Return flight time in San Juan

[bandjwayne]

We will be going on a southern caribbean cruise on the Adventure of the Seas leaving out of San Juan in February. We just got a notice from the airline saying the moved our flight leaving San Juan to a 10:43 departure. According to our itinerary we arrive in San Juan at 6 am. Does anyone know how eary you can get off the boat and if I'll be able to make it to the airport in time for a 10:43 departure??? I called RC and they said it should be ok, but it depends how long it takes to clear customs.

 

Thanks!

[Ocean Boy]

I have sailed on Adventure several times. Unless something goes very wrong, and most of the time things go right, that flight should not be a problem. I have seen people doing self carry of there luggage leaving the ship before 7 AM and the first group of people with eirly flights leave by 7:30. Once you are in a taxi the airport is an easy 20 minute ride.

[frito58]

We just did the Victory had a noon flight could have easly made a 10 am flight , now saying that just have to hope you are not that 1 -100 cruise that someone does something stupid and tries to smuggle drugs or something stupid back and customs holds you up for like 2 - 3 hours. But if you do self disembark it s no problem someone on our cruise made an 8:45 flight.

[pltag]

A little nervy ........ but you should be okay! :D

[cruisenfever]

It all depends on how quickly the ship is cleared and the debarkation begins. It also depends on when the ship arrives. Just because the itinerary says you will be arriving at a specific time, doesn't necessarily mean you will. There are many factors that can delay a ship's arrival.

 

Once to the airport all of your bags must go through USDA inspection and have a sticker applied before you can check them in with your airlines.

 

IMHO, I would never book a flight before noon when flying out of SJU.

[bigeagle12]

IMHO, I would never book a flight before noon when flying out of SJU.

 

I agree!!!

[TexCruise371]

We sailed on Serenade last month and had an 11:30 flight. We made it in time to have breakfast at Margaritaville in the airport and wait for an hour and a half. However, I would get off the ship ASAP;) The security line was not bad when we got there but grew real quick around 9:30.

[hancogran]

Too close for comfort for me! :eek: I would spoil my cruise worrying about whether I'd make my flight. :rolleyes:

 

We're heading on our fourth Southern Caribbean in January and I always book our fight for 1:00 or later. This year we don't fly out until 2:30.. I'm ok with that since I'd be totally stressed out worrying with an earlier flight, especially from San Juan airport which can be a zoo! ;)

 

I guess to each his own.. I would just not be comfortable with that early a flight from SJU. :)

[OttoCal]

We will be going on a southern caribbean cruise on the Adventure of the Seas leaving out of San Juan in February. We just got a notice from the airline saying the moved our flight leaving San Juan to a 10:43 departure. According to our itinerary we arrive in San Juan at 6 am. Does anyone know how eary you can get off the boat and if I'll be able to make it to the airport in time for a 10:43 departure??? I called RC and they said it should be ok, but it depends how long it takes to clear customs.

 

Thanks!

 

Yep, we just got that same notice and I am trying to decide what to do. The posted time for earliest flights on the Royal Caribbean Web site is 11:00. Will 17 minutes earlier matter? Arrrggghhhh??? Flight insurance doesn't cover 'Oops, my ship got in late and I didn't make it in time plus someone got us held up in customs'. :(

 

Still undetermined at this point. Did I say arrghh already???

 

Will consider switching, but we had wanted that flight time to get us home in time for something else that evening. Sigh.

[volleyballmom87]

Many people screw up in PR because of the Agriculture inspection. They go to their airline to check in first and then find out that they needed to do Ag first and by then the Ag line is crazy long and then you have to stand in line at the airline again. Pain in the ***! :eek: Timing is EVERYTHING! If you self-disembark and get to the airport ASAP you might be ok, but I will not book anything before noon. Last year we stayed an extra night because we couldn't get a later flight on the day the ship arrived and I didn't want to take a chance.

[cruiseguy1016]

We had an 11:30 flight this year from SJU. We did not ask for early debarkation. The cruise line assigned us 8:30. We made it to the airport, through Ag inspection, through airline check-in and were sitting at our gate at 9:30. If you do self debarkation and get off earlier than 8:30, you should have no problem at all.

[NordicPrince]

When you get to the airport do not try to save a buck. Get an airport porter immediately, tell them the airline you're using and they will take you through the AG line and right to your airline checkin. Make sure to tip him generously.

Best $10 you ever spent.

 

If you are not self-disembarking I also recommend you get a porter at the bag pick-up area at the pier. They will whisk you thru Customs and out to the first cab to the airport. Another wise investment in time and sanity savings. DW and I have done this the last 2 times thru San Juan and it has worked like a charm. We learned from a first time failure and then from CC posters that this was the best way to do it.

[cruiseguy1016]

Make sure you grab a TAXI at the cruise terminal. There will be people trying to get you on a shuttle, claiming it will be less money. You'll end up waiting while they try to fill it. Get in a TAXI and tell the driver to take you to the airport.

[Miss Fig]

Make sure you grab a TAXI at the cruise terminal. There will be people trying to get you on a shuttle, claiming it will be less money. You'll end up waiting while they try to fill it. Get in a TAXI and tell the driver to take you to the airport.

 

This is very good advice. Ignore the people that come up to you and ask if you need a taxi or a tour. Walk past them to the taxi line & you will be on your way immediately. SO & I shared a minivan - no attempt to have other pax join us.

[newlifeca]

Here is a excerpt from a post I did this year, you can find the entire thing here-http://boards.cruisecritic.com/archive/index.php/t-1396125.html

 

 

April 11th, 2011, 08:59 AM

There are many questions about catching morning flights out of San Juan on Departure day. Here is our quick report.

 

We sailed on RCCL's Adventure of the Seas, our return flight was booked for 11:20 on the Sunday we returned. Upon arriving on the ship we asked about an early departure.

 

They have an "early" departure program that lets you off the ship at 7:30 or 7:45, to qualify for that, you need to have a flight booked for 11;00 or earlier. The guest relations desk said that even 11:05 didn't qualify. Must be 11:00 or earlier.

 

Everyone else is released starting at 8:30 am based on flight time. A couple days prior to departure, they deliver a slip to your stateroom where you indicate the time of your flight, based on that they put you into a group, and assign a depature time. That departure time can be as early as 8:30, or as late as 11;00 am.

 

Based on our departure time, we were assigned to group 1 (the first group off). We got off the ship promptly at 8:30, entered the terminal, collected our bags, went through customs, and got a taxi to the airport. We were at the airport by 9:00 am. At the airport, all bags must be scanned by USDA, we then went to the airlines counter to check in bags and the proceeded through security. We were at the gates by 9:20 am

 

All in all, a smooth process, of course your mileage my vary.

 

One tip...While on the ship, waiting to disembark, passengers are assigned lounges to wait it. As it got close to 8:30 we headed toward exit and beat some of the crowd.

ccnwater

April 11th, 2011, 02:12 PM

Thanks so much for the post! Our flight home is 11:40am. We also plan on taking all our luggage off with us.....Hoping to save a few minutes there. Hope you had a great cruise!

newlifeca

April 11th, 2011, 03:30 PM

Carrying your luggage will save a few minutes. We left our luggage out the night before, and just picked it up in the terminal, it only added about three minutes to our exit.

 

Here's a little more info...

 

As you leave the ship you'll show your seapass to the RCCL staff and they will slide your seapass into a security podium, and the RCCL staff will log you out. I noticed that when some people's passes were entered, a sound went off and they were asked to step aside into a secondary line. I think it had to do with people who didn't settle their accounts (but not sure)

 

As you get off the the ship, there are two lines, one for U.S. citizens, one for everyone else. After being logged out, You'll go into the terminal, a huge building, with lots and lots of luggage organized in rows according to your departure number. At this point you retrieve your luggage. (Of course you'll be carrying yours out). The night before you'll fill out a customs declaration (it will be delivered to your stateroom) You'll show this, along with your passport, as you prepare to leave the terminal. Once outside there will be a ton of taxis, grab one and head to the airport.

 

First stop at the airport is to look for the USDA scanners outside the building. All luggage, checked and carry on will go through the scanner and a sticker will be put on it. After getting the stickers, you can enter the terminal and go to your airlines counter and check in. As mentioned above it was less than an hour from taking the first step off the ship, till getting to our gate. You should have no problem with an 11:40 flight.

 

Have a great trip

[Emma]

We returned Nov 20 from San juan, our flight was 11:15 am, as stated here the main point is to get the early disembark ticket, we did not have that since our flight was after 11 am. We were off the ship at 8:45 , picked up our luggage and walked right outside and got a taxi to the airport with time to spare. There was a concern that we would miss the flight though

[mousy56]

our flight just got changed from 4pm to 9:45 am departure out of san juan off of adventure of the seas march 4th, 2012. I'll check in with early departure program..hope it works.

[Teeara]

When you get to the airport do not try to save a buck. Get an airport porter immediately, tell them the airline you're using and they will take you through the AG line and right to your airline checkin. Make sure to tip him generously.

Best $10 you ever spent.

 

If you are not self-disembarking I also recommend you get a porter at the bag pick-up area at the pier. They will whisk you thru Customs and out to the first cab to the airport. Another wise investment in time and sanity savings. DW and I have done this the last 2 times thru San Juan and it has worked like a charm. We learned from a first time failure and then from CC posters that this was the best way to do it.

 

I totally agree with both of these suggestions.

[island lady]

I agree!!!

 

I will third that!! :)

 

Even if all goes well coming off the ship in time, we have run into huge lines at

security check in at the airport. Perhaps not all the time, but you just know

it will end up happening the one time you try to get an early departure. :eek:

[OttoCal]

FYI- we did the early departure on Serenade on Jan 21, and here's our experience...

 

During the week, the daily cruise planner sheets stated that if your flight was before I think 11:30 am or noon, that you had to register for an early departure at the guest services desk. You must take the flight confirmation showing your airline, flight times and passenger names with you.

 

We ended up getting one set of luggage tags, then a second different set. One set specifically noted that they were for the early departure and to not use any other sets.

 

About the timing (read on for the rest of the story at the end...)

 

Our departure time was 7:35 am. All of the 7:35 a.m. people were the first ones off the ship, followed closely by those who had booked tours through RCI.

 

We did put our luggage out the night before. All but one of our bags were in the designated area. One was missing. (oh no, really??!!??). An agent walked us around to all of the other areas that it might be. There was luggage grouped in the arrivals hall by your luggage tag codes. Eventually, the bag was found in the 'the tag ripped off' area.'

Tag Takeaway- be careful about tag placement, or if you have spares, put one on each handle (top & a side).

This was only about a 10 minute delay.

 

Going through customs with our filled out cards was short- the 10 minute delay in grabbing our bags allowed everyone else to go through ahead of us. :rolleyes:

 

Outside, the taxis were there lined up and ready to go. You could get to the airport in plenty of time. We were outside by 8:00 a.m. This was plenty of time for a 10:43 flight (originally set at 11:00, changed by airline to 10:43)

 

Don't forget at the airport, as soon as you go inside, take your luggage directly through the poorly marked Agricultural Inspection station. They scan your luggage ( but not purses) and put a sticker on the bag. THEN go do your check in. The Ag station is directly inside the airport doors, if you are staring at the check in counters for the airlines, it will be behind you. You may not skip this step.

 

Airport check in and security check in were a breeze in the 8:30 a.m. range for our 10:43 flight. The port to airport drive is less than 30 minutes, and in the morning you are going against traffic if you are traveling on a weekday.

 

It would be tight for a 9:45 flight that someone said they had, if there were holdups in security or whatever.

 

This all sounds really smooooth, right?? No problems?? Nope.

 

I hadn't used the internet much during the week, a bit of wi-fi at the ports. I used my 2 coupons for 4 minutes free internet each (at the 65cents a minute rate) on Friday night to go online and print my boarding passes. Skipped my e-mail and went straight to Delta.com to check in. Check, check, check, your online check in may not be completed at this time. please contact Delta. Are you kidding me?? Ugh. Not gonna use my phone at $2.99 a minute roaming charges. Check e-mail, see Delta message 'check in for your flight!'. Hmmm... See another Delta message Urgent message regarding your flight. This is a cruel joke, right??

 

So, our flight has been cancelled. There is a winter storm on Friday night in Chicago, so our flight from JFK to upstate NY is cancelled for 24 hours later on Saturday, just in case. They have rebooked us for 2 days later. That's right, 2 days. I am not sure if the insurance will cover the roaming on the phone call and know there is nothing we can do, so I did what I thought was the most reasonable option: ordered a large glass of wine. We opted not to tell my folks until the morning, they were already in bed (it was already after 10 pm, and we were getting up early...) I can't look up San Juan hotels, my San Juan book is packed in my checked luggage, which is already gone from the hall way. I didn't want to get stuck to one of the computers trying to look up hotels from the ship. Oh brother...

 

Yay for cruise insurance. So here I am, 8:00 am, with hubby and a set of parents. It's hot, we're dressed for airport/NY weather. Cabs want to take us somewhere, but where? The hotel we had stayed at pre-cruise was fine, but I was hoping for something with a little more charm. I dig out the books from my bag, flip through those, call the airlines, insurance, etc. We determine that we really don't want to fly to JFK, then drive to Syracuse in a rental car then another hour home from there with our car which is at that airport. Sunday return? Nope, we can get to Rochester, still would need a car to drive to Syracuse to get our vehicle. Monday it is. 2 more nights in San Juan.

 

Anyway- things happen. Get Insurance. I wasn't happy with the hotel we ended up for the extra 2 nights, but it was in a good location. We got to see more of Old San Juan and Areicebo and the Camuy Caves, which was really cool.

 

But the airport part? A breeze and I WOULD book a return flight at 11:00 am (but not earlier than that) again.

[primo1]

We are on the Serenade 4-6-12 out of San Juan. Our return is 4-14-12, Saturday. Our return flight home is at 2:10pm. Would we have time to cab it some where so we do not have to hang in airport for 5 hours.

Any suggestions on what to do would be very helpfull.

[Cigar King]

FWIW, our TA last year ended in San Juan. Our return flight was at 3:00. We barely made that flight. There were massive delays and people were not able to start leaving the ship until around 10:00. Early flights are great, as long as you don't have any problems.

[frito58]

Heck I have seen Massive delays in FLL . It happens , All it takes is for one passenger to do something stupid like try to smuggle drugs or whatever and you are screwed .. But are odds are in you favor . San Juan is the airport That is such a mess and it always seems flights are 11 am or 7 pm for us and who wants to wait , I mean ideally 2 to 3 is a wonderful flight in a perfect world. Right now I am trying to book out of Miami/Fll and Flights back are 10am and 9 pm that are direct and cheap , still waiting.

[hancogran]

We are on the Serenade 4-6-12 out of San Juan. Our return is 4-14-12, Saturday. Our return flight home is at 2:10pm. Would we have time to cab it some where so we do not have to hang in airport for 5 hours.

Any suggestions on what to do would be very helpfull.

 

A few weeks ago, we had a return flight from SJU to JFK scheduled to leave at 2:20 pm. We had number 6 as our disembark number when leaving Serenade. By the time we got off the ship, got to the airport, through the agricultural screening and check-in, had a bite of lunch and got through security, we really didn't have a lot of time to wait. I figured we'd be hanging around for hours too but it just didn't happen! ;)