Anyone Successfully Make a 9:52AMish Flight Out of Miami Upon Disembarkation from Icon?

[eandersen]

Hi there.  We haven't sailed in/out of Miami in a longgggg time. We are very used to Fort Lauderdale, and know how easy/quick it is to get there post-cruise. We always carry our own luggage off the ship, and plan to on our Icon sailing in March as well.  Anyone out there who has made it off the Icon and on to a Miami flight prior to 10AM?  I would LOVE to get a non-stop flight back to California, and 9:52AM seems to be the only option unless we wait until 7:30PM (ugh).  Thanks in advance for any assistance!

[Ken at the beach]

8 minutes ago, eandersen said:

Hi there.  We haven't sailed in/out of Miami in a longgggg time. We are very used to Fort Lauderdale, and know how easy/quick it is to get there post-cruise. We always carry our own luggage off the ship, and plan to on our Icon sailing in March as well.  Anyone out there who has made it off the Icon and on to a Miami flight prior to 10AM?  I would LOVE to get a non-stop flight back to California, and 9:52AM seems to be the only option unless we wait until 7:30PM (ugh).  Thanks in advance for any assistance!

I've seen people post about making 8:30 flights.

 

Self disembark at 6:30 and you are at the airport by 7

[eandersen]

Just now, Ourusualbeach said:

I've seen people post about making 8:30 flights.

 

Self disembark at 6:30 and you are at the airport by 7

I've certainly done that at FLL.  Glad to know it's possible for Miami.  Thanks very much!

[notscb]

It’s definitely doable under the right conditions. I was in FLL by 9am after my last cruise out of Miami. TSA out of Miami can be much more difficult, just so you plan ahead a bit. TSA pre check is essential if you’re planning on getting a flight out that early. 

[ARandomTraveler]

2 minutes ago, notscb said:

It’s definitely doable under the right conditions. I was in FLL by 9am after my last cruise out of Miami. TSA out of Miami can be much more difficult, just so you plan ahead a bit. TSA pre check is essential if you’re planning on getting a flight out that early. 

I just flew out of Miami 2 weeks ago and thought it was really odd that their tsa Precheck is mixed in with the regular lines. It's possible it was just like that the day I flew, but I went through a line that said pre-check, then they gave me one of those laminated cards and sent me to screening through the regular lines.

[notscb]

4 minutes ago, ARandomTraveler said:

I just flew out of Miami 2 weeks ago and thought it was really odd that their tsa Precheck is mixed in with the regular lines. It's possible it was just like that the day I flew, but I went through a line that said pre-check, then they gave me one of those laminated cards and sent me to screening through the regular lines.

Yeah that can happen if they don’t have the staff for the separate line. We had that happen to us at JFK once. I hear that it’s pretty common at MIA for whatever reason. 

[smokeybandit]

Mixed TSA Precheck is common at small airports, but I'm surprised they offer it at large airports.

[eandersen]

1 hour ago, notscb said:

It’s definitely doable under the right conditions. I was in FLL by 9am after my last cruise out of Miami. TSA out of Miami can be much more difficult, just so you plan ahead a bit. TSA pre check is essential if you’re planning on getting a flight out that early. 

Thank you so much.  We do have TSA Pre-Check.  Thanks again.

[pcur]

I'm not trying to add more worry to your situation, but I have had timing problems due to TSA staffing at 4 different airports in the last 9 months: OAK (2), EWR (2), MIA (1), and FLL (1).

 

Just know your options for a plan B.

[Baron Barracuda]

Haven't been on Icon but walk-off lines on other ships can be really long.  To be near the front you may need to get in line by 5am.  Given your flight options may still be worth it.  Did you also look for non-stop flights from FLL?

[hollon]

I think you can make it - Walk off with your luggage as soon as they say you can.  Grab a taxi and head to the airport. Don't try and get an uber, taxi's are lined up - walk fast.  We made it in plenty of time, ended up waiting awhile until our flight

[eandersen]

2 hours ago, pcur said:

I'm not trying to add more worry to your situation, but I have had timing problems due to TSA staffing at 4 different airports in the last 9 months: OAK (2), EWR (2), MIA (1), and FLL (1).

 

Just know your options for a plan B.

Not worrying me at all. It is so helpful to get these kind of perspectives/recent experiences! That’s why I asked! Thank you!

[eandersen]

48 minutes ago, Baron Barracuda said:

Haven't been on Icon but walk-off lines on other ships can be really long.  To be near the front you may need to get in line by 5am.  Given your flight options may still be worth it.  Did you also look for non-stop flights from FLL?

Thank you so much. I did look at nonstop options from FLL, and that gets me to about 11 AM, but then I was staring at how long it takes to get from the Miami cruise terminal to FLL and that seemed worrying as well.

Edited August 3 by eandersen

[eandersen]

21 minutes ago, hollon said:

I think you can make it - Walk off with your luggage as soon as they say you can.  Grab a taxi and head to the airport. Don't try and get an uber, taxi's are lined up - walk fast.  We made it in plenty of time, ended up waiting awhile until our flight

Thank you! I appreciate the taxi tip. 

[soremekun]

Here's how things worked out for me:

 

 

[eandersen]

2 hours ago, eandersen said:

Thank you so much. I did look at nonstop options from FLL, and that gets me to about 11 AM, but then I was staring at how long it takes to get from the Mismi cruise terminal to FLL and that seemed worrying as well.

 

57 minutes ago, soremekun said:

Here's how things worked out for me:

 

 

Thanks very much for sharing.

[pcur]

2 hours ago, eandersen said:

Not worrying me at all. It is so helpful to get these kind of perspectives/recent experiences! That’s why I asked! Thank you!

It's just that all of us that cruise more than once a year, know the PROCEDURES, but I have had so many "off-routine" experiences in the last year, that I'm a little cautious to say anything with certainty. But, I also don't want to be a "Peggy downer", either.

 

So, hope for the best, plan for the worst, expect what's in the middle.

[Ken at the beach]

These photos were just posted by Ken Jarvis about his disembarcation last Saturday on Icon

 

 

6:51 was airside after clearing customs with tsa pre. 

[eandersen]

Thanks for sharing!

[smokeybandit]

83 degrees at 6:07am. Yuck

[bucfan2]

6 hours ago, smokeybandit said:

83 degrees at 6:07am. Yuck

It's horrible.  Please help us encourage more people not to move to Florida. 

[twangster]

Coming off Icon in June by 10am I had driven from the port to my home in Central Florida including a 15 minute pit stop on the turnpike.

 

One risk with early flights is due to medical emergencies causing the ship to return a few hours late.  If a guest or crew has an issue the ship might divert or change course for a medical evacuation on the last day of the cruise.  That can cause a later arrival back to Miami.

 

A few years ago airlines often had a few empty seats on most flights and could accommodate passengers who missed flights better.  Over the past 18 months I've had terrible luck flying.  A cancelled or delayed flight these days can lead to hours or days to recovery because the airline loads are up and they can't absorb as many wayward passengers like they could a few years ago.

 

It comes down to how risk sensitive you are.  The risk is missing an early flight, the reward is getting home sooner.  If something doesn't go right are you okay spending hours or a day at the airport waiting for the next available flight?

[eandersen]

This is sound, logical thinking. Thank you so much!

[kccrzr]

March is Spring Break.  Expect longer than usual lines at the airport. 

Edited August 4 by kccrzr

[Tlbecker1]

12 hours ago, bucfan2 said:

It's horrible.  Please help us encourage more people not to move to Florida. 

No encouragement needed from me, it won’t ever happen.