awatt Posted May 11, 2004 #1 Share Posted May 11, 2004 Am making plans for the Millennium trip. For those of you who arrange your own air transportation,what time do you schedule your retuen flight? Can you make an 11AM flight? Had no problem with this with other lines,cut this is our first time with Celelbrity. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
excitedofharpenden Posted May 11, 2004 #2 Share Posted May 11, 2004 awatt Where are you sailing back to and what time are you scheduled to dock? Where is your return flight from? Phil Mercury Western Caribbean November 2002 Galaxy Eastern Caribbean November 2003 <BR Until Galaxy Panama Canal Out Of Galveston 13th November 2004 <center> <a href="http://www.escati.com/counter98/free_time_codes.htm"> </center> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
awatt Posted May 11, 2004 Author #3 Share Posted May 11, 2004 Sorry for being incomplete with the info. We'll be leaving from Fort Lauderdale on a Sunday next February. Ship docks at roughly 7AM. We'll be flying back to teh northeast. We are in a secondary market,and there isn't an abundance of flights to choose from. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
excitedofharpenden Posted May 11, 2004 #4 Share Posted May 11, 2004 Hi awatt. That's ok. Just didn't want you to get any wrong info. If it were me and I could get an afternoon flight, I would go for that. It will give you a bit of insurance if the ship is late docking and/or there is an issue with the ship clearing immigration when it arrives. Phil Mercury Western Caribbean November 2002 Galaxy Eastern Caribbean November 2003 <BR Until Galaxy Panama Canal Out Of Galveston 13th November 2004 <center> <a href="http://www.escati.com/counter98/free_time_codes.htm"> </center> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fang Posted May 11, 2004 #5 Share Posted May 11, 2004 I would not book any flight earlier than 11:00AM. In the past we have been to the airport by 9:30 without much problem. I would think that if everything went right, and you were one of the first of the ship you should be fine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MISSYLOU Posted May 11, 2004 #6 Share Posted May 11, 2004 While we usually get to the airport in FLL by 9:30 or 10:00 I still would not book a flight before noon. Check-in can be a real hassle if other ships have arrived in port the same day. And you never know what changes security might make from one day to the next. Karen & Paul kmbix56@wmconnect.com http://community.webshots.com/album/124134511FOjEih Galaxy B2B 10/04 Mercury 03/04 Radiance 01/04 Summit 09/03, Infinity B2B Hawaii 03/03,Infinity 10/02, Maasdam 07/02, Sun Princess 03/02,Maasdam 11/01,Statendam 07/01,Dolphin 1990? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
loisagogo Posted May 12, 2004 #7 Share Posted May 12, 2004 Just got back on the Summit. was already docked when we woke up around 6 but weren't allowed off ship until around 9. We were at the airport by 9:30. We were in Concierge Class so I think we got earlier debarkation than some other passengers. Everyone met in different areas of the ship and got off in groups so the luggage area was not overrun with people. I would think anything after 11 would be fine. They actually let us on board when we left Fort Lauderdale on the first day of the cruise at 11:30 so the ship was cleared of people and ready to greet the new cruisers. Celebrity Summit 4/30/04 <applet code="countdown.class" CODEBASE="http://*************/java-sys" width="203" height="25"> <param name="font" value="lcdb0"> <param name="year" value=2004> <param name="month" value=4> <param name="day" value=29> <param name="hour" value=8> </applet> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parrotgirl Posted May 12, 2004 #8 Share Posted May 12, 2004 That's fine - as long as nothing unexpected comes up. We took a taxi to the pier at around 11:00 to board the Summit and were "attacked" by hundreds of people trying to get taxis to the airport to catch flights. It happened that they had diverted a lot of ships to FL from Miami at the last minute and it was total chaos. We didn't know about it until a short time before we left. We weren't able to board or even check our luggage for quite some time. I never book a flight before noon. Chances are, I'll make it to the airport but I don't want to deal with the hassle if something happens. No sense ruining a great cruise by missing my flight home. I'd rather spend the extra time reading a book in the airport than scrambling to find a seat on another flight. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CruisingChick Posted May 12, 2004 #9 Share Posted May 12, 2004 Short and simple - NO! I would never book anything before 12:00 PM and that would be the first flight I book. This last time we booked 1:00 PM and we did have time to spare, but we would have JUST MADE the Noon Flight, so I'm glad I didn't chance it. The boat docks at 7:00 AM. IF you are lucky you will be cleared about 9:15 AM and then they start letting people off. No guarantee you'll be the first one. Until Celebrity Zenith - NYC to Bermuda Big Red Boat II – New York to Canada/New England, August 2000 Regal Empress – New York to Canada/New England, August 2001 Millennium – 10 Night Southern Caribbean, August 2002 Millennium – 13 Night Mediterranean, August 2003 Infinity – 7 Night Eastern Caribbean, April 2004 Zenith - 7 Night NYC to Bermuda, August 2004 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hajekfam Posted May 12, 2004 #10 Share Posted May 12, 2004 On our first transatlantic, we flew back home from Ft. Lauderdale airport. We did have a flight around 1 - but we barely made the flight - even getting off the ship in one of the early groups due to being captain's club members. The tie up was at the Ft. Lauderdale airport. It seemed there were 7 or more cruise ships in that day - all dropping off passengers at the airport. It was awful! Around 7000 passengers arriving at the airport around the same time! It took us hours to get through security. Since then, we have not flown home the day of disembaration - unless it is a day other than Sat. or Sun. If we ever would have to fly home that same day, I would fly late in the evening just to avoid the crowd. Zenith-Western Caribbean-6/92 Zenith-Eastern Caribbean-6/93 Century-Maiden Voyage-12/95 Galaxy-Southern Caribbean-11/99 Mercury-Northbound Alaska-6/00 Millennium-Westbound Transatlantic-9/01 Horizon-Western Caribbean - Adults only cruise-11/02 Millennium-Westbound Transatlantic 10/26/03 Century - Western Caribbean 1/31/04 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
awatt Posted May 12, 2004 Author #11 Share Posted May 12, 2004 Thanks for your input Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrsfanci Posted May 13, 2004 #12 Share Posted May 13, 2004 Have you checked flights out of Miami? It's a longer way but not as crowded. They may have better times for you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
awatt Posted May 13, 2004 Author #13 Share Posted May 13, 2004 I will check Miami. Although typically from here it has been easier to get to FLL. Thanks aghain. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G_Man Posted May 13, 2004 #14 Share Posted May 13, 2004 BEWARE Our return was delayed by fog into Tampa. We had 1:00 flights out of St. Pete. I heard it was a mad house out of Tampa. We stayed the night and flew out the next morning. ATA rebooked us without a hitch or extra charge. Even arranged for a discounted room for the night in a really nice hotel. Celebrity could have cared less. Horizon 3/’03 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kitty9 Posted May 13, 2004 #15 Share Posted May 13, 2004 You have no idea of the many things that happen to delay your debarking. Once we had a large group from Italy. One of the things Immigration has to do is clear all non-US citizens through Customs and Immigration before they clear the ship for debarkation. It took until 9:30 before the Italians decided to show up in the lounge for Immigration. We didn't begin to clear the ship until 10:15. Literally hundreds of passengers missed flights. Another time, because there were so many ships that came in at the same time, there wasn't enough Customs agents available. They didn't start calling groups until 9:45. And then you have the FL airport. Insanity reigns supreme. Last November we came back from a cruise on Radisson on a Saturday and when we got to the airport the line for security was weaving in front of the scanners, and then went down the hallway, up a ramp and out to the parking garage. It took about 90 minutes from the end of the line until you got to the scanners. Any flight before noon is a turkey shoot. Darcie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JNLROSE Posted May 13, 2004 #16 Share Posted May 13, 2004 I agree with many of the above posters--11 would be the absolute earliest I would EVER book a flight. We never book before noon! In Feb on the Summit, we had our earliest--12:02. We were in the airport, through security & sitting at the gate by 10:45! A little of a crunch for an 11:00 flight, but very comfy for a nooner!! Rosie E-mail me <a href="mailto:JNLROSE@AOL.COM">here</a href> CELEBRITY MERCURY HERE I COME!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
awatt Posted May 14, 2004 Author #17 Share Posted May 14, 2004 Thanks again. On our most recent cruise we were off the ship by about 8:15,but I guess its different for every ship/line. Will try to finfd a flight closer to noon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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