Close time b/t cruise arrival & flight departure
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: May 2010
Posts: 724
Close time b/t cruise arrival & flight departure
I'm thinking of booking a cruise that will arrive back in Miami at 8:00 am (according to the schedule). Would I be okay booking a flight out of Miami that departs on 11:25 AM the same day?
I'm not sure how accurate the cruise schedules are or how long it will take to disembark...and then get to MIA from the port, and then clear security.
My instincts tell me I need at least another hour of clearance. What do you think?
I'm not sure how accurate the cruise schedules are or how long it will take to disembark...and then get to MIA from the port, and then clear security.
My instincts tell me I need at least another hour of clearance. What do you think?
Last edited by longleaf; Apr 1, 2012 at 5:30 pm
#2
Join Date: Aug 2001
Location: Phila, PA
Posts: 891
How many passengers on the ship? Are there many to disembark? I guess I am a worry-wart and never schedule a plane departure that close. After all, one has to figure in the number of ships arriving in port that morning and also needing clearances. I am sorry I don't know how far it is from the port to the airport, since I cruise out of FLL. But availability of taxis and again, volumes of cruisers need to be taken into consideration.
#3
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MIA is about 20-30 minutes away from the Port of Miami. With an 8 am arrival I would usually prefer a flight after 12pm, but it would really depend on the day of the week, how many other ships in port with you, size of your ship, and where your ship is coming from.
Most of the time you should be fine as long as you make plans to get off the ship as quick as possible.
Most of the time you should be fine as long as you make plans to get off the ship as quick as possible.
#4
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The cruise line will usually try to get passengers with close connections off first, but there can occasionally be problems of many sorts, like luggage misplaced (believe it or not), etc.
I would be inclined to get a later flight.
I would be inclined to get a later flight.
#5
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Call the cruise line or your travel agent, they will tell you what the earliest flight for that port they consider safe is.
I prefer later flights, you could probably make it without much trouble (ships usually get in before they are scheduled) but if you have the option for a later flight it makes everything much easier.
Remember too that security and baggage check when a couple of cruise ships come into Miami or Lauderdale can be considerably longer than usual, especially since many people clearing security don't travel all that often. If you have priority access or whatever that will add to your time getting to the gate.
I prefer later flights, you could probably make it without much trouble (ships usually get in before they are scheduled) but if you have the option for a later flight it makes everything much easier.
Remember too that security and baggage check when a couple of cruise ships come into Miami or Lauderdale can be considerably longer than usual, especially since many people clearing security don't travel all that often. If you have priority access or whatever that will add to your time getting to the gate.
#6
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: London, Ontario
Posts: 5,210
At the very least, expect to do the self carry off of luggage, instead of putting it out the night before and picking it up in the terminal. Those people start leaving the ship first (and sometimes, as we did a few years ago, within about 10 minutes of the ship docking). MIA is busy enough at the best of times, but if in fact your ship actually does come in at 8, which strikes me as very late, then you are already at a disadvantage unless you have no other ships coming in with you.
#7
Join Date: Feb 2005
Posts: 526
You could also experience a delay docking - medical emergency that caused the ship to divert, etc. Or there could be a long delay because of customs/immigration. We were late boarding for a cruise because it had been to Belize and for some reason that caused a delay for the ship being cleared. It took a couple of hours. I would not chance it!
#9
Join Date: Feb 2008
Posts: 1,154
11:25am is about the earliest I'd feel comfortable doing it for FLL, and most of the advice I've ever heard for doing MIA for cruises arriving at the Miami port is that another hour or so is really a good idea. Personally, I don't like the stress of cutting it real close for an early departure, it makes that day getting off the ship even worse. All it really takes is for one thing to go wrong and you'll miss the flight. And I've definitely had those mornings where for whatever reason (generally slow customs processing), it's taken quite some time to get off the ship. Heck, my last cruise, we boarded late because they still had people getting off the ship around 12:30 because of customs being slow.
#10
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What ship? There's a big difference between disembarking the Norwegian Epic and the Crystal Serenity for example.
For the record, the earliest I have ever booked for a MIA air departure with a ship arriving in Miami is 1105AM - which then had a schedule change to 1045AM. We self disembarked and even battling the horrible TSA mess in MIA, were at the gate at 915.
For the record, the earliest I have ever booked for a MIA air departure with a ship arriving in Miami is 1105AM - which then had a schedule change to 1045AM. We self disembarked and even battling the horrible TSA mess in MIA, were at the gate at 915.
#11
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What ship? There's a big difference between disembarking the Norwegian Epic and the Crystal Serenity for example.
For the record, the earliest I have ever booked for a MIA air departure with a ship arriving in Miami is 1105AM - which then had a schedule change to 1045AM. We self disembarked and even battling the horrible TSA mess in MIA, were at the gate at 915.
For the record, the earliest I have ever booked for a MIA air departure with a ship arriving in Miami is 1105AM - which then had a schedule change to 1045AM. We self disembarked and even battling the horrible TSA mess in MIA, were at the gate at 915.
I wouldn't do anything before noon. Upside for an early flight is minimal, downside if you miss it is huge.
#12
Original Poster
Join Date: May 2010
Posts: 724
So I called the cruise line and asked them what they thought. The girl said that the recommended cutoff time in flights for the day the cruise arrives at port is 11:30 am. She said they (the cruise line) do not recommend booking any flights that depart prior to that time. ...well my flight would be at 11:25 am (no later flights using miles)
Close enough, right?
Isn't it most people's experience that if you are minutes past the deadline to board the plane that they will let you board a later one with no additional charges? I'd be flying on AA.
This happened to me once in the past and the airline allowed me to take a later flight at no additional charge. Maybe not 100% of the time, of course...but isn't that the usual outcome when u run slightly late for a flight on a nonrefundable ticket (or using miles)?
Close enough, right?
Isn't it most people's experience that if you are minutes past the deadline to board the plane that they will let you board a later one with no additional charges? I'd be flying on AA.
This happened to me once in the past and the airline allowed me to take a later flight at no additional charge. Maybe not 100% of the time, of course...but isn't that the usual outcome when u run slightly late for a flight on a nonrefundable ticket (or using miles)?
#13
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: London, Ontario
Posts: 5,210
Isn't it most people's experience that if you are minutes past the deadline to board the plane that they will let you board a later one with no additional charges? I'd be flying on AA.
This happened to me once in the past and the airline allowed me to take a later flight at no additional charge. Maybe not 100% of the time, of course...but isn't that the usual outcome when u run slightly late for a flight on a nonrefundable ticket (or using miles)?
#14
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Isn't it most people's experience that if you are minutes past the deadline to board the plane that they will let you board a later one with no additional charges? I'd be flying on AA.
This happened to me once in the past and the airline allowed me to take a later flight at no additional charge. Maybe not 100% of the time, of course...but isn't that the usual outcome when u run slightly late for a flight on a nonrefundable ticket (or using miles)?
This happened to me once in the past and the airline allowed me to take a later flight at no additional charge. Maybe not 100% of the time, of course...but isn't that the usual outcome when u run slightly late for a flight on a nonrefundable ticket (or using miles)?
#15
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If you're going to book the 11:25 flight I'd suggest pre-arranging a car service, rather than taking your chances with a taxi. It might cost a few dollars more but will take one variable out of play.
Last edited by Stiff; Apr 4, 2012 at 3:16 pm