Another, "what time should I arrive," question

[Cras108er]

I know folks probably get tired of seeing these questions asked, but I'll take a chance and ask it anyway:

 

I'm trying to make reservations for a February cruise out of Miami. I'll be coming from across country (actually from Alaska). My cruise leaves on Saturday at 4:00 p.m. I have an option where I can arrive on Friday at 11:30. My other option is to arrive on Thursday at 11:30 and spend an extra night in a hotel.

 

The two disadvantages of the Friday flight are jet lag and the potential for missed connections. The advantage, of course is minimizing costs. By the way, this is a B2B cruise, so I am not so concerned about being tired the first day of the cruise. What would you do? Do you think there is enough time to arrive on Friday night, or would you come in on Thursday? Thanks!

[beachbum53]

If there isn't a flight that would get you into Miami earlier than 11:30 p.m. on Friday, what about a flight that would get you into Ft. Lauderdale earlier? Is that an option? I'm guessing your main concern would be the weather there in Alaska on the day you fly out. As long as you can get to the P.O.M. on Saturday in time to board the ship, taking the Friday flight should work out, and hopefully you won't have any delays. Good luck, and I hope you have a great cruise!

[kitty9]

Weather out of Alaska, as you must know, is questionable in winter. And if you don't have a non-stop flight to Miami, and have a connection in another cold weather city, or a city with a very busy airport (Denver/Atlanta/Chicago) you can't chance the same day flight. You must be ON BOARD the ship 90 minutes before departure, and if you're not, you will be denied boarding, with no refund. That means, you have to be on the ship no later than 2:30. I know your three hour window seems like enough, but in winter it could be a nightmare.

[Cras108er]

Weather out of Alaska, as you must know, is questionable in winter. And if you don't have a non-stop flight to Miami, and have a connection in another cold weather city, or a city with a very busy airport (Denver/Atlanta/Chicago) you can't chance the same day flight. You must be ON BOARD the ship 90 minutes before departure, and if you're not, you will be denied boarding, with no refund. That means, you have to be on the ship no later than 2:30. I know your three hour window seems like enough, but in winter it could be a nightmare.

 

Oh, let me clarify. The flight gets in at 11:30 p.m. Friday night. So, actually, it is about 14 hours before we HAVE to be on the ship. I have minimal concerns about getting out of Alaska. We're pretty hearty up here Flights rarely cancel.

 

My flight would be Anchorage to Chicago. Chicago to Miami.

[tomko2]

Oh, let me clarify. The flight gets in at 11:30 p.m. Friday night. So, actually, it is about 14 hours before we HAVE to be on the ship. I have minimal concerns about getting out of Alaska. We're pretty hearty up here Flights rarely cancel.

 

My flight would be Anchorage to Chicago. Chicago to Miami.

 

I would opt for the Thursday flight. Gives you time to work out a back up scenario in Anchorage or Chicago, if need be.

Have a wonderful cruise.

Kathy

[skandls]

I would pay the extra night. If all goes well you will be at your hotel at 1 or 2 in the morning. Which is 10 or 11 pm your home time? A good nights sleep and you will have time to get adjusted to EST and do the last minute shopping. You are paying a lot for your B2B so starting a day early and avoiding stress due to flight delays is a good thing. An extra night in a hotel doesn't have to be expensive. There is a lot of advice about how to get a hotel for less on the Florida departure board.

[kitty9]

Oh, let me clarify. The flight gets in at 11:30 p.m. Friday night. So, actually, it is about 14 hours before we HAVE to be on the ship. I have minimal concerns about getting out of Alaska. We're pretty hearty up here Flights rarely cancel.

 

My flight would be Anchorage to Chicago. Chicago to Miami.

 

Having lived near Chicago for nearly 30 years, flying in Feb out of O'Hare can be a nightmare, especially if there's a snowstorm. I've seen that airport closed for more than 24 hours and flights cancelled one after another. Alaskans are a hearty bunch, but midwest airports can be a gigantic pain in the behind in the winter.

 

Sorry, I misread your travel times. You'll be fine arriving at 11:30 pm, unless O'Hare has a snowstorm. Hoping they won't, for your sake.

[narrow56]

I ALWAYS recommend coming earlier rather than waiting. My first cruise my friend and I were set to arrive in Miami the night before our cruise (leaving from Albany, NY). Our flight was delayed due to weather. When we finally boarded and got to our stop at Newark we discovered that there was a security problem and EVERYONE had to get off their planes and go back through security. It was a madhouse and everything was extremely delayed. We ended up making it to Miami very early the day our cruise was supposed to leave. I can't even imagine the stress of that happening the day of the cruise.

[Treven]

Do you have to fly through Chicago? I live on the Left Coast and I'd never fly through there in the winter. If it were me, I'd fly into SMF, SFO or LAX, then through either Houston or Atlanta - the southern route.

[jsmeeker]

Technically, a late Friday evening arrival for a Saturday departure is a day before. But in this case, just barely.

 

 

I'm not so sure I would suggest a routing that may add an additional connection. Each extra segment increases your exposure to something going wrong.

 

 

Honestly, I would spring for the extra night in this case.

[Corby114]

Fly in on Thursday. Spend Friday in South Florida and get up refreshed on Saturday morning. After two days you will have adjusted to the time change and be ready to go on your back to back cruise. As for the flights, I would do the Anchorage to Los Angeles route followed by a cross country flight to either Miami or Fort Lauderdale. By doing this route you avoid the possible bad weather in the Chicago area.

[Cras108er]

Thanks all. You all pretty much confirmed what I was thinking. It is possible to do the Friday night arrival but the additional stress isn't worth it. The trip isn't until April, so weather shouldn't be a problem, but a little margin will make for a more relaxed beginning of our vacation.

[Krazy Kruizers]

JMO -- I would arrive on Thursday.

That way you can sleep in on Friday and start to rest up after your long flight.

[Donder1]

My advice is to go on the earlier flight. You will be more relaxed, have a safety net in case of weather anywhere along the route, not just leaving Alaska, and, lastly, there is always something fun to do once in FL.