Arriving at port day of cruise

[zoepipes]

1 hour ago, crewsweeper said:

Very early, early  morning start to even make Buccees by noon.  And you're still 3 hours away. Long drive from Hotlanta.  

We are coming in the day before - we have a low risk tolerance.

[orville99]

22 minutes ago, zoepipes said:

This girl plans on being on the ship as soon as she can.  I let them know that they'll need a taxi, shuttle or Uber/Lyft.

And their passports so they can catch a plane and meet you in your next port of call when they miss the ship.😇

[Sunshine3601]

I personally would not do this nowadays with all the airlines having delay issues, weather delays, etc. Then add in the fact your cruise is over Thanksgiving holiday - No way would I chance flying in at noon on same day.    If they Must fly in same day, maybe arrive much earlier in the day.      Personally, it's not worth the stress and so much better to fly in the day or even night before the cruise.  

[zoepipes]

20 minutes ago, orville99 said:

And their passports so they can catch a plane and meet you in your next port of call when they miss the ship.😇

Days 1 and 2 are sea days, day 3 Labadee  - probably just better to cash in on your travel insurance and call it a day.

[ARandomTraveler]

I do a lot of flying and delays have been rampant this year. I've had more planes delayed than have left on time. 
 

I say this as I sit in the airport waiting to board yet another delayed flight. 
 

I'd never do it. I always fly in at least 1 day ahead, sometimes 2-3 days ahead. 

Edited June 2, 2022 by ARandomTraveler

[BND]

2 hours ago, zoepipes said:

This girl plans on being on the ship as soon as she can.  I let them know that they'll need a taxi, shuttle or Uber/Lyft.

I'd tell them they're on their own also lol.  It's very possibly how they'll learn 🙂

 

[deliver42]

The only time I fly in day of cruise is to Alaska. From Charlotte, N.C. American has an early non stop flight. It's been that way for years. It gets into Seattle at !0:30 A.M., so if it is delayed for some reason, we have plenty of time left for boarding. For Florida, I drive, and still go one day early.

[la_croisiere_s'amuse]

Just in case your friends will be better persuaded by larger numbers, I will add another "nay" vote. I get hives at the very thought of a scheduled arrival at noon on embarkation day ... during Thanksgiving week ...  😳 😳 😳

Edited June 2, 2022 by la_croisiere_s'amuse

[MightyMike]

My next cruise is spring break and I'm worried that flights one day ahead are not enough anymore. Could two days early become the new normal? Earlier this year there were technical glitches on Southwest and American the day before our cruise and many did not make it. If there is a flight disruption on your airline, even a one-day buffer might not be enough.

[la_croisiere_s'amuse]

23 minutes ago, MightyMike said:

My next cruise is spring break and I'm worried that flights one day ahead are not enough anymore. Could two days early become the new normal? Earlier this year there were technical glitches on Southwest and American the day before our cruise and many did not make it. If there is a flight disruption on your airline, even a one-day buffer might not be enough.

I've been wondering the same thing. I'm hoping that things have calmed down a bit by our next cruise, but it not, I don't know how comfortable I'd be with just one day.

[BND]

For our Jewel cruise in Nov out of PC, we'll be there 5 days early lol.  Only because we're spending a couple of days with DH's aunt and cousin and then onto PC for a couple of days to see friends who live on Merritt Island.  We take the Auto Train to FL so we're actually leaving home 6 days before.  Someone on FB is going on Allure in July and arriving day of at noon.  She says she knows the risk, but I bet she won't be happy if they miss the ship.  Let's see, July, flying to FL.  What could go wrong?

Edited June 3, 2022 by BND

[babyblue78]

I just went to Vegas this weekend out of Charlotte.... flight was delayed 3 hrs.  If that happens to your friends, they miss the ship.

 

I don't understand rushing.... at least fly in night before and stay at a hotel.  Not that expensive and way less stressful.  

[Morecruisesplz]

11 hours ago, zoepipes said:

We are traveling with friends who plan on flying into FLL, arriving at noon, the day of the cruise.  Is that something that is recommended?  We're extra cautious and will be coming in the day before.

No, too much at stake to take a chance IMPO.

[Vera/Lee]

I always like to be close to the Port the day before our cruise, but we are on the President's Cruise later this month and we're flying in the morning of the cruise. I booked through Royal's Air2Sea because of their commitment to get us to the ship.

[Ashland]

We've flown to several cruises years ago arriving day of...however...from the west coast it's been a red eye landing very early am into FLL and also flown to Vancouver again on the first non stop flight of the day. We've also never missed a cruise but now we usually opt for at minimum a day before...International cruises 3-4 days pre-cruise....Life is easier to manage our time now...not so much in the past when we had a young growing family and a career. Retirement = priceless !!!

[zoepipes]

9 hours ago, babyblue78 said:

I just went to Vegas this weekend out of Charlotte.... flight was delayed 3 hrs.  If that happens to your friends, they miss the ship.

 

I don't understand rushing.... at least fly in night before and stay at a hotel.  Not that expensive and way less stressful.  

I book a lot of travel as part of my job and nobody likes to fly out of Charlotte - they say they are always held up there, sometimes overnight!

[zebra36]

Pre-pandemic days I would usually fly in day of and never had problems, however, considering the world as it is I would never do that again. Recent cruises have been out of Baltimore which is just a short drive/cab ride for me, however , when I start cruising from other ports it will be at least a day earlier arrival.

[mspink98]

Yikes, that's cutting it close. It might work just fine, but all it would take is one glitch to miss the boarding deadline. 

[Mum2Mercury]

22 hours ago, zoepipes said:

We are traveling with friends who plan on flying into FLL, arriving at noon, the day of the cruise.  Is that something that is recommended?  We're extra cautious and will be coming in the day before.

I'm jumping on the bandwagon, but maybe you could point out to them the list of things that must go right to make this plan work:

 

- They must get to the airport on time, get through security, have no problems with TSA or identification

- The plane must fly out on time -- they are totally not in control of this; as others have said, pilots and other staff, mechanical problems, weather issues

- They must be allowed to deplane promptly

- Their luggage must arrive with them

- Their plane-to-terminal transportation must come through

At best, they're among the latest arrivals and board after many cruisers, missing out on those first hours when the place is magically empty.  And they're tired /stressed from travel. 

At worst, they're crying as they watch the ship sail away with their hopes and dreams.

 

We became True Believers of this cause on our very first cruise.  We're close enough to drive (so more in control of our transportation than people who fly), but it's a full day's drive.  Just over the Florida line, we were delayed for HOURS on the interstate by a tractor trailer truck that had jack-knifed, turned over on the road and burned.  I've never seen a traffic back-up like that one.  People were out of their cars, walking around, talking to one another -- it's not like anyone could go anywhere.  Our family kept saying, "We are so lucky that we're just staying in a hotel tonight.  We would so miss the ship, if today were boarding day."  We were quite late arriving at our hotel, which was okay.

 

I would fly in "day of", ONLY IF

- I could fly way-way early in the morning, giving me 6-8 hours of buffer time.

- AND I could travel with a carry-on only.

- AND I could have solid plans for plane-to-terminal transportation (NOT I'll call an Uber once I arrive).

- AND the cruise were inexpensive enough that I could afford to lose it.

- AND even if ALL THESE THINGS could be true, I wouldn't feel comfortable.

Edited June 3, 2022 by Mum2Mercury

[mickeygirl78]

I’ve always flown the day before and that is now stressing me out. With all the delays and cancellations, I’m considering flying out two days before to be on the safe side. I would strongly recommend insurance if they insist on same day.

[powelweb]

Back in 2002, DH and I were flying with another couple from Boston to FLL for a week-long cruise, and we flew down on day of departure.

 

We had a 6am non-stop flight from Boston that was scheduled to land in FLL at 9am for a 4pm cruise departure.

 

The plane had a mechanical delay and we didn't leave Boston until 9:30 am, and I spent the entire time sitting on the tarmac worrying that we would miss our ship. We made it, but it was way too close for me.

 

That was the last time I flew in on the day of departure. OP- feel free to share with your friends.

[mspink98]

4 hours ago, Mum2Mercury said:

I'm jumping on the bandwagon, but maybe you could point out to them the list of things that must go right to make this plan work:

 

- They must get to the airport on time, get through security, have no problems with TSA or identification

- The plane must fly out on time -- they are totally not in control of this; as others have said, pilots and other staff, mechanical problems, weather issues

- They must be allowed to deplane promptly

- Their luggage must arrive with them

- Their plane-to-terminal transportation must come through

At best, they're among the latest arrivals and board after many cruisers, missing out on those first hours when the place is magically empty.  And they're tired /stressed from travel. 

At worst, they're crying as they watch the ship sail away with their hopes and dreams.

 

We became True Believers of this cause on our very first cruise.  We're close enough to drive (so more in control of our transportation than people who fly), but it's a full day's drive.  Just over the Florida line, we were delayed for HOURS on the interstate by a tractor trailer truck that had jack-knifed, turned over on the road and burned.  I've never seen a traffic back-up like that one.  People were out of their cars, walking around, talking to one another -- it's not like anyone could go anywhere.  Our family kept saying, "We are so lucky that we're just staying in a hotel tonight.  We would so miss the ship, if today were boarding day."  We were quite late arriving at our hotel, which was okay.

 

I would fly in "day of", ONLY IF

- I could fly way-way early in the morning, giving me 6-8 hours of buffer time.

- AND I could travel with a carry-on only.

- AND I could have solid plans for plane-to-terminal transportation (NOT I'll call an Uber once I arrive).

- AND the cruise were inexpensive enough that I could afford to lose it.

- AND even if ALL THESE THINGS could be true, I wouldn't feel comfortable.

We're in the Jacksonville/St. Augustine area. I'll drive to Tampa or Canaveral same day, but Miami and Ft. Lauderdale I greatly prefer to go halfway the night before and get a hotel. 95 can go from smooth sailing (ha) to an absolute nightmare in a hurry. 

Edited June 3, 2022 by mspink98

[johnjen]

On 6/2/2022 at 9:58 AM, zoepipes said:

We are traveling with friends who plan on flying into FLL, arriving at noon, the day of the cruise.  Is that something that is recommended?  We're extra cautious and will be coming in the day before.

Absolutely a foolish practice due to how summer storms weigh in, shortage of pilots and flight delays. Please strongly advise your friends to just fork out their money for an overnight stay.

[GTO-Girl]

21 hours ago, orville99 said:

And their passports so they can catch a plane and meet you in your next port of call when they miss the ship.😇

They are not allowing this since covid

[zoepipes]

14 minutes ago, johnjen said:

Absolutely a foolish practice due to how summer storms weigh in, shortage of pilots and flight delays. Please strongly advise your friends to just fork out their money for an overnight stay.

This is a November 26 cruise - no summer storms (not to say there may not be other weather events).