Will I have enought time?

[krissy72]

Port time in Tampa is 8:00am my flight leaves at 11:12 am. Can I make it?

[DanJ]

I would make sure I was in the early group of people leaving the ship. Ask at the passenger services desk about that. Also, check your airline's schedules for later options should you run into a delay. Program their reservations number into your cell phone so you can call if you need to.

[JJPNYC]

Also a few other things to keep in mind:

 

- a port arrival time of 8:00AM is not the same as disembarkation time. The ship still needs to be cleared by authorities, passengers clear customs & immigration, etc. A more likely time of when disembarkation would begin is 9AM I'd say, but can always be later if there's a delay of any sort

 

- Assuming you are the first one off the ship at 9AM and then travel to the airport, a 9 mile trip, you'd get there by 9:30-9:45. This would be cutting it close but it is doable I'd imagine if you want to take the risk. You'd need to luck out though with no line at check-in, no line at security, etc.

[krissy72]

I have already bought the tickets so I will have to hope for the best. I thought it would be plenty of time until I started reading some of these threads. Thanks for the help.

[JJPNYC]

Since tickets are already purchased you still have a couple of options (depending on your risk tolerance level and how much money you want to spend):

 

- go for it and try to make the flight as originally scheduled (if doing this I might consider scheduling a car service to pick you up at the pier and hand-carry off all of your luggage)

- pay the change fee charged by the airline and rebook on a later flight

- know all of the back-up flights for that day, including those with connecting service to your final destination (this opens up exponentially more flight options in a time when you can't be picky about flight)

 

Also do know that the airlines technically have to do nothing if you miss the 11:12AM flight as you'd be considered a no-show. Also with flights flying at near capactiy right now, that "next available flight" might be as much as a day or two later!!!

[greatam]

I know I will get blasted for this being "harsh", but don't people do any kind of research BEFORE they book flights or cruises or a land vacation or whatever?

 

I see more and more posts-"can we do XXXX" (doesn't matter what) when a VERY small amount of research would have answered the question.

 

Guess the internet is just TOOOO easy-book a cruise, book a flight and what the h***, hope for the best.

 

One of my own "DUMB" employees just booked a cruise out of Southampton. I am sending him to London and Rome for food shows, so those arrangements are taken care of.

 

But on the day of cruise departure, he has to fly from Rome to London, then try to make his way to Southampton. Doable, yes. But ONE LITTLE GLITCH and the ship leaves without him and his family. Or should I say him-his family will already be in Southampton the morning of departure.

 

He thought Southampton was "right by London". I asked him "did you look at a map-where did you think the cruise left from-the Thames???". He never checked it out-just booked a flight that gets into Heathrow sometime around 10:00AM. Then he has to get luggage, National Express and a taxi to the ship. Or pay $300.00 for door to door transport (THAT isn't going to happen). And he works for a global logistics business???? Seems like the logistics portion just doesn't seem to filter down. I shake my head in amazement.

[krissy72]

I know I will get blasted for this being "harsh", but don't people do any kind of research BEFORE they book flights or cruises or a land vacation or whatever?

 

I see more and more posts-"can we do XXXX" (doesn't matter what) when a VERY small amount of research would have answered the question.

 

Guess the internet is just TOOOO easy-book a cruise, book a flight and what the h***, hope for the best.

 

One of my own "DUMB" employees just booked a cruise out of Southampton. I am sending him to London and Rome for food shows, so those arrangements are taken care of.

 

But on the day of cruise departure, he has to fly from Rome to London, then try to make his way to Southampton. Doable, yes. But ONE LITTLE GLITCH and the ship leaves without him and his family. Or should I say him-his family will already be in Southampton the morning of departure.

 

He thought Southampton was "right by London". I asked him "did you look at a map-where did you think the cruise left from-the Thames???". He never checked it out-just booked a flight that gets into Heathrow sometime around 10:00AM. Then he has to get luggage, National Express and a taxi to the ship. Or pay $300.00 for door to door transport (THAT isn't going to happen). And he works for a global logistics business???? Seems like the logistics portion just doesn't seem to filter down. I shake my head in amazement.

 

Hey, if my or anyone else's question bothers you then don't read it and don't respond. This question is not a result of being DUMB. This is my 2nd cruise. It's the first one out of the country. This is just lack of experience. It is my problem if I miss the plane, not yours so don't get your knickers in a knot. Next time I will know better.

[greatam]

Hey, if my or anyone else's question bothers you then don't read it and don't respond. This question is not a result of being DUMB. This is my 2nd cruise. It's the first one out of the country. This is just lack of experience. It is my problem if I miss the plane, not yours so don't get your knickers in a knot. Next time I will know better.

 

I never called you DUMB. I called one of my own employees DUMB. He works for a global logistics company-we fly freight and people all over the world. He should have KNOWN better. I just asked why people don't ask questions BEFORE they book a cruise or a flight or whatever.

 

You post on this board "can I make it"??? THEN you let us know you already bought the tickets. So what are we to take from that???? Just exactly what I posted-you did NOT ask questions or look for info BEFORE you booked the flight. You just booked it and hoped for the best.

 

You bought the tickets-you are STUCK with the flight time. As JJPNYC stated, you MAY make the plane. I hope you do. If you don't make the flight, it could be VERY expensive in either time or money. I wish you well.

[FlyerTalker]

I know I will get blasted for this being "harsh", but don't people do any kind of research BEFORE they book flights or cruises or a land vacation or whatever?

Short answer - sometimes they do....we just see the "they don't" posts more often.

 

He thought Southampton was "right by London". I asked him "did you look at a map-where did you think the cruise left from-the Thames???". He never checked it out-just booked a flight that gets into Heathrow sometime around 10:00AM. Then he has to get luggage, National Express and a taxi to the ship. Or pay $300.00 for door to door transport (THAT isn't going to happen). And he works for a global logistics business???? Seems like the logistics portion just doesn't seem to filter down. I shake my head in amazement.

Reminds me of the FedEx commercial where they ask the employee to pick out China on a map. He puts a pushpin in Russia, then in Greenland. Finally to cover his ***, he "stumbles" and rips the map off the wall. Time to run that ad during a staff meeting?? :D

 

To the OP: Did your cruiseline or travel agent give you any kind of guideline for air travel from TPA? Did they say that an 11:12am flight would be OK? Curious where you got the idea that it would be an OK flight to purchase.

[coffeegirl23]

here is a post about "making it", twice now!!

 

first experience - miami, cruise to dock at 7 a.m., flight booked for around 3 p.m. (it was several years ago, can't remember the exact time but i do remember lying on the benches outside the airport for what seemed like hours (it was actually hours, so I guess it seemed like days), because i had read to not book before noon.

 

second experience - miami again, this time booked for 11 a.m. cruise to dock at 7 am. we were at the airport at 6:45 a.m. I kid you not! Carried our bags off when they announced time to go, got a taxi and walked into the airport at 6:45. still had to wait for several hours!!!

 

third experience - galveston/IAH pushing our luck - booked flight for 11:10 a.m. (I can hear people groaning already!) Actually, I booked it for 1 p.m. but Delta (that's right - the famous-for-changing-your-flight airline) changed it to 11:10 and I decided to go with it since we'd been lucky so far, and we have a four hour drive home after we arrive at our destination airport, with work the next day. Cruise to dock at 7 a.m. we have a rental car at the hotel on the other side of the island, so when we get off the ship we need to call the hotel, wait for shuttle from hotel, ride back to hotel, get car from their garage, drive to IAH, return rental car, ride shuttle to airport from rental car center and check in, by thirty minutes prior to departure, which is 10:40. You probably think we're crazy, and maybe we are but I had back up flights noted, and a good attitude about it. Ship docks at 8:30 and I think, well, we'll never make it, especially after we get to hotel and they forget to get our car from the garage. Fifteen minutes wasted there. But we made it, with five minutes to spare, and that included stopping to fill up the gas tank. My husband is a great driver. And I have to give a lot of credit to Avis - they have a great return system at the rental car center, just park it, someone with a handheld computer comes out, enters the plate number, checks the fuel guage and you're done - they even print out a receipt on the hand held thing! so anyway, to answer the question, you might make it, you might not (the following week, the ship didn't dock until 12:30 due to fog!!) but it is always fun if you have the right attitude and back up plans.:)

[greatam]

 

Reminds me of the FedEx commercial where they ask the employee to pick out China on a map. He puts a pushpin in Russia, then in Greenland. Finally to cover his ***, he "stumbles" and rips the map off the wall. Time to run that ad during a staff meeting?? :D

 

 

We have more world maps (actually airline and ship route maps) on the walls in the Missouri office than most map stores. And this particular employee has worked for me for over 8 years. Only MY BEST get to go to the food shows. They are personally responsible for getting the food products from a dock or airport to the show, making sure ALL accessories and necessities for the show are there and the booth is arranged to the client's satisfaction.

 

No need for staff meetings, but when he gets home, we are putting a big banner in the office-"DUH, let's look at the map and PLAN the logistics BEFORE we book the plane, truck or ship". Think that will get the point across???

[PhoenixCruiser]

Krissy, I suggest having a plan B just in case you miss your flight.

 

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