CB disembarkation time for flights+ PC Dining

[Larrydano]

Sharon and I are going on the Caribbean Princess 11/5/05 in stateroom C753.

We are really excited about this Aft balcony cabin!!!!!-any comments???

 

I do have several questions---

 

I need to book our flights. Am I safe in booking air from Fort Lauderdale

for anytime after 11:00 AM?-or what is the earliest time I should book for air departure?

 

This is the 3rd Princess cruise for us, (# 13 overall) we have had traditional dining/seating on previous Princess cruises. My question is in regards to personal choice dining. Can we go to the dining room and request that we would like to share a large table? (we like to meet different people) We have sailed NCL and with "Freestyle Dining" we could go to the dining room and say we would like to share a table with others (actually the Maitre D would ask us if we would like to share).

If we can do this on Princess is it possible to make a "would like to share" reservation earlier in the day?

 

Larry

[gopher's girl]

Hi Larry -

Congrats on your upcoming cruise. I will do my best to answer your questions.

 

I was on the same cruise in August 2004.

 

Flight information:

My flight after the cruise was scheduled for 11 AM and with early disembarkation passes we were off the ship in plenty of time - I think we were at the airport by 9:15 and had to sit for a while. Of course, the weather that day was nice and there were no problems at the port. We did not have princess flights or transfers but showed our tickets to the purser and they gave us early-off tags. When we boarded however, there was a power failure at the port due to a hurricane and the people who were getting off the ship that day did not start disembarking until 11 or so. If you have travel insurance and do not have any severe time pressures then do not worry about this. Most travel agents recommend flights after 1 if possible, but this is by no means required 100% of the time.

 

Dining:

I was used to the Anytime Dining on the Dawn Princess where there are lots of large tables and you are almost automatically seated with other people, however on the Caribbean Princess there are more tables for 2. You can certainly ask to sit with a large table - we did it and it worked out great. If you do not ask they will assume that 2 means 2 and will try to accommodate you that way. Before we asked for large tables they would put us by ourselves or at a table for 4 with another couple. This was nice but I love sitting with 6 or 8 new friends! I have heard other people say that the larger tables get reserved by large groups early on in the week so I'm not sure how this would impact you. Please remember that there are 2 dining rooms that you can eat in and where you might not find your requested type of dining companions/arrangement in one, you might get it in the other.

[DeltaOne]

Sharon and I are going on the Caribbean Princess 11/5/05 in stateroom C753.

We are really excited about this Aft balcony cabin!!!!!-any comments???

 

I need to book our flights. Am I safe in booking air from Fort Lauderdale

for anytime after 11:00 AM?-or what is the earliest time I should book for air departure?

 

My question is in regards to personal choice dining. Can we go to the dining room and request that we would like to share a large table?

We had C753 in January. Great room...you'll love the aft balcony.

 

Any flight after noon would be a safer choice. You may make 11 am, but it's a gamble.

 

As for Anytime Dining, yes you can share a table with others. I think they prefer that, it moves people through quicker.

[gatour]

Larry,

 

We are going to be neighbors. We are on the same cruise in cabin c743

[Pam in CA]

An 11AM flight should be OK but it's not a guarantee. I've been on ships that didn't start disembarkation until 9:30AM in FLL and then after immigration, etc., didn't get through security until just before 11AM. I've made an 11:30AM flight but it wasn't by much. FLL can be VERY busy at times and it can take a long time to check in, even curbside, and go through security. After our CB cruise over New Years, it took us 30 minutes just to check in at curbside and another 30 minutes through security.

[MelissaDBA]

Uhoh really worried now about our 11:55 a.m. flight out of FLL after our 7-30-05 CB trip!!! Will Princess be of assistance in helping us to get off of the ship in time. We have Platinum check in this time only b/c of a PS category cabin...Will that help us?

[gopher's girl]

To the best of my knowledge, Platinum status only gets you a lounge at check out time. Since you have an earlier flight you might be able to ask the purser for early off passes - not the first group off, but perhaps before your deck.

 

You will probably be fine though.

[spongerob]

Fort Lauderdale is one of the easiest places to get from the ship to the airport. It's only a 10-minute trip by taxi. We have disembarked normally (no early off) and been waiting for our flight in the departure area by 10 AM. There are lots of porters to help with your bags and they will take you directly to the taxi area. Unless there are unusual circumstances, any flight after 11:30 shouldn't be any problem at all.