Late Debark, people missing flights

[soccersharon]

After reading this thread, I'm relieved that I changed my flights to the day after our Liberty cruise! There are so many things outside our control. Thanks to everyone who urged me to change.

[makeda]

so sorry this happened, but for future reference, as most have said, better to sit around an airport eating bad food than missing a flight!

[Sirwinston]

I follow the cruise lines time recommendations for flights home.:rolleyes: This works most of the time. When it has not I have been able to call the airline and get on another flight. :mad: To agree with some, a post cruise stay is nice. Sometimes though I really need to get back to go to work to pay for the next cruise.:D

I think a lot of first time cruise pax do not realize how many ways debark can be delayed...

 

Tom in Long Beach

[elcuchio24]

If I only had the option of those times I would not pick either.......I would leave the next morning........I would not sit in a airport until 3:30 by choice..........

 

Sometimes we stay a day after the cruise, sometimes we do a post cruise excursion for a few hours, sometimes we just sit around the airport for 3 hours, go to a bar, read. Any of those options, IMO, is better than stressing and or missing an early flight.

[sjn911]

I have about accepted I must have a pre and post cruise night...just to many time warped connections to and from here...S.

[Twibbs]

If I only had the option of those times I would not pick either.......I would leave the next morning........I would not sit in a airport until 3:30 by choice..........

 

Just because you fly out the same day does not mean you have to sit in the airport until then. We have a 4:30 flight out the day of our cruise, and plan to go out and get lunch and such before heading in!

[Jenbo57]

Not sure what the issue was on this sail, they were late calling debarkation to begin with, probably around 8:45. Then at like 9:30 they just stopped calling zones for about an hour, with very little in the way of informative announcements, before continuing. I'm sure the ship wasn't totally clear until at least noon time at the earliest.

 

The same thing happened to us a few years ago; we were told that Customs was "looking for someone". What bothered me the most in our case was the fact that Carnival staff on board (the Valor) totally lost control of the passengers, many of whom became very unruly, and the whole situation was a total nightmare! Pushing, shoving, yelling, crowding all of the stairwells, etc. We vacated our room at 7:45 and didn't get out of the terminal to the cab area 'til well past noon. Our flight from MIA was at 1:30 p.m. -- within Carnival's guidelines -- and we missed it.

 

Unpleasant at the time, but the exception to the rule.

[molole]

I usually book return flights really late on the day of debarkation, usually from 8pm to 11pm. Yep, pm, not am. Of course each time I make tentative plans to tour the city during the day. So if the ship is on time, great. If not, no biggie, we will still have plenty of time.

 

It helps that DH and I both pack very light and don't like shopping so we don't have massive amount of luggage.

[yogimax]

This is why it always bothers me to see people ask about early flights and others telling them to go ahead, there won't be any problem.

 

I agree 100%. These are false guarantees indeed. Just because one ship debarked on time doesn't mean every one will.

 

Better to be safe, book a later flight and standby for an earlier one if possible.

[elcuchio24]

The same thing happened to us a few years ago; we were told that Customs was "looking for someone". What bothered me the most in our case was the fact that Carnival staff on board (the Valor) totally lost control of the passengers, many of whom became very unruly, and the whole situation was a total nightmare! Pushing, shoving, yelling, crowding all of the stairwells, etc. We vacated our room at 7:45 and didn't get out of the terminal to the cab area 'til well past noon. Our flight from MIA was at 1:30 p.m. -- within Carnival's guidelines -- and we missed it.

 

Unpleasant at the time, but the exception to the rule.

 

Everyone was pretty decent to each other getting off the ship. I thought the CD and staff did a pretty poor job keeping people informed, not making anny announcments for over an hour. Once we got to customs, and there were giant lines, especially for non-US citizens, people started to get pretty upset. Certainly an exception to the rule, by far the latest we have ever gotten off a ship.

[Jenbo57]

Everyone was pretty decent to each other getting off the ship. I thought the CD and staff did a pretty poor job keeping people informed, not making anny announcments for over an hour. Once we got to customs, and there were giant lines, especially for non-US citizens, people started to get pretty upset. Certainly an exception to the rule, by far the latest we have ever gotten off a ship.

 

 

I guess it just goes to show that sh*t does happen! ;)