Cruise on Thanksgiving day, would you fly that day?

[norwegianwood57]

From my research, most have said that it is worse to fly the day before , or even two days before. That you are better off flying ON the day. It is a 3 hour flight, so not long distance.

 

Any thoughts out there?

[Mr. Click]

So much depends on where you are flying from and to and is this a non-stop connection. That said, I don't like flying on the day we cruise. Things do happen with weather, mechanicals, etc that can cause delays and delays can cause stress and stress is not a great way to start your vacation. There have been a few times we have flown in to FL or the Caribbean on the day of and been safe but....I no longer take that chance. With close to a million miles flown I have experienced pretty much every kind of delay you can think of and they still scare me. So, no, I would not do it. I know flying on Thanksgiving morning would be cheaper but....It is not worth the stress involved for me.

[WestLakeGirl]

What research said it is worse to fly the day before and better to fly ON the day? That is exactly wrong

[Kylomom]

We have done it only for flights from TX to FL as well only because other commitments meant we had no choice. I also fly frequently for work. Have spent plenty of time in airports due to delays. Don't recommend it. Leave yourself a buffer and don't add stress that isn't necessary.

 

 

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[RickT]

Like Mr. Click says, we need more information to comment. That said, unless absolutely necessary I try not to fly in the day of departure even if the day is a holiday like Thanksgiving.

 

As far as your comment re "worse to fly in the day before" I assume you mean the fact that the day prior to Thanksgiving is usually a big travel day where few people actually fly on Thanksgiving (ie, a general flight perception rather than a cruise related one). Given most planes fly fairly full anywhere near a holiday I doubt it makes any difference.

[ISABELLA]

From my research, most have said that it is worse to fly the day before , or even two days before. That you are better off flying ON the day. It is a 3 hour flight, so not long distance.

 

Any thoughts out there?

 

After flight got delayed, so we barely made to the ship - I would never fly the day of the cruise.

[norwegianwood57]

Like Mr. Click says, we need more information to comment. That said, unless absolutely necessary I try not to fly in the day of departure even if the day is a holiday like Thanksgiving.

 

As far as your comment re "worse to fly in the day before" I assume you mean the fact that the day prior to Thanksgiving is usually a big travel day where few people actually fly on Thanksgiving (ie, a general flight perception rather than a cruise related one). Given most planes fly fairly full anywhere near a holiday I doubt it makes any difference.

 

direct flight, takes 3 hours..would take the first in the morning at 7:40.

 

yes way too many flying the day before...

 

I could but dont want to post all the research here, would be timely..

[cruisestitch]

You need to tell us where you are flying from and to.

[NLH Arizona]

direct flight, takes 3 hours..would take the first in the morning at 7:40.

 

yes way too many flying the day before...

 

I could but dont want to post all the research here, would be timely..

I've flown on Thanksgiving day (not to catch a cruise) and it is a great day to fly...a lot less people. You just have to be sure that you might take the chance that weather somewhere else could delay or cancel flights.

[Rob the Cruiser]

direct flight, takes 3 hours..would take the first in the morning at 7:40.

 

yes way too many flying the day before...

 

I could but dont want to post all the research here, would be timely..

 

We flew on Thanksgiving day this year. Although our 2 flights were full, the connection through ATL seemed much less crowded than usual. We arrived in FLL 15 minutes ahead of schedule.

 

Having said that, I would never, ever fly the same day of a cruise. Especially in winter.

[ghstudio]

Both Christmas and Thanksgiving are "light" travel days...in fact some airlines exclude them from peak fare and blockout days.

 

However, I agree with others...never fly in on the day of the cruise unless you've booked some sort of package that includes the air and you have to fly when they say you fly. Weather, computer problems, mechanical problems and even over-booking can cause mayhem on your plans.

[norwegianwood57]

Yes from what I have read, less travelers. If we take the first flight out, then if it is delayed, there is still plenty of time to arrive. For a short flight of 3 hours, there is not much danger of not making the ship for 4pm leaving at 7:40 am. Famous last words, yes I know.

 

Thank you for all opinions, I think I know what I am going to do.

[DrivesLikeMario]

A lot depends on where you're flying to and from, but without that information, YES, I would fly on Thanksgiving Day. Since it's your embarkation day, I'd go armed with a Plan B and Plan C (two other ways to get there) in case weather, plane or crew problems get in your way.

[wallie5446]

What research said it is worse to fly the day before and better to fly ON the day? That is exactly wrong

 

The day before Thanksgiving is the busiest day of the flying year. Not much real research needed, it is on every TV News broadcast! :D

 

The lines this year at DFW and Dallas Love had over 2+ hour waits to get thru the ck points. They were telling folks to get there a minimum of 4-5 hours before their flight time.

 

OP, this is the one time of the year I would go the day of, if you cant work it out to go 2 days early.

Edited December 28, 2016 by wallie5446

[norwegianwood57]

The day before Thanksgiving is the busiest day of the flying year. Not much real research needed, it is on every TV News broadcast! :D

 

The lines this year at DFW and Dallas Love had over 2+ hour waits to get thru the ck points. They were telling folks to get there a minimum of 4-5 hours before their flight time.

 

OP, this is the one time of the year I would go the day of, if you cant work it out to go 2 days early.

 

Yes, I agree with you and that is what we will do.

[Jeremiah1212]

I also flew on Thanksgiving this year and crowds were very light. We did fly from and into very small secondary airports with a nonstop flight then headed to a resort so there was no stress. With a cruise, I would avoid it if at all possible. We have done it before also but it's really not worth the stress.

 

Airlines may add a bit of capacity here and there, but with most flights going out full and airlines fleets stretched to the max already, the day before Thanksgiving really isn't any more busy than any other weekday.

 

 

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[cb at sea]

90% of the time, Thanksgiving week has AWFUL weather somewhere, which affects ALL airports!

 

I would leave myself 2 days leeway over the thanksgiving holidays. You just NEVER know what will happen! I don't know WHY the weather patterns act up that week, but most of the time, they do..and they screw up everyone's plans! This year was a "lucky" year...not too much disruption.

[BEAV]

We have friends who were only flying SFO to LAX (75-90 min flight) to catch a cruise who's flight was cancelled (mechanical problem). They were rebooked onto a different flight, and while they made the cruise, it was not without a harrowing taxi ride from LAX to San Pedro and several anxious calls to Princess keeping them updated with their status.

 

No matter how short the distance of the flight, just be prepared to accept the consequences if things go awry. I work in an Operation Center of a major transportation company and nobody would believe all the little "side shows" that happen in a daily basis behind the scenes that can (and do) delay and disrupt travel.

[donaldsc]

From my research, most have said that it is worse to fly the day before , or even two days before. That you are better off flying ON the day. It is a 3 hour flight, so not long distance.

 

Any thoughts out there?

 

Is your "research" personal opinion or can you provide us links to the sources of your research?

 

DON

[wallie5446]

The day before Thanksgiving is the busiest day of the flying year. Not much real research needed, it is on every TV News broadcast! :D

 

The lines this year at DFW and Dallas Love had over 2+ hour waits to get thru the ck points. They were telling folks to get there a minimum of 4-5 hours before their flight time.

 

y.

 

Is your "research" personal opinion or can you provide us links to the sources of your research?

 

DON

 

Good Morning America ABC, NBC, CBS, Fox,

All have news crews at the airports the day before Thanksgiving doing live coverage of the massive lines snaking their way at a crawl thru the terminals.

 

And saying if you don't have to fly that day, don't put yourself thru the torment.

[norwegianwood57]

Is your "research" personal opinion or can you provide us links to the sources of your research?

 

DON

 

NOT personal opinion. I dont have to provide my sources, I am not writing an essay. Anyone can do what I did, google ...Which day to fly on , the day before or on the day of Thankgiving? you will get the same opinions I did.

[keesar]

We tend to travel the day of the cruise. We have a 3 hour flight and only take the first nonstop.

 

Read the following from USA Today:

 

The Day Before Thanksgiving

It turns out that it's a myth that the day before Thanksgiving is the busiest travel day of the year; summer weekends win that distinction. AAA's Troy Green told NPR, "There are about five to 10 days during the summer that are busier than Thanksgiving." Nor are there significantly more flight delays around Thanksgiving than any other time of the year.

[Lastdance]

If you only have a three hour flight, go for the day of and take the risk, but never overseas!

 

 

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[riclop]

From my research, most have said that it is worse to fly the day before , or even two days before. That you are better off flying ON the day. It is a 3 hour flight, so not long distance.

 

Any thoughts out there?

 

It will be cheaper.

[SPacificbound]

We did fly on Thanksgiving this year. Ship got in Thanksgiving eve and we knew we did not want to fly that day. It worked out great flying TG day.

 

If OP is referring to the cruise departing on Thanksgiving day, I would definitely not do that, too many things can go wrong. Better to fly a couple of days before if possible.

Edited January 1, 2017 by SPacificbound