Fly same day as cruise or day before?

[relo854]

Sailing out of either Seattle or Van Couver. The ship is due to sail at 4:00 p.m. We will be flying in from Connecticut and are not sure if we should fly the same day or fly the day before. Travel agent said people do both....We will purchase the air thru the cruise line and not sure how all this works (this is our first cruise). We're thinking just to be sure we would fly the day before but don't want to spend the money if we don't have to (we'd rather spend the money on the excursions)! What happens if the airfare is booked thru the cruise line and due to the airline delays you get to the dock after the sail time? Comments and/or experiences are greatly appreciated...thank you.

[skyking]

Ohhhh The Day Before!

[FL_Cruiser64]

Sailing out of either Seattle or Van Couver. The ship is due to sail at 4:00 p.m. We will be flying in from Connecticut and are not sure if we should fly the same day or fly the day before. Travel agent said people do both....We will purchase the air thru the cruise line and not sure how all this works (this is our first cruise). We're thinking just to be sure we would fly the day before but don't want to spend the money if we don't have to (we'd rather spend the money on the excursions)! What happens if the airfare is booked thru the cruise line and due to the airline delays you get to the dock after the sail time? Comments and/or experiences are greatly appreciated...thank you.

 

I was debating that as well for the September cruise out of San Juan. Arrival time is supposed to be 9:40, sail away at 8:30pm. I just went the safe way and fly in a day earlier. Going use it as sightseeing day and then calmy go to the port the next day.

[wrp96]

Absolutely spend the money and fly in the day before. If you miss the sailing, then you will have to pay to catch up to the ship, which can be a few days later. If you buy travel insurance, then you will be reimbursed (eventually) for your out of pocket costs but it may take some time. Even if you've booked cruise air and you miss the ship, it is not up to the cruiseline to pay for you to catch up. All they will do is help you make arrangements to catch up.

 

To fly in a day before yet save money, book your own hotel but do an air deviation where you choose your own flights. Also, look to see if you can find less expensive air on your own (with decent flight times). If you can, then book it independently and cancel the cruise air.

[Sue L]

Sailing out of either Seattle or Van Couver. The ship is due to sail at 4:00 p.m. We will be flying in from Connecticut and are not sure if we should fly the same day or fly the day before. Travel agent said people do both....We will purchase the air thru the cruise line and not sure how all this works (this is our first cruise). We're thinking just to be sure we would fly the day before but don't want to spend the money if we don't have to (we'd rather spend the money on the excursions)! What happens if the airfare is booked thru the cruise line and due to the airline delays you get to the dock after the sail time? Comments and/or experiences are greatly appreciated...thank you.

 

 

 

We just did this out of JFK to Vancouver, I got Cathay Pacific Airlines Round trip direct to Vancouver for 300$ per person. (I just went and put in random dates and it went up a bit but not much) We went the day before and got the Radisson Presidential hotel at the airport ( beautiful) for 75$ on priceline. The cruise air was 800+ and it would have been additional 75$ to pick flights that would be direct.

[SusieV]

If you go the same day, you run the risk of missing the ship if something happens (anything from weather to technical difficulties to flight cancellation).

 

Maybe it's a long shot, but you won't feel that way when you're pacing frustratedly in an airport while your ship pulls away. It won't wait for you even with cruise airfare.

 

We always fly a day early.

[beckster42]

Fly in the day before if at all possible. You can find some pretty cheap deals on hotels near the pier in many ports. You will be so much more relaxed on the day your ship leaves having got a good night sleep and waking up to see your ship at the pier! We have done both (fly in day of and fly in day before) and I will never again fly in day of if I can help it. You are so tired by the time your flight arrives and you get to the ship that it's hard to really enjoy sailaway and your first evening aboard the ship because you just want to sleep. That little bit of extra $$ you spend on a hotel the night before will be well worth it in the end.

[Rick0757]

Sailing out of either Seattle or Van Couver. The ship is due to sail at 4:00 p.m. We will be flying in from Connecticut and are not sure if we should fly the same day or fly the day before. Travel agent said people do both....We will purchase the air thru the cruise line and not sure how all this works (this is our first cruise). We're thinking just to be sure we would fly the day before but don't want to spend the money if we don't have to (we'd rather spend the money on the excursions)! What happens if the airfare is booked thru the cruise line and due to the airline delays you get to the dock after the sail time? Comments and/or experiences are greatly appreciated...thank you.

Always go the day before,airline delays and you will feel must better getting on the ship,refreshed,and also can see alittle bit on the city the nite before.Happy sailing!

[relo854]

Thanks....The day before sounds like what we should do. I am NOT a last minute/hurry around person and I would be a nervous wreck until we got on the ship (not to mention...cranky). Just was looking for opinions on what other people think...thanks again.......

[CruiseCrAzieS]

Sailing out of either Seattle or Van Couver. The ship is due to sail at 4:00 p.m. We will be flying in from Connecticut and are not sure if we should fly the same day or fly the day before. Travel agent said people do both....We will purchase the air thru the cruise line and not sure how all this works (this is our first cruise). We're thinking just to be sure we would fly the day before but don't want to spend the money if we don't have to (we'd rather spend the money on the excursions)! What happens if the airfare is booked thru the cruise line and due to the airline delays you get to the dock after the sail time? Comments and/or experiences are greatly appreciated...thank you.

 

We have ALWAYS flown in the day before. We start our trip as early as possible! :D We live in the "north country" and cruise in the winter so that is 1 reason we fly in a day early to allow for weather conditions and delays. Check out priceline or hotwire to get some great hotel deals for your pre-cruise stay. We have stayed in Miami for as low as $40.00 a night in a 4* hotel!! :)

 

To my understanding IF you book with RCI, your flights ARE GUARANTEED and if you miss your cruise due to delays, RCI will be responsible to fly you to the next port of call to catch up to the ship. BUT I have found the flights to be MUCH higher booking with RCI. SO we always book directly with the airlines!

[wrp96]

To my understanding IF you book with RCI, your flights ARE GUARANTEED and if you miss your cruise due to delays, RCI will be responsible to fly you to the next port of call to catch up to the ship.

 

This is a common myth. If you book cruise air and you miss the ship, they will help you book the flights, etc to catch up to the ship, but they won't pay for it. The traveler is responsible for that.

[nomoreknothead]

We sail out on a saturday from Miami on our 09/27 Liberty cruise, and I can't get off work on friday until 5:30pm! Dag nab it!!! Would it still be better to fly in the day before late, late and spend a few hours in a hotel or would it be better to fly as early as we could on the day of?

 

We will be flying Southwest into Fort Lauderdale! Can't look at flight schedules until sometime around Feb/Mar 2008.

[Gonzo70]

I am agree with everybody else; definitely fly in the day before. It is way too risky to do a same day flight; it is very common these days for significant flight delays.

 

I haven't been to Vancouver, but I love Seattle. Very nice city and fun to spend a couple of days there, so think of it as a pre-vacation. Hotels, even downtown, are not terribly expensive in Seattle and to save additional money, you can take a city bus from the airport (it leaves near the baggage terminal) downtown for about $1.50 a person. Be sure to check out Pike's Market!

 

As another person recommended, you definitely should look into booking your own air; you may save a lot of money that way. Sometimes air through the cruise line can be a good thing if you do not live near a major airport or are flying somewhere out of the country, but in your situation there is a good chance you can book your own flight and save some money (perhaps even enough for a hotel for a night in Seattle or Vancouver).

 

Have a great vacation. :)

[Mydnite]

Def the day before. We have to fly the day before as the flight would not get in on time for the transfer. However, we are going to fly in at least a day before that, as if there is a delay on the flight we do not want to miss the boat.

 

It depends on if you can catch a later flight if your flight is delayed and how busy the route is. I know flight delays are unusual, but I would worry and like to have the safety net of extra time.

 

We have found it much much cheaper to book our own airfare, so I would look at that as well.

[Gonzo70]

We sail out on a saturday from Miami on our 09/27 Liberty cruise, and I can't get off work on friday until 5:30pm! Dag nab it!!! Would it still be better to fly in the day before late, late and spend a few hours in a hotel or would it be better to fly as early as we could on the day of?

 

We will be flying Southwest into Fort Lauderdale! Can't look at flight schedules until sometime around Feb/Mar 2008.

 

I personally would still fly night before. Once I worked day before my cruise and did not arrive until about midnight at the hotel. In that case rather than booking a hotel in a "fun" part of the city, just book squeeky cheap hotel either by the airport or seaport. This was the only time I stayed in a two star hotle. My girlfriend almost killed me, but at least I got a great rate!

[toonjie]

You can almost always find cheaper air yourself! We're in CT too and there are so many sources for cheap air. Do a search and you will find a recent thread where everyone listed their favorite sources for cheap air. Start with Kayak.com, there are many others as well. I don't know where you are in CT, but I usually search everything from Bradley to Newark. This way you get the flight times and airport you choose. Then as stated above, use Priceline to get a cheap hotel room and relax and enjoy your vacation. We always go down the day before!

[CruiseCrAzieS]

This is a common myth. If you book cruise air and you miss the ship, they will help you book the flights, etc to catch up to the ship, but they won't pay for it. The traveler is responsible for that.

 

Just relaying what the RCI Rep told me last year. I have gotten a few different versions.

To be safe Relo854, I would call RCI to verify this info. and see what they tell you. Good luck and happy sails!! :D

[Dengail]

We do the air ourselves and a day early. So glad we did that on the Vision from Vancouver because our luggage showed up the next day! Can you imagine a cruise with no clothes?!? (shudder)

[butterfly2]

We always go the day before no matter what time of year.

[mikeblum]

End Of Discussion...

[molly361]

Definately the day before and I say that because we DID NOT do that and almost missed the ship. We were coming from Florida to Seattle then to Vancouver, had PLENTY of time to make it, don't remember the entire story but if we had not had ship's transfers also (did our own air) I am not sure they would have waited for us, but they were waiting for an entire bus load. Got on the ship AFTER the muster drill- Lesson learned, won't do that again:eek:

[cruisenfever]

We just did the Radiance Alaska cruise and sailed out of Vancouver. We used air miles and booked our hotel on our own.

 

If you sail out of Vancouver it is a wonderful city with so much to see and do. Plus, the hotel that we stayed at (Hampton Inn) offered free shuttle to the port (we sailed out of Ballantyne). We were at the terminal at 10:00AM and on the ship by 11:00AM. The smoothest and most efficient boarding process we have ever experienced.

 

Since you are coming from the east and flying that far west, I would highly recommend that you go in the day before.

 

Have a wonderful cruise.

[tanyanubin]

Just went on my first cruise last January, and we flew in the night before--newark to Houston. Good thing, too, because there was a weather delay. Ice. We were hours late and might have missed the ship if we had traveled the same day. This January we booked the flight for the night before. Newark to Ft. Lauderdale. You just never know what the weather will be in January.

[Sue L]

Just went on my first cruise last January, and we flew in the night before--newark to Houston. Good thing, too, because there was a weather delay. Ice. We were hours late and might have missed the ship if we had traveled the same day. This January we booked the flight for the night before. Newark to Ft. Lauderdale. You just never know what the weather will be in January.

 

 

Never count on the weather any time of the year. I know everyone first thinks of winter, but we were delayed this summer for 3 hours because of thunderstorms right over JFK airport. By the time the storms passed we were down to 60th in line for takeoff.:eek:

[wrp96]

Never count on the weather any time of the year. I know everyone first thinks of winter, but we were delayed this summer for 3 hours because of thunderstorms right over JFK airport. By the time the storms passed we were down to 60th in line for takeoff.:eek:

 

 

Sue, definitely agree about thunderstorms. I took my mother to San Diego for Mother's Day and we got to spend a night in Dallas on the way home after DFW shut down due to thunderstorms. I've also spent a night at DFW after they had flooding rains in March.