Flying to San Juan Day of Cruise - Ok to do?

[waterbug123]

21 hours ago, Luv2Crus40 said:

 We were wondering what experiences other Celebrity cruisers have had with flying into San Juan to catch the cruise which leaves port at 8 at night. 

 

I understand your question, just realize that what happened, or didn't happen, to others in the past has virtually no bearing on what will or won't happen to you.

 

11 hours ago, garyl62 said:

Unlike many others, traveling the day prior is not an option for us normally.  My wife is a teacher typically we cruise over Spring Break and there are very strict policies about taking the Friday before break off.  If we didn't travel on departure day we would not be able to go.

 

Life is about choices.  You could choose to do a Sunday-Sunday cruise and fly in on Saturday.  (or choose a shorter cruise, or a summer cruise etc.)

 

10 hours ago, Luv2Crus40 said:

We do have trip insurance through Celebrity in case of problems.

 

Just understand that with insurance, you generally have to come out of pocket first and get reimbursed later.  If you have the funds to put up until you get reimbursed, no problem.

 

8 hours ago, NukeTim said:

We’ve taken the first nonstop to SJU on cruise day departure and never have had a problem.  If you have insurance or use Choiceair you’re covered if something happens. 

 

"You're covered" is kind of vague.  Both CA and insurance help mitigate risks, but neither guarantees that you will make the ship, or be able to catch up to it the very next day etc.

 

3 hours ago, garyl62 said:

I believe all currently scheduled 7 day trips out of San Juan leave on Saturdays. I've never seen a 7 day Celebrity cruise departing from SJ on a Sunday.

 

Again, there are choices.  You could choose a different embarkation point or a different cruise line.

 

 

OP:  the bottom line is that on most days, most people make most flights with minimal delays.  That includes the majority of people who fly same day to a cruise.  But "most" does not equal 100%l there is always a risk that your particular flight on your particular travel day will have issues and you could miss your flight.  Traveling same day adds risk and everyone's risk tolerance is different.  Best to have a back-up plan well thought out ahead of time, and know EXACTLY what your insurance covers and under what circumstances it kicks in; all insurance policies are not created equal.

Edited May 11, 2019 by waterbug123

[Luv2Crus40]

Thanks again for everyone's input.  We don't do stress well and hate flying nowadays.  So if I can get another day off, will fly down day before.  Also flights from Newark to San Juan are usually really early so gives us a day to recover.  Thank goodness we only have to fly one way because our B2B ends up back in Bayonne.  Bon Voyage !

[garyl62]

Waterbug123, as you said life is about choices and I'm very happy with all the choices I've made outlined in the information I shared in this thread so I'm not sure why you feel you need to tell me I could have made different choices.

 

The OP specifically said they were interested in  "what experiences other Celebrity cruisers have had with flying into San Juan to catch the cruise which leaves port at 8 at night."  to which you don't seem to have any direct experience.  Maybe I'm wrong, but I didn't see your personal experience referenced in your response. 

 

I just don't understand when a specific question is asked, why do people feel the need to provide opinions not based on the experience the OP asks, or critique other posters experiences.  I guess that's just another choice people make.....

[DENIE]

We did fly the same day once from Phoenix to San Diego to get on a HAL cruise.  Of course, flights from Phoenix to San Diego are like a shuttle, one per hour.  We took the earliest flight and made with no problem.  But, perhaps ignorance was bliss, and don't think we would do it again. Even an X cruise last year from LA, we drove from Phoenix to LA the day before.  For a Mediterranean cruise this fall, we are leaving three days before the cruise boards - and with time zones, it equals arriving approximately 2 days ahead, and just plan to enjoy the extra time in Venice.  As others said, same day flights "probably" are not an issue, but...

[Alakegirl]

The Op wants to know if it is OK to fly in a n the same day as the cruise.  It would not be OK for us.  There is too much risk for us to be comfortable with that.

[Alsmez]

We fly from either LGA or EWR and prefer to fly same-day for East Coast departures as long as we can get an early morning, direct flight. Since EWR is a large airport and there are likely many flights to San Juan each day, we would be okay with that risk. 

[OceanCruise]

We have flown to San Juan from the east coast same day as departure on 3 occasions without any difficulties. We prefer not to have the extra expenses of a hotel, extra UBER rides and meals plus the hassle of packing/unpacking for one night in a hotel. We take an early direct flight that arrives by 1 pm and make sure there is also a later flight that same day if ours gets canceled. We accept the risk and make sure the itinerary has a port stop the day after departure rather than 1 or 2 sea days just in case we were to miss the ship. We also have been to all the Caribbean ports multiple times so would not be crushed if we were to miss the first port stop. It is an individual decison though.

[bunnyette]

Being in Toronto, there are no direct flights, we plan to arrive the day before and relax.  And our cruise sails Jan 2020, so I need to accommodate potential weather delays.

[waterbug123]

On 5/11/2019 at 8:38 PM, garyl62 said:

Waterbug123, as you said life is about choices and I'm very happy with all the choices I've made outlined in the information I shared in this thread so I'm not sure why you feel you need to tell me I could have made different choices.

 

The OP specifically said they were interested in  "what experiences other Celebrity cruisers have had with flying into San Juan to catch the cruise which leaves port at 8 at night."  to which you don't seem to have any direct experience.  Maybe I'm wrong, but I didn't see your personal experience referenced in your response. 

 

I just don't understand when a specific question is asked, why do people feel the need to provide opinions not based on the experience the OP asks, or critique other posters experiences.  I guess that's just another choice people make.....

 

I just found it odd that you said you flying a day ahead isn't generally an option for you.  I'm simply saying it IS an option, you are just choosing to select cruises that limit your options.  Obviously your priority is Saturday-Saturday cruises, and you are willing to risk flying in the same day to take them. Hopefully you will continue to have good luck with that.

 

As for my experience, I've only done a cruise from San Juan once and flew down 2 days early to enjoy a resort there.   Three of the couples we were cruising with however, chose to fly down the day of the cruise, from Charleston.  Two of the couples were booked on Delta.  The afternoon prior to the cruise, after receiving no notice from Delta, happened to realize when they went to check in that their flight had been canceled due to a pending storm.  They called Delta and all later flights that would have gotten them to San Juan in time were sold out.  They ended up getting booked on an American flight departing out of Charlotte at the crack of dawn the following day (embarkation day), and Charlotte is 3 hours away. The best option was to drive to Charlotte that evening and get hotel rooms by the airport.  One couple had young children and the grandparents were coming to stay with them while the parents were on the cruise. Originally the grandparents weren't scheduled to arrive until later that night but fortunately had decided to come in that afternoon so were already in town, thus allowing that couple to leave that evening for Charlotte.   The 3rd couple was booked on Air Tran out of Charleston.  The day before embarkation, after hearing from the other 2 couples, they called Air Tran who said their flight the following morning hadn't been canceled so wouldn't change the itinerary for them.  The following morning they were very lucky- most other flights out of CHS ended up being canceled but theirs was one of the few that did fly.  They were very nervous until they actually took off, still in time to make their connection and get to San Juan before the ship left.

We have always chosen to leave for cruises a day ahead of time, or 2 days ahead if it means an international flight to get there.  (For international it is partly in case things go wrong and partly to spend a little time in the country of embarkation.). The only exceptions have been one or two 3-4 night Bahamas cruises, and our thinking has been that if we miss the ship it isn't the end of the world to miss that cruise. 

[CGTNORMANDIE]

The OP has already stated that they have no choice since DW must work on that Friday.  As long as OP has insurance then the chances are definitely in favor.  

 

I often talk about “cruise compression”...a state of frantic nerves due to flying in the same day of a cruise...results in jangled nerves.  My suggestion to Op is to take a deep breath and fly down the same day and try to relax.  Then when they get onboard...have a glass of bubbly and decompress.

[JEDMELK]

On 5/11/2019 at 8:32 PM, Luv2Crus40 said:

Thanks again for everyone's input.  We don't do stress well and hate flying nowadays.  So if I can get another day off, will fly down day before.  Also flights from Newark to San Juan are usually really early so gives us a day to recover.  Thank goodness we only have to fly one way because our B2B ends up back in Bayonne.  Bon Voyage !

 

Just for the heck of it, looked at United and Jet Blue schedules- both offer non-stop service EWR-SJU and both appear to have late Friday flights on that route. Jet Blue approximate times of 4:45 PM and 8:15 PM and United approximate times of 8:15 PM and midnight. IMPORTANT NOTE: No schedules for late April 2020 yet but these do appear on schedules that are currently published.

Besides, there is always something that much more relaxing about waking up in the departure city for a cruise and, San Juan is a nice place to spend the evening if you can get in early enough for a nice relaxing dinner.
 

By the way, I am working on a way to convince someone else that we need to take the 2nd part of your B2B- did that once before and found that there is also something very enjoyable about getting off the ship and just having a not too long ride home after the cruise instead of dealing with air travel.
Of course the bonus of being able to tell people that I took my wife on a pleasure cruise to Bayonne, NJ is also fun 😀

 

Hope this info helps- either way, go and have a great time

Jed

Edited May 13, 2019 by JEDMELK

[jsf]

15 cruises out of SJU and always fly in day of cruise never a problem. Could there be a problem yes but not too likely.

[JackB60]

a vacation should be to lesson stress

[happy cruzer]

Everything has risk.  Even one day early is not a "guarantee".  Flights have been cancelled for many days before as well as no available seats for a few days.  Very unusal but it happens.  So the OP is correct to get an idea of the risks and then they are acceptable or not.

[Luv2Crus40]

Good news,  I was able to take extra day so we can fly down on Friday.  My DH and I are older (DH retired already).  I initially asked question because we've never flown day of cruise before.

We want to thank everyone for their experiences and concerns and believe you have helped us make the right choice for us to fly in early.   We will relax in warm San Juan for a day before boarding.

Thanks again and Bon Voyage to our fellow cruisers.

[Pickels]

On ‎5‎/‎10‎/‎2019 at 9:50 PM, Luv2Crus40 said:

The cruise on the Celebrity Summit doesn't leave port until 8:00 p.m. Saturday evening.  (Cruise is late April 2020).  We were planning to use Celebrity's Choice Air to fly non-stop from Newark to San Juan on first flight of the day (this flight is usually really early in the morning) but have read pos and cons re flying same day of cruise.  We were wondering what experiences other Celebrity cruisers have had with flying into San Juan to catch the cruise which leaves port at 8 at night.   Thank you.

 

 

Play it safe and stress free-- fly day before!

[chemmo]

2 hours ago, Luv2Crus40 said:

Good news,  I was able to take extra day so we can fly down on Friday.  My DH and I are older (DH retired already).  I initially asked question because we've never flown day of cruise before.

We want to thank everyone for their experiences and concerns and believe you have helped us make the right choice for us to fly in early.   We will relax in warm San Juan for a day before boarding.

Thanks again and Bon Voyage to our fellow cruisers.

 

Have a fantastic cruise!