Flying in 24 hours before cruise!!

[babs135]

Most people, when they possibly can, will fly into port 24 hours before sailing, but how do you cope with this holdup?  Sorry for anyone caught up in it, but obviously safety of the aircraft and its passengers is paramount.

 

 

 

 

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/uknews/gatwick-drone-chaos-furious-fliers-are-warned-mayhem-could-last-24-hours-after-drone-sightings-shut-runway-with-planes-diverted-hundreds-of-miles-passengers-turned-away-to-hotels-and-all-airports-in-south-full-to-capacity/ar-BBRbRCu?ocid=spartanntp

[Krazy Kruizers]

Drones can be a problem and cause delays.  The other day they think a drone hit the nose of a plane causing damage.

 

We always fly into the embarkation ports at least 3 days early -- aloows for all kinds of delays and plane changes.

[Zach1213]

This whole thing is a mess. It's proof that you can never be 100% certain of any travel plans. The vast majority of times, flying in a day or two ahead is the best bet...but you have that 1/100 chance something bizarre will happen that you just can't plan for. This is the case here.

 

3 hours ago, Krazy Kruizers said:

Drones can be a problem and cause delays.  The other day they think a drone hit the nose of a plane causing damage.

 

 

Yes the incident the other day is an interesting one. Rumors amongst my fellow aerospace professionals are that it was a US Border Patrol UAV.

[Flatbush Flyer]

4 hours ago, Krazy Kruizers said:

Drones can be a problem and cause delays.  The other day they think a drone hit the nose of a plane causing damage.

 

We always fly into the embarkation ports at least 3 days early -- aloows for all kinds of delays and plane changes.

Please change the font. As others have also pointed out, the "script" font you are using is pretty much unreadable in the CC mobile version. Thanks!

[Underwatr]

5 hours ago, babs135 said:

but how do you cope with this holdup?

Not helpful on all itineraries, but I'd think this falls within trip interruption coverage on travel insurance. Typically complete cessation of flights to or from a location for 4-6 hours or more is sufficient.

[Flatbush Flyer]

5 hours ago, babs135 said:

Most people, when they possibly can, will fly into port 24 hours before sailing, but how do you cope with this holdup? 

With the understanding that some folks with inflexible work schedules may have limited air options, I suggest that cruisers "flying in" consider at least 48-72 hr arrival at the starting port prior to embarkation. 

 

Far different than a decade or two ago, modern air travel definitely has a "not-so-new normal." 

Occasional travelers are in for a big surprise when they think that they can catch a "later" flight when there are delays, cancellations, missed connections, etc. In those reschedule challenges, they may be missing the fact that any of the rare "open" seats on the next few flights will go to loyal FFs and/or full fare customers. And then, it is not unusual for that occasional traveler's rebooking to be DAY(s), not HOURS later.

 

For any flight to a cruise, we prefer to arrive at least 2-3 days prior to embarkation to buffer for any of the obvious potential problems (lost luggage, missed connects et al.). We also try to pick itineraries that start/end in different cities that are new to us (or old favorites) thus allowing added land vacation on the same airfare. 

 

As for flights with connections, we plan at least 2 hrs layover (domestic) and 3 hrs (international) and, whenever possible, use United/Star Alliance hubs for maximum flexibility (e.g., flight reassignment) and loyalty perks including lounge access, automatic rebooking and luggage handling priority.

 

Even at disembarkation, we always plan a departure buffer. Plan A is a few added days in that new or favorite city. But, even in lackluster Swamplandia, where we do fly out that same day, we'll always leave in the late afternoon or early evening. Amazing how fast the wait time can go when you've got a good book and a cocktail or two.🍸🍸

 

Edited December 20, 2018 by Flatbush Flyer

[Underwatr]

Bear in mind, that even if flights resume after 24 hours, that doesn't mean that your travel will only be delayed 24 hours. The airline only has so many planes and pilots so they have to accommodate the stranded travelers of a period of several days as space on scheduled flights allows. Even traveling days in advance it's a good idea to have a way to join the cruse somewhere other than the scheduled embarkation port and trip interruption coverage should pay for the flight to the alternate location

[Bizmark'sMom]

How do you cope? You stay flexible and roll with the punches.  If my cruise port was in Euurope, I would be looking at train schedules.  If my cruise was embarking out of reasonable train range, I would be making Plan B - stuff to do if the cruise is just not going to happen.

 

In my case, I have the time off of work and a house sitter arranged.  I'm going on some sort of a vacation.

[boulders]

I had a European cruise booked in May, 2010. The volcanic eruption in Iceland shut down airspace starting in April. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Air_travel_disruption_after_the_2010_Eyjafjallajökull_eruption  I was looking at transatlantic cruises to get to my destination. A lot of other people had the same idea and there were no cabins to be had. Luckily, my flight was booked for a time in between flight disruptions and we got to our departure port without incident.

 

I was talking to our Italian driver that we had booked at Rome about the disruption. He told me that he had driven people from Italy to Paris and another group back during the air traffic shutdown.

 

We were flexible. There were trains from our arrival city to the next ports. It's all part of the adventure. Our next cruise arrives less than 24 hours prior to our cruise from Auckland, so there really isn't an alternative should the plane break down. But if we're a day or two late, we can always catch up with the ship. 

[Beachdude]

We typically give ourselves a one day buffer, which did saved us on trip with an overnight weather delay. But leaving 3 days prior to the cruise isn't cheap and could even double the cost of the whole trip. Being flexible is good advise. Even renting a car can be a reasonable alternative in some cases.

 

Beary

[sparks1093]

Flying in the day before is one thing we do, we don't have the ability to fly in earlier than that. We realize that there may be a time when 1 day is insufficient. We'd try to make the best of it wherever we were.

[Extra Kim]

4 hours ago, boulders said:

I had a European cruise booked in May, 2010. The volcanic eruption in Iceland shut down airspace starting in April. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Air_travel_disruption_after_the_2010_Eyjafjallajökull_eruption  I was looking at transatlantic cruises to get to my destination. A lot of other people had the same idea and there were no cabins to be had. Luckily, my flight was booked for a time in between flight disruptions and we got to our departure port without incident.

 

Celebrity picked up British travelers in Spain.
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/travelnews/7617671/Icelandic-volcano-Cruise-ship-joins-rescue-operation.html

[ldubs]

10 hours ago, Bizmark'sMom said:

How do you cope? You stay flexible and roll with the punches.  If my cruise port was in Euurope, I would be looking at train schedules.  If my cruise was embarking out of reasonable train range, I would be making Plan B - stuff to do if the cruise is just not going to happen.

 

In my case, I have the time off of work and a house sitter arranged.  I'm going on some sort of a vacation.

 

Plan B -- there you go!!   When these things happen it does not have to be the end of the world.   Roll with it and enjoy.   

[jagsfan]

On 12/20/2018 at 9:35 AM, Flatbush Flyer said:

Please change the font. As others have also pointed out, the "script" font you are using is pretty much unreadable in the CC mobile version. Thanks!

I just skip over it. 

[SRF]

On 12/20/2018 at 10:27 AM, Flatbush Flyer said:

Occasional travelers are in for a big surprise when they think that they can catch a "later" flight when there are delays, cancellations, missed connections, etc. In those reschedule challenges, they may be missing the fact that any of the rare "open" seats on the next few flights will go to loyal FFs and/or full fare customers. And then, it is not unusual for that occasional traveler's rebooking to be DAY(s), not HOURS later.

 

 

Exactly.  The days of a lot of seats available for rebooked passengers is GONE.

 

I have mentioned this before here, but I was returning from Orlando, from visiting a friend.

 

Flights were getting canceled due to snow in the mid-Atlantic area.  I was a high level frequent flier.  First flight was canceled, I got rebooked on a later one.  While waiting for that one, it got canceled.  I got rebooked to an early flight the next morning.

 

I arranged a hotel, and while waiting for the shuttle, got to talking to a family, also headed to the same hotel.  They had been on the same flight as my second one.  They were rebooked out 3 DAYS later.

 

And I had a similar thing last week.  I was headed to the airport when I got a message my flight was delayed by 2.5 hours.  With a 2 hour connection. Oops.  Got rebooked through another routing (with 1 hour connections), and got the LAST seat on BOTH my first two flights.  I am sure there were others that did not get seats, and were delayed going to wher ever they were going for Christmas.