Flying day of cruise

[mamoune]

I have a quick question. I will by flying from Montreal to Barcelona next May for a Med cruise. I have the option of taking a direct flight, only problem, it lands on day of cruise, at 11:30 and ship is leaving at 5:00. I am worried that it does not leave much room for error. Should I be better safe than sorry and fly in the day before, even if it means a longer flight (not direct)??

Thank you for your answers!

[AviGirl]

Yes, without any question, fly in the day before!

[merprincess]

We are flying in for a Med. cruise next May 14, 2011. We chose to fly in a day early in order to overcome jet lag and also to ensure we are in port on time. Are you on the Celebrity Solstice sailing on May 14th? If so join our rollcall!

[rickechambers1@aol.com]

We are flying in for a Med. cruise next May 14, 2011. We chose to fly in a day early in order to overcome jet lag and also to ensure we are in port on time. Are you on the Celebrity Solstice sailing on May 14th? If so join our rollcall!

 

NO DOUBT. Fly in the day prrior...don't ruin a cruise that could be lifetime memories over 1 day. Fly in early...get some sleep...and ENJOY. Would NEVER fly in same day of cruise again...even domestic...came way too close to missing a cruise when flying from Baltimore to Miami.

[cynbar]

Absolutely, fly in the day before. Delays are common on the European routes, and you don't want to be stressed out even if you make the ship. Plus, Barcelona is WELL worth a visit---- it's really a lovely city, and it would be a shame to rush through it and only see it on the way to the dock.

[Adammara]

We only live 200 miles from Southampton, we always travel down a day or two before the cruise. Just treat it as part of your holiday! We are off down tomorrow, for our cruise on Eclipse on Monday.

 

Richard

[FritzG]

I can't imagine starting my vacation stressing about my flight arriving on time. Especially flying internationally and dealing with jet lag we always arrive at least a day early if not more. That way you get on the ship relaxed and ready to enjoy your trip. When possible we also like to book a hotel with views of the dock so we can see the ship arrive in the morning and see it as we prepare to board. It's a tradition for us to have room service breakfast; sitting and watching the ship builds the anticipation.

[Chicago Boy]

By all means fly in the day before. Too many things can go wrong. You could have weather related delays or equipment problems with the air craft. It is better to be safe than sorry. We book everything through Celebrity. Cruise, hotel and transportation. It costs a bit more but it is worth the peace of mind. We have found that Celebrity gets a better rate on the flight that we have been able to come up with on our own. You might want to check it out with them. Nothing ventured nothing gained. The other thing is if there are problems with your flight Celebrity will work to get you on another flight, where as if you have booked it yourself you ar at the mercy of the airline. At least that has always been our experience. ;)

[Gonzo70]

The other thing is if there are problems with your flight Celebrity will work to get you on another flight, where as if you have booked it yourself you ar at the mercy of the airline. At least that has always been our experience. ;)

 

Actually people may be in a worse position if they miss their flight and are booked through the cruise line. While Celebrity agrees to assist you, they do not agree to pick up any additional expenses. They also tend to use mainly consolidator class tickets, so when you purchase air through the cruise line your tickets generally cannot be rerouted or endorsed to another carrier - you also are likely to be in the bottom of the line for standby on later flights. Using air through the cruise line IMHO is only prudent if the price is significantly cheaper than buying through the airline directly and you have plenty of time (i.e. an extra day or two) between when your flight is scheduled to leave and when you need to be on the ship.

[caripoo]

I NEVER have flown in day of cruise even domestically, when the airlines had tons of flights!!! Definetly go at least the day before, if you have not been to Barcelona, go 2 days and enjoy the city, it is FANTASTIC!!!:rolleyes::rolleyes:

[Chicago Boy]

Actually people may be in a worse position if they miss their flight and are booked through the cruise line. While Celebrity agrees to assist you, they do not agree to pick up any additional expenses. They also tend to use mainly consolidator class tickets, so when you purchase air through the cruise line your tickets generally cannot be rerouted or endorsed to another carrier - you also are likely to be in the bottom of the line for standby on later flights. Using air through the cruise line IMHO is only prudent if the price is significantly cheaper than buying through the airline directly and you have plenty of time (i.e. an extra day or two) between when your flight is scheduled to leave and when you need to be on the ship.

 

 

Before booking our air through Celebrity for our Oct 31, 2010 cruise I checked the airlines for non stop flights from Chicago to Rome then back from Fort Lauderdale. The best I could come up with was tourist class for $2200.00 per person. We booked the same flight through Celebrity for $889.00. Yes, we are still in tourist. A couple of years ago we were doing a Mediterranean cruise out of Rome and got delayed because of weather. Celebrity worked with Continental and got us on another flight that evening. We arrived in Rome just a few hours later than originally planned. This has been my experience with Celebrity so that is why we use them to book our flights. So far they have not less us down. It it changes we will rethink how we book flights.

[emileg]

Absolutely, fly in the day before. Delays are common on the European routes, and you don't want to be stressed out even if you make the ship. Plus, Barcelona is WELL worth a visit---- it's really a lovely city, and it would be a shame to rush through it and only see it on the way to the dock.

Agreed. Barcelona is a lovely city well worth flying into early for a visit. Just be on guard for pickpockets and don't put down anything you are carrying, even for a second. Follow this advice and you will enjoy a city full of wonders. The Picasso Museum and the Gaudi architecture are musts.

[prinret]

I have a quick question. I will by flying from Montreal to Barcelona next May for a Med cruise. I have the option of taking a direct flight, only problem, it lands on day of cruise, at 11:30 and ship is leaving at 5:00. I am worried that it does not leave much room for error. Should I be better safe than sorry and fly in the day before, even if it means a longer flight (not direct)??

Thank you for your answers!

I would strongly suggest you fly in at least two days in advance to experience the wonderful city of Barcelona. My friend and I did this a couple of years ago and truly enjoyed seeing the city and experiencing its great food and fashions.

 

I have cruised many times and always fly in at least a day in advance to make sure I arrive at the ship without having to worry about airline delays or other problems that may arise.

 

May is a wonderful time to visit Europe. Enjoy your trip.

[ILoveScotland]

Amen to all that's been said. A few years ago I had booked flight to Barcelona to arrive the day before sailing. Problems getting on the flight, so I had to fly in the day of the cruise, almost missed my connection in Munich and arrived at airport at 1:30 and due on board by 4:30. Not a good experience-but great cruise once onboard.

[Gonzo70]

Before booking our air through Celebrity for our Oct 31, 2010 cruise I checked the airlines for non stop flights from Chicago to Rome then back from Fort Lauderdale. The best I could come up with was tourist class for $2200.00 per person. We booked the same flight through Celebrity for $889.00. Yes, we are still in tourist. A couple of years ago we were doing a Mediterranean cruise out of Rome and got delayed because of weather. Celebrity worked with Continental and got us on another flight that evening. We arrived in Rome just a few hours later than originally planned. This has been my experience with Celebrity so that is why we use them to book our flights. So far they have not less us down. It it changes we will rethink how we book flights.

 

I too purchased my tickets through Celebrity for this cruise, but am flying in two days early so hoepfully will be OK if my flight is cancelled. I was able to get the tickets for $450 which was much, much cheaper than anything I could find via going directly with the airlines, so IMHO the added risk of booking with the cruise line and accepting what are very likely to be consolidator class tickets was worth it as it represented a savings of approximately $3,000. I booked my own air from FLL back to Chicago as this was significantly cheaper than going through Celebrity (and I wanted to fly Southwest so I would not have any baggage fees).

 

That is fortunate that when you missed your flight that you were able to get on another Continental flight. With consolidator tickets, you can go another flight with the same airlines, doing the same route. What you cannot do is have the tickets endorsed to another carrier or rerorouted. If Continental did not have another flight (with seats available that day) you would either have had to have purchased new tickets on another airline, or tried to get on a Continental flight the next day. If you purchase tickets directly from the airline, they sometimes are able to endorse your tickets to another carrier or reroute you to get to your destination.

 

There certainly are times where buying your tickets through the cruise can save some money (sometimes even a lot of money), but people do need to be aware that they are taking on extra risk when doing this option as they are almost always receiving highly restrictive tickets.

[len best]

Hi to answer the question direct.I have cruised from Barcelona lots (flying in from UK),and the aircraft has never been late.There are loads of taxis and it takes no longer then 30 minutes to reach the cruise terminal.Hope this helps

[Denny01]

It's one thing to fly from the UK to Barcelona and another, even a direct, to fly in from Montreal.

 

Realize it more time and money, but just picture yourself the week before the cruise....checking the wx daily, checking the online flight info to see if that flght has been making it every day, then trying to sleep the night before, worrying as you taxi to the airport and all that concern until you get into the airplane....heck until it gets airborne!

 

If you can, relax and take the non-stop the day before. Barcelona is one of the most beautiful and fun cities to be in. Treat it as another port of call. We went to the Picasso Museum. Fantastic. Wandered all over the Ramblas and found little streets off it to explore. Great Restaurants. Great People.

 

The only time we've gone the same day is when we drive to a port within an easy day's drive. Too may horror stories that then seem to dominate the cruise for those that miss the ship or come screeching up moments before sailing.

 

Denny

[Giorgi-one]

Most people will never have a flight cancelled so I would disregard any posts from people who said they had no problems. The more important question is "Could you have a problem" and the answer is a resounding "Absolutely". There are several reasons to fly to your departure port early, particualy to Barcelona, which may actually be the most interesting city you will visit on your cruise. We sailed out of Barcelona and flew in two days early - no where near enough time to see everything we would have liked to see.

 

Everyone has talked about cancelled or missed flights but no one has mentioned the more likely problem - lost or delayed luggage. On our cruise out of Barcelona, we met a couple at our hotel whose baggage did not arrive on their flight. Luckily, they had arrived one day early and were able to pick up the baggage on the next day - embarkation day. We saw them on the ship and everything was OK, but they would have had no luggage if the problem had occured departure day. I have met people on almost every cruise with no luggage. It happend to us once when we were young and stupid and flew to San Juan on departure day. The luggage problem is much more problematic on overseas flights since there is usually on one flight per day on any given airline which drastically reduces the chances of getting your luggage the next day.

 

Lastly, make sure you have travel insurance. They will assist you in getting flights to "catch up to the cruise" and provide you with some money to purchase items if your luggage is lost or delayed for a specified time.

[Gonzo70]

Lastly, make sure you have travel insurance. They will assist you in getting flights to "catch up to the cruise" and provide you with some money to purchase items if your luggage is lost or delayed for a specified time.

 

One caveat I would add is to read the policy carefully. Not all policies cover this, and for those that do they generally require a delay of at least six hours to have occured before they will provide any relief (some require less of a delay, but the majority seem to require six hours, or in some cases even longer). Therefore if flying in day off your cruise and a three hour delay causes you to miss the ship, very few travel insurance policies would provide any relief.

[Mollyfrecks]

I am flying in the same day we leave, now I am getting nervous, is this bad, has there been alot of times when you didn't get there on time? We land at 1ish and are set to sail at 8:30 out of San Juan...any thoughts?:confused:

[Chicago Boy]

I am flying in the same day we leave, now I am getting nervous, is this bad, has there been alot of times when you didn't get there on time? We land at 1ish and are set to sail at 8:30 out of San Juan...any thoughts?:confused:

 

 

It mostly works but you never know. You would be better off flying in at least a day before you sail.

[dzcruisers]

I have a quick question. I will by flying from Montreal to Barcelona next May for a Med cruise. I have the option of taking a direct flight, only problem, it lands on day of cruise, at 11:30 and ship is leaving at 5:00. I am worried that it does not leave much room for error. Should I be better safe than sorry and fly in the day before, even if it means a longer flight (not direct)??

Thank you for your answers!

 

Wasn't it just yesterday that many flights were delayed 5 or 6 hours because of the heavy rain? I don't think something like that is predictable! We sat in the Atlanta airport last fall for 7 hours because of backed up fog delays! I'll let you figure out your own answer. We would have missed our cruise flying in on the same day!

[Gonzo70]

I am flying in the same day we leave, now I am getting nervous, is this bad, has there been alot of times when you didn't get there on time? We land at 1ish and are set to sail at 8:30 out of San Juan...any thoughts?:confused:

 

I personally would not do this, but many, many people do fly to San Juan day of and most make it to the ship on time. You certainly do have some risk, but you have enough wiggle room to withstand a delay of approximatey five hours. It is rare for a plane to be more than five hours late, but on rare occasions it does happen.

 

Factors that will impact your risk level would include: Season (flying in the winter increases risk), Non-Stop flight (decreases risk), Number of flights from your airport that day on the same airline that could still get you to San Juan in time if your flight is cancelled (the more, the less risk).

 

In the future you should definitely consider flying to port a day or two before the cruise. It minimizes risk of missing the ship and adds to your vacation. While it usually also adds to the cost, it is possible to find nice hotels very cheaply much of the time on websites such as Hotwire & Priceline.

[CaroleLee]

I have a quick question. I will by flying from Montreal to Barcelona next May for a Med cruise. I have the option of taking a direct flight, only problem, it lands on day of cruise, at 11:30 and ship is leaving at 5:00. I am worried that it does not leave much room for error. Should I be better safe than sorry and fly in the day before, even if it means a longer flight (not direct)??

Thank you for your answers!

 

Please-save your stomach lining. Fly the day prior. So much less stress. If you can manage it fly home the day after. Flights for N. America are usually 11am-2:30p so even if the ship docks @ 6am you may not be cleared until several hours later.

 

Pls post when your cruise is over-doing similar ( W. Med) in June

Enjoy

 

Carole

[tulsacubfan]

Being a direct flight you may be okay - only one flight to have delays rather than missing a connection. I would probably feel comfortable with the flight.

 

However, several people have mentioned jet lag. I would probably come in the day before just to have time to adjust to the time difference and jet lag. Don't want to start the first day on the ship sleeping!