Last minute cruise.. fly in morning of?

[FiremedicMike151]

Family drama has prompted me to try to book a last minute cruise for my wife and I. 

 

Our options for flights aren't great, as she works until 7p on the night before the cruise.  There is a flight at 7:15, so she could possibly get coverage and we could do that.  There's another flight the next morning (day of the cruise) which arrives in Miami at 12:40pm.\

 

Actually I just found a third option, a direct flight from my airport to Miami with American which arrives in Miami at 9:30am (day of cruise)

 

 

How risky is the flight on the day of the cruise?  It's august, unlikely to get weather delays..

 

Edited July 29, 2021 by FiremedicMike151

[stellarose]

very very very risky. take the current situation out. give yourself the day before if you can.

[thesmiths]

I personally would never fly the day of. So much can go wrong.

I book the first flight out the day before and that gives me options should that get cancelled.

 

Just my thought process.

 

[mondello]

Weather delays can happen anytime, thunderstorms, tropical storms, etc. Mechanical delays possible. Life is always unpredictable. That said, I like your third option, direct flight, earlier arrival than option 2. Go for it!

[wemjam]

So it is always safer to fly in the night before which we do now.  But for at least the first 10 years we cruised,  every flight we did arrived the morning of the cruise.  Never had an issue even when flight was delayed a bit or something, because we booked one arriving early enough that even a couple hour delay wouldn't matter - like 9:30 you mentioned (I would NOT do 12:40 though)

 

A flight that arrives at 9:30 would allow you plenty of time to get to the port.

 

Things can happen, but the chances are slim.  Depends on your comfort level for risk.

[ZoeyVictoria]

Weather in Miami in August is likely to be thunderstorms, but delays would be fairly short.  I would try the earlier flight as long as I was happy with my Plan B.

[sanger727]

In my last few trips I have had an American flight that got cancelled due to mechanical problems and moved to the next day. And just recently I had a direct morning flight that got pushed back to being a connecting evening flight. It's a risk. Especially post covid. But if you just can't go on that 7:15 flight the night before,  the direct flight that lands at 9:30 sounds like it would probably be fine. 

[dbrucern]

I can tell you to many stories of planes that we were on with cruisers and due to one reason or another they missed their cruise.  We always fly in the day before.

[firefly333]

Top of hurricane season for florida. They were supposed to depart 4 pm, but I think moved to 5 pm.

 

Too close for me to try. So many flights are being disrupted by fuel supply chain issues. 

[mondello]

Weather problems? I've been seeing more publicized issues with computer problems. Also, weren't some flights cancelled recently because of pilot shortages? Probably 75-95% chance you'd have no problem.

[ColeThornton]

Toss a coin, take your chances.   When I was working I always flew in the morning of the cruise.  One caveat that it was always a non-stop flight.   Getting in at around 0930 would work just fine for me.

[vacruisin]

I agree with most posters that say try to get the 7:15 flight the night before if possible.  Maybe your wife can swap shifts with someone that day so that she can work an earlier shift?  

 

We used to take same day flights all the time when we first started cruising.  We'd get the earliest direct flight possible (usually a 6:00am flight out of DCA) and we'd usually land in MIA before 9:00.  Luckily we never had any issues but there are always the POSSIBILITY of issues.  

 

If you can't get the 7:15 the evening before I would definitely recommend the earlier, same day flight that gets you in at 9:30.

 

Best of luck and enjoy your cruise!

[Buckeyefrank100]

weather problems are the least of the concerns... Staff shortage, computer issues, mechanical breakdowns are much more likely.   With that said, you're more likely than not to make it but I would go the day before if at all possible.  If not possible, then get the earliest flight out possible and pray.

[BlerkOne]

If you miss the embarkation, don't plan on being able to join the cruise at the first port.

 

Any alternate airports you could drive to, or what about Fort Lauderdale to fly into?

[ColeThornton]

5 minutes ago, vacruisin said:

We used to take same day flights all the time when we first started cruising.  We'd get the earliest direct flight possible (usually a 6:00am flight out of DCA) and we'd usually land in MIA before 9:00.  Luckily we never had any issues but there are always the POSSIBILITY of issues.

 

At the risk of being the geeky definition guy I think it's important to define what a "direct" flight means in airline terms:

 

"Nonstop flights take you from one airport to another without stopping. Board the plane, buckle your seatbelt, and the next time you touch ground you have reached your destination. ... Instead, “direct” means that the flight number doesn't change, even as the aircraft may make one — or more — stops"

 

Cheers.   🙂

[jsglow]

Lots of people fly 'day of' and most of the time it works.  I personally don't but that doesn't mean it's a non-starter.  Factors are whether it's a non-stop flight and what your alternate options are if your individual plane has a problem (access to alternate flights.. eg., ORD to MIA is easier than Cleveland to MIA, I'd guess.)

[wemjam]

4 minutes ago, BlerkOne said:

If you miss the embarkation, don't plan on being able to join the cruise at the first port.

 

Any alternate airports you could drive to, or what about Fort Lauderdale to fly into?

Great suggestion BlerkOne!  We use FLL all the time because they offer later flight times in the evening (like 8pm) and we can fly out the night before after work.  Transfers aren't that much more either.

[vacruisin]

1 minute ago, ColeThornton said:

 

At the risk of being the geeky definition guy I think it's important to define what a "direct" flight means in airline terms:

 

"Nonstop flights take you from one airport to another without stopping. Board the plane, buckle your seatbelt, and the next time you touch ground you have reached your destination. ... Instead, “direct” means that the flight number doesn't change, even as the aircraft may make one — or more — stops"

 

Cheers.   🙂

You are correct.  I should have said "non-stop" instead of direct.  Thanks   👍

[luvcruzing]

According to news reports, American Airlines canceled hundreds (one headline said thousands) of flights in July. I would feel a lot better flying in day of if it were Delta.

[BlerkOne]

1 minute ago, luvcruzing said:

According to news reports, American Airlines canceled hundreds (one headline said thousands) of flights in July. I would feel a lot better flying in day of if it were Delta.

Southwest also canceled lots of flights. Computer and staffing issues with both, but I think they are better now.

[kennystwin]

It's always safest to be there the day before, but I've done several day of cruise flights before and have never missed a cruise. (I have decades of business travel experience so I have experienced all sorts of disruptions.) I have three recommendations that may help:

1. Have a plan B, C, and D. Make sure you consider multiple carriers and multiple airports. If you are going to have to make connections, have a plan B, C, and D for those as well.

2. Book through Carnival's Fly2Fun. They offer some promises of protection, but reviews are weak. Still, if you need help, it's better to work with someone that understands making a cruise. (Not Carnival, but HAL did a great job moving me to another carrier after a weather cancellation a few years ago. The original carrier was only interested in getting me on a later flight).

3. Look at travel insurance options to see what coverage would be available if things go south.

 

Odds are things will run pretty much as planned, but be prepared.

[Elaine5715]

6 minutes ago, luvcruzing said:

According to news reports, American Airlines canceled hundreds (one headline said thousands) of flights in July. I would feel a lot better flying in day of if it were Delta.

Exactly

[jsglow]

3 minutes ago, BlerkOne said:

Southwest also canceled lots of flights. Computer and staffing issues with both, but I think they are better now.

That's why 'day before' is so much better.  Our cruise in 2019 sailed on a Sunday and we planned to fly Saturday, about 3p.  Early in the morning everything was fine but by 10a our flight got cancelled.  Got on the phone and the wonderful Cust Service Rep successfully re-routed us.  The key is, that person still has to be ABLE to do that meaning he/she has options.  Our alternate was a PIA but it worked!

[skrufy]

1 hour ago, FiremedicMike151 said:

Family drama has prompted me to try to book a last minute cruise for my wife and I. 

 

Our options for flights aren't great, as she works until 7p on the night before the cruise.  There is a flight at 7:15, so she could possibly get coverage and we could do that.  There's another flight the next morning (day of the cruise) which arrives in Miami at 12:40pm.\

 

Actually I just found a third option, a direct flight from my airport to Miami with American which arrives in Miami at 9:30am (day of cruise)

 

 

How risky is the flight on the day of the cruise?  It's august, unlikely to get weather delays..

 

It’s always risky to fly the day of your cruise. Throw out the 1240 flight, much too risky. The 930 flight gives you more of a chance to survive any delays. Take the 715 the night before, get a good nights rest and enjoy your cruise. One rule I follow when flying. Skip all connecting flights, especially if you fly day of cruise. Eliminates one area you can get delayed. Florida summer weather is unpredictable. Thunderstorms pop up out of nowhere. Can be very heavy at times. They could delay air traffic for a period of time.

[I Luv Crusin]

I have flown in the day of when there were many flight choices like from DCA to MIA, at the time there was a flight almost every hour.  My sister and I are cruising out of Port Canaveral in 4 weeks for a short "cheap" cruise and we were going to fly in that morning.   Then I started hearing the horror stories mentioned above, so we re-booked the day before.  Our cruise is not a cheap trip anymore(transfers, hotel, meals, etc) but we have a chance to make the ship!