Would you feel comfortable landing in Asia 6:45 am for a 11am-3pm same day boarding?

[Zach1213]

I probably wouldn't do this. I fly to Asia around 8-9x yearly from the US (usually China and Singapore, but others too) and, even with the sleep I get in business class, I need a day to acclimate. Beyond just the concerns of missing the ship, which are reasonable concerns but not monumental concerns, I would just be worried about missing out on the full enjoyment of the cruise because of my tiredness. 

Edited October 16, 2019 by Zach1213

[Alter Ego]

As others have suggested, I would feel more comfortable if the days in Singapore were before the cruise.  However, there may be circumstances that make it difficult to do it on the front end.  I think many times people may forget that and assume one can easily be flexible and take days off.

 

Assuming this is the case, I would probably be okay with it as long as I have insurance.  You can rest when you get on the ship. The worst that could happen is that you now have an extra 4 days in Singapore.  I probably wouldn’t personally do something like this because I don’t think “a few” days are enough and would probably want to spend more time in Singapore. But, if you have your heart set on the cruise, go for it (but check to see if it’s typhoon season and have outside insurance, not Royal’s)

[awestover89]

I would personally be more comfortable coming in at least 1 day before if possible if only for the jetlag and a little bit of a safety cushion. I'd say 90% of the time your plan would have no problems at all getting to the ship.

 

However, I do fully understand limitations for taking time off work. If this is what your schedule allows then do it, but be prepared with a "what if" plan of attack. If your flight is delayed and you miss the ship will you go to Malaysia to catch the ship there, or will you just extend your time in Singapore?

 

My husband and I do short trips all the time, and we have a bunch of people who think we're insane, but it works for us. We are getting ready to leave for a 3 day weekend in Costa Rica, we're doing a 4 day weekend in Panama, we're considering a 3 day weekend to the Galapagos islands, we did a three day cruise where I was working from the car on the drive to Miami. I'd rather be rushed and get a taste than always putting it off and saying "we'll go when we have the time to do it right"

 

[CruiseKeeper]

We just flew in same day to Hong Kong to cruise Voyager through Vietnam to Singapore.  It all worked, surprisingly.  We arrived in HK during the chaos of protests at 6:30AM and arrived in plenty of time to make muster.  Yeah, we were concerned, I would not recommend though.  

[Tree_skier]

2 hours ago, bobmacliberty said:

I'd be more worried about something happening at SFO

This would be my worry.  Ive had more flights delayed/cancelled when flying in or out of SFO than any other airport in the world. The OP didn't mention what time of year this would be.  If it was winter I wouldn't chance it.

Edited October 16, 2019 by Tree_skier

[mugtech]

12 hours ago, John&LaLa said:

$300 at the Marina Bay Sands. 😉

There are good hotels in Singapore for $100-$125 a night.  Go 4 days early to get ready for the cruise, take a cab from the dock to the airport when you get off the ship.  Would not want to be doing a 9 hours time adjustment on the cruise.

[Stockjock]

I had several mention that they would rather do the Singapore stay before the cruise. I actually agree with that and because I work for one of the big Wall Street firms, I can more or less make my own schedule. However, my girlfriend doesn’t have that luxury because we will be doing a longer European trip later in the year, she has limited vacation days available.

 

So doing Singapore after the cruise means that we can use a federal holiday as a part of that stay so that will be one less vacation day that she would have to burn. If I spent more time in Singapore before the cruise that would not be an option for her.

 

I would also have an option to get into Singapore around midnight rather than 6:45 AM. Even though that is still less than ideal, and I would have to wander around or sleep for hours, maybe that would be a better option?
 

Again, the whole situation is trying to make sure my girlfriend doesn’t have to take two very many days off from her job, and because she started a new job recently she won’t have a ton of vacation days available initially.

 

 

[jakeil7]

I would suggest arriving at midnight and sleeping off the jet lag but I would be careful with the flight options as that may result in a long layover.

 

where are you leaving from?

[WeLuvVacation]

Would look to arrive one day early.

[Stockjock]

32 minutes ago, jakeil7 said:

I would suggest arriving at midnight and sleeping off the jet lag but I would be careful with the flight options as that may result in a long layover.

 

where are you leaving from?

Leaving from San Diego.  If I did the midnight option, it would probably be Japan Airlines SAN to Tokyo, tight connection there (an hour or so) then Tokyo to Singapore.

We did this same flight last year, on the way to Shanghai, and it was a great flight although  we had to hustle to make the connection.  I thought JAL was very good.  Even enjoyed the food.

[jakeil7]

3 minutes ago, Stockjock said:

Leaving from San Diego.  If I did the midnight option, it would probably be Japan Airlines SAN to Tokyo, tight connection there (an hour or so) then Tokyo to Singapore.

We did this same flight last year, on the way to Shanghai, and it was a great flight although  we had to hustle to make the connection.  I thought JAL was very good.  Even enjoyed the food.

I have heard great things about JAL but have only flown them from PVG to NRT in business.  Be very careful with the close connections. 

[3monkeys4me]

I would not, especially without a backup plan. Singapore is fairly small and easy to get around, but ti can be pricey. 

 

I don't generally have difficulty with jet lag and I am completely fine traveling to Europe. But going to Asia (and back) is harder for me. I need a good 24 hours to fully adjust. 

 

I would get in as many hours as you possibly can first. Midnight is better than 6am. 

 

On our Hong Kong trip 2 years ago my MIL's flight from MN was delayed which caused her to miss her connecting flight in Seattle which meant she had to stop in Taiwan and she ended up arriving about 30 hours late. When we went to Japan her flight from Minnesota was on time, but her flight from SFO to Osaka had a medical emergency so they had to land in Hawaii. She ended up in Japan about 12 hours later than we had expected. The more hours you have the more options you have to make something work. Both of those vacations were land vacations so it wasn't a huge deal, we just had some small rearrangements. 

[John Reid]

What could possibly go wrong?

[ATC cruiser]

14 hours ago, BNBR said:

I'd do it. As long as the flight isn't canceled, which long hauls rarely are, it's highly likely to be no issue at all.  These flights are typically pretty much on time or close to it.

I’ve worked international flights routinely that were late. The problem is you have absolutely no backup plan if it is.

[ATC cruiser]

4 hours ago, papaflamingo said:

I'm a retired major airline pilot.  Actually on a flight like this they would carry a rather long reserve.  A few hours of reserve fuel is very likely and if they did encounter stronger than forecast headwinds, which does happen, they could end up diverting in route to add fuel. Add to this, the flight may be scheduled for an average flight time and if the headwinds are unusually strong,  the plane would be fueled for the additional time. And you can add a great number of unexpected things that could delay or lengthen the flight. I did a flight from Portland to Narita in 2010.  Because of volcanic activity the Pacific routes were closed and we had to fly over Alaska and down the Kamchatka peninsula.  It added a significant amount of time to our scheduled flight time.  
I agree with many that the odds are the flight will arrive on time.  But I also know that there seems to be more delays on international flights than domestic for a variety of reasons.  Small mechanical issues that wouldn't be fixed on a domestic flight will be fixed on an international flight.  Late arrivals, weather deviations, etc. 
I wouldn't do it for any reason.   Most importantly, as others have said, the jet lag on a flight like this is tremendous.  It takes more than a few hours for the body to catch up.   Add to that the stress of worrying about delays.  I'd spend the 4 days in Singapore before the cruise then fly directly home.  That gives lots of wiggle room on arrival as well as a chance to be on the local time zone to fully enjoy the cruise portion.

I was on the other side of your radio at Chicago center and I agree with this 100%

[Jzx1103]

Definitely wouldn't do it, I'll tell you my story last year going on my New Zealand cruise,  due to work obligations I decided to fly into Auckland the day of sailing,  our landing was 530am. The flight we booked had a daily schedule going from Houston to Auckland and had a pristine on time history with no canceled flights ever at the time of our booking. The most delayed its had was 3 hours so we felt confident. Then on the week of our flight there was 1 canceled flight and another that was delayed by 12 hours back to back (both due to mechanical) Tuesday and Wednesday,  our flight was the Thursday flight. Luckily it was the two flights before ours. So yea we definitely dodged a bullet there. My wife said never again lol.

Edited October 16, 2019 by Jzx1103

[SRF]

15 hours ago, BNBR said:

 

I don't think they carry a few hours of extra fuel generally...

 

Which means they have to stop, which means more of a delay.

 

Or, they have to land on the way due to a medical emergency.  I have had that happen on a long flight.

 

[johnjen]

15 hours ago, Stockjock said:

Doing a 4-day cruise out of Singapore.  The plan is to spend a few days in a hotel after the cruise and possibly to go straight from the plane to the ship.  

Total airtime from the U.S. should be about 18-20 hours each way.  I'm shooting for something with 1 stop, so SoCal to SFO to Singapore and then something similar on the way back.

Looking at a flight that is scheduled to land in Singapore at 6:45 am with United Airlines the day of the cruise.  Check-in starts at 11:00 am and ends at 3 pm with a 4:30 pm departure.  It should take about 25 minutes or so to get from the airport to the cruise terminal.  Obviously one would have to get their bag, clear Customs, etc.  Apparently it usually takes about 30 minutes to clear Singapore Customs.

It sounds to me like this would be doable.  Only risk would be if you missed a flight or was a major delay.  I figure I could have a problem that costs me maybe 4-5 hours and still make it.

Given this, would you feel comfortable with these flights?

NO. Ever heard of spending the night in a comfortable hotel in the departure port city, maybe at least the night before your cruise leaves? This is a great idea.

[johnjen]

15 hours ago, voyager70 said:

I would fly in a day early.

 

Oh, people do this?😁

[Tree_skier]

5 hours ago, bobmacliberty said:

I'd be more worried about something happening at SFO

This would be my worry.  Ive had more flights delayed/cancelled when flying in or out of SFO than any other airport in the world.

 

Do the one that gets you in at midnight.  It might be a PITA but at least you have more wiggle room.

[mcatmcat]

absolutely, but only if I know I will make it there at 6.45am

[BensonFan711]

16 hours ago, Stockjock said:

Doing a 4-day cruise out of Singapore.  The plan is to spend a few days in a hotel after the cruise and possibly to go straight from the plane to the ship.  

Total airtime from the U.S. should be about 18-20 hours each way.  I'm shooting for something with 1 stop, so SoCal to SFO to Singapore and then something similar on the way back.

Looking at a flight that is scheduled to land in Singapore at 6:45 am with United Airlines the day of the cruise.  Check-in starts at 11:00 am and ends at 3 pm with a 4:30 pm departure.  It should take about 25 minutes or so to get from the airport to the cruise terminal.  Obviously one would have to get their bag, clear Customs, etc.  Apparently it usually takes about 30 minutes to clear Singapore Customs.

It sounds to me like this would be doable.  Only risk would be if you missed a flight or was a major delay.  I figure I could have a problem that costs me maybe 4-5 hours and still make it.

Given this, would you feel comfortable with these flights?

 

Nope.  I don't even do US cruises with same day flights.  Couple of things to consider here:

 

1. A good headwind will delay you by several hours.

2. Airlines are notoriously fussy.  The day you NEED everything to go perfectly is the day it will be a phenomenal disaster.

3. Jet lag.  I've travelled from the east coast of the US to Melbourne Australia, and it takes a good 3-4 days to even start to acclimate to the time change.

 

If I were in your shoes, I would do a few days in a hotel BEFORE the cruise instead of AFTER.

[bonsai3s]

Comfortable?...No.  Not many will do or can do what you plan on doing.

As you said, your gf doesn't have much vacation time...6:45am is plenty of time to get from Changi Airport to the cruise terminal.  (Take your time walking through this beautiful airport.)  If you're comfortable with it...then go for it.

Come back here and tell us what happened.  Happy Sailing!

[papaflamingo]

20 hours ago, ATC cruiser said:

I was on the other side of your radio at Chicago center and I agree with this 100%

I bet we talked!  I was the pilot with the "really cool, macho, smooth talking, manly, inspiring" voice wearing the "cool pilot sunglasses" (at night)!  😜 Seriously, I have the utmost respect for y'all!  Y'all do a fantastic job, ESPECIALLY when things go "south," even if you do put us in holding waaaaay tooo much!   😎

 

Edited October 17, 2019 by papaflamingo

[fredflint]

If you book the flight with the cruise line have a plan B and C for flight delays and cancellations you should be fine.

Are there at least 2 other flights you could take to get where you need to go, what is the next port?

By booking with the airline there is a better  chance there will be more people on your flight and they could delay leaving to gice you extra time to get to the ship.