Transfer question from FLL advice

Going on our 6th cruise on Princess and our 5th out of FLL, but for the first time, we will be flying in the day of the cruise in November 2018. I know, I know - not ideal, but it was the cheapest & easiest option for us. (Yes, its EZAir) We arrive at FLL (hopefully) at 11:58 a.m. and are flying from the Southeastern area of US; so weather issues should be unlikely to delay us. Then again, we are connecting in ATL :rolleyes:

The question I have is whether we could alleviate any stress of getting to the ship by taking the Princess transfers? My husband, whose a bit of a worry-wart (I'm frankly shocked he's ok with our flights), thinks its worth it to do transfers, because the Princess reps would have us marked down. I understand that logic, especially if for some reason our flight is slightly delayed. But I also know that there's another Princess ship in port that day; so I worry about sitting on a bus for an hour waiting on others & then going to another terminal first to drop off other psgrs. Is that a valid fear? I presume the ship won't leave without us if we're on the bus and on our way, but I guess I just need guidance as to whether transfers are worth it for peace of mind or should we just grab a taxi from the line outside and go. Advice?

The combination of EZ Air and transfers means that Princess will get you to the correct ship before she sails, OR will get you to the next possible port. They'll help you if there is an airline issue, but they can't invent a plane and a flight if disaster strikes.

The issue of transfers vs. taxi/Uber/whatever is really minor. If it makes you feel better, go with Princess. It will cost a little more, but they will handle your luggage, etc. as well. Provided you get to FLL on time, they will get you to the right ship on time. Could you wait on a bus? Definitely. Will the ship leave while you are on a bus? No way.

A taxi or uber will be faster but transfers will be easier (no need to deal with luggage at cruise terminal)

Going on our 6th cruise on Princess and our 5th out of FLL, but for the first time, we will be flying in the day of the cruise in November 2018. I know, I know - not ideal, but it was the cheapest & easiest option for us. (Yes, its EZAir) We arrive at FLL (hopefully) at 11:58 a.m. and are flying from the Southeastern area of US; so weather issues should be unlikely to delay us. Then again, we are connecting in ATL :rolleyes:

 

The question I have is whether we could alleviate any stress of getting to the ship by taking the Princess transfers? My husband, whose a bit of a worry-wart (I'm frankly shocked he's ok with our flights), thinks its worth it to do transfers, because the Princess reps would have us marked down. I understand that logic, especially if for some reason our flight is slightly delayed. But I also know that there's another Princess ship in port that day; so I worry about sitting on a bus for an hour waiting on others & then going to another terminal first to drop off other psgrs. Is that a valid fear? I presume the ship won't leave without us if we're on the bus and on our way, but I guess I just need guidance as to whether transfers are worth it for peace of mind or should we just grab a taxi from the line outside and go. Advice?

I would go with the Princess transfer. They will be expecting you and get you to your ship one way or another. A cab might have a problem that could cause a delay in getting to the ship.

The fastest and cheapest option is to grab a cab. You are using EZ Air so if you encounter a ground delay in Atlanta (thunderstorms at this time of year) you can notify Princess, not that they can do anything for you in terms of speeding things up.

Frankly, I would go with a cab, but we haven't flown in the day of the cruise since 2004. I would not have any fingernails left if we did.

That being said, if for some reason you and your luggage are separated (this happened to us with messed up flights getting to Copenhagen...long story) with a Princess transfer they will hang in there with you to fill out the missing luggage paperwork with the airline and track it, perhaps even (if you are lucky) getting it to the ship before you sail. And if your flight lands late but before the ship is due to sail, there will likely be a few other passengers on the same plane and the Princess reps at the airport are going to do their best to load everyone up and hustle them on to the waiting ship. Make him happy and do the Princess transfers, I don't think you will be sitting on a bus waiting for an hour at that time of day, you likely could if you landed at 9 am. The added benefit is you get to just get your checked baggage to the Princess check in point and they bring it to your cabin. No dropping it with the porters at the pier. You will save time that way.

We fly from ATL to FLL the day of the cruise and land right about 12-1 pm. We always just grab a cab and we are at the port about 10-15 minutes later. Done.

Going on our 6th cruise on Princess and our 5th out of FLL, but for the first time, we will be flying in the day of the cruise in November 2018. I know, I know - not ideal, but it was the cheapest & easiest option for us. (Yes, its EZAir) We arrive at FLL (hopefully) at 11:58 a.m. and are flying from the Southeastern area of US; so weather issues should be unlikely to delay us. Then again, we are connecting in ATL :rolleyes:

 

The question I have is whether we could alleviate any stress of getting to the ship by taking the Princess transfers? My husband, whose a bit of a worry-wart (I'm frankly shocked he's ok with our flights), thinks its worth it to do transfers, because the Princess reps would have us marked down. I understand that logic, especially if for some reason our flight is slightly delayed. But I also know that there's another Princess ship in port that day; so I worry about sitting on a bus for an hour waiting on others & then going to another terminal first to drop off other psgrs. Is that a valid fear? I presume the ship won't leave without us if we're on the bus and on our way, but I guess I just need guidance as to whether transfers are worth it for peace of mind or should we just grab a taxi from the line outside and go. Advice?

Princess Transfer!

No stress/hassle is worth it in my opinion

Howard

A cab is around $20 for the two of you. I think the Princess transfer is $19/pp, but not sure. It certainly isn't $20 for the two of you. EZ Air gives you next port insurance if your flight is late. If it makes you more comfortable take the Princess transfer. You will be loaded on a bus, transferred to the ship and your luggage will show up in your cabin. It's only about $20 more.

I prefer to pay a premium for ease of mind but that's just me.

Normally I would just say a taxi or Uber would work fine but if you happen to be arriving the first weekend in November (actually anytime between October 31 to November 4) traffic will be bad especially getting into the port near terminal 2 (the convention center) because of the International Boat Show. If that's the case I would go with the Princess transfer.

Normally I would just say a taxi or Uber would work fine but if you happen to be arriving the first weekend in November (actually anytime between October 31 to November 4) traffic will be bad especially getting into the port near terminal 2 (the convention center) because of the International Boat Show.

If it were me on that weekend...

I would enter the port through one of the other entrances ... and drive through the port to terminal 2.

Technically, boat show attendees wouldn't be able to enter the port, so they can't really clog the

other entrances.

Wow, thanks for all the great advice! I think we'll do the transfers. I didn't think about the possibility of lost luggage. Luckily, there are two flights after ours from ATL that still get there by 3 p.m. so hopefully that won't be an issue. Even if we sit for a few minutes, I'll feel secure knowing Princess will get us there before sailing. Plus, I actually just rebooked our flights due to decrease in fares :D so I got a little extra $ to spare now!

FYI, we are sailing the second week of Nov, so no issues with boat show.

The combination of EZ Air and transfers means that Princess will get you to the correct ship before she sails' date=' OR will get you to the next possible port. They'll help you if there is an airline issue, but they can't invent a plane and a flight if disaster strikes.

 

The issue of transfers vs. taxi/Uber/whatever is really minor. If it makes you feel better, go with Princess. It will cost a little more, but they will handle your luggage, etc. as well. Provided you get to FLL on time, they will get you to the right ship on time. Could you wait on a bus? Definitely. Will the ship leave while you are on a bus? No way.

 

A taxi or uber will be faster but transfers will be easier (no need to deal with luggage at cruise terminal)[/quote']

 

I agree because things can go wrong.

Wow, thanks for all the great advice! I think we'll do the transfers. I didn't think about the possibility of lost luggage. Luckily, there are two flights after ours from ATL that still get there by 3 p.m. so hopefully that won't be an issue. Even if we sit for a few minutes, I'll feel secure knowing Princess will get us there before sailing. Plus, I actually just rebooked our flights due to decrease in fares :D so I got a little extra $ to spare now!

 

FYI, we are sailing the second week of Nov, so no issues with boat show.

We now have photos of our checked bags in our phones, just in case...…..yes, the luggage had my wedding dress in it.

There is no advantage to using a cruise line transfer at FLL. In fact, there are a few disadvantages including the cost and the likelihood that you will be waiting around the airport until they fill up their transfer vehicle. Uber is certainly the lowest cost option and even a regular taxi is cheaper (and much faster) then waiting for a transfer.

As to EZAIR, keep in mind that their only guarantee is to get you to the next port. They do not necessarily pay for your hotel, food expenses, or the missed days on your cruise. There is an irony about EZAIR. On many European cruises if you miss the ship it will be relatively easy to catch-up the following day. But in the Caribbean or Alaska you might be more likely to have 1 or 2 sea days and getting to some of the ports can be difficult.

Hank

 

As to EZAIR, keep in mind that their only guarantee is to get you to the next port. They do not necessarily pay for your hotel, food expenses, or the missed days on your cruise. There is an irony about EZAIR. On many European cruises if you miss the ship it will be relatively easy to catch-up the following day. But in the Caribbean or Alaska you might be more likely to have 1 or 2 sea days and getting to some of the ports can be difficult.

 

Hank

Your travel insurance may or may not pay for those things like hotel, food, and missed days depending on the "fine print" in the contract.

I'm a worry-bird and would go with the Princess transfers! I wouldn't ordinarily in Ft. Lauderdale, but under those circumstances, definitely yes.

Going on our 6th cruise on Princess and our 5th out of FLL, but for the first time, we will be flying in the day of the cruise in November 2018. I know, I know - not ideal, but it was the cheapest & easiest option for us. (Yes, its EZAir) We arrive at FLL (hopefully) at 11:58 a.m. and are flying from the Southeastern area of US; so weather issues should be unlikely to delay us. Then again, we are connecting in ATL :rolleyes:

 

The question I have is whether we could alleviate any stress of getting to the ship by taking the Princess transfers? My husband, whose a bit of a worry-wart (I'm frankly shocked he's ok with our flights), thinks its worth it to do transfers, because the Princess reps would have us marked down. I understand that logic, especially if for some reason our flight is slightly delayed. But I also know that there's another Princess ship in port that day; so I worry about sitting on a bus for an hour waiting on others & then going to another terminal first to drop off other psgrs. Is that a valid fear? I presume the ship won't leave without us if we're on the bus and on our way, but I guess I just need guidance as to whether transfers are worth it for peace of mind or should we just grab a taxi from the line outside and go. Advice?

Lyft