Flight ETA cutting it close...

My family and I are booked on Carnival and also purchased roundtrip air thru them.

My concern is this....flight's ETA is 1:18pm in FORT LAUDERDALE, we port out of Miami. Has anyone flown in this late? I know that Carnival would get us on the ship if we were delayed, but I hate to think about that happening!! Should I be worried? Has anyone flown in this late?

My family and I are booked on Carnival and also purchased roundtrip air thru them.

 

My concern is this....flight's ETA is 1:18pm in FORT LAUDERDALE, we port out of Miami. Has anyone flown in this late? I know that Carnival would get us on the ship if we were delayed, but I hate to think about that happening!! Should I be worried? Has anyone flown in this late?

This is way too late. Even the smallest of hiccups and you'll be in trouble.

Also, Carnival may do ALL THEY CAN to get you to the next port...but there is no guarantee. Read your terms and conditions very closely, and see if they guarantee it. Trust me, they don't.

With luggage retrieval and shuttle boarding you will not leave FLL until around 2:00 or later with about a 45 minute airport to pier drive time, which will put you at the Miami pier by about 2:45 - 3:00 at best, assuming no delays at all. Not sure what time your departure is but typically you need to be on board 90 minutes prior to sail away. So your departure would need to be 4:30 or later or you could have a problem. Regardless, that would be cutting it way too close for me.

There is no way we would take that flight.

Sorry.,

How do you KNOW that Carnival would get you on the ship if you were delayed? A 1:18 eta means you will be lucky to have collected your bags and be ready to leave the airport by 2:00. Did Carnival also sell you transfer from MIA to the ship? Unlikely, but they might from a more distant airport; if they did, your chances are better.

If Carnival does not provide transfer from MIA to the ship and if you happen to be on a connecting flight, you really should think about changing to an earlier flight. You probably could make it - but accept the real risk of missing the ship -- and the stress from sweating it?

My family and I are booked on Carnival and also purchased roundtrip air thru them.

 

My concern is this....flight's ETA is 1:18pm in FORT LAUDERDALE, we port out of Miami. Has anyone flown in this late? I know that Carnival would get us on the ship if we were delayed, but I hate to think about that happening!! Should I be worried? Has anyone flown in this late?

That's cutting things a little too close. With even a minor delay you would probably miss your sailing. The ship will not wait for you.

Best plan is to try for an earlier flight or arrive a day early and enjoy Miami. You'll be relaxed and ready for a wonderful cruise.

Another thing to consider is that if you do miss the ship, that unless your entire family has passports there is nothing Carnival can do to get you to the next port since you can not fly without them.

I would never book air through the cruise line, I have always found better deals on my own and prefer to get to port, or at least within a 2 hour drive of the port the night before. But since you already have done this, see if they can change your flight.

I know that Carnival's air program does this very very often, and most people do make the ship, especial since you booked thru Carnival they will hold the ship for a short amount of time. But I still hate the stress of cutting it so close.

I did purchase the airport transfer thru Carnival. I spoke with them this morning, and they said that flights arriving as late as 2:00pm are okay??

I normally wouldn't purchase air thru them, but it was a good price and figured it would just be easier.

I can not change the flight thru Carnival, if I call Delta to change the flight they said that it would be $199 per person to make a change.

I did buy the vacation protection...wonder if I could cancel the air portion?

I did purchase the airport transfer thru Carnival. I spoke with them this morning, and they said that flights arriving as late as 2:00pm are okay??

 

I normally wouldn't purchase air thru them, but it was a good price and figured it would just be easier.

 

I can not change the flight thru Carnival, if I call Delta to change the flight they said that it would be $199 per person to make a change.

 

I did buy the vacation protection...wonder if I could cancel the air portion?

Now you know why so many people here are so against cruise airfares. Yep, maybe cheaper, but what is your stress level worth? And, as mentioned...any hiccup and you are in serious trouble.

I did purchase the airport transfer thru Carnival. I spoke with them this morning, and they said that flights arriving as late as 2:00pm are okay??

 

I normally wouldn't purchase air thru them, but it was a good price and figured it would just be easier.

 

I can not change the flight thru Carnival, if I call Delta to change the flight they said that it would be $199 per person to make a change.

 

I did buy the vacation protection...wonder if I could cancel the air portion?

Carnival has no clue what the weather will be on the day of departure, or what potential mechanical issues may strike the aircraft that you are supposed to be on. That's why you need padding in your times...at least several hours, but preferably the day before as most people say. The schedule you have now means there is zero wiggle room should the weather be bad, or your plane have a broken part, or even things you may not think about (i.e. the crew that is supposed to fly your plane is late due to another flight and bad weather far away, meaning your flight gets delayed).

$199 isn't cheap by any means, so you need to decide your financial comfort zone.

What's done is done, I'm sure it will be fine since you booked through cruise line. I used to fly in the day of the cruise and cut it close, however, after a cruise or two I realized just how early you can get on the ship. Now, I fly in the night before and we are one of the first to get on the next morning. This starts your vacation extra early and relieves the stress of worrying about a close-call flight scenario.

Enjoy your cruise and next time consider booking your own flight and arriving the night before - it is an awesome way to start an awesome vacation experience!

Lisa

I normally wouldn't purchase air thru them, but it was a good price and figured it would just be easier.

A good reason why shopping strictly for price is often not the best approach. When booking air travel, I look at schedule first and then narrow it down further by price. I would never book a flight that arrives so close to sail time to save a few bucks. I have been on too many flights that were delayed an hour or two to take the chances you are taking. I hope you make it.

Besides, by arriving just before boarding cutoff, you miss out on four or five hours you have paid to be on board the ship, exploring, eating lunch, sitting by the pool, having a drink, etc. We always plan to board earlier than later so we can enjoy the excitement of the post departure vibe.

A good reason why shopping strictly for price is often not the best approach. When booking air travel, I look at schedule first and then narrow it down further by price. I would never book a flight that arrives so close to sail time to save a few bucks. I have been on too many flights that were delayed an hour or two to take the chances you are taking. I hope you make it.

 

Besides, by arriving just before boarding cutoff, you miss out on four or five hours you have paid to be on board the ship, exploring, eating lunch, sitting by the pool, having a drink, etc. We always plan to board earlier than later so we can enjoy the excitement of the post departure vibe.

You are absolutely correct. But price clouds people's good judgment all the time.

I said it was a "good price", by far not the best price ;)

Keep calling Carnival's air division. Every agent is different, you might get one who will change for you.

How are you getting from FLL to port? If it's a Carnival-provided shuttle, they might hold the ship for those passengers arriving just a little late. Otherwise, you're going to be on your own...

Do all of you have passports? Unless your first port (if you miss the ship) is Puerto Rico or St. Thomas, you won't get there, no matter what Carnival says.

All important questions. If these bother you, and Carnival Air is unwiling to change, you may have to suck it up and pay that change fee for everyone to be able to relax a little about your arrangements.

My family and I are booked on Carnival and also purchased roundtrip air thru them.

 

My concern is this....flight's ETA is 1:18pm in FORT LAUDERDALE, we port out of Miami. Has anyone flown in this late? I know that Carnival would get us on the ship if we were delayed, but I hate to think about that happening!! Should I be worried? Has anyone flown in this late?

Your flight is direct I hope. I would not be happy with this. See if they can get you on a direct flight to Miami at least. On top of airport issues you may also have to deal with road construction and or accidents. The ride from FLL to POM is about 40 minutes instead of about the 5 minutes that it takes from MIA to POM. Good luck.:)

Oh, and now they got you to give them more revenue because you bought transportation to the ship from them. Change your flight if you can.

Arriving at 1:18 -- way too risky!!

We do not book flights through any cruise line. I book our flights myself.

The cruise lines tend to book the worst flights - and you may even up having to deal with connecting flights. The worst flights are the cheapest for them.

If I see correctly -- you are cruising in October?? It is probably too late to cancel your flights with Carnival.

Carnival should never have done this booking, the timing is just too close. Unless there are many delayed passengers, they will not hold that ship.

I think the OP has a legitimate reason to demand that Carnival rebook that flight and at no cost to the OP. Or allow the OP to cancel with refund.

Another reason why I don't "do" Carnival.

On a lighter note, I hope everything works out for the OP and they have a wonderful vacation!

Your flight is direct I hope. I would not be happy with this. See if they can get you on a direct flight to Miami at least. On top of airport issues you may also have to deal with road construction and or accidents. The ride from FLL to POM is about 40 minutes instead of about the 5 minutes that it takes from MIA to POM. Good luck.:)

 

Oh, and now they got you to give them more revenue because you bought transportation to the ship from them. Change your flight if you can.

OP - please ask them about a NONSTOP flight, not a DIRECT flight. Very different things that could bite you in the butt.

OP - please ask them about a NONSTOP flight, not a DIRECT flight. Very different things that could bite you in the butt.

What's the difference? When I ask my TA for a direct flight she knows that I want to get to my destination via one plane with no touch downs until I reach my destination. I have never had any problems with any TA's using that term. Isn't that the same as nonstop?

How could they be "very different". Thanks

What's the difference? When I ask my TA for a direct flight she knows that I want to get to my destination via one plane with no touch downs until I reach my destination. I have never had any problems with any TA's using that term. Isn't that the same as nonstop?

 

How could they be "very different". Thanks

Los Angeles to New york City with a stop in Chicago (but no change of plane) is a "direct flight"

Los Angeles to New york City with a stop in Chicago (with a change of plane) is a "connecting flight"

LAX to NYC with no stops at all is a "non-stop"

Luckily, TAs know that when a client asks for a "direct flight" they always mean "non-stop"

What's the difference? When I ask my TA for a direct flight she knows that I want to get to my destination via one plane with no touch downs until I reach my destination. I have never had any problems with any TA's using that term. Isn't that the same as nonstop?

 

How could they be "very different". Thanks

A "direct" flight means that you do not change flight numbers although in certain rare instances, you can change planes. A "non-stop" flight means exactly what it says - you take off at your home airport and leave the plane at your destination without the airplane landing anywhere in between.

I would fire any travel agent who was not aware of the differences.

BTW and this is to the OP - you are stark raving bonkers if you accept those flight arrangements. As several other respondents have noted, every one in the party better have a passport so you can fly to the next port (regardless of who is paying for the air fare) when you miss the boat. I don't remember when you are leaving but with the government shutdown coming up, good luck on getting passports quickly and did you factor in the cost of your new passports with quick turnaround when you considered how much you are saving with these flight arrangements?

DON

All cruise lines have been guilty of ill timed flights.

OP--

If you cannot get the flights changed then take only carryon luggage. It will save you almost an hour.

Too late now but read the stickys on the top of the CruiseAir board to understand about cruiseline air.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=128

My family and I are booked on Carnival and also purchased roundtrip air thru them.

 

My concern is this....flight's ETA is 1:18pm in FORT LAUDERDALE, we port out of Miami. Has anyone flown in this late? I know that Carnival would get us on the ship if we were delayed, but I hate to think about that happening!! Should I be worried? Has anyone flown in this late?

What's the difference? When I ask my TA for a direct flight she knows that I want to get to my destination via one plane with no touch downs until I reach my destination. I have never had any problems with any TA's using that term. Isn't that the same as nonstop?

 

How could they be "very different". Thanks

What you describe is a 'Non-stop' flight.