FLL 8:50amDeparture

[efoote01]

Is 8:50 am too early to have a flight out of FLL the day our cruise gets back to port? We were planning on cabbing it to the airport.

 

Thanks!

[papilliontraveler]

Wayyyyyyy too early.

[dj127]

I would not even try to fly out at that time. Customs, security, etc.

[LuvTheGoodLife]

We almost missed our 11:10 am departure 2 years ago from FLL as customs delayed processing the ship. Lots of panicked and mad people on board as debarkation did not even start until 8:30 am.

 

There is a reason the earlier than 11:30 am flights are cheaper....

[JohninDC]

You'll never make it!:eek:

[eandj]

You are probably trying to save on air fare by booking the cheapest flight?? You'll end up paying more to rebook another flight when you miss this one.;)

 

Don't do it. You need to be at the gate for boarding at 8:20. That means you would have to be off the ship, clear customs, cab it to the airport, check in, get thru TSA and all before you find the gate.

[6rugrats]

There's a good reason the cruiseline usually recommends no flights before 12:00 p.m. There's also a reason those early flights are cheaper; lots of cruise passengers will be going through FLL, and the airline knows most of them can't make these early flights.

 

Everyone on your ship must clear immigration, and it takes only one passenger to hold things up. You'd then have to get to the airport, check your bags, get through security and then to your gate. Lines are long on cruise days.

 

You don't state what airline you are considering, but if you miss your flight and don't call first, most airlines will cancel your reservation, and you will have to purchase new tickets at the walk-up fare, if you can find any. If you call before your flight takes off, you will then have fly standby, and this could mean you have a wait of a day or more, as they aren't going to kick off someone with a confirmed reservation for you. Some airlines won't even let you do this. You'd have to pay the ticket change fee ($150) and then any increase in the new fare. Some will charge you a fee to fly standby.

 

Don't even consider this.

[Corby114]

Absolutely crazy to attempt to make a flight that early. Any flight before 12 noon is taking a chance in this enviroment.

[montekat]

Also agree, way too early. Sometimes when the flights are so much higher in price for a later time, we have stayed over an extra day. Sometimes it has actually been cheaper, even with the hotel stay, to fly the next day.

[Langley Cruisers]

You will never make it. There may be some who will say go for it, but that's crazy. No way.

[Gathina]

Did you ever notice that nobody ever seems to read what the cruise line recommends, and there is always someone who will say that someone can make a flight at that time because "they" did?

 

I hate FLL airport..security lines are long, ships coming in from MIA, a lot of international travlers..not worth the hassle.

 

There's a good reason the cruiseline usually recommends no flights before 12:00 p.m. There's also a reason those early flights are cheaper; lots of cruise passengers will be going through FLL, and the airline knows most of them can't make these early flights.

 

Everyone on your ship must clear immigration, and it takes only one passenger to hold things up. You'd then have to get to the airport, check your bags, get through security and then to your gate. Lines are long on cruise days.

 

You don't state what airline you are considering, but if you miss your flight and don't call first, most airlines will cancel your reservation, and you will have to purchase new tickets at the walk-up fare, if you can find any. If you call before your flight takes off, you will then have fly standby, and this could mean you have a wait of a day or more, as they aren't going to kick off someone with a confirmed reservation for you. Some airlines won't even let you do this. You'd have to pay the ticket change fee ($150) and then any increase in the new fare. Some will charge you a fee to fly standby.

 

Don't even consider this.

[MTL=CRUISEFAMILY]

Is 8:50 am too early to have a flight out of FLL the day our cruise gets back to port? We were planning on cabbing it to the airport.

 

Thanks!

Not gonna happen!

 

is the cruise porting at 6?7?8?

 

...even with self debarking, and the cruise on time, I WOULD NOT SUGGEST EARLIER THAT 11 A.M FLIGHT.

 

Not worth the anxiety, on our last cruise the ticket/counter agents were late at the counter, the line was extremely long for check in...very frustrating, luckily we got there early/first in line.

[Javacruiser]

It isn't as hopeless as they say here...... If the ship arrives early, there are no customs issues, you are first in line to self-debark, you get to a cab right away, you have no bags to check at the airport and no lines through security...... You will probably have at least a 10% chance of making it. If you are a high risk gambler, go for it.

[Marie51]

You can make an 8:50am flight.....the next day.

 

Seriously it may be possible but most likely not. I wouldn't chance it.

[B40 Tha Cruisa]

Please don't do that to yourself.

[ashleycrew]

I am one of those people who think that people worry too much about early flight bookings I have taken several 10:20s out of MIA and 10:45 out of LAX. But I would not touch the one you suggested. Realistically your odds are probably 50/50 meaning if they start to self disembark at 7:30 which should be normal by the time you clear customs and and cab to airport best case sceneria is you are in security line at 8:10. Wayyyyy too risky for me and I am definaly not one to mind taking a risk on an early flight but this one is unrealistic.

[LornaT]

If you try to do this, you are also not taking into account that the ship might not get cleared immediately either due to Foreign Travelers not presenting themselves to ICE in the early AM on board the ship (like we have experienced every time we cruised (thats when you hear names and cabins being paged to report to the Pursers Desk) and until all Foreign cruisers clear ICE no one gets off, and there are times when it is the crew's turn to be checked by ICE and until they all clear no-one leaves either.

 

IMHO I wouldn't take that chance, yours could be the cruise that would get off early, but you never know, plus you wouldn't be the only one racing to the airport, Port Everglades has on average 3 ships disembarking at the same time on any given day.