8:55 am flight home from FLL?

[MarKay525]

Hi - to the list of possible delays that could prevent you from walking off the ship at 6:05 am, add Medical Evacuation. On our last cruise, we had a medical evac the last night while en route back to Florida - we arrived back in port late and all of the disembarkation times were delayed by at least two hours - many people missed their early flights.

 

If you decide to do the early flight, be sure to go down to the gathering area for self-disembarkation long before 6 AM so you can be at the head of the line to get off.

 

Hope you have a great cruise and good luck with whatever you choose.

Edited November 18, 2015 by MarKay525

[Keith1010]

I am on the Royal Princess arriving back in Ft Lauderdale at 6:00 am in a few weeks. I have a later flight booked but am considering booking the 8:55 am flight home as well (I will keep the later flight as well as it is refundable...just in case I miss the 8:55 am flight). Do you think we can make the 8:55 am flight?

 

Don't book a flight that early.

 

You won't make it and even if it is refundable if the remaining flights are full it won't help you.

 

Don't do it.

 

Keith

[Shogun]

Hi

 

Would never pick an am flight, have been held in queues with customs issues twice in past few years

 

meaning it was lunch time before we got to airport the other time it was 2.00pm before we got to Miami.

 

yours Shogun

[dcrow72]

Just did express walk off the Regal on Sunday. We were 3rd group and we were in our car at 640. It is possible but there are always variables.

[JEDMELK]

OK, obviously, you have a mixed group of yes and no answers-- Personally, I would not opt for this but I will also say that there is a remote chance of making this happen.

Things that come into play are all obvious: day of week, actual day (as mentioned Holiday Season), how many ships in port, are the US Customs Agents in a good or bad mood that morning. I would assume you get the drift.

 

Now, back to my original reason for posting. Having read your original post stating you already have a later flight booked and that is refundable, would you have a refundable ticket for this earlier flight?

 

Is this earlier flight on the same airline as the later flight? If so, and if you use an airline specific frequent flyer number for this airline, their computers might at some point pick up a double booking and automatically cancel one of them without you knowing until you get to the airport. The reservation systems are quite robust when it comes to looking for these types of things. Goes back several decades (1990's) when secret cities used to exist so a traveler could purchase a flight to a city with a connection, get off in the connecting city and then return from the connecting city for much less than the flight to the connection city. An example is a ticket from NYC-DALAS-New Orleans would cost $300 (roundtrip) and you just get off and back on in Dallas but if you purchased the NYC-Dallas it could have cost $1400. Very strange and made no sense but it did happen and they lost lots of revenue. That is why they check for these things now.

 

Good Luck with whatever your choice is and please, let us all know the outcome

Jed

[geoherb]

We were in the first group off the ship in January. The meeting time was at 7:15. We didn't make it through Customs and Immigration and out of the parking deck until 8.

[Scrappygrrl]

Got off Regal two Saturdays ago, November 8th. Walked off with our luggage at 6:25 am, through customs in no time, line of taxis ready to take us the 10 minute ride to airport.

was at gate by 7:15 am. It's doable if there are no issues clearing the ship, no emergencies that delay etc. If you have status on a particular airline, a frequent flier who knows the system, and have no issues flying standby if you miss that flight then go for it. I know a previously poster put your odds at 50/50 but I would say more like 80/20 or maybe even 90/10.

FLL was a ghost-town at 6:30am on a Sunday, because most ppl don't want to get off ship that early. It started getting busy around 8.

Edited November 18, 2015 by Scrappygrrl

[cbreit]

Everyone here talked me into leaving the next day. We had a flight booked on the same day as debarkation, at 10:50 a.m. and I was stressing out about that. Got a hotel for a fair price and decided to leave the next day. Don't stress!

[duck addict]

I have done several Princess cruises ending in FLL. If you are using EZ check and therefore have your boarding passes and only carry on (EZ check delivers your luggage to the airline)_then it will probably. You are at the 'mercy' of customs, immigration, the airline and TSA for it to work. One of my worst experiences there..cab to airport, then it took 1 1/4 hours to get boarding pass (days before boarding passes on phone) and check luggage. Then we were sent outside of terminal to get in line for TSA . That line took 1 1/4 hours to clear security.

[TracieABD]

It can be done. I have made a 9:30 flight without issue (and that was with a mom wth mobility impairments... However, if there is one tiny snag with immagration, customs, the ship, your luggage, taxis, dock strike, med evac, deactivated cruise card, etc... you might not make it. If you add in a bit of a buffer, you will not have to rush it.

 

 

ps. there was a thread on here about delayed disembarkation at San Pedro (yes, I know this is Port Ev. you are asking about, but stuff can happen anywhere), people were on the ship until early afternoon due to issues. Just know it can and may happen.

[capriccio]

I have done several Princess cruises ending in FLL. If you are using EZ check and therefore have your boarding passes and only carry on (EZ check delivers your luggage to the airline)_then it will probably.

 

EZ Check isn't available on a flight that early (8:55 am). For Fort Lauderdale I think the flight needs to be after 11:30 am.

[Husky61]

It really doesn't matter what others on this forum think, it is your choice if you want to try it.:)

[Jimbo59]

November 15 taxi queue was 45 minutes. It depends on how many other ships are in port.

[broberts]

Nice way to ruin a perfectly good, relaxing vacation. Run, run, run. :D

Edited November 19, 2015 by broberts

[perditax]

P.S., the OP never came back.

[Steelers36]

First off, most posters on this thread have not cruised this season out of Port Everglades. Pay attention to posters like Kenosha and others who have just disembarked from REGAL, or other ships, THIS MONTH.

 

Princess has changed their posted arrival time to 6:00am from 7:00am (the ship typically arrives and docks much sooner).

 

Who knows if this is a cooperation between cruise line and airlines to take advantage of more flights?

 

As Ken reported, people were leaving ship very early and we were on two cruises and both times they were running well ahead of schedule for departures.

 

If you are experienced and confident traveller/flyer, early flights can be done. If you are not sure and so forth, then doing things quickly and efficiently may not be possible for you. Also, if you are the worrying type, why stress it?

 

Here are factors that can help anyone make the early flight. If these factors are in your favor, then you have a high chance of success. Of course, unplanned issues can cause delays and make you late, just as can occur with flying.

 

1. Already checked in for flight before leaving ship with either paper or electronic BP in hand.

 

2. Request early walk-off and depart ship taking all your own luggage.

 

3. Belong to NEXUS or GLOBAL ENTRY so you get priority access to US CBP at the Pier (this is about Port Everglades).

 

4. Belong to NEXUS or GLOBAL ENTRY so you get TSA Pre and can get priority security screening at FLL.

 

5. Have only carry-on so you can go straight to security screening. Otherwise, be able to print and attach tags at a kiosk and be able to quickly drop off checked bags. Of course, if you have to pay, any luggage fee should be pre-paid.

 

 

We left the REGAL late (9:30am), breezed by everyone in line due to GLOBAL ENTRY at Pier 2, walked out to a waiting taxi, and were at Terminal 3 and through TSA Pre within about a half hour. I wondered why we didn't stay on the ship until 10am.

[whatcruiseisnext]

Everyone here talked me into leaving the next day. We had a flight booked on the same day as debarkation, at 10:50 a.m. and I was stressing out about that. Got a hotel for a fair price and decided to leave the next day. Don't stress!

 

You could EASILY have made a 1050am flight.

[qqwer123]

Last year on our cruise, I had a 1210 flight. When I registered my flights the booking on the website they got red flagged and I had to change them. Phone Princess!!!

[timetravler]

I just got off the Regal on Nov 3rd and had self debarkation. I was able to leave the ship by 7am or so. Got to the airport well before 8am. But I had a noon flight. I would NEVER stress myself out with a flight before 11am. It isn't worth it to me. One glitch is all it takes to miss your flight. Princess suggestion to NOT book a early flight is done for a darn good reason.

[Woobstr112G]

Way, way too early.....

 

Bob