Am I cutting it too close?

[SadieN]

Don't check luggage, carryon only.

[Langley Cruisers]

Again, I post the following:

 

...As long as you have entered your flight information into online check-in, and fully completed online check-in, you name is on the manifest and contrary to the urban legend repeated ad nauseum on these boards you will not be removed from the manifest by a certain deadline--as long as you show up before the gangway is pulled you will be on your cruise.

 

Wow, that's quite a claim. Can you absolutely PROVE that this is true for every single cruise line?

 

 

fishywood, you simply cannot make such an egregious claim without expecting to be called on it.

[Flatbush Flyer]

OP: not a good idea. REALLY not a good idea.

[Elaine5715]

Florida airports will close to all air traffic when lightening is in the area. That would throw a wrench into the schedule.

[j0el]

I think it is highly likely that you will make it. I prefer to arrive around 10:00 that morning, but have landed as 12:30 and made it easily. In fact, there is a huge rush at check-in as many people arrive way before they start, so it is easier to check-in a few hours later than the start time.

 

Of course I do not stress. Worst case you go on to the next port.

 

As mentioned, be sure to have a passport with you. And carry some clothing to change into, you may not get your luggage until the early evening.

 

I am sure you will have a great cruise and the chances of delay, while real, are not as frequent as it seems. Most of the 20,000,000 people who cruise every year don't write to this board and say they were on time.

[reedl]

(Humor On)

You need to fly into the airport you are leaving the cruise from at least one week before the cruise. I mean, what if the flights are cancelled for 6 days before the cruise? Or perhaps you should purchase a condo next to the port and live there for one month before the cruise.

(humor off)

 

Look, a vast majority of cruisers arrive at the airport the day of the cruise. Millions of people do it without issue every single day. While some prefer to fly in the day before, it is most certainly not required in order to make it to your cruise.

[sloopsailor]

Never count on your flight to be on time. Always plan for the worst.

 

Although not at the beginning of a cruise, this is an example of what can happen: The ship arrived in Ft. Lauderdale on time and we got to the airport in plenty of time. However, our plane was delayed at the previous airport due to a mechanical problem. We were told it would be 1 hour 15 minutes late arriving. After about an hour later, we were told we would be changing to another gate and to another plane. When we arrived, we were told that the replacement plane couldn't be certified to fly because it had just been serviced in the maintenance hanger where the safety announcement kit (belt buckle, life preserver, exit card) went missing. After another hour wait, we moved to yet another gate to meet with an incoming plane, which after another 45 minutes we then boarded and headed home.

 

Total time delayed - 4 hours 50 minutes.

 

If this had been your flight in, you would have missed your cruise.

[Langley Cruisers]

Florida airports will close to all air traffic when lightening is in the area. That would throw a wrench into the schedule.

 

Very true, Elaine. We were delayed leaving FLL one time because of lightning. We were late by 4 hours. :(

[Flatbush Flyer]

I think it is highly likely that you will make it. I prefer to arrive around 10:00 that morning, but have landed as 12:30 and made it easily. In fact, there is a huge rush at check-in as many people arrive way before they start, so it is easier to check-in a few hours later than the start time.

 

 

 

Of course I do not stress. Worst case you go on to the next port.

 

 

 

As mentioned, be sure to have a passport with you. And carry some clothing to change into, you may not get your luggage until the early evening.

 

 

 

I am sure you will have a great cruise and the chances of delay, while real, are not as frequent as it seems. Most of the 20,000,000 people who cruise every year don't write to this board and say they were on time.

 

 

Most of them have no idea that CC even exists.

[FlyerTalker]

Florida airports will close to all air traffic when lightening is in the area. That would throw a wrench into the schedule.

Not just Florida airports. The presence of lightning is one of the big safety concerns for airports and airlines and they will shut down the ramp completely. ATL gets some significant lightning closures, as does DFW.

[jennypuccinelli]

We're leaving out of FLL on April 17. (the day after Easter). I booked a red eye the night before and we'll arrive in Miami at 5:30 a.m. the day of our cruise. My husband works for the Catholic Church so leaving Easter morning is entirely out of the question. I'm a little nervous about flying in the day of but I think we'll be ok. There are still 2 other flights to Miami that night so if ours gets cancelled we could try to catch one of those. Also, we booked the flight through Princess so worst case is that they'd have to get us to the next port.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[navybankerteacher]

(Humor On)

You need to fly into the airport you are leaving the cruise from at least one week before the cruise. I mean, what if the flights are cancelled for 6 days before the cruise? Or perhaps you should purchase a condo next to the port and live there for one month before the cruise.

(humor off)

 

Look, a vast majority of cruisers arrive at the airport the day of the cruise. Millions of people do it without issue every single day. While some prefer to fly in the day before, it is most certainly not required in order to make it to your cruise.

 

No one is suggesting arriving the day before is essential. Many are answering OP's question - which was whether shooting for an afternoon ETA was cutting it close. Of course it is cutting it close - especially if some unidentified factors might exist: is OP flying from a northern city in the winter time?; is OP taking a connecting, or non-stop, flight?; if there is a connection, is it at an airport which might experience bad weather?; if there is a connection, is there sufficient time to make the second leg if the first leg is delayed?

 

Without being aware of the answers to those variables, anyone who suggested that OP was NOT cutting it too close should stop pretending to be aware of what might be involved in air travel.

 

P.S. "Humor" NOT on.

[Langley Cruisers]

^ Yeah.

 

~

 

OP came here, probably looking for confirmation that what s/he decided to do was going to be OK. Truth is, most of us think and suggested it is not wise. No one was arrogant or self righteous or anything in suggesting they ARE cutting it close, because THEY ARE CUTTING IT CLOSE. Having said that, yes, thousands of cruise ship passengers fly in on cruise day without incident. We will never be one of them, however. We missed check-in for a flight out of Toronto to FLL by 5 minutes once. 5 lousy minutes. Next flight out at 3:30 pm. Had our cruise been that same day, we would have missed it.

Edited November 17, 2016 by Langley Cruisers

[Beachdude]

So...is it "fine" or "risky"? Seems you contradict yourself.

 

No contradiction, I just didn't feel like lecturing the OP like the other posters. If the plane arrives on time, no problem. With less time for late arrivals, there is simply more risk.

 

Some folks handle risks better than others. Sometimes I like to live on the edge by not taking the extra insurance when I rent a car. Call me crazy, but it feels exhilarating.

 

I'm thinking about walking under a ladder next week.

 

Burt

[geoherb]

I would not book a flight that arrives after noon for a cruise the same day. The only flight I will book for a cruise the same day is an early morning direct flight, preferably the first flight of the day.

 

I've seen ships held for late-arriving passengers. I'm not sure if they booked their flights through the cruise line or just coincidentally there were a lot of cruise passengers on the same flight. In those cases, they did not have to be on board 90 minutes before the cruise ship sailed. The ship left immediately after the last passenger boarded.

[SuiteTraveler]

If your flight was booked by the cruise line, you have nothing to worry about. If you booked the flight, yes, I would say you are cutting it close due to the possibility of an unexpected flight delay. If you book your own air, it is usually best to fly in the day before.

[Hlitner]

No contradiction, I just didn't feel like lecturing the OP like the other posters. If the plane arrives on time, no problem. With less time for late arrivals, there is simply more risk.

 

Some folks handle risks better than others. Sometimes I like to live on the edge by not taking the extra insurance when I rent a car. Call me crazy, but it feels exhilarating.

 

I'm thinking about walking under a ladder next week.

 

Burt

 

You mention "risk" which is an interesting choice of words. Many folks purchase Cruise insurance thinking they are protected if they miss their cruise due to a late or canceled flight. But insurance companies are actually pretty smart so they generally require the flight be scheduled to arrive X number of hours prior to embarkation. Sometimes it is 6 hours....sometimes it is more.

 

Hank

[Jae351]

Thanks everyone for your opinions and suggestions!

 

After some research and realizing that the change fee will be $200 per ticket... I have to risk it it. Its just too expensive to pay $600 in change fees.

 

This is our first ever cruise. RC Harmony of the Seas. We are on a direct flight in March, to answer a few of your questions. Direct flights offer less risk but it is still uncomfortably close.

 

I wish our travel agent would have mentioned the 90 minute cut off, that was news to me. Luckily we bought the insurance!

[donaldsc]

If your flight was booked by the cruise line, you have nothing to worry about. If you booked the flight, yes, I would say you are cutting it close due to the possibility of an unexpected flight delay. If you book your own air, it is usually best to fly in the day before.

 

Here is the problem with your answer. There is no guarantee that they will hold the ship for you especially if you are the only one that they are holding it for. They probably will however arrange to get you to the next place the ship stops at and will also probably cover your lodging and meals while you wait to meet the ship.

 

Two difficulties with this solution -

 

1) What if you have several sea days between the home port and the next stop. Do you want to miss part of the trip? What if the trip is a TA and the next stop is Europe.

 

2) You may be doing a Caribbean cruise and without a passport (I will bet that the OP does not have a passport based on the questions that he is asking and the mistakes he has made in the booking) as it is a closed loop cruise. However, if they plan to fly you to the next port, it now is no longer a closed loop cruise so you don't go w/o a passport.

 

You have grossly oversimplified your answer.

 

Finally, I quote this from the OP's last post - "We are on a direct flight in March, to answer a few of your questions. Direct flights offer less risk but it is still uncomfortably close. I wish our travel agent would have mentioned the 90 minute cut off, that was news to me. Luckily we bought the insurance!"

 

Note that he is traveling in March and he does not say where he is coming from. We all know that weather is often a problem in March even if the weather is OK in the city he is departing from. His plan may take off or may not or many not even be able to get to the airport and even if it does take off there can be significant icing delays. He also says that he is lucky that he bought insurance. Does insurance actually coven him under these circumstances.

 

If the OP misses his ship, all bets are off. I know that we can not name TA's on CC but it would be nice to know the name of the OP's TA as the agent is totally incompetent.

 

DON

Edited November 17, 2016 by donaldsc

[Langley Cruisers]

I wish our travel agent would have mentioned the 90 minute cut off, that was news to me. Luckily we bought the insurance!

 

THANK YOU for coming back to this thread and replying. :) As for the TA not mentioning it, I am shocked, seriously. Unless you are really tied to this TA, I would suggest a new one for future travels. A good TA is so worth it.

 

Have fun on your cruise!

[Hlitner]

Not to frighten the OP, but you might want to read the "insurance" you purchased and see if it provided coverage for a flight scheduled to land so close to embarkation time. Our only reason to post this additional comment is to send out a warning to other future cruisers. In your case, all will likely be fine :). I should add that even though we are frequent travelers and have been cruising for around forty years, we recently booked an early flight home (after a Princess cruise) knowing that we were breaking all of our own rules :). It all worked out beautifully....but we still counsel others not to take extra risks.

 

Hank

Edited November 17, 2016 by Hlitner

[tatt2ed]

Last cruise our flight was delayed for just over 7 hours. Our planes landing gear wasnt communicating with the black box and by the time it was looked at and "fixed" the pilot was out of hours so we had to wait for a replacement pilot to arrive. As we finally taxied down the runway the plane lost power we had to return to the gate and unload the plane. After a reinspection we were allowed to reboard (yes at this point we were ready to jump on anything that flew). We finally took off and landed at an alternate airport than the originally intended one. The best part about all this our cruise was the following day on sunday , the bad part was about 20 people had missed their saturday cruise. I always leave a day early, its better than any amount of insurance.

[Cruisin' Chick]

 

I wish our travel agent would have mentioned the 90 minute cut off, that was news to me. Luckily we bought the insurance!

 

I do hope you get back to the travel agent and say what was wrong with the flight time. Maybe he/she isn't familiar with cruises (some will book cruises but have never been on one and don't understand about the time to be on board and also doesn't think about messed up or delayed flights when booking them as many people who are flying to stay at a hotel aren't always worried about getting there at 1pm or 5pm). this could help prevent someone else getting a flight that may be problematic.

 

Here is the problem with your answer. There is no guarantee that they will hold the ship for you especially if you are the only one that they are holding it for. They probably will however arrange to get you to the next place the ship stops at and will also probably cover your lodging and meals while you wait to meet the ship.

 

Two difficulties with this solution -

 

1) What if you have several sea days between the home port and the next stop. Do you want to miss part of the trip? What if the trip is a TA and the next stop is Europe.

 

2) You may be doing a Caribbean cruise and without a passport (I will bet that the OP does not have a passport based on the questions that he is asking and the mistakes he has made in the booking) as it is a closed loop cruise. However, if they plan to fly you to the next port, it now is no longer a closed loop cruise so you don't go w/o a passport.

 

You have grossly oversimplified your answer.

 

Finally, I quote this from the OP's last post - "We are on a direct flight in March, to answer a few of your questions. Direct flights offer less risk but it is still uncomfortably close. I wish our travel agent would have mentioned the 90 minute cut off, that was news to me. Luckily we bought the insurance!"

 

Note that he is traveling in March and he does not say where he is coming from. We all know that weather is often a problem in March even if the weather is OK in the city he is departing from. His plan may take off or may not or many not even be able to get to the airport and even if it does take off there can be significant icing delays. He also says that he is lucky that he bought insurance. Does insurance actually coven him under these circumstances.

 

If the OP misses his ship, all bets are off. I know that we can not name TA's on CC but it would be nice to know the name of the OP's TA as the agent is totally incompetent.

 

DON

 

Great info here. booking your flight through a cruiseline doesn't always guarantee the ship will wait for you. about six years ago, many passengers were flying from Heathrow to LA on a flight booked through Princess. but there was a rare blizzard there and a not-so-rare, but still a record rainstorm here in LA. The captain held up the sailing for four-and-a-hours but finally had to make the call to leave. I still don't know if any of the Brits made it on board at the first port, which was Hilo. we did run into a few during the cruise and asked if they were from this group and they said no -- some few out ahead of time for a post-cruise stay in vegas or LA, and others didn't trust the coming storm and made arrangements to fly from another airport like Orly.

[tatt2ed]

I asked my pvp at carnival and she said they will not hold the ship for you even if you purchase the air thru them. Best case they will get you to the first port to meet the ship , plainly put its cheaper to do that without upsetting the majority of people.

[MicCanberra]

I prefer to fly in a day earlier than embarkation, just in case.