How concerned should I be?

[buelah111]

We are booked on a celebrity cruise departing from Civitavecchia in April. I'm normally an "arrive the day before" type of cruiser, but due to work schedules we'll have to fly into FCO the morning of the cruise. We haven't booked flights yet, but we'll be arriving at either 9:30am or 10:30am depending on which connection we choose (we are locked into delta in order to use miles). I'm thinking we'll book a private transfer and it seems we can absorb some delays without trouble (sail-away is at five). I figure worst case scenario if we get delayed enough to miss the ship we can fly to Sicily and catch it the next day.

 

Does anyone have experiences with arriving in Rome day of the sailing that can alleviate my lingering concerns with our plans?

[CruiserBruce]

Well, as you mentioned, arriving the day of sailing is not a sound idea, not just for the reason you might miss the ship,,but because you will be jetlagged,which will make your first day a lot less fun.

 

That being said, the ship sailing at 5 doesn't mean you can get there at 4:45. All aboard will be as early as 3pm. Collecting baggage and clearing Passport check can easily take an hour at FCO. And the drive ti the ship is at least an hour. So you don't have a lot of extra time.

 

So, to gain that extra hour, I would be taking the flight that arrives at 9:30. And yes, getting private transport. There are many vender recommendations here. We strongly recommend the wonderful Rome in Limo.

[cruisemom42]

I have done the same-day arrival at FCO and we made it to the ship fine. I won't say "with no problems" because our Delta flight to FCO was delayed in Atlanta for about 2 hours prior to take-off due to the need for a minor repair. I was not feeling very happy about it but at the time I had no choice -- could not take more than 2 weeks off work.

 

We had arranged for a shuttle service to pick us up at the airport and go straight to the ship. From the point when we landed at FCO (around 11:00 am), everything went like clockwork and we were onboard the ship by 2:00 pm.

 

That said, it is always a crapshoot when you fly in on the day of sailing and you are wise to have a Plan B in mind just in case -- that way there's less stress if something does go wrong. In our case, the next port stop after Civitavecchia was Naples, and I knew we could easily get there via train in a couple of hours.

[b_cruise]

I did it, no problems in july, I'm assuming it is not the winter so that is good.

 

Like u said u can always fly to the next port. Just keep an open mind just in case.

Get some insurance too and that may make u feel better.

[Hlitner]

How concerned? We would be enough concerned not to fly-in the day of a cruise. You are pinning your hopes on the airlines, and these days that is never a great idea. But barring any major delay (of cancellation you should be fine. But keep in mind that a 5pm sail away means you should be at the port by 3:30 and it takes about an hour to get to the port from FCO (via taxi, car or bus). It also can take over an hour to get through FCO and claim luggage.

 

So, if this is your only option then book the flight and go with the flow. Also have all your ducks in a row in case you would miss the ship. This means having the appropriate phone numbers (the emergency number to the cruise line) and also having a good idea how you can catch-up to the ship the following day (if it is a day at sea this is not a good thing). We call this "Plan B" and as life long independent travelers we have learned not to waste time worrying...but to always have a Plan B :). Knowing what to do and your options in case everything goes wrong is a great way to reduce stress.

 

Hank

[Keith1010]

I would be concerned.

 

Things could easily go wrong to miss the ship or if you make the ship you might not have your luggage.

 

You need to be on the ship 90 minutes before departure. From the time you land add at least 90 minutes to claim luggage, get through customs and arrive to the port.

 

Do plenty of people do it without problems. Yes. But that means nothing if yo have a problem.

 

And the other piece is you begin your journey jet lagged.

 

Again you will find people who have done this but that means nothing. Same goes for going through a stop sign. People do it and don't get caught but others get caught or worse yet have an accident.

 

Isn't there anyway you both could take off one more day. Don't underestimate the jet lag. It's a shame to start a cruise jet lagged.

 

Good luck with whatever you do.

 

Keith

[-Lew-]

I know with Princess, if you book air through them using eZAir, they'll fly you to the next port if you miss embarkation due to a flight delay. You might want to check Celebrity's air program to see whether they offer the same next port benefit.

 

Lew

[gwilli]

Nine years ago we were bumped and missed our ship leaving from Civitavecchia on a Holland America cruise. It was so stressful.....missing the ship, trying to figure out how to get to the next port, and other issues to get us settled. HA was very helpful. Now we always arrive a day before. With all of the issues with airlines now, I wouldn't plan to fly in on the day the ship is leaving. Cheers! ✈️ 🚢 ⚓️ 😀

[texancruzer]

Of our five trips to Europe (and 5 cruises) we have had flight delays 3 of the times. Delays bad enough to have caused us to miss the ship :eek:

 

BUT, we were flying in the day before or a few days before so we did not miss the ship :D

 

I just won't do it.

[slidergirl]

See if you can plan to get to JFK in time to take AZ609. It departs JFK at 4:20pm and arrives at FCO at 6:55am. It is one of the flights that DL always puts on it's award travel schedules. I took it myself this past Spring. I just went to the DL website and put in a faux look for MCO-FCO flights and this one showed up many times.

Me? I wouldn't try flying in the day of embarkation. But, if all else fails, go for it and have all the possible scenarios covered for the potential missing the ship.

[Marseydotes]

On our first Med cruise, we flew in that day (nonstop Delta from Detroit), and had no issues. Arrived jet-lagged but quickly found our new time zone. Of course, at the time, we knew no better! I would hesitate to do it, but if you have that Plan B and know exactly how you will get to Sicily the next day, go for it! I sure would not stay home instead!

[plane2port]

The first Med cruise that we took (now some 11 years ago) we had Celebrity cruise air included in our fare from Atlanta to Rome round trip. We arrived the day of the cruise, and the included shuttle took us directly from the airport to the port of Civitavecchia. When we docked, we were among the first off the ship, and we were whisked away to the airport for a 10:00 am flight. We were both working at the time, and so we just didn't have the time to do otherwise, so I understand completely how work schedules can interfere with vacation schedules!

 

We have an upcoming 7-day cruise on RCCL that embarks/debarks from Venice. We have already obtained award tickets with Delta SkyMiles, but your question prompted me to check out cruise air with RCCL just for the heck of it.

 

Royal Cruise Air prices the exact same itinerary, exact carriers, etc. that we are using at $1024 per person round trip. I think that this is a good price, and we would have any piece of mind that cruise air will provide. Might be worth checking out, and cruise air might even be cheaper than what you can get on your own.