our flight comes in at 9:45 am day of embark

[tress1018]

we were so stupid not for flying in the day before and relaxing on the day we leave out of FLL. so we booked an early flight landing in FLL at 9:40 day of.. we did this in case of bad weather.. we were worried of flight delays and we didn't want to "miss the boat"....so now what do we do from 10:00 till 1:00.. i dont' want to stand in line outside.. any sugesstions...?? i am also thinking... we paid for princess transfers... so i bet the transfer is going to be waiting for us..and will just drop us off early... that is really going to stink... help...any suggestions

[coiran]

Not to worry! Planes are usually late coming in, and by the time you get your luggage it wil be at least 10:30 - Princess will have you wait till other pax show up then transport you to the pier.

Ron

[Mandee]

Well, it will probably take you more than 20 minutes to get your bags. And if your experience with the Princess transfer in FLL is anything like the one I had last April you won't have to worry at all about arriving too early ;)

 

You can usually board earlier than they say, I wouldn't worry about it too much.

[JLC@SD]

we were so stupid not for flying in the day before and relaxing on the day we leave out of FLL. so we booked an early flight landing in FLL at 9:40 day of.. we did this in case of bad weather.. we were worried of flight delays and we didn't want to "miss the boat"....so now what do we do from 10:00 till 1:00.. i dont' want to stand in line outside.. any sugesstions...?? i am also thinking... we paid for princess transfers... so i bet the transfer is going to be waiting for us..and will just drop us off early... that is really going to stink... help...any suggestions

 

I would have done the same thing, arriving FLL 9:45 is OK. It is good to be on the early flights in case there is a delay.

 

The plane lands 9:45 so by the time you actually get off, collect your luggage and greet the Princess reps for transfer, it will be 10:15 to 10:30. Allow some time to get to the port, not far, but by the time you load and unload the bus and luggage say 11:00.

 

So you will have a couple of hours to meet and talk with your fellow cruisers and in those situations we find the time will go quickly.

[Toto2Kansas]

Princess will have you cooling your heals either at the airport or on the transfer bus. They usually don't stop dropping off passengers until the doors are about ready to open for boarding. No worrys! :)

[racepoint]

You're coming into the airport at a fine time. The only sugestion I would make is to ditch your Princess transfers and just get a cab yourself. It's cheaper and has its advantages. As other posters have said, Princess will have you "cooling your heels" at the airport for several long hours. There's not much to do in the airtport at that hour (but the bar IS open. Hubby and I spent a late morning in the Miami airport a few years ago while waiting for Carnival transfers. Not what we'd do at home, but heck ,we were on vacation and the bartender was friendly and an interesting guy to talk to. By the time Carnival was ready to load our bags on the bus, we were half in the bag . . .and much younger!!) Anyway, my experience with several different ships is that if you're at the dock around 11:00 a.m., they will start to line you up and start the boarding procedure. If you wait until Princess decides to let you board their busses, they will get you to the port around 1:00 and during peak time.

[JGR01]

You also need to look at the 'backup' plan. Yes your scheduled plane arrives at 9:40am day of cruise. Are you making a connection or if the flight nonstop from home airport to FLL?

 

I look at the alternatives. 95% of the time I have to make a connection. So if I am on the 6:00am flight from home (nice cuz the plane overnights there but in the middle of winter has delayed because of frozen water or fuel valves and tends to run late because they need to de-ice the plane) I then make a connection in ORD. Let's assume I miss the scheduled ORD connection .. what is the NEXT ORD-FLL that I can take (assuming the airline will get me seat)?? Normally that next flight is two hours later .. so my 9:40am planned arrival becomes 11:40am or later.

 

I always plan out the 'options' of a flight problem occurs the day of the cruise. It has happened a few times and thankfully as top-tier on American Airlines I have been accomodated well, but there is always the panic of missing the ship.

 

I would prefer to arrive the day before, but sometimes cannot.

 

By looking at all your routing and flight alternatives to KNOW what to di in case of delays or cancellation, I feel more comfortable. Your 9:40am arrival may work just wonderfully and you will be onboard having lunch at noon... on the other hand you may be rushing to arrive a 3-4pm because of delays and hoping to make the ship! I think the earlier the arrival the better! Had you 'planned' a 1pm arrival and it went late .. you may miss the ship!

[spongerob]

Assuming no flight delays, I don't think you have a lot to be concerned about. You probably won't have much of a wait once you've collected your bags, got them loaded onto your transfer shuttle, and wait for it to fill up before heading to the pier. Remember, keep your carry-on bags with any valuables with you throughout the entire process!

 

A good suggestion would be to pick up some bottled water or other drinks in case you do have to wait outside. Delays are possible, though in FLL it's usually a pretty well-run show. Oh, and be sure to visit the head before leaving the airport, there are few if any facilities available until you board.

[Terre]

We always book early flights the day of and take a cab to the pier once we get our luggage. You can get a cab very quickly and they have you at the pier before you know it. I'd rather be waiting in line at Princess check-in than at the airport waiting for the bus to fill up!:D

[chasetf]

we were so stupid not for flying in the day before and relaxing on the day we leave out of FLL. so we booked an early flight landing in FLL at 9:40 day of.. we did this in case of bad weather.. we were worried of flight delays and we didn't want to "miss the boat"....so now what do we do from 10:00 till 1:00.. i dont' want to stand in line outside.. any sugesstions...?? i am also thinking... we paid for princess transfers... so i bet the transfer is going to be waiting for us..and will just drop us off early... that is really going to stink... help...any suggestions

Where are you coming from ???

 

We come in from the west coast, so to get there at that time we would have to leave at 0dark30. We fly the day before because of it, arrive late evening, get up the next morning, enjoy a nice leisure breakfast, then wander on out to the pier. :) Flying in the day before saved us on time because we arrived on time, but our bags didn't. They did not get in until 11am the next day (Departure Day)

 

If you are on a 2hr flight then you are leaving at a decent hour.. :D

[yancycruiser]

I agree with all previous posters. We have cruised out of FLL on four occasions and arrived between 10 and 11:00 on the day of the cruise. We had no problems. You will be fine. Have a wonderful cruise.