The ripple effect from the U.S. military operation in Venezuela and capture of former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has impacted more people than you might think.

There have been grounded flights throughout the Caribbean all week, which is making for a frustrating and expensive time for Americans who have been stuck and unable to get home.

Derrick and Athena Chriss traveled to the picturesque St. Kitts and Nevis for a tropical vacation over New Year's with their two kids. But their plans to get back home have completely unraveled.

"We're trying to be as calm as we can for our children," said Athena Chriss of Almont, Michigan.

The Chriss family's flights back to Michigan on Saturday were cancelled. On that day, just a few hundred miles south of them, America struck Venezuela's capital and captured Maduro and his wife. 

"Your whole world kind of gets turned around and then you are not in control whatsoever, and now you're just trying to make some calls," said Athena Chriss.

The couple told CBS News Detroit that their flight delays and cancellations have forced them to spend at least an extra week, essentially trapped, on the island, creating an expensive and frustrating start to the new year. 

Derrick Chriss said,  "The airline, nobody is accommodating us for the hotel, nobody is paying for anything. It's all coming out of our pockets."

The family says Jan. 11 is the earliest they can get back home. Not ideal for two working adults in a cramped hotel room with a 16-year-old and a 9-year-old away from school.  

"We've even said like, most people will be like, 'Poor you, you're on an island.' It's not like that when you're not planning for it. When you're stuck here, there's no way home and you have other things at home you need to take care of," said Derrick Chriss.

It's not just the Chriss family dealing with this. They say the hotel they're at is filled with other Americans doing everything they can to get back to the U.S.

Derrick Chriss said, "And you can tell because all of us look tired and everybody's in a panic on the phone all the time."

Democratic U.S. Sen. Gary Peters of Michigan posted on Facebook Monday evening that Michiganders who are stuck in the Caribbean can visit this website for emergency updates and to contact airlines directly if their flight has been impacted.