Flying to Miami for cruise Saturday

[fpcruiser]

Right now we are booked on a Friday morning flight going through Baltimore. I think I can change that to fly in on Wednesday morning. Would that make more sense? Get there before the worst gets to the East Coast of Florida and the US.

[ggo85]

Based on current forecasts, the concern is not the weather in Miami as the city and southern east coast of FL should be largely spared the worst of Ian.  Also, the storm will largely have passed through Florida by Friday.  

 

The concern is the weather between BWI and Miami on Friday.  It's going to be hard to fly around the storm, given its size and it will still be packing a punch -- and maybe moving up the east coast on Friday.  

 

I think you're better off going Wednesday b/c there should still be a path to the east around the storm, which isn't supposed to hit the east coast of FL (where we live) until late Wednesday.

 

The above said, I'm not an airline nor a weather forecaster.  And forecasts can and do change, especially if the hurricane makes a late shift, fails to weaken, etc.  It's a tough call, but I would think the earlier you can get to FL the better.

[klfrodo]

Also be prepared for a logistic issue at the hotel and maybe even the ship for re-supplies.

[CruisinNole]

I don't know if this helps you to make a make a decision but I just heard on a Tampa news station that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are planning to go to Miami to practice for their home game Sunday against the Chiefs. I agree with the poster who posted that you may have problems flying out from BWI later in the week. We live 90 miles south of Tampa and right now, we're kind of on the border between being hit by a hurricane or tropical storm. By Saturday, our rain chance goes from 65% on Friday to 20%.

Edited September 26, 2022 by CruisinNole

[RJ257]

4 hours ago, fpcruiser said:

Right now we are booked on a Friday morning flight going through Baltimore. I think I can change that to fly in on Wednesday morning. Would that make more sense? Get there before the worst gets to the East Coast of Florida and the US.

Right now Wednesday weather in Miami looks messy. Rain with afternoon thunderstorms  80% with winds 25-35 mph. That's not a terribly unusual daily September forecast hurricane or regular day. You should be able to get in if forecast doesn't change but I'm also not an aviation weather guy either. Might be bumpy at the end.

[smokeybandit]

4 hours ago, ggo85 said:

.  It's going to be hard to fly around the storm, given its size and it will still be packing a punch

They fly over hurricanes.

 

I wouldn't at all be concerned with a Saturday flight to Miami

[hlfrps]

We changed our friday flight to Thursday night because of storm moving up the coast and knowing we could not drive. Get hotel as our hotel we had friday reservation with did not have Thursday available. American airlines allowed the change no change fees

[BirdTravels]

9 hours ago, ggo85 said:

Based on current forecasts, the concern is not the weather in Miami as the city and southern east coast of FL should be largely spared the worst of Ian.  Also, the storm will largely have passed through Florida by Friday.  

You need to consider the situation as a whole. Whether Miami takes a direct hit is irrelevant. Considerations should be (1) whether air traffic can get to Miami and (2) whether the storm effects up and down the east coast will cause aircraft to be out of position causing massive cancellations. Both will happen over the next few days. 

 

For example, if you remember back on April 1, 2022. There was a severe thunder storm over Orlando. Even though it was sunny in Miami, no air traffic was allowed to fly through or around the storm covering central Florida (kinda like what Ian will be). Thousands missed their cruises that weekend (over 700 missed our ship departing on April 2nd). We had people jumping in car rentals and driving from as far as Texas to get on our cruise.

 

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Tropical Force Winds - Arrival date/time

 

 

 

Edited September 27, 2022 by BirdTravels

[mpk]

36 minutes ago, BirdTravels said:

Thousands missed their cruises that weekend (over 700 missed our ship departing on April 2nd). We had people jumping in car rentals and driving from as far as Texas to get on our cruise.

 

Ouch, one way car rental fee for that far of a drive is $$$.   I guess still better than missing the boat.