Same Day Flight - Times?

[SMN73]

Hi all,

 

I asked this on the the Flordia departures board but since it's just me, I want a ton of opinions.

 

I have decided to go ahead and book my first solo cruise in November out of Miami on Majesty. Since it's just me I want to fly in the same day. If I get a flight that lands at 12:30 in Ft Lauderdale the day of departure, will that work getting me to the ship on time? I've never been to this area.

 

Thanks!

[negc]

That might be a big "IF" but since the cruise terminal in Ft. Lauderdale is only a short distance from the airport an on-time arrival should not create a problem for you. However, my son and his family flew from Providence to West Palm Beach on Sunday and their departure was delayed by almost three hours. If a similar situation arose for you, I'm afraid you might be at the pier just in time to see the ship sail away.

[TheInnocentAge]

Hi all,

 

I asked this on the the Flordia departures board but since it's just me, I want a ton of opinions.

 

I have decided to go ahead and book my first solo cruise in November out of Miami on Majesty. Since it's just me I want to fly in the same day. If I get a flight that lands at 12:30 in Ft Lauderdale the day of departure, will that work getting me to the ship on time? I've never been to this area.

 

Thanks!

 

If you're able to, I would strongly suggest flying in the day before. It will be much less stressful for you. A mechanical issue or bad weather, and all of a sudden your ship is leaving without you. Yes, the odds against that happening are in your favor, but in my opinion it's just not worth the risk.

 

Good luck with whatever you choose.

[nbsjcruiser]

Hi all,

 

I asked this on the the Flordia departures board but since it's just me, I want a ton of opinions.

 

I have decided to go ahead and book my first solo cruise in November out of Miami on Majesty. Since it's just me I want to fly in the same day. If I get a flight that lands at 12:30 in Ft Lauderdale the day of departure, will that work getting me to the ship on time? I've never been to this area.

 

Thanks!

 

Well if all goes well you land at 12:30 in FLL. You'll be out with luggage in hand say around 1PM. Taxi to Miami is going to be around the $50-$70 range. You'll arrive at 2PM or so, plenty of time to catch the ship. One little hiccup coming into FLL and you're in trouble. Even a 1 hour delay means you're now looking at arriving in Miami at somewhere around 3PM. Given that the ship must submit its list of passengers 90 mins prior to departure you could literally arrive while the ship is still sitting there and be denied boarding because of the Homeland Security rules. Way too risky.

 

May I suggest another option? Fly into Miami the day before. Stay at a hotel (~$150) near the POM. A cheap taxi ride to the port ($10 tops) and you arrive at any time you want. Long story short, you spend probably an extra $100 + food to arrive a day early and pretty much lock in your cruise. Makes much more sense.

[cruisenfever]

That might be a big "IF" but since the cruise terminal in Ft. Lauderdale is only a short distance from the airport an on-time arrival should not create a problem for you. However, my son and his family flew from Providence to West Palm Beach on Sunday and their departure was delayed by almost three hours. If a similar situation arose for you, I'm afraid you might be at the pier just in time to see the ship sail away.

Bill, the OP is flying into Fort Lauderdale but sailing out of Miami on Majesty which is a slightly longer drive than 10 minutes.:D I thought the driving time was about 30-45 minutes from FLL to the Port of Miami.

[KiwiGal117]

Hi all,

 

I asked this on the the Flordia departures board but since it's just me, I want a ton of opinions.

 

I have decided to go ahead and book my first solo cruise in November out of Miami on Majesty. Since it's just me I want to fly in the same day. If I get a flight that lands at 12:30 in Ft Lauderdale the day of departure, will that work getting me to the ship on time? I've never been to this area.

 

Thanks!

 

According to the all knowing Google - it is 24 miles, or about 45 minutes from FLL to Miami cruise port. I'm not sure what your all aboard time is, but assuming it's 3:30 or 4:00, you are cutting it close. If the flight is on time, your luggage arrives when it's supposed to, there are no accidents on the freeways between the airport to the ports, you should be okay. Personally, I couldn't do it. I'd be too nervous of missing the ship. For such a short cruise, that would be a shame. Given the state of air travel today, the likelihood of a delay is very real. Even if I was travelling alone, I'd fly in the night before.

[SMN73]

I think the hotels and airlines are in cahoots. lol No early arriving flights.

 

I guess I will look for a cheap hotel somewhere. The flight I would take the day before doesn't get in until midnight so I'm not trying to spend a ton of money.

[ken_nyc]

Every time I had a cruise out of state I flew in at least the day before. I know some people to have had their flights delayed and it was either a close call or they had to go to the next port.

[1 Buffett Fan]

I think the hotels and airlines are in cahoots. lol No early arriving flights.

 

I guess I will look for a cheap hotel somewhere. The flight I would take the day before doesn't get in until midnight so I'm not trying to spend a ton of money.

 

Shani, I think that's a good decision. I live only a few hours away, but I still drive down the day before if I'm sailing out of FLL or Miami. Car or plane, there's just too much that can happen. Plus if you can get an earlier flight that day before, you can chill out on the beach and think about nothing but your cruise!

[cb at sea]

Assuming your flight is on time, you'll be fine. If there is an earlier flight, book it instead.

[newbiecruiser09]

I think the hotels and airlines are in cahoots. lol No early arriving flights.

 

I guess I will look for a cheap hotel somewhere. The flight I would take the day before doesn't get in until midnight so I'm not trying to spend a ton of money.

 

I would fly in and get there at midnight instead of trying to fly day of. As someone said, one small hiccup and you're waving goodbye from the dock. We had a easy ride down from FLL to MIA when we did it a few years ago but if there is an accident or something you could be in trouble.

[Langley Cruisers]

You asked for opinions and here is mine: we never fly in the same day. Ever. We once missed a flight check-in from Toronto to Fort Lauderdale by 5 minutes. Even though we were Business Class passengers, there was nothing they could/would do for us to get us on that flight. The next flight out left Toronto at 3:30 that afternoon, certainly do-able because we were flying in two days prior. Had it been same-day, we would have missed embarkation.

 

My advice is don't do it.

[CruisinHeels]

Shani, I'm doing the same for a Majesty 3-nighter next month. I have a friend in FLL, so am flying in at midnight on Thursday, for a Friday departure. Didn't want to risk it, even though it's non-stop for me. This also allows us to get there and board early on Friday and start taking advantage of the bar package! :)

 

There are some very reasonable hotels close to FLL airport and if you are feeling up for an adventure, in the morning you can take the tri-rail to the metrorail transfer station and then get off at Historic Overtown or Government Center. (Full disclosure: I've never taken the train. We are getting a car service to the port.) Metrorail to the port looks like about a half to 3/4-mile walk, or a very short cab ride.

 

Hope this is helpful!

[ltjn]

Dear SMN73,

 

Just a little insight about flying in the USA. Before I retired I average flying over 175000 to 250000 miles a year for work. I flew the all the major carriers. I would say to be fair 50% of my flights were delayed by 2 to 3 hours, 15% may have been delayed about an 1 hour, 20% of my flights were cancelled for various reasons, and 15 to 20% arrived on time with no delays.

 

You are on vacation! Fly in at least the day before, you don't need the stress from worrying will I make it. Start your vacation the right way, relaxing.

 

If you really need to fly in due to work or other commitments, take a red eye flight the evening before you leave. You won't be able to sleep due to the excitement of your cruise, any ways!

[dacsmom]

I don't know where you are flying in from, but if it is anywhere in the north in November I would not chance flying in the same day. Also, if it is not a direct flight I wouldn't either. A little delay anywhere and you may miss the ship. Probably nothing will happen but I would be too stressed to enjoy the day.

[RoyDeb]

Our last cruise was out of Miami but we spent the evening before in a hotel in Ft. Lauderdale. On our hotel shuttle was a woman who had overslept and missed her original flight. She caught a later flight and got to the port just in time to see her ship sail away. So she ended up paying for a night at the hotel in Ft. Lauderdale and then paying for a flight to one of the Caribbean islands to catch up with the cruise. This incident reinforced our traveling to the port the day before sailing.

[Khsh08]

The last time we flew the same day it was the morning after getting married for our 2 week cruise. We had a 7:30am flight, arrived around 9:30/10 and were at the ship by 11:30. We knew we couldn't fly out after the reception and this was the best option for us, but we always go the day before now.

[papaflamingo]

I am an airline pilot. I can tell you lot's of stories about missing cruises. Delays for weather, mechanical, flight crew delays, inbound aircraft delays, traffic delays, etc. I would always go a day early.

[kalliekae]

Dear SMN73,

 

Just a little insight about flying in the USA. Before I retired I average flying over 175000 to 250000 miles a year for work. I flew the all the major carriers. I would say to be fair 50% of my flights were delayed by 2 to 3 hours, 15% may have been delayed about an 1 hour, 20% of my flights were cancelled for various reasons, and 15 to 20% arrived on time with no delays.

 

I have to agree with this post. My dh flies all the time in his job and flights are delayed more often than not even in good weather. We never fly in on the day of a cruise. Did it once back in the early 1990's when we could land at 9am, and had no trouble; but have never chanced it again. Less stressful to find a Holiday Inn Express or a Hamilton Inn and just relax until you board the ship the next day.

[BOLTFISH]

If you arrange your *flights and transfers with the ship, you should have some sort of guarantee for arrival (even if its a day or two later at the 1st port). My experience with this is (1) the transfer with the cruise line is expensive, (2) the air fare is comparable and (3) traveling the day-of is doable with some security*, but it is (4) way more stressful.

[reney313]

Another vote for taking the flight the night before even if it doesn't arrive until midnight. On top of the feeling of knowing you are "there" and no stress on boarding day, it also is priceless to not be SOO exhausted from having to be up so early to get to the airport, etc. You can sleep in, be well rested and enjoy the first day onboard instead of wanting to sleep the afternoon/night away.

[gram2kids]

Holy Cow..!!...I'm sorry I read this thread..!! I'm flying into MCO with arrival time at 11:15am the day of my cruise out of Port Canaveral and hoping and praying now that I have time to get my RCCL ground transportation to the port on time. Yikes..!!..I will now have butterflies in my stomach until Oct.4th!! I had a 9:30am arrival time originally and the d**n airline changed it to a later arrival time.

[kc320]

Holy Cow..!!...I'm sorry I read this thread..!! I'm flying into MCO with arrival time at 11:15am the day of my cruise out of Port Canaveral and hoping and praying now that I have time to get my RCCL ground transportation to the port on time. Yikes..!!..I will now have butterflies in my stomach until Oct.4th!! I had a 9:30am arrival time originally and the d**n airline changed it to a later arrival time.

 

 

If the airline changed the time you can call & get it changed to a different flight for no charge...even a day early if you want...just tell them that their change will not work for your cruise...

[SMN73]

Thank you all for the replies. I don't fly much but I guess I've been lucky and never had a sizable delay. I may just take an extra day of vacation and enjoy the day before. I am going to search for hotels in the FLL or MIA areas. If any of you have stayed at some that are not expensive, please feel free to share.

[2CatsInFlorida]

You could use Cruise Air and sail out of Ft Lauderdale instead of Miami.