Flight into Port Canaveral - any tips/stories for flying in on embarkation day?

[geneparmesan]

4 hours ago, Justjrn said:

Another possibility Is to fly in to the Melbourne airport instead And schedule an Uberfor The 30 or so minutes drive .Melbourne is really small airport So you're out of there very quickly. I know Delta an American fly there I don't know who else off the top my head down. And a quick search shows me that there are flights direct from the Chicago area to Melbourne, There airport code is MLB

Thanks! I hadn't looked at Melbourne as an option before. I'll check that out as well.

[Justjrn]

8 hours ago, geneparmesan said:

Thanks! I hadn't looked at Melbourne as an option before. I'll check that out as well.

Just asked my husband how long it takes from there (he works by the airport and we live one island over (10 minutes) from the port) he said 45 to an hour, but, baggage claim will still be much faster, and there are at least 3 routes you can take. 
 

when is your cruise?

[SRF]

On 3/16/2022 at 8:53 AM, Zach1213 said:

 

United loves it too, mostly on international. For example (made up routes/flight numbers) UA 123 MUC-EWR-ATL...with MUC-EWR on a 764 and EWR-ATL on a 738. That's why so many of us on here who "specialize" in air travel are eager to correct the "direct and nonstop are the same thing" mindset of many casual travelers. I know we often come off as annoying for correcting people frequently, but it can make a world of difference if you're expecting a nonstop and end up on a direct. 

 

I have not run into that on United.  But I am in DC area and Dulles is a United Hub, so no domestic connection needed.

 

But yes, there are those of us who spend way too much time on airplanes.

 

I amaze people when I can tell them which airline they are flying from their routing. 😄

[SRF]

On 3/13/2022 at 12:26 PM, Air&Sea said:

When given the choice, I NEVER fly SW. 

 

Same here.  In fact, I have never flown on them.

 

I always laugh at people who think that they are always the cheapest.  THEY AREN'T

[time4u2go]

4 minutes ago, SRF said:

 

Same here.  In fact, I have never flown on them.

 

I always laugh at people who think that they are always the cheapest.  THEY AREN'T

On some routes they are cheaper, and on some routes they aren't.  The fact that they don't charge luggage fees (or change fees) is also a consideration.

[SRF]

Just now, time4u2go said:

On some routes they are cheaper, and on some routes they aren't.  The fact that they don't charge luggage fees (or change fees) is also a consideration.

 

Yes.  But as I have pointed out, you have to wonder why they do not allow their fares to be shown on fare comparison sites.

 

I have seen other airlines (not budget ones, major ones) several hundred dollars cheaper than SW even with bag fees.

 

But if you get an airline credit card, most give you at least one bag free.

[time4u2go]

20 minutes ago, SRF said:

But as I have pointed out, you have to wonder why they do not allow their fares to be shown on fare comparison sites.

I've read that one reason is that they don't want to pay commissions to those sites.

[geneparmesan]

12 hours ago, Justjrn said:

Just asked my husband how long it takes from there (he works by the airport and we live one island over (10 minutes) from the port) he said 45 to an hour, but, baggage claim will still be much faster, and there are at least 3 routes you can take. 
 

when is your cruise?

We're looking at Aug 7th 2022 (a Sunday). I don't see any non-stops that day from Chicago, but I'll look at other nearby airports here also. 

[geneparmesan]

1 hour ago, SRF said:

 

Yes.  But as I have pointed out, you have to wonder why they do not allow their fares to be shown on fare comparison sites.

 

I have seen other airlines (not budget ones, major ones) several hundred dollars cheaper than SW even with bag fees.

 

But if you get an airline credit card, most give you at least one bag free.

For my itinerary, SW is cheaper than AA and UA by $20-$60 each way. With the bag fees as well, they are significantly cheaper in this case. 

[Bxc53]

Having retired form a 25 year career that had airline travel nearly every week, I’m hardwired to have a contingency plan.  You mention that you can only travel Sunday. Is that absolute or is  a Saturday evening flight possible? If so,  I would take the earliest flight you can, stay at the MCO Hyatt in the terminal and book the Royal shuttle for Sunday AM. And, sorry if this is harsh, have a contingency plan if you miss the cruise.. 

[M&JfromSDL]

I avoid flying SW on the way to a cruise because they do not reaccomodate on other airlines.  If something goes sideways and you need to change your flight, they will only rebook you on a Southwest flight.  If you book with United, they can reaccomodate you on American if need be.  

Edited March 17, 2022 by M&JfromSDL

[Lane Hog]

1 hour ago, M&JfromSDL said:

I avoid flying SW on the way to a cruise because they do not reaccomodate on other airlines.  If something goes sideways and you need to change your flight, they will only rebook you on a Southwest flight.  If you book with United, they can reaccomodate you on American if need be.  

Correct on theory, not necessarily in practice.  There may not be space on another airline to rebook you to.  

 

We were supposed to fly AA to our cruise two weeks ago and they had an ice storm in Dallas that canceled our flights. They couldn't rebook us on anyone for days, so we drove to our cruise in order to make it on-time. 

 

[deliver42]

You couldn't get me to fly in the same day f the flight was free. Too many things can go wrong. This is especially true if it's not a non stop.

[Justjrn]

23 hours ago, Bxc53 said:

 is  a Saturday evening flight possible? If so,  I would take the earliest flight you can, stay at the MCO Hyatt in the terminal and book the Royal shuttle for Sunday AM. 

this Is a great plan If a late Saturday night flight is A possibility for you . Looks like southwest has a 10 PM flight that gets in it 1:15 AM out of MDW. Hotel he mentioned is literally in the airport I stayed there before it's really convenient

[geneparmesan]

43 minutes ago, Justjrn said:

this Is a great plan If a late Saturday night flight is A possibility for you . Looks like southwest has a 10 PM flight that gets in it 1:15 AM out of MDW. Hotel he mentioned is literally in the airport I stayed there before it's really convenient

We'll be in Michigan on Saturday... I'll find out if we can make it to Midway for a 10pm flight. That would be convenient to stay right at the terminal.

[geneparmesan]

On 3/17/2022 at 10:59 AM, Bxc53 said:

Having retired form a 25 year career that had airline travel nearly every week, I’m hardwired to have a contingency plan.  You mention that you can only travel Sunday. Is that absolute or is  a Saturday evening flight possible? If so,  I would take the earliest flight you can, stay at the MCO Hyatt in the terminal and book the Royal shuttle for Sunday AM. And, sorry if this is harsh, have a contingency plan if you miss the cruise.. 

Thanks, that is a good idea. I'll look into the late Saturday night flight to see if it is possible for us.

 

For your last sentence, I totally agree. I told my wife I might make a hotel/resort reservation with 24 hour cancellation starting on the Monday night as a backup plan... If we make it to the terminal on time on Sunday, I could then cancel the hotel.

 

I wonder what the odds are of us being able to get on the Mariner of the Seas Monday sailing at the last minute if we do miss Sunday!