I'm nervous that I'll miss the boat!

[ripaula]

We're flying from RI to Fort lauderdale the day of our cruise (only flight we could get on presidents Day weekend). our plan should arrive at 11:00 AM.

 

So I'm worried about snow delays, etc...

 

Am I right to worry?

[dogsrule]

Yes, I would be very worried given the weather conditions so far. Even in great weather it is always best to go at least a day early. Can you possibly check on availability of going two days early? I would strongly advise you check into this as a possibility.

[coilover88]

We're flying from RI to Fort lauderdale the day of our cruise (only flight we could get on presidents Day weekend). our plan should arrive at 11:00 AM.

 

So I'm worried about snow delays, etc...

 

Am I right to worry?

 

 

Anything can happen so it is always nice, when able, to arrive the day before. Since you didn't have that option I have to ask if you booked air thru your cruiseline. Travel insurance? Being nervous is miserable. Maybe a call to your cruiseline to see what their policy is would help.

[uppitycats]

We're flying from RI to Fort lauderdale the day of our cruise (only flight we could get on presidents Day weekend). our plan should arrive at 11:00 AM.

 

So I'm worried about snow delays, etc...

 

Am I right to worry?

 

Yes. Check your travel insurance to see what might be covered. Pack as light as possible so you can grab your luggage and run. Be prepared to grab a cab (will be more expensive than a shuttle, but a time saver). Maybe arrange for a car and driver to pick you up (very expensive, but they'll be standing there as you step off the plane into the terminal, and can help with luggage). Good luck.

[paul929207]

Yes, be worried. This time of year a storm can come thru and royally mess with airline schedules. But if you can't fly in earlier, nothing to do but hope and pray

[1025cruise]

Actually, a cab will be cheaper than the shuttle....

 

I flew in day of from Providence to FLL and made it in time, after Thanksgiving....

[dogsrule]

With all due respect to the other posters; a cab or a driver with a limosine is not going to get you to the ship if you can't make your flight out on time. I strongly suggest again that you try and change your flights even if it costs you something. It may cost you much much more in the long run if you don't correct this while you have the time. I am quite surprised your TA would suggest traveling on the day of in this brutal winter. Good luck.

[firefly333]

There is a reason experience cruisers say fly in the day before and spring for a hotel. this isnt the time to be cheap. Surely there are flights the day before your cruise, they are not sold out. ..

[ThePatientOne]

While I agree with the posters so far in regard to trying to fly in a day earlier if you can..

The OP did not say which port they were leaving from.. POM or FLL..

Also the OP did not say which ship they were sailing on..

IF they purchased their cruise and airport transfers from say CCL, they will hold the ship IF the flight is running a tad late.. If the OP purchased their flights and/or transfers on their own, they do need to pray for the best of flights possible..

Travel insurance is a must for cases like this.. Just my humble opinion is all...

[ripaula]

I guess I am the "OP".

 

We are flying into and leaving from FLL ...flight arriving at 11AM, and ship departing at 5pm. I assume one must be on board by 3-4?

 

We do have travel insurance.

 

For a reason I'd rather not explain, arriving a day earlier would be very difficult.

[ripaula]

There is a reason experience cruisers say fly in the day before and spring for a hotel. this isnt the time to be cheap. Surely there are flights the day before your cruise, they are not sold out. ..

 

this pretty nasty reply makes me think maybe a cruise is not for us after all...

[DonMar]

I guess I am the "OP".

 

We are flying into and leaving from FLL ...flight arriving at 11AM, and ship departing at 5pm. I assume one must be on board by 3-4?

 

We do have travel insurance.

 

For a reason I'd rather not explain, arriving a day earlier would be very difficult.

 

We have cruised in February each year and have flown out of Newark. We have always flown out the day of and never (knock on wood) had any issues. I always book the earliest flight possible.

[Prphan2]

this pretty nasty reply makes me think maybe a cruise is not for us after all...

 

OP...firefly wasn't being nasty, just stating something that a lot of us view as the only way to book our flights precruise. It doesn't matter where you're flying from, if there are delays anywhere in the country due to the weather, it can affect your flight, even if you're sitting in an airport looking at beautiful clear skies.

[firefly333]

this pretty nasty reply makes me think maybe a cruise is not for us after all...

 

wow, saying most experienced cruisers have learned from experience that its safer to fly in the day before was not meant nasty.

 

You seem pretty quick to judge how a comment was meant .. I also wonder why you have not answered why you have to wait to fly in the day of the cruise and so late in the day .. I meant it as a question. ..we dont know enough to say why .. but my advice is still to fly in the day before. is it a direct flight, why not fly in the day before .. you only flame me and skip any information which could help us answer you.

 

Iv just read too many stories of folks missing their cruise and think you have a reason to worry. I would worry. I guess I need to add more smilies to my comments, as I was trying to be factual and perhaps it came off wrong.. but I would be so worried .. it would drive me nuts to cut it that close.

 

I was considering a flight that came into FLL at 9:45 am and I dont live in the snow belt and it was a direct flight .. and Im still chicken to book it, probably will come in the night before.

 

If one comment that you misread the intentions of is enough for you to not cruise .. maybe you are not wanting to cruise in the first place?

[T.O.cruisers]

this pretty nasty reply makes me think maybe a cruise is not for us after all...

If you have insurance don't worry.

I'm flying down to Ft. Lauderdale tomorrow morning and have transfers direct to Port Everglades. It is a vacation package that was booked like that by the tour company. People fly in the day of all the time. Don't lose sleep over it. Enjoy your cruise.

[Sheffie]

We have cruised in February each year and have flown out of Newark. We have always flown out the day of and never (knock on wood) had any issues. I always book the earliest flight possible.

 

I am sure that this is what happens with most cruisers.

 

To the OP, I wouldn't consider canceling the cruise. I bet it will all work out fine.

[firefly333]

If you have insurance don't worry.

I'm flying down to Ft. Lauderdale tomorrow morning and have transfers direct to Port Everglades. It is a vacation package that was booked like that by the tour company. People fly in the day of all the time. Don't lose sleep over it. Enjoy your cruise.

 

I think insurance covers you if you arrive within 4 hours of the cruise leaving the port .. if the flight is delayed most insurance will not help .. need to read the terms of each policy of course .

 

You cant blanket assure anyone their insurance will cover them if their flight is late if they choose to fly in this late .. it is cutting is very close.

[ripaula]

"There is a reason experience cruisers say fly in the day before and spring for a hotel. this isnt the time to be cheap..."

 

My reason for not arriving the day before is not about "being cheap", and I still think your response was pompous .

[dogsrule]

No one meant to offend you, however, you did solicit advice from experienced cruisers. There was some practical advice offered and it would be smart to consider the numerous responses received. jmo

[gerif]

We're flying from RI to Fort lauderdale the day of our cruise (only flight we could get on presidents Day weekend). our plan should arrive at 11:00 AM.

 

So I'm worried about snow delays, etc...

 

Am I right to worry?

 

Yes, since you asked, you are definitely right to worry. Just because someone suggested that you listen to experienced cruisers who advise you to try to change your flight is no reason to take offense when none was intended.

 

To the poster who said the ship will wait if you have cruiseline transfers and the flight is delayed, this might and only might be true if there are a large number of passengers who are delayed for a SHORT period of time, but in bad weather (such as we had last week in the NE) airports close and flights can be delayed for hours, trust me, they will not wait.

[trish1c]

Ripaula -- As they say, snow happens. You can worry but you shouldn't panic. Thousands of passangers do this every cruise. Most have no problems but when there is a problem . . . :eek:

If you can change your flight to the day before, please try to do so. It's the safest option. If you can't, keep an eye on the forecast.

If they call for snow you may be in trouble. But even w/o the forecast, check the flight schedules. If yours is not the very 1st flight out that morning, show up at the AP in time to make that 1st flight. Perhaps you will be able to fly standby earlier. The biggest cushion you can muster is best.

Assuming you make the flight, you should be fine barring any mechanical problems or morons who jump TSA to kiss their SO's goodbye at the gate. (Last year the we flew home some idiot did this at Newark AP & shut the whole place down for hours)

[ripaula]

Trish1c, Thanks ! Wise and well stated advice. I have insurance and the earliest possible still-looks-like-nighttime flight, and no way to get outta town the day before, so I'm just keeping ALL my fingers crossed!!

[baldilocks]

Our first experience on 'flight' problems was in 2007 going from Atlanta to Los Angeles. We got to Hartsfield two hours prior to departure only to discover that our Delta filght had been moved up 45 minutes. We hadn't even checked bags or gone through TSA yet. We got to the gate with just minutes to spare. When we got home from the cruise we found a voice mail stating that our flight departure time had changed. Nothing like timeliness on the call Delta.

 

The next event was travel to Baltimore to cruise on the Granduer. We got to Harstfield 3 hours early so we could check-in and have breakfast. When went to check our bags, we were told our flight had already closed and we would be rebooked. I found out our original flight was cancelled. So we had breakfast and noticed an awful lot of people in the terminal....sort of just milling around looking lost. We went to our assigned gate for our rebooked flight. There seemed to be hundreds of people waiting. We finally looked at the airport cable monitor and the CNN newscast. It seems that the FAA computers would not accept flight plans from the airplane cockpits. So everything had to be entered manually. The whole system had ground to a crawl. We found that all the people were from the first flight that we 'missed', our originally booked flight and the current flight. The departure time kept being pushed back. I called the RCI emergency contact number three times. The first time they had no knowledge of what was going on. They new something the second call and by the third call they were well aware. The last RCI bus left a 1:30 p.m. Our filght left at 12:30 p.m. We got to Baltimore and figured to grab the bags and hail a cab. Bless RCI. They held a bus back to catch everyone they could. We were next to last to get on. They picked up 6 from Southwest after us. We got to the ship with 30 'official' minutes to spare....although I think they waited as long as they could before sailing.

 

One odd story to tell. A police car pulled up and let two passengers out. It seems the cab driver they picked tried to rob them on the way to the terminal. They we pretty shaken up by that event. I've always have heard it the other way around!

[chipmaster]

Its the weather, I'd worry if it was anything like this weekend well who knows. :eek:

We're flying from RI to Fort lauderdale the day of our cruise (only flight we could get on presidents Day weekend). our plan should arrive at 11:00 AM.

 

So I'm worried about snow delays, etc...

 

Am I right to worry?

[CocoaBeachExpert]

I can't stress enough how important it is to come in at least one day prior to your cruise. I travel alot and can tell you some of the horror stories I hear on the plane as soon as they land calling their travel agent or cruise line begging for them to wait because of weather. And a ship never waits so families have the extra expense of having to fly to the destination to catch up. Come a day early and relax in Florida knowing that you won't miss your ship.

 

Enjoy your cruise!:)