Red eye flights

[Oldgoat61]

Has anyone ever flown from the West Coast to the Florida on a red eye flight? If you did, did you have any problems....would you have rather arrived the day before rather than the morning of? We will be taking a cruise the end of March out of POM.

Thanks :confused:

 

[slidergirl]

I've taken many a redeye flight for business and vacation. It's just another flight. But, I would never arrive the morning of a cruise. I'd suck up the extra price and fly in the day before. Too many variables in a same-day arrival that could screw up the cruise (flight cancellation, traffic jams, etc.)...

[trish1c]

It's almost always better to arrive in your port of departure the day before. Too much can go wrong. Who needs all that stress?

 

If the red eye is your only option, so be it. Thousands of cruisers fly the day of all the time (but very few cruise critics do because we know better). If you do have to do this, have contingency plans & know how you will get to your 1st port of call in the worst case.

[AZmike480]

Just did Phoenix to Miami last month, that's the first red eye trip we've done. It worked out great. Try to arrive as early as possible just in case you have luggage issues.

[Ashland]

We have made this (day of cruise arrival) flight "Many" times (also in March) either by using a redeye from LAX-FLL or a quick connect through ATL (we use DL)..In addition to arriving a day or two pre-cruise or morning of cruise either out of PE or POM (we use a taxi for PE departures and a private shuttle for POM departures)..Our decision is based solely on our schedule at the time...But I for one have never had a problem with cruise day of arrivals.

 

Many post they would "never" do this, but each of us has our own situation we must consider...Do whatever works out for you..not what other's preach "must" be done.

 

Enjoy :)

[skandls]

I like to take an early morning flight the day before the cruise. If I am up at 3 or 4 am to catch an 8 or 9 am flight I am ready for a nice dinner and then to sleep on east coast time. We are rested and ready to catch the ship the next morning. I have taken a redeye - a long time ago and found the first day of the cruise was a waste for me as I was so tired all I wanted to do was sleep.

[bonsai3s]

We have made this (day of cruise arrival) flight "Many" times (also in March) either by using a redeye from LAX-FLL or a quick connect through ATL (we use DL)..In addition to arriving a day or two pre-cruise or morning of cruise either out of PE or POM (we use a taxi for PE departures and a private shuttle for POM departures)..Our decision is based solely on our schedule at the time...But I for one have never had a problem with cruise day of arrivals.

 

Many post they would "never" do this, but each of us has our own situation we must consider...Do whatever works out for you..not what other's preach "must" be done.

 

Enjoy :)

 

...we have flown "red-eye" flights out of Sacramento, SFO, and LAX to FLL or Miami. We don't find it stressful and have missed only one connecting flight...but still made it to FLL before noon. We continue to fly red-eye's because it is relatively cheaper, no need to get hotels (or rent a car), and most importantly, no need to waste one to two days waiting for the cruise near the port. That said, we now book "direct" red-eye flights to eliminate the possibility of missed connecting flights. Happy Sailing! :)

[jmf123]

I have friends who always booked a non-stop red eye from LAX to San Juan on American, and it worked out great for them. Unfortunately, non-stops on that route have disappeared. While it's definitely nice and relaxing to arrive the day prior, a red eye is the next best thing if you have to depart after work, etc.

[peety3]

We took an ANC-IAH red-eye then a IAH-SAT short hop to get home from our 2010 Northbound Alaska cruise. Apparently there was a problem with a switch, and as a result they couldn't change the interior lights from on to off or off to on. Since the circuit breaker upstream requires captain's emergency authority and they had to be able to turn the lights on for final landing checks, the only option was a 6.5 hour flight with the lights on. Factor that into whether you want a red-eye to begin a cruise...

[Shmoo here]

It's almost always better to arrive in your port of departure the day before. Too much can go wrong. Who needs all that stress?

 

If the red eye is your only option, so be it. Thousands of cruisers fly the day of all the time (but very few cruise critics do because we know better). If you do have to do this, have contingency plans & know how you will get to your 1st port of call in the worst case.

 

4 of our 9 cruises we've flown in the day of the cruise. Twice on a red-eye arriving early in the morning, and twice on a morning flight arriving in the later morning. We had no difficulty with any of those flights or making it to the cruise on time.

[AKman2495]

Up here in Alaska we often take red eyes. We are taking one to FLL to get there the day before....It is no big deal for us.

[Lerin]

We've taken several and are always very, very tired.

[Treven]

Has anyone ever flown from the West Coast to the Florida on a red eye flight? If you did, did you have any problems....would you have rather arrived the day before rather than the morning of? We will be taking a cruise the end of March out of POM.

Thanks :confused:

 

Every time I have a cruise out of FLL, I take the red eye flight that leaves Sacramento at 11:30pm-12:00am which gets me into FLL about 10:30 the next morning. I've found these flights to be very comfortable, less expensive, convenient, and easy. Generally I've had one stop and that's Atlanta or Houston, depending of course on which airline I take.[/jCOLOR]

Edited January 2, 2014 by Treven

[crystalspin]

We flew LAX to MIA on a red-eye last month, on the day of our embarkation. We never even considered flying in a day early! (Nor would we next time. Heresy!) The fact that there were several other flights later in the day but before gangway-up was our safety net.

 

Also we had only carry-on luggage.

 

The worst part of the trip/day was on the day before we received not one but TWO recorded phonecalls from NCL telling us not to get to the port before 2pm!!! (Citing limited waiting areas, but I also noted they wouldn't have to feed lunch to most of the people that way.) So we were at MIA from 7:40 til noon killing time -- walked the length of the longest terminal wing three times, stopping for breakfast/coffee/soup to kill more time. By 12:30 we were bonkers and caught a taxi -- there was no extended waiting at the terminal -- we were in our cabin by 2pm exactly.

 

Edited January 2, 2014 by crystalspin

[ldubs]

Have used red-eyes arriving morning of the cruise from SFO to FLL and other places including Europe several times. Never a problem and never have felt the need to stress out, but we are not overly obsessive about such things. The flight from SFO to the east coast is relatively short, so no big deal, but of course you will have to deal with the time zone change upon landing. The only thing I would strongly advise is get a nonstop flight to your destination. There might be some cheap fares with odd connections-- like SFO to Houston or LAX then to FLL. Avoid those as it is the connections where things can most likely go wrong. Get a nonstop and you will be there early in the morning a little over 5 hours after you leave SFO.

[Sandy Sails]

Did it once from Seattle to Florida, due to necessity. I'm not a good sleeper so I was extremely tired the first day of the cruise - missed the welcome show that first night. But since we were on a back-to-back and the shows are all repeats, we got to do it the next week. It did take a couple days to get reoriented to both the time change and the lack of sleep. Typical. I'd do it again if necessary. Just be prepared to be tired your first couple of days.

[Husky61]

It is a personal choice. I detest red-eyes and won't ever fly them again. I would rather fly in the day before a cruise and enjoy a leisure evening at the hotel with a nice dinner out.

 

Again, personal preferences.:)

[Happy ks]

It is a personal choice. I detest red-eyes and won't ever fly them again. I would rather fly in the day before a cruise and enjoy a leisure evening at the hotel with a nice dinner out.

 

Again, personal preferences.:)

 

I agree, although I will not say never, you never know what the future can bring. I cannot sleep on a plane, ever, and to arrive so early the next morning, only to wait around for hours. The whole thing sounds like torture for me.

 

Arriving a day early, having a good nights sleep at a hotel. Doing a bit of a tour of the area, getting to the ship around 1 - 2 pm after the crowds die down…that's what appeals to us. If we did a red eye, we'd probably get a hotel room anyway, arriving at 7 am and having until at least 12 noon to board…I'd have to find a bed, rest and take a shower before boarding.

[marco]

We've never done it in conjunction with a cruise, but whenever we visit the west coast, we ALWAYS take the red eye home. We prefer it to a daytime flight. It's usually dark, quiet and our body clock tells us it's time to sleep, so we do. The only concern I'd have when it's in conjunction with a cruise is the same concern anyone would have flying in the day of. If there is a snafu with the flight.....will you still make to the ship on time?

[SMerritt]

Has anyone ever flown from the West Coast to the Florida on a red eye flight? If you did, did you have any problems....would you have rather arrived the day before rather than the morning of? We will be taking a cruise the end of March out of POM.

Thanks :confused:

 

 

We have always flown the Red Eye to MIA and FLL from SFO. We are the same distance to SAC and closer to Oakland but we insist on Non-Stop flights when we fly in on the day of the cruise. Scheduling flights between central California and Florida is challenging. Jet Blue and AA have had the best schedules. I do check both MIA and FLL.

 

Then we take a cab to the Hyatt Regency on Second Street, have breakfast and hang out in a quiet place in the lobby for a while since there is absolutely no place to even sit at the port. There are always other cruisers at the Marriott, the staff is wonderful even though we are just "hanging-out", (closed bar by the windows-nice sofas), the head valet even hugs me on arrival.

 

If we could fly in the day before departure - we would definitely do it....

[ducklite]

Last year I flew on red eyes from LAX/OAK/SFO to MCO several times, always in first, and was exhausted every time. It is something I would not do unless I had no other choice at all. In each case I had things going on at home that I needed to be back for while I was in business travel. After the last one I pretty much said never again. I will take long haul (international) red eyes, for some reason at do sleep much better on those.

 

 

Autocorrect responsible for most typos...

[slidergirl]

Last year I flew on red eyes from LAX/OAK/SFO to MCO several times, always in first, and was exhausted every time. It is something I would not do unless I had no other choice at all. In each case I had things going on at home that I needed to be back for while I was in business travel. After the last one I pretty much said never again. I will take long haul (international) red eyes, for some reason at do sleep much better on those.

 

 

Autocorrect responsible for most typos...

 

I find those transcon redeye flights nasty, too. They are kind of in the no-man's land, sleep-wise: longer than a nap, shorter than a proper sleep. Just when you start to actually sleep, you get the "please put all seatbacks into their original upright position" call. I think that's why we do better on the international flights - a longer time to sleep. I have the same issue when I have to do a back-to-back shift at work. I will only get about 4 hours of sleep between shifts and I end up worthless for the 2nd shift...

[sail7seas]

We are low risk takers and would do most anything to avoid flying the day we are to board a cruise.

 

We also like the idea of starting our vacation a few days before we board the ship and relax in embarkation port at a comfotable hotel.

 

Only you can decide how much of a risk taker you are and how 'impossible' it is for you to fly a day or two ahead.

 

[dorisis]

It will make the first day of your cruise very tiring and you would enjoy it more if you had a good night's sleep. We have only done it on the homeward leg where it didn't matter.

[SparkleBee]

I posted a similar question recently and got about 30 people telling me not to fly in the day of the cruise, regardless of how much easier or cheaper it is. a couple of them even started getting an attitude when I said I was still thinking about what to do. SO even though it was not my best option I decided to listen to the experts and I booked a flight for the day before the cruise, not the morning of.