Flying the day of Cruise..

[0FF TO NEVERLAND]

Looking forward to hopefully getting on a Disney Cruise around Christmas Time. Its booked so we will see

Question: I know weather is a factor depending on where you are coming from that time of year.

The earliest flight is landing in Orlando at 9:54. Currently says ship leaves 3:45 ( subject to change )

Is that enough time to get from the airport to the port? If everything went well and landed at 9:54

I am somewhat thinking maybe flying the night before and staying in a cheap disney resort but I don't know if I can get that night off work

Thanks

 

[HiStitch626]

Landing at MCO at 10am will be fine as far as getting to port on time.

Whether you should fly in morning of is a debatable topic. We have flown in morning of in the past without worrying as it was a direct flight. But, in the 5 round-trip flights I have taken since the pandemic started, all of them have had changes in time. So, I am not sure I would currently opt for flying in the morning of the the cruise.

 

[JWelch62]

Looking forward to hopefully getting on a Disney Cruise around Christmas Time. Its booked so we will see

Question: I know weather is a factor depending on where you are coming from that time of year.

The earliest flight is landing in Orlando at 9:54. Currently says ship leaves 3:45 ( subject to change )

Is that enough time to get from the airport to the port? If everything went well and landed at 9:54

I am somewhat thinking maybe flying the night before and staying in a cheap disney resort but I don't know if I can get that night off work

Thanks

In addition to your weather, you should consider the weather at the source of your incoming flight. If your equipment is coming from a cold weather location it may be delayed en route to you. Also, after almost missing a cruise due to a mechanical problem with the plane I always fly in the day ahead. There are a lot of factors that can delay your flight. However, if you can't get the time off I don't think you have much choice. Book the first flight out and if it's delayed you have some buffer.

I want to say that MCO to the port is less than an hour, maybe 45 minutes.

 

[0FF TO NEVERLAND]

Yeah I am also hoping they add more flights as we get closer. Usually they have a early morning flight to land around 8:30ish. Those I usually trust a little more cause the plane is usually already in the departure city

 

[meliscan]

I know it is an extra expense but I always fly in the night before. Either staying at the Hyatt in MCO or a Disney resort. So much less stress to know you are there as opposed to missing your vacation due to a cancelled flight. I live in Houston and thunderstorms/rain can impact flights coming into and out of Houston. I would hate to miss the ship, yes if you have insurance they can catch you up but you could miss a few days of your trip trying to catch the ship.

 

[Cheburashka]

Looking forward to hopefully getting on a Disney Cruise around Christmas Time. Its booked so we will see

Question: I know weather is a factor depending on where you are coming from that time of year.

The earliest flight is landing in Orlando at 9:54. Currently says ship leaves 3:45 ( subject to change )

Is that enough time to get from the airport to the port? If everything went well and landed at 9:54

I am somewhat thinking maybe flying the night before and staying in a cheap disney resort but I don't know if I can get that night off work

Thanks

Warning: You're about to receive several posts telling you that the sky will fall and the world will end if you fly in the morning of the cruise.

Okay, a bit of an exaggeration, maybe, but not much. DIfferent people have different levels of comfort with risk, and those with minimal comfort often seem to feel the need to tell everyone that flying in the morning of is always a terrible idea and should never happen. This ignores the fact that every cruise, a sizable percentage of passengers fly in the morning of without incident. It also ignores the fact that evening flights are much more likely to get cancelled or delayed by several hours than early morning flights. Here is my risk-tolerant yet careful advice:

1. Your flight that arrives at MCO before 10 is about as late as anyone should schedule a flight arrival into MCO. It allows a few extra hours cushion for delays, which could always happen. Don't schedule a flight that will arrive any later than 11am. Remember that it will take well over an hour to get to Port Canaveral.
2. Your flight to Orlando should be a nonstop. There are just too many variables if there is going to be a stop, and that raises the risk factor a lot.
3. You shouldn't be flying day of in winter from an area that is prone to being snowed in. We're Texans, so that's not really an issue for us, but I don't recommend flying in morning of from Chicago, New York or Denver midwinter.
4. Consider doing carry-on bags only. If you do decide to check a bag, make sure that you have enough of what you need (including bathing suits, a few changes of clothes, etc.) to get you comfortably through the cruise just in case your checked luggage gets misrouted.
5. Avoid flying as a basic economy passenger. Those are the passengers most likely to get the boot if the flight is overbooked, and that's the last thing you need to worry about.

 

[RedHead0186]

If everything's on time, that should leave you enough time. However, I wouldn't recommend it. I once flew in the morning of the cruise departure, and while I landed on time, my suitcase did not make it on my flight. I had to spend extra time the morning of my cruise working with Southwest at their luggage counter and then on the phone with them. Everything turned out okay, as my suitcase made it on the very next flight and they made sure it got to the ship. But it added a lot of extra stress to the beginning of the trip. Since then, I won't fly in the morning of. (Kudos to Southwest who did a great job helping me out).

 

[squirk]

If you land at MCO at 10:00, that indeed leaves you with plenty of time to get to the port, but I have to echo the chorus and say don't do that unless you absolutely have no other choice.

As @Cheburashka said, odds are in your favor that everything will go just fine. But if something does go wrong with flights (or even traffic en route to the port) on embarkation day, you're probably not going to have much time to shift to a "Plan B."

The way I see it, flying in the night before and spending $200 on a Hampton Inn (or wherever) is its own form of travel insurance in terms of flight delays. It also makes for a more relaxing embarkation day, IMO.

That said, I certainly understand if your job doesn't give you that flexibility. I'd just make sure your trip insurance covers a missed sailing due to flight delays day of embarkation.

 

[insureman]

Yeah as others have already stated that's a big risk flying in that same day. We actually try to fly in about 3 days before since the many times we have cruised it is mostly in the February/March time and don't want to chance a snow storm closing down the airport up here. Ditto to @squirk remarks.

 

[JWG]

I'd make sure you have the right trip insurance to protect you should your flight get canceled/delayed and you miss the ship. I can't add more than what others have said. We are coming from Minnesota, so we always come the night before given our weather risks. If the weather is great in MN, our planes often are coming from Detroit, SLC, and/or NY - other weather places, so we mitigate the risk by taking on an extra night's hotel stay.

We use private transport to/from the port so we'll stay at a hotel just off the airport and then shuttle down in the AM.

 

[MomOTwins]

Pretty much every cruise, there is someone who does not make it on the ship because of flight delays. I would say at least 50% of my flights to Orlando have been delayed, several by 5 hours or more.

One option to consider is booking flights through disney cruise line. You will pay more, but they will sometimes hold the ship an hour or so if they are responsible for the guest’s air transportation and there is a delay. They can’t hold it too long as they pay a hefty sum to the port for delayed departures, but I’ve seen the ship do this on one of our sailings—we were late to sail away and they rushed on the family and then departed a split second later!

 

[insureman]

Just for guidance from weather.com


https://weather.com/storms/winter/news/snowiest-month-of-the-year-maps

 

[Orion Nebula]

Honestly I would fly in the day before and stay overnight locally. A delayed or cancelled flight sucks in general, but one that makes you miss your entire vacation is even worse.

 

[SailorsWhyf]

Another option would be to look at possible flights into Melbourne (not as many) or Jacksonville about a 2.5 hr drive - which may work better if you could land earlier. Just some thoughts if taking off work the night before is not an option

 

[Cheburashka]

One option to consider is booking flights through disney cruise line. You will pay more, but they will sometimes hold the ship an hour or so if they are responsible for the guest’s air transportation and there is a delay.

I second this advice, if you're worried at all. A few years ago our Fantasy cruise departure was delayed by a few hours, because there was a northeast snowstorm and so many flights were coming in late. If DCL is in charge of your flight, they'll really try to get you onboard.

 

[Heather07438]

What happens if you do not make it on the ship. Consider not only the risk of flight interruption, also consider what’s at stake.

If you’re going to WDW maybe the worst is you miss a day… possibly Disney throws you a bone and adjusts your ticket/resort dates. How much would the cruise or insurance refund for flight issues?

We’ve had significant flight delays that were caused by the weather of other areas. Going from NYC to MCO we’ve had Boston and Chicago weather impact our flights.

 

[bakerworld]

I would love to fly in the same day as the cruise start but I've never been brave enough to take the risk. I've been delayed at airports too many times to risk it. Good luck with your decision.

 

[princessmommyx3]

Yeah I am also hoping they add more flights as we get closer. Usually they have a early morning flight to land around 8:30ish. Those I usually trust a little more cause the plane is usually already in the departure city

I once had a 7:00 am flight that was delayed by several hours. The plane had arrived the night before, but it had arrived several hours late and the flight crew had to have their required hours of rest. So, delays can happen first thing in the morning too.

Like others have said, it all comes down to how much risk you are willing to accept because flight delays can and do happen at any time.

 

[tvguy]

The potential for heavy Christmas time air travel and weather would be enough for me to fly in the day before. There are a dozen nice hotels just off the MCO property on Augusta National Drive, they have a shuttle to pick you up, and the next day the shuttle will drop you right off at the Disney buses if you are using them. And most include free breakfast. Fly in the day before, start your departure day with a free leisurely breakfast and arrive at the ship relaxed.

 

[LovesBelle]

My friend almost missed her DCL cruise flying in the same day because her flight was delayed. That convinced me to always fly in the night before. And there's a nice Hyatt at the Orlando airport where you could stay if you wanted to, so it would be easy to catch the Disney bus to the cruise the next morning.