Jump to content
Cruise Critic Community

I think my husband is crazy

Grumpella

By Grumpella,
in Norwegian Cruise Line

 Share

Recommended Posts

TrueNorth74

TrueNorth74

Posted
Posted

“If all goes well”…famous last words 😁

 

Literally all of these things have to go exactly right to make it to the ship on time…

 

  • No weather delays in the Northeast in January, and also wherever the plane is coming from
  • In fact, no flight delays of any kind
  • No delays getting off the plane
  • No delays at baggage claim
  • No problems getting transportation to the port
  • No traffic jams

 

I’d rather spend the money to go a day early and be unpacking in my cabin at 3:30 😎 Can’t put a price on peace of mind, especially at the start of a vacation.

  • Like 3
  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites
mking8288 "Live from...." Rare

mking8288

Posted
Posted

ATL has been high up on this misery map - gives you a good snapshot of major hubs across the country, #2 behind DEN today (stats maintained & based of ATC data by Flightaware)

Not pretty - JFK and LGA (and EWR) actually not doing too bad this time as this massive system just missed us and further north. 

 

https://flightaware.com/miserymap/

Link to comment
Share on other sites
PATRLR

PATRLR

Posted
Posted
10 hours ago, wcook said:


70% of flight horror stories include that phrase. 

6 hours ago, ChiefMateJRK said:

Didn't you mean DFW?  (or, any other American hub)

Us United flyers would say "Did you mean IAD", or post Continental merger, "Did you mean EWR". 😉

 

  • Haha 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites
PATRLR

PATRLR

Posted
Posted
11 hours ago, wcook said:

For what it’s worth, I flew BDL -> SJU yesterday. As I’m sure the news reports pointed out, it seemed like half the flights in the country were cancelled or delayed.

Having grown up in greater Hartford and now living equidistant between BDL/BOS/PVD, I've flown out of BDL a lot and PVD and BOS quite a bit.  I don't know what it is about BDL, but, I'm struggling to remember a BDL specific weather cancellation that impacted me.  I can think of many at PVD and BOS.  

  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites
KmomChicago "Live from...." Rare

KmomChicago

Posted
Posted
14 hours ago, Sailing12Away said:

Just curious why you were looking at such a late flight. Surely there had to be other options that were still flying in on the day of, but not cutting it so close as a compromise.

 

Hartford (Bradley International) is a small airport. Looks like Frontier is the only airline with a daytime flight at all to San Juan. . . JetBlue does them but looks like later in the day so you are back to the overnight in the port departure city again.

 

In fact it looks like morning flights are in short supply at that airport across the board. So the answer is, no, there is no earlier flight to San Juan direct from Hartford each day and this is the only flight remotely possible to avoid the overnight. 

 

Larger airports would have more options, certainly. Logan in Boston is less than a 2 hour drive from Hartford and LaGuardia is just a bit over that, but I am sure it's a miserable drive to either, and anyway with the weather issues at that time of year, if it were me, I would just suck it up with the flight the night before in exchange for the massive convenience of using an airport right near the house, not have to park for days at the airport at an extra cost, not having that additional stress, not having to get back on the road when you land after it's all over, etc. (we are far enough from Chicago that getting to either airport is a significant extra stressor on top of any cruise).  

Link to comment
Share on other sites
LandlockedCruiser01

LandlockedCruiser01

Posted
Posted (edited)

I think "presumptuous" is more suitable than "crazy".  That is, he assumes that everything is hunky-dory, and that the world is a fully of cuddly puppies and rainbow-farting unicorns. 

 

Well, it's not!

 

Airlines delay or cancel flights at the drop of a hat, and suffer no consequences for it.  Weather can throw a monkey wrench into plans any time it wants.  Stupid drivers can mess up even a 15-minutes trip to the airport.  There are so many things that can easily go wrong, I can't even!  $150+ for a pre-cruise hotel is peanuts compared to the peace of mind it gives you.  Think of it as insurance of sorts, an insurance against airlines' negligence.

 

I myself flew in to LA/Long Beach the day before my cruise, and had a blast.  I...

1. Stayed in a historic hotel, that was actually a refurbished ocean liner Queen Mary.

2. Had a fun conversation with two friendly ladies I met on a water bus on the way to dinner.

3. Tried an In-N-Out Burger, Animal-Style.  (Which is a big deal if you're from Chicago.)

4. Enjoyed a low-humidity climate for the first time in my life.

5. Ate breakfast at a small business owned by a US Air Force veteran.

6. Saw some new, interesting wildlife not found in the Midwest.

 

Other than the "friendly ladies" part, perhaps your husband can be convinced by a first-hand account of a fellow cruiser.  (See my "Day 0" portion of the Inspiration review.)

Edited by LandlockedCruiser01
Link to comment
Share on other sites
LandlockedCruiser01

LandlockedCruiser01

Posted
Posted (edited)
7 minutes ago, wcook said:


In LA? 🙂

In Long Beach.  By the pier and in city parks, to be exact.  I saw new birds and squirrels that I haven't seen around Chicago.  That said, the Florida wildlife from my past cruises was more interesting: I got to see pelicans.

Edited by LandlockedCruiser01
Link to comment
Share on other sites
Sailing12Away "Live from...." Rare

Sailing12Away

Posted
Posted
8 hours ago, KmomChicago said:

 

Hartford (Bradley International) is a small airport. Looks like Frontier is the only airline with a daytime flight at all to San Juan. . . JetBlue does them but looks like later in the day so you are back to the overnight in the port departure city again.

 

In fact it looks like morning flights are in short supply at that airport across the board. So the answer is, no, there is no earlier flight to San Juan direct from Hartford each day and this is the only flight remotely possible to avoid the overnight. 

 

Larger airports would have more options, certainly. Logan in Boston is less than a 2 hour drive from Hartford and LaGuardia is just a bit over that, but I am sure it's a miserable drive to either, and anyway with the weather issues at that time of year, if it were me, I would just suck it up with the flight the night before in exchange for the massive convenience of using an airport right near the house, not have to park for days at the airport at an extra cost, not having that additional stress, not having to get back on the road when you land after it's all over, etc. (we are far enough from Chicago that getting to either airport is a significant extra stressor on top of any cruise).  

Makes me appreciate my closeness to JFK I suppose. We typically go from front door to sitting at the airport gate in ~45 mins, and that includes a ~20min Uber ride. TSA precheck FTW!

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites
SunshineGal2022

SunshineGal2022

Posted
Posted
16 minutes ago, ChiefMateJRK said:

Yep.  I've been asleep at the wheel on this one, but recently learned it is only $78 for five years.  Well worth it.  We have the fingerprint appointments the first week in January.

I am hoping the $78 is their new price and it's not just a 2022 special.

 

We have a local Staples that is a TSA fingerprinting place and always has appointments open.  The plan is to head there this week.  I heard it can take 2 months or so to process the paperwork (or as little as 2 days), so we want to give it plenty of time.

 

I wanted to get Global Entry instead but there are not appointments available until the end of next year, if I am lucky.  That's probably a sign I don't need that one.  

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Sailing12Away "Live from...." Rare

Sailing12Away

Posted
Posted
3 hours ago, ChiefMateJRK said:

Yep.  I've been asleep at the wheel on this one, but recently learned it is only $78 for five years.  Well worth it.  We have the fingerprint appointments the first week in January.

My credit card with capital one gives it to me for free too.

 

As for our location, we're a mile from the cross island pkwy, so when traffic is kind it's a fast trip.

 

No one ever takes the van wyk unless they have to. Cue Seinfeld episode....

  • Like 2
  • Haha 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites
Travelling2Some

Travelling2Some

Posted
Posted

Our daughter and her husband were going on a simple non-stop from JFK to MIA in good weather to board a cruise and I still urged them to go a day early.  They booked their flight one day early so  you would think they had their bases covered sufficiently and nothing could go wrong.  However the airline managed to lose their luggage and, even with the one day buffer,  it arrived at the cruise terminal with only minutes to spare!

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites
Sailing12Away "Live from...." Rare

Sailing12Away

Posted
Posted
8 hours ago, RocketMan275 said:

Is there an annual fee with that card?

My chase card pays for Global Entry but there is a $550 annual fee.

I have the Capital one venture card, I think it's a $90 annual fee. It's the easiest card I've had to cash in rewards. I've gotten thousands back each year so well worth the cost. 

 

My previous card of choice was a Delta Amex. Good when you fly Delta, but a PITA to use points, plus horrible security (card # was compromised 3x without me ever losing my card).

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Please sign in to comment

You will be able to leave a comment after signing in



Sign In Now
 Share
Go to topic listing
  • Forum Jump
    • Categories
      • Welcome to Cruise Critic
      • New Cruisers
      • Cruise Lines “A – O”
      • Cruise Lines “P – Z”
      • River Cruising
      • ROLL CALLS
      • Cruise Critic News & Features
      • Digital Photography & Cruise Technology
      • Special Interest Cruising
      • Cruise Discussion Topics
      • UK Cruising
      • Australia & New Zealand Cruisers
      • Canadian Cruisers
      • North American Homeports
      • Ports of Call
      • Cruise Conversations
×
×
  • Create New...