Flying in the day of the cruise

[Zach1213]

2 minutes ago, Charles4515 said:

 

I was delayed 4 hours the crew noticed a sick passenger. she told them she had not been feeling well when she boarded but had to go. No way they were going to travel with her on a transatlantic flight. So they went back to the gate, had to find her luggage as they can't take luggage without the passenger onboard.  They also had to refuel the plane. 

 

My last international flight which was to Iceland was canceled because of a mechanical problem. No other flights, had to go the next day. 

 

My neice was delayed a day in 2018 in DC on the way to Europe because of fire in the airport control tower.

 

Oh I've been delayed and diverted plenty of times over the years. Diverted to Nagoya because the control tower at Narita got struck by lightning. Diverted to Bozeman because of a sick passenger between Seattle and Kansas City. Had to go back to the gate in Bengaluru because of a sick passenger during taxi. My comment was more of a joke about "belligerently drunk passenger" because a very rare reason to worry. 

[Zach1213]

2 minutes ago, Flatbush Flyer said:

Once was booked on a flight from Albany NY to SFO via Dulles in DC. Plane had a fly tire. Six hour delay since tire and mechanic had to come from DC.

 

Was delayed at O'Hare for two hours because the plastic cover over the exit row light was broken and they couldn't find another. Was delayed 90 minutes at DFW because the net in the forward cargo hold (which wasn't being used) had a broken hook. FAA regulations make flying so ridiculously safe, but sometimes they're annoying 🙂

 

(I say that as an aerospace engineer who primarily focuses on FAA regulations regarding maintenance and conversions) 

[JMorris271]

Things hopefully work out for your cruise. The chance of a problem with your flight are remote.

The thing that scares the Beetlejuice out of me about arriving the same day as the sailing is the clogged traffic do to various reasons traffic can be backed up for 2 hrs or more. The odds of having  snags on the way to the cruise port are scarier to me than my flying into the airport.

[NurseDave]

Not sure what response OP wanted to this?  Last time I flew, we took off on time and landed early.  So there's that.  All the posts about this one time this one thing happened and delated us.  Yep.  Happens.  More often that not we get to where we're going when we're supposed to.  And none of it will influence what happens with the OP. 

[cruizergal70]

19 hours ago, gailellen12 said:

I know it is better to fly in a day ahead, but I don’t have that flexibility. I need to give an exam and then home and to the airport, arriving on the day of my cruise. I would love to hear from people who have do this often and Unfortunately  I have no choice this time. The only positive is I booked my flight with my cruise line so help will be at hand

I do it. If this is your option and choice,  you'll be okay. You know the risks,  but you seem to be okay with them. Have a great trip.

[sverigecruiser]

After some research I assume that you are flying from the US to Barcelona, is that correct?

 

I should never fly on the day of embarkation but if you are flying from the US to Barcelona the risk is probably rather small. Which airline? If it's Iberia they are in the same allience as American Airlines and British Airways and they have many flights to Europe but not many to Barcelona. They will try to help you if your flight is cancelled but of course there are no guarantees. Will you have time to connect in Europe if you have to?                     

[slidergirl]

One correction to a comment:  you want to be sure you have a NONSTOP flight, not a DIRECT flight.  There is a big difference.  Nonstop is just that - point A to B.  Direct means same plane but possible multiple stops - point A to B to C to D.   Southwest is famous for this.  You have to double check where your flight goes.   

Check for flights for a possible Plan B, even if you get to use the cruiseline air Dept.  Tell them which flight you want as the alternative, don't just take what they give.  Also, have the app or Twitter acct of your airline.  I've use Delta twitter before to bypass the lines at the airport and get protected on another flight.  

It's best to be totally prepared for Plan B, C, etc. and be proactive in getting alternative plans done.   Hopefully you only have to one flight to get to where you are embarking!

[Hlitner]

DW and I were again discussing this thread because of our recent experience getting home from Puerto Vallarta.  The final result of that saga (mentioned in my previous post) is that it took us about 57 hours to get home on an air trip that should have taken 8 hours!  And this was with AA on pretty normal routes.

 

We are on our way to another cruise next week and, as is our normal practice for cruises departing from US ports we are flying in one day early.  However, these days we are now wondering if flying in one day early is good enough given the situation with the airlines.  With most of our European cruises we tend to fly in several days early since we will often begin our European cruises with a few days or weeks in the region of embarkation.  We have never enjoyed rushing from plane to port and dealing with jet lag on the first couple of days of a cruise.  While we have done it a couple of times (we mentioned one such situation in an earlier post) we simply do not like the experience.  As long time (about a half century) world travelers and frequent cruisers we try to plan our trips to minimize the anxiety that can come from travel.  While we cannot control every issue we do have a lot of control over what flights we book and how many days early we should arrive in the region of embarkation.

 

It is another story for folks who have jobs or other responsibilities that limit their options.  We have been there and done that and never liked the stress.  Even in our working days we went to some extremes to avoid flying-in the day of a cruise.  I can still remember picking-up DW from school (where she was a teacher) right after classes and rushing to an airport to take an evening flight to Florida for a following day cruise.  But even at that time (when airlines were much more reliable) there was no way we wanted to fly-in the day of the cruise.   For us the payoff was on embarkation day when we would wake up within sight of the port, have a nice relaxing breakfast and then grab an Uber to the nearby port where we would board for a nice lunch.  We always try to make our embarkation day a real cruise day where it is relaxing and fun.  Getting aboard as early as possible means we can enjoy lunch and then spend the afternoon on deck (similar to our normal sea day) relaxing and people watching :).

 

Hank

 

 

[Charles4515]

31 minutes ago, Hlitner said:

We are on our way to another cruise next week and, as is our normal practice for cruises departing from US ports we are flying in one day early.  However, these days we are now wondering if flying in one day early is good enough given the situation with the airlines. 

I alway fly in 2 days early for cruises from the US in the winter. More chance of weather delays. 

 

For international flights I fly in two or three days early. It is not just flight delays. It takes time to adjust. And usually the departure port is a place I want to explore. I add  on at the end too.  If I am flying overseas I want to make the most of it. 

[Nebr.cruiser]

11 hours ago, George C said:

Hope everyone flying day of the cruise have insurance that will pay if they miss the cruise.

We do, but that doesn't mean I want to have to use it!

 

[Flatbush Flyer]

7 hours ago, cruizergal70 said:

I do it. If this is your option and choice,  you'll be okay. You know the risks,  but you seem to be okay with them. Have a great trip.

If s/he was/is “okay” with them, there wouldn’t have been the original question.

Edited March 16, 2022 by Flatbush Flyer

[navybankerteacher]

20 hours ago, Zach1213 said:

 

Was delayed at O'Hare for two hours because the plastic cover over the exit row light was broken and they couldn't find another. Was delayed 90 minutes at DFW because the net in the forward cargo hold (which wasn't being used) had a broken hook. FAA regulations make flying so ridiculously safe, but sometimes they're annoying 🙂

 

(I say that as an aerospace engineer who primarily focuses on FAA regulations regarding maintenance and conversions) 

We were delayed about two hours at San Diego because the rubber gasket around one of the doors had to be cemented in place.  The best part was the universal gasp in the waiting area when we heard the announcement that we would have to “…delay take off until we see if the glue  holds.”

[Zach1213]

2 minutes ago, navybankerteacher said:

We were delayed about two hours at San Diego because the rubber gasket around one of the doors had to be cemented in place.  The best part was the universal gasp in the waiting area when we heard the announcement that we would have to “…delay take off until we see if the glue  holds.”

 

Better than taking off and finding out it doesn't hold 🙂

[navybankerteacher]

1 minute ago, Zach1213 said:

 

Better than taking off and finding out it doesn't hold 🙂

That announcement did not specify gasket —- the things needing glue that seemed to come to mind were wings and engines.

[2wheelin]

15 hours ago, Hlitner said:

DW and I were again discussing this thread because of our recent experience getting home from Puerto Vallarta.  The final result of that saga (mentioned in my previous post) is that it took us about 57 hours to get home on an air trip that should have taken 8 hours!  And this was with AA on pretty normal routes.

 

We are on our way to another cruise next week and, as is our normal practice for cruises departing from US ports we are flying in one day early.  However, these days we are now wondering if flying in one day early is good enough given the situation with the airlines.  With most of our European cruises we tend to fly in several days early since we will often begin our European cruises with a few days or weeks in the region of embarkation.  We have never enjoyed rushing from plane to port and dealing with jet lag on the first couple of days of a cruise.  While we have done it a couple of times (we mentioned one such situation in an earlier post) we simply do not like the experience.  As long time (about a half century) world travelers and frequent cruisers we try to plan our trips to minimize the anxiety that can come from travel.  While we cannot control every issue we do have a lot of control over what flights we book and how many days early we should arrive in the region of embarkation.

 

It is another story for folks who have jobs or other responsibilities that limit their options.  We have been there and done that and never liked the stress.  Even in our working days we went to some extremes to avoid flying-in the day of a cruise.  I can still remember picking-up DW from school (where she was a teacher) right after classes and rushing to an airport to take an evening flight to Florida for a following day cruise.  But even at that time (when airlines were much more reliable) there was no way we wanted to fly-in the day of the cruise.   For us the payoff was on embarkation day when we would wake up within sight of the port, have a nice relaxing breakfast and then grab an Uber to the nearby port where we would board for a nice lunch.  We always try to make our embarkation day a real cruise day where it is relaxing and fun.  Getting aboard as early as possible means we can enjoy lunch and then spend the afternoon on deck (similar to our normal sea day) relaxing and people watching :).

 

Hank

 

 

You were not the only one stranded that weekend. We returned to Miami from a cruise and fortunately had booked an extra day. Flights leaving on that Sat were all messed up with many, many people not getting home until Tues night as noted on our FB page. Hotels full, few rental cars, delayed and canceled flights. 

[JRG]

If you are going from West Coast to East coast on a red-eye to your next day Florida cruise,   then it is really not as risky as you may think.

 

Reason being is that red-eyes usually don't fly out unless air traffic control can predict ahead of time their destination will be ready, or close to it.

 

It helps to know the weather days in advance so that you have a back up plan to fly out a day ahead.

 

We've done it and it is great when the timing works out.   It works out in Florida  because there are other cities you can fly into and then drive or puddle jump into when weather clears before the ship sails.

 

We've had some excitement in the times we've risked it but we've never missed a cruise.

 

 

 

 

 

[pris993]

flying today very unpredictable.  Depending on how far you are flying, I would most likely fly at least two days in advance because if you do have a problem, flights are full, will take time to get where you are going. 

 

Across US coast to coast would do 2 days, going to Europe at least 3 days.  

 

I would also recommend the most direct flights possible to avoid problems. 

[SelectSys]

Can someone explain why having cruise air might be better in terms of making it to the ship?  I have seen a couple of posts here that suggest it could.  I might think it could possibly make things worse due to the type of ticket that was given to the passenger.  Maybe this question is better asked on the Cruise Air section, but I will give it a whirl here as the thread is ongoing.

[navybankerteacher]

40 minutes ago, pris993 said:

…

 

I would also recommend the most direct flights possible to avoid problems. 

Non-stop is more important than direct - every scheduled stop adds to the risk of delay.

[CruiserBruce]

People might want to read this new thread from the HAL board:

 

 

[iancal]

Only done it once over many cruises.  For a flight to Istanbul.  A late booking  consolidator fare code.

 

Only because the cost was 1/3 of the next least expensive one way flight, because the airline had frequent daily connections, it was October and the weather was good.  And because we boarded one day but the ship did not leave until the next evening.

 

Other than that we would never chance it.   Takes us a day to get to FLL/MIA. We would never consider it during the winter when we are most likely to cruise in that area.

[lenquixote66]

We only flew in one day before a cruise once but it did not work out.We had an 8 AM flight scheduled but due to heavy snow the plane did not take off till 8 PM.When we arrived at our destination city it was 11:20 PM.The last shuttle to the hotel left at 11 :00.

The hotel Manager volunteered an employee to pick up all the people at the airport.By the time we checked in it was 1:20.We got to bed at 2 AM .

[Jasalth]

2 hours ago, SelectSys said:

Can someone explain why having cruise air might be better in terms of making it to the ship?  I have seen a couple of posts here that suggest it could.  I might think it could possibly make things worse due to the type of ticket that was given to the passenger.  Maybe this question is better asked on the Cruise Air section, but I will give it a whirl here as the thread is ongoing.

 

If you have a leave during the day flight it wouldn't be to bad to get it dealt with IMO (though never had it happen, but when booking air, I always look got a flight that leaves me 3-4 other options to get there in time the same day!)

 

But... with that said above, if I can, I book almost the first flights out of my airport for the day at 6am or earlier for any travel. So we flew from PIT to HOU with a direct SW flight that left at 6:20am. Now.. if there was a problem with the flight? We would have been completely on our own as the cruise line's help phone # is only open from 9am-10pm. In truth I would not have found it acceptable if I wasn't the type of person I was.. and there was another SW flight that left at 7:10am to get us there in time also. 

 

With how air travel is now, I would do everything I could to avoid long haul flights with limited timing, because you never know what will happen! For example every single flight into Munich once was late because of weather, we possibly could have made our connection, but the line to get through? Was almost 3 HOURS long with how many flight issues there were. Our flight landed at 2pm, I didn't even get to the head of the line to rebook until almost 7pm, then didn't get to a hotel until 10pm, and ended up on a flight the next day with 2 middle seats in the 4 seat row, and almost the last couple to get on a flight the next day back to the US with any airline. 

 

Unlike flying in the US which gives you a lot of options (had a 6:10am flight canceled on us, at 11:50pm the night before) and I was able to book a different airline at almost the same price by 12:30am which made me happy I work overnight! Spirit didn't even tell the airport, the gate agents and PASSENGERS made it through TSA for the plane not to appear! We know this because, our new gate was right across from our original flight. This wouldn't have been possible w/o being able to throw another $800 down immediately for airfare (was to Mexico in the end so still international) But Europe? If something happened I would be VERY happy I booked with the cruise line so it's on their plate to get me there/refund/credit me because last min air to Europe is probably way way outside my comfort range $$ wise!  

[Shmoo here]

2 hours ago, SelectSys said:

Can someone explain why having cruise air might be better in terms of making it to the ship? 

The general thought is, if the cruise line purchased the ticket, and, if the flight is delayed/cancelled, causing the passenger to miss the cruise, the cruise line will assist the passenger in catching up with the ship.  Now, how true that is, I don't know.  

[Hlitner]

4 hours ago, SelectSys said:

Can someone explain why having cruise air might be better in terms of making it to the ship?  I have seen a couple of posts here that suggest it could.  I might think it could possibly make things worse due to the type of ticket that was given to the passenger.  Maybe this question is better asked on the Cruise Air section, but I will give it a whirl here as the thread is ongoing.

Its somewhat of a myth perpetuated by some on CC.  Many think that you simply call the cruise line (good luck with that) and they will make all the arrangements, get your flights changed, and get you to the ship of the following port.  The reality is that it can be difficult to get through to the cruise line and they may or may not be helpful.  The airline situation (world wide) is a mess with too few flights and too many passengers.  And then you have to deal with various COVID regulations which might require a current PCR test or some other requirement.   The cruise line will likely get you back home (if you have already left home) and might offer you a future cruise credit (depending on each line's policies).

 

But folks, let me be clear.  Traveling today is not the same as it was pre-COVID.  Bottom line is that if you have a cruise give yourself extra time to get to your embarkation port.  We are now in an era when flight cancellations can be in the thousands, getting on an alternative flight can take many days, etc.  Most of us have seen the news coverage of crowded airports with folks sleeping on the floor, lines that are hours long, and hold times (to call an airline) that can exceed 8 hours.  When we got stranded (last weekend) in Dallas by AA I tried to call AA only to be told that hold times were in excess of 8 hours and I could request a call back (which would come in about 8 hours).

 

The AA (the main carrier at DFW) queue to check luggage this past Monday at 5am was over an hour long (and this was just to drop luggage that was tagged).  The Kiosks were malfunctioning, it was nearly impossible for many (including us) to get their luggage tags and there were very few representatives available to help.  Meanwhile, over half of the huge DFW Terminal D was closed (for lack of staff).  Trying to navigate through this mess was not for amateurs.  As a frequent traveler for over fifty years I have never seen such a mess.   And this was just on a Monday morning in a place that had near perfect weather.  The cited problem (from the AA employees) was that it was "Spring Break."    But the truth is that this has become very normal when there is even a small surge, a weather problem (anywhere in North America), near the end of the month when there is a shortage of pilots (since most have exceeded their allowable monthly hours), etc.   

 

Folks, here is some advice.  Things might be fine and near normal much of the time, but it is almost impossible to predict when things will go wrong.  I hate getting to an airport 3-4 hours early and cooling my heals in a lounge (if we have access to any lounge) or at a gate, but the alternative is to arrive 2 hours before a flight and risk missing the flight because the airport is having a bad day.

 

Hank