better option.
After a little insistence, he threw in a free meal per day for the rest of our stay.
So there we were—stuck waiting in the lounge, exhausted, unable to sleep like we’d hoped, after being awake for nearly 24 hours. I was disgusted, nauseous. What a day!
We finally got into a room at 5 AM. Just enough time to claim the space, take a quick shower, and collapse into bed at the time we’d normally be waking up.
This trip has gotten off to a *terrible* start. I hope it doesn’t stay on this trajectory.
Check out the rest of our stay in Doha here. I’ll update this report when we reach Mahé.
Hi there,
I'm looking at a cruise in the north.