Time to get to airport - docking 7 AM in Lisbon on 11/4! Flight is 10:05 AM

[bradatbradruben]

Hi - I saw that we dock in Lisbon @ 7 AM. Stupid me, I thought we would be able to get off the ship then! Our flight back to the US is at 10:05 AM out of Lisbon. We are flying business class but I'm looking for advice on when we might be able to get off the ship and how to get off early? Should we keep our bags in our cabin?

 

Thanks for any advice and help, much appreciated!

[Techno123]

We did the same in Copenhagen - docking at 7:30am and flight at 10:10am

 

we talked to the staff in Seabourn Square who said to keep our bags and wait by the gangway at about 7:20. We were first off at 7:25 and in the airport by 8:15 BUT we were very lucky they don't guarantee that the ship will be customs cleared even if it docks on time.

[skybluewaters]

Way too risky. 

 

Many things can go awry, including weather, customs, availability of transportation, local traffic, issues at the airport, etc.

 

You might get lucky and make it on time, maybe you'll be lucky 75% of the time, but you have to be comfortable with knowing that getting to your flight on time is out of your control and you have to be willing to accept the consequences of missing your flight, risk vs benefit.

 

Plus, do you really want to be worrying about this during your cruise?

 

I always go for flights after 12:00PM (domestic) and 1:00PM (international).

 

You can get yourself into a nice airport lounge (even if you have to pay for it) and have a relaxing time without the worry.

[Sunprince]

IMO, a 10:05am flight is risky. Will the ship dock on time? Likely. Will there be a delay for disembarkation (I.e. port worker strike or other issue)? Possibly.  If all goes well, getting to the airport in Lisbon is quick with the exception of some construction in the Lisbon waterfront area.
 

The problems arise once at the Lisbon airport (not my favourite).  It’s a convoluted multi step process to get to the gate.  You check in and drop bags, then do a pre security check. Then security but no fast track for business class. Then you go to a lettered “gate”, for an exit passport control check ( not sure why). Then you go to your actual gate (lettered and numbered), where you have to stand in line for another passport check to get a “blue dot” in order to board the plane (again, no idea why) So if you get to the airport by 8am, you can make it to your final gate on time. BUT if super busy, which it usually is in the morning, then you might not have time. Also, there is no time to stop in the business class lounge.  It’s not worth it anyway. The TAP/Star Alliance lounge is the worst I have ever encountered.

[bradatbradruben]

I want to thank everyone for their feedback on this. Hopefully this mistake doesn't bite me in the rear but I won't let it happen again. I was told the price to change the flight is huge! It may end up being cheaper to live in Lisbon!

[JodiandFrank]

1 hour ago, bradatbradruben said:

I want to thank everyone for their feedback on this. Hopefully this mistake doesn't bite me in the rear but I won't let it happen again. I was told the price to change the flight is huge! It may end up being cheaper to live in Lisbon!

Or, stay on board to Miami and fly home from there!

[bradatbradruben]

Great idea!

[Techno123]

It might be less for the cruise than another business class flight 😂

[tv24]

I would never book a flight that early in the morning after a cruise.  However I am a worry wort and get easily stressed.  A couple of other things to note:  The taxi ride to the airport will take a minimum of 30 minutes.  And as another has pointed out, the Lisbon airport is very busy and very crowded and things don't always work well there.  They simply have too much traffic.  Staying on board for the crossing is the best idea.  We will be on that crossing and are looking forward to it.  I think there is a lot of space and Seabourn may be able to sell you a stateroom at a reasonable price.

[LouChamp]

Aloha. I never book a flight before noon and in most instances before 2pm. I know as with me it depends on cost, departure and arrival points, flight availability and other factors. With all due respect I have been blessed to cruise since 1971 and cannot understand why we are so anxious to board and so anxious to leave 😂

[vslparis]

On 9/28/2023 at 12:33 PM, bradatbradruben said:

Hi - I saw that we dock in Lisbon @ 7 AM. Stupid me, I thought we would be able to get off the ship then! Our flight back to the US is at 10:05 AM out of Lisbon. We are flying business class but I'm looking for advice on when we might be able to get off the ship and how to get off early? Should we keep our bags in our cabin?

 

Thanks for any advice and help, much appreciated!

The best thing to do is make sure that the staff on board know what your flight time is.  Is a 10:05 am flight out too early for a 7am arrival, yes. However , that 7 am time is not necessarily the port arrival time , but clearance delays can happen. If keep making them aware of your restrictions , I have no doubt that they will do their best to get you off as soon as possible . You might want to have Plan B  in case you don’t make your flight ; especially if you are checking luggage.

[fdnycruiser]

On other thing you might want to check on, is how close to departure does the airline close the flight for check in. International flights usually close out early. Remember, aside from you going through security, all baggage gets scanned too.  Good luck !

[bradatbradruben]

Thanks - I'm thinking we might ship our bags back and only bring a carry on home to save some time. Right now it is too expensive to change the flight.

[JodiandFrank]

@bradatbradruben  That seems like a good plan.  We used Luggage forward for our cruise in May/June and we were quite pleased.  But, you can only pack clothing and shoes.  Check out their website.

[travel4b]

On 9/28/2023 at 3:17 PM, Sunprince said:

IMO, a 10:05am flight is risky. Will the ship dock on time? Likely. Will there be a delay for disembarkation (I.e. port worker strike or other issue)? Possibly.  If all goes well, getting to the airport in Lisbon is quick with the exception of some construction in the Lisbon waterfront area.
 

The problems arise once at the Lisbon airport (not my favourite).  It’s a convoluted multi step process to get to the gate.  You check in and drop bags, then do a pre security check. Then security but no fast track for business class. Then you go to a lettered “gate”, for an exit passport control check ( not sure why). Then you go to your actual gate (lettered and numbered), where you have to stand in line for another passport check to get a “blue dot” in order to board the plane (again, no idea why) So if you get to the airport by 8am, you can make it to your final gate on time. BUT if super busy, which it usually is in the morning, then you might not have time. Also, there is no time to stop in the business class lounge.  It’s not worth it anyway. The TAP/Star Alliance lounge is the worst I have ever encountered.

Agree with all of this.  Lisbon is a miserable airport to fly out of and having a business class ticket is of little help in making it easier.