I made a 10:05 flight in FLL, but wouldn't recommend it ;)

[silentbob007]

See that's the thing ... many times you can make earlier flights, but there are so many variables out of your control. I think a lot of people read about getting to the airport by 8 and figure that an 9:30 flight will be no problem at all.

[Langley Cruisers]

... essentially giving me the full time, until 9:50 or so...

 

Thanks for sharing - glad you made it.

 

Sorry but a question, and in my ignorance I don't quite get it so please, no flames: for a domestic flight, doesn't one have to check in 60 minutes prior? I see you had no luggage to check, but at 9:50 am, 15 minutes before your scheduled departure and probably past the time when every passenger should be onboard the aircraft, wouldn't your seat already be given to someone on stand-by? I can't believe that someone could show up at the gate that close and still get on. :confused:

[silentbob007]

Thanks for sharing - glad you made it.

 

Sorry but a question, and in my ignorance I don't quite get it so please, no flames: for a domestic flight, doesn't one have to check in 60 minutes prior? I see you had no luggage to check, but at 9:50 am, 15 minutes before your scheduled departure and probably past the time when every passenger should be onboard the aircraft, wouldn't your seat already be given to someone on stand-by? I can't believe that someone could show up at the gate that close and still get on. :confused:

 

Perhaps my math didn't add up, but I was in the gate area by probably 9:30 or so. This was a Southwest flight , and they usually run a little tighter boarding sequence that probably started at bout 9:45 or so. I had already checked in online, and with no bags to check, this is all that needed to happen besides showing up on time. I believe most airlines mandate being at the gate 10 minutes before scheduled departure time (and recommend 30 minutes).

[lhall85917]

Thanks for sharing your experience. We have a 10:30 flight booked for our return home in April knowing full well that it might be pushing it. Based on past experiences, we have always been at the airport by 8:30 - here's hoping we can do the same thing this time!

[rollie]

Silentbob, I'm very interested to know how you went about getting your boarding pass while on board the ship. This really sounds like a great idea. We will be flying in and out of Fll next September for a cruise out of Miami. We have to use Fll, as it is much cheaper to fly into.

 

Rollie

[I Church]

Silentbob, I'm very interested to know how you went about getting your boarding pass while on board the ship. This really sounds like a great idea. We will be flying in and out of Fll next September for a cruise out of Miami. We have to use Fll, as it is much cheaper to fly into.

Rollie

 

But not easy to get out of with all the new Big Ships going out of Ft Lauderdale. When we sailed into there this year we reached the Ft Lauderdale airport about 10:30am (we had RCCL transportation). Our Northwest ticket was for 3:00pm. We had to sit on the floor with a huge crowd of people until 3 hours before our flight (noon) before we could even check in. Nightmare:eek:. Security did not want luggage piled together, each person had to be by their own luggage. All of this was before the mother of all ships the Oasis of the Seas. We are going on her but have now idea how it will be at the airport after the week aboard. It will be an experience I am sure, but would not have missed this cruise for anything. When we first started on the Cruise Critic message boards for the "Genesis" now Oasis ship the clock said 444 days until departure. Now that was a long time.

 

Irene & Miles

[Ocean Boy]

I had the opposite experience last Monday, getting off the Majesty and flying home from Ft. Lauderdale. Fearing all the potential problems...chaos and long lines to disembark, customs delay, etc. etc., I booked a flight at 11:40 a.m. As it turns out, I sped through everything. Did self disembarkation and was in line early so almost no wait, zipped through customs, BF's nephew was waiting with his car to take me to the airport, no line at the Delta kiosk to print boarding pass, no bag to check, and got through security in less than 5 minutes. Bottom line: I was at the gate at 8-something, so ended up sitting around with 3 hours to kill. Tried to get on the standby list for either of the 2 earlier flights but the gate agent wouldn't hear of it. Still better than frantically wondering if you're going to make your flight though!

 

I suspect that there is a big difference between flying on Monday vs. Saturday or Sunday. There are far less ships unloading passengers on Monday than either of the two weekend days.

[dulcimergirl]

Thanks for posting that, I have considered doing exactly that, but now, will leave more time both ways.

Theres something to be said for driving in the day before...lol

 

Great post. Sticky vote!

[silentbob007]

Silentbob, I'm very interested to know how you went about getting your boarding pass while on board the ship. This really sounds like a great idea. We will be flying in and out of Fll next September for a cruise out of Miami. We have to use Fll, as it is much cheaper to fly into.

 

Rollie

 

Hi Rollie, I got online the last sea day within 24 hours of my flight, checked in, and printed off my boarding pass. I used free internet minute from being a C&A past guest, but otherwise, I'm guessing it would have cost about $5 or so in time to get logged in and print at $.55/minute. Bear in mind however that online checkin is generally only a time benefit if you aren't checking baggage (though for SW you can get your place in line for their open boarding). Otherwise with almost all of the airlines I've used, you would still have to stand in the huge check-in lines in order to get your checked bags tagged.

[silentbob007]

I suspect that there is a big difference between flying on Monday vs. Saturday or Sunday. There are far less ships unloading passengers on Monday than either of the two weekend days.

 

I think it is a combination of timing as well. Mondays are always going to be the day that the 3-day weekend cruises unload in Miami. I believe a lot of them actually start debarkation at around 7 AM. By the time people get off the ship and then arrive at FLL from the Port of Miami, They would probably start arriving at 8 or 8:30. Since on this particular cruise the ship docked in FLL at 8, it created a situation where FLL and PoM passenger were arriving at the airport around the same time, made worst by the fact that 3 ships were debarking at FLL this particular Monday (which my also help explain why the ship was a little slower in being cleared).

 

I think a 10:00 AM flight is a less risky proposition when the ship docks at 7 as opposed to 8.

[bluegirlum]

I had the opposite experience last Monday, getting off the Majesty and flying home from Ft. Lauderdale. Fearing all the potential problems...chaos and long lines to disembark, customs delay, etc. etc., I booked a flight at 11:40 a.m. As it turns out, I sped through everything. Did self disembarkation and was in line early so almost no wait, zipped through customs, BF's nephew was waiting with his car to take me to the airport, no line at the Delta kiosk to print boarding pass, no bag to check, and got through security in less than 5 minutes. Bottom line: I was at the gate at 8-something, so ended up sitting around with 3 hours to kill. Tried to get on the standby list for either of the 2 earlier flights but the gate agent wouldn't hear of it. Still better than frantically wondering if you're going to make your flight though!

 

Last time we flew out of FLL, you could only go through security 2 hours before your flight. Is that still the case? We had 5 hours to kill there and it was torture. Complete nightmare. We will never fly through there again if we don't have to.

[Meiying]

I had the opposite experience last Monday, getting off the Majesty and flying home from Ft. Lauderdale. Fearing all the potential problems...chaos and long lines to disembark, customs delay, etc. etc., I booked a flight at 11:40 a.m. As it turns out, I sped through everything. Did self disembarkation and was in line early so almost no wait, zipped through customs, BF's nephew was waiting with his car to take me to the airport, no line at the Delta kiosk to print boarding pass, no bag to check, and got through security in less than 5 minutes. Bottom line: I was at the gate at 8-something, so ended up sitting around with 3 hours to kill. Tried to get on the standby list for either of the 2 earlier flights but the gate agent wouldn't hear of it. Still better than frantically wondering if you're going to make your flight though!

 

I don't know how you managed this. We got off the Majesty yesterday and waited in the self disembarkation line from 7:20 am to almost 9:00 am. We were shoulder to shoulder crammed into the little area by the elevators with about 300 other people. It was a nightmare.

 

On other cruises out of Miami, we have zipped right off and were in the car and home by 8:30 am. I think it's really the luck of the draw and can change with each cruise.

[Langley Cruisers]

I had already checked in online, and with no bags to check, this is all that needed to happen besides showing up on time.

 

Gotcha, thanks. :)

[woody73]

 

So the moral of the story, you ask? Well, first, add an hour to your "best possible" projection of getting off the ship and to the airplane. Second, don't be lured by an early flight ... they may be cheaper, but emotional stability is probably worth something too.

Good advice, thanks.

 

Woody

[ashleycrew]

I would much rather go through what you did versus sit in an airport for 3 hours. Looks like it worked out well. I have done several 10am flights out of Miami but you are a brave man for doing a 10am out of FLL. As stated above I would still rather do what you did versus sit in the airport all day.

[cruiserbryce]

glad you made it...but I probably wouldnt have tried it...we like to just take it slow the last day of the trip and rushing to make a flight that early wouldn't be all that much fun

[familycruzer]

Thanks for the post. I am now glad I took a flight at 12:45 instead of 10:15. I would rather wait around an airport than watch my plane take off without me.

[silentbob007]

I would much rather go through what you did versus sit in an airport for 3 hours. Looks like it worked out well. I have done several 10am flights out of Miami but you are a brave man for doing a 10am out of FLL. As stated above I would still rather do what you did versus sit in the airport all day.

 

I guess it's just a preference thing. With a 1 PM flight, I might be bored (though I make sure I have music, pictures to edit on my laptop, etc), but I prefer that to anxiety. To be honest, I only chose the anxious route because my travel companion absolutely had to get home earlier in the day and this was the only cheap flight before 5 PM.

[marci22]

Ok I had an 11:15am flight out of FLL on Continental and they just changed it to 10am. Scheduled arrival is 7am. What should I do now :(

 

Sunday morning arrival.

[marci22]

Since they cancelled my original flight they let me rebook a later one. Check your flights every so often because they seem to be changing a lot.

[silentbob007]

Since they cancelled my original flight they let me rebook a later one. Check your flights every so often because they seem to be changing a lot.

 

Definitely a good idea ... glad you could book a later one. I believe if their change is more than an hour or so they will let you change your flight without fee.

[zales]

Silentbob007, what do you think about checking in on the ship, plus luggage valet for a 11:15 flight out of FLL off of Oasis?

[marci22]

Silentbob007, what do you think about checking in on the ship, plus luggage valet for a 11:15 flight out of FLL off of Oasis?

 

I think you can only do luggage valet if your flight is at a certain time or after- 11:15am might be too early.

[Seatravelers]

We made 10:11 am flight Sunday from IOS with 2 hours to spare at the airport. Just never know. Would book it again to get home so early especially from 13 night cruise, imho.

[silentbob007]

Zales, as marci suggested, you'll definitely have to make sure that your flight time will be eligible for baggage valet. As for the rest, I'm not sure how debarkation on Oasis is/will be handled once she starts sailing at capacity.

 

Seattravelers, was the ship scheduled to arrive at 7? That is also going to make a big difference than mine which was 8.