Anyone have success flying the same day as sailing?

[LynneL]

While we've flown in same day in years past, wouldn't really want to do it now. Stressful. However, son did it recently & no problem. Also our flights day before were on time & last cruise was the week after Christmas so you'd think that would be crazy.

 

Well, you have the tickets now...prob. non-refundable or big penalty to change...so my thought would be if you aren't flying until the summer there is a good chance they'll change your flight times a few times over. In fact on a cruise we had booked for last fall (flying same day due to work schedule) the air time was changed so drastically we would have missed the ship so we had to cancel our cruise.

 

With our last New Year's Eve cruise, we saw on-line our departure time changed slightly & called the airlines to ask if they changed again to a time that didn't work for us could we switch. Were told yes. It changed again so we chose a different flight for much earlier in the a.m., even though still a day ahead.

 

Keep checking on-line (cause they don't even bother to tell you about changes when it is far out still since they know more to come) & if you see a change quickly call up airlines. Tell them the new time is not going to work for you & you'd like to change your tickets WITHOUT PENALTY. Say you'd like to go a day earlier since they seem to change time a lot. If they say no to date change at least switch it to a non-stop departing around 6:00 - 6:30 a.m. departure to give yourself plenty of time.

 

Port Canavaral is about a 1 hr. ride from MCO. You must rent a car (which takes time but is convenient to have your car there when you get off ship) or get a cab. Don't go with Carnival transfers.

[alexpress]

Let me just preface this by saying that I thoroughly researched our cruise before choosing. I even had an Excel spreadsheet! I read cruise critic reviews, but I did not visit the boards.

 

Since booking the cruise and reading the boards, I have realized that maybe we shouldn't have planned on flying down to Pt. Canaveral the same day as our sailing. Our flight is scheduled to land at 11:15 and the ship sails at 4:00 pm. I've gotten really nervous after reading so many posts about not sailing the same day, and DH just keeps telling me that we'll be fine. I'm the realist; he's the eternal optimist.

 

Someone please reassure me that you've had success flying down the same day! Thanks! :)

 

We will fly same day if the flight is inclusive of the cruise fare. That gives you some sort of insurance.

 

If we fly independently we go at least one day before.

 

2003 Radiance Of The Seas 00Southern Caribbean

1111 Brilliance Of The Seas00Mediterranean

2004 Mariner Of The Seas 000 West Caribbean

3333 Sovereign Of The Seas 0 Bahamas

3333 Carnival Destiny 0000000Southern Caribbean

2005 Explorer Of The Seas 00 West Caribbean

1111 MSC Opera 0000000000 Mediterranean

0000 MSC Lirica00000000000 Mediterranean

2006 Brilliance Of The Seas00Panama

0000 Voyager Of The seas 000Mediterranean

2007 Serenade Of the Seas 00Southern Caribbean

0000 Voyager Of The Seas 00 Mediterranean

0000 MSC Orchestra 000000 0Mediterranean

2008 Costa Atlantica 000000 0Caribbean

2008 Voyager Of The seas000Mediterranean

2009 Emerald Princess 00000Caribbean

 

Upcoming cruises

 

 

2009 Voyager Of The Seas00 Mediterranean

[back to the islands]

I couldn't find anything to insure less than a 6 hour delay online, but called and talked to the insuremytrip.com people and they told me a company that would cover a 3 hour transfer delay. Good luck! And, I hope none of us needs to worry and we can just chill!:cool:

[cruzn buckeye]

I am not saying do it....just posting my experience...

19 cruises....18 flew in day of....no problems...Only one time did we almost miss the ship...got there at 3:30, ship was scheduled to depart at 4. Carnival had booked this air for me. Now I always book my own flights.

The only time I flew in a day early was in Feb. when we cruised out of New Orleans.

There were some mechanical problems with the plane, which delayed us about an hour an a half. We left early enough that even if it was the day of the cruise, we would have been fine.

 

cruzn

[cv322]

Carnival doesn't hold the ship for Carnival Air passengers.

 

On one of our Glory cruises, Carnival DID hold the ship for Carnival-Air passengers with a delayed flight out of Boston to Orlando. There were about 16 of them, they arrived via bus at the pier at around 4:40PM & got a hearty cheer from everyone looking over the decks/balconies as they arrived!

 

Of our 2 cruises out of Port Canaveral, we flew in to Orlando from Newark Liberty once on the same day as cruising, and the other time spent 2 days in Orlando prior to the cruise. The time we flew in same day...our plane left Newark at around 6-6:30 AM...got into Orlando, rented a car & drove straight to the port...I believe we were on board at around 1-1:30 if memory serves me correctly. In any case, it was no problem whatsoever.

[BND]

One thing I have noticed is that the most people who post about missing or almost missing the ship had their air booked by Carnival. They seem to not only book same day, but also flights that cut it close even if they're on schedule. We will NEVER let them book our flights. Besides the facts that we go at least a day early, book our flights through our friend who is a TA and have tons of frequent flier miles so we get free flights, I do not trust Carnival air to get anyone in with time to spare.

[Minoushka]

I have been on 20 cruises .For peace of mind it is better to arrive a day earlier .I know it is not always possible.If you can GO the day before

Delays do HAPPEn Murphy's Law is always a risk

I have missed the ship once and nearly missed it another .NOw I try the day before except PR because ships leave at 11 pm but it is risky.I'm not comfortable staying in PR overnight

Leaving from Florida is a PROBLEM ships leave at 4-5pm too early for comfort .Good luck

 

Bon Voyage

[momofzeke]

I understand that if your FunPass has been filled out online, prior to cruising, you can board up to 10 min. before the ship's departing time.

 

I thought the rule was that you must board 90 minutes before sail-away OR 60 minutes if you have filled out the FunPass. I thought Homeland Security will not allow the ship to sail for 1 hour after the last passenger has boarded. It's possible that they would allow you to board that late, but then I believe they would have to delay sailing until an hour after the last person boarded. It would probably depend on weather and other factors as to whether the Captain would decide to allow late boarding or not.

 

Carnival doesn't hold the ship for Carnival Air passengers.

 

No, they don't. There is such a misconception about Carnival Air. People think they are guaranteed not to miss the ship if they fly Carnival Air. So NOT true.

 

Carnival will TRY to hold the ship for those Carnival Air passengers, but they can't always do so. Just recently there was a post from a lady who had friends that had booked cruise and air through Carnival......they had a fairly large group, maybe 12 or 14......they missed the ship even though they had been in contact with Carnival telling them they were delayed and on their way.

[bike1964]

You have every right to be. I'm landing 1 hour earlier than you are the day of. What insurance company did you find? I haven't bought insurance yet and we leave in 23 days.

 

Bill

 

insuremytrip.com

[boobuns]

Hi Jax 430,

Let me first comment to all of those who flew in on the day of embarkation...are you nuts!!!! Even if you took insurance, that would not be covered if you miss your cruise do to delayed flights, unless you take the air and insurance with the cruise line. Whether you are flying 2 hours or 8 hours to pick up your cruise, having an extra day at the port allows for less stress at boarding, and your body will acclimate easier. There are so many factors these days with airline delays. Also, what if you arrive at the airport but you luggage doesn't???? Having that extra day will give you a chance of seeing your suitcase before you cruise, and believe me this happens. The Orlando airport is HUGH, and by the time you get your luggage you still have about a 45 minute transfer to the port. Good luck with you decision, but an ounce of prevention is better than a $300+ one way air ticket to join the cruise. Oh, by the way, the cruise line will not reimburse you for any nights you miss do to air on your own. I can understand booking separate air, seems alot cheaper than the air quote from the cruise line, but, travelers need to understand the responsibility they will have to face if they miss the cruise departure time. The port facilities in Orlando are great. Have a wonderful cruise!

smiles,

Boobuns

[sharonny]

We flew in the day of once with no problems. Took the first flight in the morning with an early arrival. There were 4 or 5 departures after and the option of driving the 6 hours to port (NY) was there. That said, it did add an element of stress to the day. Would I do it again? Yes, if I had too but I will avoid it if possible. I was much more relaxed the other 2 times arriving days early.

[susique333]

I always fly in the day before...it makes it easier on the nerves. I live in the midwest and 99% of the time have connecting flights and have had trouble with those connecting flights and one time had to stay over night somewhere due to mechanical delays! With that and delays, I will fly in the day before to avoid missing the ship...It just gives me that extra day/night to get over the jet lag and be ready for getting on the ship and starting the cruise raring to go!! :D

 

 

WooWoo I had to laugh when you said "Midwest" where the weather changes every 5 minutes! Reminded me of years ago I was flying out of Denver in middle May. 80 degrees in Denver, lovely weather. Sister dropped my off at the International Airport at 2pm. Im in flip flops and a sun dress. By 3 pm it clouded up and by boarding time at 4 it was snowing....strike that...it was a BLIZZARD! :eek: When the airlines started walking around handing out resturant vouchers at 6 pm I knew we were in trouble. We finally boarded the plane around 9 pm (still snowing) and they de-iced us 3 times as we did the conga line to wait our turn to take off. What an ordeal and in May?? I never trust the weather OR the airlines in these parts.

[jcross2]

We usually fly in the day before but our next cruise is out of Galveston.

If we fly the day before we have to find transportation to a hotel and then transportaion to the port and from port back to airport:(

Very expensive.

I think I will book my own air and will fly non-stop on the day we cruise and take the Carnival transfers to the ship. I don't want to use Carnival air because it is never a direct flight and too many problems can happen with lay overs.

 

Galveston is our drive-to port, but we always go the day before to enjoy the island. The hotels are reasonable, and many offer a free shuttle to the port. (However, a taxi isn't too expensive, as the island is small. Seldom more than $10-12 with tip.)

 

I don't know what Carnival charges for their transfers, but other cruise lines' transfers have been very pricey. There are several limo services you can find at http://www.galveston.com/airporttransfers/ (if that gets blanked, go to galveston dot com and, under things to do, go to cruises.)

 

Hobby (served by Southwest) is much closer to Galveston and thus less expensive for transfers.

 

If you do fly in the day of, allow extra time for possible traffic problems on I-45 and the causeway to the island, which is sometimes being worked on, on Sundays.

 

hth!

Jan

[lilytuck]

I thought the rule was that you must board 90 minutes before sail-away OR 60 minutes if you have filled out the FunPass. I thought Homeland Security will not allow the ship to sail for 1 hour after the last passenger has boarded. It's possible that they would allow you to board that late, but then I believe they would have to delay sailing until an hour after the last person boarded. It would probably depend on weather and other factors as to whether the Captain would decide to allow late boarding or not.

 

 

 

No, they don't. There is such a misconception about Carnival Air. People think they are guaranteed not to miss the ship if they fly Carnival Air. So NOT true.

 

Carnival will TRY to hold the ship for those Carnival Air passengers, but they can't always do so. Just recently there was a post from a lady who had friends that had booked cruise and air through Carnival......they had a fairly large group, maybe 12 or 14......they missed the ship even though they had been in contact with Carnival telling them they were delayed and on their way.

They WILL hold up to a point. They have a window of an hour or two they can wait and make the next port on time. If you are booked thru Carnival Air and are delay longer than they can wait Carnival helps you get to the next port. If you are flying on your own and are delayed: The ship will not wait a minute and you are most meet the ship at the next stop at your own expense.