boarding ship

[weregoingcruising]

How flexible are they about the 90 minute rule for boarding at the start of the cruise?

[TJMK]

Not very. They need to submit manifests and passenger info to the authorities prior to sailing so they're not very flexible.

[TJMK]

Not very. They need to submit manifests and passenger info to the authorities prior to sailing so they're not very flexible.

I'm assuming you're referring to cut off time for boarding?

[fleckle]

How flexible are they about the 90 minute rule for boarding at the start of the cruise?

Very flexible, if you have a good reason and make prior arrangements so that they are expecting your late arrival, as we found out.

 

I'm not talking about someone who just shows up late because you were shopping or whatever.

 

[gopro63]

is this your first cruise????????? OP

[weregoingcruising]

Very flexible, if you have a good reason and make prior arrangements so that they are expecting your late arrival, as we found out.

 

I'm not talking about someone who just shows up late because you were shopping or whatever.

 

We have a 6am flite arriving at 10am which is no problem. If that flite is canceled the next one gets us to FLL at 2pm. Getting luggage and cab I'm thinking gets us to port about 3pm. It would cut it very close so maybe a call letting them know our situation might work.

[Snit13]

We have a 6am flite arriving at 10am which is no problem. If that flite is canceled the next one gets us to FLL at 2pm. Getting luggage and cab I'm thinking gets us to port about 3pm. It would cut it very close so maybe a call letting them know our situation might work.

 

Not a good plan. If you have weather issue or airplane maintenance issue, you will most like be out of luck. Coming from areas which may have snow, ice, etc. you could miss your cruise. Happened to someone on our next cruise roll call and he did not make his cruise. Always plan to arrive day before cruise to make certain you are onboard. Celebrity suggests boarding between 12 and 3 pm. Our next cruise sails at 4pm and as previously stated by another, they must submit manifests and follow government orders.

[alcpa1]

The cruise lines are only meeting the requirements of Homeland Security.

I know you are stating a what if but you face being turned away. AFAIK there is no flat tire rule for embarkation.

[az_tchr]

It does not do any good telling celebrity you might be late. They will simply and correctly suggest you arrive earlier. Always suggest if flying in to fly in the night before. Mechanical issues, weather, or some idiot making strange statements can delay things. Not worth it as many others in lots of other posts have suggested. Why stress and possibly ruin your holiday. Fly in a day early, Go out to dinner and relax on the beach!

 

The only way arriving late is going to work is if you are on a Celebrity packaged flight (usually from Canada) and even then the ship can only wait an hour or two.

[midwestchick]

We have a 6am flite arriving at 10am which is no problem. If that flite is canceled the next one gets us to FLL at 2pm. Getting luggage and cab I'm thinking gets us to port about 3pm. It would cut it very close so maybe a call letting them know our situation might work.

 

I presume you're flying from ORD. What if the next flight is full and there are no seats? We had a flight cancelled out of ORD and could not get another flight the same day..luckily we had a cruise tour before our cruise and ended up losing a day of our tour. That was the last time we flew when we had to be somewhere on a scheduled time. Fly in a day early and stay overnight. It's not worth the risk.

[HardToPort]

How flexible are they about the 90 minute rule for boarding at the start of the cruise?

 

Always, always arrive day before and bed down for the night before cruise. Especially when flying from the north country in winter. Take it from a Canuck.

 

Last year a blizzard hit us and our flight out of Buffalo was cancelled and airport shut down. Had to find a flight out of Toronto later in day and arrived late afternoon day before cruise. If it had happened on cruise day we would have missed sailaway.

 

Safe travels.

[spanner14]

After being delayed at Rome Airport by the airline losing one of our suitcases, we lost our "buffer time" of 3.5 hours between arrival at the airport and the cut off time. We also had to pay a supplement to the pre-booked taxi as he had to wait while we tried desperately to report our luggage missing and get a reference number. Despite the taxi driver literally breaking every traffic law possible in order to get us there before the 90 minute cut off time, we only just made it and it was a horrible, stressful start to our cruise.

 

As Celebrity had booked the flights and car for us we *may* have had some leeway re our embarkation time but even so, when you are delayed and are worried you may miss the ship, it is not an enjoyable experience at all.

 

It's the only time we haven't arrived the day before the cruise and I would not risk it again. If you can change your flight to the day before, I strongly advise it.

[rbird]

Been there. Done that. Flight was delayed and we circled MIA waiting to land. Lost luggage and non english speaking baggage claim all delayed our plans. We were the last ones running onto the ship. I was very concerned about not having luggage, my husband was not. :rolleyes:

 

We now fly in a day prior as well as pack a swimsuit, maxidress and medication in our carryon:D

[casper106]

Gosh,it's nuts to fly in the same day as the cruise leaves. You have already spend a fair bit to go on the cruise so really,in the scheme of things what does the cost of a night in a hotel amount to in order to be sure you make the cruise on time. So many things can go wrong with flying. JMO

[spanner14]

Gosh,it's nuts to fly in the same day as the cruise leaves. You have already spend a fair bit to go on the cruise so really,in the scheme of things what does the cost of a night in a hotel amount to in order to be sure you make the cruise on time. So many things can go wrong with flying. JMO

 

For sure. The only reason we didn't do that last cruise is because teenage dd was still officially at school and didn't finish until the afternoon before the cruise.

 

Never again though. Even when departing from a home port we drive down the day before and stay overnight.

[4774Papa]

Not a good plan. If you have weather issue or airplane maintenance issue, you will most like be out of luck. Coming from areas which may have snow, ice, etc. you could miss your cruise. Happened to someone on our next cruise roll call and he did not make his cruise. Always plan to arrive day before cruise to make certain you are onboard. Celebrity suggests boarding between 12 and 3 pm. Our next cruise sails at 4pm and as previously stated by another, they must submit manifests and follow government orders.

 

Agree, same day arrival is gambling. Don't do it.

[gold1953]

When flying from the snow belt for a winter cruise we now give ourselves 2 nights. If it is not a direct flight you can get caught twice. Barely made it with a one night buffer.

[Jetlagged787]

Totally agree with the advice given about arriving the day before. It doesn't work for us as our airline only flies the route twice a week! It means coming in on Wednesday for a Saturday sail away but at least it gives us a couple of days to enjoy the delights of Puerto Rico.