Buffalo Flight to Atlanta to Fort Lauderdale day cruise sets sail risky business?

[RCI Cruisers 004]

Yes, it can be done. Our first few cruises we arrived the day of but listen to everyone's advice here and in the future, try to go a day early if you can it saves on lot of stress !

[powelweb]

Very smart to switch if you can as that weekend starts school vacation week for many schools on the east coast, so travel will be increased and if you had any delays in Atlanta (mechanical, over sold flights, etc), it could be big trouble for getting to FLL with enough time to collect luggage and get to the pier for check-in.

 

Safe travels and have a great cruise.

[Aqua23]

Hello All,

After reviewing your comments I have changed my flight. We are now leaving from Buffalo Friday April 12th at 6am arriving in Atlanta at 8:02am departing 8:55am and arriving in FLL at 10:55am. We paid $75/person to change our flight, a small price to pay for a little piece of mind!

Thanks for everyones help:D

[Beth C]

Since you've already done it this wont matter as much to you but the other thing to consider would have been since you're travelling with a large group the odds of being able to switch everyone to different flights if delays/cancellations happened is minimal.

 

Last April our flight was delayed 6 hrs then cancelled since they had to fly a crew in to fix the plane (charter flight - Transat)... Luckily this was after the cruise ended and our flight home not enroute to FLL! There were no options for a family of 6 who was also on the flight who were trying to get on other airlines as the HAD to get home that day :(

 

 

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[Booking It]

I am so glad to hear that you switched your flight. I have NEVER had an on time flight in Atlanta. Never. Actually, it's because of Atlanta that I now refuse to fly flight that has connections. Over the past year, I've paid hundreds of dollars for more expensive fights that don't involve connections. All because of the Atlanta airport.

 

As for hotels, I really enjoyed the Embassy Suites. The free breakfast can easily make up for any additional costs that a suite is over regular room at a different hotel and it can still save money (happy hour, too!). Plus, it is right next to a grocery store plaza that also has a lot of places to eat. There was a tiny Italian place that was really good! A cab ride to the pier was just a little over 5 minutes long.

[constable145]

Hello fellow cruisers!!

My family and I are sailing on Oasis of the Seas April 13 2013 :D

We booked a flight for all 8 of us with AirTran, out of Buffalo 6am departure April 13. We have a 2 hour stop over in Atlanta and then we are off to Fort Lauderdale arriving at 12:30pm.

I'm kinda worried we are cutting it close :confused:

Has anyone done this before? Please share your thoughts.

I'm considering changing my flight to the night before.

 

Thank You :)

 

 

Never do it. Never ever ever. Especially coming from Toronto. You never know what type of parking lot the Peace Bridge will be. Also as others have mentioned Atlanta Hartsfield is a gong show.

[ctcruiser1721]

I am so sorry it cost you more $$ bit I absolutely think you made the right decision. Enjoy your cruise!

[Cupcrazy]

Like some others have said I would never fly down the day of. You should have good weather in April, most likely no snow. It wouldn't be so bad if it was a direct flight but the stopover would get me thinking. One delay and you've missed the ship. I don't ever want that risk.

 

It's a good thing you changed your flight. You'll be much happier knowing that you'll be able to get on the ship without having to worry about your flight arriving late

[romnan]

Hello fellow cruisers!!

My family and I are sailing on Oasis of the Seas April 13 2013 :D

We booked a flight for all 8 of us with AirTran, out of Buffalo 6am departure April 13. We have a 2 hour stop over in Atlanta and then we are off to Fort Lauderdale arriving at 12:30pm.

I'm kinda worried we are cutting it close :confused:

Has anyone done this before? Please share your thoughts.

I'm considering changing my flight to the night before.

 

Thank You :)

To be perfectly honest with you I would not even consider this. There are far too many things that can happen tp delay you getting to the ship. I have been on 12 plus cruises and I learned the hard way about being penny wise and pound foolish

[Keith1010]

It is not a good idea to fly the day of your cruise.

 

I would not do this.

 

Keith

[waterbug123]

Atlanta Airport is busy and ridiculous to change flights in but 2 hours is more than enough time.

 

 

While it's true that Atlanta is the world's busiest airport, I find changing planes there to be an extremely simple process. All concourses are interconnected by a train that runs quickly and frequently. The concourses are parallel to each other and easy to navigate. There are no remote terminals that require pax to be bussed to other terminals for connections. The signage in the concourses is clear, and there are plenty of restrooms, concessions etc. It's crowded, sure, but the airport design makes for a very easy connection process.

 

Atlanta is the busiest airport in the WORLD and you should NEVER risk ruining your long awaited trip by travelling on the day of departure.

 

The fact that it is the busiest airport in the world can actually be an advantage when you are making a same-day connection for a cruise; it means there are usually multiple options for being rebooked/rerouted should you have a problem.

[phabric]

A couple of years ago mid August on a Saturday for a flight on Sunday to go to Disney on Air Trans. We decided to drive from Toronto near the airport to Buffalo on the Saturday leaving around mid morning about the same time we would have left on the Sunday. Normal travel time is a couple of hours.

 

There was bumper to bumper traffic near Oakville and heavy all the way. There was construction near the border. It took us 1 1/2 hours from the duty free store to the border. All I could think about if this was Sunday, we would have missed our flight. We were so glad we decided to drive the day before and relax at a hotel the evening before our flight.

 

You never know what is going to happen to delay you.

 

The Embassy Suites hotel in Ft Lauderdale sleeps up to 6 persons in a room, includes evening Manager's cocktails, and a great breakfast. The hotel is not far from the port so a taxi would be under $20.

 

There are restaurants, liquor, drugstore, grocery stores, sun trolley and water taxi near the hotel.

[waterbug123]

You shouldn't have to worry about winter weather delays in April. That said, we ALWAYS fly in the day before a cruse

 

Winter weather isn't the only concern. As someone else mentioned, fog, wind and thunderstorms can happen any time. And winter weather in other parts of the country can affect flights in and out of ATL. Not to mention mechanical problems that can happen anywhere, anytime.

 

The other potential problem flying in the same day is that the 8 of you may make it .......but all 8 of you may not get all of your luggage.

 

 

I think the bigger issue with 8 people is that if there is an issue, the likelihood of all 8 people getting rebooked together (or even the same day) is not good at all.

[BillOh]

I'm considering changing my flight to the night before.

 

Thank You :)

 

I can offer some insight in that I grew up near Buffalo, I've successfully flown into port the day of the cruise 4 times, and I like to cruise around the same time as your trip. It can be done. You have to add driving across the US border which can be difficult at times, I've come across at the Rainbow and Peach Bridge many times.

 

That said, I would put your odds of making the cruise at 75% or better, but I'll tell you flying in the day before alleviates to much stress that it is worth it when ever possible.

[waterbug123]

A sympathetic customer service person said they oversell the first few flights of the day knowing that they cannot acommodate all passengers, and that if you don't check in early in the day and get a seat assignment, and show up to the gate 20 minutes early, your seat is gone.

 

 

Just so you know, this is not unique to AirTran. MOST airlines intentionally oversell their flights because they know a % of passengers will not show up for whatever reason.

[reney313]

YAY! I'm so happy you came here and seemed out feedback. Even though it is definitely possible (and likely probable) the other flight would have got all 8 of you on the ship before sailing, going down the day prior is definitely the preferable route.

 

The peace of mind of knowing you are already there is well worth the extra $, not to mention being relaxed and able to wake at your leisure. All you have to do the morning of the cruise now is get up, eat, and take a quick 5-10 minute ride to the port. You'll have the entire day ahead of you!

 

While it is still a few months prior to your cruise, you can focus on the other plans and excitement without having the concern of your flight in the back of your mind as well.

 

Enjoy!