When you have to fly in on the same day?

[beerman2]

OP tough spot to be in , but day of is just not worth it. After a day of work , putting final touches on dinner, last minute checking on do we have everything, packing car, getting very little sleep, stress of getting to airport, to ship and boarding,you will be exhausted that first day.

 

Will it work probably, will it be a FUN way to start vacation , not so much!

[4774Papa]

Never done it and never will. My advise is to pick a cruise where you can fly in a day before.

[LrgPizza]

I'm always amazed at the people that act like it's impossible. Obviously there is an amount of risk that needs to be weighed, but the fact is that many (if not most) cruisers still fly in the same day. It's just a matter of how much risk the traveler is willing to accept.

[asen2asen]

We have done the red eye non stop from San Francisco to Fort Lauderdale Friday night many times....leaving 1055pm and arriving 800am...we then hire an suv to get us direct to the port. No worries... If you find a flight into Miami-you are even more golden!

 

I always pack a carry on just in case my checked bag doesn't make it--but to date we have always been fortunate.

 

I have heard time and time again if you book your flights/excursions with the cruise line and there is a delay....it is the cruise line's responsibility to get you to your ship....might be something for you to check on!

 

We just got off the Haven on Escape in February/March 2016....We are booked in Escape Haven again February/March 2017 ....we loved that ship...hope you do too!!

[pathubia]

About 30 years ago we flew from Boston to Orlando for a cruise on the Big Red Boat the same day as a cruise. NEVER AGAIN. The plane had some kind of a problem and we needed to wait for another plane. We knew it would be close. I had booked the air travel through the cruise line, I called them and they said to relax, that there were 20 of us cruisers on that flight and they held the ship. We were about an hour late. When we got to the baggage carousel, there was a Disney rep there, he was grabbing all of the luggage, they put us in golf carts and drove us to the bus that was waiting. It was such a stressfull day, but boy was I happy that they waited for us!! Totally missed the muster drill, they had us meet the next morning for it..

[KarimaJ]

We do it! Direct flight very early morning. We actually took a chance and did it in February from Boston, got in just fine! But you never know with weather up here.

 

 

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[mrobstad]

Cruiser and former educator here....if you fly the day of your cruise, make sure its a direct flight and the earliest one possible. If you can do Sunday, it will ease your nerves. In all cases, buy insurance. Only once did i almost miss my cruise. I had a layover in Atlanta, and they ran out of defroster! Typical for Atlanta, Id been told.

[LakeWobegon]

Thanks again for all the replies. Looks like American has some nonstop flights from Mpls to Miami at 6 and 7 am on Saturday mornings. That will get you in before Noon if all goes right. But I am going to hold out for a Friday night flight if we can find one. And I'll switch to a Sunday sailing in all likelihood if it doesn't. The Getaway sails from Miami that Sunday. Nothing wrong with that but we really like our Escape. Still, not sure its worth chancing unless we can get a Friday night flight. You would think there would be some available for this very reason.

Edited April 7, 2016 by LakeWobegon

[mking8288]

Posted & debated on RCI board, FAA ground stop issued this past Sunday, arriving & departing flights held ... (I'm sure some of regulars on the NCL board read & some commented on the discussions - FYI for others ;) )

 

Oasis of Sea cruisers missed their ship - claims of up to 1,000 (unconfirmed, more likely - 100 passengers didn't make it into MIA on the day of embarkation) http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2337218

 

Feeling still lucky, confident that weather is not a problem on your travel dates, got trip insurance to cover incidentals and prepared to gamble it all - good for you, take your chances & remember to have your passport in case you need to fly onward to the next port. :D :eek:

 

Make that a non-stop flight, point A to point B and no additional stops in between. Direct flight from point A to point C being the destination airport, often has a hidden/intermediate stop at point B (could be a fuel stop or even equipment change, new crew, etc. or pax coming off and/or boarding) - always check, recheck & review your flight details and schedule change.

[NJJenLyn]

We've flown in the day of for one cruise out of Jacksonville and one cruise out of Miami. Those were both early flights and we were due to arrive by 10 or 11 am both times. Made it to the cruise terminal in plenty of time.

 

One other cruise, we originally planned to drive overnight to Florida then decided not to. We were locked into our departure date because of hubby's job. We opted to take Amtrak. I was a nervous wreck for like three MONTHS before, recording the arrival time of that train every day. Most days it was fine, but when it was delayed it was usually either less than half an hour, or nearly 3-4 hours late. I didn't relax after breakfast on the train when we were within half an hour of our destination.

 

I would NOT ever take the train again if I could avoid it. I would fly same day again. However, in your case, if a Sunday departure is an option, then it seems like that would be a practical and anxiety-free choice!

[Regguy]

We did it once, but conditions made it worth it. It was a nonstop from Paris to Copenhagen. There was at least one other flight later in the day but still early enough to give us a shot at talking our way on and making it. Our trip insurance would reimburse us for a 4 hour or more delay, which is what it would have had to have been. Flightstats and flightradar24 showed decent on time stats for the route. And most important, the first stop was Warnemunde and we knew we could get there by train in a day if we had to. The extra Paris night was worth it.

 

If it hadn't been for all that, I wouldn't have done it, but everyone has different risk tolerance. Vacations for us are not frequent not that flexible and heavily planned. So I don't like to chance it. That said, thousands of cruisers do it every week without thinking about it, and while you hear stories of missed cruises it must work out in the vast majority of cases.

[elruth]

How many do it? It seems like it is going to stress me out. We have a cruise booked for a Saturday next March and the Escape is set to sail at 4.

 

We'll likely have to fly in that morning to Miami because the wife is a teacher and school has a strict policy of no vacation days the day before spring break (that Friday). It takes us two hours to get to the Mpls airport. The last direct flight leaves at 5ish so that's out.

 

Any connecting flights that leave later Friday night and go throughout the night appear to cost an arm and a leg right now. Much cheaper to fly out the first thing Saturday morning (5 am-ish) direct and get there 10 am-ish. But I overheard a guy on the ship last week talking about how his flight was delayed, he missed the sailing, and the first port he could get to was Tortola, basically giving him a few days. Yikes.

 

Since this cruise isn't until March 2017? it seems like you are a planner. I definitely would take a Friday pm flight or book a Sunday cruise. Your nerves will be shot if you fly in the same day as the cruise. Too many things can happen that could make you arrive too late to board.

[LakeWobegon]

Yes. I am. Ha. I just want to rebook asap and get a room we want on a ship like Getaway for a Sunday sailing if need be as soon as I should. I will make that call toward the end of the month when flights start opening up.

 

BTW, I called NCL today and asked about the Air Sea program. The terms were this. $638 pp for a nonstop flight, "usually" the morning of the cruise, and that includes transportation and getting your bags to the ship. They tell you which flight you get about 60 days out. I had to ask a few times before I was given the answer that they can't guarantee they would get you on the ship on time (how could they unless they chartered a flight and controlled the weather?). And that if you missed the sailing, you would have to have travel insurance to cover the cost of getting to the next port. That whole arrangement makes things even riskier in my book.

[Barb Nahoumi]

I did a Boston to LA non stop that was arranged by NCL. Like the OP, my reason for a same day flight was work related. Transfers to the ship were also included.

 

Everything was on time, and we arrived at noon (California time) for a 5pm sailing. We were just lucky.

 

If you have the choice of a night before flight, it might be worth the extra cost to do it. Just saying.

[renata102]

You are one brave soul to fly in on the same day.

 

I understand why you have too so with that I say good luck! I hope for the best.

[cruis247g]

OP: we have flown in on the day of the cruise. If you were able to get an early non-stop you would probably be fine, however, I wouldn't try it in March, especially from any northern city.

 

How about the Sunday cruise instead? If you can book on early SaturdAy morning flight, it gives you a good cushion in case there are storms causing air delays. The flight system is truly a "system" so even a severe storm in another city could cause problems for you.

[lisakoivu]

I'm a teacher, and I'll bet I can guess... your wife REALLY doesn't want to get back late on Sunday and face the hordes Monday morning. Me too! Fingers crossed that Southwest comes up with something Friday night for you. We flew in on the day of one time, and almost didn't make the ship. Our luggage didn't make it and met us in Cozumel. For two days we wore shorts and a t-shirt provided by the cruise ship. Since then, I've tried many times to convince myself to try a same day, but never quite had the nerve.

[2yves]

I could never do it. I am nervous enough flying in the evening before from Canada in April. I have been checking the weather and my flight status frequently. Plan B is to hop into the car and drive 30 hours straight.

[cruiselovincouple]

We had to do it once, stressed me out the whole time. We only had to fly from Phx to San Fran but we took as EARLY a flight as possible and crossed our fingers the whole way. Made it early without incident but it wasn't a fantastic way to start a cruise. Even having a seamless experience, we still won't do it again nor would I recommend to anyone else. If you can find a Sunday sailing, definitely do it.

 

 

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[xeroxme]

I have done it both day before and same day. If your flight is non-stop then your probably gonna make it. I had a layer and a bump from our flight once in Atlanta coming from Cleveland. Luckily got the airline to give me another flight to lauderdale and had to get taxi to Miami. We made it on board 15 minutes before departure time and I was a nervousness wreck trying to make it all happen calling the ship etc. since then I book my flight the day or night before. DW is a school teacher too with the same restrictions. It's just to stressful to push the same day.

[mnventure]

I live in a suburb of MSP. If you can't get a Friday evening flight, change to the Sunday cruise. Weather is so unpredictable for MN winters, especially in March. We usually get a lot more snow than we did this year....

[albean99]

We've done it from Dallas to Miami a few times with no problem but not in the winter. My dh once got delayed flying to San Francisco from a 7 AM flight and didn't arrive until 4 PM due to mechanical issues. No cruise but it taught us that it's not worth the risk for us. Good luck in whatever you decide.

[Annmeat]

Several years ago we had flights from BWI to Mco.

My kids had won a contest and were being flown to Orlando by Verizon. They and their team and advisor had a 7am flight. DH, other parents and I were on a 9:30 am flight.

We were surprised to see the team in the waiting area when we arrived but SW promised that they were simply waiting for a new plane. They would not let us switch tickets with the kids that won the competition as Verizon had purchased the tickets and the others of us paid for our own. We wanted to make sure that the team got to the activities honoring heir accomplishment - the rest of us getting there was not as important, of course

The new plane arrived as we boarded our 9:30 flight. We waited at the Orlando airport for them as they would arrive only minutes after us.

 

At 9pm the team arrived in Orlando. They got to their banquet as the desert was being served, missed the speeches .

 

We tried to purchase tickets on another airline but there was nothing available that would work and some of the families could not put out the $$ needed to switch.

SW, who usually is very helpful...wasn't .

 

The second plane and the. The third plane were also defective.

 

Has nothing to do with cruises , but I'll never take a flight in the morning for a cruise.

 

 

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[Lady Arwen]

Well, now I'm getting a bit nervous. We're on Breakaway to Bermuda May 8th. Because we have to board our 2 dogs with friends, we had to book our flight for May 8th...not possible for them the day before.

 

We felt that since it's such a short flight from Toronto to New York, that even if our flight has a problem, there are numerous flights with other airlines and the weather should not be a factor.

 

This is the first time not flying in the day before, so not something we would normally do. I'm hoping for an uneventful boarding and flight!

[LakeWobegon]

Lady Arwen, I think you should be OK in your situation. But would you be up for a drive if needed? Depending on if there were significant travel delays you knew about the night before, looks like you could rent a car and drive in if absolutely necessary and then take your flight back at the end of the cruise. Google shows 8 plus hours but I'd bet it would be around 10 with a stop at the border and breaks, etc. Not ideal but if it meant getting there, could be an option.

 

I say this because my ops manager on my team at work just said, why don't you fly into Orlando. They have flights leaving around 7, 8 ish all year. You could fly in Friday night, sleep, and then take a transfer service the 3 hours or so it takes to get to Miami in the morning. Brilliant if it works out.