Flying to port a day early to be safe?

[lesliej2006]

I live in Delaware and there should be no problem getting an early morning flight to Ft. Lauderdale for a cruise next March (ship sails at 4:30 in the afternoon). However, I do know one person that had a bad experience and missed their flight -- and you know how that goes.

 

So do most of you guys just fly to port the same day or go a day early and stay overnight in a hotel? Seems like a waste of time & money & a hassle but is it worth it just to know you have a big time buffer for problems?

 

Thanks for any advice!

[MajorGlass1]

We always fly in a day early. I highly recommend it. Most experienced cruisers usually do. It's always better to be safe than sorry.

[survivor]

Because we live in the northeast and you never can count on the weather,we always go at least one or two days early. We like to sightsee if we can and relaxe before our trip.For us having peace of mind and not having to rush to the ship is well worth the extra expense:)

[newmexicoNita]

I wouldn't consider flying in the day of the cruise unless there was some real reason for waiting. It is worth the extra bucks for a hotel. You can board the ship earlier, you can press some of the clothes that may have wrinkled from travel in your hotel room that morning, you can relax the night before and not be tired or stressed when you get on board, there is no worry about something going wrong (cancelled flight) delayed flights, etc and you get a good nights sleep instead of jumping up and leaving the house early for that morning flights. I can only remember 1 time we did fly out the day of the cruise. In fact some times we leave a couple of days ahead of time. NMnita

[RB Bonzo]

I agree and will add one more reason why we arrive a day early - - eat a leisurely breakfast and go to the port early enough to be among the first to board. We then make our specialty dining and spa appointments, make any dining room assignment changes that need to me made, etc.

 

We also get to start the vacation that much earlier!

 

And, sometimes we hook up the night before with folks with whom we've chatted on the cruise meet boards!

[Spikesgirl]

We always like to add at least one day or two onto the trip, especially if we're flying out of a foreign port. That way we get all the advantages of a leisurely breakfast, early, boarding and still get to poke around the city a little beforehand. The extra cost is so worth the ability to relax before boarding. Definitely think about it.

 

Charlie

[cruisingator2]

I always go at least one day early. Nice to get there and relax and start the vacation.

[CaptData]

You said it in your post, missed flight, delayed flight ect. Also if you caght a flight that is direct what time does it get in, 3:00 pm? You have 1 hr to make it to the ship. Oh, they lost a bag and it will take 2 hours for the next flight. Guess what you go on the ship without your clothes and hope that it catches up to you in two days time (first day is a sea day). I hope you like hand washibng every night. Darn, your bathing suits were in that bag along with your formal wear. All you have is the pair of shorts and t-shirt that you are wearing. Your wife make-up was also in that bag. Now you have a headache, oops the meds are in the bag too. What $100.00 for a blouse for my wife, $60.00 for my shirt. Pants for both $75.00 each. Make-up costs $100.00 to replace (but I'm worth it:rolleyes: ). Well we at least managed to borrow some shoes. Bathing suits were $80.00 each. Let's see the airlines will give us $50.00 for the whole bag. Did we buy insurance, NO, we never needed it beore. Even with insurance it is limited in most cases to less then $500.00. And you still need the ASA.

 

I always go a day ahead just in case something happens. I have a chance to get a replacement. The airlines smashed my scooter once. I had the whole day for them to get me a replacement.. They rented one because mine came from Canada. They did not have it there. When I got home I bought a new one and they reemburst me my costs.

[Step1]

Next month we are going out of Miami. We live in Florida about 4 hours from the port. I am going down the day before because even driving there can be delays. It is not uncommon for a bad accident on the turnpike to shut it down for hours, brush fires even can close down the roads. I don't want anything to get in the way of my cruise or cause any stress!!

 

Plus, I like the idea of starting a day earlier!!:D

[MizzouMary]

Two pieces of advice that I can pass along are: 1.) Buy cruise insurance and 2.) Go to your cruise port at least one day early.

 

We always go at least a day or two early. We flew from St. Louis to Miami on our first cruise back in 1993 and we swore we would never do that again! It was extremely stressful. It is definitely worth the extra travel expense to have the peace of mind. We are always anxious to go anyway, so we wouldn't get much sleep at home. Some of our best trips were because of time we spent pre and post cruise.

 

In Feb., we were on the Caribbean Princess and one of my husband's co-workers was on the same cruise. We had been on since around Noon. She decided to fly down the day of the cruise and made it to the ship within 10 minutes of departure. The ship actually departed an hour late due to the large number of passengers who were delayed due to the weather conditions. She had not made her reservations through the cruise line, so she was VERY lucky it departed late. She had left Kansas City very early that morning and it took her all day to get to Ft. Lauderdale. She told us she would never do that again.

 

You pay for that day anyway, so why not get on, have lunch, relax and get the most out of your hard-earned money?

[edste]

Another reason to fly out a day early is lost luggage. The airlines have lost mine twice and both time I didn't get it until the following morning. I don't know what would happen if I had flown in the day of the cruise. Fly early and get on the ship relaxed and calm.

[Cruisin' Chick]

If we're going out of San Pedro (about 50miles away), then we go in that day. Otherwise, we try to get in at least the day before so we can decompress, shop for whatever we need, allow for transportation problems getting in.

 

On my second cruise (the first one I flew to), I discovered right before the cruise that Carnival had booked us on a red-eye to arrive that morning. Part of the deal was that we would have gotten a hotel room. So I called the TA and insisted that it be changed so we get in the night before. We would have even added another day or so before, but I didn't have a ton of vacation days to spare. The next morning we saw some people that came in on that original flight -- and were booked into a "day" room to wait for the shuttle to the pier. They looked a little "bugged-eyed" so we were glad that we switched our flight.

 

And just remember, that even if you're going from a nice weather type of place to another, other airports with weather problems can still affect yor flight, as well as mechanical problems, labor problems and airline financial problems.

[LeslieSJ]

Thanks for all of the words of wisdom. After reading all of those posts I'm like what the heck was I thinking!?? Of course you need to go early in case of any of those reasons. Duh.

[mjt2890]

I buy insurance (not from the cruise, use http://www.insuremytrip.com and compare a lot) so I don't worry about it.

[LHP]

Even when we are driving (we live about 5 hours from New Orleans) to our ports, we go a day early.

 

There is no way I would fly in the day of any more. Years (and I do mean YEARS) ago, flying in the day of a cruise was just the thing you did.

 

However, flying today is a zoo. The planes are flying at capacity so if there is even some mechnical problem, there are not enough "extra" seats around to get "everyone" to the port.

 

It just isn't weather any more. The ONE time we flew in the day of (to San Juan) we booked our air through Carnival. Northwest had a 320 Airbus full of Carnival folks heading to that port that day that broke down. We were blessed to have been at the airport at 5AM and Jean (a Northwest agent to whom I will always be indebted) got us 4 first class seats on American. We made it with 30 minutes to spare and so did our luggage. But talk about stressed.

 

Sadly, many of those people did not make the ship until 2 days later.

 

Never again. I hate to fly to ports anyway...but sometimes you have to do it. Sadly, our cruise next month is one of those times. We had airline points that we had to use. We are flying in TWO days early!!!

[cruzluvers]

I live in Delaware .....

So do most of you guys just fly to port the same day or go a day early and stay overnight in a hotel? Seems like a waste of time & money & a hassle but is it worth it just to know you have a big time buffer for problems?

 

Thanks for any advice!

 

Leslie,

 

We agree with all of the comments above, bit would like to emphasize a few.

 

In Post # 5, the member mentions getting together for dinner with some of your Roll Call companions the night before the ship sails. We think the Roll Calls are the greatest feature of this website and if you are not participating in your's, (if there isn't one you can always start it which will give you the honor of being the "OP", i.e. the "Original Poster") we strongly urge you to do so. On our last cruise we had a pre-cruise dinner with two other couples we had been chatting with via Cruise Critic for several months. It was a great experience and we bonded with them for the balance of the cruise. There are many restaurants in every price category in Fort L.

 

In Post # 9, like those members we too are Floridians and, like them, we always travel to Ft. L and Miami the day before for the reasons cited. The two ports are 4 & 5 hours drive time away from our home - too far to risk trying to drive down the same day.

 

As mentioned in several posts, if you get to the ship early enough (we would suggest no later than 2PM) you can you can have lunch on-board. Also, as mentioned a few times, Fort L. does have some interesting attractions, many of which can be seen in a few hours. Check out a good guide book from your library or write to the Fort L. Tourist Bureau for more details. Some of the organized tours may even pick you up at your hotel (and drop you at the pier?) as well.

 

Finally, some of the cost of your lodgings may be off-set if the hotel that you are using offers complimentary shuttle service from the airport and to the pier. Many do offer this service.

 

Good Luck & Bon Voyage!!:)

 

Rhona & John :cool:

[barbarah33]

I always fly in a day early. I live in an area where snow is likely in the winter so it was only natural - I have actually needed that extra day of travel time on several occasions. Now, even when snow isn't likely as it isn't the season yet, I still go down a day or two or three early. I like to get to the departure port and relax for a day or two. That way when I get on the ship I am truly ready to start my vacation vs. using the first 24 hours to get in that 'vacation mind-set.'

 

On my last cruise I stayed a day after the cruise was done vs. coming straight home and loved that as well. For the cruise next month we have decided to add three days on to the end. We see it as a mini-vacation to recover from our vacation before heading back home to reality.

[wrp96]

In Post # 5, the member mentions getting together for dinner with some of your Roll Call companions the night before the ship sails. We think the Roll Calls are the greatest feature of this website and if you are not participating in your's, (if there isn't one you can always start it which will give you the honor of being the "OP", i.e. the "Original Poster") we strongly urge you to do so. On our last cruise we had a pre-cruise dinner with two other couples we had been chatting with via Cruise Critic for several months. It was a great experience and we bonded with them for the balance of the cruise. There are many restaurants in every price category in Fort L.

 

I definitely have to agree with this. For my next cruise a large group of us from our Roll Call are getting together pre cruise for dinner, saving money on transportation because we are going to the ship together, saving money on excursions because we are chartering a few excursions and the cost per person ends up being less.

 

As mentioned in several posts, if you get to the ship early enough (we would suggest no later than 2PM) you can you can have lunch on-board.

 

Not only that, when you are one of the first people to board it's like having an extra day on the ship. By the time everyone else boards, you could have:

 

eaten lunch

had multiple drinks of the day

made spa appointments, and in many cases had a spa treatment

made specialty restaurant reservations

swam in the pool

relaxed in the hot tub

unpacked your luggage

taken a nap

toured the ship

 

Rhona & John :cool:

 

I like your name!

[neighbour_lady]

We will be flying from Vancouver Canada to Miami in Nov for our cruise. We have 3 extra days in Miami before we head out on the cruise. We'll be relaxed, toured Miami and then get to the ship early in the day like others have suggested to spend the day there before the crowds arrive.

 

Added bonus, hoping our suitcases arrive with us, but it gives the airlines time to find them before the cruise too!!

[TJM001]

On our first cruise we were delayed getting out of Ottawa due to an airline foul-up and did not get to Fort Lauderdale until nearly 11 p.m. instead of 1 p.m. as originally scheduled. If we had not chosen to fly a day early, we would have missed our cruise.

On our other cruises we chose to go south two days early and consider it an extension to our vacations. Of course, it does increase the cost but is well worth it in our estimation both for the longer vacation and for the peace of mind provided because we were not not worried about missing the ship.