Booking Flight the day of Cruise departure
#16
Join Date: May 2014
Posts: 116
We are considering taking either a 3 or 4 day cruise in June 2015 to the Bahamas. We live in Toledo, Ohio and our Floridian departure port would either be Miami or Port Canaveral. A non-stop flight from DTW to either of those ports is 3 hours long, one-way. What are your thoughts/feedback on:
1. Booking the roundtrip flight on our own versus the cruise line doing it for us?
2. If we booked on our own, flying down the morning of cruise departure as long as we caught the 1st flight of the day before 9am EST?
1. Booking the roundtrip flight on our own versus the cruise line doing it for us?
2. If we booked on our own, flying down the morning of cruise departure as long as we caught the 1st flight of the day before 9am EST?
#17
Join Date: May 2011
Posts: 71
LadyPhoenix,
Airfare booked via any cruise line comes with potential complications. In essence you do not have full control of your ticket particularly in the case of schedule changes or a mechanical or weather related issue for the airline. For domestic flights book your own air. For complicated foreign travel, which you did not ask about it's another story.
You do have to be onboard 90 minutes before the ship sails under the current Homeland Security policy.
MIA is about 20-30 minutes from the POM. MCO is over an hour from Port Canaveral. Both ships would probably embark between 4 and 5. If you fly into MIA you need to arrive by 11 to compensate for the mess that is MIA. If you are flying into Orlando you need to land by 10:30 at the latest.
Please also give consideration to enhanced security both at the airports and the ship.
For more information and advice log on to Cruise Critic. There is a Cruise Air forum with a Sticky about cruise air programs.
As a frequent cruiser, I no longer fly into any embarkation city the day of the cruise.
Airfare booked via any cruise line comes with potential complications. In essence you do not have full control of your ticket particularly in the case of schedule changes or a mechanical or weather related issue for the airline. For domestic flights book your own air. For complicated foreign travel, which you did not ask about it's another story.
You do have to be onboard 90 minutes before the ship sails under the current Homeland Security policy.
MIA is about 20-30 minutes from the POM. MCO is over an hour from Port Canaveral. Both ships would probably embark between 4 and 5. If you fly into MIA you need to arrive by 11 to compensate for the mess that is MIA. If you are flying into Orlando you need to land by 10:30 at the latest.
Please also give consideration to enhanced security both at the airports and the ship.
For more information and advice log on to Cruise Critic. There is a Cruise Air forum with a Sticky about cruise air programs.
As a frequent cruiser, I no longer fly into any embarkation city the day of the cruise.
#19
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Philadelphia, PA
Programs: Alas, not enough to earn miles
Posts: 169
CPAPs and BIPAPs are medical equipment and do not count towards the 2 personal items limit. I have never had a problem with my CPAP, small suitcase and tote bag as carry-ons.
#20
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: GVA (Greater Vancouver Area)
Programs: DREAD Gold; UA 1.035MM; Bonvoy Au-197; PCC Elite+; CCC Elite+; MSC C-12; CWC Au-197; WoH Dis
Posts: 52,110
It's all up to your own risk tolerance. We've frequently flown in the day of the cruise and have never had a problem. Just go with whatever you feel comfortable with. If you're particularly worried, you may want to look into travel insurance.
We have never booked air through the cruise line. I just can't justify spending 50% more for a third-party ticket with less convenient flights on airlines I would never pick myself.
(And as someone who detests Florida, I view any extra time spent there as lost time I'll never get back.)
We have never booked air through the cruise line. I just can't justify spending 50% more for a third-party ticket with less convenient flights on airlines I would never pick myself.
(And as someone who detests Florida, I view any extra time spent there as lost time I'll never get back.)
#21
Join Date: Mar 2004
Posts: 190
Trip insurance for short cruise is likely really minimal and always worth it for peace of mind: http://www.cruisedeals.com/clients/travel_insurance.asp
Another type of bag insurance that our TA (Jennifer at All Aboard Travel) recommended is ony $5 per checked bag and guarantees a check for the full bag replacement value within 48hrs of luggage missing is something called blue ribbon bag insurance.
It was well worth it for a recent Europe flight where 1 of our luggage pieces did not make it to our river cruise departure same day, so we had a check in 48hrs via express mail and were able to buy clothing for the bad weather.
Another type of bag insurance that our TA (Jennifer at All Aboard Travel) recommended is ony $5 per checked bag and guarantees a check for the full bag replacement value within 48hrs of luggage missing is something called blue ribbon bag insurance.
It was well worth it for a recent Europe flight where 1 of our luggage pieces did not make it to our river cruise departure same day, so we had a check in 48hrs via express mail and were able to buy clothing for the bad weather.
#22
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: ORD
Programs: UA 1K
Posts: 16,900
The only way I would consider flying in the day of the cruise would be in a situation where you could catch up to the ship on land.
We saw this happen on a Windstar that sort of worked its way down the French coast on the way to Lisbon. The ship went out to sea each night and then back into the next port which was probably a 15 minute drive on shore (we joked that we had the same tour guide three days in a row, she just drove up in her van.)
Anyway, the morning after our first night on board we watched a cab pull up and a rather harried couple get out and come on board. We later chatted and found out that they'd had travel woes and had missed embarkation, but all they had to do was get a hotel overnight and then catch a cab to our first port the next morning. No biggie, and the only thing they missed was the welcome reception, but I wouldn't want to deal with rounding up transportation to another island at the last moment.
We saw this happen on a Windstar that sort of worked its way down the French coast on the way to Lisbon. The ship went out to sea each night and then back into the next port which was probably a 15 minute drive on shore (we joked that we had the same tour guide three days in a row, she just drove up in her van.)
Anyway, the morning after our first night on board we watched a cab pull up and a rather harried couple get out and come on board. We later chatted and found out that they'd had travel woes and had missed embarkation, but all they had to do was get a hotel overnight and then catch a cab to our first port the next morning. No biggie, and the only thing they missed was the welcome reception, but I wouldn't want to deal with rounding up transportation to another island at the last moment.
#23
Join Date: Nov 2013
Location: YTZ
Posts: 502
Fly day before. My partner and I went to bermuda last month on celebrity and booked our flight to ewr the day of thinking "it's June, no snow, what else could go wrong?" Well Porter decided to have a network outage that grounded their entire fleet. After twenty minutes of waiting in the lounge at YTZ, we decided that we didn't want to risk missing the cruise so we got two tickets on AC flight to LGA.
Thankfully the fare wasn't too disgusting (~$400 each), though I think we were fleeced slightly on the taxi ride from LGA to port liberty.
Even though it all worked out, I personally didn't feel relaxed till the following day.
The absolutely worst part was the taxi ride from YTZ to YYZ. We got the one Toronto cab driver who believed that the posted speed limits were gospel and that he wouldn't dare coming within 10 km/h of it, for fear of some form of Devine retribution.
In short, my partner and I will always fly the day before from now on, as we were quite fortunate that we had the means to afford the last minute fare, and that we live in a hub like Toronto where there were other direct flight options.
And as aside, PD refunded the fare for the missed flight and offered a $50 credit. Not enough for me to fly them again, unfortunately.
Thankfully the fare wasn't too disgusting (~$400 each), though I think we were fleeced slightly on the taxi ride from LGA to port liberty.
Even though it all worked out, I personally didn't feel relaxed till the following day.
The absolutely worst part was the taxi ride from YTZ to YYZ. We got the one Toronto cab driver who believed that the posted speed limits were gospel and that he wouldn't dare coming within 10 km/h of it, for fear of some form of Devine retribution.
In short, my partner and I will always fly the day before from now on, as we were quite fortunate that we had the means to afford the last minute fare, and that we live in a hub like Toronto where there were other direct flight options.
And as aside, PD refunded the fare for the missed flight and offered a $50 credit. Not enough for me to fly them again, unfortunately.
#24
Join Date: Feb 1999
Location: T82
Programs: AA Gold, HH Gold
Posts: 2,845
If you don't care to sightsee, book a flight into MIA the day before and stay near the airport hotel with free shuttle, then checkout the next morning & board the ship early (often as early as 11 or 11:30 AM - lunch is included & part of your cruise package, and start the pampering early instead of biting nails)
#25
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 2010
Programs: AA
Posts: 14,658
One caution about this, especially if cruising out of the US, cabotage laws can sometimes make boarding at the next port impossible even if you can drive there easily. The example most US based cruisers will encounter is a roundtrip cruise out of South Florida with the first stop in Key West. Great, people think, if I miss sailing I can just drive down and catch up to the ship the next day, in Key West. Problem is that due to US law, you can't board in Key West because of different rules for one-ways versus roundtrip cruises - you have to board at a foreign port.
#26
Join Date: May 2014
Location: Toronto
Posts: 201
Many cruise under belt
If time and money allows go day before. That being said anything that is a long distance from your home airport and only has one airline departing again leave day before. Overseas cruise if time permits two days before so your jet lag is gone when you board and you can enjoy ship life. When we lost all our luggage departing on a Miami cruise many years ago, had we arrived the day before we would have known it right away and had stores to at least get some shoes and clothes and bathing suits. If doing a day of take th earliest flight so if delays or cancelled flight you can try allernate companies, if in winter weather always day before.
#28
Join Date: Aug 2013
Location: LAS HNL
Programs: DL DM, 5.7 MM, UA 3.1 MM, MARRIOTT PLATINUM, AVIS FIRST, Amex Black Card
Posts: 4,479
Fly in the night before. This is one of the times a Priceline bid works great. You can save big. Book a 3*-4* hotel near the port. No need to stress out before the cruise.
#30
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Nov 1999
Programs: FB Silver going for Gold
Posts: 21,753
A cautionary tale about buying air travel through Choice Air or the cruise line.
Took a HAL cruise 2 years ago which started just about the time that hurricane hit the eastern U.S. coast. Some people on the cruise knew it was coming and tried to get to Italy earlier (airlines were generally being flexible in allowing people to standby for earlier flights, as in days earlier). As their tickets were totally-inflexible cruise tickets, they weren't allowed to fly earlier though seats were available if they had bought published fares. As a result, there were stranded in NY and could only catch up with the cruise 2-4 days later having to fly via RAK.
Took a HAL cruise 2 years ago which started just about the time that hurricane hit the eastern U.S. coast. Some people on the cruise knew it was coming and tried to get to Italy earlier (airlines were generally being flexible in allowing people to standby for earlier flights, as in days earlier). As their tickets were totally-inflexible cruise tickets, they weren't allowed to fly earlier though seats were available if they had bought published fares. As a result, there were stranded in NY and could only catch up with the cruise 2-4 days later having to fly via RAK.