I need to make a decision.

[ICruistheworld]

     I have to decide whether it would be better to:

 

1. (booking on my own) to fly to the port of embarkation a day early and spend $441 for flight and around $125 for hotel. or

 

2. Stay at a hotel $97 near the departure airport and take a flight $167 to port the day of cruise departure (booked through the cruise line).

 

Opinions? Advice? Experiences? Any help would be appreciated.

 

[CruiserBruce]

Without knowing any info...airport or port involved, for example,  not sure how we can give you solid info. One of the most commonly given pieces of advice on Cruise Critic is to fly in the day before sailing, at the earliest. If at all possible, don't fly in the day of sailing. 

[Mary229]

More information would be helpful, when to where, boarding time

[ICruistheworld]

26 minutes ago, CruiserBruce said:

Without knowing any info...airport or port involved, for example,  not sure how we can give you solid info. 

 

 

Departure airport:  BHM

Hotel near departure airport: Holiday Inn BHM

 

Departure port: Seattle, WA.

Hotel in Seattle: Mayflower

 

Ship boarding time from 10 AM till 4 PM

 

The flight through the cruise line  is suppose to arrive 10:40 AM the day of.

The flight I would book is suppose to arrive at 1he day of

11:38 PM the day before.

 

May I have that solid info. now? Thank you.

Edited March 29, 2022 by ICruistheworld
Forgot some info.

[Mary229]

Birmingham to Seattle is not a short hop and probably includes a connection. I would not do that the day of the cruise 

[Twickenham]

Here's where the details make all the difference.

 

In order to make a proper risk assessment, and decide between the 2 choices, you need to consider your options if things go wrong. Being that you are departing from Seattle, it is safe to assume this is an Alaska cruise. Now, Alaska cruises out of Seattle are round-trip, with 1 stop in Canada (usually Victoria) to satisfy the PVSA. Were you delayed enough on embarkation day to miss the ship, you could only embark the ship at that Canadian stop. If this stop were the first one of the cruise, you lose a day, but no biggie. If the stop however were at the end of the cruise - and this is far more common - then you would essentially miss your entire cruise, as embarking at one of the US ports would be a violation of the PVSA and would not be allowed.

[CruiserBruce]

Totally agree with @Twickenham and @Mary229 . Higher risk to fly in day of, even if the arrival time is early. As I mentioned, probably the number 1 piece of advice given here is to fly in the day before, or earlier,  if at all possible. 

 

We have 25 cruises under our belt. One was out of the port an hour away ( San Francisco), so no flight. Two were out of Los Angeles, same state,, hour flight. We flew in the day of for those.. The other 22, we flew in at least the day before. 4, plus one coming up, we're in Europe or Down Under. We flew in a minimum of 48 hours before.

[Ferry_Watcher]

47 minutes ago, ICruistheworld said:

Ship boarding time from 10 AM till 4 PM

Is timing this for a Norwegian cruise?  Because all the other cruise ships HAL, X, Royal, PCL, Carnival all sail at 4 PM.  You would need to be either on the ship, or going thru check-in just after 3 pm.

[LHT28]

Fly in a day or 2 before the cruise 

Relax 

Worth the extra cost  not to be stressed if your flight is delayed or your connection gets cancelled or delayed

JMO

[mom says]

There are times when it is prudent to spend more to ensure you get what you want. In this case, getting to board your cruise. You want to risk flying all the way across the country on the day you sail, on at least 2 connecting flights, and arriving after boarding would have already commenced. What happens if one or the other of your flights is cancelled or delayed due to weather, mechanical breakdown, crew shortages, or any of a number of other factors. Or your luggage doesn't make the same flight as you. 

[ICruistheworld]

1 hour ago, Ferry_Watcher said:

Is timing this for a Norwegian cruise?  Because all the other cruise ships HAL, X, Royal, PCL, Carnival all sail at 4 PM.  You would need to be either on the ship, or going thru check-in just after 3 pm.

 

 

No, this is a CCL that departs at 6:00 PM.

[ICruistheworld]

@ Mom Says

The flight that arrives the day of is through the cruise line so I automatically thought it would be like ship shore tours and they would make sure to get me onboard.  The thing that is gumming it up for me is that I will have to work for a few hours the day before boarding the cruise ship. Maybe the evening flight the day before won't be so bad. Thank you for the info.

[Ferry_Watcher]

11 minutes ago, ICruistheworld said:

No, this is a CCL that departs at 6:00 PM.

A carnival cruise?  I am curious as to what day you plan to sail.  Ships leave Pier 91 at 4 pm.

[ICruistheworld]

2 minutes ago, Ferry_Watcher said:

A carnival cruise?  I am curious as to what day you plan to sail.  Ships leave Pier 91 at 4 pm.

 

 

It sails on a Tuesday. I guess the day of the week makes a difference? I'm really not sure how or who would decide this from day to day.

[Ferry_Watcher]

May 10th?  On that day both the Splendor and the Spirit will be at Pier 91.

[ICruistheworld]

5 minutes ago, Ferry_Watcher said:

May 10th?  On that day both the Splendor and the Spirit will be at Pier 91.

 

 

Oh, the date not the day. I'm Sorry about my confusion. Sept 20.

[Ferry_Watcher]

So it is a repositioning cruise?  You board in Seattle and disembark elsewhere.  The 6 pm departure time was just unusual.  Just wanted to make sure about the sail-a-way time.

[George C]

I would never fly the day of the cruise 

[ICruistheworld]

@Ferry_Watcher

 

I never thought of it as a repositioning cruise just a Panama cruise. LOL 

Yes, Repositioning.

[Ferry_Watcher]

That explains the 6 pm departure!

[robthens]

My choice would be to fly into Seattle the day before and stay at the Mayflower Hotel.

Spend the day in Seattle.  Visit the Pike Place Market (nice lunch or dinner) and visit the

Chihuly Garden and Glass Museum.

[Twickenham]

1 hour ago, ICruistheworld said:

@Ferry_Watcher

 

I never thought of it as a repositioning cruise just a Panama cruise. LOL 

Yes, Repositioning.

 

The itinerary makes a huge difference, as if it is a Panama Canal cruise you will have more leeway to join it at the first port stop. Of course, as I can't find the cruise listed anywhere either on Carnival's website or elsewhere, I'd confirm that the cruise will actually take place before booking any air...

 

And to address another thing you said, no, buying your airfare through the cruise line will not guarantee that you make the ship - they might wait if a large number of passengers are delayed, but there are a lot of other factors in play that mean that they might not have a choice but leave without you.

[Pyrate13]

Would you rather pay the extra cost flying in the day before or lose the cost of the entire cruise if for some unforeseen delay in the flights cause you not make the ships departure?

[Markanddonna]

We are hearing that flight delays and cancelations are becoming more common as the weeks go on. I wouldn't risk a same day.

[Lois R]

I would not fly across the country the same day as the cruise. Too many variables........even if you are sailing at 6pm.  Go the day before.....it gives me peace of mind besides all the other things that could go wrong.