Will we make this flight?

We'll be taking a 6 day Western Carribean Carnival cruise in November. The ship docks at 8 and there's a flight out of FLL that leaves at 11:05. I have been checking to see if I could purchase FTTF, but no luck :( Any ideas if we'd be able to make that flight?

Assuming your ship docks in Ft Lauderdale, you will make the flight by carrying your luggage off at the earliest possible time, and catching a cab.

Sounds like you have booked the flight. What if we told you that you couldn't catch the flight?

Assuming your ship docks in Ft Lauderdale, you will make the flight by carrying your luggage off at the earliest possible time, and catching a cab.

 

 

Sounds like you have booked the flight. What if we told you that you couldn't catch the flight?

No, I have not booked it yet, but will have to this weekend. There's another fright that night that leaves around 8pm, and I'd prefer to catch the earlier one, but if there's no way we will book the other one.

Yes, you can make it if you carry off your own luggage.

The OP states that the ship docks at 8:00, which is later than usual for most returning ships (don't they usually dock at around 6:00)? If that is indeed the case,will they still be able to make that flight by doing early walk-off with their luggage?

If you are in port Everglades, it will not be a problem. If you are in the port of Miami, you will want to be among the first people walking off the ship with their bags in hand. I just went from the port of Miami to FLL today, and arrived at the airport at 9am via SAS transport

The OP states that the ship docks at 8:00, which is later than usual for most returning ships (don't they usually dock at around 6:00)? If that is indeed the case,will they still be able to make that flight by doing early walk-off with their luggage?

According to Carnival we will be docking at 8am in Port Everglades. Thanks to everyone that replied! I guess I'll book the earlier flight and try to be the first ones off the ship with our suitcases :)

FYI, my NCL cruise also showed 8am on the itinerary which concerned me as we had never been to the POM and wanted to book an early flight. I had posted the same question and received responses that the ship would be in earlier than that. We were docked by 7am. Happy cruising!

Personally I think it's too tight.

But then on the last day the last thing I want is stress over catching a flight.

I would say 'probably' since the airport and port are within sight of each other so the trip doesn't usually take much time but you want to be at the airport no later than 9:35 so off the ship no later than 9:15. If the ship really arrives at 8 am that means disembarkation may not start until 8:30.

You should have a back up plan in case 1) the ship is late 2) immigration and customs is understaffed (which seems to be happening - or at least being complained about - more frequently) and/or 3) you get to the airport after all the passengers have disembarked on early arriving ships and the check in lines are out the door and the security lines are even worse (I live in FLL and avoid flights between 10 and noon for that very reason).

What day of the week are you disembarking and do you know how many other ships are in port?

If it was me, I would spend the late morning and afternoon riding around on the water taxi and having a nice lunch on the intra-coastal instead of fretting my entire cruise about whether I would make the flight.

We'll be back on a Saturday, I have not yet checked how many other ships will be there.

I would book it. Have done a similar flight time often. (Our ships have arrived earlier than 8 tho. )

But, if yours indeed doesn't start disembarking until 8 or later, (which I'd kind of doubt) I'd self disembark/carry my bags off. You are only a 10 min. cab ride to the airport. So you have plenty of time if you are in the cab at 9.:00. Gives you lots of time for any check in/TSA lines at FLL.

We'll be back on a Saturday, I have not yet checked how many other ships will be there.

What date? I can check.

Back on 11/14.

Back on 11/14.

I'm seeing 3 additional ships (which isn't a lot at Port Everglades; some weekend days in the winter there can be 8!): Navigator of the Seas arriving at 5:30 am, Oasis of the Seas arriving at 6:15 am and Emerald Princess (I couldn't find an arrival time for it).

You have to check multiple sites to get ship information this far in advance. I used http://ports.cruisett.com/schedule/United_States_Of_America/212-Fort_Lauderdale_Florida/November_2015/ and http://www.cruiselineschedules.com/Cruise_Ship_Schedules/Cruise_Lines/Cruise_Lines.html.

The OP states that the ship docks at 8:00, which is later than usual for most returning ships (don't they usually dock at around 6:00)? If that is indeed the case,will they still be able to make that flight by doing early walk-off with their luggage?

The ships in FLL usually come in in the middle of the night.

Back on 11/14.

Airports will be VERY busy. Don't take your time getting off the ship.

The ships in FLL usually come in in the middle of the night.

 

 

 

Just received notice our March cruise that was due to dock in FLL at 7am has been changed to 8am.

Carnival recommended Noon. Yes, they are being conservative.

11:00 is on the cusp. If you said 11:30 AM I would say no worries.

You might be fine with 11:00 AM and you might not be and no one knows for sure.

Variables are customs/immigrations and what time you arrive and what time they start disembarkation.

You really have to decide and some of this comes down to stress.

How about asking on the Carnival board what others who arrived on the same ship experienced in terms of when disembarkation began.

Keith

It will be a little tight. .

How about asking on the Carnival board what others who arrived on the same ship experienced in terms of when disembarkation began.

 

Keith

This is what I would do. Talk to cruisers to see what time disembarkation actually started. Both Carnival and NCL I notice reading here, are saying 8:00 arrival. But I read in fact that earlier disembarkation was indeed happening. So maybe those lines are building in their own safety net to dissuade people from booking earlier flights. OR they are just trying to sell more of those FTTF early disembarkation "privledges". Not sure how that all works on Carnival.

Still, I would book it. Cabs are plentiful and the trip so short. DH would probably not like to know I did tho. He's WAY more a worrier than me.