We normally fly in the night before, but have been known to fly in the morning of the cruise. This is all based on maximizing limited vacation time.

For our South Pacific cruises, we've always spent a few days local to the area before the cruise. The one time we took the biggest risk was our Baltic cruise - our trip was on two airlines, with checked baggage, and arrived the morning of the cruise. You just need to have a contingency plan and a "que sera, sera" attitude to take that kind of chance.