Summit Puerto Rico

[Bornbeau]

Will be on the Summit in Feb 2015 and docking at 6am. With early disembarkation and taking our own bags would we be able to make a 9:41 am flight.

[richsea]

It is possible, if there are no problems with the ship docking on time & being cleared by the authorities, but you are taking a chance. In 2013, we were off Summit by 7:30, & through airport security by 8:05; plenty of time for our 10:50 flight. In 2014, we were off Summit at 7:30 & at our. Boarding gate by 8:25. So it can be done! We took a chance & booked a 9:50 flight for this years sailing. Fingers crossed!

The advantage to getting off early & to SJU is that at that time, the airport is empty & you breeze through their agriculture screening & security real fast. Later in the morning, the airport is a zoo!

Good luck!

[bayonnejoe]

Will be on the Summit in Feb 2015 and docking at 6am. With early disembarkation and taking our own bags would we be able to make a 9:41 am flight.

 

This is way too risky for San Juan. Between customs, the agricultural check at the airport, and check-in itself, you stand a real chance of not making such an early flight. Besides, just because you dock at 6:00 doesn't mean you get off that early.

[Shake]

Why not end your vacation without all the stress by booking a later flight. ;)

Edited January 1, 2015 by Shake

[KEG21552]

Best advice I have if you do it, is hire a porter at the pier & airport to navigate you through customs and agriculture inspection. Best $ we spent when we had an early flight. Not as early as you, but I think we were at airport by 8:00 or so.

 

Also be prepared for plan B if it doesn't work. We were prepared both financially and time wise, to spend another night if we ended up missing our flight. That went a long way to eliminating the stress.

 

Good luck!

[A Sixth?]

We did it once, back about 2004 or so. A Carnival Destiny cruise, 9:45 am flight and made the flight with time to spare... absolutely were the first off the ship, and the air was through Carnival.

 

Would never do it again. Too nerve wrecking.

[monicajay]

Will be on the Summit in Feb 2015 and docking at 6am. With early disembarkation and taking our own bags would we be able to make a 9:41 am flight.

 

See you are from Ottawa, are you looking at a flight there or to the US first? Check in times are earlier if heading direct to Canada.

 

You should verify your airlines check in policy, even if you get there in time they may no longer take your luggage.

[varoo]

The odds of making an early flight are in your favor, but whether or not to do it really depends on you and how you would react to cutting it close or missing your flight.

 

Sometimes the ship starts allowing passengers to disembark earlier than other times.

 

If you are the easygoing type, have backup plans, and would take it in stride if you should miss the flight, then I would say go for it.

 

For many frequent flyers, missing a flight and needing to wait for a later one, or even staying overnight and not getting out until the next day is hardly a major calamity.

 

But if you absolutely need to be back home on time, or if you are the nervous type who would get upset about the suspense of cutting it close, or someone for whom missing the flight would be a big problem, then it would be preferable not to risk it.

 

[phoenix_dream]

90 to 95% chance you will make it. Decide accordingly.

[huskerc]

I think varoo nailed it--you've got a high probability of making it, but if things go wrong you need to be prepared. If you're the kind of traveler who can take that in stride, go for it.

[hulamoon]

I think varoo nailed it--you've got a high probability of making it, but if things go wrong you need to be prepared. If you're the kind of traveler who can take that in stride, go for it.

 

If you do this hire a porter, of course self disembark as well. The porter is less about helping you as being in the shorter porter line and getting you through quicker.

[Tananda]

Not to hijack but what time do you usually de-bark? We have a night booked post cruise and don't care to be in the rush to get off the ship.

 

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[cherylroslyn]

Will be on the Summit in Feb 2015 and docking at 6am. With early disembarkation and taking our own bags would we be able to make a 9:41 am flight.

I wouldn't dream of doing this in San Juan. First because of the agricultural check and second because of the long lines there for check-in and security. We arrived at the airport in October two hours early thinking we would sit down and have a nice lunch. We barely had enough time to grab subway after all of the lines......

 

 

Also, two years ago we were terribly delayed getting off the Summit in Puerto Rico.....we ended up leaving the pier at a little after ten. The lines for Customs were extremely long, but the delay had to do with clearing the ship, and it was not due to the Customs lines.

[varoo]

I wouldn't dream of doing this in San Juan. First because of the agricultural check and second because of the long lines there for check-in and security. We arrived at the airport in October two hours early thinking we would sit down and have a nice lunch. We barely had enough time to grab subway after all of the lines......

 

 

Also, two years ago we were terribly delayed getting off the Summit in Puerto Rico.....we ended up leaving the pier at a little after ten. The lines for Customs were extremely long, but the delay had to do with clearing the ship, and it was not due to the Customs lines.

This is a good example of why I said what I did in post #8.

 

While we usually can make an early flight out of San Juan with no problem, exceptions like the ones you described can occur from time to time, and there is no way we can predict in advance when they are going to happen.

 

 

If you have TSA pre check (or one of the equivalents) it gets you through the line at the airport a little faster, but even the regular line was not bad at all when we went through there around 9 am a few weeks ago.

 

Putting our bags through the agriculture inspection machine was quick and easy.

 

For anyone who may not be familiar with them, you just place your bags on one end of a conveyor belt, they move up through the machine and come out the other side with a sticker on them. All you need to do is walk around to the other side of the machine, pick up your bags and proceed into the airport.

 

[cle-guy]

I made a 10:15 flight. Had time to get breakfast in airport too.

[lmaccaro]

Generally speaking, if you miss your flight but arrive at the gate within 2 hours after departure, they just stick you on the next flight out for free.

 

That can be bad if the next flight isn't until the next day, so look that up just in case.

[phoenix_dream]

Generally speaking, if you miss your flight but arrive at the gate within 2 hours after departure, they just stick you on the next flight out for free.

 

That can be bad if the next flight isn't until the next day, so look that up just in case.

 

Flights out of San Juan on cruise days are almost always completely booked up. Depending on your airline, you may be lucky to get out the next day!

 

We have also had at least two disembarkations not begin until 9:30. No breakfast at the airport that morning:D

[dodger1964]

We made 830am flight in November (delta). We were one of first 10 people off ship (and shared cab with people behind us).

 

There are no lines that early. You do NOT need porter at pier. There is nobody to get ahead of at that time. At airport might be helpful, but not that important there either.

 

Obviously check in on ship day before.

 

 

 

 

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