Is 11 am Flight out of Vancouver Doable?

[Travelbee]

I am looking at airfares for our upcoming Alaska trip and are considering an 11am flight on debarkation day. What time does the ship usually dock and when are passengers allowed to debark? I remember it being easy to get to the airport from the port. Was it about 30 minute metro ride? Any thoughts of whether 11 am is too early? Our other option is 6:30 pm and we'd rather not sit at the airport all day if we don't have to!

 

[bumbershoot]

If you’re flying back to the US, you clear US customs at the Vancouver airport. You need to leave time for that.

I would rather rent a car and sightsee that day rather than take such an early flight (which might not even be possible) or sit at the airport.

 

[lisaradz]

I am looking at airfares for our upcoming Alaska trip and are considering an 11am flight on debarkation day. What time does the ship usually dock and when are passengers allowed to debark? I remember it being easy to get to the airport from the port. Was it about 30 minute metro ride? Any thoughts of whether 11 am is too early? Our other option is 6:30 pm and we'd rather not sit at the airport all day if we don't have to!

DCL recommends not to book flights before noon.
Guests Arranging Independent Air Travel
Ground transfers are available on embarkation and debarkation days only, for an additional fee, for those making their own flight arrangements. To add transfers to your cruise package, call (800) 951-3532 at least 75 days prior to vacation commencement date. In order to provide transfer service, your inbound and outbound flight details are required.

Please allow ample time for all your travel connections. We recommend the following flight-time guidelines:

• Latest arrival time to San Diego International Airport on Embarkation Day: 2:15 PM
• Earliest departure time from Vancouver International Airport on Debarkation Day: 12:00 PM

 

[TikiThunderPirates]

When we were on our Alaskan cruise we used Disneys transfer from the boat to the airport. We liked the no hassle just booked through them. We left the dock area on time. No issues. We were on the first cruise of the season, and our driver was new. He actually got lost going to the airport. Really lost. We parked in an abandoned lot for a while, and he ended up taking us to arrivals! People on our bus missed their flight because of it. We were VERY glad we had an afternoon flight. Did we sit around the airport for a while? Yes. But we were not in panic on that bus ride.

Could you make an 11:00am flight if everything goes perfectly well? Maybe. Could the ship dock late? You can't find your luggage and debarkation? The bus driver gets lost? Their is an accident that causes your taxi to sit in traffic for 30 minutes? How willing are you to gamble on a perfect set of events to make that flight? We were very glad we chose the later flight option on our day.