Flying on departure day...should I be worried?

[franchetta]

We're sailing on March 20th from Miami. I booked our flight for 6am that day from dc. I was pretty sure at the time that I would be safe from weather delays and with my b/f freaking out about $$$, I chose to trade a night in a hotel for another shore excursion. In a perfect world, we should arrive in Miami by 9, wait around for luggage, have some coffee, make some calls, grab a cab and wait patiently. Well, after reading some posts recently about arriving a day early....I'm getting nervous. I should be okay....right????:confused:

 

 

 

[Joanne G.]

Odds are in your favor. You will probably be fine.

 

And you will probably fly a day early for all your future cruises! It's nice not to worry about potential airline problems.

 

Have a great cruise.

[Ms belp]

Our first cruise was a package through a travel agent and that's what we did, flew overnight DFW to Barcelona, arriving the day of the cruise.

 

However, since then we have always flown in the day before and spent the night at everything from an EconoLodge to the Hyatt. We just prefer to know we are there, relax, and talk about our cruise...the next day!:D

[lgfromdg]

franchetta - Barring a snow storm, you should be ok. It's just a lot less stressful to fly in a day ahead of time.

 

I'm on the same cruise - you should join our Roll Call. Heres' the link

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=688853

[rio123]

Take a look at how many flights leave from your departure point that would still get you into Miami in time to make the ship departure. If your flight is the only flight that makes it in time I would bite the bullet and go a day early. You miss the ship you just lost everything!

[WhenIsOurNextCruise]

We've done it both ways - day before and day of and we've never missed a departure. But - we're flying from a warm climate and that makes a big difference. If embarkation is outside the U.S. we definitely go a day early. Peace of mind is priceless. There's always insurance.......

[zimmerjulie]

If you are not going to change your flight, then I say, "DON'T WORRY:)".

 

Chances are you will be fine, but I would definitely check in extra early. In case the flight is cancelled, you want to be among the first passengers to be re-booked on other flights, before they are all full. I am guessing that from Maryland to Miami there are quite a few flights that would still arrive in time. You also have Fort Lauderdale as an option, if all else fails you can ask them to send you there and transfer by auto to Miami. I am the kind of person that plans for the worst-case scenario (Murphy and I are very acquainted). I do my darndest to make sure NOTHING gets between me and that cruise ship on embarkation day!

 

I am a very thrifty person and I consider the cost of a hotel the night before a great bargain for all of the stress it prevents, not to mention the potential of saving the cost of the lost cruise or the cost of flying to the first port and missing the first days of the cruise. I usually use Priceline and save quite a bit. So, for next time that is what I recommend:).

 

GOOD LUCK AND HAVE A GREAT CRUISE!!

[CruisnGram]

:)

We're sailing on March 20th from Miami. I booked our flight for 6am that day from dc. I was pretty sure at the time that I would be safe from weather delays and with my b/f freaking out about $$$, I chose to trade a night in a hotel for another shore excursion. In a perfect world, we should arrive in Miami by 9, wait around for luggage, have some coffee, make some calls, grab a cab and wait patiently. Well, after reading some posts recently about arriving a day early....I'm getting nervous. I should be okay....right????:confused:

 

 

You will be fine. Believe me, I know how you feel. We always fly in the day/night before to be on the safe side. However, last month, we did a short 3 day cruise on the Sky. Due to work schedule, there was no way we could fly out until the day of the cruise. We flew out of Baltimore on a 7 am flight and were on the ground in FL by 9:05. Everything went perfect.

 

A couple of pointers. Should bad weather be predicted for that day, call your airline asap and ask them about flying out early. Most airlines will try to get as many people as possible taken care of before the bad weather hits...less for them to deal with during the weather problem. They will change your flight at that point for no extra costs to you,even if its the day before.

 

I also 2nd the suggestion of the other poster. Print out a list of other flights that are going to Miami in the morning that day. Should something unforseen occur, you have that list right at your fingertips to start hunting down flights.

 

And finally, if they have online check in, do it as soon as it's available to do. That should assure of getting a seat and not getting bumped. Don't arrive at last minute and make sure you are at the gait when they begin boarding.

 

Relax....you'll be on that ship when it sails. Have a wonderful time!

 

CG

[Ms belp]

Take a look at how many flights leave from your departure point that would still get you into Miami in time to make the ship departure. If your flight is the only flight that makes it in time I would bite the bullet and go a day early. You miss the ship you just lost everything!

 

Excellent idea!

 

We also try to book the earliest departure time because things tend to back up later in the day. Even though I'm definitely not a morning person, I grumble, get up, and after a cup of coffee I'm good!

 

Weather also gets worse the longer you wait, backups from other locations or storms in your area.

[franchetta]

Thanks for the great input...we're booked for 6am flight and we plan on basically sleeping (napping with one eye open) at the airport. I did consider that we have 3 airports here and 2 there as viable options if things get crazy. It's the first day of Spring...hopefully no blizzard will get us. If it starts snowing here on Thursday morning...we can always jump in the car. I will cross my fingers this time and take your advice next time and book ahead.

[fin]

Re flying early. That is definitely not across the board. The ONLY time I have had an airline become that flexible was when Ike was aiming at New Orleans awhile, and the airlines changed a flight to a LATER one without charge. As for going earlier without a penalty, I recently could not get on an earlier flight with empty seats three HOURS before my scheduled flight on US Airways.

 

 

 

I agree it is good to know what flights may be leaving after yours. Late March has been known to get some late winter storms, so anything is possible. Good luck.

[franchetta]

Due to work schedule, there was no way we could fly out until the day of the cruise

This was a factor also...March is so early to be zipping through those vacation days

[zimmerjulie]

Thanks for the great input...we're booked for 6am flight and we plan on basically sleeping (napping with one eye open) at the airport. I did consider that we have 3 airports here and 2 there as viable options if things get crazy. It's the first day of Spring...hopefully no blizzard will get us. If it starts snowing here on Thursday morning...we can always jump in the car. I will cross my fingers this time and take your advice next time and book ahead.

 

Gotta love a backup plan!

[franchetta]

Arrival is the only thing I'll be gambling with on this trip..No casino...no Bingo!!:)

Thanks again everyone. I'll have my alternate flights list ready and numbers in my cellphone.

[JSQ01]

Hopefully you won't have to drive since it's about 17 hours from DC with no stops! One other recommendation if your flight is delayed...with your handy list of all the other flights, try calling the airline too, while you are standing in line with everyone else trying to get a different flight. Sometimes the agent on the phone can get you rebooked too. I did this last time my flight was cancelled, and I was one of the only ones on the next flight out...everyone else was still waiting in line getting really irritated at the gate agent.

 

I predict you will make it on time though.:D

[franchetta]

Hopefully you won't have to drive since it's about 17 hours from DC with no stops! One other recommendation if your flight is delayed...with your handy list of all the other flights, try calling the airline too, while you are standing in line with everyone else trying to get a different flight. Sometimes the agent on the phone can get you rebooked too. I did this last time my flight was cancelled, and I was one of the only ones on the next flight out...everyone else was still waiting in line getting really irritated at the gate agent.

 

I predict you will make it on time though.:D

I saw that trick on Amazing Race!!!

We have made the drive down south for 2 previous cruises, so at least we do know what to expect.

[flashdog_1]

if your cruise is during hurricane season, it is always smart to be in your port city the night before, if possible.

 

Another idea if your airport is not close by, is to get a park/sleep/fly package that is usually just slightly more than what parking alone would be. Then you can drive to the airport city and hopefully sleep, and get an early flight via the free shuttle that is part of the package. Or take a taxi, of course.

 

I've done it both ways, parking in my home airport area, flying in the afternoon when the flights are not jam packed, and arriving in time for dinner at the hotel in the cruise port city.

 

I've also flown in on cruise departure day, but that was before the 2 hour rule went into effect, not that I arrived only 2 hours before. But there's that chance of a delayed flight and you might not be allowed to board.

 

And, unless you have a complicated flight plan, try to get only non-stop flights so you don't have to worry about missed connections and further delays.

[hazeleyes]

We're sailing on March 20th from Miami. I booked our flight for 6am that day from dc. I was pretty sure at the time that I would be safe from weather delays and with my b/f freaking out about $$$, I chose to trade a night in a hotel for another shore excursion. In a perfect world, we should arrive in Miami by 9, wait around for luggage, have some coffee, make some calls, grab a cab and wait patiently. Well, after reading some posts recently about arriving a day early....I'm getting nervous. I should be okay....right????:confused:

 

 

 

 

You will be fine. I always fly the day of and I always take the 6am flight out of Newark NJ into Miami. No need to worry or stress. Just make sure your at the airport by 4:30am so you can go through security etc.

[franchetta]

You will be fine. I always fly the day of and I always take the 6am flight out of Newark NJ into Miami. No need to worry or stress. Just make sure your at the airport by 4:30am so you can go through security etc.

I definitely will do that.

[Ms belp]

I definitely will do that.

 

We also allow a little extra time to get into the car park and catch the shuttle. Sometimes we have found that the shuttles don't run as frequently that early in the morning.

[franchetta]

I know this is off topic, but can someone tell me what the symbols in the second column on the main thread page represent. I need Message Boards for Dummies...sorry ...but thanks for the answer

[terrymtex01]

:)

 

You will be fine. Believe me, I know how you feel. We always fly in the day/night before to be on the safe side. However, last month, we did a short 3 day cruise on the Sky. Due to work schedule, there was no way we could fly out until the day of the cruise. We flew out of Baltimore on a 7 am flight and were on the ground in FL by 9:05. Everything went perfect.

 

A couple of pointers. Should bad weather be predicted for that day, call your airline asap and ask them about flying out early. Most airlines will try to get as many people as possible taken care of before the bad weather hits...less for them to deal with during the weather problem. They will change your flight at that point for no extra costs to you,even if its the day before.

 

I also 2nd the suggestion of the other poster. Print out a list of other flights that are going to Miami in the morning that day. Should something unforseen occur, you have that list right at your fingertips to start hunting down flights.

 

And finally, if they have online check in, do it as soon as it's available to do. That should assure of getting a seat and not getting bumped. Don't arrive at last minute and make sure you are at the gait when they begin boarding.

 

Relax....you'll be on that ship when it sails. Have a wonderful time!

 

CG

 

CG.. I don't think I realized you were from Baltimore...one of my most favorite places. Do you know of a restaurant there called Sabatino's (Sab's for short)? One of my most favorite restaurants in the world.

 

Thanks for the great input...we're booked for 6am flight and we plan on basically sleeping (napping with one eye open) at the airport. I did consider that we have 3 airports here and 2 there as viable options if things get crazy. It's the first day of Spring...hopefully no blizzard will get us. If it starts snowing here on Thursday morning...we can always jump in the car. I will cross my fingers this time and take your advice next time and book ahead.

 

You have been given a lot of good tips on here and to be honest, driving to the port if all else fails was going to be my suggestion. Here is what we always TRY to do. I stress try because it's not always possible for us. For domestic embarkation ports, we always try to fly out early enough that if something happens, weather..airline strikes, etc etc, and it gets close to the time we fly and we know we aren't going to make the flight, we have time enough to drive to the port city before our cruise leaves. Being in Dallas, we can reach almost any port we embark out of within 18 hours or so. Worse comes to worse, take off in your car and take turns driving until you guys are there.. 8-). You have until 2PM usually before they stop allowing you to board. As far as hanging out at the airport that morning when you land, personally, I would grab my luggage, grab a cup of coffee and head on out to the ships terminal. I like getting there early and being one of the first in line.

 

I also wanted to add that if flying in the day your cruise leaves is your only choice, don't sweat it. As others have said, the odds are greatly in your favor you will get to the ship on time.

[jondirk]

My very first cruise, we flew into Seattle, WA early morning, same day our cruise departed for Alaska. The flight went smoothly but the bus ride we had arranged through NCL did not show up at the airport.

 

Even though we were stressing, I couldn't help but laugh because I work at a bus company and one of the contracts we have is with the port authority, providing shuttles between the ship terminal and the airport. :) Let it be known that we've never left anyone stranded at the San Diego Airport or Cruise Ship Terminal.

 

Oh and I forgot to mention, the ship waited until 4:30 when we finally arrived since it was booked through NCL. The whole boarding process took about 15 minutes as we were part of a group of 40 and the last ones to board.

[deepnite10]

whenever i fly i look to future weather weather reports as

well as averages during the week/month we plan to fly..

http://www.weatherreports.com/?utm_source=google-search&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=eugene&utm_content=1&utm_term=weather+map

 

this usually puts my mind at ease..

 

we have alway s flown in atleast a day early..but, unless it was a long flight..it was not really necessary..i just chalk up the extra day as

insurance..

[Ms belp]

whenever i fly i look to future weather weather reports as

well as averages during the week/month we plan to fly..

http://www.weatherreports.com/?utm_source=google-search&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=eugene&utm_content=1&utm_term=weather+map

 

this usually puts my mind at ease..

 

we have alway s flown in atleast a day early..but, unless it was a long flight..it was not really necessary..i just chalk up the extra day as

insurance..

 

So, are you a weather freak too, deepnite? My co-workers come to me to ask...what's the weather gonna be this afternoon, tonight, tomorrow?:D I personally love noaa.gov. I can check out the weather specifically by zip code or city with my past cruise friends.