Flying in the same day as cruise...

[ldock]

We are flying in the same day as our cruise. We arrived in Miami at 10:00 AM. Good or bad? Your thoughts and comments?

 

I am sorry that by posting this question, you are now most likely full of anxiety due to all the comments.

If u arrive at 10 am, you still have 5 hours, of time, ( if cruise boarding time, closes at 3pm. ) This does give you room for delays, etc. many people Arrive by flight or car the day of the cruise. We have drove 3-5 hours many times the day of our trip, yes we could have our car break down, but focusing on "what it's" will just give u anxiety.

[Carnac767]

Speaking as an airline pilot, you should be fine. April takes you out of the risk of airport shutdown for a snowstorm. You do face a risk of thunderstorms but there is a far less chance of them during a morning departure. The earlier you leave Newark, the better. Morning flights have a far better on-time rate at Newark, which is notorious for creeping delays as the day progresses.

 

Thunderstorms are common in south Florida throughout the year and can cause arrival delays. The good news is that most systems move through quickly and usually cause minimal delays. However, I have had to hold for over an hour flying into Miami and ended up diverting to Orlando. to refuel. But that's one time in 25,000 hours of flying. Again, you're getting into Miami before the buildups really have time to become a significant problem.

 

Like others have said, it's safer to arrive a day early, but not everyone has that luxury. The odds are significantly in your favor that you'll make it with time to spare.

[albo88888]

We have done two cruises out of NY and have been so used to just going the same morning as we live only 40 mins away. Let's pray for no thunderstorms or mechanical issues lol. .. but you guys are great with the comments and advice... keep up the good work!

[Cloudyrain]

We always travel the day of a cruise, and happy to take a risk as long as:

1) the flight arrives before 12noon

2) it's not a complicated flight/journey with lots of connections and "faffing about"

3) weather interruptions are unlikely

4) we have insurance

5) it's an early morning flight

 

At the end of the day you can plan to fly in a few days before and unpredictable travel disruption can cause your flight to cancel. As long as you are insured it really isn't a problem. I know some people seem to really worry and obsess about this issue, but honestly there are a lot bigger things in life worth worrying about. Besides, when the Ash Cloud hit Europe the other year it didn't matter wether you were going to be arriving the day of, the day before, or 3 days before, no-one was getting anywhere!

[garycarla]

We are flying out of Newark on April 18th with United. I didn't have the option to take off a day before my vacation starts. Hope there aren't any delays.

 

April. Newark. Should be fine. Did not mention a connection that would increase the chance of issues.

 

In reality, I believe (no source), but I believe most would fly in the same day. If you book thru the cruise line, they will do same day.

 

By the way, the best insurance in the world will not get you there any sooner.

[zqvol]

We are flying in the same day as our cruise. We arrived in Miami at 10:00 AM. Good or bad? Your thoughts and comments?

 

Assuming a Saturday or Sunday departure the odds are that you will have no problems at all. You have about 3 hours of "fudge" time. As long as you land by 1:00 you should make the cruise with no problem.

[zqvol]

We are flying out of Newark on April 18th with United. I didn't have the option to take off a day before my vacation starts. Hope there aren't any delays.

 

That even makes it better. A non stop in the morning during the spring is not likely to encounter any real issues.

 

In spite of what lots of CC members would have you believe most flights arrive without any issues.

[triptolemus]

In spite of what lots of CC members would have you believe most flights arrive without any issues.

 

Don't forget that "lots" of CC members cruise in the winter...and fly from Los Angeles... to New York LGA... with 3 connections... 1 through O'Hare... during a blizzard... with a 11 AM arrival scheduled... with a party of 10... that includes 2 babies... and includes 2 great grandmas.... with no credit card.... on a gluten free diet...

 

It's a mad world out there!

[NH Cruisers]

My first cruise in 2004 we flew in same day. We had absolutly no problems and made the ship. That said... We were stressed. We just knew something would delay us. Last 15 cruises we have not even given any consideration of flying in same day. We always plan to get to port a day in advance. Lots less stress.

 

My boss at work once had to get a flight to Puerto Rico from Miami because he did miss the ship. The flight was evidently through the cruiseline so he didn't pay. But he had to stay in less fun Miami hotels for a couple days then flew to meet the ship as it came into San Juan. He said is was a bummer.

[Kaboochi]

The people saying bad, bad, bad are being ridiculous.

 

In an ideal world everyone would fly in days before, stay in a hotel, tour the embarkation city blah, blah, blah.

 

In the real world most people have limited vacation time and cost consideration.

 

The VAST majority of cruisers who fly to port will do so on the date of sailing.

 

You must cruise in nice weather. We cruise from New England in February and we have had friends miss the ship due to snow which cancelled their same day flight. This has happened 4 times. A quick 2 hour flight to a port in good weather, I would do it, but not a trip that includes multiple stops, too risky!

[maywell]

The people saying bad, bad, bad are being ridiculous.

 

In an ideal world everyone would fly in days before, stay in a hotel, tour the embarkation city blah, blah, blah.

 

In the real world most people have limited vacation time and cost consideration.

 

The VAST majority of cruisers who fly to port will do so on the date of sailing.

 

It depends on how lucky or putting up with risk you are. If you can weather the anxiety of getting in before 12pm at Miami from NYC area same day without the airline canceling your non-stop flight for whatever reason - Go for it. If you're getting a stroke, heart attack, panic attack, vertigo due to it, then maybe you fly out day or two before and pay for a hotel / motel while at it. Just saying, both sides of the issues have good valid points.

[Davechipp74]

The OP stated that they are to land at 10:00am. They cand land 3-4 hours late, and make it to the port with time to spare.

I am aware you are supposed to be on board 2 hours prior to saliling, but they will board passangers right up to the ship sails.

[valleyvillage]

Since you can't leave a day early, you might as well just relax and hope for the best. Since it is non-stop and a short flight, you will probably make it.

My first cruise must have been a case of "ignorance is bliss" because HAL booked the air and they flew us from SLC to SFO to SEA to YVR! All this with Mom being pushed in a wheelchair!

We get to YVR...no luggage. (Of course!)

Waited a bit and then started thinking, hmmm, I wonder when the ship leaves. HAL had a desk there and I paid them a visit. They were very nice, said they would handle all the luggage problems, get it to another port, etc. And, oh by the way, your shuttle bus left a long time ago and, come to think of it, you better hurry and get a cab!

She gave us a voucher and off we went.

When we got to the port it was EMPTY. One lady walked in and started picking up papers and said, oh, hello! Are you cruising with us? Still oblivious, we smiled and said yes! Here are the tickets!

Wandered onto the ship, pushing the wheelchair, nobody else boarding, get to the room.

And ... you guessed it...we pushed off!

When I think about it now I get the willies, but we didn't know better. Since then I always prefer to arrive the night before instead day of.

[Lancer1568]

The people saying bad, bad, bad are being ridiculous.

 

In an ideal world everyone would fly in days before, stay in a hotel, tour the embarkation city blah, blah, blah.

 

In the real world most people have limited vacation time and cost consideration.

 

The VAST majority of cruisers who fly to port will do so on the date of sailing.

Agreed. I am sure that you will be taken to task and asked how you can prove that the vast majority fly in same day but we have almost always flown in the day of the cruise (over a dozen times) and we have always made the ship. When we have used the cruise ship transfers, I have certainly noticed several hundred of my fellow passengers using the transfer from the airport to the ship on embarkation day.

[bonvoyagie]

I have mostly cruised out of Seattle which is within driving distance of Portland where I live. The other place I have cruised is HI and we flew in a few days early so we could do some extra touring. In Seattle we usually take Amtrak and again arrive a day early to enjoy a bit of the town before the cruise. Once we drove on the same day and while we did not miss the ship, it was close as there was a wreck on the freeway so we had to find our way on surface streets - yes we made it, but it was closer than I like.

 

We are looking at various flights for our next cruise out of Boston next fall. I know that it is too early to make flight plans - but things I am factoring in are 1. arrival times 2. number of stops 3. price vs day. So far I have found a non stop that arrives too late for the cruise and the day before is most expensive day to travel. So unless things change I will try to fly in two days prior, see more of Boston (and yes the savings on airfare will more than cover the extra hotel night). My cruise is Fri to Fri so I would rather fly on Thursday and fly back on Sat (less use of my vacation time) But I might fly out on Wed and back on Fri (least expensive travel days) and burn an extra vacation day. We will see what things look like in a year.

[tdk1938]

We are flying in the same day as our cruise. We arrived in Miami at 10:00 AM. Good or bad? Your thoughts and comments?

We've flown same day as our cruise for my first cruise because I can't take any days off to fly out one or two days before our cruise. We flew red-eye flight from California and landed FLL on time at 10 am. Then took Super Shuttle to POM and boarded the ship by 11:30 am. It's very stressful and won't do that again. We're very lucky. The weather was perfect. We had no winter storm and no fog when we left California and had no problem at layover at Houston (IAH).

 

Hope that your flight to MIA is as smooth as ours. If you have told us when and where you're leaving on your first post so people won't get too excited.

[Illyria]

We'll most likely be flying from Denver to Baltimore the day of the cruise (early Oct.) The cruise sails on Thursday - so it's middle of the week, we'd have to take an extra day off, not to mention pay for a hotel in Baltimore. The flight is nonstop and lands at 11:40am, so it's not ideal but we'll just have to take our chances.

[don't-use-real-name]

albo88888

Leaving from Newark flying to Miami for your cruise - - -

 

Newark is not the best on time airport but an early morning non-stop will

work in your favor. Pay heed to any weather forecasts and note your possible

alternatives such as BWI Baltimore airport or PHL Philadelphia - why not LGA

LaGuardia? Well if EWR is having weather problems no doubt LGA and JFK

will have it also. Also look into the possible Amtrak connection from Newark

to Baltimore (Amtrak stops just outside the BWI airport).

Taking a red eye trip the night before with limited if any hotel use might be

another thing to consider - you can crash and recover on the cruise but you

will be on the ship to do it and not on shore wishing !!!

Always consider giving yourself a cushion of at least a few hours.

It is nice to have travel insurance make sure it covers all calamities so at

the very least you can salvage as much of your travel plans as possible !

[Flatbush Flyer]

We'll most likely be flying from Denver to Baltimore the day of the cruise (early Oct.) The cruise sails on Thursday - so it's middle of the week, we'd have to take an extra day off, not to mention pay for a hotel in Baltimore. The flight is nonstop and lands at 11:40am, so it's not ideal but we'll just have to take our chances.

 

So, it seems that "a day earlier" is a possibility except that you don't want to spend the extra money. IMHO, "penny wide and pound foolish."

What a lot of CC folks who have never flown regularly for business (in recent years) may not realize is there are few if any seats on "the next flight" (particularly midweek) if yours is cancelled or delayed to a much later departure. Even "red eyes" are packed nowadays.

[dcipjr]

We're from the Philly area. When we cruise out of NYC or Boston, we always arrive the same day. NYC is only a 2 hour drive; we've taken Amtrak in the past, figuring that we could always drive if our train got canceled. Even when we went out of Boston, we still drove up that day—we were on the road by 5 AM and at the pier by 11:30.

 

In contrast, when we cruised from Barcelona, we arrived several days beforehand, to explore the city and to have that buffer time.

 

For me, if I'm flying Newark to Miami during a time of year where there's nice weather, I wouldn't worry about arriving the same day. It's a short flight, a 10 AM arrival gives you plenty of time, and there are many flights from Newark to Miami in case yours has an unforeseen issue. I'm sure it'll be fine. Get travel insurance if you're really concerned.

[LaCal]

When we first started cruising we'd fly in the same day UNTIL that dreaded time

 

You know what I'm talking about .....weather was so bad and flight was delayed n delayed and then diverted......OMG THE STRESS 😱😱🙈🙈

 

We did make it to the port w a 1/2 hour to spare before the ship left 🙈

 

Now we ALWAYS fly in 1 day before and even stay 1 day after

 

Even the return flight can be stressful if the ships running late etc

 

Been on one that had engine trouble and we never got off the ship till 4pm

 

Talk bout people calling n changing flight plans.....watched one guy have to change his twice and that was like $150 a pop to change it

 

Stress free is the only way we cruise now ....😃😃😃😃👍👍👍

[KweezyCruiser]

Add me to the list of cruisers who think you will most likely be fine.

 

I suggest, however, that you try to fly carry on only. If you do experience a delay, this will eliminate the wait for luggage at baggage claim. With NCL's casual dress code, this really shouldn't be a problem.

[warriorking]

If I was sailing out of Miami I would not have any problems flying out from West Virginia on the same day of the sailing...

However I am sailing out of Barcelona so I will definitely fly out a day early on my cruise...

[RikkuCat]

I would be comfortable with the scenario you've described. With a relatively short nonstop flight in the spring, most likely you'll arrive on time. And there's time to make up for a delay. I'd be comfortable with it - but I don't stress or worry very much about travel.

 

We make our decision based on time of year and the cruise itinerary. If it's winter, we'll make it work to fly out the day before. If the cruise leaves on a Sunday, we have all day Sat to get there, so why not fly in a day early and start our vacation? If the cruise leaves on a Sat, flying in a day early would mean taking an extra day off - which is part of our decision-making process. At the moment, DH is short on vacation time and I'm just very busy at work - taking an extra day off would be a hassle for both of us. We compromised for our upcoming cruise by flying on Fri evening - we're getting in at 8 or 9pm, so won't really have much time to "start the vacation early." Not sure if that's worth the "peace of mind" - since it'll be a nonstop flight from DC to Miami in late April, pretty sure there won't any issues. I think I'll stress more about rushing from work to the airport on Fri afternoon than I would about flying on the day of the cruise - but we'll know for next time, after this experience.

 

I figure that the worst case scenario is that we miss the ship, fly to a beautiful island, and spend two days there instead of two days at sea. Works for me, even if it costs more than we had planned.

[scopewest]

If this is what you have to do, so be it. Just have some backup scenarios ready in case there's a problem.

 

Same day flew Phoenix-Dallas-Miami-San Juan and boarded the ship, went to cabin and dropped off carryon, and got to dining room 15 minutes after they started serving. When talking to TA, my ONLY question back then was will we miss dinner service due to arrival time in SJ. Of course, this was 1997, no major security screenings like today, our flights took off on time, etc. I think about this and shudder when I think of what could have happened if one connection failed. (And back then there wasn't 24 food service so that's why I wanted to make dinner!)

 

2011, Same day flight Phoenix to San Diego. A one hour flight. Our flight was leaving around 9 a.m. We figured we'd have time to spare in SD. Got to the airport, the airport fogged in, ground stop, nothing coming in/going out. Luckily it burned off and they put us on a flight around 11 a.m. so we made the ship. Never will do this again, the anxiety was not worth it.

 

Felt really sorry for people on the 9 a.m. flight to Baltimore, when we finally took off I think they were still waiting at the gate. I hope none of them were flying in to catch a ship that same day!