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Earliest flight time I should book after disembarkation?


niklynn1
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I can't seem to find info on the Royal Caribbean site about the recommended time for book a flight home after disembarkation. Can anybody help me or direct me to the correct place?

 

We will be on the RT from Seattle to Alaska, RCL Jewel, June 5-12.

 

We've only ever cruised on Disney before, and we used their included transportation, so we really just had to "follow along" to get routed back to the airport.

 

I've been stalking flights (they seem HIGH right now, hoping for them to come down still) and don't know how much time to allow to get to airport and what transportation to book to get us there as well?

 

Any help is much appreciated! Thanks!

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This subject has had many debates, but i believe the cruise line recommends 12:30 PM as the earliest flight.

There have been many that claim they have made 10:30 flights, but that is with self disembarkation ( you drag your luggage off the ship) and the planets align.

IMO, the last thing you want after a great cruise is the stress of trying to make an early flight.

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I guess there is the optimum time and the safest time. We assume you are going to flying out of Seattle which means you need to consider how you will get out to the airport (which is some distance from the port). We would normally figure on 30 min from the port to the airport (it is about 16 miles). Personally, we prefer to just use a taxi but there are other ways to transfer (including the cruise line's own transfers which usually cost more then a taxi). To be safe, one would probably want to book a flight no earlier then noon. We would probably feel comfortable with a flight as early as 11am, knowing that there is a slight (very slight) risk.

 

As to airfares, good luck as it really is a guessing game with fares. With the lower fuel prices coupled with all the airline add-on fees plus less competition we expect airlines to produce record profits in the next few months. Some have speculated that this would lead to lower airfares, but others (including moi) think the airlines will generally keep their high fares.

 

Hank

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Don't forget to account for the weather. We took a cruise out of Galveston and was delayed by six hours getting into port due to fog. Lived in Seattle for 9 years and there were frequently fog delays for the ferryboats. So you might want to think about that.

 

 

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You can make an earlier flight than noon if you can self-disembark with your luggage and take either a taxi or pre-arranged limo to SEATAC. I would allow 1 hour for the transportation part to account for standing in line and waiting for a taxi and any unexpected traffic delays. It likely will not take that long to get to SEATAC, but this way you will have plenty of cushion. I would allow 1 hour to check in and clear security at SEATAC and 1 hour to do earliest self disembarkation. So if your ship gets in and is cleared for disembarkation and you can walk off at 7:30am, then the absolute earliest flight you should consider is 10:30am and preferably, your flight will be a bit later than that. We have made these earlier flights many times without any distress or concern simply by self-disembarkation at the first available time. Be sure to get travel insurance to cover your flight in case you miss it for some other unexpected reason (fog or whatever random thing that may crop up.)

Edited by SuiteTraveler
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I can't seem to find info on the Royal Caribbean site about the recommended time for book a flight home after disembarkation. Can anybody help me or direct me to the correct place?

 

 

 

We will be on the RT from Seattle to Alaska, RCL Jewel, June 5-12.

 

 

 

We've only ever cruised on Disney before, and we used their included transportation, so we really just had to "follow along" to get routed back to the airport.

 

 

 

I've been stalking flights (they seem HIGH right now, hoping for them to come down still) and don't know how much time to allow to get to airport and what transportation to book to get us there as well?

 

 

 

Any help is much appreciated! Thanks!

 

 

Looks like you're from Iowa. If you've never been to Seattle, you may want to consider staying in town pre and post cruise. Many excellent restaurants and attractions. Then you don't have to worry about departure time.

As for waiting for summer to/from Seattle fares to go down between now and summer- ain't gonna happen.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

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This subject has had many debates, but i believe the cruise line recommends 12:30 PM as the earliest flight.

There have been many that claim they have made 10:30 flights, but that is with self disembarkation ( you drag your luggage off the ship) and the planets align.

IMO, the last thing you want after a great cruise is the stress of trying to make an early flight.

 

I guess there is the optimum time and the safest time. We assume you are going to flying out of Seattle which means you need to consider how you will get out to the airport (which is some distance from the port). We would normally figure on 30 min from the port to the airport (it is about 16 miles). Personally, we prefer to just use a taxi but there are other ways to transfer (including the cruise line's own transfers which usually cost more then a taxi). To be safe, one would probably want to book a flight no earlier then noon. We would probably feel comfortable with a flight as early as 11am, knowing that there is a slight (very slight) risk.

 

As to airfares, good luck as it really is a guessing game with fares. With the lower fuel prices coupled with all the airline add-on fees plus less competition we expect airlines to produce record profits in the next few months. Some have speculated that this would lead to lower airfares, but others (including moi) think the airlines will generally keep their high fares.

 

Hank

 

Definitely consider the two cited posts as they give excellent info. SeaTac is not in Seattle but south of there. The last time I flew into that airport was not for a cruise, and we weren't on a tight schedule, but I can tell there's a need to plan for traffic (and weather conditions too).

 

And if you have never been to Seattle, it's a great city, and worth spending some extra time there. As my hubby and daughter hadn't been there before, they enjoyed spending a few days post-cruise (and we arrived via train close to midnight Friday night for a Sunday cruise, so we had a day to shop and get in a little sightseeing and nice meals).

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Thanks all for the advice. We are flying in Thursday (earliest flight I can find that is a reasonable price) for a Friday cruise, so I'm hoping to have at least part of the day to go to Pikes Market and find a nice place for dinner. Unfortunately, we have to get home afterwards, so no time to hang around then, which is why I am trying to find a flight that can get us home a decent time on the last day.

 

 

I'll try to find something around noonish or after based on your advice.

 

Now also trying to find a good transportation option. Shuttle Express maybe?

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BTW, as someone who has lived in Seattle, I highly recommend it as a great place to visit and well worth spending several days, if not a whole week. From the Sci-Fi museum to the Space Needle to Ye Olde Curiosity Shop/Waterfront and Pike Place Market, there is so much to do and see! You can even take a boat tour and see Bill Gates mansion and sometimes Horizon - the ship from the "Deadliest Catch" TV show. The restaurants in Seattle are great, btw! It's just a wonderful city with so much to do and see.

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I would add another note about cruise ships and ports. Every ship is at the complete mercy of the US Authorities (CBP) when they dock at a port. Before anyone is allowed to depart the ship (including those doing self-debarkation with their own luggage) the ship must first be cleared by CBP. This is normally a pretty routine process and ships are generally cleared within 30 min. But exceptions do occur (it has happened to us twice) and can be nasty. We were once on a ship that docked at Miami and was held by CBP for about 3 hours because they were looking for a member of the crew. Nobody was able to get off the ship until after 9am and we later heard that many passengers missed their flights from both MIA and FLL. Does this happen often? No. But stuff does happen. We have also been on several cruises that docked late due to weather problems.

 

Hank

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Depending upon your destination - especially if a direct flight is not in the cards - you will want as early a flight as possible if you want to get home at any comfortable time. Most lines suggest you not consider anything before noon.

 

If you spend the night after the cruise, you will have a much wider time frame to deal with - and possibly find a fare on an early flight which is enough cheaper to offset the cost of a night in a hotel - not to mention the chance to see a bit more of that great city.

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