Flight?

Have a Holland cruise next January out of FLL

Do you think we can make a 10:30am flight home out of FLL.

Price is MUCH less than other times

What is the scheduled arrival time of the ship and it is returning from a typical closed loop cruise or something like a transatlantic or repositiioning cruise.

Caribbean cruise. I believe arrival time states 7am

There are dozens and dozens of threads here on the topic- probably the number 1 topic on this board. The general trend is flights after 10:30 are fine (some will say you can go for an earlier flight), but the key is your ability and comfort getting off the ship early, potentially carrying your own bags, and grabbing a cab.

For a 10:30 flight you need to be at FLL by 9:00 -- 8:30 would be better as TSA lines can be chaos.

Figure the ride from cab/Uber ride from Port Everglades to FLL takes about 15+ min (and the cab fare should be about $15). If you are comfortable getting up early and carrying your bags off, and if the ship arrives on time and if there are no customs/immigration hold-ups, you should be okay.

Do you want to worry about making your flight home while cruising? :confused: Is the worry worth the savings? :confused: Your call!

Have a Holland cruise next January out of FLL

Do you think we can make a 10:30am flight home out of FLL.

Price is MUCH less than other times

There is a reason why the fare is so much cheaper - most people will not take the chance of such an early flight.

As already mentioned, most times you can make this flight, if you self-disembark AND no problems arise (ship late - my brother's was three weeks ago).

Personally, I would not want the added stress at the end of my cruise, but each person has their own ideas. If you do this, make sure you have backup plans just in case.

Yes you can make it. WILL you make it? If there are no long delays with the ship clearing customs you should be good. Note I said IF.

Personally I WOULD do it if later flights add lots of waiting time hours or connections. The cost wouldn't be as much of a concern to me.. because IF something bad happens, you will likely have to spend the night in Fl. Flights are booked on cruise days, so there are few if any empty seats to transfer to. And that extra night will cost as much if not more than you are saving.

So....yes, it is up to you. If you are traveling with just one other mobile adult (and are not a family with kids trying to get it all together) and you are familiar with port procedures and the airport, your chances improve too. .;)

I agree it probably is doable. Would I book such a flight? NO! I would be stressed just considering the possibilities of missing the flight. And, then, on a very busy departure day from FLL or MIA (as ship arrival/departure days are), would I be able to obtain a flight on that day?

Just curious if trip insurance would cover the cost under the "Missed Connection" coverage. We always purchase trip insurance so wondering if we could get by with booking earlier flights than we have been. We have been paying the higher cost of flight to avoid the worries but am now looking at this differently.

Each time I fly out of FLL it gets worse and more chaotic, especially now that some of the mega-ships are ported there. If Jupiter aligns with Mars, you can do it, but as Dave already pointed out, there's a reason those flights are less expensive.

Roz

If everything goes perfectly, yes you can make that flight, just be sure to do walk off service which usually starts around 7:30 am or so. I have to say this past March we sailed on HAL's Eurodam, did not do walk off service, but were the 3rd group to be off and we made it to the airport by 9:15 am. But to be honest with you, that time would be a little stressful for me, I never book a flight before 12 noon.

If you are a gambler go for it, but just know if something happens and your late docking you may miss your flight.........................

good luck.

Just curious if trip insurance would cover the cost under the "Missed Connection" coverage. We always purchase trip insurance so wondering if we could get by with booking earlier flights than we have been. We have been paying the higher cost of flight to avoid the worries but am now looking at this differently.

I suggest that you ask your question directly to a company that sells travel insurance. I think the Missed Connection coverage would apply if the missed connection was between two flights. Not at all sure that it would be if you missed the initial flight due to late arrival or your ship or delays at the port.

Another thing to factor in your calculation-- how many other ships are in port on disembarkation. Two or three other ships might make catching the early flight possible. Seven or eight other ships might make it harder. Taxis will be fewer. Just like you, there are passengers, on your ship and the other ships, trying to do the same thing. I have been successful twice making flights at 10:20 and 10:45. I have TSA precheck which helps.

HOWEVER, make sure you know your options. What is the next flight to your destination? Could you go stand by if you miss the earlier flight? Again, consider the number of other passengers who may be trying to get to the same place you are or who are flying thru the same hub you might be using. Are you willing to sit at the airport until early evening or late night to make the next flight?

Just food for thought.