'Air' same day as cruise! How many do this?

Curious to know how many people fly down the day of the cruise, vs. the ones who do a pre-cruise stay in the port of embarkation? I realize it is safer to fly a day ahead, but when I looked for prices, the day before the cruise added over a $100 to the fare for the three of us, plus the hotel and food etc.

I figured even with a priceline hotel, the total would be at least $200 more for the pre-cruise stay.

To make a story short, I proceeded to book same-day-air, and now have the 'heebie-jeebies' over whether I did the right thing. I try to be thrifty and may have stepped over the boundries.

Your thoughts..?

ps: my arrival in Tampa is 1059 AM, barring any unforseen circumstances :eek:

It's not the cost but the time off that usually prevents us from flying in a day early. Be smart about it & you should be OK. Remember there are thousands more cruisers than people on these boards. It's done all the time.

Hope for good weather & a good mechanic. You should be fine.

Relax.

We've done both. I the winter, we prefer leaving the day before, "just in case". ALso, if you are leaving from a large enough city, if your flight is cancelled, there are several optional flights that will get you there in plenty of time. We have never experienced a price difference of $100 pp for one day, over another, however.

Also, leaving the day before adds a day of vacation, we don't to leave at the crack of dawn. That day is rather leasurely, we try to arrive mid-afternoon, have a nice afternoon around the pool, a drink, an early dinner, a quiet evening, get up late, have breakfast, go over to the ship. We are not worn out and in bed by 7PM, as we would have been had we gotten up at 4AM, to leave on a 7:30AM flight that day. Sometimes we have friends who may be wintering in Fla, and we get to see them, too. Most hotels have airport pickup, shuttle to ship, breakfast. Last year, I think we paid $69 for the doulbe room, with the shuttle, airport pickup and breakfast. Not including our dinner, it added $69 to the price of our trip. As the trip was about $3K, and additional $70 was not a make or break issue.

In 36 cruises, I've only flown in a day early for 4 cruises. Even for cruises that leave out of European ports, I arrive the day of departure.

We refuse to fly in the day of.

Reason: The variables that could affect an on-time arriveal such as...

- weather (even just lightning in the area with no rain can shut down departures/arrivals because ground crew can't be out in lightning within so many miles of the airport)

- weather in another part of the country that causes the inbound plane to arrive late and cause YOU to get on that plane late

- weather in another part of the country and your plane is held for connecting passengers

- a passenger crams too many things in the overhead bin and tries slamming it shut... causing the latch to break, which causes the flight attendants to find other places for those bags in that bin, and if there is no space onboard then having to check the items and place them in the belly of the plane (FAA won't allow bags in the overhead bin if latch is broken, and it's dangerous to passengers underneath!)

- unexpected mechanical problem (can be as minute as a light coming on indicating a problem, and it turning out to be a malfunctioning indicator light)

- security breach at airport and TSA ordering the terminals be cleared and everyone re-screened

- medical emergency enroute causing the plane to land at the nearest airport (and then possibly have to add more fuel before taking off again)

- ATC putting planes in holding patterns due to too much traffic, and you get to circle the airport a few times... causing you to miss your connection (and in this case, the plane not being held for connecting passengers)

- weather delays cause the crew to run past their legal duty time, so a crew swap is needed and you must wait for a new crew

So... we don't fly in the day. I'd be so stressed out!!

STLRBOO,

I see from your profile you live in the frozen tundra of Erie, Pa. Doesn't winter start there at the beginning of September.:):)

I wouldn't risk it. If you booked you own air and you miss the ship how much do you think it will cost you to buy a one-way ticket to your first port of call. Guaranteed it would be more than the 1 pre-night hotel. And a lot less stress!!!:):):)

We NEVER fly day of our cruise. If we cruise out of Florida we are faced with a 3 hour time difference. Almost all flights from Az. to FL are connecting, so there is a big time frame to work against. It's just not worth it. It's so nice to get a hotel and wake up refreshed on the morning of our cruise!

***

Looks like I'm stuck with the decision, as I knew the tickets were non-refundable when I purchased them... :(

I had called a TA that day to find out if her search engine or whatever system they used could/would show different prices than I was getting out of Erie.. this is middle of April, so snow etc. should not be a problem.. Her system showed the same price difference.. she couldn't really explain it either.

(we'll be praying for nice weather and a good mechanic) :)

Thanks for all the responses, but I had hoped there would be more that do 'same day' as the "heebie-jeebies" are still present.. :eek: and I have 254 or so more days to dwell on it.. YIKES!!

stlrboo,

I think you answered your own question. You're getting the heebie-jeebies. Even if nothing bad ever happens, it's always worth it to me to fly in early so I'm not tense until the plane lands.

Last cruise we went down two days early to Tampa and stayed on the beach. It was a very relaxing way to start a cruise, rather than watching the weather reports and hoping for no delays.

Also, keep in mind that weather isn't the only thing to delay a flight. There's mechanical problems, and in today's post 9/11 era, the possibility of security shutting down a terminal or airport for several hours.

Hi,

We are flying from orlando to miami the day of the cruise but will arrive at 9:30am. Hopefully, any problems it still leaves us with time up our sleeve.

Not being american, I dont know how weather affects where you live but if it is possible read a post by masq. I dont know if you can search by poster? It was her story about a missed connection and what this caused. What a nightmare!!!!!

ozcaz; We arrive at 11 AM from Erie, PA... 645 AM flight out!

We have one connection, but the weather shouldn't be a problem, tho' we have had snow in April around here.. Usually not enough to cause problems!! :eek:

Flying in at 10 am day of cruise. It means flying out at 6:30 and a long day but DH prefers it that way. I don't have far to fly and weather isn't usually a problem even in Dec. ( Jan can be a different story). Odds are you'll be fine.

BTW, I've done this exact flight schedule before-no problem.

I love to hear words of encouragement..! :)

I've done same-day before, and actually enjoyed just flying into the port of embarkation, and getting a taxi to the pier.. and off we go on vacation!

The extra baggage hauling, trip to a hotel, then transfers back to the pier seem to add unnecessary movement (and worry).. plus dinner, entertainment, etc, during the pre-cruise hotel day.

Guess I may be rationalizing, as I'm locked in.. the airline wanted $100 per ticket to make any change. :eek:

If it doesn't work to perfection, I'll definitely remember what to do next time!

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/5624324/

And it will only get worse. Air traffic controller problem, new airlines, more flights, etc. ,etc.

stlrboo,

We will be travelling from the Cleve, Ohio area on Nov 4 for Tampa on the same day. Our flite is at 9:15AM, & we arrive at 11:35AM. I too would love to go the day before, but child care does not permit. I do have flite insurance tho' & am hoping that will take care of any flite delay problems if they do occur. I am just going with the positive attitude that I have found from most of these board members. This cruise will be for our 20th wedding anniversary. If a huge snow storm hits, then I will go to the nearest luxury hotel & have my way with my DH for the 5 day duration. What else can you do? :)

that would be a "0" connection flight which eliminates the one problem that worries me.. (as if I needed anything else) . I have a 50 minute connection time in Cincinnati, which should be fine, but who knows... :eek:

there is also another flight out of Cincinnati 1-1/2 hours later on the same airline, so that is a plus.. AND I'll have a list of other 'carriers' heading to Tampa that day!

Carnival does this every day with most of their passengers, so why won't it work for us? I really think I just want everything perfect.. no worries; the perfect world!! :rolleyes: Ain't gonna happen..

OOPS! Looks like Delta is gonna' file for Bankruptcy.. Hmmmm.m.m...... :(

ps: Happy Anniversary.. :)

Hi Strlboo... barring all acts of God and hopefully no birds getting stuck in one of the engines, in April, you should be fine, especially from Erie. At least you are not like most of my clients who are flying from Canada or the upper Western USA... You didn't say what time your ship actually leaves the port. That makes a difference. If it's 5pm or later, that's good. Figure an hour to get baggage and to the cruiseport.

Make sure you fill out your immigration paperwork as soon as you can (you will get a package from the cruiseline usually 60 days prior with an immigration form which you can mail in, but if you can do it online, that's even better). It is required in advance, and slows things way down if you haven't by the time you get to the cruiseport. If you find yourself delayed, you can embark up to 45 minutes before sailing, worse comes to worse. Everyone who arrives early is just hanging out, ordering room service or eating lunch in the dining room.

Did you book this yourself online? I always strongly encourage trip cancellation / interruption insurance for anyone trying to go the "day of" the sailing (have you made your final payment yet? If not, you can still purchase it -- even if you have, it's still possible this far ahead). If you miss that ship, it's up to YOU to get you to the next port to catch you ship. (That's also the benefit of purchasing cruiseline air... THEY are responsible for getting you to the ship).

Most likely, you have a 90% chance of making that ship a-ok... :o

Erie, PA one of my favorite places "in the summer". I'm from New Castle, PA just a short trip south (80miles).

I spend every Thur - Sunday at Erie from April 15 - Oct 15th at Camp Eriez, and have been doing that for 20 years. We keep boat at Walnut Creek. My husband is one of those avid Walleye fisherman. We love the lake and Erie.

We fly out of Pittsburgh and I like to go night before. We try to get flight out around 7pm so I dont have to take an extra days vacation, and book a room thru Hotwire or Priceline. I just booked thru Hotwire for Feb 17 at Fort Lauderdale LaQuinta Suites for $62.00. Several of us are flying in, but my friends from New Bethlehem are going to drive down to Fort Lauderdale so we needed a hotel with free parking while on cruise.

When I used to book air thru cruise line we always went the same day and we never missed a flight or a ship, so I wouldnt get nervous if I were you.

I have been on several cruises that they had to wait because other airlines were late coming in from other parts of the county. So chances are if its bad in Erie, its bad in Cleveland, NY, etc. So nine times out of 10 those ships are waiting on some of their own airlines to come in.

Good luck, have a good cruise

I found my roundtrip air from PHL to Tamp the day before to be about the same price. I paid 123pp round trip.

Lot s of cruisers fly out the same day as the cruise. Not a lot of people come here and read that it is better to fly in the day before. My first cruise we flew in the same day.

For $200 more that is peace of mind. You would not be tired the first night of your cruise from getting up so early for your flight.

But since you did get your tickets already may I offer this suggestion to you. Look and see what flights are available around the same time from EVERY air agency flying in your airport- this way is the one you booked cancel you will know where yo go to get placed for seating. Had I known to do this for my first cruise I would have not wasted precious moments looking at the board to see. I missed a few flights by no knowing.

Now I always have a list with me== on alll available flights at those times.

My plan, which was to 'fly in' a day ahead, which we did this past April, hit a snag when I started adding $35 more per ticket (Sat vs Sun rates ??), hotel, dinner, and the extra transfer. I realize that it would still be around $200 max but.. :( every little bit counts.. (still paying off the last cruise and all the fun things we did). A great time was had by all... ;)

I just threw-my-hat-in-the-ring and said "book same day". Hoping to catch a few hours of sleep on the plane, but our flying time won't really permit much of that. And then we all know how hectic embarkation and ship exploring can be. And a bar here and there.. YIKES.. :eek:

At least I can compare 'same day' to 'day before', and be able to chose more wisely for our next trip! An added note: Two cruises ago we flew from Buffalo, same day, to Miami and had nary a problem.. we were yawning by the time night-fall hit, but we survived..!! :D

The S/O cant understand why we cant fly out the same morning. I refuse--after my first cruise- will NEVE go through such stress again ever in my life if I can avoid it. It has taken me all this time to finally trust the airlines again. and so far--knock on wood--not a problem.

We will see how he fares on our cruise to nowhere as we are travelling the same day as the cruise--h will have to get his butt up and out the door before 6am. yuck

My last cruise I went on we left the day of flying to San Juan with one connection. Ended up waiting in Philadelphia for 8 hours. 7 hours was due to mechanical problems and the other hour was due to new crew. We got free lunch at the airport and free headphones on the plane. We landed around 7:30PM. Due to the long delay all our luggage was about two days behind. Expect my carry ons which did have extra clothes. We just made it to the ship 1 hour and a half prior to the 10pm departure. Very stressed. Never fly the day of again.

nzd?? Did you know that the airline could have found you a seat on another airline? you didnt have to wait all that time. Not a lot of people know that--but I learned a lot with my little fiasco back on my first cruise.

If a plane cancelled because of a mechanical problem it is up to them to find you a seat even on another airline--they will even pay the difference in cost.

Thats why its very important to know what flights are available at the same time your flight is leaving-

We always fly in the day before, we find it much more relaxing. Remember the American Airlines computer problem just a couple of weeks ago and the Delta luggage problem back in May, delays can happen at any time of year for a variety of reasons be it weather, ship, or airline.

Here is another reason to fly in a day early, straight from the Royal Caribbean website.

"Sovereign of the Seas will depart Port Canaveral at 3:00 p.m. Friday - two hours earlier than its normal 5:00 p.m. departure. All guests on this sailing are strongly encouraged to arrive at Port Canaveral no later than 2:30 p.m. Friday"

We always fly in the day of and have never had a problem (knock on wood:) ). But we book through the cruiseline....that way any problems, they get us there. We also always seem to have a 6 am flight out and takes us 90 minutes to get to the airport. We live in WB and fly out of VA. So we stay over in Roanoke the night before and stay in a place that has park and ride. So on a 10 night cruise the hotel ends up being cheaper than parking at the airport for 11 days and we get dropped off and picked up at the front door. Does make for a long day but I'm so anxious anyway and we go on these cruises for rest and relaxation, so I have plenty of time to rest up.