Boarding in Miami

[mauifolks]

We are arriving in Miami at 7 AM for a Regatta Carib/Amazon Cruise on Nov. 27. using Oceania transportation arrangements. Evidently we will be picked up at 7 at the airport, but are wondering what the company does with you in the 4-5 hour interval before boarding. I can't imagine the room-or even the ship-will be ready at that hour!

[Mura]

That's a most interesting question! I assume you have ordered transfers as well as the air ...

 

The only time we flew down to Miami for a cruise we arrived at about 11am and immediately headed for the Passport Bureau to replace my passport! A different problem entirely ...

 

I think this is a question for your TA or Oceania itself. Are they planning on a tour in the area for you? You really have no way of knowing.

 

It's for SURE that the ship won't be ready. If you were to get there at 11am they'd probably let you board and send you right to the Buffet until your cabin is ready.

 

But at 7am they may not even have cleared customs!

 

Your first question might be: why did you arrange these particular flight arrangements?

 

And my question to you is: what is your departure airport?

[Druke I]

We had a "red-eye" into Miami, Mar 08, for Regatta's transAtlantic to Barcelona..

 

Our Oceania transfer included a tour of Miami which lasted perhaps 3 hrs, and got us to the ship shortly before the boarding process began.

[Starlaker]

Mauifolks, Come join our roll call for this cruise. We have twenty some people posting with some good information. Looking forward to seeing you on board.

[ArthurIhde]

Mauifolks, Come join our roll call for this cruise. We have twenty some people posting with some good information. Looking forward to seeing you on board.

that's a great idea

[Seasick Sally]

We are arriving in Miami at 7 AM for a Regatta Carib/Amazon Cruise on Nov. 27. using Oceania transportation arrangements. Evidently we will be picked up at 7 at the airport, but are wondering what the company does with you in the 4-5 hour interval before boarding. I can't imagine the room-or even the ship-will be ready at that hour!

 

I checked your home state to figure out where you were traveling from and I see now why you get in so early. You'll probably have a city tour for a few hours. We're also on this cruise and we would love to hear some ukelele music. Sign up for the cruise critic meeting. Aloha, Seasick Sally

[mauifolks]

I checked your home state to figure out where you were traveling from and I see now why you get in so early. You'll probably have a city tour for a few hours. We're also on this cruise and we would love to hear some ukelele music. Sign up for the cruise critic meeting. Aloha, Seasick Sally

 

We'll definitely check with TA so we'll know what to expect. We have 3 day visit in LA on way from Maui..on purpose! Usually we arrive in the port town 2 days ahead of schedule and arrange our own transport to ship. This time we used their travel offices for both flights and airport pickup.

 

Where/how do we sign up for cruise critic meeting? I just started learning the Uke....it's nothing anyone would want to hear, so far! Aloha, mauifolks

[Seasick Sally]

Hi Mauifolks,

This is web address for our cruise. Just read down a few posts and add your name to the list. I hope this helps. Seasick Sally

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1073521

[Coonelian]

Hi Mauifolks

Our first cruise with Oceania we used their air arriving in Miami at 7:00 am. Never again. We live in LA so they put us on a night flight from LA to Las Vegas with a change and long lay over and then to Miami. We did not use their transfer since a taxi is so much cheaper so we had breakfast at the airport looked in some shops and arrived at the pier around 11:00. Had to wait an hour or so before they let us board but it was comfortable & plenty of seats. Cynthia

[Paulchili]

Hi Mauifolks

Our first cruise with Oceania we used their air arriving in Miami at 7:00 am. Never again. We live in LA so they put us on a night flight from LA to Las Vegas with a change and long lay over and then to Miami.

Cynthia

 

It can't get much worse for me than a long overnight flight in economy (except when you add a transfer in the middle on the night in Vegas to it).

As pointed out by Cynthia, that is the reason we would never consider using any cruise line's air (no matter how attractive the price is)

[Oceans&Rivers]

It can't get much worse for me than a long overnight flight in economy (except when you add a transfer in the middle on the night in Vegas to it).

 

As pointed out by Cynthia, that is the reason we would never consider using any cruise line's air (no matter how attractive the price is)

 

Do you have a favorite route or airline from the San Francisco Bay Area when flying to Southern California and departing Miami for a cruise?

[Paulchili]

Do you have a favorite route or airline from the San Francisco Bay Area when flying to Southern California and departing Miami for a cruise?

 

I fly almost exclusively on AA as all my miles are with AA. They have a direct flight from SFO to Miami, but you have to stay overnight. Better to stay in a hotel overnight than on the plane (+ no risk of missing the cruise if you arrive a day early).

PS I am not sure I understood your question correctly but I fly AA between Miami and SFO. I might fly SWA SFO to LA because of price and flexibility to change w/o a fee ( if I am not connecting)

[Oceans&Rivers]

I fly almost exclusively on AA as all my miles are with AA. They have a direct flight from SFO to Miami, but you have to stay overnight. Better to stay in a hotel overnight than on the plane (+ no risk of missing the cruise if you arrive a day early).

 

PS I am not sure I understood your question correctly but I fly AA between Miami and SFO. I might fly SWA SFO to LA because of price and flexibility to change w/o a fee ( if I am not connecting)

 

I have read some folks' preference for Ft. Lauderdale airport and as we are lucky here in the SF Bay Area to have three international airports we can choose any one of them, and then either FLL or MIA at the other end.

 

I'm just looking for tips and preferences for a one-way flight to or from the port of Miami. I need to decide which would work out best between the SF Bay Area and Port of Miami, and whether we want to stay more than one night (wow are prices in the Miami area expensive in February/March!) and if so, where?

 

We like nonstops, hate economy seats, hate first class air prices, don't have mileage for upgrades. Looking for a comfortable but economical flight, and our last flight SFO-MIA was on Eastern Airlines. It was a great flight, but that airline no longer exists.

 

 

Oh, I just noticed why you were confused. I wrote "Southern California" when I meant to write "South Florida."

[Mura]

Our first real cruise in modern days (October 1999) was on Renaissance and when I heard the horror stories of the routings people had who'd used the cruise air I vowed never to do so myself. (12 hour layovers in Frankfurt, for example, when there were direct flights.) As it happens, on the rare occasions when we HAVE used cruise air we've lucked out ... but it helps to live in NYC.

 

So we usually do our own although on one or two occasions we did get a deviation since O gave us good flight options and we like to go in a few days early and come back a few days late.

 

But I don't think I'd want to do a 3 hour tour of Miami when I'm arriving at 7am ... that's just me, however! Fortunately we have friends there ... At least we could crash in their living room to recover before going to the ship!

[Mura]

I have read some folks' preference for Ft. Lauderdale airport and as we are lucky here in the SF Bay Area to have three international airports we can choose any one of them, and then either FLL or MIA at the other end.

 

I'm just looking for tips and preferences for a one-way flight to or from the port of Miami. I need to decide which would work out best between the SF Bay Area and Port of Miami, and whether we want to stay more than one night (wow are prices in the Miami area expensive in February/March!) and if so, where?

 

We like nonstops, hate economy seats, hate first class air prices, don't have mileage for upgrades. Looking for a comfortable but economical flight, and our last flight SFO-MIA was on Eastern Airlines. It was a great flight, but that airline no longer exists.

 

Oh, I just noticed why you were confused. I wrote "Southern California" when I meant to write "South Florida."

 

 

 

Snowbirds from NY (well the northeast) are in Florida in February which probably explains the expensive hotel rates.

 

We have flown into FLL but we were met by a friend who picked us up and drove us to the Miaimi port. It was NOT a long ride (other than for the fact that she got lost trying to leave the airport). Also, when we returned from our Panama Canal cruise in 2004 we took a taxi to the airport -- I'm sure it was Miami but I can't swear to it -- and this was NOT expensive.

 

I mourn the loss of Eastern Airlines as well ... so many airlines no longer exist!

 

I wish I could give you more practical advice!

[LHT28]

I'm just looking for tips and preferences for a one-way flight to or from the port of Miami. I need to decide which would work out best between the SF Bay Area and Port of Miami, and whether we want to stay more than one night (wow are prices in the Miami area expensive in February/March!) and if so, where?

 

There is a lot of info on airports, shuttles & hotels on the Florida forum

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=495

[dino2067]

We like nonstops, hate economy seats, hate first class air prices, don't have mileage for upgrades. Looking for a comfortable but economical flight, and our last flight SFO-MIA was on Eastern Airlines. It was a great flight, but that airline no longer exists.

 

We'll be taking the AA non-stop red-eye flight #272 out of SFO to MIA for our Oceania cruise.

 

Not sure what your budget is (and what you mean by "hate first class air prices") or when you wish to fly but AA has an "instant upgrade" category to 1st class that I recently saw for as low as $654 depending on date...

 

Kathleen

[wripro]

For $100 deviation fee you could probably have chosen the nonstop flight from SFO to MIA. Certainly worth it to avoid that redeye itinerary.

[comcox]

We are on the same cruise and read several postings that said the Miami cruise terminal is not a great place to wait long--too few seats, lots of air conditioning, etc. We are flying in two days before and staying overnight. We were told we could not board until 1 pm so we've arranged with our hotel for their noon cruise terminal shuttle. Oceania told us only concierge level guests could board before 1 pm, but if you are on their transfer bus there may be an exception.

[Mura]

Technically it is true that some passengers aren't supposed to board before 1pm (if the suite passengers can check in in at 11am, for example) but I've seen plenty of non-suite passengers boarding early.

 

OTOH, when we boarded the Midnight Sun cruise in Dover last July, we shared a table with a couple who were in a lower level cabin. They were concerned about friends who had been checking in with them and were nowhere to be seen. By the time it was announced that the cabins for Concierge and Suite passengers were ready for occupancy, this couple still had not appeared.

 

It turned out that they had to wait outside because there was no room in the buffet for them. So in a case where enough people who are eligible for the earlier check-in have already done so, they could make you wait.

 

I have to say this is the only time I've run into such a situation. I've seen plenty of people checking in early who supposedly were not able to do so ...

[StanandJim]

We are on the same cruise and read several postings that said the Miami cruise terminal is not a great place to wait long--too few seats, lots of air conditioning, etc. We are flying in two days before and staying overnight. We were told we could not board until 1 pm so we've arranged with our hotel for their noon cruise terminal shuttle. Oceania told us only concierge level guests could board before 1 pm, but if you are on their transfer bus there may be an exception.

 

What happens at the Miami Terminal is this:

 

In most cases the ship will have arrived in the wee hours of the morning, and if that is the case, and the ship has cleared through customs normally, then they try to get all of the debarking passengers off by 9AM

 

The aim then becomes to get the Terrace buffet ready for the new passengers and the Suites cleaned and ready for the 11AM priority boarding time.

Passengers who arrive before 11AM will be checked in and asked to wait in one of three seating areas (Suite, Concierge, All other) which each appeared to have about 100 seats.

 

If the suite passengers do get onboard at 11, their dockside seating area defaults to the other passengers, and subsequent suite check ins board the ship directly.

 

We found the seating to be comfortable and very similar to that in an airport, but there are no shops or television screens to pass the time.

 

Occasionally, and this usually depends on how full the terrace Cafe is, passengers will be allowed to embark earlier than their promised time.

[wripro]

Thanks for the info StanandJim as we'll be embarking in Miami for the first time in March.