Will I make it? Flight arriving at 11:35am day of Royal Caribbean cruise

[tusconcam]

Hi there. I'm looking for advice please. My girlfriend and I have a 7 day Western Caribbean cruise booked on the Oasis of the Seas ship with Royal Caribbean in late April.

 

We booked with a travel agent and have flights included as part of the package, but the worrier that i am, I was wondering if our flight From Toronto to Fort Lauderdale that arrives at 11:35 am will pose a problem getting on-board the ship? I think I read somewhere that the ship departs at 4 pm? Not sure.

 

Could someone explain the rundown of events going from the plane to embarking? (particularly on a Royal Caribbean ship (maybe it doesn't matter if you weren't on the Oasis of the Seas, but maybe someone who has flown into Fort Lauderdale and cruised on the Oasis of the Seas could chime in too?)

 

How long does it take to get our luggage at the airport? I know this is a subjective thing.

We are taking an Airtransat transfer shuttle to the port. Any idea how long that might take?

At the Pier; what happens and how long could it take before we are on-board? I know that there will be close to 6000 other passengers. Yikes.

 

The travel agent said that this flight would be fine to get on the ship and am pretty sure changing flights would incur extra costs etc. but does anyone think we will be too rushed? Should we look for another flight?

 

Sorry for the plethora of questions but idle time makes the mind wander a bit much on potential pitfalls.

 

Thanks for the advice/info in advance.

Cameron

[paul929207]

When you arrive in FLL, you will go thru immigration, baggage claim and customs. Assuming no hang ups, this should take 30 to 45 minutes.

 

The airport is close to the port, maybe 5 miles or so. So the ride will be 10 or 15 minutes. It probably takes a few minutes to find the shuttle and wait until the shuttle is full.

 

So if the flight is on time, you should be to the port between 12:30 and 1pm.

 

This gets you there in good shape but does not give you much wiggle room.

[CruiserBruce]

The one thing paul929207 left out is you will need to be onboard 90-120 minutes prior to sailing- you don't have until 4pm.

 

Taking a shared shuttle is NOT the most efficient. Grab a taxi. Far faster. Shared shuttle will wait to fill up.

 

Commonly discussed here- flying in the day of a cruise is not recommended, particularly when weather maybe a factor. People still do it. I wouldn't.

[Flatbush Flyer]

Hi there. I'm looking for advice please. My girlfriend and I have a 7 day Western Caribbean cruise booked on the Oasis of the Seas ship with Royal Caribbean in late April.

 

 

 

We booked with a travel agent and have flights included as part of the package, but the worrier that i am, I was wondering if our flight From Toronto to Fort Lauderdale that arrives at 11:35 am will pose a problem getting on-board the ship? I think I read somewhere that the ship departs at 4 pm? Not sure.

 

 

 

Could someone explain the rundown of events going from the plane to embarking? (particularly on a Royal Caribbean ship (maybe it doesn't matter if you weren't on the Oasis of the Seas, but maybe someone who has flown into Fort Lauderdale and cruised on the Oasis of the Seas could chime in too?)

 

 

 

How long does it take to get our luggage at the airport? I know this is a subjective thing.

 

We are taking an Airtransat transfer shuttle to the port. Any idea how long that might take?

 

At the Pier; what happens and how long could it take before we are on-board? I know that there will be close to 6000 other passengers. Yikes.

 

 

 

The travel agent said that this flight would be fine to get on the ship and am pretty sure changing flights would incur extra costs etc. but does anyone think we will be too rushed? Should we look for another flight?

 

 

 

Sorry for the plethora of questions but idle time makes the mind wander a bit much on potential pitfalls.

 

 

 

Thanks for the advice/info in advance.

 

Cameron

 

 

The problem isn't getting from the airport to the port. It's the assumption that all will go well with your flight (including what happens to the plane before it even gets to your home airport. Any seasoned traveler (one who has regularly flown for business) will tell you to fly in at least a day early. Modern air travel no longer is as simple as get on the next flight if yours has a problem.

[6rugrats]

No, you will not clear US immigration and customs at FLL. Toronto has US preclearance. You'll clear US immigration and customs in Toronto.

 

All you need to do when you arrive at FLL is collect your bags and go.

 

I wouldn't fly in the day of the cruise, but you'd have to pay to change it now.

[Keith1010]

If you asked before you booked the flight I would have said fly in the day before the cruise as there is risk that a flight delay or cancellation can cause you to miss the ship.

 

Keith

[trish1c]

If you can get that flight changed, do it.

 

It's plausible & more flights arrive on time then don't but if you are one of the unlucky ones that has a problem you have no margin for error.

 

Lots of things happen: weather, bird strikes, idiots running through TSA just to kiss their GF goodbye causing the shut down of entire APs for security reasons.

 

Better safe then sorry.

[KKB]

The flight is part of the package--is that through the cruiseline? If so, they will hold the ship if you are slightly delayed & perhaps get you to the next port if you are very delayed?

 

Assuming everything goes as scheduled, your timing is fine.

 

2 years ago we HAD to fly in on cruise day (on our own:eek:) We were due in at 1:30 & cruise was leaving at 4:30, I believe. I said NO checked bags because if there were any delays I was leaving the luggage!

 

We have flown in on departure day 3x (twice booked through the cruiseline) with no issues.

 

Does that mean you will have no issues? No. But odds are you will be fine.

[daletabu]

Hmmm if you are scheduled to arrive at 11:30 in FLL, and the ship leaves at 4:30, I really wouldn't be concerned despite others misgivings. The airport is a quick cab ride to the port. If you arrive at 11:30am even if you don't arrive until 12pm, you are under 15 minutes to the ship. We do generally arrive a day in advance but have taken flights arriving same day without an issue. Sure anything can happen but I think you are overthinking it. My estimate would be you will be at the port before 12:30p. If you didn't get to the port until 2:30p you are safely within boarding time. :)

[cb at sea]

You'll be fine, assuming your flight is on time, or close!

[Krazy Kruizers]

You asked this question yesterday on another board and also got answers there:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2312915

[notentirelynormal]

You asked this question yesterday on another board and also got answers there:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2312915

 

And is on line now reading them. Let's see if we get a response on either thread.

[tusconcam]

Thank-you to all who have replied.

 

Some due diligence on m behalf before booking might have saved me some worry/problems/money, but i went with what the TA said that things will be fine.

I will check into a flight change and how much that will cost, but if it's too expensive or not feasible then of course I will pray that the flight

arrives without delay and will hightail it to the port.

 

Thanks.

Cameron

[serene56]

Most cruisers fly in the same day as the cruise. Hope all goes well with your flight and there is no delay. You have some time to get to the gate for your cruise. I think by 2:30pm- IF you are running late there is a number to call to let them know

 

Just curious what time is your return flight.

[4x4bob]

Your TA really did not do you a favor with this booking. I am sure you will learn from this trip to ask more questions before agreeing to what a TA is offering. We fired 3 different TA's before making all arrangements for our selves.

 

You need to work on your back up plan in case everything goes South on you and you miss the ship.

 

We experienced a mechanical delay with the airplane. After the dust settled we arrived at 5:00 PM and the ship sailed at 4:00 PM.

 

We then flew to the next port, stayed at a Hotel until the ship arrived 3 days later.

 

That was the only time we flew the same day of the cruise out of 16 cruises.

 

Bob

[tusconcam]

Hi all.

Thanks for your replies. As an update. Despite other posters feelings/track record with Air Transat I was able to cancel my package charter flight through my TA and reschedule it for early morning the day before we set sail for a nominal fee and even maintain our seats that we had pre-purchased for the day of original flight for free.

 

I feel much relieved at having that greater window available just in case anything bad were to happen as well as being able to relax for the day ahead of time and not have to rush to get on-board.

 

Yes I am a rookie cruiser and did perhaps naively follow the advice of my TA who perhaps should have gone over the logistics of other flights and actual boarding times and I maybe should have known better, but I'm sure my TA was just sticking to the regular flight-cruise package times and has said in retrospect that she's never had any problems with past clients in the same position. Does that mean that sound advice should mean flying in a day ahead of time; maybe.

 

So count me as being a bit more savvy about cruising and more relaxed going into what I am sure will be a great vacation.

 

Sincerely.

Cameron

[whataboutport]

That's great news. I frequently fly in same day, but arriving at 5 or 6am, not 11am! That is cutting it way too close! If you miss the flight you are SOL, but if the plane has some kind of mechanical delay and your flight gets pushed back a few hours, you still have some time to spare.

 

I'm glad you were able to get the flight changed for not too much, as you said a nominal fee but I would be looking for a different TA for the next one.

 

Have a great flight and cruise.

[GoneJohnson]

And is on line now reading them. Let's see if we get a response on either thread.

 

None here yet,

 

I'm comming into Ft. Laderdale on 10th for a 12th depart...

[hapster85]

Our 4th cruise is coming up in June, but I still feel very much the rookie to it all. I felt comfortable flying in on day cruise day because it's an early a.m. flight. Then 2 weeks ago there was an hours long TSA delay here at home, and now I'm rethinking things.

 

My wife says I'm worrying too much (I can thank my mom for that), but I think the cost of a hotel is worth added peace of mind.

[GUT2407]

I like to arrive the day before.

[acky]

We never fly in the same day - why put yourself through this added stress just before vacation.

[KKB]

We never fly in the same day - why put yourself through this added stress just before vacation.

 

The 3 times we have either we or some of our traveling companions could not fly out the day before. Luckily it has never been an issue.

 

This time I really preferred the itinerary that departed March 5--3 sea days instead of 2. BUT there was no way to fly out on Friday (our district makes it VERY difficult to get days off immediately before/after breaks & it is spring break that week). SO booked the less desirable Sunday cruise...it's OK, pretty sure we will have fun anyway!

 

We have a 10AM Sunday flight:eek: home--the other flights that day were astronomical. If we walk off we should be fine. But if we have to miss it, OH WELL--I guess I might HAVE to take another day of vacation!;):p

[MarKay525]

Hi all. Thanks for your replies. <snip>

So count me as being a bit more savvy about cruising and more relaxed going into what I am sure will be a great vacation.

 

Sincerely.

Cameron

 

Hello Cameron,

 

What a relief to read that you were able to change your flight and the cost for peace of mind wasn't too high.

 

On the first cruise that DH and I took together, we flew from Boston to San Juan the day of departure - didn't know any better. We were very blessed that our flight had no problems. Now I look back on it and think - were you crazy. Thankfully I found Cruise Critic and have learned a lot since then.

 

Hope you enjoy your overnight in Ft. Lauderdale - you will be ready to board the Oasis relaxed and ready for fun.

 

If you haven't already, check out the Florida boards for information about Ft. Lauderdale:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=495

 

Have a marvelous cruise.

[Host Walt]

...Hope you enjoy your overnight in Ft. Lauderdale - you will be ready to board the Oasis relaxed and ready for fun.

...

 

Even if there was a way to guarantee that a same day flight would do the job, the psychological benefit of waking up in a Ft Lauderdale hotel on cruise day with no worries makes that first day on board just that much better.

 

The unsettling concerns about arriving on time at the FLL airport, even if not in a panic state of mind, is just another distraction you don't need. Then there is the physical aspect of schlepping luggage and transporting it and yourselves to Port Everglades which can take energy that could be better spent on enjoying the relaxing you can do once on board.

[Friend100]

Even if there was a way to guarantee that a same day flight would do the job, the psychological benefit of waking up in a Ft Lauderdale hotel on cruise day with no worries makes that first day on board just that much better.

 

I second the psychological benefit comment. Also on disembarkation day, it is a priceless feeling to watch people scrambling out to catch their 9:15am flight while we purposely assign ourselves to be the last group out as we have plenty of wiggle room for the return flight the next day ... while still envying those other cruisers staying for their B2B 😂