flying in on cruise day

[busynurse2015]

Don't fly in the day of your cruise!!! Planes get delayed!!! Our flight in May 2015 was supposed to land in Orlando at 9:00am, I thought this gave us plenty of time. It was a direct flight. But the plane needed a part fixed, delay after delay and we finally landed at 3:15pm!!!!! We were in communications with Carnival all day and asked if we should even head out to the port. Carnival said "yes". After getting our luggage we arrived at the port just in time to see our ship (Sunshine) sailing without us. :mad:

 

We were able to fly out to St Maarten and spend 2 days there and then get on the ship. But it was only because we had passports, did online check in, and had a letter from the airline stating it was their fault.

 

As it turned out, those days in St Maarten were the best days of our trip. The hotel upgraded us to an ocean view, met great people, ate delicious local food and listened to a wonderful reggae band. Spent the days at the empty beaches since no ships were in port.

 

But......I would never put myself through that stress again. This just happened last month and we never thought it would happen to us.

[rlkubi]

We have only flown in "day of" cruise once before (last October). I didn't have any more vacation and it was an unexpected cruise. We were supposed to leave at 8 a.m. and get into New York in plenty of time. My phone rings at midnight saying the flight has been delayed 4 hours! We wouldn't have landed until 2 for a 4 p.m. departure :(. I immediately called the airlines and got 2 of 4 seats on an earlier flight. I will NEVER fly day in again. Too stressful for me!

Edited June 16, 2015 by rlkubi

[evandbob]

The majority of CC posters seem to think it is crucial to fly in the day before. I think this was first posted by someone bragging about the fact that they could afford a hotel the night before and it just got repeated by folks over and over, almost making it CC dogma.

 

I have done this myself twice out of 27 or so cruises, when flying to Rome and Alaska.

 

However, for all of my Caribbean cruises, I take an early flight out of NY LGA or JFK, arrive in Fl or SJU by 10AM and have never had an issue. By the luck of the draw, I have arrived at the gate several times and saw frantic travelers who had bad weather the day before and were scrambling on standby while I had my confirmed seat.

 

My conditions are carry on luggage only, and non stop direct flights. Connections increase the chances for delays or screw-ups.

 

If the OP arrives at 9 AM, has to wait for baggage, boards a bus in Orlando to get to the port, he/she should arrive before noon. Then you can wait in line with the rest of the crowd to board the ship. Thousands of cruisers do it this way, compared to the small minority on these boards who fly in a day (or two) early.

[Lurkyloo]

I am far too paranoid to fly in same day! I always come in at least a day early so I can breathe easy. Not worth the stress and worry to me - I will gladly pay for a room near the cruise ship for a night.

[kelkel2]

I don't fly in on the day of because there's just too many things that can go wrong. Delays, lost luggage, rerouted flights, cancelled flights, bad weather.

On our first cruise we arrived in Houston Hobby ready to head to Galveston for our cruise the next day. Our luggage did not make it there when we did. We ended up calling the airline and trying to find it and no one really knew where it was. We were in a panic. So we met with our shuttle person and he told us he would take us where we needed to go and he would look for our luggage and if he saw it he would bring it down on his next trip and last trip in to Galveston that evening. Thank god for that man because he found our luggage when it arrived to the airport and got it to us. No idea how he did it but he was my savior that day. I would not want to go through that again and I can't imagine going through that if we flew in the day of. I can pretty much guarantee that if that happened the day of your cruise you would be getting on a ship without your luggage.

Edited June 16, 2015 by kelkel2

[evandbob]

I don't fly in on the day of because there's just too many things that can go wrong. Delays, lost luggage, rerouted flights, cancelled flights, bad weather.

On our first cruise we arrived in Houston Hobby ready to head to Galveston for our cruise the next day. Our luggage did not make it there when we did. We ended up calling the airline and trying to find it and no one really knew where it was. We were in a panic. So we met with our shuttle person and he told us he would take us where we needed to go and he would look for our luggage and if he saw it he would bring it down on his next trip and last trip in to Galveston that evening. Thank god for that man because he found our luggage when it arrived to the airport and got it to us. No idea how he did it but he was my savior that day. I would not want to go through that again and I can't imagine going through that if we flew in the day of. I can pretty much guarantee that if that happened the day of your cruise you would be getting on a ship without your luggage.

 

I have only a carry on bag for a week long cruise, so losing luggage is never an issue.

[sweetsixteencruisers]

[quote name=evandbob;46860481

 

However' date=' for all of my Caribbean cruises, I take an early flight out of NY LGA or JFK, arrive in Fl or SJU by 10AM and have never had an issue. By the luck of the draw, I have arrived at the gate several times and saw frantic travelers who had bad weather the day before and were scrambling on standby while I had my confirmed seat.

 

My conditions are carry on luggage only, and non stop direct flights. Connections increase the chances for delays or screw-ups.

 

If the OP arrives at 9 AM, has to wait for baggage, boards a bus in Orlando to get to the port, he/she should arrive before noon. Then you can wait in line with the rest of the crowd to board the ship. Thousands of cruisers do it this way, compared to the small minority on these boards who fly in a day (or two) early.[/quote]

 

 

 

Thanks for posting! Sometimes people have no other choice but to fly in the day of sailing. That's our unfortunate circumstances this time. We always come in the day before whether driving (which we have done many times) or flying.

 

We are flying in from Long Island (MacArthur airport, Islip) non-stop at 7am arriving at FLL @ 10am. It's the second flight out, the only non-stop.

 

I purchased carnival transfers.

 

So nervous!!!

Edited June 16, 2015 by sweetsixteencruisers

[Warm Breezes]

If you ask this question, and then post that you are worried, you will get plenty of people telling you that it is a mistake. However, I personally see no issue with arriving on the same day, or driving on the same day. It doesn't even cross my mind that an issue "might" happen.

 

You must be a lucky traveler then because it crosses my mind every time I book. Especially since we have had so many mishaps both driving and flying where if it had been the same day instead of a day or 2 before we would have missed the ship. "Might" seems to be our reality. Most recently it was our last cruise in April. Direct flight from Detroit to FLL. Our plane was supposed to leave at 12:00 and get into FLL at 3:00. Our plane didn't even pull up to the terminal in Detroit until 3:00 due to mechanical issues that delayed it at its previous stop. It was 7:00 before we arrived in FLL. Again we had flown in the day before. If this would have been the same day we would have missed the ship.

Edited June 16, 2015 by Warm Breezes

[nwcruiselover]

I know there are strong feelings on both sides of this issue. I always fly in at least one day early for two reasons: To avoid the stress of hoping I'll make it on time to the ship, and to start the vacation early. Getting there early, seeing some sights, and getting a good night's sleep before the cruise helps me enjoy day #1 of the cruise even more.

Edited June 16, 2015 by nwcruiselover

[elliair]

For our upcoming Miracle cruise, we're flying in 3 days early. Going to Disneyland.:p On our December Panama Canal cruise, we're flying in 2 days early only because the flight was $300 cheaper. I would never fly in the same day from the West Coast to the East Coast - that's just crazy. However, I do have friends that did just that. They got the red eye out of Sacramento to Ft. Lauderdale and they made it without a hitch. Some people like living by the seat of their pants.:eek:

[rooster1961]

Be careful about flying in same day. On my last cruise,there were 3 groups of families in our cruise club whose planes got delayed and missed the ship. Not trying to be debbie downer, just sharing my experience.

[lido deck larry]

I'll sum up this entire thread: people fly in the day of sailing until they get burnt and either miss the boat or have a panic filled near miss.

 

Then they fly in the day before.

 

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[loxley]

If you ask this question, and then post that you are worried, you will get plenty of people telling you that it is a mistake. However, I personally see no issue with arriving on the same day, or driving on the same day. It doesn't even cross my mind that an issue "might" happen.

 

 

The thing is, when you MUST be at a place by a certain time, these days you are taking a chance you will not make it on time. It only takes one thing to happen that causes a chain reaction that can set you back a long time.

 

Now a days, I make sure I have no where I have to be on the day I fly. I have racked up a lot of perks by doing this but also distressed myself.

 

A while back they needed volunteers to give up their seat. I gave mine up. 2 hours to wait til my next flight so I go get something to eat. When I got back to my new gate right beside my old gate, I noticed the people I had been talking to, the ones that should have left two hours before, still sitting there. I asked what happened. Plane was broke and was waiting for a new one. I actually got on my second flight and the people were still sitting there waiting on my old flight. I had a $400 voucher and $100 cash. They got nothing.

 

It is true, most people who fly in the day of make it.

 

I wish the op luck.

[vacruisin]

We sometimes fly in the day before and sometimes fly in the same day. It depends on which day our cruise leaves. For our upcoming cruise on the Sunshine (in 11 short days!) we are catching the 7:00am flight out of DCA on the same day.

 

For some people it's not an option to fly the day before; this is the case for us. So far, out of 4, same day, early morning flights we haven't missed the boat yet (knocking on wood now)!

 

 

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[Havingfun2010]

I'll sum up this entire thread: people fly in the day of sailing until they get burnt and either miss the boat or have a panic filled near miss.

 

Then they fly in the day before.

 

Sent from my SM-G386T using Tapatalk

 

I kind of doubt it. It's like getting hit with lightning 2x. I just don't see the point of worrying about everything that can go wrong.

 

Honestly, I had one scare. I drove the night before, with two kids in tow, and successfully made it to Miami in 6 hours. Next morning we were walking around the local area, and returned to the car, and my car did not start. I was near panic, since I was 2 miles away. Did not have time to figure out what was wrong. AAA rescured me, jump started my car, but the battery seemed fine, was instructed to drive straight to the terminal, where my car sat and died again. However, I don't believe once during the cruise did I worry how to get home. Things do happen, and sometimes, they happen at the wrong times, and you can't control it. Planning for disaster does not guarantee it won't happen. Dozens of different items that can still cause issues when flying or driving the day before. That's why I don't worry about it.

[Butterbean1000]

Fly in the day before. Do you really want to be that person who missed their cruise do to unforeseen problems? Why chance it? I know people will say they have never had an issue.....so far.

[Drose716]

I'm a very anxious person & haaaaaate having to fly in day of & don't recommend it to anyone like me. With that said, I've taken 1 cruise out of NYC but the other 4 required flying. Each time i didn't have the option to fly in a day early due to childcare and/or work.

 

I've done 2 Miami departures, 1 Fort Lauderdale & 1 San Juan. All 4 times I made it my rule to take the first available non-stop flight from either LaGuardia or JFK. I won't chance a lay over. I always arrived by 10:30am the latest.

 

I do worry though even if I've been okay so far. One time we were delayed over an hour due to a light bulb needing to be replaced. I was freaking out on the tarmac the whole time. I was delayed once an hour (not for a cruise) because the coffee machine was broken! So anything can happen. It's a gamble. But still one many take successfully. It's really down to what you're comfortable with.

[Budget Queen]

I find it VERY interesting- the claims- yep I've done it- no problem for you. HA HA. Of course this is ALL hindsight thinking- they did NOT know if they were going to make it or not at the time, either. And certainly can NOT predict the future.

 

There is a lot of naive thinking here, based on single cruises over months or years. Try taking a look at daily arrival/departure FACTS of airlines.

 

IF you are going to fly in the day of the cruise- simple math tells you, you have lessor options to "fix" issues than flying in earlier. So- the only choice to make- is if you can accept this or not. Most will get to their cruises. Just not a guaranteed 100% certainty.

[tcw92]

my boss and her family were to fly into Ft Lauderdale the day of their cruise. Original flight out of Omaha was delayed and then the second leg of there flight out of Chicago was delayed due to storms. They were put on another flight into Miami, they landed 30 minutes after the cruise left port. Their luggage was still on the flight to Ft Lauderdale. On a whim they rented a car in Miami, drove to Ft Lauderdale to retrieve their luggage, it was soaked from the storm in Chicago. They drove their rented car to Key West (first stop on the cruise they were to be on), spent the night and boarded the ship the next day. They had to pay an additional $300/per person (goverment fees for not boarding the ship at the original port). I would never chance it.....to many things could go wrong.

[YumYumSweetiePie]

OP- you've already booked the flight, what's the point in worrying now? Think positive thoughts. You'll likely be fine, there's no guarantee no matter what you do anyway.

 

Side note: we're also flying in the morning of for a cruise. Flying in the night before was not an option due to scheduling. Bon voyage to both our parties!

[EMBFlyer]

I've worked in the airline industry for 14 years, the last 10 of those as a pilot. I can tell you story after story after story about people flying in the day of the cruise and having issues. I've done countless flights to Orlando, Fort Lauderdale and Miami. Some days things go off without a hitch, others not so much. Last time I did a Fort Lauderdale trip, we were scheduled to leave on time. Maintenance decided to take our airplane for another flight and delay us for 2 hours waiting on another plane to come in. Once that airplane came in, it had a few write-ups that had to be taken care of by Maintenance. During the delay, I can't tell you how many people came up to us saying they had a cruise to catch. There was nothing we could do about it.

 

Personally, I was flying (as a passenger) for my cruise on the Destiny in 2010. We flew in the day before. On the way into Fort Lauderdale, there was a line of thunderstorms in between us and the airport. We ended up in Tampa for over 3 hours as more and more storms passed between us and Fort Lauderdale. Almost 2 dozen people missed cruises on that flight. 6 got to watch the Miracle sail as we taxied in.

 

I'm sure plenty of you have had no issues flying in the day of, but take it from someone who knows the airline industry, it's not worth the stress and the possibility of ruining your vacation. Fly down the day before and relax.

[karinad]

I'm thinking and hoping to fly in the day of the cruise. The cruise doesn't leave from P.R. until 10pm. There's a non-stop flight on Jet Blue that gets in around 1:30pm. We've been to P.R. before and would still have a few hrs there after check-in. It would be nice to save my hotel points for our Europe cruise in April, 2016.

[INCHARGE]

After reading the replies here, I changed my flight from the day of the cruise. Coming from DC in November was just too risky. I'm now booked the day before, so I won't be stressed before the cruise.

 

I always travel to San Juan the day of the cruise because of the late departure.

Edited June 17, 2015 by INCHARGE

[karinad]

Good to know InCharge with flying into SJ. I'm also debating on flying in the same day on our Europe cruise on the Epic next April. There's a non-stop flight from EWR(Newark) into BCN that arrive at 9a.m the day of the cruise. The cruise departs at 5pm. There looks to be other flights on that day, not non-stop that gets in on that morning. I'd like to make those reservations soon as they could sell out and I have just enough miles. It sucks that the taxes for 2 of us on a "free" flight is close to $300.!:eek:

[evandbob]

I find it VERY interesting- the claims- yep I've done it- no problem for you. HA HA. Of course this is ALL hindsight thinking- they did NOT know if they were going to make it or not at the time, either. And certainly can NOT predict the future.

 

There is a lot of naive thinking here, based on single cruises over months or years. Try taking a look at daily arrival/departure FACTS of airlines.

 

IF you are going to fly in the day of the cruise- simple math tells you, you have lessor options to "fix" issues than flying in earlier. So- the only choice to make- is if you can accept this or not. Most will get to their cruises. Just not a guaranteed 100% certainty.

 

Facts:

 

I've flown in the day of for about 24 cruises without a problem.

Fact: I didn't pay for a hotel and added expenses 24 times.

Fact: While I haven't ever been delayed, I have watched cruisers on standby from delays the day before frantically try to get on my flight where I have a confirmed seat.

 

If I miss my next cruise due to an airline delay, I'll still be way ahead in time and money. I will make the best of it while I'm in Florida deciding if I should catch up with the cruise or go elsewhere. It wouldn't be a horror story or the end of the world.

 

I have also been already boarded on cruises that waited in Miami for flights to arrive that the cruise lines had booked for their air passengers. So bad weather flight delays alone are not cause to miss the ship.

 

Remember that I fly from either LGA or JFK non stop with carry on luggage. I don't recommend anyone who is either checking luggage or has connections to attempt what I do. I also have two million mile status with one airline and global entry for security.

 

BTW, nothing in the future is 100% certain. And I don't worry about the things I can't control.