Is this flight too early?

[paulalt]

We are cruising out of Miami, but flying out of Fort Lauderdale. I think we are going to use miami shuttle. The airline has a 12:10pm flight. Do you think that is too early? The next flight isn't until 5:00pm! I would hate to spend the whole day in the airport! What does everyone think?

[lindie11]

i dont think it is too early because when you get to miami you can spend whatevers left of your day familiarising yourself with the surroundings. if you get the 5pm one you wont get there until night. so i'd pick the 12.10 one.

[paulalt]

I'm sorry. I don't think I made myself too clear! I am concerned about my return flight home, after the cruise. I understand that it is a 30-40 minute ride from the port of Miami to Fort Lauderdale airport.

[trish1c]

A 12:10 flight would be too close for my comfort out of Miami, forget FLL. If you are a risk taker, go ahead. But are you prepared for storms at sea/ another ship in distress that your ship has to stop & help? some idiot who decide to smuggle drugs or heaven knows what else on your cruise & tied up customs forever? understaffed customs agents who can't / won't get your luggage off the ship fast enough? a traffic accident on the road you need to travel from the ship to the AP?

 

Assuming domestic check in is 1 1/2 hours before take off, realizing they have the right to deny you boarding beyond that, do you really think with a 45 minute drive you are getting to FLL before 10:40? If so, great. You'll be relaxed & refreshed when you get home. Me, I'd be such a nervous wreck, my whole cruise would be ruined. My advice: have a leisurely breakfast, stroll off the ship, mill around in Miami for a while & take the 5 pm flight.

[Andiamo]

Back in June I booked a 12:00 flight out of FLL for my December cruise. For all the reasons mentioned by Trish1c I decided a few weeks ago to switch to the 5:00 flight. As far as I could figure out the only down side was getting home later.

 

The up side: Not rushing off the ship in those crowds; not fighting for a cab; hanging around on top deck very relaxed and watching the staff prepare for the next cruise; no fear of missing the flight; after paying the change of ticket fee I netted a $114 travel voucher as the 5:00 flight was less expensive.

 

Sure, it is a long time from 10:00 a.m. until 5:00, but knowing me I would have spent the entire five days on the ship worrying about the departure. It didn't make sense. Instead, I will just kill time for a change and hopefully enjoy the warm(er) weather.

[serene56]

You can make that flight- Do NOT take the cruise lines shuttle. The buses wait until they are full before they leave. Make arrangements for other transportation. We were the last people off the Voyager last august and were at the airport by 11am. We had a limo pick us up at the airport.

[JanetMarie]

Nah, we always take (at least several times a year) the direct flight back to CT that leaves around 11:20ish. Never had a problem.

[doone]

But JanetMarie, they are disembarking in Miami and flying out of Ft. Lauderdale. I agree, too early, take the later flight, less stress.

[DEL67]

If you have to ask, it probably is. I do not think you should chance it. And most cruise lines suggest not scheduling a flight befor 2 PM and that's from MIA, not FLL.

 

For a 12:10 flight you should be at the airport by 10:40. I know many people cut it closer, but I assume you will have luggage to check. Ina ddition, I have experienced waits of as much as 30 minutes to get through security at FLL.

 

To get to FLL by 10:40, you would need to be off the ship, through customs and in a taxi or limo by 10:00 at the very latest. Is it possible? Yes. But it is also very possible that disembarkation will be delayed by something like a non-citizen not showing up at immigration. We have disembarked in Miami as early as 9:00 and as late as 11:30, but most of the time it is around 10:00. It is also possible that you could hit a traffic jam on I-95. Do you want to take that chance?

[FamilyGuy1010]

Traffic won't be an issue on sunday(35 minute drive) unless there is a wreck. You can make the noonish flight if you are off the boat by 10AM.

Good luck.