Tight timeline; disembark and to airport

[magicwanderer]

Greetings;

 

The Carnival Fascination arrives and disembarks at 7 am on a Sunday. I am looking at an ideal flight that departs at 9:22 am.

 

Assuming I get up and do a fairly quick walk off, do I have enough time to get to the airport for screening and boarding? I am guessing that San Juan's airport is smaller, so check in should be quicker?

 

Also, general cost for taxi or shuttle from port to airport? (this I can probably find elsewhere, and perhaps before an answer arrives.....)

 

Thanks!

[slidergirl]

SJU is not a small airport. And, there will be several thousand other cruisers getting off the ship, trying to get a cab, going through the agriculture checkpoint, check-in, and TSA checkpoint with you. And, you have San Juan morning traffic to deal with.

You had better hope you are OFF the ship, in a cab, and get to the SJU curb by 8:00am. OR, have a backup for getting on another flight that has a seat for you.

 

Do a search on this forum for taxi rates - they are fixed by zones. It should be something like $19 plus $1 for each bag.

[magicwanderer]

SJU is not a small airport. And, there will be several thousand other cruisers getting off the ship, trying to get a cab, going through the agriculture checkpoint, check-in, and TSA checkpoint with you. And, you have San Juan morning traffic to deal with.

You had better hope you are OFF the ship, in a cab, and get to the SJU curb by 8:00am. OR, have a backup for getting on another flight that has a seat for you.

 

Do a search on this forum for taxi rates - they are fixed by zones. It should be something like $19 plus $1 for each bag.

 

 

Helpful, but disconcerting. The Carnival Fascination is "only" about 2100 passengers - small compared to the Splendor, from which I disembarked very quickly last summer. It is 10 miles to the airport, roughly. 8am arrival is possible, depending on traffic. I've lost track of the website that showed me which ships / how many are in port in a given day. If it is just the Fascination, the 9:22 flight might be workable. All later flight options get me home with a +1 day timeframe, and I will be returning teens to my ex, so that is not an option (she's not flexible, nor very agreeable, in my biased experience).

[skrufy]

Would never do it, not enough wiggle room for unforeseen delays.

[OjMel]

My husband and I made a 9:45 am flight out of San Juan, no problem. I don't think I'd risk it with our kids, but just the two of us went fine. We'd been in/out of SJU several times previously however, and were familiar with the ag check, etc. Of course we also walked off the ship carrying our own luggage. We disembarked asap, and were quick to grab a taxi which was readily available.

[KayKayKay]

American just changed our flights to 8:55 a.m. I'm traveling by myself with my 8 year old twins. We've been there twice so we are familiar with the process. Should I definitely insist on a change to a later flight?

[Stinger-pr]

American just changed our flights to 8:55 a.m. I'm traveling by myself with my 8 year old twins. We've been there twice so we are familiar with the process. Should I definitely insist on a change to a later flight?

Even though others have had luck with early flights, I would never recommend anything that leaves before 11am and here's why: While the Fascination is always on time for a 7am docking, debarking doesn't start "a few minutes later" as in most ports of call during the week. Debarkation usually starts around 8am IF there are no delays. I've done the route with Carnival three times in the past four years and always had debarkation delayed for some reason or another. The earliest they've started was on my last trip last year and that didn't happen until past 8:30am When they called Platinum, Diamond and FTTF guests to debark. After those, they call those with self assist (carry you own bags off). Even if you're on the gangway at 8am you have to account for the time to get and stop at Customs, walk to the taxi, around 20 minutes to the airport, scan your luggage at the US Agriculture scanners, check your bags, TSA, etc. You might make it work with a flight before 10am but you'd have to basically be pushing that gangway out with the crew and be off the ship in a jiffy and have no delays debarking.

[Ashland]

American just changed our flights to 8:55 a.m. I'm traveling by myself with my 8 year old twins. We've been there twice so we are familiar with the process. Should I definitely insist on a change to a later flight?

Absolutely...Definitely change your flights. Check their schedule before calling and know what your other options are...Best of luck.

[pauly]

american just changed our flights to 8:55 a.m. I'm traveling by myself with my 8 year old twins. We've been there twice so we are familiar with the process. Should i definitely insist on a change to a later flight?

 

yes

[slidergirl]

American just changed our flights to 8:55 a.m. I'm traveling by myself with my 8 year old twins. We've been there twice so we are familiar with the process. Should I definitely insist on a change to a later flight?

 

Absolutely!!! I think there would be no physical way to be off a ship and be at the gate at 8:25am (remember - there are "must be at the gate or you are denied boarding" times for the airline, which can vary from T-15 to T-30, depending on the airline AND airport).

 

Since AA changed the flight time, you should be able to get a change of flight at no cost (I don't fly AA, so I cannot be certain).