missing the ship at embarkation through no fault of your own

[EGG]

I've read numbers higher than that. It is partially due to the fact that if you have cruise air they usually fly you in the morning of the cruise.

 

We once stayed over in Fort Lauderdale for an 8:30 a.m. flight. Person next to me got off Allure that morning. She had no idea it was tight. Sometimes ignorance is bliss.

 

Unless you fly a lot you do not realize how often flights are delayed, how the airline does not tell you right away you are going to have a 2 or 3 hour delay but tell you by increments and how full flights now are (for the possibility to get on another flight).

[navybankerteacher]

 

Great question. I tried to research this and could find no data. I am sure someone knows. I would expect either the hotels or cruise lines have done research. I just cannot find it!

 

Looking back, I recall flying to a cruise port on embarkation day just twice - both times in June from New York to Fort Lauderdale in 2002 and 2003 - no winter weather concerns, and before I had heard about people missing sailings. I've driven on the same day -- once 4 hours, and 6 times for under an hour -- but all others involving flying have been a day or more in advance.

 

Perhaps 50% of cruisers just feel luckier than I do.

 

Might be worth a poll to get a sense - at least of how CC'ers think.

[Shmoo here]

 

Looking back, I recall flying to a cruise port on embarkation day just twice - both times in June from New York to Fort Lauderdale in 2002 and 2003 - no winter weather concerns, and before I had heard about people missing sailings. I've driven on the same day -- once 4 hours, and 6 times for under an hour -- but all others involving flying have been a day or more in advance.

 

Perhaps 50% of cruisers just feel luckier than I do.

 

Might be worth a poll to get a sense - at least of how CC'ers think.

 

We've flown in the day of the cruise 4 times from LA:

1. Vancouver in September

2. Barcelona in September

3. Boston in October

4. Orlando in September

 

We had no problems with flights, arrival times, making it to the ship with plenty of time. Of course, we also had Plan B for each of them. Generally, we book flights that have at least 2 other flights after them that will still get us there in time.

 

I do agree it's necessary to take into account time of year/weather issues that can complicate things. And plan accordingly.

[MerlinsMum]

I will also be flying to Barcelona, but in August, and from Manchester, My flight is early in the morning and gets in at 10.50 their time.The ship doesnt leave dock till after 17.00,so plenty of time, but I still worry about delays, so I do see where the OP is coming from. With just a couple of hours to get off plane, find baggage if need be (unless thats sorted by th cruise ship). then getting to the pick up point for the transfer. a bit hairy for anyone, I should imagine.

 

I would have preferred to get to Barcelona the day before, but having to travel up to Manchester already, I didnt want to be hanging around anywhere else before i actually got on board lol

[donaldsc]

If the OP is crazy, so then are 50% of the passengers in the US, as that is the percent that flies in the day of the cruise. Would I do it? No, because I cannot fly directly to any cruise port nor are there lots of options if a flight is delayed or cancelled. I also do not like to start a cruise feeling stressed.

 

That just means that 50% or probably more lake the intellectual ability to realize that what they are doing is not really smart.

 

DON

[sammysgranny]

I've flown from the UK to various embarkation ports on the same day the cruise starts without any problems but I dont think I've ever had as little leeway as 3.5 hours. I doubt it's going to be possible to change those flights without paying again but it would be worth a try.

 

I'd be especially worried about the transfers to the port because I've had bad experiences with people like resort hoops and now always take a taxi. Barcelona is a big airport with restricted pick up points and it once took over 1.5 hrs for me to find the meeting place then wait ages for other people from different flights and then have an involuntary tour of the city dropping people off at different places.

[Kris74]

I just would like to adda that it also depends which airline is in question. Cheap airlines dont have that much customer service, but if its a prime airline it is another thing. Do they have several flights that day, do thay have flight to the next port of call. If it is a reputable TA they just might know these things and figure that it is fairly sure You get there in time. It is a different thing to just fly in Europe.

[pris993]

If op is from UK... I would guess easy to make other travel arrangements to get in at least early in the day if not a day early.

 

We now always book two days in advance when going to Europe to catch a cruise... Flying from California to Barcelona, we lose a day going anyway... if there are delays... cancelled flight??? all flights are full, need to time to get there.

 

We are going to Barcelona in 2017, will book a hotel for two nights, enjoy Barcelona... went there 5 times - great city and will board the ship relaxed. Only way to travel for us.

[niddrycastle]

Well,

What can I say to my enquiry,:) the response from both sides of the big pond is both informative and reassuring .

I am going to discuss this matter first with the rest of my party and then speak to the TA and get in writing, bigger than the small print , what they will provide us should the mess hit the fan ,as they say.

 

NC

[jocap]

The fact that the transfers are included is the big point to me here, and, as pointed out, you'll have ATOL protection, as Davecttr points out. I should imagine that NCL does this every week from the UK in summer, and is aware of the consequences.

We've flown a package with NCL to Barca- granted, a day earlier as we flew from Newcastle which doesn't have a flight every day- and there was the taxi driver holding up our names, and next day there was the transfer vehicle. It was all very much under NCL's control.

[celle]

My only comment is that the title of your post is wrong. If you miss the ship, it is your fault and not someone else's fault. After all, you selected the travel agency and you accepted the airplane booking even though you were uncomfortable with it and you believed them when they said that the ship or the agency would take care of it if you missed the ship. In today's world, it seems that if something goes wrong, it has to be someone else's fault.

 

DON

I agree.

If you choose to accept the flight booking, after being advised multiple times here, and you miss your cruise embarkation, having been advised of the risks, it is your fault.

 

Any sensible person takes sensible precautions and relying on a possibly empty promise made by a questionable travel agency is not taking sensible precautions.

[k9x8]

Because of limited vacation time, we have twice flown into FCO, arriving the day of sailing.

 

However, only if the first port is easy to get to, Civiteveccia to Messina or Livorno, for example. I believe the first day is a sea day on the Epic out of Barcelona. That would mean losing two nights out of seven, a risk I would be unwilling to take.

[Slugsta]

Some things I would want to know, if I were in the OP's position -

 

What day of the week are you due to arrive in Barcelona, is the TA open that day?

 

Who is the named contact from the TA, what are their contact details?

 

If the ship is missed, is the TA going to make all the alternative arrangements (hotels and transfers as well as transport to the next port of call)?

 

Who is going to pay for this upfront?

 

What is the process for claiming back out of pocket expenses? What is the upper limit for these expenses?

 

Only then could I decide whether to take the risk.

[Cruisin' Chick]

To begin with, no way no how would I agree to flights that arrive 3.5 hours before sailing. That's just crazy. Flight delays and even cancellation can happen. Upon landing, clearing customs, picking up luggage finding a cab and then the ride to the airport all present their own opportunity for delays. Add to that the requirement that you be onboard either 30 or 60 minutes ( I can't remember which it is) before sailing, I would say it's more likely then not you will miss the sailing. You need to get this changed ASAP. I would not care what assurance the TA provides. Even if they deliver, you are the one put through the stress and actual hell if or when the ship sails without you. I would question the competence of a TA that even suggested such an itinerary.

 

I love all of the replies from the people in the US who didn't bother to notice that the OP is in the UK and traveling to Spain. While 3.5 hours is tight it is not that tight and the OP should make it without any issues unless the flight is delayed.

 

As far as catching you up to the ship things work much differently in Europe than they do in the US, and almost all of the answers have come from people in the US who have avoided your real question. Without knowing the cruise line or the agency involved it is almost impossible to answer your question. I would do some research on the company involved and I would see if the guarantee that you mention is part of the contract that you have with them.

 

You can still have problems -- flights, traffic, all that. We decided years ago that if we're sailing from a port other than San Pedro (we're an hour's drive away and even then, we try to be on our way by 10am at the latest), we'll be arriving at least a day ahead for other ports.

 

And no way will we be fine with flying to catch up with our ship. Not just that we'll be missing out on some of our cruise, but also that's an expense for another flight and a hotel room. If we can't add on the day before the cruise, we don't book the cruise.