11:00 AM Flight Home from Fort Lauderdale

[maun]

I have read that it is not recommended to book a flight home after a cruise before noon. For those of you who have done so, has anyone ever missed their flight? Specifically, has anyone ever missed an 11:00 AM flight out of Fort Lauderdale? How close have you cut it from getting off the ship, going through customs, getting to the airport, checking in and getting through security until boarding the plane? I'm assuming those who have early flights carry their own luggage off the ship and are in the first group to leave. How do you make arrangements with Princess to be sure you can be in that first group?

Thanks for sharing your suggestions and experiences.

~~Maun

[luvs2travl]

What time of year is your cruise? Always remember you will NOT be the only ship in port debarking passengers and most of them will be trying to get to the airport with as much haste as you will. Those with the earliest flight times and of course, all those that do the self walk-off's will be leaving the ship(s) first.

 

Most ships started discharging passengers as soon as the ship docks & clears customs, but there can always be delays. And of course, you will have to clear immigration inside the cruise terminal. Many folks will tell you that you will have no problem making an 11:00AM flight, which means that you need to be AT the airport at least 2 hrs ahead of time. So 9:00AM would be your target time getting to the airport, not 11:00AM.

 

Just remember that when carrying ALL your own luggage off the ship, you MUST be able to have one hand free for the escalators. Otherwise, you will be forced to wait for the elevators and that can take 30 -45 minutes.

 

A taxi to the airport takes about 10-15 minutes - it just depends on how long you have to wait to get one.

 

If you are arriving during any of the peak holidays (Easter [spring break], Thanksgiving, Christmas-New Years), the FLL airport will be a total zoo. I've been there & seen that. Take that into consideration as well.

 

You can make arrangements for your debarkation at the Main Desk on board, or you can wait until the documents requiring that information are delivered to your cabin - usually about 2 days before you hit port. They will require your airline, flight number & time to assign you to the earliest debarkation time; anyone may request the "walk-off" or self debarkation status, provided you can handle ALL of your luggage, souvenier bags, etc.

 

Best of luck & have Smooth Sailing in whatever plans you make! :)

[ssbeagle]

We have always been able to make a flight around 11:30 with no problems at all. There are lots of taxis at the port and the airport is only 5-10 minutes away. Princess always asks for flights on the disembarkation forms they pass out and they will get you off the ship in plenty of time. Our last flight was at 11:05 and we still had an hour to wait at the airport after checking in. We were off the ship by 9:00 and went straight to the airport. It did help that we were on AirTran which didn't have quite the lines Delta and other majors had. But about an hour after we got to the airport the terminal sure filled up.

[Flyer]

Without checking my records I remember several flights we have taken before 11:00. When I am in doubt I call princess and they have the earliest times to make a flight for each port. Give them a call and if memory serves they will tell you not to book before 10:30. Call to verify though.

[bbenson]

I have read that it is not recommended to book a flight home after a cruise before noon. For those of you who have done so, has anyone ever missed their flight? Specifically, has anyone ever missed an 11:00 AM flight out of Fort Lauderdale? How close have you cut it from getting off the ship, going through customs, getting to the airport, checking in and getting through security until boarding the plane? I'm assuming those who have early flights carry their own luggage off the ship and are in the first group to leave. How do you make arrangements with Princess to be sure you can be in that first group?

 

Thanks for sharing your suggestions and experiences.

 

~~Maun

 

You'll be fine most likely. Last year I flew out of FTL on an 11:15 or 11:25 flight...I did not rush to get off the ship, did not carry my own luggage... walked off the ship around 9:30 and was at the airport by 10...had enough time to stop and grab a bite before going to the plane.

 

This, of course, depends on several factors 1) the ship arrives in port on time and 2) is cleared by customs quickly...on the rare occasion customs or a mechanical issue can delay a ship by several hours......

 

But, if you're cruising alone or just you and a spouse chances are even if you miss the first flight they can squeeze you in on somehting later.. The only time I really really wouldn't risk it is if I was traveling with a large group that couldn't be split up..i.e. parents with kids.

[Pam in CA]

Unless there's a very serious and unusual delay, which can happen, you shouldn't have any problem. I've made 11:20am flights many times out of FLL and that's without special early disembarkation. One time, though, after a Christmas cruise, disembarkation was delayed until after 9am, FLL was a freaking zoo and it took almost half an hour to check in curbside and another half an hour to go through Security and we made our flight as they were calling it. That's the closest we've come.

 

Oh, I see you're from SW NH. My daughter went to Keene and student-taught in Peterborough. She loved it. :)

[jean s]

We usually take the 11 o'clock flight from Fort Lauderdale. We do take a taxi to the airport because it's faster than taking a Princess transfer.

[ejd]

I have made a 10:25 flight, but didn't like having to hustle to get off the ship etc.:rolleyes:

[Tak8]

I normally go for early afternoon flight times due to the reasons you mentioned, but this past Christmas I did an 11:30 flight. We arrived in port on the Wednesday before New Year's Day. We made it with no problem. We did take a taxi from the pier. We were not in one of the first groups off.

I think your only potential problem is a customs glitch or late arrival by the ship. I have read stories of this happening, but it's never happened to me.

[BobT172]

You definitely want to walk off with your luggage and take a taxi.

 

If you are flying Southwest, you will find SWA agents right outside the disembarkation terminal. For $10pp, they will take your luggage and give you your boarding passes. Next time you see your luggage is at your destination airport and you can go right to security at FLL.

 

There will be a flight time limit with the agents but I think 11:00AM is ok. Check with them...it saves alot of pain and anxiety.

[Pam in CA]

You definitely want to walk off with your luggage and take a taxi.

This is absolutely unnecessary. The difference in time between self-disembarkation and "regular" disembarkation is 10-15 minutes, if that. And, you don't have to schlep your luggage all by yourself across the gangway without any assistance, through the terminal and down the escalator (making sure to leave one hand free; they will stop you if you don't.) With a flight at 11am, that 10 - 15 minutes isn't going to make the difference between making your flight or not.

[BobT172]

I definitely respect your opinion, Pam....

 

but I guess it is a matter of how much the OP is willing to "gamble"...

 

we have walked off and been to FLL in a matter of minutes...on the other hand, at an other time we have had to wait until our number to be called to disembark which was after 9:30 at one point...by then we were dealing with alot of other folks who are competing for the same taxis, etc and a place in line to check in at the airport... which was not a pretty experience..

 

The great thing about this site is we are able to share with the OP our experiences... the final decision is always theirs...

 

bottom line is I believe there is no such thing as a bad cruise..some are just better than others...

[PatriciaF]

You definitely want to walk off with your luggage and take a taxi.

 

If you are flying Southwest, you will find SWA agents right outside the disembarkation terminal. For $10pp, they will take your luggage and give you your boarding passes. Next time you see your luggage is at your destination airport and you can go right to security at FLL.

 

There will be a flight time limit with the agents but I think 11:00AM is ok. Check with them...it saves alot of pain and anxiety.

 

 

Wow--what wonderful information. Our flight back to LAX is at 1105 AM!

[Cruise Junky]

Princess says 10:30.... I have a 10:00 am flight and hoping we're not delayed. It was either that or get back to Seattle really, really late and then a 3 hour drive. Fingers crossed!!

[Pam in CA]

I definitely respect your opinion, Pam....

 

but I guess it is a matter of how much the OP is willing to "gamble"...

 

we have walked off and been to FLL in a matter of minutes...on the other hand, at an other time we have had to wait until our number to be called to disembark which was after 9:30 at one point...by then we were dealing with alot of other folks who are competing for the same taxis, etc and a place in line to check in at the airport... which was not a pretty experience..

 

The great thing about this site is we are able to share with the OP our experiences... the final decision is always theirs...

 

bottom line is I believe there is no such thing as a bad cruise..some are just better than others...

I've disembarked at times when the ship disembarked late, there were few cabs available, people were shouting and screaming at each other, fighting for cabs, and I was very thankful that I'd arranged for Princess transfers and done regular disembarkation. We left the crowds behind after only 5 minutes on the bus and we went immediately to the airport. Not everyone wants to, or is capable of, dragging their luggage, carry-on, coat, etc. off the ship.

[maun]

Thanks everyone for the information and sharing your experiences. I feel a little better about booking an 11:00 AM flight. We will arrive back in port on the Tuesday after Christmas. There won't be the large number of ships returning on that day like there are on the weekend so I'm hoping it will be easier to get a cab.

~~Maun

[maun]

Unless there's a very serious and unusual delay, which can happen, you shouldn't have any problem. I've made 11:20am flights many times out of FLL and that's without special early disembarkation. One time, though, after a Christmas cruise, disembarkation was delayed until after 9am, FLL was a freaking zoo and it took almost half an hour to check in curbside and another half an hour to go through Security and we made our flight as they were calling it. That's the closest we've come.

 

Oh, I see you're from SW NH. My daughter went to Keene and student-taught in Peterborough. She loved it. :)

 

Hi Pam,

I do live in Keene. Did you have occasion to visit when your daughter was in school? It is a very nice community. Does she still teach in NH?

~~Maun

[Coolmama_1]

We typically fly SWA because we can get a nonstop and we also do the bags to go program as it is much easier. On our last cruise, our flight wasn't until 1:00 so we didn't bother and when we got to the airport, what a mess! We stood in line outside for about an hour to check bags and the inside lines were even longer. There were people in line with 11:30 flights that were really sweating it! Weekends are crazy at the airport!

 

Next time, no matter what time our flight is, we will do the bags program again. It is so much easier to just go through security and be done with it.

 

Enjoy your cruise.

[micro yaya]

You definitely want to walk off with your luggage and take a taxi.

 

If you are flying Southwest, you will find SWA agents right outside the disembarkation terminal. For $10pp, they will take your luggage and give you your boarding passes. Next time you see your luggage is at your destination airport and you can go right to security at FLL.

 

There will be a flight time limit with the agents but I think 11:00AM is ok. Check with them...it saves alot of pain and anxiety.

 

bob t, i called swa, and they told me this was probable a private company, we would love to do this as we are flying swa in october.how can i verify this

[bhopal21]

bob t, i called swa, and they told me this was probable a private company, we would love to do this as we are flying swa in october.how can i verify this

 

We saw this as well when we disembarked The Emerald. As soon as we exited the building there was a large box truck with Southwest Airlines on the side and they were taking SW passenger's luggage.

 

You could not miss it.

 

Mike:)

[BobT172]

bob t, i called swa, and they told me this was probable a private company, we would love to do this as we are flying swa in october.how can i verify this

 

yes, I'm sure it is a private comapny under contract or whatever to SWA...but like Mike said, you can't miss them when you exit the terminal... they are within a few feet of the door with their van. It only takes a minute or two for them to tag your bags and give you your boarding passes... very painless..

 

Maun, arriving on Tuesday should make live alot easier for you... most of the chaos occurs on the weekend when the port is loaded with ships...

 

have a great cruise...

[Pam in CA]

Hi Pam,

I do live in Keene. Did you have occasion to visit when your daughter was in school? It is a very nice community. Does she still teach in NH?

~~Maun

Many times as I lived in the Boston area. Keene was the only college she wanted to go to and applied to. She moved from Littleton to CA last year to be near family.