Flying. Same Day. OMG... The HORROR!!!!!!!!

[FLACRUISER99]

I don't think anyone mentioned this but occasionally you are better off flying in the same day. Before everyone jumps all over me for saying that, remember when airports are closed due to a storm or natural disaster or flights are canceled they do not bump folks that have existing reservations. Due to this fact folks flying in the same day may arrive OK while folks that booked a day or two ahead may not get there!:eek: Yes your odds are better arriving a day or two before your cruise but you cannot ever underestimate the power of luck both good & bad to arrive at your cruise in a timely manner.

[F27TW]

For the first time ever, I'm doing it. Flying out of Charlotte Friday night and getting to Rome 9:30 Saturday morning. We depart at 7:00 that evening. I have to admit I am a little nervous, but it is a direct flight.

 

Wish me luck!:o

 

And you must be flying USAIRWAYS ... so you're going to NEED that good luck ... cross your fingers, Suprano !

[F27TW]

Wow. Somebody woke up on the wrong side of the bed today.

 

Yep. That's the whooooolllllleeee reason I started this thread, bc I'm convinced that I'm going to miss my cruise. A direct flight at the butt crack of dawn from ATL to FLL spells disaster, for sure.:rolleyes:

 

 

Go ahead .. be cocky about it.

Here's Scenario For You:

Your scheduled flight ATL-FLL ... cancelled due to mechanical. They can't confirm you on anything till late the next day since all the flights are full and oversold .. so now you're on standby for the next flight. No "spare plane" available either ... maybe they will have an extra aircraft later in the day once it gets in from the west coast. But that's around 5pm.

Next flight ... goes out full ... you didn't clear the standby list.

Next flight ... delayed due to crew rest requirements earlier in the day. Plane's running 90 mins late. Its full in any case, so you wouldn't have made it anyway.

Next flight ... delayed coming to ATL from New York .. stand by list up to about 100 people from all the people from your cancelled flight and other misconnects.

Next flight .. maybe some seats .. but it gets into FLL at 1:55 ... way too late for you to get to the port ... and it's late anyway.

You are now hosed.

Getting the idea?

And that's assuming you're flying Delta - which has a lot of flights.

So don't act so offended about people giving you the possibilities of what can happen ... you started this thread .. so you knew what was coming.

[Reader0108598]

Since I started cruising,I have had my share of missed connections, canceled flights, mechanical issues, crew issues .

 

 

I go out at least two days early,I know you are looking for reassurance you will be fine. I would not try it but wish you luck!,

 

Reader

[alaska_planner]

Go ahead .. be cocky about it.

 

Here's Scenario For You:

 

Your scheduled flight ATL-FLL ... cancelled due to mechanical. They can't confirm you on anything till late the next day since all the flights are full and oversold .. so now you're on standby for the next flight. No "spare plane" available either ... maybe they will have an extra aircraft later in the day once it gets in from the west coast. But that's around 5pm.

 

Next flight ... goes out full ... you didn't clear the standby list.

 

Next flight ... delayed due to crew rest requirements earlier in the day. Plane's running 90 mins late. Its full in any case, so you wouldn't have made it anyway.

 

Next flight ... delayed coming to ATL from New York .. stand by list up to about 100 people from all the people from your cancelled flight and other misconnects.

 

Next flight .. maybe some seats .. but it gets into FLL at 1:55 ... way too late for you to get to the port ... and it's late anyway.

 

You are now hosed.

 

Getting the idea?

 

And that's assuming you're flying Delta - which has a lot of flights.

 

So don't act so offended about people giving you the possibilities of what can happen ... you started this thread .. so you knew what was coming.

 

 

 

and you're assuming that the weather is permitting the flights to actually fly and land...

not guaranteed at all - especially where florida is concerned...

[songbird1329]

For our last cruise, on the Carnival Valor, we booked our airfare through Carnival. Flew same day as the cruise. Arrived in Miami, got our luggage, took the shuttle to the ship and boarded the ship. Carnival successfully does this over and over again.

 

But I won't do it again.

 

Our flight was overbooked. We were fortunate that someone took the airline's incentive to take a later flight.

 

Also, we boarded the ship at the very last minute. They were locking the doors behind us and were announcing muster drill ehen we boarded.

 

 

And on the flight home we sat with a group who sailed on the Carnival Glory. They'd booked their flights through Carnival and were on the airport shuttle when the ship sailed.

 

Too stressful for me.

 

Sent from my SCH-I800 using Tapatalk 2

[wvufan]

i would never ever fly in the same day, but i am thinking about driving in the same day.....from orlando to ft lauderdale...

is that crazy of me?

should i drive in the night before?

 

according to mapquest, the drive should take 3.5 hours...(and i would guess that the roads aren't very busy on sunday)...

i would leave at 5 am so that we can stop along the way and also have some built in time in case if misadventures along the way...

 

but is it nuts of me to consider it when i would never ever ever ever ever ever fly in the same day (i won't even fly in the day before...the closest i've ever flown in for a cruise has been 3 days before :rolleyes: )

 

You may be able to get a stay and cruise package cheaper than paying to park your car. Try Stay123 or Parksleepfly or something like that. Those deals typically include a breakfast and free shuttle to the ship. It's nice to wake up in the departure port and have no stress.

 

Often people who live in decent climates think they are immune from flight delays due to winter weather, but it all depends on where the flight originated, not their location. It can be 50 in Philly, but 10 degrees with snow and ice in Minneapolis.

 

Happy Sails to You

 

OOOEEE :D:D Bob and Phyl

[critterchick]

i would never ever fly in the same day, but i am thinking about driving in the same day.....from orlando to ft lauderdale...

is that crazy of me?

should i drive in the night before?

 

according to mapquest, the drive should take 3.5 hours...(and i would guess that the roads aren't very busy on sunday)...

i would leave at 5 am so that we can stop along the way and also have some built in time in case if misadventures along the way...

 

but is it nuts of me to consider it when i would never ever ever ever ever ever fly in the same day (i won't even fly in the day before...the closest i've ever flown in for a cruise has been 3 days before :rolleyes: )

 

We made it in under 3 hours from Miami to Port Canaveral, so you should be fine barring traffic delays, which you've already factored in.

[roebud]

Maybe I should have read this thread after our cruise in June.....now I'm quite a bit nervous about flying in the same day.

 

On previous cruises we always arrived a day early but we are unable to do so for this cruise because of work scheduling.

 

Our flight was changed about a month ago and now we have 1/2 hour to catch our connection :eek:.

 

Am I nervous?...Heck yes!! My main concern is that our luggage won't make the connection so we are trying to stash as much as we can in carry ons.

 

If we don't make our connection I guess we will be flying to Nassau rather than sailing :(

[misslyss1220]

Maybe I should have read this thread after our cruise in June.....now I'm quite a bit nervous about flying in the same day.

 

On previous cruises we always arrived a day early but we are unable to do so for this cruise because of work scheduling.

 

Our flight was changed about a month ago and now we have 1/2 hour to catch our connection :eek:.

 

Am I nervous?...Heck yes!! My main concern is that our luggage won't make the connection so we are trying to stash as much as we can in carry ons.

 

If we don't make our connection I guess we will be flying to Nassau rather than sailing :(

 

:eek: I would be so nervous! Did you get cruise insurance? Will they pay for the flight to Nassau if you miss the connection?

[awhcruiser]

I would call and see if you can change flights.

 

Maybe I should have read this thread after our cruise in June.....now I'm quite a bit nervous about flying in the same day.

 

On previous cruises we always arrived a day early but we are unable to do so for this cruise because of work scheduling.

 

Our flight was changed about a month ago and now we have 1/2 hour to catch our connection :eek:.

 

Am I nervous?...Heck yes!! My main concern is that our luggage won't make the connection so we are trying to stash as much as we can in carry ons.

 

If we don't make our connection I guess we will be flying to Nassau rather than sailing :(

[Hera-on-the-High-Seas]

My DH and I went on the Oasis last year. My first ever cruise and my DH's first cruise as an adult. Our flight arrived on the day of the cruise. We took a red-eye flight from Phoenix, AZ (PHX) to Fort Lauderdale, FL (FLL). We left PHX at 11:15 pm Friday night, took a connection in Detroit, and arrived at FLL at 10:29 am Saturday morning. I think both of us were too tired to be nervous wrecks since we both had to work on that Friday.The flights were on time and we didn't have any issues. We arrived at the port at about 11:30 am, which was plenty of time.

 

For our upcoming cruise, we're flying in the day before. The plane tickets were really low (paid under $500 for round trip from PHX to FLL for both of us) and we (more like me) want to go to the store and get a couple bottles of wine to take on board. ;)

 

Would I fly in day of cruise again? Maybe, it depends on the risk level and how comfortable I would be. There is a greater chance of a flight being delayed/cancelled when you're flying across the country than flying across a couple States.

 

Imho - The decision to fly in same day is up to each person and their comfort level. It can all work out great but it can also become very stressful if one thing goes wrong.

[ldubs]

Originally Posted by Suprano

For the first time ever, I'm doing it. Flying out of Charlotte Friday night and getting to Rome 9:30 Saturday morning. We depart at 7:00 that evening. I have to admit I am a little nervous, but it is a direct flight.

 

Wish me luck!:o

 

And you must be flying USAIRWAYS ... so you're going to NEED that good luck ... cross your fingers, Suprano !

 

Suprano, We have quite a bit of experience doing exactly what you are for your Rome flight. You are on a nonstop overseas flight. Once in the air you will be golden. Try not be be nervious.

[k9x8]

Do you mean this one? http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=391074 :D

 

I've spent the afternoon reading that entire thread. What a great group of CCers!

[dolphin2012]

i feel like you.. we are flying in the day of our cruise to begin our cruise in barcelona. texas to amsterdam and then to barcelona.. its carnival flight and thats all they offered but it was cheaper than listed..we tried to get one day early but our precruise room kept getting cancelled (a mess!!) so i m taking the same day offer... its a mess and i hope we make it also....

[kenish]

Maybe I should have read this thread after our cruise in June.....now I'm quite a bit nervous about flying in the same day.

 

Our flight was changed about a month ago and now we have 1/2 hour to catch our connection :eek:.

 

If we don't make our connection I guess we will be flying to Nassau rather than sailing :(

 

Agree with the other suggestion to call the airline since *they* changed the flight schedule. Usually if the times change by more than 2 hours, they will rebook you without too much hassle. In your case, plead the tight connection time and the consequence of a misconnect. Also if you have mobility issues and can't do a half marathon between gates, play that card too.

 

Be sure to bring your full passport. If you miss the cruise, the airlines will not board you on a Nassau flight without it. Since a return to the US by air requires a full passport, the airline needs it because there's no guarantee you will board the ship. This goes for flights to any other place where a full passport is required for US re-entry by air.

[b_cruise]

Hi

 

In 2012 I flew Vancouver bc to Venice on air Berlin via dusseldorf... You know I didn't even think about it. We were on the plane and there was a mechanical problem but my connection wait in dusseldorf was five hours. I honestly didnt even think for a second I would miss my cruise, lol!! No insurance either. When I got to Venice there were bus loads of people coming in on the same day. I wouldn't stress if it's booked its booked. You will probably be fine.

 

Now I'm two years older and going back. Flying in three days before and I have insurance lol!! Maybe if u just stay positive and don't over think it, it will just work out fine. You know if I would of had a problem with air Berlin in Vancouver, their next plane was two days later... I honestly can not believe what I was thinking on that one but it was all worked out great!! Get interruption insurance maybe?

[b_cruise]

Hey roe bud... I just read that your connections are 1/2 hour. I didn't think airlines were allowed to even book u like that?? I would call for sure. Delta changed my flight by fifteen minutes once and I called and she put me on a diff flight. It had made my connection under an hour and I was not comfortable with that.

[Gunner22aa]

Did we fly the same day as the cruise with cruise line arranged air and you guessed it there were issues. Airline cancelled the flight we had. Never heard about it until we tried to check in. We did get rebooked on another carrier but it cost us money. Long story short we got to an almost empty cruise terminal and had to be amongst the last ten people to board the ship. Both of us stressed out was not a great way to start the trip. Now it's at least one day early and never with cruise air. We typically cruise when the weather here in Canada is a crap shoot on a good day. No lie, as I type this it snowing hard here in Edmonton Alberta! Two days ago it was 19C. For us the extra cost of a hotel and some meals knowing there is no panic to get to the ship on time is well worth the cost. My heart only has so many beats left in it and I'm not about to waste any of them panicing about making the ship or not.

[gubby]

Because we are both retired, we don't even entertain the idea of flying in the day of. We have done that in the past (didn't start cruising until we retired), and although we live in Canada we often drive to Florida ports. Our flight fees and taxes are much more expensive than they are in the US so it is almost always cheaper to drive and sleep in motels. When booking flights to and from Europe or SA, we book at least 4 days and up to 2 weeks ahead of time. We have decided that there are many cities we want to spend time in and if we are paying big bucks for a flight, this is the perfect opportunity to do this. After all, we have saved money on not having to take a flight later. Being retired and having a generous pension in wonderful and we do understand that. However, I would stress too much about missing a flight, a connection or having flights cancelled for some reason that my heart might not handle it. Next cruise is a Med cruise and we will spend 1 week in Normandy and another in Paris and then 2 days in Barcelona before we board ship. Money-saving ideas are to book cruises after school is back in session for fall, flights drop in price after mid-September, crowds are gone, weather is great. I also try to book during blowout sales and/or up to a year early.

[ldubs]

Maybe I should have read this thread after our cruise in June.....now I'm quite a bit nervous about flying in the same day.

 

On previous cruises we always arrived a day early but we are unable to do so for this cruise because of work scheduling.

 

Our flight was changed about a month ago and now we have 1/2 hour to catch our connection :eek:.

 

Am I nervous?...Heck yes!! My main concern is that our luggage won't make the connection so we are trying to stash as much as we can in carry ons.

 

If we don't make our connection I guess we will be flying to Nassau rather than sailing :(

 

Roebud, if you don't mind my asking where is your connecting airport? I have been told that airlines have connection time guildelines that they adhere to, but I also know that they do book some very tight ones. I have had similar concerns about tight connections at an airport I was not familiar with. Ultimately everything was OK. If I had your flight situation I would contact the airline and talk about my concerns.

 

As said in my earlier posts I fly same day "red eyes" all the time, but work hard to have nonstop flights. Those that worry a lot over this should not do it. I'm OK with it.

[RickT]

Of the 20 something crises I've done, more than half have been flying in the day of the cruise. So far (knock on wood) we've never missed the boat.

 

We did come close last year when sailing out of Barcelona.

 

To set the stage, there are not a lot of direct flights to Europe from our local airport (one flight to London and one flight to Frankfurt). Due to work and other commitments we were not able to fly out early so did our research and picked an Air Canada Flight direct to Frankfurt and then Lufthansa to Barcelona. The connection time in Frankfurt wasn't as long as we would have liked (90 minutes) however we've flown through Frankfurt numerous times without a problem.

 

We booked Choice Air (Celebrity's air program) as the pricing was competitive and we felt it would provide a little extra security just in case. We were traveling in the summer so "what could go wrong" :eek:

 

To start, we landed on time however on a runway that seemed to be in another town... the taxi to the gate (or what we thought would be a gate) was almost 30 minutes long. Instead of coming to a stop at our gate we wound up parked on the tarmack waiting for buses to take us to the terminal. Add another 15-20 minutes for the wait and bus and our 90 minute layover was slowing disappearing into nothing.

 

Add on Security, changing terminals, etc and yup, we missed our connecting flight to Barcelona. Lufthansa was excellent in dealing with the delay and gave us two options to get us to Barcelona later that day. A direct flight that would get us into Barcelona 90 minutes prior to our cruise and a flight via Munich (with a change of planes) that would get us in 120 minutes prior. The connection in Munich would have been tighter than we would have liked so we picked the direct flight.

 

We landed on time, got to the baggage carousel in record time... only to wait and wait and wait for our bags (we're pretty sure they were the last ones off the plane). We did the run to the taxi stand with less than an hour to go before our cruise was to depart.

 

On our way to the pier (approx 25 minute taxi ride) our driver informed us that there had been a major accident and we would probably be a little delayed. I don't know if the look on my wife's face or my comment that "we don't have time for a delay" caused him to think of a short cut through the dock area which would avoid the accident.... but suffice to say he got us to the ship with less than 30 minutes to spare! :eek:

 

We got a personal escort through check in and onto the ship. The end result was we made it... had a bit of excitement getting there... managed to miss the Muster Drill (darn :o) and had a great story to tell our table mates.

 

I certainly would never plan to cut it that close but I guess things to happen when you fly. It wouldn't have been the end of our vacation if we missed the ship as we would have caught up to them 2 days later in Italy....

 

Hope that's a fun enough story for you.

 

P.S.

 

We are planning an Australia cruise in 2014... and no, we won't attempt to fly in the day it sails :rolleyes:

[gubby]

Lufthansa was excellent in dealing with the delay and gave us two options to get us to Barcelona later that day. A direct flight that would get us into Barcelona 90 minutes prior to our cruise and a flight via Munich (with a change of planes) that would get us in 120 minutes prior. The connection in Munich would have been tighter than we would have liked so we picked the direct flight.

 

 

We got a personal escort through check in and onto the ship. The end result was we made it... had a bit of excitement getting there... managed to miss the Muster Drill (darn :o) and had a great story to tell our table mates.

:rolleyes:

 

We had a Lufthansa flight from Prague to Venice in 2011. Due to a delay at the Prague airport we missed our connecting flight to Venice from Munich. I couldn't find fault with the ground agents if I tried and after a 1 hour delay we were airborne and on our way to Venice. It had been a number of years since we had visited Venice so we had planned a 2 day stop before boarding the ship. So even arriving late on the day we had planned was not an issue. We have taken over 20 cruises and the only time we flew in the day of was our first cruise to Alaska from Vancouver. That one was booked through a TA and she never informed us of any issues. There weren't any but we are no longer willing to take any chances. Insurance is a good idea, but I would still be concerned about getting to the ship on time. A lot of posts talk about the latest that you are able to board the ship before sailing due to security issues. Seems that you were okay with that.

[Capricorn77]

To add to the chaos...

 

I not only had flight issues to Barcelona for a med cruise...BUT...when I landed NO luggage!!!! :eek: Another cruised saved because I flew in 3 days early. Luggage caught up with us the next day. Now that was an OMG moment!

 

Patty

 

Hi cw2go,

Your post caught my attention and wanted to know if you could provide more details about your Barcelona Med cruise (ie - which airline did you fly, did you have multiple connections, etc)?

 

Reason for asking is because I too, am being risky by flying in the day of my Mediterranean cruise aboard Celebrity Equinox out of Barcelona. More so out of ignorance than anything. I've only cruised once before and flew in the day of the cruise with no issues.

 

Thanks in advance for your help!

[happygran]

Hi. We're in the UK & no way would we ever fly in the day of the cruise. If it's a transatlantic flight we always go 2 or 3 days early and if it's a Med cruise at least 1 day early. It's not worth the worry. This February we flew to San Juan via JFK but our luggage didn't!! Luckily it caught up with us before the cruise. We've had flights to/from the Med (only 2 hours and direct) delayed by 16 & 18 hours. It really isn't worth the risk for the cost of the hotel. Plus we enjoy unwinding and getting in 'holiday mode'.

 

I'm sure there must be thousands (maybe millions) of people who take same day flights and are fine, but others must miss their cruises. We always have insurance but really don't want to miss any days of our long-awaited cruise.

 

We're doing a short, 5 night cruise from Southampton (4 hours drive) next month, and are still going down the day before.