Flight Question

Have cruised many times but always drive to the port. Just booked an Alaska Princess cruise/tour. This will be our second time flying..so no experience. My question....we land in San Francisco at 12:10...depart at 12:45. Should we be concerned about this time frame?

The ship departs 35 minutes after you land????? Seriously??? You will not catch that ship. You need to claim your bags, and take a cab ride that can be 20-45 minutes.

Cruise lines require you be on board 90 or 120 minutes prior to scheduled sailing, for security reasons, and to participate in the life boat drill.

I am really sorry this sounds snarky, but I have to ask- do you really think you are going to get from the airport to the port in 35 minutes?

Edit: I keep thinking about this...is there a typo here? I just can't imagine any port I would think it safe to land 35 minutes before the ship is scheduled to depart. Again, sorry for the questions, but this rocked me back hard in my chair!!!

Haha Cruiser Bruce I think the OP means she has a 35 minute connection time in SFO :):). Alaska cruises wouldn't be departing from San Francisco. But to the OP I think that is a pretty tight connection. Especially if you are changing airlines. If your flight is even a few minutes late arriving at SFO and you are flying coach it may take most of your 30 minutes right there. I wouldn't be comfortable with less than a 50-60 minute connection time. Just my opinion.

The ship departs 35 minutes after you land????? Seriously??? You will not catch that ship. You need to claim your bags, and take a cab ride that can be 20-45 minutes.

 

Cruise lines require you be on board 90 or 120 minutes prior to scheduled sailing, for security reasons, and to participate in the life boat drill.

 

I am really sorry this sounds snarky, but I have to ask- do you really think you are going to get from the airport to the port in 35 minutes?

 

Edit: I keep thinking about this...is there a typo here? I just can't imagine any port I would think it safe to land 35 minutes before the ship is scheduled to depart. Again, sorry for the questions, but this rocked me back hard in my chair!!!

Sorry...not explained well...we are flying from Portland Maine...SF is our last connection to get us to Vancover...

Information is a beautiful thing.

Trying adding airlines, flight numbers, times etc. etc.

Haha Cruiser Bruce I think the OP means she has a 35 minute connection time in SFO :):). Alaska cruises wouldn't be departing from San Francisco. But to the OP I think that is a pretty tight connection. Especially if you are changing airlines. If your flight is even a few minutes late arriving at SFO and you are flying coach it may take most of your 30 minutes right there. I wouldn't be comfortable with less than a 50-60 minute connection time. Just my opinion.

Not changing airlines...

Haha Cruiser Bruce I think the OP means she has a 35 minute connection time in SFO :):). Alaska cruises wouldn't be departing from San Francisco. But to the OP I think that is a pretty tight connection. Especially if you are changing airlines. If your flight is even a few minutes late arriving at SFO and you are flying coach it may take most of your 30 minutes right there. I wouldn't be comfortable with less than a 50-60 minute connection time. Just my opinion.

Ok, insufficient info given...I agree 35 minutes is too tight.

But, there are cruises to Alaska from SF. Princess does one every 10 days during the season, and other cruise lines do occasional sailings from SF.

Not changing airlines...

Still not enough info. Depending on the airline, you are barely OK to hustle mode. UA has the biggest operation at SFO and utilizes several concourses. Time of day, equipment - all matter in these questions.

But, if secrecy is important....

(Honestly...I don't think anyone here stakes out the gate areas at SFO looking for Cruise Critic flyers).

SFO can have flight delays due to weather, in fact it is quite common. You may need to go from a domestic concourse to an international. Since we don't know the airline you booked, it's difficult to help you. However, a 35 minute connection, even if legal is just not a good idea.

Yes, I would be concerned if you are flying in the day your cruise leaves. You have no room for error.

If airline tix have not been purchased yet I would look into flying to JFK and flying on Cathay Pacific to Vancouver. Just a thought.

I would never do 35 minutes.

Too many things can go wrong.

Keith

I would never do 35 minutes.

 

Too many things can go wrong.

 

Keith

Thanks..I will be changing flights....

Still not enough info. Depending on the airline, you are barely OK to hustle mode. UA has the biggest operation at SFO and utilizes several concourses. Time of day, equipment - all matter in these questions.

 

But, if secrecy is important....

 

(Honestly...I don't think anyone here stakes out the gate areas at SFO looking for Cruise Critic flyers).

United airline...different flight #'s....same terminal

United airline...different flight #'s....same terminal

Yes, this time is too tight, especially for infrequent airport navigators. :) Add to the mix, even if you do just make it, doesn't mean your checked bags (if any) will.

If airline tix have not been purchased yet I would look into flying to JFK and flying on Cathay Pacific to Vancouver. Just a thought.

If in coach, I would look carefully at equipment. CX has just announced that they are going from 3-3-3 to 3-4-3 on the 777. That means the seat goes from 18.5 inches to 17 inches.

Not sure what the rollout timetable is, but the 777 is becoming a lousy aircraft for coach passengers on many airlines.

My general rule is nothing less than an hour, but will make exceptions. We did a 35 minutes connection in CLT this summer. It was very tight. Had to go from one end of A to the far end of E. It was our flight home, so the possibility of a missed connection was much less bothersome.

Personally wouldn't recommend it outbound. It'll just add unneeded stress.

Yikes a 35min connect in SFO...not something I would even consider...best of luck.

Have changed our flights....much better!

Have changed our flights....much better!

Suggestion for the future....had you simply asked "is a 35 minute domestic connection, at SFO adequate?" we could have avoided the confusion. To the point.

Suggestion for the future....had you simply asked "is a 35 minute domestic connection, at SFO adequate?" we could have avoided the confusion. To the point.

Seemed perfectly clear to me. [emoji41]