Anyone flown into San Juan the day of the cruise?

[PortSideCruzan]

Hi IdLewis45 :)

 

With all of the planning that goes into a cruise, financial

and otherwise, it is certainly not worth the risk at all.

 

When in doubt, don't...

 

Good luck with your decision and have a wonderful voyage!

 

:)

[ldlewis45]

Please don't underestimate Mother Nature in Atlanta, thinking there won't be bad weather just because it's a certain time of year. I'm not sure how long you've lived in ATL, but 3 years ago around that time, there was an ice storm that shut the airport down for 2 days. This year in early March, there was the hail storm the shut down the airport for hours and canceled many flights. Working in the airline industry in Atlanta, I can tell you that this really is the world's busiest airport and a little bit of weather can cause a whole lot of headache. If you're able to fly down the day before, I'd recommend doing so. You can find reasonable hotels in San Juan if you do a little research. I stayed at Da House before my cruise for $80 a night. Enjoy an extra day in San Juan without having the stress of same day travel. :)

Yeah, that's is what has me concerned. I work at the airport, so I know how quickly the weather can throw a wrench in things. I think I'll fly down with Southwest, so at least I'll get two free checked bags, lol.

[kcwingwalker]

I advise not doing this.

 

So many things can go wrong some related to weather but others related to so many other factors including planes being grounded.

 

And it does not matter if others have done this without a problem if you are on the flight where there is a problem. Things can go wrong.

 

Keith

 

Agree. Avoid the stress go a day early:)

[agc291]

We did from DC. Nonstop AA flight got in about 1030 or so, ate lunch at Senor Frogs and boarded around 1230. I wish we would have had pre or post cruise time in OSJ though.

[prbmami]

I flew to San Juan from Houston on the same day of departure this March on United. Thankfully my family arrived to the airport early because the plane was overbooked and there were several unhappy people who were also going on the cruise who didn't have seats.

 

There's always a risk with flying in on the same day as the cruise and I probably wouldn't do it again. Last year I flew into Miami, United again, the day before the cruise and my luggage was left in Houston. I stayed up all night calling the airport in Houston and thankfully I was able to get my luggage a few hours before the ship departed.

 

Flying can be such a headache so I'm going to enjoy a few cruises from Galveston next year.

[libtrek]

We ALWAYS go to San Juan a day early. Even with that, a few years ago, there was wretched weather in the Northeast and we had so many delays that we almost didn't make the ship even leaving a day early. Much less stress to spend the night before in the port city. No worries mon, and a relaxed boarding will be had by all.

[lucybug]

Don't do it go the day before. We did it and barely made the ship. Makes for a very bad day!

[MsMot]

We flew in the day of our cruise in '08, but that is only because we do not care for San Juan at all. We arrived around noon with no problems, but that was also in September. If you are okay with San Juan, I would encourage you to fly in a day early. The weather this time of the year is very unpredictable and it only takes one occurrence to create a domino effect.

[poker2pla]

There are several hotels next to the cruise dock. I think one is a Marriot and has a very nice small casino. It is across the street (easy walking distance) to the terminal. It is at the foot of the hill in Old San Juan with great bus service.

[mrsfuzzmo]

There's no way in heck I would do that. I work in the travel industry and help people who's flights are delayed for numbers of reasons. Mechanical, bad weather, bad weather in the state that the plane is coming in from, overbooking, etc. No way.

 

That being said, I had an extraordinary price on a DCL cruise last year. We could get a non-stop out of MKE the early morning of the cruise to HOU for our Galveston sailing. The flights were $200 ea cheaper than flying the night before, with one stop, plus paying for a car or shuttle and hotel. Thinking I would save about $500+ dollars we decided to do the morning non-stop.

 

We arrived at the airport at 4 am to find out our non-stop flight was delayed due to mechanical issues. The next flight out would get us there in time, but was completely sold out. We went onto the waiting list. Our only other option was to drive the 1.5 hrs to O'Hare and "try" to catch another plane, or wait it out and see if we could get on the later flight if there was room. Since the cruise was almost free, we decided that we would wait it out and if we could not get there in time we would just forgo the trip and not spend the extra money to meet the ship in Cozumel two days later. Some people from the flight opted to drive to Chicago, some got on other airlines with numerous stops to get there. We waited it out for a stressful 2 hrs and our original flight actually took off only 45 minutes delayed. There were a total of 10 people on the flight so most tried other options.

 

We decided that day, no matter how good the package looks, we would ALWAYS fly out at least one if not two days in advance.

 

Moral of the story is that even in the most perfect of circumstances, there will be stress and a chance of not making the ship, so why not lessen those chances, spend a few bucks and extend your vacation by a day. Waaaaaay less stressful.

[Aplmac]

Flying can be such a headache

so I'm going to enjoy a few cruises from Galveston next year.

Yes.. Air Travel gets more and more sucky all the time

and it's good to jump on the ship within driving distance of one's home.

 

 

I live 10 mins. away from my Port. :)

 

.

[stormy_weatherman]

My wife and I are doing this in March, flying from Memphis to San Juan in the same day. In fact our flight, which connects in Charlotte, will not get to PR until 4:30 PM. I will be honest and say that, after I had booked the flight, I thought about it and am now kicking myself for not booking the flight for the day before. However, US charges $200pp change fee, so I've instead purchased really good travel insurance. I've also checked the flights from SJU to St. Thomas for the next day in the event that we miss the ship. There are so many flights available for under $100 (it's only 80 miles).

 

So if you wish to fly the day of, go for it, but have travel insurance so you will be reimbursed should you require a Monday morning flight to St. Thomas.

[Dirkgun]

As with other posters, I would say to definitely go in a day early. To me there is no down side.... if all goes well you get to explore San Juan, if not you at least have some cushion. I know we did some planning a couple of years ago (our Victory cruise over Super Bowl in 2010) and I really tried to only fly to airports that should not have weather problems in Feb but then got stuck on the runway because some idiot flushed a diaper down the toilet and had the whole system clogged so we almost missed our connecting fight in Miami. We did end up making it.... but knew in advance that even if we didn't we were there a couple of days early so not a ton of stress. Enjoy your cruise :D

[FlyingCruiserNJ]

I wouldn't. Just too much can happen going into SJU. This time of year, it is weather that can cancel, delay, blow your connection thru a place like ATL or MIA. Summer it is storms. Maintenance too. Flying over water and to SJU requires more stringent maintenance in some cases and you never know when a flight has to get cancelled for something and you won't be able to get reprotected on another flight there in time to cruise. I have only flown in day of cruise once, and that was for a trip to eastern Canada out of BOS this summer because if I couldnt get a flight, it was close enough for me to hop on the train or drive and still make it in time that same day.

 

Yes, also SJU is nice and worth spending a night in before your trip. Nice restaurant, sights to see and beaches.

[ch27088]

Please get an early flight. I get so nervous about same day flying so many things happen. However being that the sail away isn't until late that evening you should be just fine! Let us know how it goes once your trip is over.

[LaJollaCruiser]

The problem may not be Atlanta, but the airport where your plane is coming from before Atlanta, or two airports before Atlanta. Any air travel in winter is dicey.

 

If you miss the boat in San Juan, you can fly to St. Thomas on Monday and catch it there: it's only $60 from San Juan to St. Thomas by air.

[kteachcruiser52]

Book a hotel that you can cancel just to make sure you have a hotel. Then a few weeks before the date go to priceline and request a 4 star hotel.

[nukester]

shipsdo not leave until 830 pm earliest so get an m flight no problem.. have done several times... also luv staying in the condadao area if we decide to go down early