Why you don't fly in the day of the cruise or even the day before

[SRF]

This trip was not actually for a cruise, but it was to Barcelona, where many travel to for cruises.

 

So, I am scheduled to leave DC, fly to Frankfurt, a bit over 2 hour layover and flight to Barcelona.  Easy peasy.

 

So, at the airport early (light traffic) relaxing in the lounge.  Then here the call for all passengers on flight XXX (my flight), to come to the counter.  Uh-oh.  At the counter I am informed that my flight is canceled, due to aircraft issues (later find out a problem with one of the engines).  But, they have replaced the flight with a new flight, with another aircraft, that is configured differently, so they have to reissue boarding passes and seats will change.  They also take my baggage stubs to properly route my luggage.  OK, not a big deal, only going to lose 12 minutes out of the layover.

 

Boarding time of 1655 comes and goes, with a LONG line at the gate of people getting new boarding passes.  Boarding time updates to 1725, for a supposedly 1745 flight.  1725 comes and goes, and 1745 comes and goes.  Now, expected departure is 1830. Doable, still can make my connection in Frankfurt.  Around 1840, departure changes to 1915.  And finally, an announcement.  They are waiting on the cateriing, but it has left the catering building, and as soon as they load the center galley, boarding can start. and they expect to beat the 1915 departure.  Then departure changes to 1930.  Then 2010.  About 1940, we actually start boarding.  At 2010, boarded, but jetway still attached.  About 2015, jetway retracts.  But we don't move.   After a bit, Captain announces that they have to remove two bags from the plane due to no-show passengers.  Not sure how that happened, as I walked around and there were NO empty seats.

 

We finally depart at about 2030.   So almost 3 hours late.

 

Land in Frankfurt at about 1010.  My original flight to BCN left at 9:45.  That won't work.   We part at a remote stand, down the stairs, on the bus, and to the terminal.  As we enter the terminal they ask destination and point you to certain ways/areas.  For me, they asked my name, told me to wait a minute and got my preprinted documents and had me booked on the 11:05 flight.  Cool, a dash through the airport, but doable.  But then the agent says, "No luggage, correct."  Um, no, I do have luggage.  She checks the computer, says my luggage will be on the later flight leaving at 13:05 and into Barcelona at about 1500.  I would have to file a claim once I arrive in Barcelona, but did not have to wait to see if my luggage made it.

 

No big deal.  Get to Barcelona, file my claim, luggage should be at my hotel around 1700.  About 4 hours late.

 

No luggage comes.  Around 2000, the front desk finds me and told me they got a call and my luggage would be delivered 9 - 12 the next day.  Basically a day late.

 

Called around noon (I was working) and nope, now between 3 - 5PM.

 

The luggage actually did turn up by 5PM.

 

Interesting, looking at the tags.  Even though they had at least 4 hours to get my luggage on my new flight, they DID NOT MAKE IT.  My luggage left on the NEXT flight, 2 hours later than our late departure.  About 5 hours after our original departure, and I was checked in almost 3 hours early.

 

Then when it got to Frankfurt, at 1233 the day I arrived, it did not go on the 1305 flight (I can see that), but it also did not go on the 1730 or 2100 flights, but the 9:45 (original FRA - BCN) on the NEXT day.  So it sat in FRA for 20 hours.

 

So from an 11:43 arrival with my luggage, say 12:30 at the hotel (or cruise terminal), everything was complete at 5PM the next day.

 

Mainly wanted to vent, but it is a lesson for those who are flying to a port.  And I knew that people here would understand this situation. 😄

 

[CRUISEFAN0001]

Yeah...for trips of that length...at least 2 days in advance makes sense.  Totally agree that with transfers, etc....plenty can delay flights. Time zone differences also come into play.

 

For our 1 hour nonstop flight to our most common port...same day is very low risk.

Edited August 22, 2021 by CRUISEFAN0001

[sgmn]

45 minutes ago, SRF said:

This trip was not actually for a cruise, but it was to Barcelona, where many travel to for cruises.

 

So, I am scheduled to leave DC, fly to Frankfurt, a bit over 2 hour layover and flight to Barcelona.  Easy peasy.

 

So, at the airport early (light traffic) relaxing in the lounge.  Then here the call for all passengers on flight XXX (my flight), to come to the counter.  Uh-oh.  At the counter I am informed that my flight is canceled, due to aircraft issues (later find out a problem with one of the engines).  But, they have replaced the flight with a new flight, with another aircraft, that is configured differently, so they have to reissue boarding passes and seats will change.  They also take my baggage stubs to properly route my luggage.  OK, not a big deal, only going to lose 12 minutes out of the layover.

 

Boarding time of 1655 comes and goes, with a LONG line at the gate of people getting new boarding passes.  Boarding time updates to 1725, for a supposedly 1745 flight.  1725 comes and goes, and 1745 comes and goes.  Now, expected departure is 1830. Doable, still can make my connection in Frankfurt.  Around 1840, departure changes to 1915.  And finally, an announcement.  They are waiting on the cateriing, but it has left the catering building, and as soon as they load the center galley, boarding can start. and they expect to beat the 1915 departure.  Then departure changes to 1930.  Then 2010.  About 1940, we actually start boarding.  At 2010, boarded, but jetway still attached.  About 2015, jetway retracts.  But we don't move.   After a bit, Captain announces that they have to remove two bags from the plane due to no-show passengers.  Not sure how that happened, as I walked around and there were NO empty seats.

 

We finally depart at about 2030.   So almost 3 hours late.

 

Land in Frankfurt at about 1010.  My original flight to BCN left at 9:45.  That won't work.   We part at a remote stand, down the stairs, on the bus, and to the terminal.  As we enter the terminal they ask destination and point you to certain ways/areas.  For me, they asked my name, told me to wait a minute and got my preprinted documents and had me booked on the 11:05 flight.  Cool, a dash through the airport, but doable.  But then the agent says, "No luggage, correct."  Um, no, I do have luggage.  She checks the computer, says my luggage will be on the later flight leaving at 13:05 and into Barcelona at about 1500.  I would have to file a claim once I arrive in Barcelona, but did not have to wait to see if my luggage made it.

 

No big deal.  Get to Barcelona, file my claim, luggage should be at my hotel around 1700.  About 4 hours late.

 

No luggage comes.  Around 2000, the front desk finds me and told me they got a call and my luggage would be delivered 9 - 12 the next day.  Basically a day late.

 

Called around noon (I was working) and nope, now between 3 - 5PM.

 

The luggage actually did turn up by 5PM.

 

Interesting, looking at the tags.  Even though they had at least 4 hours to get my luggage on my new flight, they DID NOT MAKE IT.  My luggage left on the NEXT flight, 2 hours later than our late departure.  About 5 hours after our original departure, and I was checked in almost 3 hours early.

 

Then when it got to Frankfurt, at 1233 the day I arrived, it did not go on the 1305 flight (I can see that), but it also did not go on the 1730 or 2100 flights, but the 9:45 (original FRA - BCN) on the NEXT day.  So it sat in FRA for 20 hours.

 

So from an 11:43 arrival with my luggage, say 12:30 at the hotel (or cruise terminal), everything was complete at 5PM the next day.

 

Mainly wanted to vent, but it is a lesson for those who are flying to a port.  And I knew that people here would understand this situation. 😄

 

Having worked in aviation for over 40 years  I know there's a million things that can go wrong .......

Sorry for your hassles,  good job you weren't on a cruise.  We usually allow one, sometimes two nights if flying transatlantic for a cruise,  but our flights are generally direct 

Edited August 22, 2021 by sgmn

[mek]

I only fly on direct flights to European cruise ports.  Like you, I once had lost baggage because of a connection in Amsterdam and I haven’t done it since.

I always fly in the day before and will connect to a major hub that has non stop flights to my destination, but once I leave the US, I want to know my next stop is my final destination.

[LadyShiva]

I saw "Frankfurt" and "2 hours" and winced.  I remember walking that airport for what seemed like hours.  So much concrete and dark corridors.

 

Glad you got to BCN, OP.

[SRF]

47 minutes ago, sgmn said:

Having worked in aviation for over 40 years  I know there's a million things that can go wrong .......

Sorry for your hassles,  good job you weren't on a cruise.  We usually allow one, sometimes two nights if flying transatlantic for a cruise,  but our flights are generally direct 

 

My friends in the industry always say, "If you have time to spare, travel by air." 😄

 

Over the years I have had a number of delays and screwed up flights.  I once ran to catch a flight, and due to thunderstorms EVERYWHERE, I caught the same flight out the next day.  Luckily, it was outbound, so I got to home that night.

[loman]

Thats why i book direct non stop flights from toronto to florida the day of the cruise .

And lots of passengers on that flight did exactly what i did . 

Worked out fine so far as i dont cruise during winter months.

If it doesnt , i will take care of any extra expenses with my credit card.

[zekekelso]

I’ve got a cruise out of Barcelona coming up - with a tight layover in Lisbon. Arriving the morning of the cruise. Appreciate your posting this. There’s nothing I can do about the timing. But your list has reinforced that I’m making the right decision going carry-on only. 
 

Side note: On my last cruise out of Barcelona, they said the manifest was roughly 1/3 US, 1/3 Spain, 1/3 rest of the world (including China, Brazil, etc). 

Edited August 22, 2021 by zekekelso

[ticketsunlimited]

Another reason to have trip insurance also.

[AshleyDillo]

Personal experience with luggage snafus with flying have me limiting myself to carry-ons only to my destination. I will check luggage on the way home when I don't care as much about it actually arriving timely.

[Sunshine3601]

Glad to hear you made it and luggage finally showed up.

That is always my fear of flying, especially if you have to have a connecting flight.

I am booked for a baltic sailing next summer and havent yet looked at flight options.

[FionaMG]

27 minutes ago, zekekelso said:

I’ve got a cruise out of Barcelona coming up - with a tight layover in Lisbon. Arriving the morning of the cruise. Appreciate your posting this. There’s nothing I can do about the timing. But your list has reinforced that I’m making the right decision going carry-on only. 

 

When are you travelling? The Portuguese border force has strike action ongoing until the end of this month and that could impact your connection. 

 

Otherwise, Lisbon is usually a very easy airport to connect in because it's tiny compared to most capital city airports. If you are arriving from outside the Schengen area you will need to go through immigration and a security line. These can sometimes be slow moving but there are usually ground staff working the lines to get people with tight connections up to front and through faster. If you can sit close to the front of the aircraft in order to get off faster it would definitely be beneficial. 

 

And if the worst happens, there are quite a few flights from Lisbon to Barcelona every day with several different airlines serving the route.

[Homosassa]

2 hours ago, LadyShiva said:

I saw "Frankfurt" and "2 hours" and winced.  I remember walking that airport for what seemed like hours.  So much concrete and dark corridors.

 

Glad you got to BCN, OP.

LOL - We also had to change in Frankfort. We landed so far out from the terminal, that I suspected we were actually in Berlin.😉

 

After a twenty minute bus ride, we were dumped at a central bus area and then the trekking began to reach a gate where we were again loaded on a bus. The bus took us out past the original landing area to another tarmac loading site (maybe Warsaw?).

 

Frankfort is now on my list of airports to avoid if possible.

[mauraoel]

2 minutes ago, Homosassa said:

LOL - We also had to change in Frankfort. We landed so far out from the terminal, that I suspected we were actually in Berlin.😉

 

After a twenty minute bus ride, we were dumped at a central bus area and then the trekking began to reach a gate where we were again loaded on a bus. The bus took us out past the original landing area to another tarmac loading site (maybe Warsaw?).

 

Frankfort is now on my list of airports to avoid if possible.

We have flown to Frankfurt but never through Frankfurt,  so I can only sorta of feel your pain, the maze to find the car rentals area is Alice and Wonderland like and returning a rental uggg.

[zekekelso]

1 hour ago, FionaMG said:

And if the worst happens, there are quite a few flights from Lisbon to Barcelona every day with several different airlines serving the route.

Luckily, not cruising until December. If something goes wrong, as you say there are later flights to Barcelona I can catch. And if I get to Barcelona too late, backup option 2 is get to Marseilles and catch the boat there. And if everything falls apart, oh well, I have to spend a week in Spain 🙂 With the way things are going, not sure that would be bad. 

[FionaMG]

11 minutes ago, zekekelso said:

Luckily, not cruising until December. If something goes wrong, as you say there are later flights to Barcelona I can catch. And if I get to Barcelona too late, backup option 2 is get to Marseilles and catch the boat there. And if everything falls apart, oh well, I have to spend a week in Spain 🙂 With the way things are going, not sure that would be bad. 

 

Great attitude. Lemonade from lemons as they say. There are plenty of worse places to spend a week than Barcelona! 

 

The potential spanner in the works at Lisbon in December is morning fog which can occasionally shut the airport down until mid-afternoon. Hopefully it won't happen and your Plan A will work out perfectly. Fingers crossed for you.

[ZoeyVictoria]

I am so used to driving to Florida ports within four hours that I am uncomfortable with the direct Tampa to San Juan flight in December.  I realize I probably have nothing to worry about, but stories like these keep me on the lookout for trouble.  We are staying in an airport hotel the night before the 7 a.m. flight (we live less than an hour away) to keep it simple, sure hope it goes well.

[Travelling2Some]

Here's a good one.  A relative and her husband flying a simple non-stop from NYC to Miami, arriving a whole day (actually more than 24 hours) before their cruise.  Plenty of time, no connections, what could go wrong?  The airline somehow manages to loose their luggage.  After spending all morning on the phone they managed to get their luggage just a half hour before they had to board the ship.  To top it off (and this is totally on him) the husband packed his carry-on with expensive yet useless items and would not have had so much as a change of underwear if they had not gotten their luggage at the very last minute. 

 

[MikeBayAreaCa]

There is absolutely no way I am traveling on the day the cruise departs.  Be it flying or driving we leave at least a day and mostly two days early.  Our last cruise sailing out of San Juan we left three days early.   Too many issues could come up and we find it much more relaxing to spend the night, get up, work out and still get to the port at 10:30 or so.  We always tend to have a great first day since we're not tired, haggard or stressed. 

 

 

[SRF]

1 hour ago, zekekelso said:

Luckily, not cruising until December. If something goes wrong, as you say there are later flights to Barcelona I can catch. And if I get to Barcelona too late, backup option 2 is get to Marseilles and catch the boat there. And if everything falls apart, oh well, I have to spend a week in Spain 🙂 With the way things are going, not sure that would be bad. 

 

A week in Barcelona would NOT be a bad thing. 😄

 

[SRF]

2 hours ago, Homosassa said:

LOL - We also had to change in Frankfort. We landed so far out from the terminal, that I suspected we were actually in Berlin.😉

 

After a twenty minute bus ride, we were dumped at a central bus area and then the trekking began to reach a gate where we were again loaded on a bus. The bus took us out past the original landing area to another tarmac loading site (maybe Warsaw?).

 

Frankfort is now on my list of airports to avoid if possible.

 

Frankfurt is small and no parking ramps are that far away.  Compared to Paris and Narita (Tokyo). 😄

 

The new Istanbul airport is HUGE, and they still park remotely.  But I have also been on a plane taxiing (yes, I timed it) for 45 minutes on that airport.

[SRF]

My point was, this does happen, and it is a story of why you should have a backup plan.

 

I travel a lot internationally for work (million miler on one airline, almost 2 million miles on another, and close to 500K on a third), and, by FAR, I get to my destination at the scheduled time, with my luggage.

 

But things like this DO happen.  One time, I did not have my luggage for a full week.  It showed up the night before I left early the next morning.  I have had it delayed by several days a few times.  Some of there were where there were not daily flights.

 

For cruises, I have been lucky.  I travel the morning of.  But I live 30 minutes by car to the port.  With at least 3 alternative routes.   But have one booked for next year out of Barbados.  We plan on flying in 4 days before.  Not specifically for contingency, but also because Barbados is a nice place to spend a few days. 😄

 

[dani negreanu]

3 hours ago, zekekelso said:

But your list has reinforced that I’m making the right decision going carry-on only. 

 

2 hours ago, AshleyDillo said:

Personal experience with luggage snafus with flying have me limiting myself to carry-ons only to my destination. 

 

After some episodes of lost luggage, same here.

 

Learned to pack lightly, since almost always we have to connect when travelling abroad.... Tel-Aviv-NYC-Miami-Quito, Tel-Aviv-Hong Kong-Sydney, Tel-Aviv-LA-Honolulu, etc.

[ONECRUISER]

1 hour ago, grandgeezer said:

To be on the safe side, maybe you should fly in a week early, there could always be another 9/11 scenario.

Got home on 9/11 early in morning, just me and 2 Small Kids 4 and 6yrs old. Had friends stuck for 2 weeks in Caribbean. Not long after got off another Cruise day Shoe Bomber, took 4 hrs get threw check-in/Security that day. Last time didnt fly in 2 days early was 2002. Flying in day early back then, Plane slid off runway in snow. Had been day of Cruise wold have missed it. Now with CV, Traveling last 18 months almost every month still prepared($$$$/Meds/Credit Cards) if get stuck somewhere for at least couple weeks if happens

[Magicat]

We had a similar situation.  Leaving for a cruise the day before Toronto to Fort Lauderdale going through Chicago.  They put too much gas in our plane in TO so they had to empty it and refuel.  Missed our connection in Chicago.  They put us on standby for a flight the next day. WHAAAA?? Negotiated a new flight through Charlotte getting into FLL at 10pm.  All works but luggage didn't make it.

 

Long story short, we boarded the ship and informed guest services about our luggage issues.  They informed us that they would give us formal wear and launder services for free if our luggage didn't arrive.  At 3pm, while sipping margaritas at the Sky Bar, we received a call from the luggage delivery service.  They had just drop our bags off at the ship.  Later that evening we did get our bags.  Close call.

 

Another ship, another sailing, there was a couple who didn't get their luggage the entire trip.  I think their bags finally caught up to them on the last night.  We got to talking to them as they were always in their bath robes. LOL  Goes to show not to judge someone who shows up for dinner in a robe.