Late flight into FLL day of cruise

[spielerin]

Will a 3:30PM arriving flight be too late to make a 5:00PM departing cruise?

I'm kind of stuck with this flight now, but if it's really tight I could fly w/o checking a bag since its only a 5 day cruise.

 

Thanks for any help.

[wrp96]

There is absolutely NO WAY you could make a cruise with that late of a flight. For a 5pm departure, you have to be onboard the ship no later than 4pm. And while Port Everglades is only about 10 minutes from FLL, you would have to be extremely lucky i.e. the flight would have to land extremely early for you to even have a chance of making the cruise.

 

For a 5pm departure, you should plan on a flight that arrives no later than 1:30pm.

[willysgrandma]

I second that - it is too late. Can't you fly in the day before?

[Bequia]

While an earlier flight would be nicer, I don't think you'll have a problem getting on the ship. (They'll even let you on after 4pm if you're running late) You'll be fine, have a great cruise. ;)

68

[megr1125]

if you are cruising this winter..and flying from the east coast, i would bet your flight will be late....i respectfully disagree with bequia. even if you are flying in perfect weather with no chance of snow.....your flight could still be late!:eek:

 

try changing if you can!

[monicajay]

I would be sooooooo stressed I would never think of this as a vacation. Even if I made it to the ship in time I would be a basket case. :eek:

 

If you can't find an earlier flight that day, leave a day early.

[Keith1010]

I saw a very similar post the other day.

 

In short, with a 3:30 PM flight you would likely not get there in time assuming you've checked in all your luggage.

 

But most importantly it is always a good idea to fly in the day before the cruise. There are too many things that can go wrong if you fly in the day of the cruise to cause you to miss your ship from delays due to weather, aircraft maintenance, airline computer malfunctions, FAA issues from their monitoring system to other issues, airport shutdowns due to a security breach, flight cancellations due to no apparent reason and the list goes on and on and on.

 

Keith

[Treven]

Ditto!!

 

With very few exceptions, this would apply no matter where you're flying from and where you are sailing from. The only time I didn't follow my preference was flying down to San Diego from Sacramento, the morning of my cruise. Southwest has flights to San Diego every hour, so I took the one at 10:00 in the morning and was in my cabin by 1.

[lvtotrvl1]

I have to agree that I don't think you will make it. Way to close for comfort.

[Bequia]

Will a 3:30PM arriving flight be too late to make a 5:00PM departing cruise?

 

While we all agree that arriving the day before is the way to go, the OP's question was if I arrive at 3:30pm can I make a 5pm departure.

The answer to the OP's question is YES, if you arrive at 3:30 pm you can make the 5pm departure.

79

[spielerin]

Yes, I VASTLY prefer flying in the day before. This is NOT an option for me. I am stuck with flying in the same day from the Northeast in winter and having to drive 2 hours to the airport--not a situation I am looking forward to! I merely needed to know if this was doable or whether I would be faced with change fees and higher airfares to make my cruise.

Thanks to those that actually addressed my question.

[Bequia]

I hope all goes well for you. Let us know how you make out.

[chickdi]

Yes, I VASTLY prefer flying in the day before. This is NOT an option for me. I am stuck with flying in the same day from the Northeast in winter and having to drive 2 hours to the airport--not a situation I am looking forward to! I merely needed to know if this was doable or whether I would be faced with change fees and higher airfares to make my cruise.

Thanks to those that actually addressed my question.

 

 

Is it a connecting flight?...if your first flight is delayed....you may miss your connecting. If it is a direct flight, and it is delayed, it doesn't leave you much of a window :(

 

If they don't let you on the ship or you miss it - will you have to go to the next port?

 

I wish you the best of luck and I hope you can make it!

[wrp96]

While we all agree that arriving the day before is the way to go, the OP's question was if I arrive at 3:30pm can I make a 5pm departure.

 

The answer to the OP's question is YES, if you arrive at 3:30 pm you can make the 5pm departure.

 

 

 

 

79

 

Umm, it depends on the cruiseline. Celebrity has just altered their policy so that you must be checked in at least 90 minutes before departure. So if the OP is sailing Celebrity and doesn't even arrive at FLL (much less at Port Everglades) until 3:30 for a 5pm departure, then they will be too late for their cruise.

[tomko2]

When it states that the plane will arrive at 3:30 does that not mean that deplaning starts then; IMHO, it means the plane is at the gate but then time ticks away while the ramp is put in position etc. before the doors can open and then the unloading of passengers starts.

If I were the OP I would expect to miss my cruise and accept that and take the risk or I would work like crazy with the airline to reschedule the flight to earlier in the day or a day earlier.

Terrible amount of stress to deal with at the beginning of a vacation.

:(

Kathy