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

[cruzegurl104]

Back in March DH and I were on a US Airways flight to Ft. Lauderdale that was diverted to Orlando due to generator trouble (no generator = no power to the cockpit instruments' date=' so = serious).

 

We were not meeting a cruise, but at least 1/2 of our fellow passengers were. The airline got everyone and all the luggage onto another plane within an hour of landing in MCO (stole the aircraft from a flight headed back to DC), took down a list of who was meeting what ship, coordinated with the cruiselines to expect last minute arrivals, and let cruise passengers off the plane first on FLL.

 

I'm sure some people did miss their ship, and this this would not make me comfortable to fly down same day, but it was really nice to see the "powers that be" were working together to get as many people to their cruises as possible and not just acting blase about the situation.[/quote']

 

 

This.

This I what I was looking for! A good story, so thank you:)

[cruzegurl104]

Do what is best for you:):)

 

This is great! Practically the best thing I've read all day. And trust me, it's been one of those days.

[Cruzin-K]

I'm such a worrier :rolleyes: :p

 

My next cruise is the first one ever that I will be able to drive to, and I'm still debating whether or not to drive down the day before and get a hotel, or just leave my house at oh-dark-thirty to drive there the day of. I live a little over three hours away (w no traffic) but...

 

what if I get a flat tire :eek:

 

what if there's a major accident that closes the freeway :eek:

 

what if my alarm clock doesn't go off and I oversleep :eek:

 

what if I hit a deer :eek:

[Garn]

Wow, not a lot of getting into the spirit of the funny stories- let me try to add a little humor.

 

I've been on 4 cruises. The first, was Disney, and we did Disney World and Cape Canaveral before and after, so it doesn't really count.

 

My last two have been same day, since we booked through the regional airline that's the only cost effective way to get from MN to a cruise port around spring break (both worked out fine, thanks, although it did require getting up earlier than anyone liked).

 

Ahh, but our second cruise came after I learned about Cruise Critic, and became well aware of the dangers of same-day flights (like I wasn't already neurotic enough, I had yet another thing to stress about- thanks everyone). ;)

 

No, I was going to be smart and have us fly in the night before.

 

Now, most people are wise enough to only have to be responsible for themselves and perhaps their kids. No, not for me- we went with my parents and in-laws. These are bright, competent adults - heck my dad even has a PhD. Yet, somehow, in the process of planning the vacation, I must have drained any ability on their part to think for themselves. At each decision point, they'd all turn to me and give me the same look that your dog gives you when you when you hide a ball behind your back, the one that says, "The world is far too mysterious of a place- please, please tell me what to do, all knowing one".

 

While I was responsible for the trip planning, my wife was in charge of packing herself and the kids. I admit that I stress about things like missing the flight, losing the passports, etc. My wife stresses about being underpacked. What would happen if you didn't have one nice outfit for every dinner, one casual outfit for each day, and emergency backups in case the cruise unexpectedly lasted an extra week or two (this was years before Carnival's recent issues, so she was clearly ahead of her time in waredrobe preparedness). Not only did she pack the kids, but she reviewed my packing as well (generally a good thing- I wouldn't want to be seen in public with me if I matched my own clothing either)- so I ended up overpacked as well. But where did she learn this, you may ask? Why, her mother of course, who contributed her own massive suitcases to the cause. Luckily, my mother parents flew in separately, so they were not my problem (yet).

 

So, we arrive in Miami airport, with more supplies than Sir Edmund Hillary brought with him when scaling Everest. We somehow pull, push and drag our luggage to the taxi area (you know that scene in The Grinch when Max the dog pulls the overloaded sleigh?), and find a large enough van to take all 6 of us. I think the driver may actually have had to use a shoehorn to get the last pieces into the trunk- not including of course the various carry on bags under our feet, on our laps, on the roof, and being dragged behind the taxi by a bungee cord.

 

We make it to our hotel, and in only twenty or thirty elevator rides manage to get all of our bags up to our rooms. (Of course, the hotel was full of other cruisers, each struggling with their own baggage.

 

We go out for that relaxing pre-cruise dinner (which was nice I must admit), a short stroll around the Miami waterfront, and then it's time for bed.

 

It's a funny thing, you'd expect that a twelve year old boy and his 7 year old sister, staying in a hotel room for only a the second time, sharing a double bed and about to get on board a cruise ship would go right to bed and fall asleep. Oddly, this didn't happen. Instead there was squirming, poking, complaining, whining, arguments and yelling- all during the first 20 minutes. But finally, around midnight or so, they did tire out and fall asleep.

 

My wife and I settled down as well, and had a nice refreshing sleep. Until the fire alarm went off at 1:30am. We did get to enjoy a view of Miami we didn't expect to see as we all evacuated the hotel, and waited until they cleared us to return. Nerves a bit jangled, we startled to settle down again. Apparently, though, the management thought we hadn't truly appreciated early-morning Miami, for the alarm went off again, and we got another chance to enjoy the sidewalk.

 

When we went back to the room, the kids were freaked out enough that they kept waking up, but finally cruise morning arrived, and we greeted it bright (red) eyed and bushy tailed.

 

Another thing I learned is that while taxis line up at the airport, the ratio of cruisers staying at the hotels near the Port of Miami to taxis willing to take you that relatively small distance doesn't really work in the cruisers' favor (although I suspect that several drivers may have ripped the taxi light off their roof when they saw just how many bags we had, and kept driving past). But we finally got to the pier, right as our luggage exploded out of the trunk of the van.

 

So, for those of you who convinced me years ago how "relaxing" it is to come in the day before I have just one question: Do you have an extra suitcase I could borrow?

[cruzegurl104]

I'm such a worrier :rolleyes: :p

 

My next cruise is the first one ever that I will be able to drive to, and I'm still debating whether or not to drive down the day before and get a hotel, or just leave my house at oh-dark-thirty to drive there the day of. I live a little over three hours away (w no traffic) but...

 

what if I get a flat tire :eek:

 

what if there's a major accident that closes the freeway :eek:

 

what if my alarm clock doesn't go off and I oversleep :eek:

 

what if I hit a deer :eek:

 

Haha!! I did the same thing when we drove to our last cruise. Same. Exact. Thoughts!!

[cruzegurl104]

Wow, not a lot of getting into the spirit of the funny stories- let me try to add a little humor.

 

I've been on 4 cruises. The first, was Disney, and we did Disney World and Cape Canaveral before and after, so it doesn't really count.

 

My last two have been same day, since we booked through the regional airline that's the only cost effective way to get from MN to a cruise port around spring break (both worked out fine, thanks, although it did require getting up earlier than anyone liked).

 

Ahh, but our second cruise came after I learned about Cruise Critic, and became well aware of the dangers of same-day flights (like I wasn't already neurotic enough, I had yet another thing to stress about- thanks everyone). ;)

 

No, I was going to be smart and have us fly in the night before.

 

Now, most people are wise enough to only have to be responsible for themselves and perhaps their kids. No, not for me- we went with my parents and in-laws. These are bright, competent adults - heck my dad even has a PhD. Yet, somehow, in the process of planning the vacation, I must have drained any ability on their part to think for themselves. At each decision point, they'd all turn to me and give me the same look that your dog gives you when you when you hide a ball behind your back, the one that says, "The world is far too mysterious of a place- please, please tell me what to do, all knowing one".

 

While I was responsible for the trip planning, my wife was in charge of packing herself and the kids. I admit that I stress about things like missing the flight, losing the passports, etc. My wife stresses about being underpacked. What would happen if you didn't have one nice outfit for every dinner, one casual outfit for each day, and emergency backups in case the cruise unexpectedly lasted an extra week or two (this was years before Carnival's recent issues, so she was clearly ahead of her time in waredrobe preparedness). Not only did she pack the kids, but she reviewed my packing as well (generally a good thing- I wouldn't want to be seen in public with me if I matched my own clothing either)- so I ended up overpacked as well. But where did she learn this, you may ask? Why, her mother of course, who contributed her own massive suitcases to the cause. Luckily, my mother parents flew in separately, so they were not my problem (yet).

 

So, we arrive in Miami airport, with more supplies than Sir Edmund Hillary brought with him when scaling Everest. We somehow pull, push and drag our luggage to the taxi area (you know that scene in The Grinch when Max the dog pulls the overloaded sleigh?), and find a large enough van to take all 6 of us. I think the driver may actually have had to use a shoehorn to get the last pieces into the trunk- not including of course the various carry on bags under our feet, on our laps, on the roof, and being dragged behind the taxi by a bungee cord.

 

We make it to our hotel, and in only twenty or thirty elevator rides manage to get all of our bags up to our rooms. (Of course, the hotel was full of other cruisers, each struggling with their own baggage.

 

We go out for that relaxing pre-cruise dinner (which was nice I must admit), a short stroll around the Miami waterfront, and then it's time for bed.

 

It's a funny thing, you'd expect that a twelve year old boy and his 7 year old sister, staying in a hotel room for only a the second time, sharing a double bed and about to get on board a cruise ship would go right to bed and fall asleep. Oddly, this didn't happen. Instead there was squirming, poking, complaining, whining, arguments and yelling- all during the first 20 minutes. But finally, around midnight or so, they did tire out and fall asleep.

 

My wife and I settled down as well, and had a nice refreshing sleep. Until the fire alarm went off at 1:30am. We did get to enjoy a view of Miami we didn't expect to see as we all evacuated the hotel, and waited until they cleared us to return. Nerves a bit jangled, we startled to settle down again. Apparently, though, the management thought we hadn't truly appreciated early-morning Miami, for the alarm went off again, and we got another chance to enjoy the sidewalk.

 

When we went back to the room, the kids were freaked out enough that they kept waking up, but finally cruise morning arrived, and we greeted it bright (red) eyed and bushy tailed.

 

Another thing I learned is that while taxis line up at the airport, the ratio of cruisers staying at the hotels near the Port of Miami to taxis willing to take you that relatively small distance doesn't really work in the cruisers' favor (although I suspect that several drivers may have ripped the taxi light off their roof when they saw just how many bags we had, and kept driving past). But we finally got to the pier, right as our luggage exploded out of the trunk of the van.

 

So, for those of you who convinced me years ago how "relaxing" it is to come in the day before I have just one question: Do you have an extra suitcase I could borrow?

 

Great story! Hope your cruise ended up being very relaxing after all of that chaos!:)

[Ccruzal]

We flew into San Juan from Phoenix on the red eye to charlotte and then on to san juan, arriving the same day as our cruise. We were fine.

 

BUT we only did this because we had booked the airfare through choice air and also had travel insurance. So either way, we were getting on the boat or were financially covered if we missed it.

[cruzegurl104]

We flew into San Juan from Phoenix on the red eye to charlotte and then on to san juan, arriving the same day as our cruise. We were fine.

 

BUT we only did this because we had booked the airfare through choice air and also had travel insurance. So either way, we were getting on the boat or were financially covered if we missed it.

 

Yes, insurance IS A MUST!!!

[setsail]

Do what is best for you:):)

 

Great reply. Thousands fly same day every week and thousands fly the day before every week to cruise.

 

It only makes a difference if you miss the ship and only to that person and if one comes to CC blaming RCI for missing the ship. I have seen several threads on CC where the ship is still tied up to the pier but the poster can not board, of course it's RCI's fault:rolleyes:

[WhenIsLobsterNight]

I have been on around a dozen cruises in my lifetime. I have never once flown in the night before a cruise. I always catch a flight early the day of the cruise, and I live all the way in Kansas. This has never once been a problem for me, and we have always made it on the ship well in advance of the sailing time. My family sails the Freedom on May 19th and for the very first time we will be flying in the night before. We just could not get the flights up to line up well this time on the day of the cruise, so we are staying in a hotel the night before in Cape Canaveral.

 

I will mention though that on my honeymoon cruise we were close to having an issue. Our wedding was on a Friday night (in December) and we flew out at 7:30 AM Saturday for a cruise leaving that same day. At 8:15 an ice storm hit Wichita and they closed the airport down less than an hour after we got off the ground. Our family and friends that had attended our wedding were stuck in hotels for several days, as the roads were just a mess I guess. We still made our cruise without issue, but that one was very close for us.

 

For those of you flying in the day of the cruise, you should be fine barring unusual weather. I would not stress on it too much.

[DonnaK]

I could use some postive stories too, seeings as this is exactly what we are doing on our upcoming, first time cruise!!

 

We fly into San Juan, and NOT a direct flight! May the flying gods be with us that day :D

 

I will post how successful (or not) we were on my return lol

 

We are on your sailing, and also MUST fly down the morning of the cruise. I am quite nervous but this time, it was the only option for us since we couldn't get the additional day off from work.

 

(To fly down a day in advance would cost us more than $700 for our family of 4, because the airfare is higher, and a night in a hotel in San Juan is significantly more than $100)

[rpettus]

We normally travel right around Labor Day (early September) which is the middle of hurricane season. This year we're leaving out of Fort Lauderdale which adds a major issue to address. That being the vast number of people arriving and leaving FLL! Between the Allure and the Oasis, there will be upwards of 10,000 people each day going through the airport. This does not cover the passengers from Carnival, Celebrity and Princess! This represents an awful lot of "people traffic" to deal with.

 

So as many have said, it would be prudent to consider every factor regarding your travel plans. But I opt for being relaxed and avoiding unnecessary obstacles to my vacation plans. :cool:

[Mary Mich]

We usually cruise in the winter and fly to Fort Lauderdale. We come from West Michigan so we drive the night before to Detroit so we can get a direct flight and not have to worry about the 40 minute de-ice that will make us miss our connecting flight that we would also have to get in Detroit (and get de-iced again) or Atlanta. I always get the earliest flight out of Detroit so we have plenty of options if this earliest flight has a problem. But we have never had a problem.

 

We went to Barcelona (in 2011) for a cruise and left Detroit the night before the cruise. We were supposed to connect through New York but we were in the middle of checking in (my bag already checked in and heading down the moving ramp behind the check in counter) when suddenly the lady who was checking in said, "Hmmm, that was funny". That got my attention. Then she says, "your flight is not available anymore and it has automatically put you to Atlanta. That's not a problem for you, is it?" And I said, "Hmmmm. What about that bag that you just tagged for New York?" And she says, "Don't worry. It will be retagged. Or it will just meet you in Barcelona."

 

Yup, you guessed it. It did not appear in Barcelona the next morning. We didn't figure it would. We got there mid-morning so we were not rushed when we went to the lost luggage counter and told them our itinerary. They said it happens all the time and wrote up a paper for us to give to the front desk on the ship. They assured me that yes, indeed, it happens so often that they have someone hired just to intercept this luggage and get it on the next plane that will get it to the ship. On the ship they gave me a toiletries bag and a voucher for free laundry. My carry on bag was packed with bathing suit, shorts, 2 shirts, sandals, electric toothbrush.... in other words, I really was prepared for this to happen eventually because it has happened in the past, although not on a cruise. My luggage caught up with me in Florence, Italy.

[cruzegurl104]

We normally travel right around Labor Day (early September) which is the middle of hurricane season. This year we're leaving out of Fort Lauderdale which adds a major issue to address. That being the vast number of people arriving and leaving FLL! Between the Allure and the Oasis, there will be upwards of 10,000 people each day going through the airport. This does not cover the passengers from Carnival, Celebrity and Princess! This represents an awful lot of "people traffic" to deal with.

 

So as many have said, it would be prudent to consider every factor regarding your travel plans. But I opt for being relaxed and avoiding unnecessary obstacles to my vacation plans. :cool:

 

Very thought provoking!!! I'm so excited to see how RCL handles all of the passengers first hand! I've heard terminal 18 is really something to see.

We will keep this in mind! Thanks for your post:)

[cruzegurl104]

We usually cruise in the winter and fly to Fort Lauderdale. We come from West Michigan so we drive the night before to Detroit so we can get a direct flight and not have to worry about the 40 minute de-ice that will make us miss our connecting flight that we would also have to get in Detroit (and get de-iced again) or Atlanta. I always get the earliest flight out of Detroit so we have plenty of options if this earliest flight has a problem. But we have never had a problem.

 

We went to Barcelona (in 2011) for a cruise and left Detroit the night before the cruise. We were supposed to connect through New York but we were in the middle of checking in (my bag already checked in and heading down the moving ramp behind the check in counter) when suddenly the lady who was checking in said, "Hmmm, that was funny". That got my attention. Then she says, "your flight is not available anymore and it has automatically put you to Atlanta. That's not a problem for you, is it?" And I said, "Hmmmm. What about that bag that you just tagged for New York?" And she says, "Don't worry. It will be retagged. Or it will just meet you in Barcelona."

 

Yup, you guessed it. It did not appear in Barcelona the next morning. We didn't figure it would. We got there mid-morning so we were not rushed when we went to the lost luggage counter and told them our itinerary. They said it happens all the time and wrote up a paper for us to give to the front desk on the ship. They assured me that yes, indeed, it happens so often that they have someone hired just to intercept this luggage and get it on the next plane that will get it to the ship. On the ship they gave me a toiletries bag and a voucher for free laundry. My carry on bag was packed with bathing suit, shorts, 2 shirts, sandals, electric toothbrush.... in other words, I really was prepared for this to happen eventually because it has happened in the past, although not on a cruise. My luggage caught up with me in Florence, Italy.

 

Yep, it's always best to mix clothes in all of your suitcases, just in case. I'm thinking we might just take 2 rollaboards instead of checking one bag. Hmmmmm.... A challenge to consider I suppose:cool:

[smoosh21]

So.... There are Several threads on this "flying to the cruise on the same day" subject. Lots of cruise critic members here say it's a definite "no no", where as I on the other hand, somewhat agree and disagree all at the same time. :D I would much prefer to fly in the day before, but it's just not happening this time. Sorry, Folks. Yes, I'm talking to you, Nervous Nellie.:rolleyes:

 

With that being said.. How about some "positive" stories about ppl catching their flights same day their ship sails. No, I'm not wanting to justify my reasons, as I've done it several times before. I'm just interested in stories. Funny stories. Scary stories. Running thru security running to the plane bc you forgot "something" Kind of stories. Anything like that.

 

I feel like sometimes these boards are just so serious, about what you should and should not do, on your cruise or for your cruise, that I thought it could use a lighthearted thread. So humor me. I'm stuck at work & in bad need of an umbrella drink. :)

 

 

I have done it multiple times. I have even done it flying to the west coast to pick up a ship in San Diego. Never missed a ship. I even had the cruise line book me on a day of arrival for a TA cruise which didnt have a first stop until 8 days in.

 

Now, I travel out of a big airport with lots of chances for alternate flights if something goes wrong. And I do prefer to fly in early if possible. Mostly because I use the time to extend my vacation.

[cruzegurl104]

Cleveland (yuck), via Chiacgo (double yuck)

 

American messed with our flights once, PRAYING not again

 

I'm sure the 2nd times the charm:)

[MDSue]

This is why I always fly in the day before:

My sister and I are taking our first cruise together and meeting in Houston to cruise out of Galveston. She flys in the day before and I fly in the day of departure. The ship departs around 4:30 and I should land in Houston around 11 am. Figured I had plenty of time.

Turns out there are terrible storms between the East coast and Houston; the worst being in the Dallas area which is on the way to Houston. I was told that all flights were being diverted to San Antonio or elsewhere. The Houston airports were completely closed due to weather. With only a few hours to spare, I am facing missing the departure of our cruise.

Luckily, our pilot must have flown into hurricanes before becoming a Southwest pilot and decides he is going to fly right through all the storms. We were the only plane at the time that did not divert. When we hit the storms, our plane was bouncing up and down and side to side. It was literally like flying through a hurricane. I have a flying phobia, but could not have a panic attack because I was escorting a friends 10 year-old daughter to Houston on my way and I needed to be the brave one. The lady sitting next to me was praying and another lady two rows back let out a small gasp and scream every time we hit a bump, which was constant for well over an hour.

We finally made it through the storm and thought we were home-free to the airport when we encountered a thunderstorm. Our pilot flew right through that as well.

We were the very first plane to land at Houston after it reopened and I made it on time.

Then we get on the transfer bus to go Galveston and the roads were flooded because of the heavy rains. Our bus was driving through foot deep rivers of water and I was sure we were going to stall, but we didn't.

Our ship did depart late that day to wait for other diverted passengers but a large number of people did not make that cruise.

I learned my lesson- I got lucky and made the cruise, but I'm not taking that chance again; it's not worth the stress. Beside, why not start vacation a day early? It's worth it to me.

[cruzegurl104]

Wow!!!:eek:

I hate flying in bad weather. It's the worst!

[marci22]

Lots and lots of people fly in the day of. My mother's friend booked a cruise through a TA, and the TA booked her on an 11am flight from San Diego to Seattle and the cruise was departing at 4pm. I thought that was risky, but she made it on fine.

 

In all my cruises I only flew in early for 2. Yes, it was a bit stressful each time, but I hate unpacking in the hotel and then getting all the stuff together again the next morning. We travel as a party of 5 so it's a lot organizing. I actually prefer flying in day of.

 

For certain cruises I would fly in early: Europe (and many U.S. people fly in day of for that, too) across the country (I'm in NJ) or an especially expensive cruise. Otherwise, I take the first flight out day of. I also usually fly in spring/summer so no chance of snowstorms, etc, and if you fly early in the morning you beat the thunderstorms.

[bythesea]

Hopefully I will have no funny story to tell, for we leave this Saturday a flight out of Midway-Chicago at 7:30 arriving I hope in FLL at 11:30. There are many more flights after ours, so our fingers are crossed!!! Not in my hands now.

[cruzegurl104]

Hopefully I will have no funny story to tell, for we leave this Saturday a flight out of Midway-Chicago at 7:30 arriving I hope in FLL at 11:30. There are many more flights after ours, so our fingers are crossed!!! Not in my hands now.

 

Wishing you a great cruise!!:)

[cjdixon4]

Yep. I get it.

 

I'm sorry, was I not supposed to create a thread for a discussion such as this? I thought that's what these boards are for.

Anyway, I just thought it would be interesting to hear other stories of ppl in the same boat I'm in. Hahahahahahaha

 

Geesh:confused:

 

I think it's a good thread. Hope you didn't get the idea from my comment that I was being sarcastic or anything like that. Wasn't quite sure what you were referring to.

[cruzegurl104]

I think it's a good thread. Hope you didn't get the idea from my comment that I was being sarcastic or anything like that. Wasn't quite sure what you were referring to.

 

Understand..

Thx!:)

[F27TW]

So.... There are Several threads on this "flying to the cruise on the same day" subject. Lots of cruise critic members here say it's a definite "no no", where as I on the other hand, somewhat agree and disagree all at the same time. :D I would much prefer to fly in the day before, but it's just not happening this time. Sorry, Folks. Yes, I'm talking to you, Nervous Nellie.:rolleyes:

 

With that being said.. How about some "positive" stories about ppl catching their flights same day their ship sails. No, I'm not wanting to justify my reasons, as I've done it several times before. I'm just interested in stories. Funny stories. Scary stories. Running thru security running to the plane bc you forgot "something" Kind of stories. Anything like that.

 

I feel like sometimes these boards are just so serious, about what you should and should not do, on your cruise or for your cruise, that I thought it could use a lighthearted thread. So humor me. I'm stuck at work & in bad need of an umbrella drink. :)

 

You are SO gonna miss your cruise!

Lets see how funny and cute it was to start this thread when you're sitting in some airport halfway to your embarkation city looking out at a broken plane ... I hope you'll update us when you get back on how that all went!

Good luuuuuuck! You gonna need it, gurl! (from a former airline agent who saw lots and lots of people blow it and miss!)