Returning Flight Advice after Carnival Cruise – What Would You Do?

[2bthereagain]

Returning Flight Advice after Carnival Cruise – What Would You Do?

 

I had expiring funds and frequent flyer points to use, so I’m ‘married’ to Southwest for my upcoming June 21, 2014 cruise. Our flights to the cruise are all set. It’s the returning flights that have me worried…

 

For a variety of reasons, I booked my husband’s returning flight last week and then, this weekend, when I went to book my son’s and my flight, that rate category is now showing ‘sold out’. I immediately booked our flights for the next morning but my husband is really sad and I don’t blame him. So, here is my question:

 

Would you chance changing all 3 return flights to 11:30 am on a Sunday morning (we are disembarking from Miami and flying out of Ft. Lauderdale) even though Carnival’s website suggests flights after 12:00. Plus it’s not non-stop (5 hours instead of 2 and a half)?

 

Or;

 

Would you keep things as is and hope and pray Southwest releases additional seats in the Wanna Get Away fare bucket for the Sunday night flight that my hubby is already booked on? Have you seen this happen?

[jimbo5544]

Returning Flight Advice after Carnival Cruise – What Would You Do?

 

I had expiring funds and frequent flyer points to use, so I’m ‘married’ to Southwest for my upcoming June 21, 2014 cruise. Our flights to the cruise are all set. It’s the returning flights that have me worried…

 

For a variety of reasons, I booked my husband’s returning flight last week and then, this weekend, when I went to book my son’s and my flight, that rate category is now showing ‘sold out’. I immediately booked our flights for the next morning but my husband is really sad and I don’t blame him. So, here is my question:

 

Would you chance changing all 3 return flights to 11:30 am on a Sunday morning (we are disembarking from Miami and flying out of Ft. Lauderdale) even though Carnival’s website suggests flights after 12:00. Plus it’s not non-stop (5 hours instead of 2 and a half)?

 

Or;

 

Would you keep things as is and hope and pray Southwest releases additional seats in the Wanna Get Away fare bucket for the Sunday night flight that my hubby is already booked on? Have you seen this happen?

It's tight to do the 11:30. If you are arranging your own transfers back to FLL it can be done. Newer cheaper fares are a crapshoot, the only thing going for you there it is around prime time (but not in it). If it were me, I would vote number 1 option.

[matfel]

I can only tell you that we were on the Breeze last August, out of Miami, my brother's flight was out of Fort Lauderdale leaving at 11:30, they were off the ship and at the airport by 8;30 in the morning, they walked off the ship and got a cab that was waiting to take them to the airport, they said they would do it again, Of course anything can happen, good luck

[NeCruiseFan]

We got off Victory this morning. One, we had the earliest arrival ever. Plus if you do FTTF you have priority disembarking. We could have gotten off zone 1 but ended up WITH zone 6 and we were still off the ship and in our rental car a bit after 8 . We were at the airport (rental car) before 9.

 

Also in all our disembarking paperwork the cruise line gave us, if you have an early flight you can take your flight paperwork to guest services to get priority boarding.i say go for it.

 

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[matfel]

You are so right, we had FTTF as well, so we all were first off the ship, flew through customs and we thought that might take longer since we are Canadian, for us we like the earliest possible flight so we can get home at a decent time

[2bthereagain]

Thank you for the replies so far. Just to add, we DO have FTTF.

 

Lisa

[librarymom]

With fttf you will be fine. I just got off the breeze at pom and I was at my mom's apartment in Fort Lauderdale by 930 including picking up a rental car in Miami.

 

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[Rena921]

We got off Victory this morning. One, we had the earliest arrival ever. Plus if you do FTTF you have priority disembarking. We could have gotten off zone 1 but ended up WITH zone 6 and we were still off the ship and in our rental car a bit after 8 . We were at the airport (rental car) before 9.

 

Also in all our disembarking paperwork the cruise line gave us, if you have an early flight you can take your flight paperwork to guest services to get priority boarding.i say go for it.

 

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Hopefully you get to stay in FL an extra day or two.....the weather here at home is miserable.

 

OP, you could make it, but have a back up plan in place. There are so many variables...customs, weather, fog, etc. Our first cruise we got stuck behind hurricane Dennis. We didn't dock until well after midnight that day. On another cruise, there were issues with customs and some unruly pax. We were not able to disembark until after 11:00. Most recently, the computers went down for a couple hours. Luckily we were on a B2B and were not affected. We always stay an extra day after the cruise unless we drive to avoid missing flights.

[Rena921]

Case in point, there is another thread regarding the Port of Tampa being closed due to dense fog, the Paradise won't be able to dock until around 1:30. Things happen and if you plan for the best, but prepare for the worst you will be ok.

[matondo]

Returning Flight Advice after Carnival Cruise – What Would You Do?

 

I had expiring funds and frequent flyer points to use, so I’m ‘married’ to Southwest for my upcoming June 21, 2014 cruise. Our flights to the cruise are all set. It’s the returning flights that have me worried…

 

For a variety of reasons, I booked my husband’s returning flight last week and then, this weekend, when I went to book my son’s and my flight, that rate category is now showing ‘sold out’. I immediately booked our flights for the next morning but my husband is really sad and I don’t blame him. So, here is my question:

 

Would you chance changing all 3 return flights to 11:30 am on a Sunday morning (we are disembarking from Miami and flying out of Ft. Lauderdale) even though Carnival’s website suggests flights after 12:00. Plus it’s not non-stop (5 hours instead of 2 and a half)?

 

Or;

 

Would you keep things as is and hope and pray Southwest releases additional seats in the Wanna Get Away fare bucket for the Sunday night flight that my hubby is already booked on? Have you seen this happen?

 

If you cruise is months away more seats will probably open up. I love Southwest because you can make changes and there is no fee to change. I would keep checking the site. I booked something on a Thursday and then changed my plans the next day and the fare I changed it to had dropped below my current booked fare so I now have a credit with the airlines. I would check daily at least for awhile before you pull the trigger on plan B.

[FireEater]

If you pick option 2, you will be thinking of that day alllll week while on vacation.

 

think Murphy's Law then choose your 1st choice to enjoy your cruise I say.

[b_bay_girl]

On our last cruise we had a SouthWest flight just before noon. I was concerned as well about the timing. We opted for the "self disembark" and was off the ship as soon as we could get off, grabbed a cab and at the airport with plenty of time.

[2bthereagain]

Thanks for the feedback. Much like FireEater said, I just keep thinking of Murphy's Law....

 

I try so hard to make our vacations as stress free as possible, I'm afraid the thought of possibly missing a flight will 'linger' in my head all week long. I just don't know what to do really.