Should I be worried - flight times/boarding Ft. Lauderdale

[NHcopwife]

We are arriving Monday in Ft. Lauderdale and boarding that afternoon. Our flight arrives at 1:15pm.

 

Does that leave enough time to get to the port and boarded within the 90 minute time frame? Ship leaves at 5pm so we would need to be boarded by 3:30pm.

 

Assuming our flights are on time (fingers crossed), I have heard that the port is pretty close to the airport.

 

I tried getting an earlier flight but couldn't.

[It'sRC4ME]

The port is VERY close to the airport (you can see the ships from the terminal) so as long as your flight is not delayed AT ALL, and your bags come out quickly, you should have no problem making it to the ship.

 

However, please keep in mind that they are VERY serious about not checking you in after a certain time - there was an ugly thread here a few weeks ago about someone who arrived late and was not allowed to board.

 

To hedge your bets, you might consider making a reservation for a hotel in Ft. Lauderdale for that evening, just in case something goes wrong. Most hotels allow you to cancel up to 4:00 PM or so on the day of check in, so if you do make it onto the ship you can just call the hotel from the ship (via cell phone) and cancel the reservation.

[Garyorient]

I asked this question yesterday.

I'm going to sound old and moody here, but surely the time to ask the question is before you book the flight and not after you've booked it?

 

I think it is one hell of a risk quite frankly.

 

If it arrives on tme

If it gets to its Gate speedily

If your luggage comes out quickly

If your transfer goes smoothly

Then you will be fine, but for my part I work damn hard for my holidays and 4 "Ifs" are 4 too many as far as I a mconcerned.

[PhoenixCruiser]

Yikes!! Too stressful for me, not the way I want to start a vacation.

 

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[vermontcruisers]

On our next 3 cruises we plan to fly in a day early.If you book your hotel room early enough you can get some good deals.$130 spent on a nice hotel is cheap insurance in my opinion.

[travelntreats]

1. Is your flight a non-stop flight ? If so... the worry is greatly reduced

2. 10 - 15 minute ride to the ship from the airport...if arriving on schedule, no worries UNLES luggage issues occur.

3. Should you be worried.... ??? If # 1 and 2 fall into place properly, no worries, if not... I would be worried !

[ziggypup]

This question seems a litte moot at this point. You are leaving in 3 days and can't get an earlier flight. What are your other options other than flying out the day before?

[xpcdoojk]

This question seems a litte moot at this point. You are leaving in 3 days and can't get an earlier flight. What are your other options?

 

They could drive to Florida. :D

 

In the future, make life easier on yourself, OP. Fly at least a day before the cruise. There is plenty to do and see in South Florida.

 

jc

[ziggypup]

They could drive to Florida. :D

 

In the future, make life easier on yourself, OP. Fly at least a day before the cruise. There is plenty to do and see in South Florida.

 

jc

 

 

LOL...........I think Amtrak services Fort Lauderdale. :)

[negc]

On our next 3 cruises we plan to fly in a day early.If you book your hotel room early enough you can get some good deals.$130 spent on a nice hotel is cheap insurance in my opinion.

I'd still recommend travel insurance. There are no guarantees that your flight the day before won't be delayed or cancelled because of weather conditions and you might not get another flight for a day or more if you are traveling during a heavy travel period. I know folks whose Friday flight(they were sailing on Saturday) was cancelled due to bad weather and the next flight they could get on was the following Wednesday. People who were booked for Saturday flights had no problems and made their cruise. Without travel insurance, the Friday flyers would have lost their vacation and probably their money as well.

[Gonzo70]

With that time frame you have about one hour of wiggle room for delays. So long as you are not delayed by over an hour you should make it. For future cruises I highly sugges flying in at least a day early. You get to extend your vacation, have much less chance of missing the ship, and can start your cruise earlier and in a more relaxed state. With web sites like Hotwire and Priceline it is easy to find a good hotel for under $100, so it does not cost much extra to fly in a day early.

 

Have a nice cruise. :)

[ziggypup]

I'd still recommend travel insurance. There are no guarantees that your flight the day before won't be delayed or cancelled because of weather conditions and you might not get another flight for a day or more if you are traveling during a heavy travel period. I know folks whose Friday flight(they were sailing on Saturday) was cancelled due to bad weather and the next flight they could get on was the following Wednesday. People who were booked for Saturday flights had no problems and made their cruise. Without travel insurance, the Friday flyers would have lost their vacation and probably their money as well.

 

Are their any guidelines from the insurance companies regarding flight schedules and cruises. Using the scenario that we have on this thread. Might the insurance company decline a claim and say that you booked your flight to close to your cruise departure time? Just curious.

[negc]

Are their any guidelines from the insurance companies regarding flight schedules and cruises. Using the scenario that we have on this thread. Might the insurance company decline a claim and say that you booked your flight to close to your cruise departure time? Just curious.

I think you would have to check the language in the individual insurance policy as those sorts of conditions can vary considerably from one policy to another. In general, however, I don't believe booking a flight that arrives at 1:15 would be considered too close to departure time, and any insurance company that would take such a position in order to deny a claim should be called out publicly.:)

[ziggypup]

FYI...........If you want to drive down to Kennedy International, both JetBlue and Delta have non-stop flights that leave at 8:00 AM and put you in Fort Lauderdale around 11:15 AM.

 

Depending on where in New Hampshire you live, I'd say that you are looking at a 5 to 7 hour drive to Kennedy.

[ddonalds]

Wow, considering the weather right now, that would be cutting it much too close for me, but you have the flights, so best of luck having on-time arrival!!!! Have a good cruise...

[mation101]

one word that makes this way too close

 

FLIGHT DELAYS!!!!!!!!!!

[39august]

Yes, you should be worried. That is much too close. Is there any way you can change to a flight the day before? Change fees would probably be less than having to pay for a flight to catch the ship at its first port! I do hope you have travel insurance, and if you don't, buy it TODAY!

[crusinmama06]

Holy Moly! :eek: Yes, I would be VERY worried. The only thing that would make this worse is if you said the flights weren't direct and had connecting flights. And you say "Assuming our FLIGHTS" - flights - plural :eek:

 

I think the flights being delayed are the rule now, not the exception. So good luck and I hope you get there on time! But also, bring your passports (please tell me you have passports...lol) so you can meet the ship if needed.

[dutchess43]

I would be nervous if all goes well you should be ok, but I have to agree with anything that can happen I would of flown the day before.

[Desert Cruizers]

We were on one Cruise and talking to a lady while at the pool, learned their flight arrived at 3:00 day of embarkation. she said never again, as DH had to hunt down a piece of luggage, the RCL Rep went to hunt them both down. They made it but will arrive the night before in the future, then you are there and can relax. We live 2 hrs from San Diego, Ca and still came in the night before to enjoy the precruise functions with some of our Roll Call.