Debarking and flight time...

[FromKYtotheOcean]

Leaving from Tampa, have FTTF for early debark, is it safe to book an 11am flight out TPA?

 

 

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[rolaur]

Time wise if everything goes well you will be fine. The airport is only a 15 minute ride from the port BUT Tampa bay can be very tricky as the bay has a habit of fogging up in the mornings and we have been delayed getting in by as much as 8 hours. They anchor the ship outside of the Skyway bridge and have to wait it out until the harbor clears the ship to the channel. The channel is a 2 hour ride once under the bridge.

 

So short answer long it's a risk.

[JohninDC]

Fog in the bay is mostly a winter issue - since you are cruising in Sept you should not have a fog related delay. :cool:

 

Taxi to TPA is a $25+tip flat rate fare and, as mentioned above, takes about 15 minutes. You do not have much room for error, but an 11:00 AM flight out should be okay with your FTTF debark priority. Good luck! :)

[topspot]

Does anyone know the earliest flight you can book out of Orlando (MCO) if you are sailing out of Port Canaveral and using Carnival transfers??

 

THANKS!!

[winddawn]

Does anyone know the earliest flight you can book out of Orlando (MCO) if you are sailing out of Port Canaveral and using Carnival transfers??

 

THANKS!!

You might be able to make an earlier flight out of MCO, but if you encounter any issues, such as customs delaying debarkation or traffic on the way to the airport, anything prior to about noon could be risky. The ride to the MCO airport in Orlando is a 50-60 minute ride from Port Canaveral depending on traffic conditions. Also consider the type of transfer you are taking to the airport. Taking a Carnival bus transfer, you will have to wait for the bus to fill up before leaving.

 

I would book a flight after noon for a Port Canaveral/MCO cruise.

 

Have a great cruise!

[topspot]

Thanks for your quick response! That's what we were thinking, but wanted to make sure a 1PM flight wasn't cutting it too close.

[FlaGrl4Evr]

Leaving from Tampa, have FTTF for early debark, is it safe to book an 11am flight out TPA?

 

 

Sent using the Cruise Critic forums app

 

 

Carnival says 11:30 for the earliest flts out of Tampa but we have done an 11:15 and were at the Airport by 9:20. Just get off the ship as early as possible and take a taxi or a direct mode of transportation to TPA.

 

Getting off the ship early is really important. On our first cruise out of Tampa we had a 2:30 flt so no rush. We did the traditional debark and did not get to the airport until 10:45...... Also keep in mind that US passengers can not debark until all non-US passengers report. We had an issue on one of our cruises where the last 2 non-US passengers did not report on time and even though the cruise-staff repeatedly paged them and their cabin #'s over and over, they still chose to hold everyone else up for over 45 minutes. It's just crazy scenarios like this that can put a wrench in your plans.

 

Another issue with Tampa is if there is any fog that will prohibit the ship from safely passing under the Skyway Bridge. The bridge has a very narrow passageway into Tampa Bay and they will not chance-it. It this happens though, it will not matter what time your return flight is, as sometimes it takes the ships until the afternoon to pass under the bridge. It is then another 2 hours into the port of Tampa.

 

 

:) Hope you all have a great cruise.

 

 

BTW: The taxi will have a flat rate of $25 for up to 4 passengers.

 

 

 

 

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[iruser]

Getting off the ship early is really important. On our first cruise out of Tampa we had a 2:30 flt so no rush. We did the traditional debark and did not get to the airport until 10:45...... Also keep in mind that US passengers can not debark until all non-US passengers report. We had an issue on one of our cruises where the last 2 non-US passengers did not report on time and even though the cruise-staff repeatedly paged them and their cabin #'s over and over, they still chose to hold everyone else up for over 45 minutes. It's just crazy scenarios like this that can put a wrench in your plans.

 

Hi From Canada

 

Is there a reason for this? Is it US Customs or is it Carnival?

 

Is there a similar policy getting on the ship?

 

 

 

I've read lots about get on the ship enjoy lunch. Is there breakfast when you get back to enjoy before getting off the ship?