Earliest flight time departing Rome FCO?

[Hlitner]

tHANKS FOR THE INFO, i TOO HAVE A 9:45 FLIGHT. Celebrity docks at 5am I need to be off with my bags by 7am. I have private transportation and I have been to Rome and the airport many times. I am not easily stressed. I also speak a little Italian. NOW, My husband is the opposite...worried

 

We have also been to FCO many times and cruised in and out of Civitavecchia more times then we remember. Put us in your husband's category. We would not recommend a 9:45 flight...especially if it was an international flight (as opposed to one within the EU). And if it is a flight that is direct to North America then we would even be more concerned because of the additional hassles of Terminal 5. In your situation we would want to be out of the cruise terminal and on our way (with a private transfer) by 6:15am.

 

And by the way, speaking Italian will not get you to the airport any faster or through the airport check-in procedures any faster. Can you make your flight on your timeline? Perhaps. And perhaps not! Consider a possible accident on the autostrade, a delay in docking, a transfer car that is delayed getting to the port, etc.

 

Hank

Edited February 24, 2016 by Hlitner

[Keith1010]

I would not book a flight before 11:00 AM. For me I even prefer Noon.

 

Why?

 

I don't like stress. I don't want to spend one moment of my cruise worrying about this.

 

If you don't like stress might be a different story.

 

Things sometimes (not often but sometimes) go wrong.

 

Last time I was there there was a delay in the locals getting the luggage off the ship. This delayed disembarkation. Is this the norm? No. Can it happen? Yes.

 

Ships sometimes arrive late. Why? Could be a medical issue that delayed it. Could be some other issue.

 

Driver is late or other issue.

 

And then there is FCO. It can be very chaotic.

 

So, in the end, can you make a 10:00 AM or 10:30 AM flight. Maybe. But if things don't go right you might not.

 

And again it comes down to stress level.

 

For me, if may only option was the morning I would stay over and fly the next day.

 

But that is me and I am the same person who gets to airports early and the person who no matter where I fly (domestically) will always arrive one day before the cruise and when flying internationally two or more days prior to the cruise.

 

History means nothing to me on this one. I like buffer.

 

Keith

[greek princess]

what time do you recommend arriving at the airport? We decided to stay two days after the cruise, We have a 9:40 flight out of FCO returning to NY

I wasn't sure how early to get to airport. I was thinking 2 hours?

Thanks!

[CruiserBruce]

Alas, a problem opening a 6 year old thread----it is not current. There was a fire in Terminal 3 a year ago, with heavy damage, which has complicated operations through out the airport.

 

It is commonly discussed here flights before 11 are not recommended. Domestic (European flights) 2 hours is fine. Direct to US- 3 hours.

Edited February 24, 2016 by CruiserBruce

[SnorkelAway]

We had Delta flights at 11AM a couple of years ago that were non-refundable. Between the time we booked the flights and took the cruise, Delta changed the departure time to 9AM. We simple called them and explained what was going on and they rebooked us on a later flight for no additional fee.

 

Give your airline a call, they might just help you out.

 

1. Good advice. My past anecdotal experience is that when the airlines change your time(s) (even if only slightly), you can either accept the change, cancel, or change your flight(s) - even if it is a non-refundable ticket. A couple years ago, I was able to change our otherwise non-refundable tickets on USAir to another day without change penalty because of a change of less than one-half hour on one of flights.

 

2. One of factors at FCO or many airports is your type of ticket. If you have business or first class ticket, you can be more confident of getting to gate quickly.

[dabear]

We've also flown out of FCO a number of times and I agree that I would avoid flights before 11am unless you like to gamble. The ship could be delayed,immigration, traffic, etc & avoiding stress are the reasons. Get off the ship early carrying your own bags, arrange a private transfer to meet you and you are pretty safe. The last time (11/15) we were at the airport by 9:30am but each time can be different.

Regarding changes in flight times, I believe that if a flight time is changed more than 1 hour, you have the right to change flights, etc without a charge.