Port Everglades Closed

[C 2 C]

1 hour ago, CruisinShips said:

To those who say we should expect the unexpected, that is true, but if you play the odds, this wasn't normal mid-November weather here.

Same here.  We normally have our first snowfall mid November.  Yesterday the temperature was in the mid 60's but today temperatures are falling as we prepare for our yearly trek to the Caribbean.  We have raced ahead of fronts bringing freezing rain and snow squalls down I-75 but I hate sitting in a plane getting de-iced and delayed.

[NutsAboutGolf]

On 11/16/2023 at 4:52 AM, cruisestitch said:

Bookmarking this thread for answer to all those “can I make a 9:00 flight “ posts

 

As someone who has made an 8:43 am flight from Port Everglades (I had a backup plan), even if you had a 12pm flight, things happen and you could miss it.  When someone asks if they can make a 9am flight, the answer should be, "if you miss it, what's your backup plan?"

[Z'Loth]

Wouldn't the "Change Fee Coverage" or "Trip Interruption Coverage" as part of travel insurance help in a situation like this where you missed your 11:30 AM flight because the ship was late in docking and subsequent disembarkation? 

[Lastdance]

2 hours ago, Z'Loth said:

Wouldn't the "Change Fee Coverage" or "Trip Interruption Coverage" as part of travel insurance help in a situation like this where you missed your 11:30 AM flight because the ship was late in docking and subsequent disembarkation? 

Maybe...we have a 10:00 flight, but our cruise is on 12/1, returning 12/11.  We’ll see how that pans out for the return.  We do arrive two days early from the west coast due to two flights!

[phoenix_dream]

23 hours ago, NutsAboutGolf said:

 

As someone who has made an 8:43 am flight from Port Everglades (I had a backup plan), even if you had a 12pm flight, things happen and you could miss it.  When someone asks if they can make a 9am flight, the answer should be, "if you miss it, what's your backup plan?"

Exactly, that is the key point.  I always answer that you can catch early flights in FLL if all goes well, but if you book early you definitely need a backup plan.  These things can and do happen - albeit not really often.  But these days flights are often booked 100% full.  So if you miss an early flight your odds of getting on the next one are not necessarily all that great either, and if you are lucky enough to land a spot it's probably in the back of the plane in a middle seat.   You could also end up needing to stay overnight in the port city (or longer, depending).

 

People are saying you can't necessarily plan for such a rare occurrence.  There is some truth to that.  At the same time, over the years my disembarkation has been delayed several times.  Not ever this late, but a couple of times disembarkation didn't start until 9:30.  Try catching a 9:30 flight then!

 

I don't take pleasure in berating people who booked early flights.  Their risk; their choice.  I do get aggravated, however, at those who tell people for sure they can catch that 9:00 or 9:30 flight.  The truth is, not always.  But that's just one of the many things I find people giving bad information about on these boards.  Not intentionally I presume, but many times people report an experience they had and announce it as gospel.  A number of things differ by ship, by sailing, by class of ship, etc..  I wish people would consider that when answering questions.

 

Ok, I'm done ranting.  Have a nice day all!

[mrgabriel]

4 minutes ago, phoenix_dream said:

But these days flights are often booked 100% full.  So if you miss an early flight your odds of getting on the next one are not necessarily all that great either, and if you are lucky enough to land a spot it's probably in the back of the plane in a middle seat.   You could also end up needing to stay overnight in the port city (or longer, depending).

 

 

This can't be repeated frequently enough.

 

We sometimes roll the dice and book an early flight back - especially in places like FLL where it's such a quick trip from the port to the airport. But we also are prepared for whatever comes if we miss the flight. Maybe that's staying overnight, maybe it's driving to another airport if there are flights available there. If you take the risk, you can't let it ruin your vacation. Treat it as an adventure. 

[NutsAboutGolf]

2 minutes ago, phoenix_dream said:

Exactly, that is the key point.  I always answer that you can catch early flights in FLL if all goes well, but if you book early you definitely need a backup plan.  These things can and do happen - albeit not really often.  But these days flights are often booked 100% full.  So if you miss an early flight your odds of getting on the next one are not necessarily all that great either, and if you are lucky enough to land a spot it's probably in the back of the plane in a middle seat.   You could also end up needing to stay overnight in the port city (or longer, depending).

 

People are saying you can't necessarily plan for such a rare occurrence.  There is some truth to that.  At the same time, over the years my disembarkation has been delayed several times.  Not ever this late, but a couple of times disembarkation didn't start until 9:30.  Try catching a 9:30 flight then!

 

I don't take pleasure in berating people who booked early flights.  Their risk; their choice.  I do get aggravated, however, at those who tell people for sure they can catch that 9:00 or 9:30 flight.  The truth is, not always.  But that's just one of the many things I find people giving bad information about on these boards.  Not intentionally I presume, but many times people report an experience they had and announce it as gospel.  A number of things differ by ship, by sailing, by class of ship, etc..  I wish people would consider that when answering questions.

 

Ok, I'm done ranting.  Have a nice day all!

 

Just an FYI...If you miss your flight and the rest of the flights for the day are full, they'll generally put you on the next flight's standby list.  Generally, you'll need to appear in person at the next flight's gate and check in for standby with the gate agent.  If you don't get on that flight you go to the next flight gate and gain a slight bump in the priority of the standby list.  If a couple, if two seats open, you're probably not sitting together anyway so if only one standby seat opens on a flight, one of you should take it

[grandgeezer]

31 minutes ago, NutsAboutGolf said:

 

Just an FYI...If you miss your flight and the rest of the flights for the day are full, they'll generally put you on the next flight's standby list.  Generally, you'll need to appear in person at the next flight's gate and check in for standby with the gate agent.  If you don't get on that flight you go to the next flight gate and gain a slight bump in the priority of the standby list.  If a couple, if two seats open, you're probably not sitting together anyway so if only one standby seat opens on a flight, one of you should take it

Unless one of the people has to get right away, I see nothing positive in going. What does that person do, wait at the airport, for god knows how long, or go home and wait for a call from the stranded one saying what time they should arrive at the airport to be picked up. We live an hour away and it’s cheaper, easier, and a lot less stressful than driving. I would send my wife, but would have to take the shuttle because she refuses to drive in Phoenix, especially the airport. I asked her and was told we left together so we’ll come home together.

[curtsfan]

On 11/16/2023 at 7:19 AM, countess5 said:

Is this weather related. Looking at the webcam it doesn’t”t look that bad, except winds.

 

Cheers! 

I was onboard this sailing.  The ocean was very angry!   We ended up staying onboard until 1pm.  I thought the staff handled everything very well.  They continued to update us & got us off as soon as they could.  I felt bad for the passengers who had early flights.  I bet most of them didn’t make it.  

[GonzoWCS]

Good information here thanks.

 

Cheers

[NutsAboutGolf]

1 hour ago, grandgeezer said:

Unless one of the people has to get right away, I see nothing positive in going. What does that person do, wait at the airport, for god knows how long, or go home and wait for a call from the stranded one saying what time they should arrive at the airport to be picked up. We live an hour away and it’s cheaper, easier, and a lot less stressful than driving. I would send my wife, but would have to take the shuttle because she refuses to drive in Phoenix, especially the airport. I asked her and was told we left together so we’ll come home together.

 

Every situation is different.  It's possible the next flight has availability or that you can buy a ticket from another airline with availability and then cancel the missed one for a credit

[someguyfl]

What happens onboard during this extra time? Are restaurants still open on their normal schedule? Spa? Gym? Beverage package still works?

 

Obviously the casino would be closed, but perhaps it works out to just being a few extra free hours for those who didn’t have an early flight to catch?