Flight time

[serene56]

On 1/14/2024 at 7:31 PM, CruiseRQA said:

I will be the contrary poster here.

 

You can walk off with your own luggage in the morning.    Customs is not a slow as people are saying.  Call an Uber and you will be at the airport in 10 minutes.

 

1030 will be an easy flight to make.   We have a 940 flight out of FLL later in January and am not concerned about making it.  

  no checked bags?   your bags need to be checked  60 min before the flight        

 

[chisoxfan]

Go for it. It is a Sunday morning which helps (Saturdays are a nightmare). I am one of those guys who used to agree with the better to book later flights rather than sooner but frankly have had too much of my life wasted at crummy FLL. Even though I was an SWA  Premium flyer when you got to the airport 90 or 120 minutes before flight they won't check your bags which is very inconvenient.

Get off the ship ASAP and take a cab or Uber and you will be at the airport by 9AM. (hopefully your plane isn't canceled, you forgot your passport, the airline is on strike, everyone at TSA calls in sick ..... there are no certainties only probabilities). On the other hand maybe your 'safe flight' that leaves at 4pm gets cancelled and you can bemoan that you were at the airport at 9 and the 10:30 flight left on time.

On our trip this Sunday we are booked at 10:50. If there was an option an hour later maybe that would be perfect but based on past experience (and maybe Sunday football) we will 'live dangerously' based on past experiences here.  Good luck.

[MMsteffey]

I arrived Sunday 1/14 Terminal 29 from Reflection.  Walked off 7:30 am, no customs delay.  Facial recognition in place.  10:30 flight would have been easy.  My opinion is that if you are timely and have transportation to the airport arranged, great plan. 

[Z'Loth]

Having just cruised on the Celebrity Equinox and disembarked on Thursday, January 18th, this is my experience with using the Celebrity transfer to catch a scheduled 11:35 AM flight to DFW. I was assigned Group 4 which got off the ship at 8:10 AM, but the actual departure time was more around 7:55-8:00 AM. Including the time to travel through the terminal, pick up my suitcase, transfer my toiletries bag to my suitcase, go through customs, walk to the bus, wait to board the bus, board the bus, and then travel to the airport, the arrival time at the airport was 9:05 AM. The cost of the transfer was $18.95.

 

The good part is that FLL is extremely close to the cruise port. The bad part is that, in terminal 3, there wasn't any place outside of a restaurant to set up a laptop to do some work. 

[alexandria]

Can you make that flight?  Certainly.  Will you make that flight?  Probably, but maybe not.

 

The question is whether you are willing to accept the risk that you miss your flight.  If the ship is delayed returning to port or being cleared by authorities, if passengers are delayed disembarking or clearing customs, and/or traffic or other delays occur (including delays at the airport, like checking baggage or clearing TSA), then there is the possibility that you will miss your flight.  In order to arrive at your gate in time, everything has to go smoothly.  There is a reason that every airline recommends that travelers arrive at the airport two hours before a domestic flight.

 

As others have mentioned, taking a cab instead of Uber, having no checked bags and having TSA PreCheck or CLEAR will help you get to the airport and your gate faster.

 

However, if you are going to miss your flight, you must notify your airline before actually missing the flight.  Otherwise, you are a "no show" and the airline may not be willing to accommodate you on a later flight.  Then, if you do notify them ahead of time, the airline may either rebook you on a later flight or put you on standby. 

 

As others have noted, Sunday is a very busy travel day with many cruises returning and full departing flights from FLL.  Most airlines are filling their flights to full capacity and even overbooking.  So if you miss your flight you could find yourself waiting at the airport for many hours before getting a seat or even having to wait for a Monday flight.  If the airline you book has a limited number of flights from FLL to your home airport, your risk of an overnight delay is even greater.  Plus, if your return flight follows a day or two of IROPS even elsewhere in the system, without that confirmed seat you could be stuck at FLL even longer than one night.  And finally, depending on the airline and the ticket you book, changing your flight at the last minute may require you to pay any difference in fare which could add up to hundreds of dollars per passenger.

 

So it all depends on your risk tolerance.  Personally, I'd book a later flight and enjoy a nice leisurely breakfast onboard, avoid the mad rush to be off the ship early, and eliminate the risk, however small, that I miss an early flight and am forced to wait all day at FLL before they put me in a back row middle seat on the last departing flight with two connections only to get home at 2am on Monday!  But that's me.  You do what works for you!  🙂

[CruiseRQA]

Just off Apex on Sunday.   We had a 940am flight from FLL.   With that information Celebrity gave us a 7:15 time to walk off the ship with our luggage.   Fair number of people doing the same but the line kept moving and with the use of the facial recognition thing we were out of the Terminal by 7;40.   Called for an Uber (actually Lyft) and were on our way to the airport in 10 minutes.   Checked our bags outside the airport and with a short TSA line at 8am were at the gate by 8:30.    Several from our cruise were on that flight.  

[chisoxfan]

On Ascent return  Sunday1/28 and ship disembarkation could not have been easier. Sat in Retreat until walk off at 7:15 and luggage was waiting for us. Customs was a walk through with facial recognition. Lyft was a bit frustrating. Initially 8 minutes quoted, then after booking turned to 14 and then different cars assigned. We probably waited 30 minutes before pick up and the driver was across the terminal (said he was directed there). Frustration for us was being out so early when everything was wide open but by the time our car arrived traffic and passenger numbers were increased. Anyway we were at our gate around 9:15 for a 10:40 flight so ultimately no issue. For an early flight next time might arrange a car for less hassle. I also believe that Saturday AM would be busier based on our previous negative experiences.

[mahasamatman]

On 1/15/2024 at 9:41 AM, mrgabriel said:

Ideally, yes, but if you're rushing to get to a flight then this isn't going to happen.

 

Call when you get home. A New York cabbie ripped us off a few years ago. I contacted our credit card company and got half the charge removed, and also called the NY taxi bureau to file a report. It's even easier when they don't use the meter because they have no proof of the ride at all.