I’m Breaking All The Rules!

[ninjacat123]

 

48 minutes ago, Old Fart Cruisers said:

A lot of people told us that were crazy, but we really weren't worried at all.

Our PVP assured us that we would be fine since we booked using Carnival Fly2Fun, Carnival's transfers to the ship and travel insurance all through Carnival, that even if we did miss the cruise they would put us up in a hotel and get us to Mykonos to catch up with it (day 4).  So, we actually looked at it as the possibility of an interesting adventure with the worst case scenario missing two sea days, but spending more time in Greece.   Everything ended up off without a hitch, and didn't have to worry about any of the back-up plans🙂.

DH and I kinda did the same/not same strategy with our Med cruise.  Flew in 4.5 days before embarkation.  If something went sideways (airline delay, train strike, whatever) we would pivot. Trying to be flexible if needed but hoping it all went well, like your trip!

I still say you are a THRILLSEEKER!! (Remember that TV show from the 70's with people doing adventurous things?) 😉👍

Edited April 7 by ninjacat123
Need pic😸

[Old Fart Cruisers]

42 minutes ago, jsglow said:

I'm honestly glad it worked out for you @Old Fart Cruisers. Our absolute minimum cutoff for Europe is 36 hours meaning I'd consider the overnight from ORD (non-stop) landing at 8a on Friday for a Saturday cruise although our preference is more like 2-3 days.

 

If you're ever going to London, try the AA-81 daytime flight. They're the only ones that do it. Leaves ORD at like 8a and gets to Heathrow at like 10p. Man did it save wear and tear on the body having a bed both before and after the flight. 

 

4 minutes ago, ninjacat123 said:

 

DH and I kinda did the same/not same strategy with our Med cruise.  Flew in 4.5 days before embarkation.  If something went sideways (airline delay, train strike, whatever) we would pivot. Trying to be flexible if needed but hoping it all went well, like your trip!

I still say you are a THRILLSEEKER!! (Remember that TV show from the 70's with people doing adventurous things?) 😉👍

 

We are doing another B2B in July.  It's 21-days out of London (Dover).  This time we will probably plan on arriving in London 3 days before the cruise, but, but. . .This time we plan on flying standby using our daughter's airline flight benefits.  As parents, we will be at the bottom of the standby list, below ALL employees, so we could spend some time in the airport.  I haven't decided yet if we will book a hotel in London, since there is always a chance we could miss the flight and by the time we know won't get on, it will be too late to cancel.  Since we are both retired, we have plenty of time, and I am always up for a challenge (the wife - maybe not so much). 

[ninjacat123]

1 minute ago, Old Fart Cruisers said:

 

 

We are doing another B2B in July.  It's 21-days out of London (Dover).  This time we will probably plan on arriving in London 3 days before the cruise, but, but. . .This time we plan on flying standby using our daughter's airline flight benefits.  As parents, we will be at the bottom of the standby list, below ALL employees, so we could spend some time in the airport.  I haven't decided yet if we will book a hotel in London, since there is always a chance we could miss the flight and by the time we know won't get on, it will be too late to cancel.  Since we are both retired, we have plenty of time, and I am always up for a challenge (the wife - maybe not so much). 

I am jealous!!  DH and I will be on Miracle June 8-20, 2025 (longest cruise for us ever!!) out of Dover.  Probably fly into London Friday, June 6 then after our cruise spend a few days in London then fly out Sunday, June 22.  B2B is on my bucket list until DH can retire. Or I win lotto.  Whatever comes first😉

[mz-s]

On 4/5/2024 at 11:35 AM, Ferry_Watcher said:

Any idea what the cost benefit is to do a GTY Interior stateroom over choosing your own?  Flying in the day of the cruise does save on spending the night in a hotel, plus meals.  Are you saving a vacation day as well (assuming that you are still working)?  Have you figured out your overall savings?

 

Wishing you a wonderful cruise.  Hopping that the ship isn't full, and you are upgraded to an OV or better.  

 

Keep us updated.

 

I save anywhere from $100-400 per cruise by booking GTY rooms.

 

Keep in mind that the price you see in the booking engine is the GTY rate (Carnival.com shows the lowest rate you qualify for when browsing bookings). So you have to go in and pick a different rate code to actually see how much the savings are.

[CruzerDeb]

5 hours ago, jsglow said:

@CruzerDeb, I actually think you'll be fine with your flight. In the meantime, learn to use a flight tracking app. Understand beforehand if your aircraft will be on the ground overnight in Cincy. That dramatically increases the chance it'll be mechanically good for an on-time, non-stop departure. Changing planes and landing at noon? No way in HE double hockey sticks.

 

One more thing. That afternoon prior watch your weather situation. IF it looks problematic, the airlines will typically allow you to switch flights for free to avoid the storms. Drop what you're doing and get your butt to the airport. I've personally 'slept' at FLL in the wee hours when our night before flight was so delayed that we could no longer check into our budget hotel. But we were safely there and an Uber away from the port. We slept up in Serenity.

 

Oh, and as for flying to Rome morning of...... Insane, like certifiably. 

Thanks for the great advice!