Flight arrival morning of cruise

[cruizergal70]

If the flight is 3 hours or less, I  ALWAYS fly in the day of the cruise. I'm not jittery or prone to fits of anxiety. 

[bakersdozen12]

Other people's experiences have no bearing at all on what yours will be.  There could be a thousand people that chime in saying that they flew in same day and made it.  That doesn't mean you will. 

 

There was someone on the cruise that I was just on that was flying in the same day and was on one of the Southwest fights that got clipped on the runway.  He missed the ship by 30 mins.  Had to fly to Turks & Caicos and get a charted flight to Grand Turk to meet up with the ship.  Luckily he had his passport.  Otherwise, that wouldn't have been an option.

[bahacca]

If you have to leave Friday, get a red eye non stop out of lax instead of SNA. Yes, lax is the equivalent of a butthole when it comes to airports, but if your flight is delayed, there will be far more options to still make the cruise vs SNA options.

[bingomamma19]

26 minutes ago, Mem0ryEat3r said:

 

 

 

I am trying to catch an earlier flight friday if possible. 

 

leaving the night before the cruise is stressful even 205 days away lol i appreciate the amazing input and advice. im waiting for my PVP to call back to adjust my flights now. 

Good idea....we have had 2 flight delays over 15 flights....both were over 8 hours long...one was mechanical and one was the connecting flight we were getting on never came in (forgot why).    Both times we were flying in the day before luckily, but on the connecting flight that never showed..our luggage didn't show up in FLL when we landed on the replacement flight.   We had to run to Target to buy some essentials to tide us over.  

[cruizergal70]

15 minutes ago, bakersdozen12 said:

Other people's experiences have no bearing at all on what yours will be.  There could be a thousand people that chime in saying that they flew in same day and made it.  That doesn't mean you will. 

 

There was someone on the cruise that I was just on that was flying in the same day and was on one of the Southwest fights that got clipped on the runway.  He missed the ship by 30 mins.  Had to fly to Turks & Caicos and get a charted flight to Grand Turk to meet up with the ship.  Luckily he had his passport.  Otherwise, that wouldn't have been an option.

If the experiences of others didn't matter, why did the OP ask the question in the first place?

 

The OP has a choice.  They will make the choice that works for them. Not a fan of fear mongering. Folks drive and fly in the morning of the cruise all the time.

[wemjam]

I have done 35 cruises.  For the first more than 10 years I cruised I flew in the day of to save money and never had any issues.  Way more hectic and chaotic and you are exhausted by the time you get there.  For the last 5-8 years, we have flown in the night before.  We work the full day usually and then take a 7-8pm flight in from Michigan into Florida and get in 11-1am.   Which means we are dog tired!   But WAY better to come in tired, crash, sleep in have a nice breakfast and head to the port refreshed.

 

Could you go in the day of... absolutely!  Suggest you try to go in the night before even if it is a late, late flight.  Also gives you breathing room in case something goes wrong and you can't get out, you have the next morning to recover and get out on a different flight.  

[StolidCruiser]

29 minutes ago, bakersdozen12 said:

Other people's experiences have no bearing at all on what yours will be.  There could be a thousand people that chime in saying that they flew in same day and made it.  That doesn't mean you will. 

 

There was someone on the cruise that I was just on that was flying in the same day and was on one of the Southwest fights that got clipped on the runway.  He missed the ship by 30 mins.  Had to fly to Turks & Caicos and get a charted flight to Grand Turk to meet up with the ship.  Luckily he had his passport.  Otherwise, that wouldn't have been an option.

 

In all fairness, the experience of "someone on the cruise you were just on" therefore has equally irrelevant bearing.  A thousand people could chime in and say they flew in same day and didn't make it.  That doesn't mean they won't/can't.

 

People fly/drive in the day of the cruise and make it. 

People fly/drive in the day of the cruise and don't make it.

 

Sharing how and when those that do make it can be helpful if one has no other choice given their circumstances.  At no time has anyone said it's a guarantee... quite the opposite. There are inherent risks to the choice.  Knowing what they are and how to avoid them as much as possible beforehand can lessen the stress of the situation.

[imridingdolphins]

4 hours ago, Mem0ryEat3r said:

 

delta to florida and american back.  there is a stop over in georgia at atlanta. an airport im very familiar with from my time flying when i was in the army. 

 

we are leaving john wayne airport at 9pm on friday night, stopover in atlanta from midnight to 3am and then we should arrive in floria to FLL at 9am according to the schedule.  ship leaves at 4:30pm. we have very little wiggle room. ive flown 20 times with transfers and only ever had 2 delays, one was minor and one was getting stuck in blizzard when i was in germany. 

 

i guess im just worried since we are missing so much work to enjoy ourselves, i want to minimize stress but that probably wont happen until im on the ship and get my first drink haha

Any consideration of flying out of LAX nonstop?  Looks like there are a few choices at reasonable prices.  Some that get in to FLL at 6am.  My main worry would be a missed connection, so direct flights are key.  As other said, FLL is super close to the cruise terminal you could almost walk there.  Other than the connection, I wouldn't worry too much.  If there is a hurricane, you got other problems to begin with, and that could delay you even if you come in the day before.   

[Shamrock73]

I would never do it and caution against taking the risk.

 

Last April, we had planned for early afternoon arrival the day prior to departure with a hotel stay.  Due to weather related flight delays we did not get to the hotel until 4 AM on departure day. After a few hours of sleep we made our way to the port and sailed off. 

 

We made it, albeit tired and groggy.  If the delays had occurred on the day of departure, we likely would have missed the ship. 

[Wolfshair]

4 hours ago, elcuchio24 said:

try go go a day early. Three words: fake food poisoning

Fake food would certainly poison me.....

[mtvagirl]

5 hours ago, Mem0ryEat3r said:

Does anyone have any experiences flying in the day of the cruise?

we know most people say to fly in a day earlier, but my wife and i are taking an 8 day Caribbean cruise on the magic and with total travel time we have maxed our vacation days from work and can not, unfortunately fly in the day before. its in october so we have time, flights are booked thru my carnival agent with the fly2fun program. we can change them if need be. 

 

both my wife and i are hoping we can get the extra day and change our flights, but if not, we want to hear some experiences to soothe our fears.  i used to fly a lot when i was in the military and i never had much problems, if any, with delays that were at all significant, but life happens. 

That sucks when work gets in the way of vacation! 

 

I am taking 2 cruises this year, I plan on flying in the day before, because I am a worried traveler and don't want to miss the ship!

 

I hope everything works out for your and your wife!  Have a fantastic vacation!  

[CoolOne56]

Maybe you and your wife can arrange with your employers to work an extra hour a day for 8 days for comp. time?  Instead of getting paid for the extra hours, you get the extra day off.

[Cruisin sun and fun]

We flew in the day of for our first five cruises and never had a problem, knock on wood. 

 

In 2000 we had over a two hour delay out of Detroit, I never really worried but it never even crossed my mind at the time the ship would leave without us🤔  Our last cruise on the Dream a few years ago we didn't land in NO until 1:00 pm., on the plus side there were no lines at embarkation😀 

 

To be honest, never even thought of it as a risk until i joined CC and read all the comments. We leave on the Horizon Saturday and will be flying in the day before for the first time.

[Mem0ryEat3r]

34 minutes ago, CoolOne56 said:

Maybe you and your wife can arrange with your employers to work an extra hour a day for 8 days for comp. time?  Instead of getting paid for the extra hours, you get the extra day off.

 

I wish that were an option. my wife and i work like dogs, she is a sous chef and kitchen manager in los angeles and i am the manager of a very busy auto repair shop in anaheim.  without either of us, its like the wheels stop at work so we always come back to a bunch of messes to clean. our time off every year is so limited so we reserve it for our anniversary. 

 

 

[bingomamma19]

40 minutes ago, Cruisin sun and fun said:

We flew in the day of for our first five cruises and never had a problem, knock on wood. 

 

In 2000 we had over a two hour delay out of Detroit, I never really worried but it never even crossed my mind at the time the ship would leave without us🤔  Our last cruise on the Dream a few years ago we didn't land in NO until 1:00 pm., on the plus side there were no lines at embarkation😀 

 

To be honest, never even thought of it as a risk until i joined CC and read all the comments. We leave on the Horizon Saturday and will be flying in the day before for the first time.

We will also be on the Horizon this Saturday :):)

[Palmetto Pilot]

I did it once. It was a direct flight from home CHS to FLL but the Breeze left out of Miami. I think we left CHS at 6:00am landed in Fort Lauderdale at 8:00am or so. We took and uber from FLL to MIA and we were in the lobby waiting to get on the Breeze by 9:45. I'd do it again but only if it was a direct flight. 

[raynvic]

To the OP.  Like you our vacation time is limited and we want to spend every minute of it wisely.  We most often fly the redeye from Phoenix to Florida.  If we sail on Sunday, then we will fly in on Sat. but that does not happen often.  Even with the San Juan debacle, we ended up spending the night in CLT and flying in day of.  We have taken 4 European cruises and 2 of those we arrived the day of sailing.  Pay attention to the time of year, weather and connections.  We never fly the northern route in the winter.  I do buy insurance through USAA, but more for medical coverage than anything.  If you have to fly in the day of sailing, then do it.  Many of us do.

 

P.S.  I know my good luck may run out one day, but I am hoping to be retired by then so it won't be an issue.

[Mem0ryEat3r]

29 minutes ago, raynvic said:

To the OP.  Like you our vacation time is limited and we want to spend every minute of it wisely.  We most often fly the redeye from Phoenix to Florida.  If we sail on Sunday, then we will fly in on Sat. but that does not happen often.  Even with the San Juan debacle, we ended up spending the night in CLT and flying in day of.  We have taken 4 European cruises and 2 of those we arrived the day of sailing.  Pay attention to the time of year, weather and connections.  We never fly the northern route in the winter.  I do buy insurance through USAA, but more for medical coverage than anything.  If you have to fly in the day of sailing, then do it.  Many of us do.

 

P.S.  I know my good luck may run out one day, but I am hoping to be retired by then so it won't be an issue.

Thank you. i appreciate the input, having all this information and these experiences definitely helps me realize the chances are there however, small.  things will work out the way they do i suppose and we can only be at the mercy of nature when travelling. 

 

i do, however, feel more confidant and got some great tips!

[Kermarkim]

I generally fly in the morning of and always schedule the very first flight out of Atlanta to either MCO, FLL or MIA.  I have never had an issue.  I try to save the money from having to stay in a hotel the night before which will mean not only a hotel fee, but then dinner for my entire family, uber from airport to hotel and then uber from hotel to port and then probably breakfast if hotel doesn't have a real hot breakfast.  At any event, I agree with most of the posters to go in the day before if you can afford it.  I've traveled in March, June, July, October, November and December and have never gone wrong with the first flight out.  Even if it was slightly delayed it was no more than 30 mins or so.  Also I figure if a flight is canceled, there is generally a flight out every hour from Atlanta to any of those Florida ports.  Now if it is hurricane season, all flights might be grounded.  Therefore, it might be wise to go day before if you can spare the extra time away from work and the funds for an extra travel day.

[jsglow]

4 hours ago, wemjam said:

I have done 35 cruises.  For the first more than 10 years I cruised I flew in the day of to save money and never had any issues.  Way more hectic and chaotic and you are exhausted by the time you get there.  For the last 5-8 years, we have flown in the night before.  We work the full day usually and then take a 7-8pm flight in from Michigan into Florida and get in 11-1am.   Which means we are dog tired!   But WAY better to come in tired, crash, sleep in have a nice breakfast and head to the port refreshed.

 

Could you go in the day of... absolutely!  Suggest you try to go in the night before even if it is a late, late flight.  Also gives you breathing room in case something goes wrong and you can't get out, you have the next morning to recover and get out on a different flight.  

 

That is exactly how we do it out of Chicago.  If our cruise is a Saturday, we shoot for the 6p Friday flight out.  In fact, we successfully made it all the way to Anchorage that way last year, no problem.  Same with our trip to San Juan with the overnight at MCO.

[jayscore]

We used to fly the same day.....until this happened;

We were to fly, non stop,  from MSP to MIA, flight leaving at 9:00AM, arrive 1:30 PM. The flight was delayed because of a mechanical issue, delaying us two hours. We boarded the ship, got to our cabin just in time for Muster Drill. (Mind you, nowadays we wouldn't be allowed to board the ship at that hour.)

So, never again. Yes, there is extra expense of an extra night's stay before the flight, but the peace of mind is well worth it.

 

[PlanoDebbie]

12 hours ago, Mem0ryEat3r said:

Does anyone have any experiences flying in the day of the cruise?

we know most people say to fly in a day earlier, but my wife and i are taking an 8 day Caribbean cruise on the magic and with total travel time we have maxed our vacation days from work and can not, unfortunately fly in the day before. its in october so we have time, flights are booked thru my carnival agent with the fly2fun program. we can change them if need be. 

 

both my wife and i are hoping we can get the extra day and change our flights, but if not, we want to hear some experiences to soothe our fears.  i used to fly a lot when i was in the military and i never had much problems, if any, with delays that were at all significant, but life happens. 

I'm always paranoid about something bad happening while traveling to port on embarkation day.  Especially flying!!!  I like to be no more than an hour away from my port the night before.  Been on about 15 cruises, and have never traveled more than an hour (driving) on embarkation day.  If there are mechanical problems on your schedule flight and it gets cancelled, how many other flights will still get you to your destination in time for your cruise?  The cruise ship isn't gonna wait for you.  If all remaining flights out that day are fully booked, you're kind of screwed.

[quickrate]

12 hours ago, Mem0ryEat3r said:

Thank you. i appreciate the input, having all this information and these experiences definitely helps me realize the chances are there however, small.  things will work out the way they do i suppose and we can only be at the mercy of nature when travelling. 

 

i do, however, feel more confidant and got some great tips!

If you can't fly in the day before, best advice was A. try to get an eariler flight and B. book a nonstop. Coming from West coast to East coast is a long haul and a lot can happen. the ones telling you they always fly in day of aren't making that long treck!

[DirtyDawg]

8 hours ago, PlanoDebbie said:

I'm always paranoid about something bad happening while traveling to port on embarkation day.  Especially flying!!!  I like to be no more than an hour away from my port the night before.  Been on about 15 cruises, and have never traveled more than an hour (driving) on embarkation day.  If there are mechanical problems on your schedule flight and it gets cancelled, how many other flights will still get you to your destination in time for your cruise?  The cruise ship isn't gonna wait for you.  If all remaining flights out that day are fully booked, you're kind of screwed.

 

OP, you are not kind of screwed if you miss the ship. Think of missing the ship as a possible extra adventure for your vacation! An expensive extra adventure but an extra adventure none the less.

 

Years ago, we were on a trip to England with our three boys. We decided to do a 1-day rail trip to Paris from London. The plan was to take the first train out in the morning and last train back at night. As it turned out we missed the return train by about 30 seconds and had to spend the night in Paris. That extra adventure cost us an extra few hundred Euros for a couple of hotel rooms, toiletries, dinner, etc. but we still talk about our Paris adventure to this day. ( I still can't believe that the boys' Orangina's at that Paris restaurant actually cost more than Mom and Dad's adult drinks.)

 

As for you question, we have done both. I prefer to fly in the night before but a few times we have flown from Toronto to Florida the morning of the cruise. We once flew from Toronto to Vancouver on the morning of a cruise. Just have a plan B researched (like our staying over in Paris, we knew that there were lots of hotels and resturants around the train station) and be prepared to pay for that plan B.  Plan B's can be fun!

Edited March 21, 2019 by DirtyDawg

[thenexus2k]

There is one other thing to consider aside from late flights: late luggage!

 

   In 2017 my wife and I took our 2 older daughters (16 and 18 at the time) on an 8 day southern Caribbean cruise leaving from Fort Lauderdale. We had non stop flights from DTW to FLL, early morning the day before the cruise. The flight itself was fine, however we found that our youngest's luggage did not make it.

    The airline eventually found the bag (it somehow ended up in NYC), and got it to us, but it did not get delivered to our hotel until 5 am the next morning (day of the cruise). Everything turned out fine, but if we had flown in the day of the cruise....