Arrival San Juan airport 3:15 pm/ship's departure 6:00 pm. Is that enought time?

[chrisoutofafrica]

Hello all,

 

Hope someone can answer this for us?

 

First time for us arriving at the San Juan airport. Arriving at 3 45 pm. Is that enough time to : go thru Customs, collect baggage, catch a taxi, do the embarkation process and make the ship's departure at 6 pm??

 

This was done by O. air, so hopefully they know it is enough time?

 

TIA for any thoughts.

[Caroldoll]

I would never cut it that close. More often than not planes are late. Also if you are coming from a different time zone, it is much better to get there a day early to get over the hard trip. The only, only time we ever do go directly to the ship is if it is overnight in the first port. That way if we are late, it still works because it doesn't leave until the next day.

[LHT28]

I believe you NEED to be onboard 90 min prior to sailaway time

 

You may be standing on the dock waving BYE BYE to the ship & your cruise $$

 

I would be on the phone to your TA or Oceania

If there is any delay in your connecting flight you will be in big trouble making the ship

 

Edited October 23, 2014 by LHT28

[Mura]

I wouldn't cut it that close either, and even though this was done with O's air, I would call and ask them. You're supposed to be one board 2 hours before at departure -- at least that's been the rule for the past few years.

 

It doesn't seem possible you could be on board by then!

 

I would call O to make sure. In fact, I'd pay the deviation and go in a day early just to make sure.

 

Mura

[llarsen]

I would not cut it that close. I'll never forget our first time traveling with companions (who we have now been traveling with for 14 years). My husband and I did a pre-stay in Old San Juan, but they decided to fly in the day of sailing. We were waiting and waiting onboard for them but we were ready to sail and they hadn't even checked in yet!

 

We were doing our Muster drill out on the deck and my eye was on the gangway waiting for them to arrive! Their flight was delayed and it was so stressful for them, and they almost missed the ship! There were several passengers that were held up and thankfully the ship waited for them. That was 14 years ago, I don't think they wait anymore .

 

If possible, I would go in a day ahead of your sailing. We love Old San Juan and the cobblestone streets. Lots to see and do there. That way you are fresh and rested and don't have to worry about delayed/cancelled flights (which happen all the tiime).

 

I don't know where you are flying from or what time of year you are traveling. But honestly, we live in Southern California where the weather is always good and we already had one flight/trip completely cancelled, and another with delayed departure of over an hour (which made us miss our connection) and another flight where we had to get off the plane after we boarded and wait 3 hours until they found another available plane!

 

I wouldn't risk ruining your vacation by cutting it that close even if it was Oceania that booked the flight. They don't have control over weather or airline delays.

 

Hope this helps.

[DOJO466]

OP states this is O air....why would they book this so close to departure time. Yes, call O to make sure this is ok

[Wendy The Wanderer]

Looks to me that the airport is like 15 minutes from the port. Of course, that's without traffic.

 

Also, are you flying directly from B.C. or are you connecting? If you're connecting in the U.S. first, won't you have already gone through customs?

[chrisoutofafrica]

Hi, thanks for the quick replies, but really wondering if anyone out there has actually done this trip from the San Juan airport to the pier, and how long it takes.

 

As I say, we have already opted to take O air, and trust that what they book for us will work.

 

BUT it does seem like a very short time. Then again, I don't know if the airport is right next door to the airport and it is an quick ride??

 

thanks

 

......oooops....I reposted my next reply before my computer updated me on all your replies. Sorry, did not want it to seem like I had not read them all.

 

Yes, we are taking O air, as our holiday is short.

 

Yes, we will go via YYZ, but was unclear if US Customs would apply to Puerto Rico,

Edited October 23, 2014 by chrisoutofafrica

[LHT28]

I think this is a new embarkation port for O but if you ask on the ports of call forum I am sure someone will know how far away the airport is

[chrisoutofafrica]

Thanks all. On the O. site it states that all must be on board 2 hours before departure.

 

To clarify, the flight arrives 3 15 and ship departs 600 pm (somewhere I made a boo-boo and said flight was arriving at 345.) BUT I still think 315 is too short for Oceania to be booking this flight for us.

 

I have sent an email to the travel agent to see if this is OK or not.

 

I will let you know what happens. But in the mean time, if you have any comments, please post. Thanks.

[Wendy The Wanderer]

H...

Yes, we will go via YYZ, but was unclear if US Customs would apply to Puerto Rico,

 

If you're flying from YYZ, you will be pre-cleared by US Customs in Toronto. Since Puerto Rico is part of the United States, I don't see why that would be different.

[LHT28]

Just guessing

they will probably be pre cleared in YVR

There are some overnight flights that get in earlier with 1 connection

 

I would try to get O to change to one of those if possible just for my own peace of mind

No way to start a nice cruise stressing if you will make the ship

 

Makes you wonder if the air dept has flown before :eek:

What is a legal connection on paper does not always work in the real world

[buggins0402]

Our cruise from San Juan was originally scheduled to depart at 5:00 p.m. They later changed it to 6:00 p.m., perhaps because so few connecting flights could get to the ship on time.

 

For a fleeting second, I considered using the O air, because I wanted to have an extra day at work. But, after checking all potential arrival times, together with the issue of traveling in winter, we decided to play it safe and book our own flights a day early (the deviation would have been more costly.) The price of the flight was only slightly more than the air compensation.

 

And, a cruise vacation is certainly more important than any work considerations.

Edited October 23, 2014 by buggins0402

[Wendy The Wanderer]

This from Wikitravel (http://wikitravel.org/en/San_Juan/Old_San_Juan):

 

"...the time from the airport to Old San Juan can vary from 15 minutes (no traffic) to 30 or 40 minutes"

[no fuss travel]

You will clear immigration in Vancouver so you will not have to deal with immigration later. The slowest part of San Juan airport was waiting for the luggage to come off the plane. It was a quick trip to the ship.

[We're The Groupnors]

You will clear customs for SJU (US Boarder Control) in Canada, whether in VCR, or when you arrive for your connection at YYZ. Yes, SJU can take forever to get luggage out. A little tip: if there is a long line-up for the taxis use a porter, who gets to by-pass the line and will get you straight into a taxi. They work for tips only, and we usually give them $5 per every two bags they help load.

 

As for time from the airport to the pier, it usually takes us about 20-25 minutes, but has taken us up to 45 minutes if the traffic is particularly bad.

[CintiPam]

If this was done by Oceania, aren't they obligated to wait for you so nothing to worry about, I thought??

[sailorgirl]

If it's a week day, you'd be right in the middle of late afternoon traffic and it could easily take you half an hour. However, one of the reasons one would book with O is because they have some commitment to wait for the flight if it's one of there bookings. Is that correct? That said, I'd never ever cut it that close because I'd be a nervous wreck before, during and after!

[I_r_a]

Hi COOA,

 

In general, it is not enough time.

 

However, since O made the booking for you they will have to ensure that you make the ship.

 

Have a nice cruise.

 

Ira

[Jancruz]

Hi COOA,

 

In general, it is not enough time.

 

However, since O made the booking for you they will have to ensure that you make the ship.

 

Have a nice cruise.

 

Ira

 

Absolutely true!

Jancruz1

[Pet Nit Noy]

Absolutely true!

Jancruz1

 

Does anyone know how Oceania defines "making the ship"? We were on a Bejing to Hong Kong cruise that was minimally impacted by late-arriving passengers. In that case, Oceania held the ship in Tianjin for, probably, less than 30 minutes when passengers waiting for luggage at the Beijing airport faced unusual delays. In that case, the travelers all arrived a short while past the regularly scheduled sail away. But what if an Oceania-book flight experienced significant delays? Might "making the ship" mean Oceania would transport serious late passengers to the next port?

[Mura]

As I have mentioned before, our Panama Canal cruise left its departure port (Costa Rica) on schedule despite missing passengers because waiting for them would have meant missing our slot for the Canal. (The late passengers were delayed because of a snowstorm in New England. And they were flying down on the day of departure.)

 

I never found out exactly how those passengers caught the ship, or where.

 

Most of the time in cases like this the ship WILL wait ... but occasionally it cannot.

 

This is different from the case of passengers on a private tour who return late and miss the boat ...

 

Mura

[no fuss travel]

When we were on the Cape Town to Singapore cruise in January this year, several passengers did not make it to the ship in Cape Town. They missed the first two days of the cruise before they could join the ship. It was something to do with weather in the States. Oceania put the passengers up in Johannesburg and then bussed them down to the first port after we left Cape Town.

[rallydave]

While in many cases O as well as other cruise lines do take responsibility for guests who arrive late or after the ship departs, it is not guaranteed as some have stated. Reading the actual ticket contract which is available on the O website, it clearly states that O is NOT responsible for any delays coming to or from the ship. There are cases where O is the cause of the delay that O will provide transportation and lodgings but, they clearly state that airlines are booked as a convenience to the customer and that O has no responsibility for delays or issues arising from travel delays.

 

That being said, am confident that in most cases O will hold the ship as well as help delayed passengers reach the ship but, again, not guaranteed no matter whether you book your own air or have O book your air.

 

Simply don't want people to be mislead that no matter what, O is responsible for getting you to and from the ship. Read the ticket contract and you will see what is O's responsibility and what is not.

[Pet Nit Noy]

That being said, am confident that in most cases O will hold the ship as well as help delayed passengers reach the ship but, again, not guaranteed no matter whether you book your own air or have O book your air.

 

Simply don't want people to be mislead that no matter what, O is responsible for getting you to and from the ship. Read the ticket contract and you will see what is O's responsibility and what is not.

 

Thanks for taking the time to check the ticket contract.