Is this too risky?

[dleahy4444]

Sailing on the Wonder on 6/9. Flights from NY are pretty high. Thinking of flying to Rome the day of, and not staying at a hotel the night before. Been to Rome before and the ship’s departure is at 8pm so I thinking I have time to get to the port even in case of delay. Considered booking through Air 2 Sea but they charge a $200 cancellation fee even though Delta doesn’t. So now I’m thinking of just booking the flight myself and taking my chances that even with delays I’ll get to the ship on time. Too risky? 

[mandyleighflies]

I work for the airlines and so does my husband (different companies) and I would HIGHLY suggest not flying in the day of your cruise. We ourselves do not do this as we know things can happen and not just weather. The only time we fly in the day of is if it is a port within driving distance (NYC/BOS/CHS/ORF) for us, so if you know what hits the fan, we can still drive and make it to the ship on time. 

 

Also, FYI to anyone else, be prepared for possible crew shortages this summer. Pilots are retiring at an astounding rate and the small regional airlines will be lacking crew, make plans and make up back up plans. This is going to affect ALL the airlines, not just one or two. 

[flamingos]

Yes, too risky.  

[Thesandman12]

I agree with the above. If this is the coming June/22 I would take air2sea, you have paid so the risk of not going is not high,  and when it does hit the fan they WILL get you to the ship. It is a crap shoot for sure, but I always have and exit plan, so to speak.

[ONECRUISER]

I wouldn't! Shoot even PreCV if had not flown in 1 or 2 Days before I would have missed 4 Cruises over last 20yrs. And this is just for Flights/Cruises 500 miles away in USA...

[Sunshine3601]

This is very risky especially if you will have a connecting flight.   I would not do this.

 

Is the price with a2s better than what you get booking yourself?   You mention they charge a cancellation fee.   Do you think you may cancel the cruise or worried about covid tests?   Do they give free cancellation if cancelling because of a positive covid test?   

[smokeybandit]

Flying to Europe I'd want to fly in 2 days before the cruise.

[publicpersona]

12 minutes ago, Thesandman12 said:

and when it does hit the fan they WILL get you to the ship

 

There is nothing in Air2Sea's service description or terms and conditions that guarantee they will get you to the ship on time. Like any travel agency, they will offer rebooking assistance. But they do not guarantee to cover the cost, and certainly do not promise to delay ship's departure for you.

Edited May 8, 2022 by publicpersona

[Tapi]

Definitely not. In addition to the risks involved, specially this summer with crew shortages and the increased possibility of cancellations or delays, there's also the possibility of miss-connected luggage (trust me, it happened to us going on an Alaska cruise, and we flew nonstop. The luggage was NEVER found). Not fun going on a vacation without any luggage.

 

In addition to that, the time change makes for a crummy start of a cruise if you don't give yourself a few days to acclimate to the new time zone. My wife was a mess the first 24 hours after we landed in Rome. I'm glad that we were not on the ship yet.

 

Whatever savings you may envision will be quickly eroded by any of the variables mentioned above. 

[broadwaybaby123]

I learned the hard way to book a day ahead. I almost missed the ship in Aruba the week of my 13th birthday because a few crew members and a pilot forgot their passports and I was stranded in Atlanta for 12 hours. The cruise line said if we didn't get in by 5AM (we got in at 4AM) we would have to make arrangements ON OUR DIME to meet the ship in St. Thomas.

 

Oh, did I mention the flights were booked through the cruise line?

[ditmar2007]

Fly in before. Be sure that there is at least ONE later scheduled flight you can catch. Preferably two.

 

 

[Tree_skier]

31 minutes ago, smokeybandit said:

Flying to Europe I'd want to fly in 2 days before the cruise.

Our one and only Med cruise we did exactly that.

[happy cruzer]

Too risky.  Air travel has totally changed since Covid.  Just had two flights cancelled on a return from a cruise; first due to weather that was scheduled for next day - that one due to crew shortage and then had to go standby.  Booked through Celebrity air.  No help available by phone without more than 30 minute wait; gave up and dealt with airline myself.  Still dealing with insurance claim.

 

My experience will definitely change my air flight planning to include lots of leeway.

 

Good luck.

[ditmar2007]

1 minute ago, Tree_skier said:

Our one and only Med cruise we did exactly that.

I LIVE in Europe - I'm flying in two days before to Barcelona. I could probably catch 2-6 flights later, but with stop-overs and not with the same airline. It would cost me more. 

I decided a hotel in BCN was safer and more pleasurable - I mean: Barcelona!!!

 

[alfaeric]

Not worth it- you would be giving up the first day of the cruise just to make up for the flight. 

[nelblu]

We've done 4 Meds cruises from Barcelona and always arrived the day of the sail.  Sometimes, the flight got us to the airport so early that we had to wait.  HOWEVER, this was before the PANDEMIC.

 

IMHO, don't chance it.  If you are willing to absorb the cancellation fee get a hotel for the night.

 

A

[John&LaLa]

In 2018 our 28 hour flight to Singapore eventually took 68 hours. Fly in early😉

[mandyleighflies]

1 minute ago, John&LaLa said:

In 2018 our 28 hour flight to Singapore eventually took 68 hours. Fly in early😉

 

THIS. Legend claims you're actually still on that flight 😂

[John&LaLa]

Just now, mandyleighflies said:

 

THIS. Legend claims you're actually still on that flight 😂

 

Got to spend quality time in Shanghai airport🤣

[Momto3girlsintheCarolinas]

Too risky!!  

 

Years ago, I decided to be a bonehead and fly from Boston to Miami to board a ship.  We were supposed to land at 9 AM. Plenty  of time, right?  Nope.  And it wasn't even a pandemic.  

 

(Yes, we made the cruise.....barely.  Not a fun experience and completely my fault for poor planning)

[Biker19]

Look at the on time % of the flights you plan to take.

 

Biker, who is going against the grain and would do it if the above is above 80%.

[Joseph2017China]

Whenever a person asks this, I feel they are looking for some kind of justification, to support their desires but already know they are risking things by doing it.   Just because others are successful, does not mean you will, or any justification you have for doing it will work out.  No matter what you wish, every flight is a risk, and the more you can do to minimize the risk the better it is. 

[John&LaLa]

9 minutes ago, Biker19 said:

Look at the on time % of the flights you plan to take.

 

Biker, who is going against the grain and would do it if the above is above 80%.

 

Laura flew into Rome day of with a girlfriend. 

They were pretty much fine, but she said the stress wasn't worth it. They had baggage issues.

 

 

[Grandma7]

Not to mention, Rome is notorious  for unexpected rail and airport strikes! I arrived at the airport for a TA Oct 2029 and there was a workers strike. Had the road thru the airport blocked and all the cars blocking the road were laying on their horns!. Lord it was noisy and messy!!

[orville99]

Nope, wouldn’t do it. I flew to Europe from NY more times than I can count during my career, but I can count on one hand the number of meetings I actually made it to that were scheduled for the day I was scheduled to land on one hand and have fingers left over.