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11:25 Flight

lisakoivu

By lisakoivu,
in Holland America Line

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lisakoivu

lisakoivu

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I am looking at the Veendam from Tampa on March 13 to 20. Am I going to make an 11:25 flight from Tampa at the end of the cruise? Thoughts appreciated. Also posting on Departures board. Thank you all.

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lisakoivu

lisakoivu

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I don't REALLY like it either, honestly, but the airport on the other end is a four hour drive from our house and we have to be at work the next day... so... am considering. This flight would have us home by dinnertime, a later one would mean bedtime or worse. Honestly, I tried to talk myself into taking an RCL cruise that was Saturday to Saturday instead of HAL Sunday to Sunday, but couldn't do it, lol

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TheCalicoCat

TheCalicoCat

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I don't REALLY like it either, honestly, but the airport on the other end is a four hour drive from our house and we have to be at work the next day... so... am considering. This flight would have us home by dinnertime, a later one would mean bedtime or worse. Honestly, I tried to talk myself into taking an RCL cruise that was Saturday to Saturday instead of HAL Sunday to Sunday, but couldn't do it, lol

 

ugh - the proverbial rock & a hard place!

I am not this far into the planning (our next cruise is in 2017), but I am so glad that we are closer to our airport... & I am still thinking that I might take the following Monday off, even though our cruise is 14-nights... This way I can plan a later flight without the "Gee 4 a.m. on Monday, sure came early" reaction.

 

AKA Can you take another day off?

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realnurse2

realnurse2

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Try to arrange for an early disembarkation so you can leave soon after the ship is cleared. The front desk on the ship can give you the details and arrange for you . As long as the ship isn't late into port that am , you can taxi off to the airport to make your flight.

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Caribbean Chris

Caribbean Chris

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We've sailed in and out of Tampa many times and my guess is that you will easily make it (no guarantees of course.:() For peace of mind, I would definitely ask for an early disembarkation slot and hop into a cab.

 

It seems to me that the exit process with luggage and Homeland Security moves quickly especially compared to Miami's endless luggage carousels. Then it's a fairly quick trip to the airport, especially on a Sunday morning.

 

The Port of Tampa gets fogged in now and then, delaying ships coming in from or going out to the Gulf of Mexico, but that's unpredictable.

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Tom O. Great Review Rare

Tom O.

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I have a similar situation. I live 4 hours from Salt Lake City, or 3 hours from Las Vegas - the only major airports.

But there is also a small airport here in Cedar City - it has exactly 2 flights per day - both to Salt Lake. Flying is a chore I always have two plane changes - flying takes all day.

But it sure is nice to fly right into Cedar City rather than take a 3 hour shuttle from Las Vegas.

Do you have any nearby small airports with regional air service? If so, it might be worth the extra cost.

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RuthC

RuthC

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If the ship is late due to fog, you probably won't make a later flight, either. So, I would take the chance.

For an 11:25 flight, figure you should be at the airport by 9:30. That means leaving the ship by 8:30 in order to get there by then (both estimates have given generous time allowances). You should be able to get off the ship by then, especially if you ask for a fairly early disembarkation time.

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StartrainDD "Live from...." Rare

StartrainDD

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Especially if you can carry your own luggage off "Expedited disembarkation." As you are a teacher I will assume you are a little younger than the average HAL cruiser.

 

I fly in/out of Tampa at least twice a year. The port is small (compared to FLL or Miami) and rather efficient. On a Sunday morning it should be no more than 15 minutes by cab to the airport. Tampa is a large airport but you should be fine.

 

Have a terrific cruise!

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lisakoivu

lisakoivu

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Unfortunately... (I did my tour of duty - 6th grade & got out as quickly as I could! More power to you, I truly respect what you do.)

 

Ha ha, been teaching grade six most of my career - about 15 years. Hormone highway. Love the kids!

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lisakoivu

lisakoivu

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Especially if you can carry your own luggage off "Expedited disembarkation." As you are a teacher I will assume you are a little younger than the average HAL cruiser.

 

I fly in/out of Tampa at least twice a year. The port is small (compared to FLL or Miami) and rather efficient. On a Sunday morning it should be no more than 15 minutes by cab to the airport. Tampa is a large airport but you should be fine.

 

Have a terrific cruise!

 

Old enough that I appreciate the quiet on HAL but yeah, young enough to carry stuff. We had our first HAL cruise this summer and LOVED it. Before were NCL fans, but it's too loud and noisy. So do you think the change is in the cruise lines, or us, ha ha.

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lisakoivu

lisakoivu

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I have a similar situation. I live 4 hours from Salt Lake City, or 3 hours from Las Vegas - the only major airports.

But there is also a small airport here in Cedar City - it has exactly 2 flights per day - both to Salt Lake. Flying is a chore I always have two plane changes - flying takes all day.

But it sure is nice to fly right into Cedar City rather than take a 3 hour shuttle from Las Vegas.

Do you have any nearby small airports with regional air service? If so, it might be worth the extra cost.

 

We have closer airports, but as Canadians, we pay about half the price to fly if we head for the nearest border down, even with the Canadian dollar crashing and a 40% exchange rate, it is less than half the price for me to fly from my nearest border town. Also, Tampa is not well served from Canada, involves one connection even from Toronto, and two from my regional airport. Believe me, I'm still exploring so many options, it would make your head spin, which is why I'm exploring the 11:25 flight. Not totally sold yet. But getting there. I appreciate your input, though

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Randyk47

Randyk47

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The only port we've ever missed our homeward bound flight of was out of Tampa. Call it the "perfect storm" or whatever but between fog, a bulky ship engine, and a problem with the ship clearing Immigration and Customs we didn't get off the ship until after noon and missed a 1:30 PM flight. By the time they started letting people off the ship the whole notion of priority disembarkation, color codes, etc., etc., had completely been abandoned and it was a mess. That's really not against Tampa or HAL, stuff happens, and it could have been any port.

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Tampa Girl

Tampa Girl

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If the ship is late due to fog, you probably won't make a later flight, either. So, I would take the chance.

For an 11:25 flight, figure you should be at the airport by 9:30. That means leaving the ship by 8:30 in order to get there by then (both estimates have given generous time allowances). You should be able to get off the ship by then, especially if you ask for a fairly early disembarkation time.

 

That makes good sense, and the Tampa airport is about 15 minutes from the pier. The odds are with you.

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