Port of Miami to MIA - Is this flight time reasonable?

[PassionFruit]

We are on the May 14 sailing of RCL Explorer of the Seas. There are 8 of us. I have found RT airfare for $200/person from Austin, TX. We are scheduled to arrive into MIA on the day the cruise leaves at 11am. I feel like we will be ok to get to the port by 2:30 for a 4:00 sailing. My real question is the return:  the flight leaves MIA at 10:26am. If we carry our own luggage off, will we be able to make that flight? If we don't make that one, the times and prices are much, much worse for other flights. It looks to me like the ship docks at 7am.

 

Thanks for the help.  It feels like ages now since we've cruised, so relying on past experiences/memories is a little foggy to me.  

[CruiserBruce]

The later flights are more expensive because there is greater demand for them, as most cruise pax wouldn't try a 10:26 flight. Very tight, particularly rounding up a group of 8. No way would I try it.

 

Of course, it is extremely rare I would fly in the day of a cruise, but your situation there is fairly solid.

 

You will see the ground logistics of flights scheduling discussed most commonly on the Florida Departures board.

[kelkel2]

On a perfect day, yes you could do that flight. But It’s going to be extremely stressful and any delays at all aren’t going to happen. I can say confidently in the past (pre-covid) we have been at the airport with self assisting our luggage in plenty of time to make that flight. But gosh I’d be so stressed out! 

[Hlitner]

We agree with Kelkel, but have found that the early flights are generally not worth the anxiety.   As long as you carry off your own luggage, and there are no debarkation delays (sometimes caused by CBP)....you should be OK.   On the other hand, just last Monday we took a hotel shuttle over to DFW and arrived 3 hours before a basic domestic flight (to CLE).  The lines just to drop luggage (at AA) were over an hour long and I guarantee that some folks missed their flights.  The airport industry is now plagued with a surge of travelers coupled with an awful shortage of workers.  Most of the time the system works fine but there are also those times when there are significant delays at airports.   

 

Hank