disembarking in Tampa-OK for 9:40am flight?

[susiesan]

I will self carry luggage off Constellation in Tampa on Monday Dec. 13. The best flight I can book with AA miles is at 9:40am. Can we make this flight? I have never cruised to/from Tampa before and don't know about airport transport issues. I will likely use uber from the pier to the airport.

[nwcruiselover]

I’m sure others will say you can make it, but it’s nothing I would ever try.  You would need to be at the airport at 7:40 AM and that would mean absolutely everything would need to go right.  

[Travelexpert35]

I wouldn’t chance it. Way too early for my comfort. I would definitely look at later flights and then you won’t be stressing about it.

[gcorgain]

I wouldn't go this early either.

[sanger727]

Agree, that's way too early for any port. But Tampa is roughly a 30 minute ride from the port to the airport. You would had to be lined up to be the very first person off when they started debarking and hope for no delays or traffic. 

[mafig]

Tampa cruise port often has fog problems.

[HappyCamper49]

50 minutes ago, susiesan said:

I will self carry luggage off Constellation in Tampa on Monday Dec. 13. The best flight I can book with AA miles is at 9:40am. Can we make this flight? I have never cruised to/from Tampa before and don't know about airport transport issues. I will likely use uber from the pier to the airport.

Personally, I think that is way too close for comfort!

[Suncoastsailors]

54 minutes ago, susiesan said:

I will self carry luggage off Constellation in Tampa on Monday Dec. 13. The best flight I can book with AA miles is at 9:40am. Can we make this flight? I have never cruised to/from Tampa before and don't know about airport transport issues. I will likely use uber from the pier to the airport.

I have live near Tampa and have cruised out of Tampa. Our last Tampa cruise was late arriving. TPA is very close to the cruise port and if you arrive on time you could make it for a 9:40 flight. But, don't think I am brave enough to try a flight this early. 

[Pickels]

I'm sure there are fellow cruisers who will tell you horror stories that happened to them, (myself included), when they cut the time from debarkation from the ship to the airport too close.  In simple terms, reserve a latter flight.  Unless everything goes 100% perfect, you are taking a chance to miss your flight. 

[Loucat]

You are also talking about a Monday with port +commuter traffic. We have sailed out of Tampa many times and two ships in port (you have Connie and Carnival Paradise. Why risk it and just take a later flight?

[LadyBerard]

We're booked to fly with JetBlue (we've never flown them before), and they have one flight from TPA to PVD on the afternoon, nonstop, to pvd.  For those of you experienced flying JetBlue, what happens if the flight gets canceled?  We booked the cheapest fare

[susiesan]

AA knows this is a cruise ship arrival day and the redemption rates for award tickets are ridiculously high for later flights. I may just have to buy a ticket, was hoping to use miles for a freebie.

[LadyBerard]

I just went to JetBlue and tried pulling up our flights from pvd to tpa leaving on 11/6 and returning on 11/12, and I get a message "No flights found due to search criteria!"  WOW!  We've been booked for a while.  Calling JetBlue now.......3 hour hold time!!!!!!!

 

[tallnthensome]

Florida departures and cruise air forum for this question. 

[PTC DAWG]

No…just no.

[phoenix_dream]

In the best of times, you might make it, with a lot of stress.  In Covid times, there is no way in the world I would book a flight that early.  No way to know what Dec will be like, so we have to base on our current knowledge.  And that knowledge says no way.  Taxis, Uber and Lyft have staffing issues like most service industries - may take much longer to get transportation.  TSA also has staffing issues - some airports have lines 2+ hours long.  There could conceivably be issues during disembarkation vis a vis testing, or whatever.  These issues have not been encountered necessarily on the few cruises sailing out of the US now, but by then presumably there will be more ships sailing, and at a fuller capacity.  

[keesar]

21 hours ago, LadyBerard said:

I just went to JetBlue and tried pulling up our flights from pvd to tpa leaving on 11/6 and returning on 11/12, and I get a message "No flights found due to search criteria!"  WOW!  We've been booked for a while.  Calling JetBlue now.......3 hour hold time!!!!!!!

 

 

Are you sure the flight is not to/from Boston?  No flights to/from PVD.

[Denny01]

No one can say what the airports will be like in December, but At A Minimum, the airports are really pressing for all to be there at least 1.5hr prior. And my local airport was crazy for weeks and people missed their flights. We got there 3hrs prior. 

 

So with your very early 9:40am, you’ll not make it if airports are still busy. Even if everything goes perfect. 

 

I’ve seen posters asking about 11am flights and so on, But This is Waaaay too early. 

 

Den

[susiesan]

Thanks for the input, I will keep checking in with AA awards to see if I can get a later flight at a decent redemption rate. If not, I will buy a refundable ticket on SW. At this point, I am not even sure a Dec. 3 cruise will sail at all and am not making any travel reservations or arrangements that are not refundable, and that includes the cruise itself. If Celebrity institutes a masks onboard policy then I will be cancelling the cruise and the whole trip.

[ipeeinthepool]

Nope.  Schedule a later flight.  Sorry if you can't use your miles.

[LadyBerard]

2 hours ago, keesar said:

 

Are you sure the flight is not to/from Boston?  No flights to/from PVD.

I called JetBlue yesterday at 4 p.m.  On hold for 3 (three) hours before someone answered.  They confirmed our flights were still a go.  I told them that on their website there were NO flights for Pvd. to Tampa and Tampa to Pvd.  They assured me that we were booked and OK.

 

[keesar]

1 hour ago, LadyBerard said:

I called JetBlue yesterday at 4 p.m.  On hold for 3 (three) hours before someone answered.  They confirmed our flights were still a go.  I told them that on their website there were NO flights for Pvd. to Tampa and Tampa to Pvd.  They assured me that we were booked and OK.

 

 

Those flights are not listed on the JetBlue website nor on Expedia.  Very strange as how are they selling seats???

[suegee0]

Can you stay the night in Tampa and catch the 940 flight the next day?

[terrydtx]

On 7/23/2021 at 2:57 PM, susiesan said:

AA knows this is a cruise ship arrival day and the redemption rates for award tickets are ridiculously high for later flights. I may just have to buy a ticket, was hoping to use miles for a freebie.

I think you are cutting this too short. Why not book through Celebrity Air?  You will get great rates and can make changes or cancel up to final payment. I think Celebrity is still offering a $100pp discount on flights booked with CA.

 

The other thing airlines are making a lot of flight changes now and your flights could change several times before December.  We are booked on Delta for our cruise next month and our flights have changed several times already, including major changes yesterday. I called Celebrity Air yesterday morning and got the flights changed to more acceptable ones in less than 10 minutes. When I tried to call Delta I was told there was a 5 hour wait for a customer service rep.

[susiesan]

28 minutes ago, terrydtx said:

I think you are cutting this too short. Why not book through Celebrity Air?  You will get great rates and can make changes or cancel up to final payment. I think Celebrity is still offering a $100pp discount on flights booked with CA.

 

.

Celebrity air won't work as we are arriving in Tampa 2 days before the cruise to visit with family. I have AA award tickets for those flights MCI-TPA that only used 7.5K miles pp one way. I don't think Celebrity air can be used for just one way but maybe I am wrong.