Has the ship waited for you at the Embarkation Port?

[Paulette3028]

We did a Panama Canal Cruise with Crystal many years ago. We booked air with Crystal, and were consolidated on a flight to Acapulco from Houston. We were delayed in Houston because of weather. We arrived in Acapulco very late at night, were met and raced through the airport to a waiting bus.

I still have fond memories of the midnight ride through Acapulco to the port. They were pulling the gangway up behind us as we ran on the ship.

They waited for us, and a few hundred of our traveling companions.

First and last time we flew in same day.

 

All kinds of things can happen and the best plans sometimes go haywire. We have been on flights that were delayed while we waited for arriving passengers whose flights were delayed.

 

It could still happen to cruisers who intend to fly out the day before, to minimize the likelihood of problems flying from a mid western city or northeast city into Florida in the winter. You can plan to arrive the day before - but a winter storm can come through the day before your flight, shutdown airports and flights are cancelled anyway.

 

You can try the best you can.

[Jellifer]

My first cruise was on the Celebrity Solstice out of Seattle to Alaska. We had been on a land tour of the Rockies and had to drive from Kelowna in Canada down to Seattle on embarkation day. Everything that could go wrong... Did! We hit big delays at the border crossing and then there was a bridge collapse on the Motorway (I5?) so traffic was chaos. Didn't help that our bus driver had never been to Seattle so I was googling directions for him. We knew we were going to be late so the tour guide kept in constant touch with Celebrity. IIRC correctly we were meant to be there by 3pm latest for a 5pm sailaway. We all thought we would miss the ship & the tour guide had her company try to find us all hotel rooms but Celebrity really stepped up, they said they'd wait as long as they could as there was 38 of us. As we got to Seattle the bus was escorted right to the ship. Luggage was taken from us and we ran through an empty terminal to check in. I think we got there at 4:45. We'd missed the muster drill (&didn't have a subsequent one). Dropped carry on in our rooms, ran straight up to an open deck and the ship started moving. My heart was still racing hours later!

[Baron Barracuda]

Had the misfortune to arrive at ship twice after posted sailing time. Once was in Alaska in 2010 on Princess when train from Denali to Whittier was delayed. There were hundreds of us aboard the train though, so knew they'd wait for us. Had to go through separate muster drill the next day.

 

The other time was when we foolishly booked a flight from EWR to FLL on date of sailing with a connection in Atlanta. The second plane had a cracked windshield and we had to wait for a replacement plane. It seemed that everyone on that flight was cruising. In addition to my family of five, there were a dozen others headed for our ship. I contacted Royal who said they'd notify the ship and do what they could for us. Another group sailing on Carnival however were basically told to arrive on time or else. One young lady on our sailing said not to worry, she was on a family reunion and there was absolutely no way her father would allow the ship to leave without her. By the time we landed at FLL it was sailing time. Royal personnel hustled us onto a bus and we did our check-in on the way to the ship. As we boarded, that girl's father was indeed standing with arms folded at the top of the gangway. He looked determined enough to have held the ship singe-handedly. We later discovered that there were other late flights besides ours, and the ship ended up sailing over two hours late. Learned my lesson though. Never book a flight with connections and always arrive a day early.

[land lover]

All kinds of things can happen and the best plans sometimes go haywire. We have been on flights that were delayed while we waited for arriving passengers whose flights were delayed.

 

It could still happen to cruisers who intend to fly out the day before, to minimize the likelihood of problems flying from a mid western city or northeast city into Florida in the winter. You can plan to arrive the day before - but a winter storm can come through the day before your flight, shutdown airports and flights are cancelled anyway.

 

You can try the best you can.

 

My logic is like yours...it can happen at any time.

 

Living on the West Coast(CA), I have no choice but to over night it when cruising from FL or the Northeast.

 

But if I am doing land or sea in Europe it is always a red eye...landing on the morning of the tour or cruise. Just makes more sense to me.

 

Almost 20 years ago did air with Princess, mechanical problem out of LAX, Shuttle was waiting for us and another couple, at the Anchorage airport we were zipped away last 4 on the ship an officer welcomed us aboard, later the same officer introduced us to the Captain as the couple who delayed the ship.

[Paulette3028]

My logic is like yours...it can happen at any time.

 

Living on the West Coast(CA), I have no choice but to over night it when cruising from FL or the Northeast.

 

But if I am doing land or sea in Europe it is always a red eye...landing on the morning of the tour or cruise. Just makes more sense to me.

 

Almost 20 years ago did air with Princess, mechanical problem out of LAX, Shuttle was waiting for us and another couple, at the Anchorage airport we were zipped away last 4 on the ship an officer welcomed us aboard, later the same officer introduced us to the Captain as the couple who delayed the ship.

 

I make the arrangements that are most convenient for me.....and that has to take into consideration lots of things, including work. It is easy for people to say, "Oh fly in a day early" -- yet not everyone can do that, and take that extra day. We are fortunate in that we live in S. Florida, and most of our cruises have been from here. But when we did a S. Caribbean cruise we left from San Juan....we could not fly there the day before...so we took the very first flight out on the morning of the cruise departure....people told us we were crazy...it was hurricane season and you might not make the ship.

 

We had no problems... were on the ship by 1pm. I was not very happy with the transportation arrangements made for getting us from the airport to the ship, through Royal. Small issue -- if I had to do it again...I would have just taken a cab from the airport myself.

 

We are looking into a cruise departing from Baltimore. It is unlikely that we will fly in the day before.....so we will take our chances and fly into Baltimore very early on departure day again.

 

You do what works for you....I just can't worry about it.

[cincicruisers]

I wonder how many people will reply with how rude the cruiseline was for leaving them behind cause they were too busy partying or shopping in the port!?

There are those folks that would be late for their own funeral if need be:cool:

 

Funny that there is no complaining from folks regarding this topic. It seems you are the one doing that.

[sleepless]

All kinds of things can happen and the best plans sometimes go haywire. We have been on flights that were delayed while we waited for arriving passengers whose flights were delayed.

 

It could still happen to cruisers who intend to fly out the day before, to minimize the likelihood of problems flying from a mid western city or northeast city into Florida in the winter. You can plan to arrive the day before - but a winter storm can come through the day before your flight, shutdown airports and flights are cancelled anyway.

 

You can try the best you can.

 

 

Being from Michigan, this is why I do not cruise in the winter.