When to fly in to port city- Advice Needed!!!

[blaneyliss]

We are planning to cruise out of New Orleans for our honeymoon October 31st, which is a monday. Our wedding is on a Saturday, and we were planning on staying in town Sunday to clean up and chat with out of town relatives. However, I have read on other posts that it is pushing it a little to fly in to the port city on the same day as the departure.

 

We were hoping to not have to rush around on Sunday to get out of town. Our plan had been to take the first flight out, which leaves at 5:30 Monday morning and is due to arrive at 10:30am New Orleans time. The ship leaves at 4, so we thought it allowed plenty of time but now we are second guessing that decision.

 

What is your advice on this? Should we play it safe and fly in Sunday or go ahead with our plan on leaving early Monday morning? Thanks in advance!

[parody]

For an October cruise, your plan sounds fine. Although there will be some who disagree, flying in a day early is best done during the time of year when severe weather such as snow is likely -- which can obviously affect airline schedules. One's actual decision would probably include a broader list of concerns such as the availability of alternative airports and flights in case of inclement weather, along with a tradeoff of the utility of a full cruise (e.g., can one easily catch-up to a cruise at a subsequent port) vs. the "costs" involved in leaving a day earlier.

[98Charlie]

We are ones who, whenever possible and regardless of season, try to get in a day ahead.

 

If your flight leaves at 5:30 you will need to be at the airport by 4:30 or 4:45 at the latest. You're going to have some 8 hours of travel and check-in time before you even get on board.

 

I would rather leave on a late flight the night before. Sleep in the next morning, head over to the port at a more leisurely pace, and enjoy the ship until the wee hours ;)

 

OTOH, there are a lot of people who come in on the same day and it works for them.

 

Happy Honeymoon,

 

Charlie

[Boo's Mom]

blaneyliss....

 

I would strongly recommend that you fly in one day early. This is your cruise, this is your honeymoon....and you don't need to be "rushing" at any point ! :D

 

About your wedding guests....and Sunday: Let your family visit with/entertain them. After the wedding reception.....the time is yours. It is okay to think of your own plans only at that point.

 

How about a late afternoon/early evening flight on Sunday?

 

Blessings on your new life.

[Bruin Steve]

Count me with the "one day ahead" crowd...It's not just snow that delays flights...Rain, fog, equipment failures, security reasons...All sorts of thuings can go wrong...and do...

 

And, it's not just that...

 

If you're thinking of catching a 5:30 am flight, you've got to be at the airport at, what, 4:30 am?...Drive time? Getting dressed and out the door? You've probably got to wake up at around 3:00 am...By the time you actually get to the ship, you are going to be dead tired...and especially after all the excitement of the big weekend...

 

Visit with your guests at the reception...maybe do brunch with the out-of-towners on Sunday...and then head to the airport...get into New Orleans Sunday Evening, check into a hotel, have a nice dinner, get a good night's sleep and go to the ship well-rested and relaxed...

 

Congrats...

[Bequia]

 

What is your advice on this? Should we play it safe and fly in Sunday or go ahead with our plan on leaving early Monday morning? Thanks in advance!

Where your flying out of plays into this as well......non-stop or connections, which airline? It will still be "hurricane season" which could be a factor as well.We've alway been a day or two ahead type as well.;)

[Happy ks]

I would also have to vote for flying in the day ahead. Instead of rushing on Sunday, make sure you have your vacation bags packed and ready to go before the wedding. Then, spend some time Sunday morning, like others have written, have a nice brunch or lunch with the family and leave late afternoon or early evening. Try to organize your friends/family or hire a clean up crew, this is not what you want to be doing the day after your wedding. With all the work and planning you have before the wedding, you will need the time to relax after it is over.

 

Monday morning you can sleep in a bit, take a walk around town, or a tour, then board at your leisure.

 

Congratulations on your upcoming wedding!

[CaptData]

I also go one day ahead. You are going to be tired from the wedding as it is. Have an early breakfast/lunch at a restruant. Leave by 3:00 pm Sunday. Stay in a hotel and have a nice dinner. In the morning take a tour of New Orleans, then hop on the ship and have fun. Ccongratulations on the upcoming wedding. May your years to together be filled with blessings of every kind.

[getaway101]

We have always booked our airfare through the cruise line, therefore if anything goes wrong it is thier responsibility to get you to the ship. Have never had a problem. However, with that said, on our April 2006 cruise we can save almost $500 so we booked our own and are flying in 1 day early.

 

Whatever you choose.....Have a great marriage!

[tinsel57]

Shoot, we even DRIVE in a day early! LOL! You may think it's a hassle to rush to get out but it would be a disaster if you spent the day sitting in an airport and missed the departure of your cruise.

 

Believe me, you'll have a lot more peace of mind if you get there the day before. Just look at is an extra honeymoon day! :)

[trish1c]

I'd fly in on Monday as planned. This is your wedding & you don't want to rush. Most likely you'll be on time & there will be no problems. A hurricanne is a possibility, so don't discount that.

 

Personally I'd rather spend as much time as possible with my out of town guests. Even if you have to spend more money, you can always get to the next port & meet the ship later if "disaster strikes" but you will never make up for not spending time with an elderly beloved relative or a sick out of town friend.

[parody]

I'd fly in on Monday as planned. This is your wedding & you don't want to rush. Most likely you'll be on time & there will be no problems. A hurricanne is a possibility, so don't discount that.

 

Personally I'd rather spend as much time as possible with my out of town guests. Even if you have to spend more money, you can always get to the next port & meet the ship later if "disaster strikes" but you will never make up for not spending time with an elderly beloved relative or a sick out of town friend.

 

Very well stated!

[michmike]

Fly in on Sunday!!! Why take a chance on starting out your honeymoon by missing the ship? Not to mention being exhausted. You want to be able to enjoy the whole departure experience, esp if it is your first cruise. Schedule a late afternoon flight and you'll still be able to spend part of Sunday w/ family.

[dkjretired]

We have always booked our airfare through the cruise line, therefore if anything goes wrong it is thier responsibility to get you to the ship. Have never had a problem. However, with that said, on our April 2006 cruise we can save almost $500 so we booked our own and are flying in 1 day early.

 

I hate to break it to you but the cruise line has no responsiblity to get you to the ship. Next time you do this read your documents. The cruise lines provide air fare as a courtesy and they specifically state they do not have any further responsibility. All that being said they will make every attempt to do so but it is an old wives tale that they have to get you to the ship.

 

Fly in the evening prior to your cruise, you will have the best of both worlds, a day visiting with relatives and a relaxing first day on the cruise.

[jakt]

Count me in with the "Go the Day Ahead" group.

 

My travelling partner, Mr. Bernardi, says that a REALLY bad cruise begin by watching the sail-away from the dock and not the upper level of the pool deck. He is too right!!

 

This is YOUR time, so enjoy and do things for yourselves.

 

Best wishes, and have a great trip.

 

Jean (and Joe, too).

[Cotton]

Blaneyliss - Welcome to the boards, and best wishes on your upcoming marriage. Lots of good advice has already been offered, but I'll add my thoughts.

 

Looks like y'all will be sailing on the Sensation? If you fly into N.O. the morning of the cruise, barring any airline delays, you'll likely be at the pier by 11:30, a great time to arrive, and you should be on the ship by noonish or 1pm. So far, so good. However, you will probably be SO tired from the early boarding and flying, you won't be able to enjoy the first day/night onboard the ship. (Just last week, I spent 12 hours in airports and on planes, and I was exhausted for two days!) You don't want that!:rolleyes:

 

Like most of the above, I would suggest you fly in the afternoon before, enjoy a little walking around the Quarter, have a nice dinner and evening, sleep late on Monday, go down to Cafe du Monde for cafe au lait and beignets, and then go to the pier at your leisure. That way, you'll both be rested and ready for your honeymoon 'Halloween' cruise!

 

Also - Being from N.O., I always want visitors to enjoy our city a bit - especially if they haven't been here before.(?) It's like two vacations in one - a little of N.O. and a cruise!

 

About spending time with your friends/relatives, you'll have the reception and could have breakfast/brunch with them, and then take an early afternoon flight, getting into N.O. in early evening...Sounds like a plan to me! Enjoy, whatever you decide. And - enjoy your cruise!:)

[DougYWG]

Blaneyliss, I strongly disagree with OP's who recommend flying in day of departure. Their faith in the airlines is touching but entirely misplaced. Over the years I have suffered flight delays from a myriad of reasons. In addition to weather, there have been ATC foul-ups, security alerts, aircraft mechanicals, strikes, and the list goes on. The percentage is low, but why take a chance on your honeymoon? And suppose you make it but your baggage doesn't? Just so you know, all my flights to cruises have operated as scheduled. One of these days....

[dodieh]

I agree with Doug regarding the baggage....If you get in the night before and your luggage doesn't, the airlines will be able to get it to you by the next day before sailing time......I have seen people on a cruise who didn't get their luggage and believe me, they were not happy campers!!......Mazel Tov on your wedding..........

[Wennfred]

WIth post 911, there are always those airport shutdowns and bomb scares, also when AirForce One does a fly by, it causes delayed, as what happened to me out of Az. You never know what could happen, One that could happen and it happens alot, that flight could be grounded due to some maintance problem.

 

We also fly in the day before to prevent any crazy problems.

[TheDivineMsM]

Keep your plans as they are. The reasons cited for flying in a day early are totally ridiculas.

[Bruin Steve]

Keep your plans as they are. The reasons cited for flying in a day early are totally ridiculas.

I find this response completely OFFENSIVE...

The various posters recommending flying in a day ahead all give VALID reasons for their opinion. I could enumerate many episodes of all of these things going wrong that happened directly to a family member or close friend of mine...

 

To arbitrarily dismiss everyone else's opinions as "totally ridiculas" (sic) is TOTALLY RIDICULOUS...and shows a great deal of ignorance, stupidity and foolhardiness...

[Cotton]

I'm with you all the way on this one, Steve! MANY reasons to fly in a day early.:)

[Sheffie]

I also agree with Steve. This can be a win-win situation: Spend the morning, lunch and a little of the P.M. with the relatives and then zoom off to the airport for a late afternoon flight to NOLA. You should get there in time to spend some time downtown and then have a good night's rest.

 

We used to fly in the day of the cruise. It tired us out S O O O O O much. We now fly in the day before, even if it is after work and we don't get in till midnight or later. It makes that first cruise day so much better.

 

Be one of the first ones on the ship in the morning. You can take your pictures, scope out all of the places onboard and have lunch at the Windjammer. You will be glad you did!

 

What a great honeymoon you have planned. Sure beats St. Louis! (ours)

[dkjretired]

I find this response completely OFFENSIVE...

The various posters recommending flying in a day ahead all give VALID reasons for their opinion. I could enumerate many episodes of all of these things going wrong that happened directly to a family member or close friend of mine...

 

To arbitrarily dismiss everyone else's opinions as "totally ridiculas" (sic) is TOTALLY RIDICULOUS...and shows a great deal of ignorance, stupidity and foolhardiness...

 

Agree also Steve, we should be able to post our opinions and since this poster is overwhelmingly outvoted on this one, we can give the post the credibility it deserves, none.

[DougYWG]

Thanks to Steve for the nice words. I have been called worse things than 'ridiculas'. I am wondering if the poster is actually a Troll - i.e. those who like to stir things up then sit back and watch the mayhem. For great info on internet Trolls see: http://www.members.aol.com/intwg/trolls.htm