What would you do?

[momva]

Next July, my extended family will be taking a HAL cruise out of Civitaveccia to celebrate my parents' 50th. My husband and I have booked our flights using frequent flier miles and will be "forced" to spend five nights post-cruise in London. We are very happy with our choice. The remainder of the family, 4 adults and a child, are trying to agree on flights. The only direct flight out of Rome to get them back to the DC area is at 11:10 am. When I called HAL, they recommended not taking a flight that would leave earlier than 5 hours after docking at 7am. Thus, according to HAL, they should not try to fliy earlier than noon. The only flights out of Rome that afternoon that could work would be on Iberia changing in Madrid or British Airways changing in Heathrow. Alternatively, they could spend a night in Rome and leave the next day but my sister isn't sure she wants the hassle of checking into a hotel for one night and may not have sufficient leave. What would you do? Take the direct flight at 11:10 and risk missing the flight? Is HAL's recommendation a good one or an overly cautious one?

[Hlitner]

HAs advice is reasonably cautious. We are pretty informed travelers (have spent a lot of time in Italy) and would probably take the risk. But, it is a risk and we would also check with the airline in question as to their policy if the worst does happen. As to Civitavecchia, it take approxmately 1 hour to get from the port to the airport. Most cruise ships dock in Civatavecchia very early (often before 6) and the Italian authorities usually clear chips within 20 min. We would probably arrange for a private transfer to the airport for about 7 am, and then use the express disembarkation option (this means you get off the ship first, but must carry your own luggage) which would get you to FCO in plenty of time. Of course your main risk is that the ship docks late for some reason (this is unusual in this port). And I guess there is always the possiblity of a major accident on the Autostrade that connects Civitavecchia to Rome. Having done more then thirty Med cruises we have learned to easy any worries by simply spending time in Europe both before and after any cruise and, in the case of morning flights out of FCO, we always spend that last night at the Hilton where can walk to the airport.

 

Hank

[maryann ns]

I would not take the risk. Notice that while Hank says this would probably work out, he does not take chances like this.

 

The Iberia flight sounds decent. I would avoid Heathrow for a stopover as it is so huge and often involves bussing to a different terminal.

 

Best of all would be to spend the day in Rome, but if they don't have the time I guess this is out.

[momva]

Thanks so much for you advice. I think they are going to look more closely at the Iberia option.

[baggal]

Normally I would say choose on the side of caution and select another flight or stay over another day. But there's less than an hour from the time of the non-stop flight vs. HAL's recommendation. In this case, if ALL the travelers can self-disembark, and you have a car waiting, it might make sense. But, be aware that self-disembarkation is exactly that. There will be no one on the ship or at the pier to help with the luggage. Will your parents, who I assume are at least in their 70's, be able to manage?

[dibbitz]

Last year we docked at Civi with HAL. The flight was booked with HAL and was an 11:00 flight back through Dulles and on to Richmond. We took the HAL transfer bus and made it in plenty of time to even do some shopping at the airport. I am wondering if you book your flight with them if their advice would be different...I am not suggesting you do, I am just wondering...we are planning a family trip May 2011 and have done a ton of research on flights from Rome to BWI or Dulles. If you would like to know what we have found let me know and I will give you a couple email addresses for personal messages. L

 

yes, I know you are going back through London but we might be able to help you anyway.....my friend who is British and goes back to visit London all the time says to stay away from Heathrow....just a thought....

[dibbitz]

Let me clarify, our son has done a ton of research.....but I have saved all his emails!!:D

[tom_uk]

The issue is entirely to do with docking time. As Hank said, if all goes according to plan then there are are several ways that you can get to Leonardo da Vinci by 09:10, which would be your check-in time. But if the ship is late then your chances drop accordingly.

 

Thinking about it, and applying some game theory to the question, the only sensible choices are a) go for the early flight, or b) delay the flight by a day. Reason? The great probability is that the ship will dock according to its schedule, which probably means arriving at 6am or earlier. Alternatively it could be late, and you don't have any idea how late - it could be many hours late, in which case a flight in the afternoon could be just as risky. So the logical choices are either assume it will go to plan, or allow 24 hours safety margin - it's your call.

 

Safest of all is to book cruise air, of course.....

[FTLcruisers]

We were on a RCCL last year and the airline changed our flight from late afternoon to 9:50 AM. We booked Romecabs who were there waiting when we got off the ship in the pouring rain around 6:30 AM. While we were totally stressed the entire morning, we did make it to the airport in plenty of time. So, while the best option is a later flight, an 11 AM flight is doable

 

Marianne

[CathyCruises]

We were supposed to dock in Venice at 6AM at the end of our cruise--DH happened to get up at 4AM and announced, "We're here!" which made a lot of people mad because they had heard how great it is to cruise into Venice. My point is, you could easily dock way before your stated docking time giving you plenty of time for the direct flight. If it was me and I could book nonstop, I would go for it.

[slidergirl]

Go onto itasoftware dot com. It's a good tool to use to find flights. You can't book on there, but it's the company that makes the software that many airlines and online search engines use. If you aren't wedded to a Frequent Flyer plan, there are many options you can choose from.

[UKBayern]

If you aren't wedded to a Frequent Flyer plan, there are many options you can choose from.

 

I have a sneaky feeling the OP is wed to a FF-plan, because IB and BA are in the same alliance. There are hundreds of flights a day out of FCO, and I don't see why other carriers such as AF, KL, LH, or Swiss, to name a few, are not an option.

[slidergirl]

I have a sneaky feeling the OP is wed to a FF-plan, because IB and BA are in the same alliance. There are hundreds of flights a day out of FCO, and I don't see why other carriers such as AF, KL, LH, or Swiss, to name a few, are not an option.

 

I noticed that also. Sometimes we have to decide whether or not it is worth trying to get those miles at the expense of getting a flight that works....

[momva]

Nope. Narrowing down to United, BA, or Iberia had nothing to do with FF miles. True, my husband, son, and I are already booked on BA using FF miles. But the question was not for me. My parents and my sister narrowed down to those three airlines based on a number of factors including how many stops, what airport they would have to transfer, length of time between flights, and money. I've pretty much given up trying to help them. They have ruled out BA because of the recommendations not to fly through Heathrow and are about to rule out Iberia because the availability of flights at the right time and price seems to be changing.

 

Thanks for everyone's suggestions. It was actually very helpful.

[zoncom]

You would not be able to get off ship at 4AM. Thats when port opened up. I live across from MIA, one of the more beautiful at night. They open at 4:30AM. You can see the cruise ships lined up in Ocean waiting. I am going through San Francisco next yr. Looking forward to that port.

[maryann ns]

Momva, you have done your best and it is in their hands now.