What would you do

[mygrace777]

My son and gf are going on a oct 5 sailing, Majesty of the seas.

We are going to fly down and while I always go to the Charlotte NC airport we have a smaller airport in the neighboring county they used once before.

 

If we fly out of charlotte, its 400 pp

if we fly out of this other county its 100 pp

 

Now, here is the thing,

They only fly out MTW so...

when we fly out on monday we land at 12pm at FLL airport which means a 45 minute shuttle to miami

AND...coming back the only flight is leaving at 5pm so we'd have to sit at the airport for 10 hours at least. (Dont want a day excursion after the cruise, to old, i'd be to tired)

 

SO....would you risk this?

I know the pros and cons and risk of not making it to the ship. Im just courious to those who sail a lot, would you?

[cb at sea]

To save $800? Yeah...I'd risk it, assuming nothing goes awry....but that return flight totally sucks....so I don't know if I'd do that. There is nothing worse than sitting for hours and hours and hours....even if you're last off the ship (around 10am)....that's a helluva long day! If there is an earlier return flight, how much extra to hop on it??? We've done that before...cost about $100 (for the 2 of us), but was WELL worth not sitting for 4 extra hours!

 

Good luck with your decision!!!

Edited July 15, 2015 by cb at sea

[MaiseyM]

Would travel insurance cover anything if necessary?

[bethco]

You have to be at the port and checked in at 2:30 for a 4 pm sailing. Arrival in FLL at noon is really pushing it if there is ANY delay at all. That leaves very little time for any kind of delay with the flight or traffic. It will take about half an hour to collect checked luggage. Remember you will either need to check a bag or take no sunscreen larger than a 3 oz tube.

 

The late flight on Friday would be less of a concern. You can rent a car and spend the day exploring Miami or Fort Lauderdale. That's what we are doing in November when I have a 6pm return flight. I'm uneasy about DH doing a day of flight that arrives at 9:40am.

[S.A.M.J.R.]

OK, this is a stretch, but what if you fly down on Wednesday 9/30? You're saving $600 on the airfare. Hotel would take $500, plus food & rental car, but you've extended your vacation for another 5 days.

 

Just a thought.

 

Another idea, does that airline fly to other Florida airports on other days? Even if you fly into Orlando or Tampa on Saturday or Sunday, I'd feel better driving to the port.

[ashleycrew]

I would do it in a heartbeat but forget about waiting on a shuttle. Get a Cab and go.... If you land at noon get your luggage you are in a cab by 1245 even with a hiccup or 2 and at the ship by 145. The extra cost for a cab will be worth it for what you saved on flights. Rent a car post cruise and find someplace nice to eat and go hang out at the beach for a few hours.

Edited July 15, 2015 by ashleycrew

[wrp96]

What is the other airline? What's the ontime record of that particular flight? How disappointed are you and your son going to be if you miss your cruise? How much would it cost you to book last minute hotels until your return flight or a new return flight home?

 

Could you book a one-way out of CLT on another airline with a better schedule and then fly home on that cheaper airline, saving part but not all of the money?

[SRQSally]

If you fly the day of the cruise, definitely forget the shuttle,

and take the first cab you see. It is a pretty tight schedule,

I think I'd research any other flights to other FL cities the

day prior

[sbbquilter]

We always seem to have to fly in the day of the cruise - consider doing only carry on luggage to avoid the wait for luggage or chance it does not make the flight. On our recent trip it turned out to be no problem - with each of us able to fill a quart bag with liquids we took 4 3 oz tubes of sunscreen with no problem. Eye opening that we could travel with much less stuff and have a great time.

[Cruising_Kara]

Lots of cruise hotels offer "day rooms" if you ask. They rent you a room to rest in during the day and you get access to all the hotels have to offer. I would do that if I had a 10 hour wait for my flight.

Edited July 15, 2015 by Cruising_Kara

[Carolla5501]

No. I am betting cheap airline is one of the no frills or charter airlines. And when the plane breaks you will be stuck with a flight a few days after your ship sails.

 

 

And before you think "cheap" check the fees. Generally smaller luggage allowed for more funds.

[Carolla5501]

And 4 3 oz tubes of sunscreen should last 2 people about 2 days. An application is 1 oz. or I can refer you to my skin cancer MD. Learn from my errors don't make your own LOL

[Cruising_Kara]

And 4 3 oz tubes of sunscreen should last 2 people about 2 days. An application is 1 oz. or I can refer you to my skin cancer MD. Learn from my errors don't make your own LOL

 

This is very true. If you can fly in the day before and stay at a cruise hotel many of the shuttle companies will do a "walmart" run and stop at a walmart type store where you can buy sunscreen, shampoo, wine etc. All the items you can't take on your carry on. It's very helpful.

[kelkel2]

OK, this is a stretch, but what if you fly down on Wednesday 9/30? You're saving $600 on the airfare. Hotel would take $500, plus food & rental car, but you've extended your vacation for another 5 days.

 

Just a thought.

 

Another idea, does that airline fly to other Florida airports on other days? Even if you fly into Orlando or Tampa on Saturday or Sunday, I'd feel better driving to the port.

 

I like this idea too. I mean I personally couldn't do it. I would be a nervous/worried wreck all day. Fly down wednesday, get a cheaper cruise hotel and stay there. That way all is well, you'll be at the ship in plenty of time.

Think about it, you're saving $800 but how much are you going to spend to catch up to the ship? And you are probably going to miss a lot of your cruise. Typically the airlines that do the MTW flights do not have deals with other airlines that can get you on other flights if something goes wrong.

[RCI Cruisers 004]

It doesn't sound like a problem at all ! You could probably even stay on the ship till they kick you off and then head to FLL to lessen your time at the airport .

[TruckerDave]

I would just take the AA flight out of CLT. Much more piece of mind knowing there are multiple fights everyday from CLT to MIA if anything goes wrong. They could even route you via another airpot if they really needed to.

[FlyerTalker]

And 4 3 oz tubes of sunscreen should last 2 people about 2 days. An application is 1 oz. or I can refer you to my skin cancer MD. Learn from my errors don't make your own LOL

Or skip the sunscreen and just stay indoors.

 

What...you mean you want a tan? Can't you get that lying in the backyard? :D

[FlyerTalker]

On the subject of the airplane ticket:

 

The OP hasn't said what airline this super bargain is on. Without that info and more details all around, all we can give is: Caveat Emptor. The only reason something would be a sixth of the price is that it is....drumroll.....something VERY different than what they would get from AA at CLT.

 

But, without details, it's a guessing game. Dates, times, flights, cities, carrier. That stuff that actually makes a difference. Sorry but Kreskin isn't around to answer your question, but if you post real details, we'll give it a go.

[CantanaLobo]

On the subject of the airplane ticket:

 

The OP hasn't said what airline this super bargain is on. Without that info and more details all around, all we can give is: Caveat Emptor. The only reason something would be a sixth of the price is that it is....drumroll.....something VERY different than what they would get from AA at CLT.

 

But, without details, it's a guessing game. Dates, times, flights, cities, carrier. That stuff that actually makes a difference. Sorry but Kreskin isn't around to answer your question, but if you post real details, we'll give it a go.

Just got my Ouija board back from the shop. It says Allegiant Air from Concord, NC (JQF).

 

Flight 730 dep JQF Oct 05, 2015 at 10:07 AM, arr FLL at 12:02 PM.

Flight 731 dep FLL Oct 09, 2015 at 5:15 PM, arr JQF at 7:10 PM.

 

If the board is wrong, it's still under a 30-day repair warranty.

 

Day of? The plan B if something goes pear-shaped is to drive to CLT and buy a walk-up. No way to get to the ship on time if that happens.

[Di Princess]

On the subject of the airplane ticket: The OP hasn't said what airline this super bargain is on. Without that info and more details all around, all we can give is: Caveat Emptor. The only reason something would be a sixth of the price is that it is (drumroll) something VERY different than what they would get from AA at CLT. But, without details, it's a guessing game. Dates, times, flights, cities, carrier. That stuff that actually makes a difference. Sorry but Kreskin isn't around to answer your question, but if you post real details, we'll give it a go.

 

FLYER:

You always tickle me with your right-on answers. Why is it that these folks with problems are always so obscure with the Important Details? Like, just copy the flight number, date, airline, and itinerary from your PNR. Easy-Peasy. ;)

[ColoradoGurl]

I'm not sure I fully understand what you're staying, mostly because of the abbreviations which I assume are airports. I think you're asking if it's worth it to fly out of a further away airport to save $300/person??? If so, then here's the question id ask myself: "Is it worth $30 an hour ($300 divided by 10 hours) to read a book?" Or, "Is it worth $300 to have convenience?" I persoanlly would take the cheaper flight and read a book at the airport, because convenience isn't worth $300 to me, and I'd be happy make $30 an hour to read a book at the airport (which is what id do if I had to sit around for the day).

 

The other reason I would choose this is because I'm always paying for more than 1 person, so I'm thinking more in terms of $600-$900 for 2 or 3 people, at which point the convenience factor is far more expensive, and the money I'm making for reading a book is higher. If all your adults are paying for themselves, maybe $300 isn't such a big deal. But if you're footing the bill for more than yourself...I'd take the cheaper flight and just suck it up for the day at the airport.

[Di Princess]

Right On, Colorado.

 

I totally agree. I love airports and I am never bored, people-watching, shopping, reading, walking around, having a snack. ;)

[slidergirl]

My superpowers also say the OP is looking at Allegiant out of Concord Regional to FLL… Allegiant is right up there with Spirit in my mind.

Plus, there is only ONE flight every TWO or THREE days from CON-FLL. If there is any issue with that flight that causes it to be cancelled, you have only these options:

1) hope that you can get on the flight 3 days from then (hope is isn't full). But, then you'll miss your cruise.

2) drive to CLT and pay full fare, same day prices to get to FLL. But, then you have to hope that there is a flight you can buy your way on to get there that day. Or, else you miss your cruise.

3) rent a car and drive as fast as you can to FLL….

Allegiant will not put on you another airline and will not help you find another flight. That is all up to you.

Allegiant charges for carry-on and checked bags. Allegiant charges to reserve a seat (if you want the middle seats, you can wait and get those for free when you check-in at the gate)…

Is it REALLY worth it to fly that cheap?

[Zach1213]

I totally agree. I love airports and I am never bored

 

You clearly haven't spent 3.5 hours at New Bern, NC airport like I did last weekend ;)

[ColoradoGurl]

My superpowers also say the OP is looking at Allegiant out of Concord Regional to FLL… Allegiant is right up there with Spirit in my mind.

Plus, there is only ONE flight every TWO or THREE days from CON-FLL. If there is any issue with that flight that causes it to be cancelled, you have only these options:

1) hope that you can get on the flight 3 days from then (hope is isn't full). But, then you'll miss your cruise.

2) drive to CLT and pay full fare, same day prices to get to FLL. But, then you have to hope that there is a flight you can buy your way on to get there that day. Or, else you miss your cruise.

3) rent a car and drive as fast as you can to FLL….

Allegiant will not put on you another airline and will not help you find another flight. That is all up to you.

Allegiant charges for carry-on and checked bags. Allegiant charges to reserve a seat (if you want the middle seats, you can wait and get those for free when you check-in at the gate)…

Is it REALLY worth it to fly that cheap?

 

Yikes, if I'd known all these facts my answer would have been much different. In this case, the cheaper flight wouldn't even be an option for me. It's not just paying. A higher fare for convenience, it's paying a higher fare for a reliable flight and the ability to ensure you make it where you want to go.