Southwest help

[hlb76]

We are flying Southwest to NOLA on our next cruise. We flew Southwest in Feb and really liked the prices and services. I liked the checking in a day prior and getting the boarding # vs seat assignments and FREE bags are a huge plus for me!

 

But the downfall this time is we are flying home the day we get off the ship. I dont know if I should spring for the early check in or try my luck at waiting til I get to the airport. I know I do not want to pay for internet mins on the ship.

 

Or could we ahve someone back home check us in? We of course wont have our boarding passes if we do that :(

 

There has to be a easy way around this w/o costing me lots of extra $$$

[DragonMouse]

Spring for an early check in for ONE person and just save a seat.

[Carolin]

I'd head to the closest internet cafe depending on how much time you have.

 

www.internetcafehere.com - 717 Toulouse Street, New Orleans

 

$2 for 15 Minutes thats plenty of time to check in. I don't see thier hours of operation on the site but a quick call should do the trick.

 

Have a great cruise. :)

[kbmeow]

do you have a smart phone? Last time we flew we didn't print boarding passes they sent us a email with a link to them and we used our smart phones. So you could have someone at home check you in , you could also call them get the confirmation number and I think reprint the boarding pass threw a kiosk.

Also early in the morning you are near land and can use your normal cell connection to check in ( just make sure it says 3g)

[Ruggled]

Early Bird ($10 per person) can be bought per person and it can be bought only one way if you desire, so just bought on the return portion of the trip. (for those that dont' know, Southwest doesn't have assigned seats and if you don't check in 24 hours in advance or pay for Early Bird, you end up checking in at the airport, getting the dreaded "C" boarding pass and most likely not sitting with your party.

 

As previously noted..you may or may not have success at saving seats and only paying for one $10 but that also depends on if there are 4 of you or just 2, and sometimes how agreeable the flight attendant is.

 

Having someone check you in at home is also another option if you trust them to do it 24 hours in advance would be the best way to save $10..though I have noticed an increase in the number of people using Early Bird and even now with Early Bird, I've seen "B" boarding passes.

[spideyfam]

We paid $10 a person for early check in for our flight home in september. It will give us a piece of mind knowing we will get to sit next to each other and do not have to fight the crowds. We only bought that option for the way home. We will be able to check in at home for the flight down.

 

If I were you, I would buy that option. If your flight is at 3pm., then you will have to check in at 3pm the day before to make sure you get the first boarding group.

 

$10 a person is worth the piece of mind.

[going to see the world]

I've never printed our boarding passes- I just look up the confirmation on my phone :)

[girlscruise2011]

I paid the $10 per person for 5 of us last year for our flights home only. To me the $50 was worth the peace of mind that I didn't have to do it on the boat. Pay the fees plus lose valuable "sun" time. I didn't have to bother or depend on anyone to do it for me. I'm not sure how many you have but I think in the long run, the peace of mind is worth it.

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

I would just wait till you get to the airport

[6rugrats]

Just get someone at home to check you in at the 24 hour mark, and print your boarding passes out at the airport. It's pretty easy and costs nothing to do this.

[popsec]

We always just wait until we get to the airport after the cruise to check in....never had a problem. On the other hand, we've just spent a whole week together so it's a nice break to sit apart on the plane home :p

[wantocruisemore]

On our cruise last Nov. we also flew Southwest and left the day the disembarked. We got someone from home to do it for us. We had left the instructions for my college DD who missed the trip to do it. When we reached the gulf cruising in and had service on our phone late the night before we called to make sure she had done it. She gave us all the info.

 

But we still ended up in the "B" boarding area near the back (she had done it a little late). We ended up literally getting the last 3 seats that were together at the very back of the plane.

 

If you are really concerned about your seat location, I would spring for the internet to do it ahead of time.

[wcook]

Just get someone at home to check you in at the 24 hour mark, and print your boarding passes out at the airport. It's pretty easy and costs nothing to do this.

This is what we do.

[pms4104]

I would just wait till you get to the airport

Did you read the previous comments? Are you familiar with Southwest's festival, rather than assigned, seating?

[mistycruiser]

We've done the $10 priority check-in when we're going a long ways. But next week we're only going from Seattle to Sacramento so we're not going to bother with either on-board check in or paying the $10. I imagine DH and I can manage without sitting next to each other for an 1 1/2 flight. :D

[Fattony]

Spring for an early check in for ONE person and just save a seat.

 

Well, try to save a seat. Hope no one complains to a flight attendant that a seat they want is available but someone says they are "saving" it. Really, considering how much you are going to spend on your trip, including the cruise, extras, tours, etc., is $10 really worth worrying about? I'd spring for early boarding (well, not at the front of the pack, since "business class" and others go first) for both people, and then you can board together and decide where you want to sit, including the emergency row. Seeing how slow Internet connections are on the ship (plus the cost), I certainly wouldn't want to try to pounce on online check-in exactly 24 hours before the flight, and waiting until you get to the airport may mean you won't get to sit together (which may or may not be important).

[LakeStL]

If you're traveling Southwest from NOLA to Minneapolis, you are undoubtedly changing planes en route. Pay the $10. It gets you early bird boarding on both flights. Well worth it.

[frugaltravel]

considering how much you are going to spend on your trip, including the cruise, extras, tours, etc., is $10 really worth worrying about?

 

I don't understand that reasoning at all. So, "Considering how much I am spending on a trip, why not drop $10 bills on the street in each port I am in. Is $10 really worth worrying about?" Really, it makes no sense at all. Sorry if I sound so blunt.

[LookingForward2]

I don't understand that reasoning at all. So, "Considering how much I am spending on a trip, why not drop $10 bills on the street in each port I am in. Is $10 really worth worrying about?" Really, it makes no sense at all. Sorry if I sound so blunt.

 

Think about it....after spending hundreds on a cruise, airfare, etc. - you could just pay the $10 and consider it part of the trip cost.

 

Personally, we always check in online on the ship or have someone at home do it for us, but either plan works (and yes, worth the $10 if you're worried about sitting together)

[hlb76]

Thanks for all the comments. We might just spend the extra $10 or in our case $50. I know it's not going to make or break our cruise budget but I also hate paying for extras that we might not need.

[frugaltravel]

Think about it....after spending hundreds on a cruise, airfare, etc. - you could just pay the $10 and consider it part of the trip cost.

 

Think about it...hundreds of dollars are made up of lots of $10's. A penny saved is a penny earned. Goes for $10 too :D