Late flight on arrival day into FLL..

[Murphy26]

We are leaving on Nov. 14 on the Ruby and our flight gets in at 3:05 into FLL. What is the absolute latest time you can check in at the port in case we experience any airport delays. The ship departs at 5:00. I know princess says that your arrival time on the plane can be as late as 3:30 into the airport. Has anyone had any past experiences with a late afternoon flight?

[cruiseron36]

You are going to be real tight but should make it OK. I would change your flight if you can. In fact we always fly in a day ahead. Weather, plane delays, etc are a common occurence these days.

[Rob & Beckys mom]

November 14th is a Sunday, so hopefully that will be in your favor. Have you talked with Princess about this flight time? We are nervous sorts, so we always fly in the day before. I would call Princess for sure.

 

Jan

[BobT172]

You are trusting the airlines to get you where you have to be...on time.... I have never flown in on the same day let alone so close to cruise departure time.

 

I would definitely change your flight (and day) or have a plan B as to what to do if you miss the ship...

[98Charlie]

That would make me nervous. Like others we are day-aheaders.

 

You're probably going to be just fine. But if it were me I'd be looking at an earlier flight....or the day before.

 

JMHO,

 

Charlie

[bhopal21]

We are leaving on Nov. 14 on the Ruby and our flight gets in at 3:05 into FLL. What is the absolute latest time you can check in at the port in case we experience any airport delays. The ship departs at 5:00. I know princess says that your arrival time on the plane can be as late as 3:30 into the airport. Has anyone had any past experiences with a late afternoon flight?

 

Where are you departing from Murphy and is it a nonstop flight?

 

Awful close.

 

Mike:)

[Toto2Kansas]

We are leaving on Nov. 14 on the Ruby and our flight gets in at 3:05 into FLL. What is the absolute latest time you can check in at the port in case we experience any airport delays. The ship departs at 5:00. I know princess says that your arrival time on the plane can be as late as 3:30 into the airport. Has anyone had any past experiences with a late afternoon flight?

 

We usually fly in the afternoon the day before, and many times our flights are anywhere from 30-45 minutes late arriving to FLL. With a flight in the afternoon, you are usually depending on a flight to come in from other areas at your home airport, and they can often can be delayed. Yes, we have also arrived on time before also, but it is not the norm.

 

That is cutting it wayyyyyy too close in my book, as even a 30 minute delay could cause you some serious problems. I do hope if nothing else, the flight you are taking is a straight through flight and you aren't talking about connections somewhere along the way? Best of luck though!

[btrojanoski]

You should consider the consequences of missing the ship....your first port is Princess Cay...not sure how you get THERE if you miss the ship at Ft. Lauderdale. Then you have a day at sea and then St. Maarten. No problem getting there from FLL to catch up to the ship but you'll have missed two days out of a seven day cruise.....

 

I would not attempt what you are doing. Rarely are flights early and you can't really afford a 30 minute delay which is minimal.

 

Barry

[cruiseryyc]

I thought you now had to check-in 90 minutes prior to departure; you would never make it to the dock by 3:30. There is no way I would ever consider taking a flight that arrives that close to ship departure.

[kdkmilwaukee]

We're cruising at the end of October, and at first were in a very similar situation as you -- we had planned to arrive in FLL at noon the day of departure (our ship is also setting sail at 5 pm). However, our airline had bumped our flight to a later time twice since booking, so we debated changing our flight to the night before. I posted a similar thread as yours a few weeks back, and was told overwhelmingly to switch our flight to the day/night before.

 

We took their advice, and even though we won't be getting in until midnight the night before, at least we now have some built-in flexibility. We didn't have to pay a penalty to change our flight either, though we now have to cough up a pretty penny for a very short stay in our hotel room (due to a boat show in FLL that weekend, prices are high). Oh well, peace of mind is worth it. If you can, I'd totally consider switching your flight to the day/night before. I think they stop letting passengers on the hour before you set sail b/c they have to get passenger logs to Homeland Security or something like that.

 

My parents were 2 of 80 that had the ship leave w/o them a few years ago b/c of a delayed flight. They weren't able to board the ship until 3 days into the cruise.

[Twickenham]

We are leaving on Nov. 14 on the Ruby and our flight gets in at 3:05 into FLL. What is the absolute latest time you can check in at the port in case we experience any airport delays. The ship departs at 5:00. I know princess says that your arrival time on the plane can be as late as 3:30 into the airport. Has anyone had any past experiences with a late afternoon flight?

 

You have to be checked in at 3:30 for a 5pm departure. Consider that even if your flight arrives on time, you need to allow time for deplaning and getting your luggage, which optimistically will probably take about 30 minutes.

You will not make your cruise with that flight. If you want to make your cruise, better change the flight now, rather than have to fly to the next port of call later.

[Debzee53]

This would worry me. We used to fly in the same day, but always had an arrival time around noon. We never missed the ship, having had the extra time for an unexpected delay, but still, this caused us a lot of added stress for the first day of our vacation. Another concern I had was about our luggage: what if we arrived on time, but our luggage did not! For our last several cruises, we've flown into Fort Lauderdale the day before, and that is what we plan to do going forward. With your arrival time so late, you might be risking your entire cruise vacation. The cost of of a hotel room, and then flying somewhere to catch up with the ship, could be huge. IMHO, I would at least opt for an earlier flight. But whatever you decide, good luck.

[DrivesLikeMario]

I thought you now had to check-in 90 minutes prior to departure; you would never make it to the dock by 3:30. There is no way I would ever consider taking a flight that arrives that close to ship departure.

 

Yes, that is right. According to Princess, you need to be checked in at least 90 minutes prior to sailing if you haven't completed the online registration at least 6 days prior to your sail date. Here is the official rule:

 

"Passengers who fail to provide complete and accurate information prior to embarkation must complete check-in at least 90 minutes prior to the ship's scheduled departure time or they will be denied boarding."

 

Those that complete the online registration 6 days prior to sailing must be checked in at least 60 mins. prior to the published sail time for US departures.

 

Here is more info.:

 

Embarking Passengers

For voyages departing Ft. Lauderdale at 5:00 pm, the latest flight arrival is 2:45 pm for international flights and 3:30 pm for domestic flights.

 

For voyages departing Ft. Lauderdale at 7:00 pm, the latest flight arrival is 3:45 pm for international flights and 4:30 pm for domestic flights.

 

Disembarking Passengers

For voyages arriving in Ft. Lauderdale at 5:00 am or 7:00 am, the earliest flight departure is 10:30 am.

 

For voyages arriving in Ft. Lauderdale at 8:00 am, the earliest flight departure is 11:30 am.

[Pam in CA]

That is cutting it way too close. It doesn't allow for any flight delay or even time to pick up checked luggage (unless you are planning to bring only carry-ons.) It can take 30 minutes just to disembark the plane and get your luggage. The 90-minute check-in time is because Homeland Security requires cruise ships to submit their manifest 60 minutes before sailing. The extra 30 minutes gives Princess time to organize and submit the manifest. If they fail to do so, or someone checks in late, the ship cannot sail until 60 minutes after the manifest is submitted.

 

I would either have a back-up plan in place or fly in the day before. You probably have a less than 50% chance of making it, and I'm being generous with that.

[DrivesLikeMario]

Personally, I would never chance that late of a flight. :eek:

[cruiseron36]

According to Marios post it can be done, however, everything would have to click, arrival, getting luggage, taxi, etc. If the plane were on time you would only have an hour to make the 60 minute rule assuming you filled out your paperwork on line.

 

I would definitely pay the airline penalty ($100??) and arrive the evening before.

[Host CJSKIDS]

I fly in and out of FLL quite a bit because it's so close to us and I would never do that. My luggage always seems to take forever.

Anyway to change your flight?

[whatcruiseisnext]

better plan on missing the first couple days of your cruise and paying to get to the next port!

[Layla]

Wow! This scenario would cause me to have a nervous breakdown! We used to fly in one day early and now fly into FLL two days before the cruise as we come from the West Coast which takes all day. With the current situation the airlines are in, I always expect delays and am pleasantly surprised if we arrive on-time.:rolleyes: Agree with other posters - change your flight to the day before.

[98Charlie]

According to Marios post it can be done, however, everything would have to click, arrival, getting luggage, taxi, etc. If the plane were on time you would only have an hour to make the 60 minute rule assuming you filled out your paperwork on line.

 

I would definitely pay the airline penalty ($100??) and arrive the evening before.

 

I thought you now had to check-in 90 minutes prior to departure; you would never make it to the dock by 3:30. There is no way I would ever consider taking a flight that arrives that close to ship departure.

The 60 & 90 minute rule are for passengers that have not pre-registered (completed their Fun Pass). Here's a link to the Carnival FAQ about embarkation. There is a note that you must check in at least 1½ hours prior to departure or risk cancellation. I know that I have seen guest coming on board after muster and just before the whistle blows.

 

Still IMHO it's too close to call. I'd give it 10-9 odds in favor of making the ship. I prefer the 99-1 that you get with a day before flight.

 

Charlie

[Pam in CA]

According to Marios post it can be done, however, everything would have to click, arrival, getting luggage, taxi, etc. If the plane were on time you would only have an hour to make the 60 minute rule assuming you filled out your paperwork on line.

 

I would definitely pay the airline penalty ($100??) and arrive the evening before.

It's a 90-minute rule, not 60 minutes. Princess needs time to set up the manifest and submit it, which has to be at least 60 minutes before sailing.

 

The 60 & 90 minute rule are for passengers that have not pre-registered (completed their Fun Pass). Here's a link to the Carnival FAQ about embarkation. There is a note that you must check in at least 1½ hours prior to departure or risk cancellation. I know that I have seen guest coming on board after muster and just before the whistle blows.

What do Carnival Cruises FAQs have to do with Princess? Carnival Cruise Lines do not own Princess and have nothing to do with it. They are both owned by Carnival Corporation & PLC, a holding company. FYI, what's a "Fun Pass"? I'm assuming that's your cruise card; it's not a term used on Princess.

[w&k]

Even in the most optimistic of circumstances, you are not going to make that ship departure.

 

Awhile back, there was a thread following 'Jamie' that followed all the day-of flight rules, and barely made it. Search for 'Pulling a Jamie'.

 

Pay the change fee and get a hotel. Otherwise, you are going to be enjoying Fort Lauderdale, not your ship.

 

Have a great cruise!

 

Wendy

[cruisin crazy in Michigan]

If you have a non-stop flight and have just carryon luggage, I think it's possible.

 

The latest arrival time for us on a cruise was around 1:30pm in FLL. We always fly in the same day of the cruise out of Chicago! But....this time we're flying in the day before our cruise. Decided against self-inflicting stress for vacation! :) Good luck.

[Mingus]

With a nickname like Murphy26, aren't you really tempting Murphy's Law :eek:

[Umbarger]

Wow. I would be an absolute nervous wreck. I think this would take a few years off my life. May I suggest changing your flight to something earlier in the day or to the day before.

 

Good luck!