flying in same day as cruise

[tcha]

Does anyone have an opinion about flying into Tampa arriving at noon for a ship that leaves at 4:00? We have a 30 min layover in Atlanta. This cruise is in April, so weather shouldn't be an issue. Thanks!

[Globaliser]

Put together, all too tight IMHO - unless you don't mind any one glitch making you miss the cruise.

[wrp96]

Flying in day of? Don't advise it.

 

Only a 30 minute connection at Atlanta? Don't advise it.

 

Combine the two - no way!

 

If you have to fly in day of, then you need a much, much longer connection time to even give yourself a chance of making the cruise.

 

Also, flying in day of, I would give yourself at least 4 hours between the time you land and the last time you have to be onboard the ship. For a 4pm departure, that would be 2:30 (for RCCL or HAL) or 3:00 (for Carnival).

 

And weather can definitely be an issue in April - I've had more flights diverted or cancelled due to spring thunderstorms than winter weather.

[paul929207]

You are even thinking about flying in the day of the cruise with 30 minute layover in Atlanta??

 

Make sure you have info on flights to the first port. You are very likely to need it.

 

Did you get insurance? If not, it will cost you to catch up with the ship.

[DougYWG]

Your faith in the airlines is touching and totally misplaced. Are you out of your mind?

[SkystheLimit]

30 minutes is not a legal connection in ATL. So, don't even consider that itinerary.

 

As stated by others, April weather can be very volatile. ATL in particular has pretty ferocious spring storms.

 

Would definitely recommend traveling a day ahead of departure. If not feasible, travel as early in the day as you can with a 1:00 to 1:30 minimum in ATL for the connection.

 

There is frequent service to TPA from ATL. However, the flights are heavily booked most of the time. So, if you miss your connection, there may not be many options available for rebooking on the same day.

 

Give yourself as much leeway as possible.

[alcpa1]

Ditto the 30 minute layover. 45 minutes is the "legal" layover for Delta and your transit time in Atlanta could involve at least a 15-20 minute hike between flights. If you are on an RJ you will arrive or leave from gate 33 on either the C or D concourse. Unless your next flight is departing from the same concourse you will walk to gate 18/19 and take the escalator to the train and on to your next concourse and next gate.

I would not schedule anything less than an hour and if you cannot fly in the day before you do need to be aware that you will probably not make your connection and thus more than likely not arrive at the port in time to check in for the cruise. Homeland Security dictates the boarding time now, not the cruise lines and there is no flexibility in their game plan.

We use Atlanta as our home airport and fly to Tampa often. Tampa is also subject to thunderstorms in April.

If you have booked your flights you should rebook.

My guess is you are flying Air Tran, thus the 30 minute layover, which is legal but still not wise. Air Tran can fly out of C or D. I do not think Air Tran has an agreement with any other airline so you would have no other options than the flights they offer.

Most airlines require you to be onboard 15 minutes before take off. Don't forget once you land and taxi to the terminals you still have to exit your flight and make it to the next gate.

I don't know which runway you will land on but the newest runway is a good 10-15 minute ride to the terminal.

Please rethink your travel plans.

[kenish]

On top of what others have said, the weather in ATL may be beautiful. But the plane that flies ATL-TPA has to first fly to ATL from somewhere....what if "somewhere" has weather problems or ATC delays? Since the departure out of ATL is mid-day, the aircraft will have flown 1-4 flights already, each one a chance to accumulate delays.

 

Coincidentally a website today listed "Top 10 Travel Myths". One of them was- "If an airline messes up, they will help make things right"

[Keith1010]

If your schedule permits then we always recommend flying in the day before the cruise.

 

 

There are too many things that can go wrong when flying in the day of the cruise. Your flight could be canceled or the flight could be delayed significantly due ot weather or mechanical issues or due to a security breach at the airport or anything else.

 

As an FYI on the day of embarkation you are required to check in 90 minutes prior to the cruise. So you must check in by 2:30 PM.

 

On top of this your connection time is not enough in Atlanta.

 

My recommendation is to fly in the day or night before and if you have no choice to fly in the day of the cruise to get a flight that has a sufficient connection and gets you in much earlier that morning. Again, I would avoid the latter if at all possible and fly in the day/night before.

 

Keith

[zebra36]

As others have noted a 30 min connection time at ANY airport is cutting it close. I have always flown in on the day of cruise and have never had a problem, however, I have always managed to get nonstop flights. One of these days my luck(?)may run out but I generally do not have thousands of dollars at risk and so far consider myself to be ahead cost wise.

[flhokie]

Everyone else is exactly right about a 30 minute connection and 12:00 arrival cutting it way too close. Could things work out yes, but if even one small thing goes wrong you will not make the cruise. Yes, winter weather might usually be an issue where you live or in Atlanta in April, but it could still be an issue other places (thus, affecting your flight). Besides winter weather, there are plenty of other things that can cause flight delays...other weather (fog, storms, etc.), mechanical problems, air traffic control issues.

 

If you do try to make this work, do not check any luggage. Even if you were to make the connection, chances are very good that you luggage wouldn't (since there would only be a couple of hours for the luggage to make it on a later flight, chances are you would be without your luggage for at least the first few days of the cruise).

[eandj]

We avoid Atlanta like the plague. Have missed two flights from there in the past. Just too stressful. And 30 min? :eek: I'd need tranquilizers!

 

I think it's funny you're worried that arriving in Tampa at noon for your ship is okay. You skimmed over the layover in ATL....which IS the big concern.

[tcha]

YIKES everybody. We did look at Air Tran with a 30 min layover. We leave from Norfolk and have thought about several options... so far the consensus is us 1 CC 11. Thanks for the warnings. I guess I think because it's on the paper, it will happen. We'll look at other options. How far from the airport is the port?

[alcpa1]

The pier is not that far but everyone is going to jump back in because at any given moment the boarding time could change. As I noted it is not under the control of the cruiseline and if there is another G-d forbid you may have to board even earlier. I know it such a hassle getting to a cruise but if you plan wisely you will be prepared to board at a reasonable hour and get in the cruise mode.

[zebra36]

TCHA,

Just a note of caution: Just because the airline schedules the connection does not mean it is going to happen especially with a 30 min window. An exterme example on my part: I recently had a flight schedule change which showed a 5 min. connection time. We all knwow that it is impossible to make such a connection but my point is the airline scheduled it and nobody from the airline gave it a second thought. I did reschedule the flights but you should seriously look at booking something with a little more time between flights especially, as noted, if you want your luggage to arrive with you. GOOD LUCK with your plans.

[silentbob007]

I had a 45-minute layover in ATL for a day-of connecting flight set to arrive at 10. In Indianapolis we loaded onto the plane just fine, then sat there for an extra 30 minutes because of "difficulties" that turned out to be that a door was registering as open somwhere. They finally figured out where, shut it, and we were off (and actuallly arrived on time), but that was a simple problem with a flight that was originating that day from Indianapolis. I had to switch terminals and ended up sitting down at my second gate for about 10 minutes before they started boarding the next flight.

[tcha]

Thanks, everyone! I appreciate all the feedback. I will make the flights the day before or just not go. It is not worth it to miss a cruise just to save a few bucks on hotel expenses.

[wrp96]

For hotel recommendations go to the Florida departures board and you should get some good recommendations. http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=495 Also, some recommendations on Priceline bidding which can be a great option to get an inexpensive hotel in Florida.

[cruiserbryce]

we try to fly in the day before the cruise. Gives us an additional day of vacation and a cushion just in case. While weather isnt an issue with you connection there are plenty of other potential issues that are out of your control...flying in a day in advance just seems like a better idea if its possible for you

[tcha]

Thanks to all for the help in planning the flight. We did book a flight on Air Tran from Richmond at 6 am that arrives in Tampa at 10 am on Sun April 12. I plan to have EVERYTHING that I need on a carryon. (Did I mention the 1 hr layover in Atlanta?) We did buy ins and will hope for the best.

[Dpeeps]

Good choice....flying in the day prior.....altho we have never had problems going thru atlanta and have done it the past 4 years....we always fly in a day or more in advanced....plus it gives it an extra day on our vacation! :) Lot less stressful!

[alcpa1]

If everything goes well 1 hour in Atlanta with Air Tran should be fine. You have a nice cushion with the day prior flights and you can enjoy Tampa too! What a great way to start your vacation.

[Cuizer2]

Does anyone have an opinion about flying into Tampa arriving at noon for a ship that leaves at 4:00? We have a 30 min layover in Atlanta. This cruise is in April, so weather shouldn't be an issue. Thanks!

 

As a general rule I would advise against flying into the port on the day the ship leaves. That said ...

 

1) 30 minutes in Atlanta is the minimum. Unless you get lucky and your flight leaves from the gate next door.

 

2) So what happens if for any number of reasons your first flight is 15 minutes late?

 

3) Perhaps weather should not be a problem - but it could be. Where are you flying from?

 

4) What if for any number of reasons (mechanical for example) your flight gets canceled. Is there another flight the same day that will still get you to the port on time? Remember, you have to check in 90 minutes prior to the sail time, which means you have to be there by 2:30pm.

 

5) Anything can happen to delay your flight and you will miss the ship. And in the airline business that happens all the time. Even an 80% on time performance is still a one in five chance that you will have a problem. All this to save one night's hotel stay.

 

I recommend you fly in the day before.