Same Day Fly in

[Cuizer2]

Another question--If the OP misses the ship in Vancouver............

 

Could she run afoul with the Passengers Service Act especially if their cruise is Northbound ending in Seward/Anchorage? The one Northbound cruise we took was entirely in the US with the exception of Vancouver.

If she booked cruiseair I would assume the cruiseline would pick up the $300pp fine.

 

The cruise line will not pick up the $300 fine. On an Alaskan cruise, if you miss the departing ship, unless the first stop is in Canada, or it is a round trip out of Vancouver, you will not be allowed to board the ship at all.

 

All the one ways leave from Vancouver and only stop in Alaskan ports. Boarding in one Alaskan port and disembarking in another Alaskan port is a violation of the PVSA. As such the person would not be allowed to board.

 

For some reason the round trips out of Seattle tend to make the Canadian stop the last port. As a result, boarding the ship in Alaska and disembarking in Seattle would be a violation of the PVSA and the person would not be allowed to board.

[new salt]

I am a retired pilot, military and civil. Take the preponderance of advice and get there a day or more early if you possibly can. To the litany of possible woes you can add companies going bust at no notice, and leaving passengers and crew stranded with limited options to get to their destinations or home days late:mad:

 

Trust me, I have been there!

[Bill S]

The sky is falling the sky is falling. Now you see why the insurance companys are so wealthy. So many insecurities.

You will be fine, take the money that you save and enjoy a great excursion and use the extra vacation day that you didn't use to make a long weekend this year. Enjoy your cruise.

 

Maybe you have never landed in Vancouver and your luggage did not. That happened to us once. Luckily, we flew in a day early. Our luggage arrived at our hotel, 12 hours later, around 3am. If we had flown in the day of the cruise, we would not have seen our luggage until the 2nd day of the cruise.

Maybe you have never had your aircraft abort 2 takeoffs, go back to the terminal, wait for another aircraft to replace the first one, and then wait again for a new crew. It happened to us. It caused about a 4 hour delay.

Things DO happen. There are too many things beyond a passengers control that can happen to delay their travel.

Experience is what you learn, especially when things don't go the way you planned or wanted. Again, it is all about weighing the risks versus the benefits.

[Wylie Coyote]

I am doing the Alaska cruise R/T from Seattle with Celebrity. After reading this thread, I became concerned, because I am arriving the same day as the cruise (5 1/2 hours before cruise). We booked our flight through the Cruise website. I spoke with our Celebrity Cruise Planner and he indicated that approximately 85% of the people currently book on our cruise will be arriving the same day. He stated it is quite common in the warmer months to arrive same day, especially if you arrive several hours before cruise departs. They only advise day earlier arrivals in the Winter months when snow conditions could be a factor in delaying flights.

 

With other flight options and an alternate airport (if needed) within driving distance, I am not too concerned. I am not too sure about applicable laws, but my flight indicated that if I miss the sailing due to airport delays, they will fly me to the 1st port to join the cruise. In my case, that would be Ketchikan.

 

It is a gamble, I know, but the risks seem to be pretty slight.

[Gonzo70]

I am doing the Alaska cruise R/T from Seattle with Celebrity. After reading this thread, I became concerned, because I am arriving the same day as the cruise (5 1/2 hours before cruise). We booked our flight through the Cruise website. I spoke with our Celebrity Cruise Planner and he indicated that approximately 85% of the people currently book on our cruise will be arriving the same day. He stated it is quite common in the warmer months to arrive same day, especially if you arrive several hours before cruise departs. They only advise day earlier arrivals in the Winter months when snow conditions could be a factor in delaying flights.

 

With other flight options and an alternate airport (if needed) within driving distance, I am not too concerned. I am not too sure about applicable laws, but my flight indicated that if I miss the sailing due to airport delays, they will fly me to the 1st port to join the cruise. In my case, that would be Ketchikan.

 

It is a gamble, I know, but the risks seem to be pretty slight.

 

It would not be legal for you to board in Ketchikan; it violates the PVSA. If you miss the ship on boarding day, you will not be able to join the ship at any port due to the PVSA and the ship's itinerary. You need to be on board the ship at least 90 minutes before scheduled sail-a-way time, so you have four hours from the time your plane lands until you need to be on the ship. Most likely that will be enough time, but it is not a sure thing. A three hour flight delay or longer and you likely would not have enough time to make it to the ship; three hour flight delays are unfortunately not all that uncommon.

 

On Alaska cruises more so than most cruises it is of utmost important to arrive at least a day early because of the PVSA. I would listen to the myriad advice on this thread (and elseswhere on this board) saying to arrive a day early rather than a telephone customer service rep trying to make a sale.

[Cuizer2]

I am a retired pilot, military and civil. Take the preponderance of advice and get there a day or more early if you possibly can. To the litany of possible woes you can add companies going bust at no notice, and leaving passengers and crew stranded with limited options to get to their destinations or home days late:mad:

 

Trust me, I have been there!

 

You mean the Air Force went bankrupt while you were flying one of their planes? :eek:

[Cuizer2]

I am doing the Alaska cruise R/T from Seattle with Celebrity. After reading this thread, I became concerned, because I am arriving the same day as the cruise (5 1/2 hours before cruise). We booked our flight through the Cruise website. I spoke with our Celebrity Cruise Planner and he indicated that approximately 85% of the people currently book on our cruise will be arriving the same day. He stated it is quite common in the warmer months to arrive same day, especially if you arrive several hours before cruise departs. They only advise day earlier arrivals in the Winter months when snow conditions could be a factor in delaying flights.

 

With other flight options and an alternate airport (if needed) within driving distance, I am not too concerned. I am not too sure about applicable laws, but my flight indicated that if I miss the sailing due to airport delays, they will fly me to the 1st port to join the cruise. In my case, that would be Ketchikan.

 

It is a gamble, I know, but the risks seem to be pretty slight.

 

You will not be allowed to board. A foreign flagged ship (all of Celebrity's ships are foreign flagged) cannot transport a passenger from one US port (Ketchikan) to another US port (Seattle) without stopping at a distant foreign port. There are no distant foreign ports in North or Central America.

 

If the ship allowed you to board in Ketchikan and then you disembarked in Seattle the ship would be in violation of the PVSA.

[Mary Ellen]

If they miss their flight or their luggage is lost, are you going to be there to comfort them?

More importantly - will they be there to pay for any additional costs the OP incurs?? ;)

[Front Row]

Thanks for all the advice, We flew in early for our Tahiti cruise and our southern Caribbean cruise, I also have personal experience where we stepped onto the ship 5 minutes AFTER scheduled departure in San Pedro.

 

With Burbank airport within 40 minute drives in the unlikely event LAX shuts down we have another airport as an option.

 

I contacted Princess and they said that most of their passengers arrive the same day, if Princess arraigned our flights they would have flown us in the same day.

 

There is no Passenger Services Act violation if we must catch the ship in Ketchikan, per Princess Customer Service.

 

Our TA is telling us we are OK, Princess is telling us we are OK, we have 15 flight options in LAX for plane type problems, we have an alternative airport for possible airport problems; we have no PSA violations if we must catch the ship in Ketchikan and we have any reason trip insurance. We intend to bring extra clothes in our carry ons.

 

With all these “back ups” in place in your opinion what are the odds of missing the ship? 5%,10%, 50% 85%?

 

Again thanks for all the expert feedback.

[Gonzo70]

 

 

With all these “back ups” in place in your opinion what are the odds of missing the ship? 5%,10%, 50% 85%?

 

Again thanks for all the expert feedback.

 

You do have a better than 95% chance of making the ship, it is just that for many of us a 2%-3% chance is not worth the risk when you can have a less than 1% chance by flying in a day early. I know I look so forward to my cruises that I would be devastated to miss the ship and try to do everything possible to ensure this does not occur. Also many of the cities where ships leave from are interesting cities, so I enjoy extending my vacation by a day or two - and also am relaxed and already in vacation mode by the time it is ready to board the ship.

 

For some it is just not possible to fly in a day early and most of the time those people that fly in day of make it - there just is some added risk. Fortunately in your situation your risk is fairly low as summer has less delays than winter, you have some wiggle room, and you have some options if things go wrong.

 

I just want to clarify something about the PVSA. You are correct that it does not apply to your cruise (since your cruise does not end int he U.S.). However it does apply to the other poster on this thread who indicated they are flying in day of on a cruise that starts and ends in the U.S.

 

Best of luck and hopefully everything goes smoothly for you. Alaska is a beautiful area to visit. :)

[Lou33]

Besides, Vancouver is such a nice city, I would hate to not spend some time there.

 

I wouldn't spend one night there, it would be ashamed to not spend 2-3 nights there. And flying in early is the best "insurance" that you can get when it comes to trip delays.

 

But I don't know your situation. Is it impossible to get off work an extra day or two? Is there a huge price difference flying in a day or two early? If for some reason, it is a huge hardship flying in early, then go ahead and arrive the same day. You will probably be OK. But only you can say if it is worth the risk.

[Cuizer2]

Thanks for all the advice, We flew in early for our Tahiti cruise and our southern Caribbean cruise, I also have personal experience where we stepped onto the ship 5 minutes AFTER scheduled departure in San Pedro.

 

With Burbank airport within 40 minute drives in the unlikely event LAX shuts down we have another airport as an option.

 

I contacted Princess and they said that most of their passengers arrive the same day, if Princess arraigned our flights they would have flown us in the same day.

 

There is no Passenger Services Act violation if we must catch the ship in Ketchikan, per Princess Customer Service.

 

Our TA is telling us we are OK, Princess is telling us we are OK, we have 15 flight options in LAX for plane type problems, we have an alternative airport for possible airport problems; we have no PSA violations if we must catch the ship in Ketchikan and we have any reason trip insurance. We intend to bring extra clothes in our carry ons.

 

With all these “back ups” in place in your opinion what are the odds of missing the ship? 5%,10%, 50% 85%?

 

Again thanks for all the expert feedback.

 

Because you are on a round trip out of Vancouver you don't have to worry about the PVSA. It only applies to cruises that begin and end in a US port.

 

What are your odds of missing the ship? I would say one in forty or 2.5%.

[scottbee]

Thanks for all the advice, We flew in early for our Tahiti cruise and our southern Caribbean cruise, I also have personal experience where we stepped onto the ship 5 minutes AFTER scheduled departure in San Pedro.

 

With Burbank airport within 40 minute drives in the unlikely event LAX shuts down we have another airport as an option.

 

I contacted Princess and they said that most of their passengers arrive the same day, if Princess arraigned our flights they would have flown us in the same day.

 

There is no Passenger Services Act violation if we must catch the ship in Ketchikan, per Princess Customer Service.

 

Our TA is telling us we are OK, Princess is telling us we are OK, we have 15 flight options in LAX for plane type problems, we have an alternative airport for possible airport problems; we have no PSA violations if we must catch the ship in Ketchikan and we have any reason trip insurance. We intend to bring extra clothes in our carry ons.

 

With all these “back ups” in place in your opinion what are the odds of missing the ship? 5%,10%, 50% 85%?

 

Again thanks for all the expert feedback.

 

I still don't understand why you don't fly the night before. You still put in a 9-5 day in Los Angeles and catch a flight to Vancouver.

 

For post 6pm departures, all of these work;

 

UA878 LAX 1840-1947 LAS / AC545 LAS 2100-2349 YVR

AS711 LAX 1830-2117 YVR

AC557 LAX 1915-2209 YVR

WS1699 LAX 1930-2221 YVR

AS707 LAX 2100-2355 YVR

AS463 LAX 1945-2220 SEA / QX 2204 SEA 2300-2351 YVR

 

or if you wan to avoid LAX.

AS3347 LGB 1925-2157 SEA / QX 2204 SEA 2300-2351 YVR

AS521 BUR 1850-2116 SEA / QX 2204 SEA 2300-2351 YVR

AS511 SNA 1820-2059 SEA / QX 2204 SEA 2300-2351 YVR

 

 

And while I'm a big fan of AS/Alaska, note that AC/Air Canada and WS/Westjet include 1 checked bag for free. I'd personally probably take WS1699 or AS707

[Cruisin' Chick]

Another question--If the OP misses the ship in Vancouver............

 

Could she run afoul with the Passengers Service Act especially if their cruise is Northbound ending in Seward/Anchorage? The one Northbound cruise we took was entirely in the US with the exception of Vancouver.

If she booked cruiseair I would assume the cruiseline would pick up the $300pp fine.

 

The cruise line will not pick up the $300 fine. On an Alaskan cruise, if you miss the departing ship, unless the first stop is in Canada, or it is a round trip out of Vancouver, you will not be allowed to board the ship at all.

 

All the one ways leave from Vancouver and only stop in Alaskan ports. Boarding in one Alaskan port and disembarking in another Alaskan port is a violation of the PVSA. As such the person would not be allowed to board.

 

For some reason the round trips out of Seattle tend to make the Canadian stop the last port. As a result, boarding the ship in Alaska and disembarking in Seattle would be a violation of the PVSA and the person would not be allowed to board.

 

 

I was thinking about this after I got off the computer last night. But a roundtrip would be okay to go to Ketchikan as the last stop is Victoria, BC. Definitely not the one way that leaves from Vancouver, as you won't get to a foreign port otherwise.

 

I too don't understand paying a lot for a cruise and not ensuring you'll be in your embarkation port the day before. I can't imagine trying to play catchup and thus missing a day or two or more of an one-week cruise. Even jumping into a taxi and frantically trying to make a flight out of Burbank (especially if you're hitting a lot of traffic on the 405 -- and right now, there's a major construction project going on for several months) -- that doesn't sound like a relaxing start to a vacation.

[Keith1010]

Thanks for all the advice, We flew in early for our Tahiti cruise and our southern Caribbean cruise, I also have personal experience where we stepped onto the ship 5 minutes AFTER scheduled departure in San Pedro.

 

With Burbank airport within 40 minute drives in the unlikely event LAX shuts down we have another airport as an option.

 

I contacted Princess and they said that most of their passengers arrive the same day, if Princess arraigned our flights they would have flown us in the same day.

 

There is no Passenger Services Act violation if we must catch the ship in Ketchikan, per Princess Customer Service.

 

Our TA is telling us we are OK, Princess is telling us we are OK, we have 15 flight options in LAX for plane type problems, we have an alternative airport for possible airport problems; we have no PSA violations if we must catch the ship in Ketchikan and we have any reason trip insurance. We intend to bring extra clothes in our carry ons.

 

With all these “back ups” in place in your opinion what are the odds of missing the ship? 5%,10%, 50% 85%?

 

Again thanks for all the expert feedback.

 

It doesn't matter what the percent is. All it takes is for this to happen to you once and you will miss your cruise. I have traveled extensively by plane both for business and for pleasure and have seen too many things go wrong. It doesn't help if there is an FAA shut down, or a bad weather situation or a security breach if there are 15 other flights. You may miss the ship. And those 15 flights are largely going to be full if something should happen with your flight.

 

I would not take the chance.

 

Again, if this happens to you just once you will not think percentages you'll just never do it again.

 

I can recount countless stories of problems.

 

Keith

[Keith1010]

Today's situation in St.Louis is an example of how one event can cause passengers to miss their cruises. It's not just those beginning their trip in St Louis. This can affect other routes that those planes can use.

 

In Southern California there are events that can happen as well like an earthquake.

 

Again, the percentages are low but all it takes is something to happen on the day you are flying.

 

There is this thing called Murphy's Law.

 

Keith

[EGG]

To answer your question, there is only a small likelihood that you will miss the cruise.

 

I believe you can find out the ontime % for flights, but that is not really your issue. Even though you have a lot less than 6.5 hours, if your flight is just late, you will make the cruise. If you are late to the airport because of traffic, those 15 other flights should cover you.

 

Your problem is the much less likely mechanical failure or other unlikely happenings previously described in other responses. Unfortunately, hindsite is better than foresite and they usually don't know or tell you ahead of time your flight will be cancelled. You've handed in your luggage at the counter and you get to the gate in plenty of time and about half an hour before boarding they say there is an hour delay. Then you board an hour late and the plane pulls out of the gate and the pilot does not like something he sees or feels. This has happened to us after a half hour wait for take off. Then they work on the plane with you on board for an hour. Now, if they take you off the plane you are hours behind and you are at the mercy of an airline that has your luggage.

 

We find flying stressful, even a 2.5 hour trip without a delay. Getting to the airport 2 hours early, waiting on line to drop our luggage and then at our home airport it is usually a 30 to 45 minute line through security. Take off shoes, belt and put them on. The tension of the flight. Waiting for luggage and the relief when it arrives (although we had one homebound flight where it did not arrive). Waiting on line for a taxi. So we prefer to go to a hotel and then tour or walk off the flight for a few hours, have a restaurant meal and our vacation has begun. We can now enjoy the first day of our cruise.

[jlp20]

With all of the possible things that can go wrong to delay you, it is a pure gamble to arrive in port same day of embarkation.

[new salt]

You mean the Air Force went bankrupt while you were flying one of their planes? :eek:

 

Hardly, although since our last government all but bankrupted the country perhaps it wouldn't be such a far fetched scenario!

[Karlie1]

A year ago we flew out of St Louis on 6:00 AM to Miami. Arrived at 9:15 AM. Arrived at the Port about 10:45 AM. Plenty of time. 1 year later we would still be in St Louis with no way to get to Miami. The odds of this happening or slim. Next year we will definitly leave a day early, it's not worth the Gamble to miss your vacation. :cool:

[Keith1010]

A year ago we flew out of St Louis on 6:00 AM to Miami. Arrived at 9:15 AM. Arrived at the Port about 10:45 AM. Plenty of time. 1 year later we would still be in St Louis with no way to get to Miami. The odds of this happening or slim. Next year we will definitly leave a day early, it's not worth the Gamble to miss your vacation. :cool:

 

I will guarantee that those people who were flying from St Louis today for a cruise that leaves today will never fly the same day.

 

This is why I say so often fly at least one day early and if going abroad fly in two or more days prior the cruise.

 

Keith

[Taxguy77]

The sky is falling the sky is falling. Now you see why the insurance companys are so wealthy. So many insecurities.

You will be fine, take the money that you save and enjoy a great excursion and use the extra vacation day that you didn't use to make a long weekend this year. Enjoy your cruise.

 

Worth repeating. We've used ships air many times and they sometimes get very tight schedules. Enjoy your cruise.

[17pioneer]

Afew years ago, booked day before LGA to Seattle at 0700, cancelled as was everything else out of NYC that day, rebooked for 0630 next day for flight with change at O'Hare, cancelled, Finally after begging and assertive behavior was offered seats out of JFK on non stop to Seattle, arriving 3 hours before sailing and a little over 2 hours from time of booking. Mad dash from one airport to the other during morning rush hour in NYC, Moral of the story Stuff happens, we did make the ship, but travelling companions booked from Dallas through O'Hare didn't. Remember on West Coast you have the La Nina weather system

[Twickenham]

There is no Passenger Services Act violation if we must catch the ship in Ketchikan, per Princess Customer Service.

 

Your signature indicates your taking the Coral Princess on June 4th. That's a one-way Vancouver-Whittier cruise. Are you booked on back-to-back cruises, making it a 14-day round-trip Vancouver cruise? Because if you're only on the 7-day voyage, you most certainly would be in violation of the PVSA, and would not be allowed to board in Ketchikan. If, however, you were on the back-to-back voyages, you would be OK.

 

With all these “back ups” in place in your opinion what are the odds of missing the ship? 5%,10%, 50% 85%?

 

I'm going to reiterate what Keith wrote, in that for me, the percentile chance that I will make/miss my ship doesn't matter; I want to make my chance of missing the ship as close to 0% as possible. It's not about the likelihood of something going wrong, it's about how much reaction time and options do you have to cope with a problem. The further out you fly, the more options that gives you.

It's all about mitigating risks. Ultimately, you need to find the level of risk that you're comfortable with. However, the best decision stems from a position of knowledge, not from one of 'life is good, all will be well' naivety. As long as you understand the risks and possibilities, you can make an informed decision that is best for you.

[cartmeller]

Ask yourself a couple of questions.

 

How would you feel if you arrive at the pier and see the ship sailing into the sunset?

 

How much will you spend to catch up and how many nights will you lose on board?

 

All for the sake of 1 nights accommodation cost and missing out on a restful night and morning in Vancouver. One of the most beautiful cities in the World.

 

Consider the risk . . . how high a chance do you think there is of weather issues, airline security issues, ground transport issues? Think of the impact if it does happen? Now mitigate appropriately!

 

I hope you make the right decision for yourself and have a great cruise.