Flight from Australia

[Jadii]

Hi all,

 

New to the forum and to the cruising world. If I fly in from Melbourne Australia to Orlando arriving at 6.30pm on Saturday, will this give me enough time to get to my cruise on the Sunday? I'm worried about flight delays flying United or Delta/Virgin

 

Edited to Add will be on Oasis of the Seas for Eastern Carribean.

[springaussie]

The biggest issue Aussies face is a problem causes a flight cancellation with most of the flights leave Oz to the USA at virtually the same time each day. That would have you 24 hours late into Orlando. At a travel show recently I asked a travel insurance guy does insurance cover me for this type of trip and he told me I would have prove I had enough time to make the cruise in the first place.

So you are better flying a day earlier.

It is a lot easier for Aussies to make a ship leaving Barcelona and Southampton then it is to Miami, Fort Lauderdale and Port Canaveral with a flight cancellation arriving the day before.

[CFIGuy]

I would personally recommend one more day as a buffer just in case. This Summer our Brisbane to LA flight operated over 4 hours late due to fog, misconnecting almost everyone. We did make it to the East Coast same day, but only by sheer luck. We literally ran from customs to another terminal thru security and boarded a flight (last passengers on) and did the same thing in our connecting city.

[voyager70]

Not an Aussie but I would also recommend leaving a day earlier for the reasons mentioned. When I cruise from a North American port I leave one day early but when I cruise from a port outside of North America I give myself an extra day cushion, so as not to stress about lengthy delays or cancellations. Better safe than sorry. Have a great cruise on Oasis, she's a beauty!

[maxx]

Having been on those long haul flights many times from Oz I would also agree with the extra day. Its a long way and jet lag may be a problem. Best to be nice and rested for embarkation.

[Dennis#1]

Why not plan for two or three extra days in Florida. There is so much to do in the Orlando area (Disney Land, Sea World, etc., etc.). Also, the extra days let's you adjust to the time difference. We arrived 3 days before our Radiance of the Seas cruise that departed from Sidney a few years back.

[Desert Cruizers]

I also recommend you arrive on Friday. We left from LAX to Sydney which is the reverse but still left on the 15th to arrive on the 17th or two days before the cruise.

[Jadii]

Thank you for your replies. Unfortunately due to work commitments I can only leave on the Saturday,

[waterbug123]

If I fly in from Melbourne Australia to Orlando arriving at 6.30pm on Saturday, will this give me enough time to get to my cruise on the Sunday? I'm worried about flight delays flying United or Delta/Virgin

 

Thank you for your replies. Unfortunately due to work commitments I can only leave on the Saturday,

 

You arrive at 6:30 pm and presumably your ship doesn't depart until around 4pm the following day, giving you almost 24 hours to drive the hour or so to Port Canaveral or the 3-4 hours to Port Everglades (I honestly don't recall which one is Oasis' home port these days). So assuming your flight departs as schedule, then yes- you have more than enough time to get to the port.

If you have serious flight delays, then the answer is that nobody knows if it will be enough time, as nobody knows what time you might actually arrive in Orlando. Also, delays can happen with any airline, not just United, Delta and Virgin.

[renata102]

You arrive at 6:30 pm and presumably your ship doesn't depart until around 4pm the following day, giving you almost 24 hours to drive the hour or so to Port Canaveral or the 3-4 hours to Port Everglades (I honestly don't recall which one is Oasis' home port these days). So assuming your flight departs as schedule, then yes- you have more than enough time to get to the port.

If you have serious flight delays, then the answer is that nobody knows if it will be enough time, as nobody knows what time you might actually arrive in Orlando. Also, delays can happen with any airline, not just United, Delta and Virgin.

 

Oasis is out of Orlando.

[JohninDC]

Lots of hotels near the MCO airport and I think there is a Hyatt inside of MCO - crash for the night and then catch a shuttle to Port Canaveral the next morning. Cocoa Beach Shuttle and Cortrans are the shuttle operators most frequently suggested on the FLA departures board: https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=495

[pingpong1]

Oasis is out of Orlando.

 

Ok, I'm curious. Is Oasis the first major cruise ship to be fitted out with wheels and axles, so it can "drive" from Orlando to the nearest body of water? Just wondering? :D

[cruisenfever]

Oasis is out of Orlando.

Orlando is inland and is the closest airport to fly into. Oasis sails out of Port Canaveral which is approximately a 90 minute drive to the port depending on traffic.

[JohninDC]

I think 50-60 minutes driving time is closer to my actual experience with no significant traffic issues. Your results may vary. ;)