Need Advice Re Timing of Arrival on Embarkation day

[AngelinaMaria]

Hi, I'm going on the Diamond Princess Pacific Coastal cruise leaving Vancouver on September 20th. We decided on the cruise very quickly and then booked our air very quickly as well (my mom had a bad experience just a few months ago with an airfare going from $136 when we first looked it up online on a Monday and then when we went to book it that Thursday, it had gone up to $340!!). Anyway, our plane is scheduled to land in Vancouver at 1:14 p.m. Now I've heard that it may take a while to clear customs at the airport and that it is best to get on board the ship as early as possible to book dinner and spa reservations. Plus, at the time, I didn't realize that you could board as early as noon.

I've been fretting quite a bit about our flight not getting there as early as I would like and could completely kick myself for not thinking about booking a flight into town the day before (we were trying to minimize the number of days gone from our kids--however, I'm not too worried about one more night).

If it was you and it would mean getting on the ship a good 2 to maybe even 4 hours earlier, would you incur the $100 change fee to change your air reservations (it would equal $200 for both of us, plus a hotel room for the night)? Am I being crazy? I just really feel bothered and know I will be very stressed and have a hard time enjoying that first day if I'm worried about getting to the ship early. Please give me your feelings.

[dustyroad]

pay the $100 and get there earlier. i dont want to alarm you but it would give a heart attack to get to the airport that late. what if the plane is delayed or you get held up in traffic or something. and the vancouver airport is very busy and has long lines for security and other things. plus getting to the pier after you wait for your luggage. then you have to go through embarkation before you can get even close to the ship. i would not feel save getting to vancouver after 10 am. GO THE DAY BEFORE IF YOU CAN. you can get a room for around $40 by the airport to spend the night. but i like to be early for things to feel safe. the extra cost to get the time changed will be worth it.

[DX_Chic72]

I agree with the above poster. I would try to arrive at the Vancouver Airport as early as possible, because the airport is very busy all the time, and there are usually really long lineups for everything. The whole process from security to customs takes a long time. Also, the airport to the cruise terminal is at least a 25-30 minute drive (or more) and you don't want to miss your ship because of traffic problems, which is very common in downtown. (Take it from someone who lives in Van. :))

Get to the city earlier, that way you won't be stressed and you will enjoy your cruise much more. :)

[MajorGlass1]

Prople who fly in the day before amost never have any problems. I, at a minimum, recommend you switch to a early arrival the day of your cruise. Your best bet is to arrive the day before. If not, I hope you have good travel insurance that will cover your catching up at the ship's next port of call.

[MaryPoppinz]

I'd pay the $100 for the peace of mind. Both the airport and the pier can be really busy in Vancouver.

[imsulin]

We always go in at least one day early, and often stay a day or two post-cruise. Safe bet to pay the money and change your flights! AngelinaMarie...it's very common for airlines to raise prices in a very short period of time. The price you see on-line today won't necessarily be the same price you see tomorrow. Also, airlines usually make price adjustments on Wednesday nights...just so ya know!

[AngelinaMaria]

Thanks everyone. For the "change fee" price of $200 and not as good of flight times, I did get our flights changed to the day before. I consider the price worth the peace of mind and I feel much better. This was an expensive lesson and I'll remember it the next time--which I'm already planning for next year with a friend.

[imsulin]

Good for you, Angelinamaria!! We've all been through some expensive lessons, so you are definitely not alone! Hope you and your mom have a wonderful cruise