urshula

Thanks everyone for the feedback. Providing feedback for those who may have the same question.

To the original question, groups in different areas of the ship have different check in times. The higher level rooms and people with premium status can check in earlier than first timers or those with interior rooms. My "check in time" was from 1-3 for my group, but in the end, they allowed people to enter the boat until 4:30 for my 6:00 flight.

Knowing the probability of missing my flight, I looked into the cost of booking an earlier flight. The change fee was greater than my flight cost, so I would have lost everything I had spent. Additionally, the cost of flying from Wisconsin to Miami was the same as flying from Miami to Jamaica (our first stop). I decided that two days in Jamaica would be as great as spending the same two days at sea, and a much better use of my funds if I were to miss the boat.

Fortunately I made the cruise. In fact, I was already in a taxi at the time my flight was supposed to land. That said, due to heavy winds, we missed the stop in Jamaica. Had I missed my flight, I would have either had to buy two extra flights (one to Jamaica and one to Cayman Islands) or miss my cruise entirely.

If you're in my position and debating whether you should get the earlier flight or leave the day before, I definitely recommend it. I was lucky and everything went perfectly for me, but that's not a risk I'd recommend taking.

Hi all. First time cruiser here. I'm setting sail on an MSC Caribbean Cruise on Monday January 13. The cruise departs at 6 (18:00), so I booked a flight that lands in Miami at 2:03 thinking I'd be fine. I just checked my ticket and for some reason it says check in closes at 3:00 (15:00) instead of 4.

Is there a difference between the check in closing time and embarkation time? I spoke with a representative of the cruise who said it closes 2 hours in advance, but I'm wondering if I should book another flight. Leaving earlier would be tricky for childcare and transportation purposes, but it's much better than missing a cruise... I'd love any advice from experienced cruise-goers.