Flying in on the same day as the cruise: Bad idea!

[bepsf]

Interesting article regarding the air industry - the last line states:

"Customers are going to have to make some adjustments. It's just no longer prudent for a passenger to take a morning flight to meet a cruise ship in the afternoon,"

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2003787032_airwoes13.html

[lka1012]

I've felt this was the case for years. Between possible terrorist attacks, bad weather, missed connections, airlines in general and a host of other reasons, I never want to try to fly in on the same day the ship sails. I am too affraid it will sail without me (or my luggage). I have never like thet fact that if I want to use HAL's cruise-air, I have to pay a surcharge for that "privilage."

[sail7seas]

Out of all our cruises, through many years, we only one time flew on the same day we boarded a ship. It worked out fine but I was nervous and never did it again. We always go pre-cruise at least one day.

[sondrad]

DH and I flew out the morning of our recent cruise (against my better judgement). Fortunately everything went smoothly. And luckily, DH realized how lucky we were that there were no delays, and made me promise to make him book tickets for the day in advance next time! See, we're always right. :D

[Odd Ball]

Good article. I travel a lot for business and have found most flights are full. Every now and then I see a couple of empty seats maybe 2 or 3, all my other flights are full.

[Catnip]

Good article. I travel a lot for business and have found most flights are full. Every now and then I see a couple of empty seats maybe 2 or 3, all my other flights are full.

And the airlines are still saying they are losing money!!!!! :cool:

[fcorey]

I have to travel as part of my job and its been getting progressively worse , particularly over the last 2 years. The chance of delays and other assorted problems has skyrocketted. If you have to fly through a major hub like Chicago or DFW , god help you.... We are flying in to Seattle two days early just in case we have a luggage or flight problem.

[Bill S]

Brian-thanks for the link-veritable words to the wise!

Like Sail, we have only once flown in to a port on the same day as embarkation: Vegas to San Diego, on SW, we could have still made it on the next 3 flights if something happened to ours. It worked out fine.

We like to fly in a day before, especially for an overseas cruise or one from the east coast. There are just too many things that can go wrong to mess up plans, especially when you are at the mercy of the airlines, the weather, the FAA and/or "Mr. Murphy".

Oh, Brian, would you consider posting that link over in the "Cruise Air" sub forum within the "Cruise Discussions" board? There are a lot of horror stories over there. Also, it might be good to post it in the "First Time Cruisers", sub-forum, too.

Thanks again!

[Copper10-8]

We've done it only on short (2 hrs or less in duration) flights and have not had any problems. Would not recommend doing it on cross-country, trans-Atlantic or trans-Pacific flightsl Too much potential for headaches plus you arrive all zonked out on the ship and it's going to take you at least a day to recuperate.

[OldCodger73]

We'll fly same-day only from Seattle to Vancouver, otherwise it's at least the day before.

[LAFFNVEGAS]

I have to admit we have been lucky as far as cross country of the 3 our of FLL only did we fly in the day before. That was actually more hassel than it was worth and the red eyes we took previously were far less painless. We also did a Red Eye to catch the Maasdam in Boston in July 2005 and everything went fine. I guess we have been lucky. As far as our frequent sailings out of San Diego like Bill said we have Southwest Airlines that goes almost every hour from LAS to SAN and the plus with SW is that if you flight has a mechical or a weather problem with the incoming flight then the next plane coming in is yours. They just change around the aircraft so not to have long delays. Now we are going to play our odds for our next Noordam out of Seattle. We are going to fly in the day of the cruise. We leave at 7 AM and arrive at 9:30 on Alaska Air. Now Alaska Air also has another flight that would get us there in plenty of time after that as well as 4 other airlines including Southwest that if I had to pay for another ticket I could. So we are going to take our chances on that one.

[jhannah]

Like BillS, we have flown same day when going from Las Vegas to San Diego or LAX. With flights literally every hour, there's little concern. Otherwise, we always go early. Just too many things have a chance to go wrong.

[sail7seas]

But what if the other Alaska Air flight is full?

As Frank said, most flights are going out full these days and everyone on your flight that didn't go, still needs to go so they are fighting for the same seats.

[LAFFNVEGAS]

Sail the flight we are taking is called an Originator which means that it has to leave that morning even if it is not full. I have checked and there are at least 12 different options we can take that would still get us there in plenty of time. With being a flight that is just over 2 hours and being very early Sunday morning I am pretty confident we are going to be just fine.:)

[fcorey]

Sail the flight we are taking is called an Originator which means that it has to leave that morning even if it is not full. I have checked and there are at least 12 different options we can take that would still get us there in plenty of time. With being a flight that is just over 2 hours and being very early Sunday morning I am pretty confident we are going to be just fine.:)

The earlier in the morning you travel the better these days, after 10am you are risking delays. The 6-8am area seems to work out.

[Atomica]

I only flew the day of the cruise once, and that became the only flight I've ever been on that has been cancelled due to mechanical problems :)

Never again!

[hammybee]

Thanks Brian for the reminder,

I find it fasinating that cruise lines continue to sell air for flights on the date of sail, including connecting flights. And of course most who buy such air feel the ship is going to wait for them or that the cruise line will fly them to the next port of call, at the cruise line's expense.

If the delay is due to something within the air carrier's control, the air carrier is responsible for getting the passenger to the next port of call, if possible. The whole Jones act just makes this all the more interesting.

And as we know, the air carriers and cruise lines do not control the weather.

It's really foolish to not fly in a day early. The late flights are often the least costly and usually one can snag an inexpensive hotel room near the airport via some last minute hotel engine.

[ute_fan]

Just happened to see this thread on the list of new posts. There's a horror story over on the NCL board from someone who left Florida at 6 AM on a Saturday morning and STILL missed their ship that was sailing from Seattle on Sunday afternoon.

It was enough to scare me off from flying in the day of, and now, if I'm going any distance at all or have any connecting flights, I'm thinking I may want to fly in 2 days before!

[twinkletoes4445]

We always fly in a couple of days early. That way if luggage is lost, we can shop for some clothing to take along (in the event that ours doesn't show up).

My friend just returned from a trip to Paris. While they were in flight from Chicago, their was a medical emergency and had to land in Montreal. She said that after the man was helped off the plane, they also had to wait for his luggage to be removed (which required all the luggage to be pulled until they found this mans luggage). I believe she said this took about 3 hours.

If my destination wasn't leaving (like a ship does), I'd probably not worry that much, but since a ship sails away, we'll probably always allow ourselves at least a day...just in case.

[LAFFNVEGAS]

Just happened to see this thread on the list of new posts. There's a horror story over on the NCL board from someone who left Florida at 6 AM on a Saturday morning and STILL missed their ship that was sailing from Seattle on Sunday afternoon.

It was enough to scare me off from flying in the day of, and now, if I'm going any distance at all or have any connecting flights, I'm thinking I may want to fly in 2 days before!

Now I will say I would not fly a 6 AM flight from Florida to Seattle to arrive the same day (although many do it successfully), maybe a early Red Eye leaving the evening before but never in the AM going across the US. Now being on the West Coast Las Vegas to Seattle really is not all that far and like I said the flight options are numerous. I am also in the postion that if something did happen I would just pay to meet the ship in Juneau and pay the $300 Passengers Services Act fee if need be but I who never gambles am willing to gamble on this one. ;)

[ute_fan]

No, I wouldn't either. The OP on the NCL board was flying out early SATURDAY morning for a SUNDAY flight:eek: . I would consider, possibly, flying from SLC to Seattle or the LA/San Diego area the same day. Just like you said, there's multiple flights, they're short flights, and for the most part, they're direct flights. Even though, when we flew into Seattle for our cruise in May, we flew in Saturday afternoon. I got a good enough hotel rate (less then $60) that it was cheap insurance.

[kryos]

We've done it only on short (2 hrs or less in duration) flights and have not had any problems. Would not recommend doing it on cross-country, trans-Atlantic or trans-Pacific flightsl Too much potential for headaches plus you arrive all zonked out on the ship and it's going to take you at least a day to recuperate.
Same here. I generally leave Philly on the day of the cruise if I am either taking a car service to New York, or just flying from here to Florida. For cross-country west coast departures, I wouldn't risk it. That's why I try to cruise from Northeast ports as much as possible. It conserves my vacation time if I don't have to "waste" a day pre-cruise staying in a hotel. After all, my vacation time, sadly, is not unlimited.

Blue skies ...

--rita

[Robin7]

We usually fly in the day before as we live in the West, but we're taking a gamble on our next cruise. We leave Thanksgiving night and arrive in FLL about 9am on the day of boarding the Volendam. It makes me very nervous but there was no other way. Who would cook the turkey if I wasn't home???:eek: I just pray we don't get burned.

Robin

[Nic's Mom and Pop]

Okay now I'm nervous. We are leaving Friday Nov.23rd on a red eye from the SF bay area to FLL. It is supposed to arrive at 8:00 am on Saturday morning. The Zuiderdam sets sail at 5:00 PM Saturday. This will be our first cruise out of Florida. Booked this flight through Jet Blue because it was the only non- stop from SF or Oakland to FLL. If this flight was canceled we would be in trouble. All of the other airlines flights leaving Saturday would not get us there before sail away. Do you think we should fly in earlier on Friday and give up the non-stop? We have done red eyes before sailing out of New York with no problems. Jet Blue does have a very good record but they can't control weather, FAA or terrorism. Only four months to worry about it. :confused:

[haligonian37]

For our cruise this past Feb., my friends flew from Seattle on the red eye Saturday night for our 5pm Sunday departure on the Westerdam. They flew Continental and had no problems but they were wiped out the first night as was I (flew from Halifax to FLL same day, Superbowl Sunday, arrived onboard in time for the muster drill). We've decided never to fly in the same day again as it was just too stressful on the body not to mention the mind.

[Krazy Kruizers]

For years we have been flying to our embarkation ports at least 2 or 3 days early. Where we live the number of flights to various cities since 9/11 has been drastcially cut. We can gardly even find a direct flight to anywhere.

[Copper10-8]

:confused: Okay now I'm nervous. We are leaving Friday Nov.23rd on a red eye from the SF bay area to FLL. It is supposed to arrive at 8:00 am on Saturday morning. The Zuiderdam sets sail at 5:00 PM Saturday. This will be our first cruise out of Florida. Booked this flight through Jet Blue because it was the only non- stop from SF or Oakland to FLL. If this flight was canceled we would be in trouble. All of the other airlines flights leaving Saturday would not get us there before sail away. Do you think we should fly in earlier on Friday and give up the non-stop? We have done red eyes before sailing out of New York with no problems. Jet Blue does have a very good record but they can't control weather, FAA or terrorism. Only four months to worry about it.

IMHO, a red eye is different than say a 0700-1100 "morning" flight. Jet Blue does have a good track record (sometimes the nosewheel on their A-320's gets turned around on take off but that's just minor stuff ;)). I think you'll be fine with that red eye, tired upon arrival, but fine! Enjoy your cruise on Zuiderdam and have a great time!:)

[LAFFNVEGAS]

Okay now I'm nervous. We are leaving Friday Nov.23rd on a red eye from the SF bay area to FLL.

In all honesty you will be just fine. I have taken a Red Eye from Las Vegas to Boston and several from Las Vegas to FLL with absolutely no problems. I agree with John a Red Eye is less likely to have problems. I would not worry about it. I think that those that need to worry is those that are heading from the East Coast to the West Coast leaving the morning of that are pushing it.

[Sparky on the seas]

We don’t worry about flying out the same day as the cruise, provided we can be on the first non-stop flight out. Because we also live in Phoenix, we would have to be going to a west coast cruise terminal. I work for an airline so it does take out a lot of the fear about flying the same day as a cruise. Even so I wouldn’t fly to the east coast the same day as a cruise.

[Nic's Mom and Pop]

Thanks LAFFNVEGAS and COPPER10-8. I feel a little more confident that we will make sail away. We hope to sleep during the red eye so we are not wiped out the first night of the cruise. But the best laid plans.....................

[pms4104]

There was an interesting article in the Chicago Tribune Business section earlier this week. Apparently, the Transportation Department is considering upping the mandatory payout for involuntary bumping from $200 and $400 to $400 and $800 ... interestingly, the Transportation Department mandate does NOT cover tickets purchased thru third parties, such as Orbitz and Expedia.

[yiddishkopf]

When we are going a great distance, such as Australia, NZ etc., we fly in a few days early -- it gives us time to catch up on sleep and time tour the city.

We cherish the pre-cruise times we have had in Sydney, Auckland and Lima and the post cruise time in various cities.

On our Auckland to Sydney cruise a couple at our table had missed their connection in Denver and arrived a day late. They had booked their air through HAL so Hal did get them to the next port.

[mamaofami]

I would never try to fly to FL or cross country the day of a cruise. I'd worry so much about making it that it would ruin the trip. Weather is always a big problem, no matter where you fly from. If you leave from CA and the weather is bad in Chicago or NY, the flights can be backed up. And the weather can be bad any time of year. The other day there were major delays in NY airports because of thunderstorms. Those can happen at night too. And with the red eye. We flew from NY to Vancouver a day early and I had terrible jet lag, but by the time we boarded the ship, I was fine. Just my opinion, but it's worth it to tack on one night at a hotel so I can relax.

[serendipity1499]

We try to fly into the Port city a day or two before departure, especially if we're on a long-haul flight..

If we decide to book the Maasdam next July 5, we've all decided to fly into Boston on July 3, as don't want to buck July 4th traffic..

[barbon2]

We always fly in the night before. Less stress then trying to do it the day of. We even fly in the night before when doing Philly to Florida for a cruise.
Barbara

[jtl513]

If my destination wasn't leaving (like a ship does), I'd probably not worry that much, ...Even if your destination isn't "leaving", you should still watch your routing. Once a TA tried to send us through O'Hare on the way to Hawaii in January, and I said "no way" am I going to take the chance of spending one to three days in O'Hare when I should be in Hawaii! :D

[RetiredMustang]

We started going the day before our cruises when we got tired of the HAL-arranged red-eye from Seattle to Fla. more than 10 years ago. We changed mainly because of not wanting to fly overnight. But, we got used to the day-before ease of things, and then when we moved to Va., we kept it up, and discovered once the best reason for going early, as we sat in Atlanta the day before our cruise waiting for a delayed flight and realizing that it "weren't no thing" but seeing people scheduled to sail that day freaking out! We just relaxed while they fretted.

This fall, DW goes early to Seattle to spend time with our sons before our PCanal cruise, and I fly on the Friday before the Sunday departure -- to see "the boys" a bit (both in their 30's, but still "the boys"), but mainly to make certain I'm there for the cruise. Even a non-stop flight from Reagan National to SeaTac might have problems, and I want to be sure.

Bottom line -- we hate being rushed and worried, and now always go early.

Dave

[jtl513]

Bottom line -- we hate being rushed and worried, and now always go early.
DaveOf course, Dave, with my last name I ALWAYS make it a point to go early for everything! :D :D

[RevNeal]

Being in Dallas, I've often been fairly safe flying the morning of ... no connections were needed flying to either coast (all are non-stop flights).

However, I suspect that for the November cruise Christopher and I will fly in the day before.

[Fritzie]

I've been trying to convince my DH to buy trip insurance ever since I read a similar article in the Chicago Tribune. We're headed to Anchorage end of July on **gulp** Northwest, and we're flying out of ORD at 7:00 a.m. on the day of sailing! Wish us luck!:o
(And note to self---I really need to stop opening these kinds of threads!)

[jtl513]

I've been trying to convince my DH to buy trip insurance ever since I read a similar article in the Chicago Tribune. We're headed to Anchorage end of July on **gulp** Northwest, and we're flying out of ORD at 7:00 a.m. on the day of sailing! Wish us luck!:o
(And note to self---I really need to stop opening these kinds of threads!)
Well, at least you have the three hour time shift working in your favor, but since you're actually sailing from Seward that will subtract a couple of that leeway.

The Statendam, Ryndam, and Volendam all leave Seward at 8:00p local, or 11:00p CDT, and you'll have 16 hours to make it. Barring a major problem you should be okay. But good luck! :)

[Sparky on the seas]

Here are some airport stats for those that might be interested.


http://www.bts.gov/programs/airline_information/airline_ontime_tables/2007_05/index.html

[Robin7]

Here are some airport stats for those that might be interested.

Wow! Our airport is first and second on those lists. However, we're connecting in Atlanta, so I'm not certain if I'm reassured or even more nervous! :eek: Thanks for sharing that, though. Very interesting.

Robin

[Sparky on the seas]

For those that want more detail, try this link.

http://www.bts.gov/programs/airline_information/airline_ontime_statistics/

[RevNeal]

Hmmm ... in 2006 for the time period of our flight to FLL this coming November AA averaged 21% late flights with the average delay being 36 minutes. That's not bad ... the times I've flown to FLL from DFW we've either been on time or delayed just a few minutes. Not bad. SO ... flying the 6 am flight to FLL would get us there at 10 something AM. Perhaps we'll attempt that.

[2bout2c]

I always fly in a day early for US cruises. For non US ports 1-4 depending on how far away. Now here's something else I do when in non US ports on debark day. I just get off the ship and head to a hotel. None of that rush and push to get to the airport for a late in the day long flight back to the US. I find getting up early and the getting off and claiming bags enough for one day. I just don't need the waiting at the airport and the long flights home all in the same day. The next day. I check out of the hotel for checkin at the airport and flight home.

[AirGorilla]

I always fly in a day early for US cruises. For non US ports 1-4 depending on how far away. Now here's something else I do when in non US ports on debark day. I just get off the ship and head to a hotel. None of that rush and push to get to the airport for a late in the day long flight back to the US. I find getting up early and the getting off and claiming bags enough for one day. I just don't need the waiting at the airport and the long flights home all in the same day. The next day. I check out of the hotel for checkin at the airport and flight home.

That is SMART! We had a mega-long day when we debarked a Baltic cruise in Stockholm. Woke up at 3:30 AM for a 6:50 AM flt to CDG, hung around CDG until 3:30 PM, flew non-stop to ATL, arriving around 7:30 PM.

If I had it to do over, I'd do it your way!

[AirGorilla]

Heck, we live in ATL, which has SEVERAL daily flts to MIA and FLL, and we still like to fly down a day early, and stay in a nice hotel, and enjoy the evening. Then we wake up refreshed, and head to the ship with no travel hassles/stress.

[RevNeal]

Heck, we live in ATL, which has SEVERAL daily flts to MIA and FLL, and we still like to fly down a day early, and stay in a nice hotel, and enjoy the evening. Then we wake up refreshed, and head to the ship with no travel hassles/stress.

If it were up to me I would certainly do that. However ... sadly ... Christopher wants to get in a full day's work on Friday. Hence, the only AA flight we can take to FLL from DFW is the 7:30 pm flight, which arrives after 11 pm East Coast time. We'd get off the plane, go to a hotel for a few hours sleep, then get up and transfer to the ship (in an over crowded free shuttle, or paying for a taxi). In short ... it's really not worth it. NOW ... if we could fly one of the noon-flights on Friday, that would definitely be worth it. But, sadly, Christopher just doesn't want to miss that day's work.

[AirGorilla]

If it were up to me I would certainly do that. However ... sadly ... Christopher wants to get in a full day's work on Friday. Hence, the only AA flight we can take to FLL from DFW is the 7:30 pm flight, which arrives after 11 pm East Coast time. We'd get off the plane, go to a hotel for a few hours sleep, then get up and transfer to the ship (in an over crowded free shuttle, or paying for a taxi). In short ... it's really not worth it. NOW ... if we could fly one of the noon-flights on Friday, that would definitely be worth it. But, sadly, Christopher just doesn't want to miss that day's work.

Rev --
I can see your point. But, if that early Saturday morning AA flt is cancelled, or has a lengthy mechanical delay, you could be toast!

If it were me (and I realize that it's not!), I would take that Friday 7:30 PM flight. You can check in, have a drink, get some sleep. Saturday morning, you can have breakfast, hit the pool for awhile, check out, and go to the ship, without a thought of travel hassles or delays. JMHO!!

Whichever you decide, I hope you have a great time!!

[LAFFNVEGAS]

For us coming from Las Vegas to FLL we really do not have much of a choice. If you want non- stop it is pretty much a Red Eye which defeats getting a hotel or taking several other flights that will take 9 plus hours to get there via a stop in Chicago, Dallas or Washington DC. Last time we went to FLL for the Westerdam we were far from being refreshed the next day. We left on a 8 AM flight and arrived in FLL at 9PM. then took the over crowded shuttle and was eating at Out Back Steak House at 10:30 at night. I can tell you that we will more than likely take the Red Eye to FLL and risk it on October 2008 when we do the CC Group Cruise. Flights getting out of Las Vegas to the East Coast are terrible.:( Which is another reason we so seldom cruise out of the East Coast. flying to San Diego and Seattle is so very easy.

[Roz]

Laffnvegas,

Do you fly Southwest? Some folks won't. See if you could fly from LV to Nashville (BNA), and then Nashville to FLL.

Roz

[LAFFNVEGAS]

Roz, I LOVE SouthWest and fly it every chance I can but Las Vegas to FLL on SW does not work at all. The only connection with only one stop leaves at 10 in the morning(No NON Stops) does not get there till 8:40 at night. The earlierst I can get to FLL is 4 PM leaving at 6 in the morning and have 3 stops:eek: I always have 2 or 3 free tickets available because I fly frequently to Phoenix or San Diego on SW and my main credit card is for SW but when it comes to fying to FLL forget it.:(

[kakalina]

We completely eliminate the problem by driving to all our departures :D . For west coast departures we leave the day before; for east coast departuers we leave the week before :eek: .

We get a great cruise and get to see our beautiful country at the same time.

[AirGorilla]

For us coming from Las Vegas to FLL we really do not have much of a choice. If you want non- stop it is pretty much a Red Eye which defeats getting a hotel or taking several other flights that will take 9 plus hours to get there via a stop in Chicago, Dallas or Washington DC. Last time we went to FLL for the Westerdam we were far from being refreshed the next day. We left on a 8 AM flight and arrived in FLL at 9PM. then took the over crowded shuttle and was eating at Out Back Steak House at 10:30 at night. I can tell you that we will more than likely take the Red Eye to FLL and risk it on October 2008 when we do the CC Group Cruise. Flights getting out of Las Vegas to the East Coast are terrible.:( Which is another reason we so seldom cruise out of the East Coast. flying to San Diego and Seattle is so very easy.

I think your life would be easier if you would consider flying into MIA, instead of restricting yourself to FLL. It is really not a long way from MIA to Port Everglades.

AA has a daily non-stop leaving LAS @ 6:25 AM, arriving MIA @ 2:05 PM. You could easily get to your hotel in the 3:30 - 4:00 PM timeframe, have a leisurely evening, get over some of the jet lag, and board the ship next day in a relaxed frame of mind (and body).

I hate Red Eyes, too!

[AirGorilla]

We completely eliminate the problem by driving to all our departures :D . For west coast departures we leave the day before; for east coast departuers we leave the week before :eek: .

We get a great cruise and get to see our beautiful country at the same time.

You must not have a job!

[ANSalberg]

One of the reasons we like the Pacific Rim cruise on HAL in the fall [ we went in 2002 and 2005 -and will in 2008] is that you leave from Seattle and fly home from San Diego. It is a 64 day cruise.
BTW- 2002's cruise ended in LA and the flight home was a nightmare due to longshoreman's strike. Our flight is to/from Denver -so not that long from the WEST coast and we always allow at LEAST one day if not two prior to the cruise.
Our last cruise; the World Cruise 2007, Colorado had horrendous Christmas snows. When more was predicted for that weekend, we ended up spending 6 days in Ft Lauderdale -and that was marvelous. We boarded fully rested and happy!
Anne

[richwmn]

Heck, we live in ATL, which has SEVERAL daily flts to MIA and FLL, and we still like to fly down a day early, and stay in a nice hotel, and enjoy the evening. Then we wake up refreshed, and head to the ship with no travel hassles/stress.

AirGorilla --- I have a question and it may just be personal preference. On my previous cruises out of FLL, I have always driven, also leaving the day before. By the time you get to Hartsfield/Jackson 90 minutes to 2 hours early and fly to FLL or MIA, I am halfway there. Difference is, I am on my own schedule. There are many places to stop outside the Miami area that have things to do the night before the cruise, and still get up and get to the ship at a reasonable time (noon or before). From a cost standpoint, for one it is break even, more ride in the car free. If you drive to Hartsfield/Jackson and pay to park, I come out ahead. Personally, I enjoy the drive and have my favorite stops along the way. Also, I am in control. I know what kind of shape my car is in and can handle problems if they occur. I can not do anything about any problems the airlines have.

Rich

[LAFFNVEGAS]

I think your life would be easier if you would consider flying into MIA, instead of restricting yourself to FLL. It is really not a long way from MIA to Port Everglades.

AA has a daily non-stop leaving LAS @ 6:25 AM, arriving MIA @ 2:05 PM. You could easily get to your hotel in the 3:30 - 4:00 PM timeframe, have a leisurely evening, get over some of the jet lag, and board the ship next day in a relaxed frame of mind (and body).

I hate Red Eyes, too!

Thanks, I may have to consider that for our Oct. 2008 cruise on the Eurodam or as HAL called it in their email the EDAM;) But in taking a look at it again, we may still take the RED EYE because our cruise leaves on a Saturday and both of our vacations weeks start on the Saturday. Now if the cruise left on Sunday that would be a better option. It would not be easy for us to leave on Friday so the numerous Red Eyes that are available will more than likely be our only choice.

[mamaofami]

And all this flying hassle is why I am so sad the Noordam is leaving New York.:(

On one of my first cruises we returned to Tampa and a major major snow storm in the northeast. Nothing was leavng Florida except one lone jet blue plane and we weren't on it. While on the boat, we called and got the last hotel room available for the night near the airport and had to wait it out till late the next day for a flight home. While being delayed going home is no big deal, I wonder what happened to all those passengers who were heading down to Tampa and were grounded because the entire system was grounded.

[RetiredMustang]

We completely eliminate the problem by driving to all our departures :D . For west coast departures we leave the day before; for east coast departuers we leave the week before :eek: .

We get a great cruise and get to see our beautiful country at the same time.

kakalina,

Yes, driving is more under one's own control, but I try to leave enough time in the schedule for a possible breakdown en route. We now mostly rent cars to drive to cruises, so that if they break down, we just could call the company and have them bring another. We didn't used to do that, but of all things, our car broke down between D.C. and Norfolk once -- they are only about 200 miles apart, and we thought we could take a leisurely meander southwards to Tidewater! Luckily, we were going the day before our cruise on Maasdam out of Norfolk, and the car glitched at lunch in Fredericksburg, VA, about a mile from a dealership, so we were able to get a tow to the repair shop and were delayed only a few hours and made it to Norfolk for a fashionably late dinner the night before the cruise. Now, we rent and/or build in time en route if needed.

We drove from the D.C. area to FLL for the b2b on Westerdam this year, spending two nights on the road, which mades for an easy drive (the car didn't develop issues :rolleyes: ), and we will probably do the same again. But, cross-country is a bit more time than we (I) can spend in addition to a cruise, so we compromised on our upcoming cruise out of Seattle, with DW taking Amtrak early, and I flying in a couple of days before sailing. Maybe when I'm fully retired, we can have the luxury of time for driving cross-country unhurriedly.

Dave

[Scrumpy]

Thanks for posting the link to the article, Brian!

We fly in the day before. It is a lot safer that way. I don't think I would ever risk flying the same day. We just got back from the Dominican Republic a week ago and the flights were a total mess. The ONLY flights that stayed the same were the first ones. We left here late due to both weather and mechanical difficulties and spent the night at DFW instead of Miami, so the third flight got us to DR later than we should have arrived. (but hey we were THERE - woo hoo!) On the way back, there were radar problems in Puerto Rico, so we ended up taking 4 flights to get home instead of 3 and spent the night in Tampa. That has been our experience many times, especially with AA. DH travels weekly for business and I travel frequently (more than I'd like) to visit family. It has gotten more and more difficult with more and more delays and flights that can be absolutely packed... Btw, out of our 7 flights r/t to the Dominican Republic, there were mechanical issues either with the airports or the planes themselves on three of them, along with a couple of the worst planes I've ever seen in terms of interior maintenance - broken seats, headrests, arm rests, tray tables. Air travel is not like it was when I was a kid. I loved it then. Dread it now.

[RuthC]

On my first cruise to Alaska I got up at 3:30 AM to make a flight to Vancouver for a sailing that day. By the time dinner was to be served I had been up 19 1/2 hours and missed that meal. I slept away the first day, too.
About a year and a half later I flew from Providence to Los Angeles for a Hawaii cruise leaving that day. I then realized that if the luggage had not made it I was in serious sartorial trouble.

It was then and there I decided to go to the port a day early (unless I'm leaving from Boston or NYC---the neighborhood, as it were). I don't care that the cost of a HAL pre-cruise hotel is highway robbery. I'm not taking any chances ever again.

[Sparky on the seas]

Hmmm ... in 2006 for the time period of our flight to FLL this coming November AA averaged 21% late flights with the average delay being 36 minutes. That's not bad ... the times I've flown to FLL from DFW we've either been on time or delayed just a few minutes. Not bad. SO ... flying the 6 am flight to FLL would get us there at 10 something AM. Perhaps we'll attempt that.

Because you are leaving so early on a Saturday, those are the two things that are working in your favor. Most airlines have a reduced schedule on Saturdays so an airline would have more planes to chose from to do your flight. Leaving out of Dallas on American just works to your advantage. The other thing is that delays build up during the course of the day. Because you are leaving so early takes care of that problem. Since it isn’t that long of a flight, I wouldn’t worry too much about it.

[OceanLiner]

We always fly in two days early but we take it one step further with our lugguage. All of our luggage is shipped out several days earlier by Fed Ex or UPS, and it waiting for us at our hotel. We simply board the plane with carry on luggage with the knowledge that we have two days to get to the ship and that our luggage is safely awaiting our arrival. If our flight is diverted or changed we we do not need to worry about the luggage, just ourselves.

[RevNeal]

Because you are leaving so early on a Saturday, those are the two things that are working in your favor. Most airlines have a reduced schedule on Saturdays so an airline would have more planes to chose from to do your flight. Leaving out of Dallas on American just works to your advantage. The other thing is that delays build up during the course of the day. Because you are leaving so early takes care of that problem. Since it isn’t that long of a flight, I wouldn’t worry too much about it.

Thanks.
You reflect my thinking.
This is one of the advantages to living midway between both coasts in the midst of "flyover country," with a major Hub-airport in one's backyard and many non-stop flights from which to choose. However ... I don't relish getting to the airport so early for a 6 am flight! OUCH!

[AirGorilla]

AirGorilla --- I have a question and it may just be personal preference. On my previous cruises out of FLL, I have always driven, also leaving the day before. By the time you get to Hartsfield/Jackson 90 minutes to 2 hours early and fly to FLL or MIA, I am halfway there. Difference is, I am on my own schedule. There are many places to stop outside the Miami area that have things to do the night before the cruise, and still get up and get to the ship at a reasonable time (noon or before). From a cost standpoint, for one it is break even, more ride in the car free. If you drive to Hartsfield/Jackson and pay to park, I come out ahead. Personally, I enjoy the drive and have my favorite stops along the way. Also, I am in control. I know what kind of shape my car is in and can handle problems if they occur. I can not do anything about any problems the airlines have.

Rich

Hi Rich --

That is an interesting idea. Thinking it over, it has a lot of merit. The best airfares are usually Tuesday, Wednesday and occasionally Saturday.

Question: When the cruise is over, and you are back in FLL, what happens then? Do you drive back to Athens the same day, or do you have an overnight stay somewhere on the way back? If so, where would you stop on the return drive?

AG

[richwmn]

Hi Rich --

That is an interesting idea. Thinking it over, it has a lot of merit. The best airfares are usually Tuesday, Wednesday and occasionally Saturday.

Question: When the cruise is over, and you are back in FLL, what happens then? Do you drive back to Athens the same day, or do you have an overnight stay somewhere on the way back? If so, where would you stop on the return drive?

AG

Since I am usually off the ship by 9am or so, driving straight thru gets me back to Athens NLT 9pm or so without pushing it. I find if I am within a 2 - 4 hours of home it makes little sense to stop at a hotel when I would still get to sleep by my normal bed time by completing the trip.

Rich

[MSammy]

Like the poster awhile back, I too, always stay an extra day on arrival. I never feel pressured to leave the ship and it extends my vacation another day.

We usually arrive day before our cruise (never day of) but for our 12/3 cruise we are flying in two days early so we can really enjoy the hotel and get into a complete relaxed/holiday state of mood before we even board the ship.

Only 140-something days to go. Woo! Hoo!

[fcorey]

Like the poster awhile back, I too, always stay an extra day on arrival. I never feel pressured to leave the ship and it extends my vacation another day.

We usually arrive day before our cruise (never day of) but for our 12/3 cruise we are flying in two days early so we can really enjoy the hotel and get into a complete relaxed/holiday state of mood before we even board the ship.

Only 140-something days to go. Woo! Hoo!

We are doing just that on return from our Oosterdam cruise. Since Seattle is so far we are going in a couple days early and staying a day after so we dont have to do the mad dash to the airport. We cant wait, less than 50 days, and it will be our first trip to Alaska! :)

[Sunshine91]

Our last 2 cruises we took the homeport bus from Philly to NYC - of course that runs same day. It's only a 2 hour ride. But in February 2006 & again this past January, we were a bit nervous about snowstorms wreaking havoc & causing delays. :eek:

Our previous cruises departed from Florida & we did fly same day - very early from BWI on HAL air (this was before I got smart knew about things like flying in day before & CC :rolleyes: ). We were usually in FLA before noon so have never had any problems. For any future FLA departures, I'm not sure what we'd do - I think it'll depend on the available flights, the day the ship departs, etc.

Now for Edam next year, we'll definately cross the pond early. The cruise departs July 5, so we'll flyover the night of the 2nd or 3rd. :)

[RevNeal]

Oh, yes ... for any long-range flights -- Europe, Asia, South America -- I always fly on such a schedule that I have at least a full 24 hours between scheduled arrival and embarkation. Usually 2 days, if I can manage it. My flying the day of only applies for cruises on the East or West Coast when/where I don't have time to fly the day before. Often I have time to fly the day before, and do ... and visit friends when I do.

[O2B@C]

We are doing just that on return from our Oosterdam cruise. Since Seattle is so far we are going in a couple days early and staying a day after so we dont have to do the mad dash to the airport. We cant wait, less than 50 days, and it will be our first trip to Alaska! :)

Seattle is a really lovely city to visit in its own right, so you definitely won't regret this decision. The only thing you might regret is not having even more time there!

Have a great cruise!

[Fritzie]

Well, let the games begin! I just logged in with NWA to get our boarding passes for tomorrow's flight, and lo and behold, our first flight was cancelled!
The good news: They have us booked on the next flight.
The bad news: It pushes us back two hours, thus we lose 2 hours of ship time!
The good news: We're bumped to first class--both flights.
The bad news: There's four of us, and none of us is sitting together (two kids included.)
The good news: I was able to get through on NWA's 800 customer service number.
The bad news: She couldn't do anything for me.

So, we'll just have to wait and see with this one. We'll definitely be getting to the airport early tomorrow--as in 3 hours--to help our chances of getting on a plane. To Alaska.
Wish us luck! :o

[LAFFNVEGAS]

I wish you lots of luck Fritzie, I will say when flying first class I have found pople near by to be very accomidating and I would guess they will gladly switch seats with you so the family can sit next to each other so I really would not worry about that. As long as theat flight leaves on time you should be fine. Is it a non stop or are there connections involved?

I know the feeling of liking to have as much time on the ship as possible once we walk over the ganway the cruise has started:)

Bon Voyage and have a Great Cruise:)

[Fritzie]

Thanks for the good thoughts, LAFFNVEGAS! We're due to leave Chicago tomorrow at 9 now, connecting in Minneapolis, and arriving in Anchorage around 2. I called Princess, and they said they run transfers from Anchorage to the ship til about 6.
I have a feeling we're going to need lots of luck! :o

[fann1sh]

Fritzie, With DTW my home airport - NWA hub - I'm VERY familiar with the joys you're now facing. Good luck on making it all work - that first class upgrade is a big bonus at least! Have a fabulous cruise, and I'm sure Lisa is right, that people in first class will let you switch to sit together!

[SHayesShip]

In all of my flying to cruises I have always flown at least one day in advance until now. I am flying from Los Angeles to Seattle morning of cruise. Leaving at 7 am and arriving at 10:30 am. There are 4 other flights on SW that if they had seats could get the two of us to Seattle with still plenty of time to spare before the 5 pm sailing.

However, do I recommend this to people normally ? No.

[Fritzie]

Just wanted to give an update on our situation...
Back from a wonderful SB Alaskan cruise on the Island Princess. We took our chances and used PrincessAir to get us there and back on day of sailing (without trip insurance, even! :eek:) and all went well.
Our original 7:00 am flight on NWA was cancelled, so NWA booked us First Class on the next flight from ORD to MSP, and then First Class again MSP to ANC. We arrived in ANC with only one small hitch (one of our suitcases was left behind in MSP, which we didn't get til Skagway--and I know you Fly Ahead Supporters will reasonably argue had we flown in a day ahead we would have had it in time for sailaway--and you're right :o. But you should know my son, 9, was very happy to not wear his tux for the first formal night. So someone was happy for the lost luggage! :)) We made it to the ship by 6 p.m.--the transfer from Anchorage to Whittier was really slowed down due to that darn tunnel! If I took a NB, I'd leave LOTS of time from disembarkation to time of flight--that tunnel can really slow things down!
Coming home, our YVR to DEN flight was delayed about 15 minutes due to weather, but we easily made our DEN to ORD connection and were home before midnight. Long day, but no problems.
So yes, flying in on the same day of the cruise is risky--I'd probably fly in a day ahead in the future just to ease my worries. But it can be done successfully!
Happy Cruising, all!

[robertmnch]

I have to admit we have been lucky as far as cross country of the 3 our of FLL only did we fly in the day before. That was actually more hassel than it was worth and the red eyes we took previously were far less painless. We also did a Red Eye to catch the Maasdam in Boston in July 2005 and everything went fine. I guess we have been lucky. As far as our frequent sailings out of San Diego like Bill said we have Southwest Airlines that goes almost every hour from LAS to SAN and the plus with SW is that if you flight has a mechical or a weather problem with the incoming flight then the next plane coming in is yours. They just change around the aircraft so not to have long delays. Now we are going to play our odds for our next Noordam out of Seattle. We are going to fly in the day of the cruise. We leave at 7 AM and arrive at 9:30 on Alaska Air. Now Alaska Air also has another flight that would get us there in plenty of time after that as well as 4 other airlines including Southwest that if I had to pay for another ticket I could. So we are going to take our chances on that one.
Good Luck with your Alaska Airlines flight! I just came home from a RT from ONTARIO to JUNEAU, and both flights on Alaska Airlines northbound and both flights southbound were full, and that was going through Seattle! Good Luck = NO WHINING Lisa!!! There was a couple on the Seattle to Juneau Leg that had missed their connection for a Louisville Kentucky to Vancouver flight, so they were sent to Juneau and missed two days of their cruise and had NO insurance! RobertMnch

[LAFFNVEGAS]

Good Luck with your Alaska Airlines flight! I just came home from a RT from ONTARIO to JUNEAU, and both flights on Alaska Airlines northbound and both flights southbound were full, and that was going through Seattle! Good Luck = NO WHINING Lisa!!! There was a couple on the Seattle to Juneau Leg that had missed their connection for a Louisville Kentucky to Vancouver flight, so they were sent to Juneau and missed two days of their cruise and had NO insurance! RobertMnch

Fortunately we have no connections from LAS to SEA it is non-stop and the plane is an orignator meaning it over nights in Las Vegas and this is the first flight leaving for Alaska Air for the day.

[kryos]

Good article. I travel a lot for business and have found most flights are full. Every now and then I see a couple of empty seats maybe 2 or 3, all my other flights are full.
Same here. I can't remember when the last time I had even one seat empty on a row I was sitting on. Every flight has been packed ... not a single empty seat onboard. It's the only way the airlines can make money these days.

Blue skies ...

--rita

[kryos]

The earlier in the morning you travel the better these days, after 10am you are risking delays. The 6-8am area seems to work out.
When I'm flying from Philly to Florida for a cruise, I usually try to be on the first flight out in the a.m. This generally works, though in the case of an emergency ... such as a maintenance problem ... there are no guarantees with that strategy either. I missed the boat on my first cruise when the early morning flight I was on lost an engine and had to be diverted to the closest airport for maintenance. By the time we took off again, and got to Fort Lauderdale, bye bye Rotterdam. She was gone. Six of us on that flight had to make our own way to Costa Rica to pick the ship up three days later.

Blue skies ...

--rita

[llachance]

once. It was a repositioning cruise from Vancouver to SF on the Oosterdam. We had the first flight out of SFO the morning of the cruise. We arrived at the airport at 5:30 for our flight to find out that it had been cancelled. It was a code share flight with Air Canada (we were Alaska Air) and the folks that were flying on Air Canada tickets were to Vancouver in no time. On the other hand we were in line until 7:00 am to be rerouted. They gave us a ticket that sent us through Portland and BTW the flight is leaving in 45 minutes and we haven't even gone through security yet. We were the last two to board the flight. We got to Portland to find out that our flight to Vancouver had been delayed by 2 hours. At this point we are arriving in Vancouver at 1:30pm, still ok but very stressful. Get on our iddy biddy plane and arrive in Vancouver at the same time that 3 fully loaded 747s arrive from the Far East. We all hit passport control at the same time. It was nice to know that there were members of the band that were going to be aboard this cruise were standing in line with us so I figured we were safe :) Spent an hour in Passport control and since we were only aboard for 2 days we had only carryon luggage so no waiting for luggage...walked out to the taxi stand and made it to the ship at a little after 3:00pm. If my original plan had stayed in place we would have been to Vancover for breakfast :) The first flight out doesn't always guarantee that your trip will be trouble free. BTW - we had printed our boarding passes that morning before we went to the airport! Nothing about a delay at 3:30 in the morning but they surely knew it was going to happen by then.

[newrivercruiser]

o.k. so now I'm getting nervous. I have 2 cruises booked - 12/2 and 1/12. For both we have already bought our airline tickets (two of us in December; 6 of us in January). In both case we are scheduled to fly non-stop (2 hours and 20 minutes) and arrive a little after 1:00 PM at FLL the day of embarkation.

Anybody had any experience with this route??? (I've rarely had problems flying from BWI) Is there a way to find out if the flight originates in Baltimore??

Thanks for your help.

[kryos]

o.k. so now I'm getting nervous. I have 2 cruises booked - 12/2 and 1/12. For both we have already bought our airline tickets (two of us in December; 6 of us in January). In both case we are scheduled to fly non-stop (2 hours and 20 minutes) and arrive a little after 1:00 PM at FLL the day of embarkation.

All I can tell you is that I always fly into Fort Lauderdale or Miami the same morning, though there is always the chance that something can go wrong. No one can promise you that it won't. The question is, are you willing to take the chance. Also, what time is your flight? 1:00 p.m. is not giving much leeway if there is a problem. Wouldn't it be better to get a very, very early morning flight to Florida even if that means sitting around at the pier for several hours before embarkation begins?

Blue skies ...

--rita

[Jade13]

o.k. so now I'm getting nervous. I have 2 cruises booked - 12/2 and 1/12. For both we have already bought our airline tickets (two of us in December; 6 of us in January). In both case we are scheduled to fly non-stop (2 hours and 20 minutes) and arrive a little after 1:00 PM at FLL the day of embarkation.

Anybody had any experience with this route??? (I've rarely had problems flying from BWI) Is there a way to find out if the flight originates in Baltimore??

Thanks for your help.

I really like Air Tran and have never had a problem, plus you are flying non-stop same coast.

[hammybee]

o.k. so now I'm getting nervous. I have 2 cruises booked - 12/2 and 1/12. For both we have already bought our airline tickets (two of us in December; 6 of us in January). In both case we are scheduled to fly non-stop (2 hours and 20 minutes) and arrive a little after 1:00 PM at FLL the day of embarkation.

Anybody had any experience with this route??? (I've rarely had problems flying from BWI) Is there a way to find out if the flight originates in Baltimore??

Thanks for your help.

Sounds like you are on Airtran. Why not give them a call to find out where your flight originates from and the potential cost to switch to flying in a day earlier. This way you can decide the risk/reward thing.

[earl_m]

The one time that I did not fly in a few days earlier. I miss the ship because of a snow storm in montreal. I now always fly in sooner.
I had to learn the hard way.

[Madchen]

Oh gosh. Our cruise will leave Vancouver, BC at 5pm. We booked a flight from Las Vegas to Vancouver that arrives 11:55am. Do you think that will be enough time? It's on Alaskan Air, if that helps. I usually just fly to California and never have problems. I've never gone through customs, though.

[heartofamerica]

I prefer to fly the day prior, although my ex didn't. That changed on a cruise a couple years ago. We were flying nonstop from MCI-FLL to catch the Zuiderdam. The flight was scheduled to leave at 9:00 a.m. Well...it was delayed coming out of NYC by about an hour. Then...there were problems with the radar. It was 12...then almost 1 before we took off. We got into FLL at 4:15...grabbed our luggage, caught a cab to the pier at 4:30 and RAN to the HAL counter. We were met by a sheriff who escorted us to the "crew" entrance and we boarded at 4:45 for a 5:00 p.m. departure. My ex now prefers to fly down the day before.

[LAFFNVEGAS]

Oh gosh. Our cruise will leave Vancouver, BC at 5pm. We booked a flight from Las Vegas to Vancouver that arrives 11:55am. Do you think that will be enough time? It's on Alaskan Air, if that helps. I usually just fly to California and never have problems. I've never gone through customs, though.

When are you going and what day of the week? Last year we took a 7:30am flight out of Las Vegas to Vancouver on Air Canada. We got it early and there was about a 30 minute line at customs. By the time we got thru customs line our luggage was out there on the carousel. Too bad you could not cancel and take that early flight on Air Canada. It goes out of Las Vegas International terminal with hardly no one over there. Luckily the Vancouver cruises leave at 5 PM rather than the 4 PM time that they leave in Seattle.