Flying to port the day of the cruise vs staying the night before?

[njreindeer]

Hi everyone,

 

DH and I are cruising for the first time :D , and we're flying to Orlando/Port Canaveral on the morning of our Mariner cruise. Our US Air flight gets in 9:17am, and we have the transfers from RCI to get to port.

 

Our TA didn't bat an eye or suggest that we might want to fly in the day before, but it seems on this board that most people go in the day before.

 

Which do you normally do? And, assuming that our flight is realtively on-time, should we expect any delays to the port that would jeopardize us getting there in time? Or am I worrying for nothing?

 

Thanks very much for your input. :)

[KStevens79]

When sailing out of Florida, we fly in the day before. ONLY because we're in California. Assuming we don't have any layovers with time zones and flight times it's a 9 hour flight. Being in the same time zone I wouldn't worry too much about it unless there is a weather issue. It's each person's personal preference.

 

Karen

[winncove]

NJ, if you don't encounter any delays, mechanical or weather problems, you'll have good connection. That said, I'm an OCB type person & have to get there the day before! We only have an 8 hr drive and newer vehicle but what if????? There are inexpensive motels/hotels in Cocoa Beach that provide vans to the port. In our case we get free parking so it's almost nothing to stay there. Ck. our Roll Call board & so far there are 3 of us @ same motel. Also do you have to go thru Atlanta? Seems there are always delays there. On a more positive note, shouldn't be much traffic there on a Saturday?? Looking forward to it, now less than 60 days! Del

[abridalmaven]

For us it really depends. When the ship departs at 10 pm from San Juan ( or a fight under 4 hours and we leave early in the AM) we fly in that day. Earlier departure and further away we go the night before or maybe extend the vacation by a few extra days and enjoy the departure city. All that being said, we always get cruise insurance.:cool:

[Cya@Sea]

We have done both. We fly from Arizona. We fly in the day before now and it is nice. We are relaxed and refreshed, but more important no worries about delays and the such. Our first couple of cruises our TA didn't mention this option either. We learned about it from the boards. :) Enjoy your first cruise, I am sure you are going to love it.

[fajitapita]

Just had a friend who was on the Radiance in June. She flew out of San Francisco to Vancouver the day of the cruise and missed the ship! Her flight was delayed due to fog. She booked the air through RCI, so they got her to the first port (Juneau), but missed all of Saturday and Sunday cruising through the Inside Passage. She's been back for over a week, and she still hasn't received one piece of her luggage! And yet she can still say she enjoyed her cruise and loved Alaska... :)

Lesson learned? Next time she's flying to the port of departure the day before....

[soriscruiser]

I've done both and its a lot more relaxing to arrive the day before. You get on the ship well rested and relaxed.

[BluIDblonde]

We've done both. I prefer to go the day before. You get the travel day over with and don't have to worry about rushing to the ship and getting things put away quickly because you have to run off to the muster drill etc., etc...

 

Have a great trip!

[luckymomx2]

We always fly in the day before no matter where we're sailing out of. It's a nice way to relax and be refreshed before stepping on the boat. When we sail out of Port Canaveral we usually stay at the Hyatt inside the airport. We love the pool, resturants in the hotel and the terminal, and the kids love watching the planes come in. I know a lot of others like driving to the Radisson right at the port too. Just a few suggestions.

[Magicat]

At least the day before for us. It's part of our cruise vacation that we explore the departure city for a day. Gets us in the mood for cruising!

[just4kixx]

Although we've never actually done it, if we could, we would definitely go the night before!

 

This past trip we booked air through the cruiseline and ended up spending many hours en-route (mostly "waiting" somewhere for the next leg of the trip)to and from the ship on departure and return days. It can be very draining, and with kids in tow, well... you get the picture.

 

Next trip I'm making my own flight arrangements, and you can bet if I'm able, we're out there the night before :)

 

A

[cruiseky]

We always like to fly in a day early. This takes a lot of stress out of the whole process. By flying in a day early, we do not get stressed out over flight delays or any mishaps that may happen along the way, and we don't feel rushed trying to get to the airport, catch a flight, and then get to the cruise terminal on time. This way we get to sleep in, on the day of the cruise, have a leisurely breakfast and then head over to the ship. It is much more relaxing for us this way. Not to mention, it lets us extend our vacation by a day!!!:D :D

[royal girl]

njreindeer-

 

Because of our work schedule's we can never leave a day early. But I just make sure I book the earliest flight possible.

 

On our next cruise we are leaving out of Port Canaveral flying into Orlando also and our flight arrives at 9:17 too! (Ship leaves at 5 pm) I think we will have plenty of time. I'm not worried.

[karen_cpa]

I am going to strongly suggest flying in the day before. There are just too many unknowns that can delay or cancel a flight - weather, mechanical, wild fires in CA (delayed our HM last year). Also - if you arrive the morning of your flight and your luggage doesn't arrive with you, you may have an issue if your first few cruise days are at sea. Personally, the luggage thing is my biggest worries. My girlfriends and I took a cruise out of New Orleans 3 years ago and my luggage never made it off the plane! Thank god we came a day early, because in the middle of that night, my luggage finally arrived!!! If we had flown in that day, my luggage wouldn't have made it to the ship on-time!

[LESTRELA]

Depends where you are leaving from!!! i am on the mariner on 8/29 we are leaving from providence, to orlando if i took the air from the cruise it would cost us 429.00 per person so i decided to do it my self. I have a direct flight on southwest to orlando on that same day!! Last year i did the same thing when i flew with Voyager my wedding was on Sat night so i had no choice but to leave on Sunday, we flew into FLL and port was in miami, the thing that rot was that we did not get there till 12ish and waited in line for 2 hours. Thow this year we arrive in orlando at 10:15am so it should be a little more smothing.......

[kfrank6302]

We ALWAYS fly in at least a day ahead. Coming from Ohio, usually in the wintertime, we don't want to take a chance with weather. A few years ago we were the last flight out of Newark to San Juan before they closed the airport for snow. Several people on the flight behind us missed the boat.

 

Last year my friends connected thru Atlanta. During the 2-hour layover their luggage was left out on the runway during a downpour. When they got to Miami everything in their suitcases was soaked! Fortunately Delta paid for them to take everything to a dry cleaner - they got everything back in 6 hours - but it may not have been so easy if they had to get on a ship the same day.

 

If at all possible, go the day before.

[tracey980]

I also prefer to go in the day before the cruise. It is hassle free. I would be so nervous wreck about missing the ship. I have always used Priceline or Hotwire to get a hotel for the night before the cruise. The extra $50 or $60 is worth it to me for the piece of mind. It is relaxing to wake up in the morning and only have to drive a few minutes to the ship vs have to go to the airport, get on the plane...etc. By the time you get to the ship you will be exhausted.

[island lady]

Two points to consider also:

1. The Mariner leaves on a Sunday, so if you do not work on Saturday, it is a great way to extend your vacation without having to take the extra day off. I would choose coming in the day before.

 

2. Check prices of flights traveling on Sunday vs. Saturday. Sometimes you can save having a choice of days to travel.

 

One more point: Relax, have a great time, and welcome!!

 

Cheers!

[Chelsea17]

Hi,

 

First time poster but have been reading since last summer (a bit shy I guess). My husband and I went on the 5/23 sailing of the Mariner so we were able to drive from SC. However, now I am looking into booking the Adventure out of San Juan and my travel agent strongly suggests booking flights with RCCL so there are no mishaps. This would not give us any flexibility in departure or return flights. Is this the case and do most of you book your air thru RCCL? I'd really like to get to San Juan the day before to sight see a bit. Your comments are really appreciated.

 

Chelsea in Charleston

[hstrybuf]

Only on our first cruise did we fly in the day of the cruise. After that I found these boards and started flying in a day early. I've read too many stories of flight delays and cancellations to take a chance on missing the ship. Also on the Travel Channel, the show is Airport, they documented people who were flying in the day of their cruise and the problems they had with overbooked flights. People were very upset because they might not get to the ship on time!

 

We always book our flights these days through our airline of choice and not with the cruiseline. We prefer to pick the time ourselves and not get stuck with whatever we're given. We also purchase trip insurance just in case things out of our control might cause us to have to cancel everything.

[gkrebs]

NJReindeeer,

 

 

I usually fly out of Newark for cruises out of FLA on the day of departure. It looks like you might be taking the 6:00am flight. Don't worry too much about it. You have lots of airlines that all fly to Orlando out of here that you can be switched over to if something happens to your flight.

 

However, if in the future you decide to cruise out of San Juan, consider going down the day before. I have done both with no problems from Newark.

 

If your flying out of Philly, where the flights are more limited, I might rethink it. But you probably already have non refundable tickets

[jackpine]

....

[normaxs]

I prefer flying the day before so I have the travel over, have a day to explore and then get to the ship in a vacation frame of mind. I usually book my own air so I can decide when to fly and rarely take their transers. Most of the time taking taxis is faster and cheaper.

Chelsea17-if you possibly can, fly in to San Juan the day before. Old City is great to spend a day wandering around.

Also someone posted about RCCL air being at bad times, you can pay a small fee and arrange for custom accommodations. Check that out with your TA.

Norma

[raytownlady]

Just like everyone before me we always fly in to the port a day prior to the cruise. As others have said this allows us to relax and get in a vacation state of mind.;)

[weinoh]

We've done both. We actually like going in the day before it makes for a much more relaxing beginning. We also enjoy seeing the Port city.

Never not made the ship flying in the same day just enjoy it more traveling earlier. Hope you have a great cruise. We will sail on Mariner in March 2005.

Enjoy.